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art journal challenge - week 12

i'm going to get right to it tonight - my connecting flight ended up being delayed and i am really tired! i didn't have a lot of energy to create my card but i still created! and that is what matters...

the prompt this week is: 'i believe'...something big, something small...something you believe in :)

label sticker from paper source, alpha stamps are psx, not sure where the flower came from but ivy decided the card needed it - and she was right!

now...i really believe that it is time for sleep in my own cozy bed!

art journal challenge - week 11

it's sunday again! i love sundays...time to reflect and recharge and hang out with my little family and go to church and make cookies or muffins and be creative! sundays are the only day i refuse to stress about 'work stuff', it's my cozy day :)

onto another challenge - and i have to tell you i loved all the 'notes to self' from last week - and i was very good with my note to self - got lots of rest and it paid off! sorry if i didn't get around to leaving a comment on your card - i tried my best but due to the whole resting-when-i-could-thing i didn't make it to everybodys. i am so happy to see all the connections you are making through this challenge though - isn't it cool to see the different way we all create?

this week's challenge is : your initial...
the letter that stands for you, for your name...and i am just going to leave it at that and see what you do!

the background was created with one of my favourite techniques. cover your card in ripped bits of masking tape, then paint with acrylic paint. while the paint is still wet, wipe some of the paint away with a babywipe. all i used here was blue paint - the purpley/pinks you see came from wiping back to make some of the (pink) card from underneath show through.

chipboard 'e' is by making memories (i trimmed it and sanded), tiny alpha rubons by autumn leaves.

have fun!

art journal challenge - week 10

here we are again gals! week 10 - so cool!

i won't bore you with my woes but i have been sick and pathetic for a month now, and i am really ready to feel completely better and take one the world! (more importantly, tackle my 'to do' list...). my downfall in getting better (apart from not being able to take any decent drugs and the fact that i live on the side of a smoggy freeway) is that i NEVER REST...a quality i undoubtedly inherited from my stubborn ol' dad. so this week, i am going to set aside much needed 'rest time', take a few naps, meditate...and hope that it will be my miracle cure!

so, do you need to tell or remind yourself of something this week?

our prompt is: 'note to self' - write a little note to yourself, whatever that may be!

paper is from paper source, stamp is 7 gypsies, flower made from layers of felt and fabric - i just wanted to make it for fun (that is what an art journal is for!).

have a great week :)

art journal challenge - week 9

i just returned this afternoon from my weekend in massachusetts at the wonderful store of rah! i was once again welcomed, treated with the best of care, inspired by the wonderful women who came to the classes, fed well and befriended by everyone there - and it was even perfectly blue skied weather, which apparently has not been the case in months! i will post some pictures from the weekend hopefully tomorrow (wink, nudge, hint to those who are sending me pics)...but for now...we are up to the 9th card in our mini art journal!

this week's prompt is: inspiration found!
where have you found inspiration lately, what is something that has inspired you, what do you do when you are stuck for inspiration...you get the idea!

my story is a little bit of a long one, but i will share it anyway, because i want to! this is chelsea, and she is one amazing little chicky. we happened to meet because many years ago her brother-in-law was a missionary in my ward and he and i were buddies. we have stayed in touch (rather badly) over the years and last year sometime he emailed to say his brother and wife were also living in the US, and she was a scrapbooker too and had been reading my blog for a while unknowing this connection we had! so we began emailing and i convinced her to drive to MA for the weekend so we could finally meet in real life and have some good old aussie fun together with the 'bawstonites' (who we both agree have slightly australian accents - hehe)...anyway, i think everyone who got to meet her this weekend will agree that she is one in a million! she inspired me in so many ways...her photography, her artwork, the way she does her artwork!, her outlook on life, her philosophies...her voice! it was fun to hear her flawless aussie accent (pretty impressive after living here for nearly 4 years), talk about the stuff we missed, laugh about the same issues we have both had moving here...not being understood by the waitress or the guy in the hotel...i could gush on forever about how much i adore her - and thus she inspired my challenge for this week - i felt so refreshed and inspired from being with her this weekend, and now it is your turn to create a card about inspiration!

