Sunday's Art Journaling...Creative Recycling lol

See the sweet title? See the arrow pop up sticker?

Well...I needed pop-up dots...didn't have any with me...

You know how it is...get somewhere and...you left them at home...

So...I looked around the cabin where I was staying for the weekend and...

Found these jewels...treasures to me!!!

I flipped the sticker over...

Used Glossy Accents, a great item to have in your bag,

which I get at Hobby Lobby or any art store...

Placed these snaps, meant for pants, on the back of the sticker.

Then put it on the front of my art journal...

Allowed it to dry and...Perfect...

Never think twice about recycling something...

Nobody will ever know...well, until now lol...

Hugs, Rita

Sunday's Art Journaling...Nature

 Art Journaling is a great form of creativity because there is no rules to make or break. You begin, continue and end any way you want. The same thing happens with smash books. I took both and applied them in this project one might say. Something I didn't bring out in yesterday's post about the previous page, is how I extended my creativity and art past the actual page. The runner from the previous page is hanging over, peeking over the top. I added strong cardstock to the back of her head so that it would support the flimsy magazine paper. You will see this again on this page too.

 On this page, I used clear gesso so that the original art work illustration would be seen through and with that I used water color crayons to bring the image out even more.

 Behind the magazine clipping, I took a 1" punch and hit my scraps. I randomly placed the squares and Modge Podged them down on the page. Then I added the image, but cut the image so the hand holding the cup of coffee was visible. Love my coffee. I also distressed the edges with ink throughout these pages.

 No, don't get excited...not showing off her bottom here...lol...showing that once again, I let the clipping flow off the page. I didn't want to chop off the skirt and I loved how the flow fit perfectly off the edge of the page. Lovely...Again, I supported it with colorful cardstock scrapbook paper.

 I save the stickers from vegetables. I admit it. I am a sad sticker, label, can top saver. I stick them to my fridge grocery list paper and then drop the sheet when it's full into my plastic folder just for art journaling. Here I used several of them on the page. Fun!!! I left the "bean" jumping on the page...fit perfectly with the coffee cup, don't you think...

 I used inks, water color crayons, clear gesso and just had fun with these pages. They flow together with the theme of nature. I thought about how natural things are for me. I let my spirit flow and just enjoy being especially on Sundays, my day devoted to respite.

 The title. for this page is a clipping from a brochure I think. I will save a whole sheet or a part of menu, brochure, magazine clipping to use on an idea I might have.

 It pays to not think, "How will I use this scrap?" Just put it in a box or folder designated for scraps. Then I go through the box when it's full, armed with my punches, and just wack away...I used just such punches here...it made the magazine clipping standout...

I just fell in love with these pages. There are multiple techniques that I used, very simple and sweet. Easy to adapt. Just always remember, creating an art journal or a smash book begins with you. Then get a book from a thrift store, library recycle store, or yard sale. Find clippings or some of your favorite things or photographs. Just start sticking them inside the book. Get an ink pen and begin writing. Once you start, you won't turn back. Gesso is a product carried at Hobby Lobby or most art stores. You can brush it on the pages to prep it for painting or anything you wish to do to the page. Water color crayons are excellent to use as well as school water based paints. A set of brushes and sponge brushes are staples. Bic ink pens are great for writing and cost less than $1 for a 10 pack especially at the beginning of the school year. Not an expensive hobby at all. Give it a try. You will fall in love with this form of art and, like me, respite.

Hugs, Rita

Sunday's Art Journaling...Shape Your Life

 There are so many words for these two pages of art journaling and then there are no words needed. Shaping my life and empowering it both with mind and spirit toward healthy lifestyle has been a total life changing experience and adventure. The image of a runner was the beginning of the physical side of shaping up my life so when I found it in my clippings, it was perfect.

