Busy Making Art!

     This month has gone by faster than I thought! I have tried to keep up with my pledge to myself to create more art. If I wasn't creating spreads/backgrounds in my art journal, I was sketching in my "throwaway" sketchbook (I call it that because I plan on throwing away these sketches - though I probably won't! It takes the anxiety off of me to create something perfect), or I was creating a homemade art journal and mini art journals.
     I'm trying to participate in some workshops and art challenges. I joined Life Book 2013 over at willowing.ning.com and I'm having fun. I enjoy seeing everyone's art work, so inspirational. I love that it lasts all year long! I was also blessed to win a place in one of Rachelle Panagarry's art workshops - Journal Candy! I've been enjoying working on the projects she has in the workshop. I'm still in the process of creating the projects in both workshops so I will be showing my work in future posts. Both offer great videos and PDFs to help you with your creative process. I've watched the videos more than once just to get my mojo flowing. It's a lot of fun and gets you creating for sure. If you're interested in taking some online workshops I highly recommend both.
     Since rediscovering making art again and keeping an art journal (& sketch journal) I've been on the search for "the perfect" journal. Does it exist?  I search online, I read reviews and I shop at various art/craft stores touching them, opening them, wondering if I'll like them or will I purchase a journal only to hate it and then abandon it for another I think might be "the one"? On youtube there are lots of video tuts on making your own journal but they intimidated me with the process or the expense. It looked too complicated for me or the materials too expensive. So I abandoned any thoughts of attempting making those journals but did attempt some that were made from recycled greeting cards, or Dos-a-Dos (Jennibellie) or an easy, easy 16-pages journal (Teesha Moore) - these were simple enough for me to make.
     Thank goodness I stumbled upon Effy Wilds journal making tutorials. I watched them through her website  Wildsoularts.ning.com under bookbinding 101 and was hooked. I didn't feel intimidated by the process and the materials weren't expensive at all - I realized I had almost everything already! I decided to give it a try and I created my first handmade journal! I was surprised at how easy it was and I loved the fact that Effy stressed NOT getting stressed over it being perfect. She just wants everyone to be able to have an art journal with the paper we like and in the size we're comfortable with. I had so much fun making it that I decided to make a couple of mini art journals with the materials I had left over. It's so simple, anyone can do this! I will never buy another art journal again!! Go over to Effy's ning site and have a look, you won't regret it!!
     This is longer than I thought it would be so one last thing ---> 29 Faces in February. An art challenge I joined in before and am excited to participate in again. Whew!! I hope I can  keep up!! If you want to join there is a FB page and a website "29 Faces" - come play with us!

Thanks for reading!! Happy creating to you!! xxoo

Art journal closed - will be decorating the cover & adding closure

Art journal - decorating cover soon

Mini art journal

Journal Candy Wk 1

My Word for 2013

Although I had planned on starting 2013 off by keeping up with my blog, I ended up getting the flu right after Christmas and was sick for two weeks. It just didn't want to let me get better. A lot of things have gone on in the past few months, too much to write about here. Nothing exciting but I just didn't blog when I should have.

I read a lot of books on mixed media art, art journaling, and techniques in art over the last few months. I've learned a lot and have used some of this new knowledge in my art. I plan on using more techniques in future art creations. There are so many great books out there, so many great artists sharing their knowledge. It's wonderful.

With the new year I noticed that so many people are not making resolutions, I thought this was great since I hate making resolutions with the new year because I seem to break them within a few months. I dread making them so when I noticed that instead of making resolutions, people were picking a word for the new year I was intrigued. I researched this new-to-me idea, I read blogs about it, and decided that picking a word for the year was for me! I didn't want to make those dreaded resolutions that I would just break anyway and instead started thinking about my word for 2013.

I love the idea of picking a word that I can focus on for the year, a word to invigorate your spirit and life. I chose a few words before settling on the one that felt right for me this year. The other words I thought about choosing just didn't quite inspire me. I kept going back to the past year and further then thinking about what word would work for me and I came up with the word: RELEASE. So far it seems to be a good fit for me and its already causing me to make changes. I chose it because I feel I tend to hold onto things - whether material or emotional - for too long, it's something I learned while growing up and it just isn't working for me.

[[[RELEASE: to set free from restraint, confinement or servitude; to free from something that binds or holds back, to let go; to relieve of suffering]]]

I've decided that with 2013 I'm going to stop giving too much attention to things that aren't important. I don't want to dwell on things from the past or even anything that happens in the present. I'm going to feel what I feel then let it go, not stew over it, not stoke the fire and make it bigger. I like this word for me and I am already seeing results in the short time I decided to make it my word for the year. I know it won't be easy, I know I have to make it my mantra and be vigilant about using it. I'm really going to focus on it, say it when I feel myself hanging onto something, I'm going post it where I can see it and make it apart of my life this year. I need this change, I'm ready to let things that bother me go and I want to be a better me.

Although I haven't been blogging I have still tried to keep up with creating art or at least with sketching. My muse has left me a few times over the last few months but thank goodness muse came back. Here are some owls I created for my friend Barb as her Christmas present.