First Art Journal Page

Well, I did manage to finish my first art journal page.  I think I might have belaboured this more than I do my layouts but I finally said enough is enough and here it is:

I used lots of bits and pieces that I had lying around from my last layout session.  I had cut out lots of flowers from a sheet of Crate Paper Random so those got thrown in.  I had also a bunch of Pink Paislee die cuts sitting on my table ready to be put away so they got added as well.  Their colour was off so I ran a tea bag over them to give them a more aged look.

Here are a few close ups:

The modeling paste butterflies were rubbed in Inka Gold and I used a soft pencil to outline them.  I then proceed to smug the pencil with my finger.

My original plan was to forgo the journalling but I ended up finding this quote from St. Augustine that was appropriate.

 

If you are wondering, those tea stained circles are actually tea stain circles from my cup of tea I was enjoying that evening.

I think that I am going to continue art journalling.  It was a fun process and incorporates all the aspects of scrapbooking that I enjoy.

This week has been a busy one....I spent most of it shovelling snow.  We had a nice snow storm that dumped about 25 to 30 cms on the city.  That is a decent amount of snow but certainly not a crazy amount.  It shouldn't have caused the havoc that it did.  Getting around the city was difficult to say the least.  More than 200 city buses were either stuck or involved in accidents which helped create traffic havoc.  The commute home was long and arduous.

It was a heavy, wet snow that stuck to everything -- street lights, signs, trees, -- everything.  The kiddos absolutely loved it.  It is the perfect snow fort and snowman building snow.  Just a few pics from the day:

 

Most of these were taken about the half way point in the storm. Only about half of the snow had fallen by this point.

Thursday, our son's class had its "Poetry Cafe" and he really wanted us to be there.  Rascal absolutely loved this section and has been writing poetry for weeks.  It surprised us that he took such enjoyment out of writing poetry and he is actually very good.

The kids went all out and set up a cafe with checkered table cloths and electric candles in the library.  Each of the kids read their poems or recited one of their favourites from another poet.  Rascal did two originals.  One was a ballad that his composed with his best friend.  The poem was about Star Wars.  I will have to post it when it comes home.  It was hilarious.

Tim Holtz has posted his March tag and has also added a Tattered Flowers challenge as well.  I am going to try to tackle at least one of these this weekend but now I am off to take Pumpkin to her ballet class.  T'is Latte and a good book time.

Happy Saturday. 

Photography 101 and Art Journalling

After many years of playing with various types of cameras, take a number of photography and developing courses...here is the one piece of advice that I want to give.  Always check your camera to make sure there is a memory card in it.  If you have a D-SLR like mine it has a demo mode on it that allows it to take photos without a memory card.  I don't know how many times in the last year that I have had that doh! moment where I have set up some beautiful shots only to have no memory card.

Today is another classic example.  I decided to finally try my hand at art journalling.  I like the idea of experimenting with techniques in a an art journal and I thought I would document all the various steps of my very first page just to see the progress.  It wasn't until I had taken 12 or 13 photos before I realized that I had no memory card in the camera.  Ughh....I think I am going to have to put a big label on the camera to remind me to check.  So much for the step by step photos.

I have misted, dribbled, stamped and applied molding paste to the pages in my journal.  The molding paste is currently in the process of drying.  I thought I would share what it looks like so far.

A couple of close ups:

I used a Magenta mask to apply the molding paste in the butterfly shapes.  I think I am going to rub some Inka Gold on them when they are dry.

I am not sure where I am going to go with this next.  I see a bit of pattern paper, some washi tape....we will have to see.

Happy Sunday.

Tim's Tag for Februrary

I am off to a good start so far.  2 of 2 and both of them done before the deadline.  It is nice to have a bit of mojo back.  Since I did not have the same set of stamps, I went digging through my stash and came up with this lovely Stamping Rosa stamp.  I had picked up years ago from Heather's Stamping Haven but never used it.  It is terrible to think of how much stuff I have that hasn't even been used once yet.  I think that should be a goal of mine this year -- to try and use every stamp, embossing folder, die, etc. at least once -- although I am not sure there is enough waking hours to accomplish it.

