ponderings

If you don't, who will?

Be your own hero, you can do it. You don't need a handsome prince or superman. You can save yourself.

Now what?

I got the page this far...now what? Do you ever feel like that?

My next step from this point would be journaling. I still consider my art journal a JOURNAL...so I need to write on this.

 

Class sample from color class...

Here's one of the pages I made when I was teaching a recent color class. We practiced how to use contrast effectively without making mud.

Materials used:

• Dylusions Creative Journal by Ranger
• Acyrylic paint & gesso.
• Stabilo All pencil.
• Neocolor II crayons.
• Book paper.
• Watercolor paper.
• Dylusions Ink Sprays.
• The Crafter's Workshop stencils.

It's ok to just be.

Just be. Find some time today for simply being.

Let me know how it goes.

Ah, Monday...some quickies.

I came across these pages that I did a few weeks ago, and they make me smile. I was feeling stuck. So that's what I journaled about. Sometimes we feel like every page needs a pound of paint, or every page needs every trick we know. That's not true, sometimes it's good (and therapeutic) to do some quickies. Just express what's in your heart at the moment and move on.

The page on the left says, "stuck." And the page on the right says, "Imprisoned by my lack of skill." Have you ever felt like that?

Happy Friday...

Sending you strength, if you're in need of it.

A very pink gal...

Was playing with fluorescent Golden paint. Fun stuff. Forgive me for not typing out all the products I used...my sinuses are killing me and I am just too tired. Spring allergies are killing me! Plus, I'm allergic to dust and it's been windy here. Wind + Arizona = dusty, dusty, dusty. It's all the usual suspect on this page, though...nothing different.

Orange & blue...last JBS journal page.

Last page from my 2-hours-in-bed-with-JBS kits-journaling-session. (Scroll down to the May 1 post to see all the materials I used on these pages.)

Have you tried journaling in bed? You should. Bring a few supplies and just do it.

Orange & blue = favorite color combo! That orange tag was screaming to me, so I tore it in half and then drew in the rest of the tag with my pencil. The circle juice top was a great addition on top. I used Louise's feather stamp underneath all of it.

Can you believe I did six pages in two hours? Some of them are simple...but I like that. We dont' have to do every trick we know on every page. The point is EXPRESSION. Sometimes a few marks are all you need.

Save $2 on my check designs with Check Advantage...

I have to say, Check Advantage is an awesome company. They have been such a pleasure to work with! And, my checks & address labels are on sale this week...you can use the promo code SAVE2DW to get $2 off. 

Click here to see all my designs.

 

Page 5 from my JBS journal page frenzy...

Alright, here's page number five! (Remember, to see the materials I used on these pages, look for the first post in the series, dated May 1.)

She's a little moody...maybe she had jet lag like I did when I made this. Ha. I started this one with Lou's feather stamp (again, "inked" with water and Neocolor II crayons). Then I drew right over top of the stamped images. I used the wood shapes in the kit to give her a crown.

Last page will be up tomorrow!

 

A smiling sun for your Monday...another JBS journal page.

I tell ya, I was on a roll when I did these pages with the May Jenni Bowlin Studios kits. I love it when the ideas flow and you just have fun creating. (See last week's post about all of the materials I used on these pages...just scroll down.)

I loved the vintage advertisement in the Antiquarian kit. I cut out the smiling sun and collaged it over the runny color (which I did with Neocolor II crayons and a water brush). Next came the scribbles! I added the pink scribble over the purple color, and I added the pencil scribbles around the sun. I cut out the plane from one of the vintage images in the kit, and added the red star. I think I am in love with those red stars. I need about a million more of them.

I'll share page number 5 tomorrow! Told ya I was on a roll.

Buggin...another JBS journal page.

Here's the third page from my journal-frenzy with the awesome Jenni Bowlin Studios kits. (Remember to check the post below about all the materials I used on these pages.)

Those bugs in the antiquarian kit? Swoon. To create this page, I glued one bug on the top, and a torn bug underneath it. I used my blue Stabilo All pencil to draw in the rest of the torn bug. Then underneath those two I drew a pencil version of the bug. I added some shadowing and extra color with the Neocolor II crayons and the water brush. The only journaling I needed on this page is "Buggin." It says it all.

Look for another page on Monday...have a great weekend!

Take courage...another JBS journal page.

Here's the second page I made using May's JBS kits. (See my previous post for all the gory details about the materials I used on the page.)

