Sunday's Art Journaling....Joy

As you can see...I brought three of my favorite art interests into one, scrapbooking, art journaling, and smash book. The one element that stands out ((drum roll)) the punch! I used the Stampin' Up tab punch heavily on this page, not on purpose, but regardless, I did. At the top left corner and on all the tags. LOL, what can I say, it's my favorite.

 I won't say that this is my favorite flower, but it worked for this page. I added ATG tap to the bottom edge to hold the tags perfectly without covering up the hymn. The flower can be folded back to reveal the whole page if I desire to do so. I love this hymn and didn't want to take away from it in any way. I distressed the page and edges with ink and gesso.

 The tags are removable. The oval shaped tag is from the same scrapbook paper as the flower. I added more scrapbook paper to the back for journaling or an additional photo spot. The tag is the same paper but here I added to the back some packaging that I had leftover paint on. Perfect for recycling. It is slick paper but it worked perfectly for the back of a tag. =)

 Once again, as you saw on a previous page, I added the to-do shopping list page to a tag card. These tags and pockets are from Close to My Heart, but I revamped them for this page. I distressed, painted and roughed them up a bit...

 As you can see they don't look like new tags right from the package. I recycled scraps of paper that I had laid my brushes on or even purposely put my distress tools and inks on the tags to mess them up. I painted the tag holders with paint. I sprayed them with Marshmallow Glimmer Mist, which I used here and there throughout the book.

 Here is a glimpse of the other side of the tags. The pink tag is paper from a shopping bag scrap...

which I am going to tell you about at the end...

I made a pocket under the tag pocket to hold an additional tag

which is also serves as the page marker.

More tags and a look at the distressing... 

I added two of the original twine that came with the tags to the bottom left tag casing to create a tied closer. I adhered each end to the back to make it longer and able to tie. I cut a piece of the scrapbook paper which the flower on the left is from, to make the topper for the right bottom tag holder. See, there is no end to what you can do with recycling...reusing...recreating...even down to shopping bags...

Look at the photograph above. Have you noticed that the page on the right is larger than the page on the left? The original page in the book was torn badly. I couldn't fix it. So, I found this shopping bag in my art journaling folder. I cut it to fit over the page and slide it on. I sealed it shut with my ATG gun. If you look closely at the other photos, you can see the edge of the shopping bag. Don't you love it?!

I feel like that bag some days, don't you?! I am recycled, reused, recreated into something new and amazing because of my faith and hope. I never thought I could be and thought I was really happy the way I was. I discovered I really didn't know what being happy was, until now. My life is forever changed. I will always find happiness and be positive in whatever life brings, but today, I know what and where my true love and happiness comes from. Pretty rockin' awesome.

Hugs, Rita