Butterflies in the Wind

 We just completed a fun swap in Artful Mail Groupies for an art swap with a Butterfly theme. I love butterflies, and flowers and all that spring represents.  A rebirth from sleep. Spring makes me feel alive and I always anticipate the blooms of spring before the heat of  our summer burns them all up. I bring home new "victims" as my husband calls them, only to repeat each spring.  But, for a while, they are glorious, full, lush and beautiful.  If my flowers survive past June 1st, it is a miracle indeed.

These two cards were made on watercolor paper with Dylusions spray inks.  The top one was sprayed dry and "dripped", while the one on the right, I used a lacy placemat as a stencil that I got in a happy mail.  Ink and doodling were made elements with Faber Castell Pitt Pen, Sakura Gelly pens, Sharpie markers and a black china marker.  When I look at these they make me happy.  Just like spring.

DLP Week 14 Challenge

Our challenge in the Documented Life Project for week 14 was to draw your name and then embellish it.  I did mine on some white card stock I had on hand that was cut to print out cards. I find that I use this precut card stock for lots of projects and I have it in 4 different colors. These are nice vellum papers and the finish is quite tactile.  I trimmed the paper to size to fit my planner and rounded the corners.

So anyway, the decision was how to write it, what style, how big (or small) and still have room to write on my tip-in.  I normally use the reverse side of my tip-ins to record mail art and happy mail that I send out each week, leaving the adjacent page in my planner for journaling, notes for the week and so forth, but this week there is plenty of room for note taking and mail recording right on the front!

So this is what I came up with.  Large and in-charge.  I pulled up a font I liked on the internet and then just emulated the style, drawing it first in pencil then outlining with my Faber-Castell Pitt marker in "F" point. I used this same pen for all the doodles.  Page was colored with Copic markers with BG05 Holiday Blue, Y35 Maize, E57 Light Walnut,  R27 Cadmium Red, YG00 Mimosa Yellow.  I rather like how it turned out. Bright, cherry and spring-like. How about you?

Happy Mail Journaling Fun

This has been an outstanding mail week.  Any day that happy mail is in my mailbox is an awesome day, and today was no exception. Not to discount other great and wonderful happy mail I have received lately, a package came today that struck a cord and contained so many things that I loved.  These things screamed to create "right now" and not put it off until later.  So, out came the supplies!  I have great friends, and I am blessed.

This page is primarily collaged from pieces of the envelope and paper ephemera contained therein.  I shaded the paper with burnt sienna from my watercolor crayons and the lettering was done with a brown Sharpie marker.  The lady at the sewing machine is a digital stamp and it is colored with Prismacolor pencils.  The whole thing came together in just less than 30 minutes.  Isn't it wonderful when a plan comes together so quickly?  Must have been the right thing to do for this particular day.

Some days we struggle, and others go smooth as silk.  This was a silk day in my journaling world.

iHanna's Annual Postcard Swap

It is that time of year again...time for fun with iHanna!  If you have not participated in Hanna's postcard swap before, it launched today.  You will create 10 postcards and get 10 postcards in return.  A great place and event to put your best foot forward!  There is a small fee for participation, but it is definitely well worth it.  Sign ups are open until April 27th.

http://www.ihanna.nu/postcard-swap

Great Scores!

This week I have had two of the most fabulous (and fruitful) shopping experiences -- ever!  First, a friend came to  visit her son in a nearby town and we got together to go to my newly found paper paradise, also in a small, rural town nearby. This place is the mecca for vintage papers, books, vintage photographs and other ephemera, totally necessary for journaling. We thrive on this stuff.  We swoon with ecstasy at the smell of a warehose full of paper and musty smells.  The angels sing and we go on sensory overload.  Long story short, I made the paper haul of a lifetime.....and plan to go back.  Hey, you can only sneak in so much without the hubs having a conniption fit.  LOL

I picked up a bunch of different vintage photographs, magazine tear sheets from the 40's and 50's for use in my art journaling, along with a good assortment of vintage postcards and maps.


There was all sorts of paper to be found, from printed lists, old calendars, old real estate and business documents, more maps, expanding folders. So much wonderful paper goodness it was difficult to decide what to select...but I surely managed to make some great selections.


