pamgarrison

oh, it was so lovely

Ahhh, it was so fun to be at Mary Ann's casa Moss! After numerous emails back and forth:

me: Sorry I am a snail today, will see if I can push the boys off an hour or 2 tonight. So what do I need to bring?

her: nothing! yes, the boys need time together, push it back, it's perfect out back in early evening.

me: ok, i'm bringing journals, laptop, papers for students, what am i forgetting?

her: nothing, I will set up our table out back

me: last chance, getting in the car...

her: throw some little paint bottles .... Bright ones.  In a bag.  No more than 10!!!

her: GET IN CAR.  That is an order.    Do not take the 5!!!!!

her:   are you in the car?

She knows I sometimes need to be told what to do, makes it easier for me to streamline and get moving!

I finally arrived. And it was so very fun, as always. We always start with an exchange and examination of each others journals with exclamations and questions and interruptions and tales told. It also includes photos taken like these I took of some of her pages:

In depth discussions about shapes and colors and papers and thoughts.

And then, after we'd feasted our eyes and imaginations and could stand not one minute more of stimulation without participation, we moved out to the perfect painting patio.

Mary Ann snapped this photo of me, but sadly, I failed to pick up my camera again after taking the photos of her journals above. It seems I never ever learn that lesson.

I was instructed to assume a position and do. not. move. I obeyed, after all, I knew genius was at work.

We took turns drawing each other.

After taking a quick break to eat, Mary Ann then tortured me by showing me how she plays on her iPad. I have wanted one since they were first developed, especially after seeing her digtal journaling:

Not sure how much longer I can resist the siren song of the ipad...

We  moved to some PhotoShop demos and "how do you do ____? oh, I do it this way..."  and and and. Then she turned her back and I raided her paper drawer, she caught me,  but let me have the bounty anyway, she's generous like that. She appreciates, but does not hoard. (That must be a nice feeling, hahaha.)

And suddenly, 8 hours had passed. Always too quickly. But we've already made plans for more adventures, and next time I will be sure to take photos of her in action too!

 

what are you working on?

I was reading Ali Edwards blog and when I read the quote by Harry Callahan  (that she saw over on Meredith Winn's blog,) I was struck by how well the quote applies to any medium, not just photography. Here's the quote:

To be a photographer, one must photograph. No amount of book learning, no checklist of seminars attended, can substitute for the simple act of making pictures. Experience is the best teacher of all. And for that, there is no guarantee that one will become an artist. Only the journey matters. - Harry Callahan

So on the journal page I was playing on today, I left the words pertaining to photography out. Go ahead, put in what you are artistically working on, any word, painting, journaling, quilting, illustrating, etc. and see how it holds true.

 

{Here's an  instagram of the page top when I was just getting started. I was at the batting cages with my son. I have to say, the iphone 4 sure does take nice pictures, I mean, the close journal page, the net, the moving bat...}

Anyway, back to the quote. It reminds me of a story the awesome Lynne Whipple once told to the students in her class. She relayed to us that she had an art teacher that said, "you have 10,000 bad paintings in you, you better get busy and get them out of the way." 

Yep. Same concept. So let's get busy doing that which we want to be, practicing the art form, and enjoying the journey. Getting better at it will be icing on the cake.

A pretty rose I couldn't resist taking a photo of when I pulled in  from the bus stop this morning. For those of you that miss all my garden shots of yesteryear (yes, you H!), and are tired of journal of kid shots. I could tie it in with the theme, blossoming and all that, but seems a bit over doing it :). Have a great weekend, I'm going up to see the Butthead to my Beavis, (I'll explain that one another day.) Rest assured, we'll be experiencing one art form or another, hope you will too!! xo

a lot of painting going on lately

Every since I spent the weekend painting with Jennifer Mercede, I just don't want to stop.

And I haven't, pretty much off and on, with many painting supplies left out in the family room amonst all the other living that goes on in there.

Painting on wood panels...

        Everything within range gets paint on it...like journal pages...

On this page I was writing about how I feel like I have so many many ideas but spin round and round and have a hard time gaining any traction with my ideas.