journalling on the back. i don't do this every week, but lately i have been into putting a big pic on the front and using the other side to waffle on (pregnancy brings out the waffler in me, and there is no guarentee it will make sense!). paper on back is basic grey. front is picture printed onto regular paper, piece of fabric stitched on, rubons by autumn leaves and little crown by artchix studio.

sorry i didn't get the chance to read everyone's cards last week, or blog! this week should be a bit more relaxed. have a good one!

art journal challenge - week 8

wow! we are 2 months into this project people! i really love taking these few moments each week to record a piece of 'me'...already i am loving my little stack of completed cards!

if you are just jumping on the bandwagon, don't feel like you have to 'catch up' - it can be a year of you starting anytime and carrying on for a whole 52 weeks :)

and it it always up to your own interpretation and your own ideas - the prompts are there to prompt you if you need it, but you can always go a different direction! quite a few people seemed in a fluster over last weeks prompt - and i don't want that to happen! this is supposed to be FUN! please don't ever feel like you are doing something that you don't want to be doing...the point is to do something creative and enjoy that precious time making something and recording something about yourself!

so this weeks prompt is: who (or what) do you miss?
do you miss being a kid? do you miss your old dead cat? do you miss your pre-childbirth hips? (yes, i do!), do you miss a friend or a relative or a special candy you can't buy anymore? think of something you miss in your life right now, and create your card based on that this week :)

i miss my 3 stinky little brothers. i miss being a kid with them, fighting, playing, bossing them around, being teased by them, babysitting, being part of something with them. we are all in completely different places and i don't even know when the 4 of us will be together again in one place, but man i love them.

yes, that is me rocking the fluorescent yellow tshirt. i love their knobbly knees and they way they are all being SO THEM in this picture. and toby's handmade underpants - my mum did a stretch sewing course and they all had the same undies! (i was spared this joy). i had forgotten about those undies!

journalling is handwritten on the back.

i adhered the photo to the card, trimmed around the card and then used sandpaper around the edges. rubons are by hambly, little label sticker by 7 gypsies and i put the sheet of stickers in my typewriter to type 'my 3 boys'.

have fun creating your card and have a happy week!

art journal challenge - week 7

hi everyone!
no, i didn't forget...i just had a crazy day and am finally posting this weeks art journal card before i crawl into my very inviting bed!

this weeks prompt is: shoes - there is always a story to tell.
every gal has some kind of relationship with shoes. memories. a favourite pair. a pair you lost. a pair that remind you of someone. a pair that mean something.
i can think of so many shoe memories from my life so far...

when i was a kid i always kicked them off under the table at a restaurant and many, many times would leave them there by accident...much to my parents dismay!

i remember so badly wanting the cute and pretty school sandals all the other girls had, while i had sensible fitted ugly unisex ones thanks to what my mother recently told me were 'clodhoppers'! (thanks mum! i know you love me anyway...)

as a teenager i pined for over a year for my very own 8 hold doc marten boots. they were the ultimate in cool. they were too expensive, but one day my dad came home from a work trip to indonesia with a purple pair just for me! i felt soooo loved!

i did NOT want to wear shoes at my wedding. i hated hated hated any form of 'pretty' shoe, and wanted to wear my brown leather 'jerusalem cruisers' sandals if i had to wear shoes at all. um...yeah, my mum won that war and i ended up with pretty shoes after all ;) and i am glad!

ivy's first little pair of shoes! soft purple leather with a red star on them. SO CUTE. i hope i still have those somewhere.

theses are just a few things that sprang to my mind when i thought about shoes. there is always a story to tell! what is yours?

i typed journalling onto cardstock and adhered to my card, sanding the edges. i stapled the picture on top - it can be lifted up to read what is underneath!