After some rigorous digging, I found a small stash of art supplies, and some rare educational stamps from the 50's.  I was tickled to death to find these and can't wait to use them!  Included in my stash I also brought home a big stack of vintage books, some old textbooks, poetry books, a couple of atlases and some children's books.  I was giddy with excitement to find quite a bit of vintage advertising and the holy grail....... we found a complete set of 1954 advertising tear sheets from the Meyer Both Advertising Company.  My friend and I split the set (it was huge, and pretty costly).  I am hunting somewhere locally or in Dallas that can scan these huge sheets so we don't have to cut them up. It would be a shame to damage or alter them as they are in pristine condition.


So, all in all that was a fantastic day.  I am still cataloging all my finds and trying to find a place to keep it all until it is needed and can be used.  Some will get shared out to my arty friends for their use.  We must always share the love.
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Now, for the other great thing.  Today, a flea market shopping trip.  While my initial outlay of cash seemed a princely sum at a flea market ($255.00) ...The Copic markers more than made up for that. The sheer joy of getting all these cannot be explained to a non-arty friend, or a husband.

I scored 125 Copic Markers that normally retail for $6.49 each, most of which had never been used, a dozen Copic Inks;  a huge assortment of cling, unmounted and mounted rubber stamps, scads and scads of scrapbooking papers, 25 stamp pads, a full set of Prismacolor colored pencils and watercolor pencils; a set of Stampin Up watercolor crayons (48 pcs + an 8 pc gray set), a nice selection of paper punches and quite a bit of other assorted ephemera and art supplies.   I could barely get it all in the back of my car.  And the hubs doesn't understand my giddiness.  I can't wait to put it all to great use creating art. Creating fun. Creating excitement in someone else's life.  The smile will be on my face for many days to come.

Want to come go shopping with me sometime???????  

The color

The paper & storage

Cling and unmounted stamps

Mounted stamps

Punches

The Stars at Night

Our prompt this week in Journal 52 was "Stars".  Being the proud Texan that I am, only one thing came to my mind, and it came immediately.  I had painted this watercolor piece a couple weeks ago and was letting it rest, deciding what, if anything I needed to do with it.  It was embellished with Sakura Gelly pen and to me, it is perfect.  Images of a clear, summer Texas sky resound in my mind and I am transported to summers as a girl, laying in the grass, with a warm summer breeze blowing while I gazed at the stars and dreamed of places far away.  The adjacent page in my journal has been left blank for recording the gorgeous week we are having here in north Texas.   Are you transported with this image to a simpler time and place?

A Ho--hum Day

The Documented Life Project - Week 12

The challenge was to "Cut up a Magazine".  I was not particularly inspired this evening, but fell in love with this diminutive owlet having a late afternoon yawn.  The image was found in a 1996 issue of Texas Highways magazine, one of my favorites.  I have plenty of room to document on the reverse side and on the adjacent page to my weekly planner.  Hopefully you can find some inspiration this week and take time to slow down and find something beautiful around you..

Drawing Practice

My drawing skills are limited by what I can see, and the fact that I never got to take any kind of art lessons as a kid growing up or in school.  To my parents, that was fodder.  Focusing on academics was their idea of what I was supposed to learn in school.  It is not what I wanted to do for sure.

So, I practice.  The top photo shows a postcard I received in happy mail from Jenny MacRunnel in Iowa.  As you can see, there is a delightful bird on this side (more on the other side).  Since there was a handly piece of parchment paper sent along with this postcard, I ripped off a piece of it and had a little go at sketching with my trusty #2 pencil.  Not a bad effort.  But clearly I need to practice, practice, practice. "Round" is my nemesis, followed closely by shading.  And the journey continues.

GOOD THANGS

Many of you know I have terrible insomnia. And when I can't sleep, I art, I surf the web, Pinterest, blogs, etc. in search of good "stuff: -- inspiration, fabulous finds, printables and generally everything cool you could want or be inspired by for our journaling and art.  Periodically I will share this good stuff with you..... or as we say in the Texas vernacular..... good 'thangs.  It might be a link to a good deal on art supplies, or great stuff to use in your journal, or something cool to make.  It will be a good thang in my book anyway.