My friend and fellow journaler Hope , recently asked me some journaling questions for her column over at the lovely Ripple Effect. You can see more of my journaling pages and answers to her questions here. And boy, the quote by Maya Angelou on today's Ripple Effect post is pretty much sums up where my thoughts are. The need for change, yep, so I don't feel stuck like the thoughts on the journal page above. Working on it!

 

And even though I've left the supplies out and use them frequently, occasionally I try to pick up at least a little, which included cleaning off my paint palette. The dried paint peeled up easily and struck me as so pretty, that I couldn't resist sewing it down on another journal page. Which then turned into a creative to do list instagram:

 

 Off to tackle something on the list, hope you have a great day!

negu & some recent journal pages

Hello, I'm sitting here, at my new little computer station (instagram above). I am spending too much time at the computer for work these days to continue things as they were...a too tall desk with the computer off to the left, not straight on...really wasn't doing my back any favors. Wasn't sure what the solution would be and then I stopped by my friend's house to collect some kitchen chairs she was giving to my Dad, and she had placed this little old children's desk out there too in case I could use it. She knows me well :). In the car it went. Once home, I took it into the garage for a quick scrub down, sanding, and application of some dark stain (because I was too impatient to buy and use a can of paint). All that was left was lining the darling drawer and it was ready to come inside and sit next to the big desk. It's the perfect hight for me to sit and type at, and right now, I've got the drawer pulled out as a little keyboard tray. Gotta love it when you make do and it's close enough to perfect to move onto another to do on the list!

Been painting and journaling a lot lately, usually squeezed in late at night. These are some of the pages.

This last page above was a page made after going to my son's baseball meeting where we were given NEGU patches to put on their uniforms in honor of a local young girl named Jessie Rees who was diagnosed with two inoperable brain tumors. It was her dream to inspire people, especially children fighting cancer, to Never Ever Give Up, no matter what. Although Jessie is no longer with us, her message and good works live on through her foundation. You can read more about Jessie, her NEGU foundation, and their Joy Jars here. 

bit by bit

                       

Do you like my new blog design? I love it!  It's all thanks to a visit from my computer tutor. Yep, I have a computer tutor and it's really been fun. Sweet Sarah is my tutor, and she is so calm and patient and never laughs at me, only with me (haha). We started with some general computer organization and photoshop help, progressed to learning how to make rubber stamps out of some of my hand drawn alphabets, and ended up working on my blog design. After watching her figure out how to code the links above so that they change colors when you roll over them, I know that that much learning is not for me. Not now anyway, next session it's back to photoshop and other how-tos I need to learn to make some new products.

                   

I've inserted some recent journal pages for interest. "Bit by Bit" says the post title and the writing on the top journal page. It's a reminder for when feeling overwhelmed about how much I have to learn or do etc. that it is possible in bits. Just like the blog spiffing up, logo design, more products etc. Eventually the bits add up. Sarah's help is making a big difference, I  feel excited about what we've covered so far, and what we will accomplish the next time.

Sarah's working on courses, both live and online, and has some in person or Skype consulting slots available. But please leave room for me ;), like I said, I've got a lot more to go!

instagram ♡

Yep, I've fallen into the pretty world of Instagraming.  I've heard it described as a photo version of the twitter concept; sharing what you are currently up to, but Instagram is in photo format. This is how I use it, snapping photos on my phone throughout my day and posting what I'm up to, but I know that some people use it just for the pretty photo filters alone. I like the different view you get into someone's life, feels more personal than blogs. It's also been a fun way for me to look at my own life a little differently, and I love anything that makes me do that. The photo above was taken this morning. And here's another I posted a little bit ago, documenting my current obsession with piecing together a new quilt for my family:

While at Amy's house the other day I snapped this one of her pretty closet insides:

But the favorite moments I've captured so far are of our life going on, like my kids playing together:

and my son on his first ever buying trip to See's Candy:

I know I have much to learn, tricks and tips, but I don't care to right now, I'm enjoying it as it. (Fighting that all or nothing thinking again.)

I'm sure there is lots of info on the Instagram blog, if you are inclined to learn that way.

One friend told me about followgram, which is where you can see my instagrams if you yourself are not on instagram. Another told me about Printstagram for printing your photos, another PostalPix app for the same. And still another told me about Statigram where you can see your photos larger on your computer, and see stats on what filters you use and how often, and I'm sure a million other things too.