(no, that is not my personal shoe collection! seeing as my big ol feet couldn't squeeze into any of these cute pairs for me to own, i took a picture instead!).

i'm excited to see what you create!

art journal challenge - week 6

i just realised today, when i looked in my planner (an act that i rarely participate in), that is is indeed valentine's day this week - so, lets think about L.O.V.E!

i dedicated my card this week to my little baby who i have just started to feel kicking around in there!

this week's prompt is: LOVE, LOVE, LOVE! pretty simple really ;)

gesso/painted the card. glitter heart, alpha stix and dotty ric-rac is making memories.

love makes the world go round! have fun making your love creation :)

**for those who are just joining in, or have questions about the challenge - you can see a link on the left hand side where you will find all the previous challenges and can look in the links sections to view  everyones creations!

art journal challenge - week 5

i just did my card while sitting on the bed in my hotel room! i cannot believe how tired i am...tonight i must have walked up and down at least 5,000 stairs! i guess this is the way the french keep fit with all the delicious pastries and cheeses on offer ;)
the metro is simply the best mode of transportation, and the little tickets are so cute!

so...

this weeks prompt is: use some ephemera from your week

*i have really limited email right now, so if you are waiting from one from me, i'm sorry! i will try to catch up as soon as i get home :)

art journal challenge - week 4

hi everyone!

posting the challenge a little bit earlier today as i am off to CHA (a big trade show for scrapbooking and other artsy fun stuff...can't wait to catch up with friends and see cool new product!)...next sunday will be interesting as i will be teaching in paris...but i REALLY want to try and make/post my card there - how cool will that be?!! but it will depend on internet access!

i just love feeling your excitement and passion for creating this simple piece of yourself every week, i love sharing in that with you - from all over the world! isn't it amazing the connections we can make with one another through our hobby?

i can't wait to see what you do this week...i may not have a lot of time to comment, but please share your links as i know so many people are enjoying looking through all the links and getting inspired by each other!

i have a 'thing' for peace signs. they just make me so happy to look at and are such a symbol of goodness and oneness.

this week's prompt is: a symbol you love. maybe you have something that is 'you', or that you are always drawn to, or even something from your childhood or past. think about a symbol that has significance to you...and incorporate it somehow!

this 'peeled paint' technique is so much fun to do - here is how if you want to try it...

1. paint your card with gesso and a layer or acrylic (you can skip the gesso if you sand the card instead.

2. fingerpaint blobs of vaseline/petroleum jelly onto the dried paint. gently paint another colour over the top. when the paint is dry, wipe with a paper towel and the vaseline slides away, revealing the base colour. use a wet wipe if you have any extra greasiness that need to be gone!

have a wonderful week and happy creating!

art journal challenge - week 3

i have to say again that this whole mini art journal thing is making me SO happy! it is such a fun and quick way to get something out there - be it a mood, emotion, statement or just little piece of creativity. i really enjoy thinking during the week about what my little card will say or be next sunday...especially sitting in church ON sunday when i actually have to stop and sit and just be...i don't find it easy to sit still...so it's my time to reflect and also decide on what i will create when i get home!

so this weeks prompt is: i am. make an 'i am' statement for yourself - whatever it may be!

i glued making memories ledger paper on the card and did an image transfer over the top. if you want to try this, its easy and fun! you need to get some colour photocopies made of photos/images (at a printing place, at home won't work). you put the photocopy face down onto the space you want to transfer and 'paint' acetone (nail polish remover) on the back, then immediately burnish with a metal spoon. lift it off and it (hopefully!) will have transferred. definitely get more than one copy made up to allow for practice and who knows what! this one didn't transfer as well as in the past...its always a bit of a lucky dip - but thats the fun of art journalling, right?

letter stickers are heidi swapp - i trimmed and sanded them.

class kits for sale!
i know many people have asked in the past, and i finally cleaned up my class storage cupboard and have some spare kits to sell from classes i taught last year. there are only a few of each one available -  $30 each including shipping (overseas may cost a little bit extra)...so basically first in, best dressed - email me ([email protected]) with what you want and i will let you know my paypal account.

once you have bought the kit i will also email you detailed instructions and pictures of each page of the project and techniques, and will be available via email for any questions etc. all kits (apart from art journal kit) have a printout of instructions also, that were given out in class.

ok - so here they are! travel journal, it's clearly love, life is beautiful, and deck of you. once you see the pics, click on them to read what each kit contains :)

happy week - can't wait to see your 'i am' statements! and remember you can join in anytime - hope you are having fun on the journey so far!

**edited...kits all sold! but i am taking down names for those who would like one, and i can re-order and hopefully send out in a few weeks time :)