Tonight's "good thang" is  Catslife Press Rubber Stamp Co..  OMG.  This place has some amazing stamps and you can order mounted or unmounted, saving yourself tons of $$$ on shipping.  They only charge shipping per order and I think stocking up is in order.  I can mount the silly things myself (or not).  So, this is not a paid endorsement or anything like that. I just like their stuff and consider it a good 'thang.  Maybe you will too!


and a little bonus: free garden marker printable from BIC: http://c1fb.com/bic_penpal/14609BIC_PenPal_Q1FB_MAR_gardenmarkers.pdf

Washi Love

My create everyday journal documenting some of my washi tape supply. I put on the backside as well.  A great way to remember what you have/had when  you run out.  Do we ever have enough washi?

Document yours by cutting or tearing assorted lengths and affixing to your journal page, an index card or piece of scrap cardboard.  Add to it as your collection expands.

DIY: GLIMMER MIST SPRAY

This is a great, and simple technique using acrylic paint and alcohol to save $$$ and make your own.  From A Crafty island Girl blog.  http://islandgirlstudio.blogspot.com/2013/03/diy-glimmer-mists_7.html

You Can Dress Her Up ...

I am enamored with making these little mini-dresses.  This one is in my mixed media journal. Sketched & some highlightswith Sakura Gelly pen and Copic marker.  I have in the back of my mind "you can dress her up but you can't take her anywhere..."  Sort of reminds me of a prom dress I had one time that my father wouldn't let me wear because it was too revealing.  Oh if he could see what the girls are wearing today!

Midnight Challenge

Tammy Garcia at Daisy Yellow has started a Midnight Challenge, and we have had two so far.  Many of you know I have terrible insomnia so this is right up my alley!  Being up to create at midnight is a no-brainer for me!

The first challenge on March 12 was to create 3 lines of found poetry on an index card. Each line must contain numbers and words.  This was my entry, clipped from the pages of Vogue magazine, always great for journaling fodder.

Last night's challenge was to again use an index card and create a story in 25 words.  Wow. This was more challenging.  I can't do hardly anything in 25 words or less.








I am sure this is all, and excitingly so..... leading up to Tammy's Index-Card-A-Day Challenge (ICAD) which begins June 1st.  I participated last year and it was so much fun!  There were technique challenges, drawing challenges, painting challenges...challenges of every kind imaginable for 61 glorious days.  We are all excited to begin ICAD again this year.  Be sure and join us over at  Daisy Yellow so you can have our same kind of fun this summer.  Tell her "Aunt Betty" sent you!  LOL!

Happy creating!

MINI DRESS CHALLENGE

The mini-dresses I prepared for our mini-dress Mail Art Challenge in Artful Mail Groupies .  I love pink, so of course I wanted to use this lovely card stock that had embossed glitter on it.  What could be more girly than that?  Embellished with organza ribbons, silk flowers, Swavorski elements and metallic paint.

My World: Filled with Art

My world is filled with art.  Mail Art. Art Journaling. The art of Cooking.  The Art of Housekeeping. The Art of Sarcasm.  The art of dealing with life. All kinds of art.  Last year in the spring, I dived in headlong into the world of Art Journaling, thanks to discovering #Daisy Yellow on Facebook.  And since that time, my lifelong love of creativity, art and all things artsy has evolved to this.  I need a place to store my art, publish my art, share tips and tutorials with my friends and fellow art junkies. It might not always be paper art. I love to craft and make fused glass and jewelry. If it involves being creative, I'm there.  An expert at anything artistic I am not, but I read. I study. I practice. Ideas come naturally to me, and I am certainly not afraid to experiment and explore.  Let's continue to explore, play and have fun  So with this, I shall begin to share my adventure with you.

"S" is for Spring

This is a postcard prepared for a swap.  A 4x6 index card that I gessoed, then applied Derwent Inktense blocks in blue, teal and yellow.  I drew the sunflower on a vintage book page and colored with Inktense and cut out. It was collaged to the card with gel medium. Stamping was added and additional detail applied with Faber Castell Pitt pen and Bic Wite Out.