Picture Perfect

I am the queen of repurpose. I save almost everything. Isn't that some of what being artistic is all about? While I'm trying to fit new purposes into old things, I love to weave in other forms of art that I dabble in. So my post this week uses some "artsy junk" or should I say "treasures" that I saved from some packaging leftover from a purchase.

Using some mixed-techniques , I used various paints and applied them with my fingers. I added some book pages and home-made stencils. Lastly, I added a picture of my son. I love mixed- media, it is forgiving.

Canvas Decor

After cleaning and purging my room recently, I decided that I wanted to add some handmade
decor to my craft area.  I had saved a catchy saying that I found on the web and used it as the basis for my creating.  To start, I took a small 8x10 canvas and proceeded to add some embellishments.  I layered on a scrap piece of a telephone book page, painted it and then adhered it to my canvas.

Next, I added two strips of cardstock, some of my scrap writing paper that I

write little snippets of notes, wood letters(that I painted) and then I took a clear

script stamp and covered the canvas randomly. I also added some

doodles and lastly one of my hand-drawn artsy flowers. I can't wait

to display it in my craft space.

Art Journal Love

Among my many adVENTURES is art journaling.  I must confess, however that I don't spend as much time as I would like doing it.  I found some inspiration from a fellow art journaler to alter and repurpose the book below as a canvas of sorts for art journaling.  While I started the project with zeal, I have not kept up with the journey.  I do, though, like the idea of using this book because it provides such an ample amount of space to just spread a lot of journal love.  So with inspiration at my fingertips, my goal is to continue and complete this art journal adventure.

Checking my List

Are you a person that likes to write LISTS?  I don't. Well, I didn't.  Recently I jumped on the listers bandwagon.  Over on Instagram there is a listers challenge titled, "ListersGottaList".  So each day there is a prompt that helps you to reflect on things that happened or is happening in your life.  All you have to do is write your answers down in a list format.  The fun part is that you can add some flair to the page by adding simple or lots of embellishments.  In other words, you can just make a simple list or you can really spice it up.  The challenge started April 1st.  Some of the listers bought journals or other books to house their creation but I made my own.  For the cover, I used "The Denim Stack" and added some alpha letters for the title.

For the inside pages, I used craft cardstick.  Below are a few of the pages, prompts I did:

Another fun thing about this challenge is that you can do the prompts at your own pace, you don't have to do it everyday.  (But it is so much fun that you will want to) You can just double up the next day or the next.  So if you think you don't like lists, try this challenge and you may change your attitude about making a list.  Then, go over to Instagram and look for #ListersGottaList and start your own list and also see what lists other creative people are sharing.  It's really a lot of fun!

Personal PLANNING

My PLANNER friends are such enablers.  So when they decided to grab the KIKKI K planners that were on sale, I also jumped at the chance to finally own one of these most sought-after planners.  After what seemed like an eternity, my lovely pink A5 planner finally arrived all neatly wrapped and boxed up.

At first I just stared at it and admired the texture of my new found love.  Then I decided it was time to personalize it.  I watched a few You Tube videos and then put my Silhouette Cameo to work.   My Silhouette Library offered an array of items that made personalization a breeze and the print and cut feature just further helped me to add my own personal touch.

I used frames, quotes and folders to make my planner just  right for me.

I can't wait to share with my planner friends how their enabling has turned me into a planner enthusiast.  If you are a planner enthusiast can you share some of your planner ideas?  If you would like to see more planner ideas or a video how-to just drop a comment.
                                          HAPPY PLANNING!!!!!

Plan Ahead!

Since I'm a full-fledged planner addict now, I'm always searching for planner inspiration.  I'm currently keeping 2 to 3 planners going.  But my eyes are especially on either a Kikki K or Erin Condren planner sometime in the future.  While thrift store hopping, I've found two Franklin Covey planners, a large and a medium one.  The large one I've already dedicated to serving as my spiritual journal, but I have not decided what to do with the smaller one.  Whenever I do go out thrift shopping, I now look for planners.  Many planner addicts buy stickers and other embellies00 to finish off their planners and give them that personal touch.  I'm grateful that I have my Cricut and Silhouette Cameo machines.  They have proved to be invaluable to me in creating my own embellishments.  I found some very valuable inspiration recently on my Instagram account, a thrifty way to print my own stickers.  Using Avery's white full sheet shipping labels, I can use my own printer to personalize my journals with my very own unique stickers.

