Art Journaling 102

Art journaling appeals to me. I like seeing other people's art journal pages and I get inspired to do my own. But then... I don't know what to do. So... I am taking an art journaling course (another one) with an artist whose work I really, really like -Dina Wakley's Art Journaling 102.

Whenever I spray something - no matter what - I put my 12x12 sketch pad down as a backing.


Unless it is too big, in which case I put down some of the butcher's paper that I snaffled from our move. I love this bit of butcher's paper that was used as a drop sheet for the girls when they were spraying 12x12 cardstock using a mask. Then I plopped my soggy bit of sprayed silhouette onto the middle of it. I love the result.


Before I started AJ 102 I was inspired by Dina's silhouette figures so I cut one out from a catalogue and had a go on a background that I had already made when I was doing Vivian Bonder's class.. This was my first attempt.


I still feel that I haven't finished this page so there might be more to it some time.

And here's another one cos I just had to use the mask more than once.


Now on to my first page from Dina's class. I had fun doing this. I cut out a figure from a catalogue and had a go at masking, stamping and then masking again. When I masked the second time I did it with paint and I really did not like the results (so I am not going to show you). Also the mask was a squishy mess that ended up being a squishy dismembered mess.


There's something not quite finished about this either. Oh I know. I didn't keep the bit that I cut the figure out of. What I'd really like to do is stamp inside the silhouttes. Hmmm.

The first print I did with this silhouette was on the butcher's paper and I thought "Ooooh. I like that!" So I printed it onto some yummy textured water colour paper. I like it just the way it is.



Okay. That's all for now.

Holey-Knee-ed Jeans

What do you do with jeans that have holes in the knees? I am not one for throwing things away - especially things that "might come in handy one day."

Recently, like in the past 2 years, I have taken to collecting all the jeans that have become embarrassing to wear in public. If I could somehow get my act together I could keep the receipts, and then find them when the holes appear, and take the jeans back and get a new pair. But that doesn't happen. So I have a stash of jeans waiting for that day aforementioned. :)

I have ideas in my head - handbags, cushions. Even a curtain (I saw one made out of jeans at a Just Jeans store).

Well, finally one of those aforementioned days arrived. Last night. I need a little bag to put my water bottle, purse and tissues (at least) into so I decided to whip one up. I chose a pair of black cargo-ish pants that used to be Reuben's, from a bag of jeans that smell a bit festy from being stored in a plastic bag in a removalist box for at least 6 months! (I knew exactly where they were.)

Here's what I did...
I cut off two pockets and sewed them together.
Then, I thought "Oh, I could decorate this. Shoulda done that before I sewed them together!"
Then I decorated it a little bit with some Fancy Pants felt. Definitely shoulda done it before I sewed them together!
I cut out the strap from the inner leg seam - from the hem on one side up over the crutch and down the other side. It's just long enough.
This was after I decided that one piece of silk ribbon wouldn't be enough.
So I sewed the silk ribbon to the black innerleg strap.
Just as an aside... When I was sewing the strap it reminded me of rolling your own cigarettes! Why? How? Well I had to tuck the hairy fibres of the silk inside the strap so that they didn't get sewn into the seam and believe it or not, I have rolled a cigarette. For my grandfather. When I was about 7 or 8 years old. And it reminded me of that! BTW I have never ever smoked in my life.
Back to the bag...
I sewed the strap on and
Voila!


I had to wash the bag cos it was a bit stinky so here it is hanging on the line and you can see one side of it. Below is a closer up look at the other side.



I made the bag so that it can be turned inside out and the pockets would be in the inside (and the decorations!) which could add a bit of security if needed. Should be just the thing for The Cat Empire concert I'm going to tonight.

Another aside... I can whip up something with a sewing machine without one bit of agonising. Mistakes 'n' all. Easy. But come to scrapbooking or art journalling and it is a different story altogether. I have to keep saying "No agonising. No agonising. No agonising."

So there you go.

Playing with Pastels

I'm doing Dina's Art Journaling 102 Class and in that Dina recommends using Portfolio Water Soluble Oil Pastels. Finding them in a local store was nigh on impossible so I ordered 2 packets on line. Two, because I really have two work stations in my art room and I didn't want to reach over the table everytime I wanted the next colour.

I love to see what happens when my kids see what I am doing and then take it and run. Now I am going to show you what happens...

The other day while I was on my Crop Bootcamp roll I came across this bit of Rusty Pickle paper and it was just calling to be coloured in with my newly acquired oil pastels. So I did. After I did the backgound (a learning process about how watersoluble oil pastels work in comparison with watercolour crayons) I decided that it wouldn't work for the layout I had planned. So I left it sitting there.

Then Sophie-Lee was inspired by a picture on Bibomedia.com (I think it was in Wallpapers> Art> Abstract...) and did a little work of art for herself. The next thing was blending my coloured page with Soph's art work. And here's the result.




What happens when Susannah wants to try out the oil pastels too? You guessed it - another colourful creation!

Love in Bloom

A quick share - Ngaire Bartlam's Love in Bloom class.

My Art Room

Some time soon I am going to scrap a layout of my art room, in my art room. I like this collage of it because it is really hard to work out what is what and what is where! :)


Hint: Click the picture to see it a bit bigger - not that that will help you find anything!

Sneak Peek

Here's a sneak peek at a present I wrapped in some homemade wrapping paper that I had fun making out of a brown paper bag and some gold paint on a stamp.