Mary Ann made a super cute Instagram badge that she said we are all welcome to  use on our sidebars if we wish. I'm going to, as soon as I figure that all out again.

It's great for taking views of your lap too, like I did this weekend:

Let me sum it up this way:   Instagram? Yep!

recent journal pages and some food for thought links

      

So,  it seems I've a very bad habit of setting up circumstances or expectations that leave me feeling  constantly overwhelmed and behind.  I hate that feeling. I always feel like I need to do more, do better, try harder, be more disciplined. I'm very good at being self critical which really doesn't help get me anywhere but more overwhelmed when I really think about it. I was looking for a quote in Sabrina Ward Harrison's  Brave on the Rocks book when I stumbled across a page she wrote about what she termed "the Betterness Complex". I know it's a pretty common feeling out there amongst many. We are so hard on ourselves, and each other too.
         

I've been mulling on that lately as I go along.

I've been enjoying Ali Edwards' 52 Creative Lifts Newletter (sign up for free here), and I think it was her newsletter that led me to this  post by Liz Lamoreux. I love her thoughts on how we make assumptions, fill in the blanks. That was a new way of looking at the "I should be more because she..." game we play. I don't think we should compare ourselves to others anyway, because it often leads to judgement of ourselves or others, and Liz's thoughts are another reason not to; because we really don't even know the whole story, but just what we assume. Good things for me to think about as I work on  restructuring my perspective and priorities.

       

         

I really am focusing on it this year, on getting organized vs. overwhelmed. And I think it all starts with my thoughts. On being content as is. So really, instead of accomplishing more, I think I need to grow in the direction of acceptance, understanding, not comparing or always striving to be more, do better. On believing I am enough. Trying to break things down to what really matters and get those priorities more firmly established in my thinking, and therefore daily life.  As I was looking at my journal, words like these that I have written to myself keep appearing:

               
I'd say that's the biggest difference I feel I've commited myself to, in 2012, to keep taking baby steps even when I feel like "it" will never happen; that I will never get organized, or acheive the peaceful, joyful, contented existence I long for. I just know we should not quit, and when I focus on that (not quitting), vs. all that the pieces it takes to acheive what I'm striving for, I feel just a tiny bit more hope and a tiny bit less overwhelmed. It's possible, I know it is, so in 2012, I'm not quitting.

the start of something good

I'm really excited for 2012. I feel like most everyone is. The phrases I keep hearing in my head are: "this is the year", and "this is going to be a great year".   Excellent, bring it on!

The above piece is something I started ages and ages ago. It was inspired by this piece by Nina Bagley that she was creating at the beginning of a new year many years ago. I love how hers states "this is going to be the year"...so similar to the thoughts that have been running through my head of late. This is the year I'm going to grow my art practice, my art business, my art skills in things like painting, illustration, and especially photoshop and other technical ways of creating. My resisting the technical skills has limited my growth. They are stopping me from creating like I long to.

I realized that I'm at the point that Anais Nin talked about in that famous quote:

The day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.

I've already started to dive in, so I know I'll keep going. It's fun. A kind of fun I haven't felt for a long time, the "I'm excited to wake up and get back to that project" fun. All it took was surrender, who knew?

Above is a recent journal page. Gave myself a talking to, it's time to follow through, not to delay. I've done plenty of that. I even signed up for this class, which I only did after I was sure I was 100% committed, it's wasted money if I'm not going to show up for myself!  I have this ebook, and found it to be excellent, so I can't imagine that the 9 weeks of class won't be the same. Kelly Rae is a cutie and she sure has shown up for her dreams and her dreams are coming true in a big way! Go Kelly Rae go! I love it when any independent artist has success, in whatever form that is, whatever dream, because it signifies to me that each and every one of our dreams can come true. I believe that with all my heart. Everyone has a unique dream, and every dream is possible. I hope you have some big dreams for the new year too, I'm looking forward to seeing them all actualize, yours, mine and ours.

