Another Homemade Smash-type Journal

Today I used some pretty Graphic 45 double-sided scrapbook paper to make my own 8.5” x 5.5” Smash journal. I used the Cinch for binding. Here are a couple of pictures of the album, before I put anything in it.

Front Cover

 

Inside Front Cover

 

Smash Journal Pages Completed

I work often in Smash journals and do not post pictures of all the pages, but here are a few recent ones. These happen to be about our trip to the Pacific Northwest, end of February.

More Tulips

Sketched these tulips and then painted with Luminarte Silks Acrylic Glaze.

Spring is Coming {Faith}

I have faith that spring is coming, because God’s creation is faithful!

Inspired by one of my artist friends, this little bunny is ready for spring. I sketched and then watercolored in my journal.

Spring Sketching and Sparkly Tulips

Since I am still so new to this “art-thing,” I often get my inspiration from others and then try my hand at “copying” what they have done. The bunny looked easy to sketch, and it really was (the eraser is my best friend). The tulips, inspired by Dion Dior, were a bit more involved. The sketching part wasn’t too bad, but the painting with Luminarte Silks was a bit more involved. But I’m pleased with the end result.

Crocus {Mixed Media on Wood Block}

In Junelle Jacobsen’s Saturday Mornings class, this Saturday’s project was to do a bloom on a 2x4 wood block. I chose the crocus, because I LOVE the first blooms of spring, and I LOVE purple. I googled some crocus images and found one to sketch and then paint on the wood block. I don’t think I realized there are white crocuses!

This kind of project takes a lot of time for me. First, I’m so new at sketching, that it takes a long time to come up with something semi-acceptable. Then, on the wood block, there is tons of layering of papers and acrylic paints.

Repeating Stamp Pattern {Art Journal}

I often have a mixed media art journal page in progress while I am working on several other projects. Such was the case with this one. It gives me a fun break when other projects become stressful!

Mixed Media Art Journal Page {Believe}

Several layers of paint, stamps and collage. Inspired by Roben-Marie Roberts Smith.

Linking to Creative Every Day and Artist’s Play Room #97.

My Little Owl Fella {Mixed Media Wood Block}

Working in Junelle Jacobsen’s Saturday Mornings class, I first sketched this little owlet and then transferred him to a painted 2x4 board (cut at 4.5 inches tall). I used lots of paper piecings and acrylic paint layers. Fun project and a nice break from art journaling, Smash-ing, and scrapbooking.

Linking to Artist’s Play Room and Creative Every Day.

Two Are Better Than One {Art Journal}

This is one of our daughter’s favorite verses, and in fact it was she who first drew my attention to the verse.

I tend to “work alone,” and that is not always a good thing. Studying Rick Warren’s The Daniel Plan and Lysa TerKeurts’s Made to Crave, I notice that both emphasize working together with others, when it comes to commitment to a healthy lifestyle. Must be something to it! (Duh!)

The background is layers of blue and purple and white acrylic paint, Perfect Pearls mica powder, and clear gesso. The stamp is a Roben-Marie stamp, and I watercolored it.

Linking to Artist’s Play Room.

Spring in My Heart {if not in the air—YET}

I have been gone on a pleasant family trip for a couple of weeks and am just now back in my “studio” gearing up for some spring projects. I am working in the 2014 Scrapbook, a Smash Journal, a Healthy Lifestyle Bible Study Journal, among other projects.

Watercolor fascinates me, and yet when I have “looked into” classes on watercolor, I find it is just not me. But I have some artist friends who encourage the whimsical, do-whatever-you-like style, and I’m good with that. For example, watercolor is often very, well, “washed” out. In this phase of my life, I am drawn more to intense colors. So, MY watercolor will tend to be more intense than “real” artists would do.

These pieces were done on watercolor paper (I found an inexpensive 140# tablet for children at Target). The paints are real watercolor paints (although I sometimes use NeoColor Crayons, not this time).

I admit to still being surprised that I can actually freehand sketch ANYTHING. I’m very grateful for my eraser.

Linking to Artist’s Play Room.

My Own Smash Journal

Front Cover

Inside front cover

I just got a new Cinch binding machine yesterday and couldn’t wait to see if I could actually figure out how to use it. I put together a book that I will use for a Smash Journal (as I’ve gotten quite “into” making Smash books). I had some beautiful double-sided scrapbooking cardstock from Graphic 45 and pulled out a couple of 8x8 packs. So that I could wrap the paper around the sides of the cover and back (chip board), I made the book at 7x7.

I like it! I’ll have to talk myself into covering the pages with “smash” stuff.

Art Journal Craziness

One of my crazy, messy art journal pages, it began with some second and third generation prints from a Gelli Plate, several months ago. I added some Distress Paint, some pieces from a water color page I painted, a magazine title, and lots of stamps.