Here's an idea!

If you are into scrapbooking and would like to help out the bushfire victims please check out this blog.

Big Chocolate and Bubbles of Nothing

I'd put the video in this spot but the html for it is missing something and I am not that clever so check out Bubbles of Nothing here.

I was just reading this in the World Vision newsletter and thought that maybe you would be interested too.

You might light to check out the Good Chocolate Guide to Australia, Don't Trade Lives or send an e-card to Big Chocolate to remind them of their promise.

The scrapbooking is coming :)

Just getting it out there

In case you haven't heard, many Autralian Corporations are donating funds to the Victorian Bushfire Appeal.

Check out your favourite supermarket, department store and other places you like to visit and you might be able to incorporate further personal donations into your everyday living.

The Victorian Bushfires: How You Can Help

Coles on Friday 13th

Hoyts on Sunday

David Jones on Thursday

Bunnings stores throughout Victoria will donate proceeds from their daily sausage sizzle.

That's all I can find for now. Check out all the links and you will prolly find out more.

HTH

Worse than Ash Wednesday

I cannot help but be moved by this horrific disaster.

Worse than Ash Wednesday.

Photo gallery.

The Australian Red Cross - 1800 811 700.

Inspired by Vincent

Vincent Van Gogh, that is.

Blue Bazaar is THE place to be nowadays. It's full of inspiration, challenges and arty goodness. (And I don't even work there!!!)

So anyway, I decided to do the Gary Reef challenge which you can find out about in the Blue Bazaar Newsletter.

The challenge is to take this image and create an artwork 'inspired' by the painting. You do not have to reproduce it in anyway. You can create an artwork which has similar characteristics but is completely your own style, colour scheme, design etc.

The other day at church, which I love love LOVE, I thought to myself that I would like to praise God in my art incorporating Ephesians 1:3, which had been talked about and excited me no end! I didn't know about the sunflower challenge at the time. :)

Hennyway. I did a warm up page using up some stickers that I didn't know were stickers until I went to use them (I've had them for years) and decided to stick the verse on. I snaffled a New Testament that has been left out in the rain and uncared for and would've been thrown away - I just can't throw these things away! So here it is.


Besides the stickers, I used some paper stuff that Annelise had in her box of treasures (on the vase), and some Stampin' Up Watercolor Wonder Crayons. All applied to a background I did from Vivian Bonder's Art Journal class (which she is doing again, if you're interested).

But wait, there's more!

Susannah was also inspired by Van the Man - as somebody put it. Here is her rendition.


And now to the pièce de résistance...

Sometimes my mind is whirlpool of ideas spinning and swirling around. My frustration mounts as more ideas bubble up and the thought that I might not get to bring any of them to fruition (I think I'm mixing metaphors there!) increases in urgency.

Well, I managed to do something - a combination of a few bubbles of thought and the fact that my head hurts and I am not much good for anything else at the moment. Very therapeutic.


You can't tell but the vase is actually padded so that it is rounded a bit. :)


I used - lots of ribbons for the background; hand-dyed silk fibre thingies from here; Some hessian 'paper' from a $2 shop and.... oh, felt from my stash.

That's all for now.

Our Day at Darling Harbour

Added: Well it seems that my grand idea of uploading straight from Picasa wasn't as grand as I expected.

Here's a slide show of the day. I hope this works better. Just click on the underlined sentence, Dad. :)



(And now, this has taken WAY longer than I wanted to take but you can look at the slide show in Photobucket OR Flickr - your choice. I'm out of here.)

Here's a photo journey through our day at darling Harbour

Cryptic Clue (for those who know) - I was as green as the water I was looking at. That's Declan checking out the humungous goldfish.

I switched my ornery lens for the phat lens so rather than take a photo of the sculpture I took a photo of Sophie-Lee with blurry antlers!!

We found this balloon on our way to Paddy's Markets ( I hadn't been there for about, ooh, 25 years!!! It hasn't as much as I thought it might have.) We had every intention of giving the balloon away but...

I just love these lanterns.

No idea what these are but they're green :)

Another Color Me Katie inspiration. This mannequin was just standing there begging for a portrait - so we obliged.

The lady was worried that we might break said mannequin and he's worth $400 and we'd have to pay. 'twas okay - he's still in one piece.

We left Paddy's market with Sophie-Lee wearing an orange hat, me wearing Sophie-Lee's head band thingy and without the balloon :(

On a rare occasion I am the subject of the photo.

This was a fun "ploppy" fountain and I had fun taking a photo of it.

Part of a sculpture.

Part of a water feature. I love the fact that children can play in the fountains and water features. Sophie-Lee and I were entertained by two little boys and a water feature.

Funky didgeridoo playing...

and a spunky dancer - entertainment on a completely different level.

Ernest the Magnifico at the height of his act. I feel quite proud of myself that I caught the car mid-air and pretty much in focus as well.

DH: Look! That building is falling over.

Mal: Where?

DH. The one with all the windows!!!

Me: Oh! That narrows it down.

This, believe it or not, is Douglas putting his hand up to be involved in a street theatre act. LOL!

That's all for now.

The Eyes Have It!

Okay, this might seem a little odd to you but I was happily inspired by this blog and this post. So yesterday afternoon, Sophie-Lee, Susannah and I went out and eye-balled things. Here's a quick collage of some of the things that got the eyes!