I like the message of the same stiched beads in the first photo, with a little text editing via sampler borders...BE the start of something good. Yep, it's up to us to begin. Here's to fresh starts!!!

journaling, august 2011

Often times, when I go to photograph recent journaling to share here on the blog, my favorite photos are those that show bits of the pages. I don't love the way I capture full pages or spreads; they lose something in translation. I know this is true, because people who page through my journals in person tell me so as well. It's a good challenge, as there are many journal artists that do photograph their pages and spreads and are able to express the soul in them. I'll keep working on it and in the meantime, I'll indulge my desire to hone in on favorites parts.

 

(above- if you click on the photo, it will become almost full screen, that seems to help)

I love these pages right now, as is, and may choose not to add to them any further. Then again, maybe I will...

More close ups. Many of these pages began as class demos.

This page below left was done by my nephew Jack. When I was teaching I spent the night at his house in between class days, and begged him to draw in my book. The left page is self explanatory, the right page is with me adding to it. He drew a very geometric shape, and when I asked him to tell me about it, he said, "I just felt like it". Perfect answer. But I didn't love it, so permitted myself to paint on top and turn his geometric design into a flower. A joint effort, and I love it for that very reason.

These three close ups belong to the spread below them.

Above it is in progress. It started it's life as a class demo of many different techniques, and later, at home, turned into this:

             
 
I snuck in a lot of journaling time this past month. Teaching forces me to allow the time, just like it does everyone else. And I am always happier for the time spent playing, even if I don't love the result. I can always find a pleasing close up to focus on after all :). It really is about the journey, the process, the discovery.

seriously?

3 weeks since I've posted? Seriously? What is wrong with me?!?! Sometimes I haven't posted for so long that I get overwhlemed at the thought of "catching up" and put it off another day, and that can go on for days and days.  It's so silly because what I should do is just jump in. It's this weird "start at the beginning and do it from begining to end to do it correctly" thinking trap I fall into. It's hard to explain it, but it seems to be an effective way of overwhelming myself into inaction. (Add it to the list of things to work on. And no, I don't even know where the beginning of that list is!) So today, I'm just letting that go and jumping back in.

For one of the weeks I was teaching journaling at Gina's Artinfusio, which was a great weekend filled with another set of great artists. I have Gina to thank for the hosting and sharing her photos:

Thank you Gina!!

We had so much fun we decided to plan a holiday themed day of fun in December in her beautiful room with a view of the Pacific.  I'll be teaching along with Amy Hanna, and Gina will be hosting again with a luncheon and giveaways and a trunk show by all...but more on that another day. If I don't press publish now, this post may never get done! xo

 

journal love

Had myself a whole bunch of fun last night until 2am and more today...making a brand new journal. Oh how I LOVE a new journal!

This one is huge and full of all white fabriano uno hot press 140lb water color paper. A little bit of heaven in the form of a journal. I remembered to take a photo in progress:

For this journal I used a painting on an artist canvas pannel for the back and cut a piece of chipboard from the back of my giftwrap set produced by Papayaart.com. I will definitely be using that board again for a few journals, I love how thick and sturdy it is. Here I am getting ready to sew in the four signatures. It's my least favorite part, truth be told, but so worth all the hard work when done!

I had to take it outside to get a good shot, the daylight was waning.

I don't think this gives you a sense for the size, so I took this photo...pretty much goes from my hip to my collarbone.

          

{Definitely no daylight when shooting this inside; amazing what digital editing can do with an underexposed photo.} It's huge if you can't tell- 11x14. Here's a shot of the spine, nice and thick at 2".

I took a friend's advice and used my Uppercase magazines as collage fodder. I love that magazine. (It might be the only magazine I subscribe to, actually, that's how much I love it, but more on that another day.) That is where the "The recipe: genius + madness" came from among other things. The cute spring chicken card was a birthday card from Target.

If you will be in Malibu next month for my journaling classes, I'll have this baby with me. We'll be making journals on Saturday and playing in them all day Sunday. There are a couple of spaces open on Saturday, and one on Sunday, so it's not too late to join in the fun!

 

thanks ladies!

I had lots of fun teaching at Jenny's last weekend. Here are shots of the whole gang both Saturday and Sunday.

