What I Know For Sure... ONE

• Everyday brings a chance to start over.
• Life - it goes on.
• Being a mother is the hardest job on earth. I admit it.
• The happiness you feel is in direct proportion to the love you give.
• I am loved unconditionally by my Savior, my husband and my children.
• I never stop myself from doing something because I'm afraid of what people might think... Okay, yes I do - But I need to stop!

• I like salty and sweet. Like Dark chocolate caramel with sea salt. oh.my.word.
• I forgive easily, but I never forget.ever.
• I may cry, but it's not because I'm weak.
• Potato skins will clog the garbage disposal. every time.
• I prefer being at home to going out - unless it's with my family. 
• Take this moment. Enjoy it.

• I can't stand bullies.
• I am a loyal friend and believe in life-long relationships.
• I will not let others write my life script - ever again.
• Crayons (Crayola brand) make me happy.
• Coffee is essential to life.
• I am enough. Enough.
• Everyone deserves to be safe.

I was obviously inspired to do this page by a page I saw in O (Oprah) Magazine.  She has this section, I believe, in each monthly issue.  I have always kept a list of thoughts and quotes that I've agreed on or thought were a revelation that I wanted to remember.  I transferred them to these two pages and decided that I'd like to do this regularly.  I chose just some of the ones I've written in my journals and I'm saving the rest for another time.

Supplies: 

Gesso - covered both pages with gesso to give it some "tooth" and thickness.

Acrylic spray - I put some acrylic craft paint mixed with a bit of water in a spray bottle (travel size found at 99cent store), sprayed the background.

Magazine - torn out words, quotes and pictures

Rubber stamp - swirls for border

Black Staz On Ink - my favorite ink. Water proof and permanent

Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Walnut stain color for edging

Black and White Faber Castel Gelato crayons - for shading - can be used dry or like water colors

Green fine tip Sharpie Marker - Journaling

Caged In...

 I covered up some old journaling that I had already done on this double page spread with gesso and then covered it with some striped tissue paper.  I applied the tissue paper with matte gel medium.  I left it like that for a while before I decided what would go on the pages.  I drew out bird on an old piece of map paper, cut it out and colored it with oil pastel.  Then I stuck it on the page and drew the cage  and the heart - also with oil pastels.  I journaled using a black Sharpie marker.

This page was covered with gesso and then I added some torn map paper here and there with matte gel medium.  I used water color pencils to fill in the color on the background.  I also did some light journaling just to get some "stuff" off my chest and then promptly covered it up.  My bloggy friend, Lea, sent me a sweet package a way back when and there was all kinds of ephemera and goodies tucked in it.  One thing that was in it was a piece of material that was painted.  I've had it in my drawer forever waiting for a special use.   I tore it into strips and then used Mod Podge to adhere it and I also covered it with Mod Podge.

I added some details with the oil pastels again and also some Tim Holtz Distress Stain.  I love that stuff.  They come in bottles with a little dauber at the end for application.  Title was added with a black Sharpie.

When working in my soul journal, I am more interested in what I have to write or say than I am the "art" work usually.  However, because of the personal nature of the journaling, I often end up covering my words.  That's okay.  I'm still getting the journaling out there and I'm also allowing myself to be expressive.  There are times that I write out my words like a prayer and there are other times where they are just random sentences, thoughts, rambles that just come to mind.  I was speaking to a friend about this recently and I think I will be approaching my journaling a little differently and see what happens.  I really feel like I'm playing it safe sometimes and not being fearless with my art or my words.  That has to change. It's just something I know.

When you art journal, is it serious? Light-hearted? Does it mean anything?  All of the above? =)

Finding My Wings...

I guess you can see a progression here on the pages.  I didn't realize it, but I think I tend to turn to my soul journal more often during the difficult or confusing times.  I don't know, I think it may be because I don't have to betray myself with words that would not suffice.  I am not a complainer.  I don't like to be negative - even with my closest friends or family, so I turn to my books.  I do journal happy times to of course, but sometimes your heart is heavy and you just need to have an outlet.  I find myself praying as I play with the different mediums and textures.  I may not always love what I've created, but I always feel a little better in spirit.  You should try it.  Clearly, you don't have to be an artist.  Just do what moves you. 

So inspired...

I really, really am thankful for the world wide web. Seriously. I have been making more time for my art. I am definitely on a creative journey. I've started to see that all the doodles, painting, scribbling, pasting, .... there are other people that do it too!!

So, I found Sarah at Caspiana. I found her through a Yahoo group and now I am hooked. She posted a doodle challenge on her blog that I thought was really cool - so I gave it a try. Just to see. I thought it was a lot of fun. I made my first couple attempts at it in my art journal. I liked how the first one turned out, but I loved the second one. Read her directions here, but basically what you do is:

1. Take a thin black permanent marker and just scribble/doodle a pattern. Then take some time to look at your doodle and see if any patterns or shapes jump out at you. Like looking for shapes in the clouds.
2. Now, you darken the lines to pull your character out of the drawing and then run with it. This is what I got...

Found my shape...water colored it...

Tried out some Stampin' Up Watercolor Wonder Crayons (Earth Elements)

Finish off... I just got done doing the poppy painting, so I still had poppy fields on the brain. =)
I journaled that mommy was not a monster. Just 'cause she wants things a certain way, wants the best for her children, her family, wants the best for her home... She gets cranky or edgy sometimes when things don't work out - but she's not a monster. hahaha
This was my second try and I really like it. This is my SLUG BUSTER. I was getting pretty sluggish in my art room. I got to where I'd rather watch videos of others creating instead of me getting my hands dirty and instead of me feeling challenged to express myself...until the Slug Buster came along. She was not going to have any of that. I thanked Sarah for being an Inspiration to me. My boy has also been hanging out with snails lately...always bringing them in for me to see, so that's probably why both my creatures have slug tendencies. haha. Again, I used watercolor, gesso, acrylic wash and walnut ink.

The other place I've been finding lots of inspiration is at Donna Downey's blog. Oh.wow. I would really love to buy one of her journals, but it's a bit pricey for me right now. She posts an Inspirational Video every Wednesday and they are nothing fancy. Just her creating. I was inspired by one of her videos where she did poppies just like this (I am not hiding that my poppies were totally copying hers, but that's what I wanted to do.) - she used some text from a book (Eclipse, I think) and I used some text from Pride and Prejudice of course. =) That's what I made the flowers with. Then I chose words that represented areas that I felt I was growing in or in which I needed to grow...
The colors are super bright and I love it. Lots of acrylic paint, black beads, gesso...oh, how I love gesso...
You can see her video here.

Anyway, I am loving the journey. I am really, really wanting to change up my blog. I'd like to have one blog with tabs and maybe split up my week to talk about my interests more evenly. If you know of a blog or website or artist that you think I should check out - I'd love if you shared it with me. I am on a roll and I love it. Really growing...

So serious...

I have been playing with Gesso, Gel medium, paints, magazines...whatever...in my art journal. My daugther Taryn wanted to see what I was making and I really just needed her to leave me alone for a bit. I was in the groove, you know? So after she left, I felt kinda bad and decided to make this for her. haha.

She loves the Gecko from Geico. She just thinks he's adorable. Calls him her boyfriend...um, yeah. He's a lizard. Anyway, one of our favorite lines from a movie comes from Remember the Titans, where the guy says, "He's from Cali-for-nya! You know, Cali-for-nya!" To which the girl replies, "Yeah, California dreamboat." We just love that. We're weird like that. haha.

So this is some cardboard, gesso, acrylic paint, magazine page, varnish, prima flowers, stickles and ribbon.