 The "Power to Shape Your Life" especially in your mind and spirit isn't as easy as one would think. My road to a healthier lifestyle has been, let's see...28 months now and counting. The power of the mind is stronger than anything I had ever known! Self-talk controls that because my body can do more than my mind thinks it can.  I clip words, phrases, photographs from magazines, ads, newspapers (which I rarely read, just flip through) and stick them in a 12x12 plastic folder just for art journaling. Then when I am working on projects like this, I pull them out...and use them on pages...

 ...like here... These words empowered me! They were a list on an ad for something. I felt they were all great and could be used in such a way as this. I cut them down as i was working on this page. I had these "peace" signs from paper in my scraps. I thought empowering + peace = shaping my life. I also, took water crayons and marked around each word to give them pop and then brushed around them.

 The runner had some great color within the ad that I adapted to the page. It was the same inks I was using to distress the page, water color based by the way. The gesso allows me to use more water on the page and it keeps it from soaking through the page below.

One of my all time favorite things is to crunch up sewing dress pattern tissue and gesso it down onto a page. It gives great texture to the page. That is what I did here and throughout the book. 

 Another technique I love to use on art journaling pages as well on the edge of ATCs is spackle. I have on hand white and beige. That is what you see on this page. It leaves a great texture on the page and it came cheap for me...I took it from my husband's shop LOL! =O You never know what you might find in HIS stash to use in art journaling...just saying...then you can move that technique over to scrapbooking or other areas of art...one never knows the possibilities of shaping up your life and where you might begin living strong and healthy.

 When I think of distressing, inking always comes to mind. But markers, pens, tools roughing up the edges, and even more ways pop into thinking as I type. Here I used water crayons and ink pads. The area under the runner's arm is actually part of the photograph from the magazine. I thought it blended perfectly with the page. I love the water color crayons and how well they work. I use two sets, one I got from Stampin' Up and another set I got from Hobby Lobby.

 In this corner, I used more of the spackle and left a portion of the hymn showing that I mentioned in my notes yesterday. I also used water crayons in the circle with the Bic ink for the circle outlines. It is such fun to play with different ideas on a page. I wonder if art journaling was started as a way to play with various techniques before taking them to the canvas...

Around the arms and hand, I used a darker water crayon to shad these areas to look as if the runner was moving on the page. I wanted a swish marking as if she were passing along the way on her way to shaping her life...

A closer view of the crinkled sewing dress maker pattern tissue, water color crayons outlining the word clippings and the distressing inks.

One thing I do find helpful, is using wax paper. I gesso several pages ahead, so I use wax paper to separate the pages to keep them from sticking. While working on this book, I was at the family fishing/hunting cabin. I forgot to take my heat gun to dry as I went along. Therefore, I thought I would just use the wax paper. It will be a staple in my supplies now. If it happens to stick, which it did on one page, so what...texture. Perfect...

New roads and new ways of shaping us happen. Art journaling these travels is a great way to bring respite and understanding to what we want to learn along the way both in our souls and on paper.

Hugs, Rita

Sunday's Art Journaling...Rainy Days...

 Art journaling is so therapeutic! I know, I know, it's art, but for me it's respite...I know, I know, you get tired of me saying that lol, but it's true! I can slap that paper on or even the gesso and at least "I" feel better afterwards...I pick up books like this one at yard sales, thrift stores and even on the side of the road. Sometimes I will take a children's book that has been used as a "teething" ring and sand the areas clean, putty them, then begin my work. However, this book was just dirty with some torn pages. It was fairly easy to cover and then redo the pages.

 I thought of making this one could be a coffee shop book since I love hanging at several of them and do have photos and memorabilia I could add to it, but I wanted to work with what was on my heart at this time.

 The front and back covers were in mint condition so I was able to cover them with papers. I used Modge Podge and Gesso along with my ATG gun to do most of the work in this book. Cheap and easy is how I work the best LOL... Plus art journaling is a great way to use your scraps or pick up old patterns at thrift stores and use the pieces of the whole package...

 As I began this book, I knew the theme I wanted to go with, but I wasn't sure the flow as I started. So, I began with one corner of my heart and just started. I got this clipping from a goody bag and it fit with how I felt when I began my journey to healthy living. Rain does come, but there is sunshine at the end of a long journey and for every drop, I am so very thankful. With each page, I put gesso down first. On the pages that I wanted to keep the illustrations clear and use them on my page, I used clear gesso.