Many friends from previous classes, and lots of new ones too. I always love to spend time with artists. Each person is unique and to see all the different styles/thoughts/ideas show up in their work is so fun. As with most events, I didn't take one photo (thank you Jenny for sharing these)...I just feel like I forget to document, I'm so into the creating. Anyway, I wanted to thank each and every one of you that came to play. And a special thank you to Jenny and her family too, who were most generous to share their time and home with us so that we could play the day away. If you were there and posted your work anywhere we can see online, please leave a link in the comments. xop

samplers restocked and journal pages

           

This page looks very different than my usual style, because I was doing an excercise I learned while in Theo Ellsworth's class at Artfest one year. I wrote about it here (scroll down a bit) . I find it to be a really fun exercise. When I'd filled in all the scratch marks it looked to me like a sun, a sad girl, a happy dog and a man. I would have never drawn these characters without doing this exercise and "finding them", love that.

         

And finally, the "happy day" samplers are back in stock over at my etsy. Thanks for waiting if you had wanted one. If there's demand, I can always do another order. :)

{Ed: Thanks again for purchasing. More have been reordered! Should be in late June}

giant book of big dreams cont.

   

Here's where the cover is today...still playing around with it. I'm thinking that I"m going to cover it in doodles and then protect it by covering those with clear packing tape...but maybe not. Since it's my private book, maybe I won't put tape on it for protection. 

Here's a peek at the inside:

While I was working on it, my daughter commented, "that's cool mom"...{whaaaaattt? is she coming around to appreciating my doodles?} Then she really surprised me by asking for one for her dorm room. Nothing would make me happier! She just wants a small poster, not a book to put in dreams, so I made two, and let her choose before I personalized it. Here's the one she picked:

   
And here's the other one (I'm still working on both):

   

    
I'm really enjoying doodling on such a large scale. I'm thinking about making a few more and then having some prints made for the etsy shop. Anyone have a printing method they recommend (if it's not top secret, of course)? I don't know if it'd be reasonable cost wise, but I want to look into it.

{Ed: thank you so much for all your interest for prints! !!!  I am working on it and     they will be in my etsy shop sometime in    November. I'll be sure to post a notice on   the blog as well. }   

Prints are finally available in my etsy shop! Thank you so much for all the interest and encouragement!!!

giant book of big dreams

I started a new project today. Like so many of my projects, it was unplanned. Here's how I ended up where you see it in progress above:

I ordered some new watercolor paper to make some new journals and thought I was ordering 10 pieces of what I always do, Fabriano Artistico 140lb hot press, but mistakenly ordered Fabriano Artistico 300lb hot press.  Such a drag! I'm horrible at returning items; I'd much rather be very very careful when purchasing anything, anywhere, than have to do a return. Ugh, hate returns. Add that to the thought of  how to return the giant package of paper that I'd already opened and the shipping process of it all, and I found myself motivated to find a way turn it into a happy art accident.

           

I cut it in half (too thick for me to tear, I tried), so it was then two sheets of  11x15". I folded each in half width wise and ran a ruler along the edge for a crisp fold. They reminded me of a very large pair of journal pages, and I decided to turn it into a big book of dreams and wishes. I'm having lots of fun. Here's where it was earlier today, placed on a chair so you can get a sense of size.

            

It looks different now, (you know I can't leave well enough alone,) but's too dark to photo, I'll take some more and show you soon. I plan on writing every single wish and dream that I want to manifest in my life in there. We'll see how many pages that takes. As the long weekend approaches, I'm happy to have a new project to play on. Here's to happy accidents! Hope you enjoy the Memorial Day Weekend!

recent journaling pages

 



 

pablo says

more local teaching news

I'm teaching one more time locally. It's art journaling, for those that  journal or want to start. I'll be at Gina's amazing classroom overlooking the sea, all the info is here. Hope you can join us for both days or one! Since these classes are somewhat local for me, I'll be bringing lots and lots of my journals and you can feel free to look through them and ask me any questions you have. {I'll also bring my stitching and non-journaling things for you to look at, and I'll even have some original things for sale.} I'll be demoing everything I do in my journals, right alongside you, so you can find some new journaling loves while we play the days away.