Materials used:  Bazzill cardstock, Prism Simply Smooth Cardstock, Core-dinations cardstock, Watercolour paper 90lb, Queen & Co. twine, Candi Minis, Tim Holtz tissue tape, cash key, & chit chat, Archival ink, Distress Markers, ink and stains.

Today is a Family Day here and the kiddos and I are home for the day.  Hubbie has to work and we made sure to rub it in this morning when he left.  Although it is a holiday, the kiddos and I have a long list of things that need to get done before we start make to work and school tomorrow.  Hopefully we will get a bit of time to play today as well.  It is a holiday after all.

Happy Monday.

Do I really need a title?

This is the question that I ask every time I do up a layout.  Do I really need to have a title?  Must I label the layout or just let it speak for itself?  Is it just a symptom of my laziness or is it just a desire not to confine the subject of the layout to words? More often than not, I will leave a title off of a layout.  Sometimes, it is a difficulty thinking of a title and other times, I just don't want a title. 

When it comes to journalling, I often will avoid it and just put in the basics -- who, when and maybe where.  I find that the story telling that many people are trying to accomplish with scrapbooking is the least attractive part of scrapbooking for me.  I have come to terms with the fact that I am really not a story teller.  I leave that to my significant other who is the writer.  For me, it is the visuals.  I am all about the visuals.

This layout is a classic example.  There is no title, no journalling and yet it is one of my favourite picture of my husband and his mother.  The photo was taken a few years ago at the Beef Producer's barbeque when we were visiting the farm.  There was really no story behind it other than the fact that I made them pose for a photo.

Materials used:  Bazzill cardstock, Basic Grey pattern paper, Lily Bee Designs pattern paper, Maya Road velvet flowers, stick pins and chipboard, Prima flowers, Kaiser Craft stickers and bling, Jenni Bowlin Acrylic Paint dauber, Distress stain, Pink Paislee rub ons, Teresa Collins stamp, and MME patter paper.

Does it need a story?  No.  Does it need an explanation?  Maybe.  Does it need more than just the basic context?  Probably not.  In this case, I have put the info about the picture on the back of the layout so if anyone wants to know who, what, where and when, it is there but I don't think it needs to be on the front.

Scrapbooking is a very personal process and there is no right or wrong way.  For me, it is about playing with pretty paper, having fun and creating something that is visually attractive.  For others, it is about preserving memories and the story of their lives.  To each, their own.

As for Tim Holtz's February Tag, I have just finished cleaning off my workspace and digging through my supplies looking for the perfect stamp to use.  I am hoping with this being the long weekend that I might get it finished either today or tomorrow.

Happy Sunday.

I did a layout. Yay!

Happy, happy, joy, joy....I did a layout.  It has been sometime and I was a little worried that the creative funk that I was in was going to become permanent.  Even though I have done a few cards, I haven't really had the energy nor the motivation to dig into doing a full layout since the Scrapbook and Cards Crop and Create weekend in the Fall.  Well that funk is well and truly over....

Materials used:  Bazzill cardstock, Prima pattern paper, Crate Paper pattern paper, Sequined paper, Recollections Gemstone stickers, Prima flowers, Wallack's Gesso, KaiserCraft bling, Pink Paislee die cuts, Marianne's washi tape, Memory Box die, Hero Arts stamp, Archival ink, Distress ink, MME pins, Thickers, Heidi Swapp mists, Dylusions mist, and Tattered Angels mist.

Lots of fussy cutting on this one.  I decided that I would cut all the flower elements out of the Crate Paper pattern paper and layer them.  This layout was completed for a "pink" challenge over at LCOM.  They are having an online crop this weekend.  There is still time to join in if you want.  Although the crop is for this weekend, the deadline for challenge submissions is not until Sunday February 10th.  Come on over and join the forum.  They are a very nice bunch over there.

 I am currently plugging away on a second challenge layout for the crop.  This one is suppose to be a love layout without using pink, red or hearts.  This should be interesting.

As for Tim Holtz's February Tag, I am still thinking on this one.  I don't have many of the items he used on his tag so I am contemplating what I am going to do instead using his techniques. 

One last item, I also decided to change my blog template.  It was time.  I was getting a bit tired of the old format.  I am still not sure about this one.  I think I will live with it for a while and see.  The background photo was taken one morning when I was walking the kiddos to school in a snow storm.  It was such a beautiful walk that day.

Happy Creative Sunday.