 I covered the page with a hymn sheet which is from a hymnal I got from a thrift store. I use these pages in scrapbooking, art journaling, card making, etc. Love them. Then I used water crayons and painted circles on the page. I took a Bic ink pen, my favorite thing to write with and use in art journaling, and created the circles around them.

 I am NOT successful with rub-ons, just not...but I learned that if you rub them with your fingers, warming it up so to speak, then use your rub-on tool they go down much better. I put the whole thing down and then added a highlight stickers around the pages. I distressed the paper and sides with ink spots and brushed the whole page down with water to blend the materials.

Again, I do use the black Bic ink pen when I write in my art journal. It goes on well when I use paint and ink. I have tried various markers, but they dry out very fast. I think Art Journaling is perfect since it is not expensive when you think about it. Perfect for yourself or gift giving. Also, it is wonderful to carry with you or contain in a corner of your bedroom for those midnight cravings. Life is busy. It's crazy. Work, caregiving, family events, children, friends, chores, sports, coffees, teas, whatever cranks your tractor or motor boat...but one thing remains the same, we all need it...respite.

Hugs and Happy Mother's Day to all you Mother's out there!

Rita

Sunday's Art Journaling...Letters Painted and Pretty...

Titling this project was easy...

Rambling comes easy for me...

and on Sundays, I pick up a pen and my journal and just start writing...

 I took a set of ABCs that I got from Scrapping for a Cure that I attended in Florence. They are self-sticking and about 1" large. Very nice chipboard too. I took two different colors of ink and stamped them directly until I got the two-toned shade I wanted...

Then I went over them with Marshmellow Glimmer Mist...

I was thrilled the set had these pieces too...

 I stacked the letters so they would fit on the book's cover using only the adhesive they came with. However, I found them falling off so I added Glossy Accents to the back and who-la, they stayed on perfectly...My title to the book was HOOKED lol...

I also went around the edges of each letter with black ink to make them pop...

Done...

I have never worked much with ABCs/123s, but I really like the chipboard sets...

I think it's the fact you can make them any color you want...

Hugs, Rita

Sunday's Art Journaling...Recycling the Book

 The cover of the Sunday's Art Journaling project was fairly easy to make. I took two pages of scrapbook paper that was in my goody bag from Scrapping for a Cure for CF in Florence a few weeks ago and decoupaged it onto the cover of the book.

 Then I began to embellish the cover. I layered the stickers multiple times which gave them stability thus being able to hang them off the cover for depth and fun. I raised the larger circle sticker up in a creative way...I will show you how soon...

 The colors pop and I really liked the inks I carried with me on this trip! I had no idea that all of the items I had on hand would actually work on this book! Isn't it awesome how things work out for the glory of it all! Love it...

I distressed and inked like crazy, using black, brown, a turquoise, and a green...

Layering was my mindset throughout...

I got these letters from my goody bag also...made good use of them too!

The paper went well around the spine and binding of the book as well...

This is the cover of the original book...a bit dirty but usable...

Some of the pages were torn, but I could fix that by adding some pieces of paper...

also, the artwork on some of the pages I left and brought out the colors of them

with more water based crayons and paint...

The inside of the book, I added more paper...

My work area for this project...

I loved that I could leave everything out all weekend...

I am planning the next art journal...relationships. I want to heal my heart of a broken relationship and move on from that. Have you ever been there before. This book really helped me see that from every area of my life food was the go to for emotions and support. I ate when I was excited, happy, anxious, nervous, whatever...I ate. I was an emotional eater and still am. I have to refocus that to keep from returning to eating. I want to turn old habits into positive good things for myself. 

Sundays are a great time to journal, writing about anything, just wake, grab a pen and a notebook and start writing about anything, whatever comes to mind. Try it...you will be amazed at how liberating it really is...

Hugs, Rita