 
  

  

I think that is it for my teaching this year, so I really hope you can join us!!!

teaching locally

I'm teaching a journaling class locally for the first time ever. Here's all the info:

Art Journaling with Pam Garrison
An All-Day Workshop

Join artist Pam Garrison at the home studio of Jenny Doh on Saturday, July 9, 2011 or Sunday, July 10, 2011 for a very special all-day workshop. Pam will guide students with her unique style of art journaling and introduce the various materials and techniques she uses to create her unique pages. She'll bring lots of her journals for you to look through and answer any questions you have about how the books or pages were created. Whether you are an avid art journaler or have never begun, this class is for you! She'll also have various hand made creations and supplies available at a private trunk sale, just for attendees.

SCHEDULE:

• Arrive & Settle: 8:30 :: Time for students to arrive, settle in, and grab a cup of coffee.
• Class Segment A: 9:00-12:00 :: Class time with Pam Garrison who will demonstrate and guide the first part of class.
• Lunch & optional walk: 12:00 PM :: You can choose to brown bag it or decide on a catered lunch option* and then weather permitting, take a walk in a scenic, historic Santa Ana neighborhood and park.
• Class Segment B: 1:00-4:00 PM :: Class time with Pam Garrison who will demonstrate and guide the second part of class.
• Show & Tell, Clean-Up & Depart: 4:00-5:00 PM

NOTES:

• In order to optimize a quality learning experience, class size is very limited. First come, first served.
• Each student will receive a class kit created by Pam.
• Students are asked to bring the following items to class:
  • Favorite pens, pencils, markers and other journaling supplies
  • Journal - either new or one that you have been working on
  • A few collage materials, (paper scraps, clip art, ephemera, photos)

Please don't buy anything new just for the class! We'll share and work with what you already have.

• If you'd like to purchase a catered lunch, please purchase the class with catered lunch option.
• Pam will have a limited number of original art items on hand for those interested in purchasing her art.
• The class location is in Santa Ana, California. The address will be provided upon purchase of class.
• Due to limited class size, the spot for this class is transferable but payment is non-refundable.

I'm looking forward to spending the day creating, journaling, exploring art journaling with some of you, either Saturday or Sunday, and since it's so close to home, I'm bringing along a lot of supplies and hand made items for sale to boot! The link to sign up is here, or hit the "teaching" tab above my photo at left.

{Edited: both classes SOLD OUT,  thanks for the enthusiasm!}

Good news: Gina has invited me to teach in her Malibu haven, details to come soon.  I'll be there teaching two journaling workshops Saturday and Sunday August 13th and 14th. Lots more spaces at this venue, I'll post here on the blog when the class link is available for purchase.

 

sketchbooks

Remember this post where I showed you some of my Sketchbook Project 2011 pages? Well, ever since participating in it, I've continued to play in the same little Moleskine books. I happen to like the crinkle of the paper once it's been painted and glued on. I know many participants did not love using the books, and I agree the bleeding through from other pages can be annoying, but still, for the price and size I think it makes a great little sketchbook. So, here are some pages from the two Moleskine books I am using now.

I just signed up for The Sketchbook Project 2012, and you can too if it sounds fun. For those of you that didn't like the books of 2011, they say they are changing the book:

• 5.25 W x 7.25 H
• 100% recycled paper
• 70lb text stock
• 32 pages

"Sketchbookers spoke and we listened! This year, Art House created a custom-designed sketchbook in collaboration with Scout Books featuring a host of improvements and a greener footprint. This year's official Sketchbook Project book is made from high quality 100% recycled paper milled in the Pacific Northwest, printed with vegetable-based inks and produced with renewable energy. We've also improved the weight and texture of the paper, enhanced the strength of the cover and selected wire saddle stitching so that each book is easier to rebind if necessary. We're proud to say that these are the best books we've ever been able to offer for the Sketchbook Project – thanks to feedback from hundreds of members of the Art House community."

Off to the baseball game... of course, it's coming with me, it's a great book to pull out and inconspicuously doodle in. Always have to have one black pen and something to doodle on!

some recent journaling

 

house book close-ups

Thanks for all the house book love! This little book makes me so happy, and I am glad the love came through in the video. Michelle is getting together some new kits that she will post on her etsy soon, so good news for all of you that want to have some fun of your own. Before putting it away, I thought I'd take a few more photos for you. So much of the fun and the love is in the details...

