the aj word for the week. life has been a bit crazy around here, nothing new, crazy - good and bad :)
i bound this book cover right into my art journal - journalling will go in all the little stamped circles...
(rubons by autumn leaves, circle punch by 7 gypsies, fabic paper by love, elsie)
thanks for the well wishes - we're on the mend, lots of sickness going around at the moment, no fun at all!
have a great week everyone!
begin is our art journal word this week...i love a fresh start or a new look on things, i love to set goals - this week for me being yoga and walking every single day! no more excuses :)
have you begun anything exciting lately?
i also found some cool new ribbons a few weeks ago and will be stocking my etsy shop tonight with these new designs, and a revival of a few oldies (but goodies!). i have a few other fun things coming up in the shop soon too, so check back!
magic is your jumpstart for the art journal page this week...i love it when the magic flows as i make something! (which is not always the case!!!)
(postcard that is total eye candy to me, i added leaf sticker, heidi swapp bling frame and collections word 'create'). black frame also from collections, orange sticker from paper source, matisse paint).
flickr pool is looking amazing by the way!
(tape by heidi swapp, die-cut by basic grey, paint by matisse, stamps by psx, bird paper is a post-it note)
this was one of the journal pages i sent off to the university course, there is so much you could do with the word fly.
i had a fun few days playing with celine and will share some of the stuff we made later this week - for now, i have a very grumpy teething baby to deal with!
this week's art journal word is emotion...(very appropriate for me this week as i deal with the reality of not being in australia any more!)...share your pages here or in the flickr group (which is looking beautiful i might add!).
i think red is a very 'fullofemotion' colour! i used matisse paints, KI lace paper, autumn leaves rubons, maya road chipboard frame and unknown little red tape from france!
i had a lovely surprise waiting for me when i got back yesterday, a package with this yummy book inside. last year, sharon soneff contacted me to see if i would like to contribute some art journal pages to her new book about healing and growth through journalling.
i had to laugh as there were a number of different 'issues' i could choose from my life to journal about! i have never felt like i deliberately leave out the 'messy stuff' from my scrapbooks/art journals - i guess it is a lot more fun to make pages about the everyday beautiful, it's what i like to do to remind myself of all my blessings...but creating pages for this book opened up something new to me - i chose to finally journal about a few sad experiences i have had. it did hurt while i created the pages, but it also felt really freeing and true and brave to put it on paper like that, and i also feel now that i am creating a more true art journal by sharing it in there.
there is some truly fabulous and deeply moving art and expression in this book, and i am yet to devour it thoroughly! if you are looking for a good read, some self reflection and some serious artsy eye candy, get this book!!
i thought i'd take a page (my one 'happy page'!) that i did and use it for our weekly art journal word, 'cos it's a good word ;)
balance...ah, i could create a whole art journal on this word alone! looking forward to seeing what you come up with. happy week!
connect is this weeks art journal word...i headed up to mum's studio this afternoon to dig out the old pastels - ivy had discovered a pastel drawing i did as a child and wanted to do a similar picture (a still life of a panda teddy bear!), so we had lots of fun drawing and getting messy hands together. i also found some of mum's old art journals from her college days which are priceless! i'll take some pictures before i go to share...what a treasure! i hope my children will love looking and reading through my journals when they are grown.
so here is my page - my tree. i have always been in love with trees and am surrounded by them here! so beautiful! i'll add some journalling to it later...i also made my 'feel' page which i added to my post below. haven't had a change to get onto flickr yet - will tackle that when i return. it felt so good to just create something today - and to get out an old medium i haven't used for years...hope you have fun creating this week too!
that is the word i have chosen for the art journal page this week. i haven't made my page yet - ha! you'll have to give me some slack while i'm here in australia ;)
feel free to post links to your pages in the comments section for everyone to enjoy!
regular art journal stuff will return in a few weeks time...
edited...played around today and made my page!
posting yesterday didn't happen for me and i first took it as a sign that i wasn't up for the task of regular posting every week for another year! but - i'm going to do my best ;) i was touched by many of your words on what last years art journal challenge meant to you, and i want to continue to provide a place where we can share and uplift each other through art journalling!
the journal in the picture above is one i just completed - it was a really amazing opportunity i had to create 55 pages each based on one word - bringing everyday life and art together. the journal is going to be used in a university course - all semester the students will pass it around and journal in its pages (don't you wish you had a cool professor like they do? i would have loved this course!). it was hard to send it off but i'm excited for what lies ahead for this little book!
so - for the challenge this year - each week i will post a word as your prompt, sometimes i will share a page from this journal, other weeks a page from my own art journal. you can continue working on the playing cards if you enjoy the smaller/more manageable canvas, or you can use larger pages or a book, maybe you will create scrapbook pages - it's your art journal so whatever you feel comfortable with!
i'm working on getting a flickr group together for us to use...i haven't quite figured it out yet so please enlighten me if this is something you are experienced with!
i'm aiming at posting the word challenge each sunday/monday like before - but i won't be counting the weeks like last year. if i am unable to post one week, i don't want to be stressing over it! i'm trying to focus more on my home/family rhythm so please forgive me if i am unable to commit one week or post late (or don't get around to commenting on everyones beautiful work), as much as i want to...i also want to spend less time on the computer!
anyone can join, and join in anytime! i'm planning on sharing techniques and fun stuff with you some weeks, and hosting other random challenges and bits to add to your art journals as well, so stay tuned!
i love the zest and energy you guys have shared - those of you who joined in last year, and i'm excited to get to know you better this year and get to know those of you who decide to join!
why an art journal? for me, it's more real. it's for me - it's my opportunity to let go, think, express, learn, question, improve, connect, feel, explore. i love to 'scrapbook' and i kind of feel like all of my scrapbooks are journals in a way, but my art journals are messier, more thought provoking, and what i feel i need right now!
so now that i have committed to my art journal for the year, the first word to spark you off on your own creation is: commit! 
feel free to leave a link in the comments section to your blog or online gallery with a picture of your page until i figure out this flickr thing, and also if you have any questions i will try to answer in the comments section so look there if you're in need of help! i'm excited to see what this year brings us :)
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