This page is a note to myself. I started this page with some of the vintage papers in the Antiquarian kit (can you see the train paper and an airplane peeking through the color?). Then I added stamping with Lou's stamp. Next came the bug and star. Finally I drew over all of it with the Neocolors. The airplane was positioned funny...it gave my girl a weird mustache...so I scribbled over it with a white Neocolor II crayon. I cut apart one of the phrases in the Antiquarian kit and glued it to her forehead...dance the polka!

I'll share another page tomorrow!

Art Journaling Exposed, volume 2!

I'm happy to be part of Art Journaling Exposed, volume 2! Lots of interactive goodness, check it out!

May Jenni Bowlin kit...journal page bonanza!!

You all know about my love for Jenni Bowlin. First of all, she oozes talent. And she's adorable. And so, so nice. And she puts together such great kits.

I saw my box waiting for me when I got home from Australia. I'm fighting some killer jet lag, but I couldn't resist opening the box. I knew I wanted to journal, so I grabbed a few supplies and sat on my bed to create. I enjoyed the process immensely. It was a challenge to use only what I had with me, but I felt creatively inspired and I made SIX pages in the matter of about 2 hours. Seriously. I am going to share them with you over the next week or so and give you my thought process behind them.

Here's what I had with me to use:

• My JBS kits...the main kit, the Antiquarian kit, and the mini album kit.
• My box of Neocolor II crayons.
• A few Stabilo All pencils in various colors.
• Fudeball 1.5 black pen, and a Faber-Castell white pen (the big one w/ the bullet tip).
• Ranger glue stick. (BTW, I love the Ranger glue stick. It actually GLUES things down, unlike other glue sticks on the market.)
• Scissors
• A water brush filled with water.
• My vintage ledger journal. (Did you know that Jenni sometimes puts vintage ledgers up for sale in her "Flea Market" section? Check it often, they sell out fast.)

Nope, no spray ink and no ink pad. I did long for spray ink a few times, but I resisted the urge to go get it.

There's one thing you must know first. The main kit has a hand-carved feather stamp, done by the amazing and talented Louise Nelson. You need it. Trust me. I about fainted from excitement when I saw it.

This page started with the feather stamp. Because I didn't have an ink pad with me, I wet the stamp with my water brush and then scribbled on it with the Neocolor II crayons. It gave a very watercolor look to the stamping. I added the yellow on the right with the Neocolors, also. I scribbled first, the used the waterbrush to dissolve and pull the color. I did the polka dots with the white Faber Castell pen. Then came the vintage image, which I couldn't resist altering a bit. The red stars were a perfect addition and gave the vintage image a strong grounding element. Last came my journaling. Colorful, and I love the message...to LEAP.

Look for another JBS journal page tomorrow!

 

Journal cover...

A week or two ago I posted the back cover of my Dylusions journal. The front cover was a mess, so when I was in Australia I gesso'd the whole thing and then painted it. Took me about 10 minutes...fun.

Materials used:

• Dylusions Creative Journal by Ranger.
• Stabilo All pencil (click on my FAQ to read more about this pencil).
• Gesso
• Acrylic paint
• Fudeball pen
• My Sunray stencil by The Crafter's Workshop, and one of Julie's, too

Join me in OKC!

There are still a few spots open in my classes at My Heart's Fancy near Oklahoma City...join me! Great store, we'll have TONS of fun.

 

Lucky to be there...

Last week I had the chance to teach at the awesome Pages 2 Scrap, and then spend a few days in beautiful Sydney with my hubs. It poured rain during one of my teaching days...we even had problems with paint drying! But the weather was gorgeous while we did our touristy stuff. I really loved Australia...can't wait to go back. Next time I'm going to bring the fellas & do surfing lessons, and then also go up North to see the Great Barrier Reef.

The beautiful harbor:

Famous Bondi beach...the water felt great:

I got to pet this koala, even though he looks like he's avoiding me:

The view of Sydney from Taronga Zoo:

My middle fella was really concerned that I would be bitten by a Sydney funnel web spider. I did see one at the reptile park...but there was never one in my shoes. :)

Split portrait...something to try

I drew and painted this girl on a piece of watercolor paper. Then I cut her out, cut her in half, and glued the halves down on different journal pages (backgrounds that I had already done). Try it...it's an interesting visual effect.

Materials used:

• Dylusions Creative Journal by Ranger
• Gesso
• Acrylic paint
• Watercolor paper
• Stabilo All pencil
• Stencils by The Crafter's Workshop
• Regular pencil

Her eyes are telling a story...

What do you think they are saying?

Materials used:

• Dylusions Creative Journal by Ranger
• Gesso
• Acrylic paint
• Stabilo All pencil
• Regular pencil
• Neocolor II crayons
• Dylusions stencils by Ranger