Bright Colors to Brighten My Mood: Art Journal

For those in my “real, not-art” world who wonder why I write blog posts about such, I like to share my work sometimes on various sites, and the only way I can do that is to link to a blog post. So there you have it. My excuse.

With hubby out of town on business for a few days, I have been unstoppable with my projects, and believe it or not, have NOT posted pictures of all of them: scrapbook layouts, Smash Journal pages, art journal pages, mixed media canvas, as well as learning from online tutorials about my new cutting machine (Silhouette Cameo), organizing my craft room, etc.

One of the things I enjoy just for fun is this style of art journaling where I just lay down lots of layers of color, with paints and inks, doodling, and a little journaling. For this one, I even used the little sewing machine I have for just such a purpose.

Mixed Media Camera Canvas

Inspired by my favorite teacher, *Junelle Jacobsen, this is a 6x6 canvas that features a camera that I sketched and then used as a template to cut patterned papers to collage in layers. There is lots of paint on the canvas, so it was lots of fun. I first painted the canvas with a coat of light aqua. After the camera was all done, I went over the canvas with black, leaving some of the aqua peeking out here and there.

*Somerset Workshop, Junelle’s “Whimsical Mixings of All Mediums, p 62.”

2014 Smash Journal Started

In addition to traditional scrapbooking (which I keep current) and art journal projects, another fun thing that I do is to keep a Smash Journal. It is the place where I go to be random, and where I use photos, memorabilia and embellishments that I am not using in my traditional scrapbooks.

I typically use most of the background page that is already there in the Smash Journal. This particular album is the light teal one, called Retro. This page had some elements that I did not want to use, so I simply covered them with some card stock that I had on hand that coordinated with the colors on this page, which I did like. I added a couple of Cameo cutouts (the number stack and the “before” and “after” words).

“Smash*ing” is fun and another one of those “areas” where I can enjoy both the process and the product (both are necessary for me).

Darkness into Light Art Journal {Gelatos}

A couple of days ago, I read this Scripture verse, and I pictured exactly what I created here, using Gelatos. Since the picture that came to mind was very simple, I decided to leave it exactly like that—crazy simple.

Scrapbook Page and {Stronger} Art Journal Layout

I scrapbook multiple layouts weekly but rarely post them. This one was really fun!

This art journal spread is for my sweet and beautiful daughter.

Mixed Media Class Continues: “She loved deeply” Canvas

I took a break from my Creatively Made mixed media class to work on holiday projects. I like to finish what I start (okay, so I MUST finish what I start), so I picked back up on the class a couple of days ago. This is an 8x8 canvas that I created as a project in the class.

I am not an artist and am especially bad when it comes to drawing/painting people. I decided to go for it on this vintage girl, and she turned out okay I think.

Yes, she does remind me of me. Believe it or not, this is the way my hair was styled at a brief time in my life, around the time my husband came home from Viet Nam, as one of my goals while he was gone was to let my hair grow, and it was fairly long by the time our son was born in June 1970. The style back then was somewhat poofy. During that time, it was common to wear a dress, and for afternoon events as a Marine Officer’s wife, gloves were required.

You will usually find one of my calling cards (required of all officer’s wives) in most of my mixed media canvases/boards.

I always enjoy using some of the vintage papers we found during our treks through antique stores.

Art Journal: Mercy

It has been literally months since I created an art journal page, what with the holiday Smash journal, tag-making, huge photo album project and regular scrapbooking—oh, and life. Today I wanted to use a verse that I especially love, with its reference to “through all generations.”

Prior to doing this page, I worked several days on a smash journal that contains the overflow from 2013 (those pictures and memorabilia that did not go into the 2013 scrapbooks).

Projects

January usually finds me knee-deep in organizational projects (as opposed to random and creative projects much of the rest of the year). I just reached my goal of going through literally hundreds of pictures in old albums from 1982-1991. I tossed the old albums and many poor quality photos from those years, scanned 10-20 photos from each year for electronic archives, and re-pocketed each remaining picture in acid-free albums. I had previously done that with 1970-1981. The photo albums from 1992-2002 are in pretty good shape, so I’m leaving those alone for now. I started scrapbooking in 2003 and have kept up with all photos since then. SO, big huge sigh of relief.

Today, back to something a bit more creative. I use Smash Journals for pictures and memorabilia that do not make it into my traditional chronological scrapbooks. This is a page done today, from my fourth Smash Journal (which will house 2013 “stuff”).

Winter in Missouri

We keep talking about how we would like to live in the south—just for a couple of months of the year, at least. We are less and less amused by Missouri winters. We really don’t like the cold. And yet, here it is. And here we are.

This was Sunday evening. In reality, this morning’s temperature was –32 wind chill.

My 12-inch ruler pretty much going under!-Yesterday afternoon.

This handsome jake (much larger than it looks here—I used my Rebel zoom lens), with a 12-inch beard, was so obvious in our snow-covered woods this morning. He would have been embarrassed to know how exposed he was!