 
One of my favorite parts of making the book was numbering each page. I tried to use a different method on each page, whether I was stamping, or writing, or cutting the numbers or words out of books like this one here. When putting the book together, I sometimes used a and b after the letter especially when the pages met in the middle like doors.

 

 

Thanks for stopping by my house :). Let us know if you make one of your own!

journal pages

 

Journalfest event has gone live. I'm still not doing any travel teaching, and I'm still cutting way back on my traveling without my family, as these last days of my daughter's senior year are flying by :( ; but I hear great things about Journalfest, so if you are looking for good journaling classes, check it out.

more from my 'project sketchbook 2011'

 

the sketchbook project 2011

I, like thousands of others, am participating in The Sketchbook Project 2011. I'm not done, so I was thrilled to get the email today stating that the postmark deadline has been extended. I've got the weekend at my son's baseball tournament to finish up my book!!!! Here are some photos from my book in progress:

happy new year!!!!!

I'm going to write a whole bunch of wishes and dreams on these lines, but I wanted the freedom to dream big that privacy gives me, so thought I'd photo first. I don't ever remember feeling this excited about a new year ahead; it's a fun feeling, I'm ready for a big fat juicy year!!! I hope you have great dreams for your year too!  xop

until the new year!

 

Here are some journal pages from the last couple nights. I love to sit down at the end of a long day and cut and paste and doodle and color.

I started a new journal. I'm using a beautiful book I bought at Anthropologie. When I first saw it last year, I was soooo in love with it and found it so inspiring. It's a book by artist Louise Bourgeois about a time in her childhood.

The size (12x16ish), the paper, her writings, and particularly the photos of beautiful fabric designs made my mind race with ideas. But it was $95.00(!), so I had to walk away. I recently found it on the sale shelves for $14.95!!! I was so excited, I bought two; one to journal on, one to keep and look through again and again. Maybe your Anthropologie has one on the sale shelf too...

 

Wishing you and yours the happiest of holidays. I hope that you are with loved ones celebrating and enjoying  your traditions and beliefs. All the best for 2011, I think it's going to be a great year!!!

the second travel journal

Here's the second journal I made for our trip to Rome. I actually started this long ago when I was going to be teaching in Italy, and when I re-discovered it I decided it'd be perfect for this trip, thus the two journals. This one is made from an old book that I gutted, but left the spine on. It's 7"x8". {The journal in the last post is 6x10"} I sewed in 3 signatures the same way as the first journal. The signatures are made of watercolor paper and a few other vintages papers and envelopes like this:

Below you see a partial page from an old photo album. I'll just slip the photos inside the glassine pocket. And the envelope is double wide so it will be able to hold big pieces of paper.

This is one of my favorite pages made from one of those photo album pages of long ago. You know the ones where you peeled back the plastic cover, stuck your photo down and put the cover back down? I think it's going to be great for putting new photos on top of, and maybe keep one as a journaling square...or do little illustrations in each space...hmmm...you can see why I love it so; it gets my wheels spinning.

I glued an envelope to the inside back cover for treasures found on the journey like this:

Like I said in the last post, I'm hoping they both will be full of tales and treasures from the journey when we get back. Yesterday I was googling flea markets...hahaha!

new journal for a new journey

We're heading to Rome over the holidays, (!!!!)  and as soon as the flights were booked, {that was a huge pain in the behind- my son asked one night, "what are freakin' flyer miles anyway?" after hearing endless discussions about how we could use them. hahaha!} I couldn't wait to make a travel journal. Well, actually, I made two. I'll show you the other one soon; it's a totally different style than this one shown. This one is made from decoupaged chipboard for covers and bound together using Teesha Moore's method. The three signatures are made Mary Ann Moss' style, straight from her Remains of the Day class. Such a good class. Anyway,  I am always inspired when I see Mary Ann's travel journals. I love how she uses some new scrapbook paper as well as old, and has no 'theme' for her book. So that's what I did here. We'll see which type of journal I use more on the trip. Of course, I'm hoping I'll take to both journals and that they are filled in when I get back.

See the "proceed" index card above? I was sitting at the kitchen table gluing away and quizing my son on his spelling words at the same time. I couldn't resist slapping it down. And look at this little cutie below, I think she came from a Land of Nod catalog. Apparently, no paper is safe around me.

The other journal up next...

more journal pages