So instead of buying 100 sticker sheets online, I can run down to my local Walmart and pick up a pack or two of these.  They work beautifully.  Here are some samples of stickers that I have created:

Here is how I use them in my planner:

Now, if you happen to have one of these tools and you are a planner addict or you are thinking about jumping on  the planner wagon, put these tools to good use and create your own personalized stickers and PLAN ON!

INCOMING....OUTGOING

It seems that sending and receiving HAPPY MAIL is the new"right now". What used to be called just  "RAKS"(random acts of kindness) is now happily referred to as either "incoming" or "outgoing" - mail that is.  While doing my usual perusing for creative inspiration, I found a tutorial for a happy mail holder. It resembles a brochure-type folder that can hold all your creative goodies.  I think it puts a creative and interesting twist on sending out goodies to others.  Once you see how versatile this project is, you will never send out happy mail the same again.  Here's how I created my holder:

1. Cut 2 pieces of cardstock to an 81/2 x 11 size( of course you can create you own personal size)

                                       

2. Place the pieces of card stock together and fold in a brochure-type fashion by folding one side into the other. Use a bone folder to make a crisp fold and to make sure the pieces fit snugly together.

ETA:  Choose a solid card stock for the inside and a patterned piece for the outside.

3. Next, take the inside piece( the solid piece) and make cuts for pockets to hold your goodies. You can make these cuts according to the sizes of the items you will include in the holder.

The cuts are marked with the small clips.  Again, you can make your cuts to your own choosing.

4. Now, adhere the inside piece to the outer piece using adhesive of your choice.  Remember not to glue the cuts or pockets together.  You are finished with the construction, so now you can decorate your holder as you wish.  Your happy mail is ready to be sent on its way.

For added appeal and to hold everything together, why not create a belly band.

(JanetteLane.blogspot.com has the original tutorial)

*HAPPY MAILING*

Pocket full of Memories

Recently I found an awesome crafter while  surfing my Facebook news feed.  I was then directed to her Instagram page and OMG, she is awesome when it comes to pocket scrapbooking.  Granted, I tried the Project Life route when it first became "the thing" in scrapbooking.  But for some reason I lost interest in that.  So when I found this inspiration, my interest was renewed.  So one of my new year resolutions is to rethink this art form.  I  had already purchased some of the WeR memory keepers albums made easy systems so I have all I need to get started.  For my post this month, I completed two pocket pages showcasing my summer vacation in Wisconsin.  I plan to share more on my blog starting in January so be on the look out.  Thank you Shelley Chavous for the inspiration.

HAPPY SCRAPBOOKING!

Don't judge a book by it's cover.

For as long as I can remember, I have loved BOOKS.  Not only did I (and still do) love to read them, but I loved the look and feel of a book in my hands.  This love of books empowered me to take good care of them whether they belonged to me or not.  I could not bear to see a torn page or even a small stain on a book.  Now, fast forward to the 21st century (it is the 21st century, right?) , my attitude about books has changed just a little.  I can use torn book pages in my projects with ease and even remove all the guts from a book and use just the cover.  My love for books has evolved!  My post for this month is about how my love of books has taken  me down yet another creative path.  So here are some glimpses into that journey.

What starts out as a book to be read and then put on a shelf to collect dust can be transformed into a journal, art journal, scrapbook, etc. The list is endless.  And what a great way to  use all those scrapbook papers in our hoards.

What can you do now?  Why not pick out a book, take it in your hands, feel the cover, turn the pages and think about the creative possibilities it has. Next, get busy and make something creative and useful that you can remember for years to come.

Mixed Media Art

All the buzz around my studio is ARTSY: art journaling, journaling, mixed-media art and the list goes on.  I decided to do a quick mixed-media project with some new craft supplies that I just acquired.  That's the thing I love about crafting today, the supplies are so versatile that you can use them in so many ways.  I have an affinity for canning jars so my project uses a tiny one.  I also like to paint and stamp so of course those add flavor to the project.  One thing that I have been inspired to try in my art journaling is to use regular highlighter pens.  They are great to color with.  The stamped leaves on the tag card were colored using a green highlighter pen.  The final color is amazing.  So here is my project :

Don't you just love these stamps?  They are so versatile and clearly not just for mixed-media. Now off I go to do some more journaling.  Have a Happy Artsy Day.