"Change" -- the completed journal

This journal began in the late summer of 2014. 

As I searched through my collection of discarded library books for the next one

 I wanted to start, a plain green one, called "Change!" stood out to me.

I had been going through some changes and more were on the horizon;

the title was reason enough to choose it.

 

Typically, the cover is the last thing I do since they get a bit grungy 

while I'm working on the journal.  Also, by the time I'm finished with the journal 

I feel like I "know" it better and can create the cover accordingly.

Here are a few of the pages to peruse.

If you would like to see more, there is a video at the bottom of this post.

Thanks for watching!

Leave me a comment!

Be different

I regret not taking a picture of this one in progress, because, you know....a picture is worth a thousand words.  I'll try to be more brief than that in my description of this page.   

The green painted pages are torn to reveal the paper-covered pages underneath.  I inked the torn edges before gluing them down. The pennants are cut from pink paper.  The flowers and butterflies are stamps painted with chalks.  

What time is it?

This page was inspired from a chapter title in the book I'm working in. There are some things I like about this spread, but in general, it is not one of my favorites.  To quote Kellie Murton, "Every page doesn't have to be your favorite."  So, it is what it is, and I had fun creating it!

You don't always need a plan

Playing with color and layers. Flowers are cut out of a magazine.  I chose the pages just for the color, never mind it was a prescription drug advertisement.  I was just following the advice of the quote, and I think this page turned out pretty good.

Expectations

This quote could be perceived either positively or negatively. I choose to view it in the positive sense. My interpretation:  While having expectations is beneficial  focusing solely on them we may find ourselves unhappy with life as it comes.  I believe contentment comes from expectations tempered with reality.

This page was an exercise in blue. For some reason I rarely pick up the blue paint.

The bird is a fussy cut of a rubber stamp.  The checkerboard is stenciled with a texture paste. 

Not really a lot going on with this one.

Think Happy Thoughts

What can be happier than these little houses, right?  They are just so colorful and cheerful.
I used some old paper that has been in my stash for a while to create the houses and glued them to an acrylic washed background.  Some border stamps, flower stamps, circles and splatters finished it up!  Happy!

Family

Art journal page layered with acrylic paints, text, cutouts, stencils and stamps. 

Raining In My Heart

It was not a particularly sad day when I created this page, but it seemed to evolve in to sad page.  Subliminal, perhaps?

 I started with a neutral background, adding some text collage pieces.  

The bold red heart came next.  I was going for contrast against the background.  

To continue with the contrasting theme, I added bright blue paint drips from the top of the page.  

When the paint ran over the heart, it became rain.

I finished off the page with some stenciling with texture paste and  black spatters.

The rainy heart seemed to call for the text "stiches."

The chevron stamp was one I hand carved. 

Try

If you never try, you'll never know.

Working on this page I tried a lot of new things.

I went to town with paining with my fingers,  lots of marker work, and stamps!

It turned out to be quite a different looking page from  my usual.

Just goes to show, if you never try, you'll never know.

I'm glad I tried.

Sometimes it is more important to just do something, anything, to just move forward rather than getting all tangled up in preconceived notions of perfection.

Once you know who you are and own it, you rob the sting from those who would be your critics.

Making at midnight

This post will be full of pictures and a story too!  How exciting is that?  Settle back and enjoy.

Some months ago I had a vision for a multi-part project and set out to create it.  I worked on it for a while--off and on--then it got put on the back burner.  Actually, it got tucked away in a folder.  I kind of forgot about it.  Fast forward to Friday night when I popped wide awake and couldn't sleep.

Like a mouse, I crept into my art room, so as not to wake the husband, and started rummaging around for something to work on.  Well, whadadya know...I stumbled upon the forgotten folder.  It was like seeing an old friend.

 I pull out the pieces and take inventory of where I was in the process.  Time flew.  An hour or so later I went back to sleep with a finished project on my table.

Welcome to my house book.

Four house-shaped templates

Attached with rings

Back view

Come on up on the porch.  I'll take you through room by room.

The front door

The foyer

The library

A cozy nook

Family room

Dining room

Kitchen

Back porch

 As we went through the house did you catch some subtleties I nestled into the decor?  My eagle-eye real-life observer (Amy) spotted them.  I'm sure my eagle-eye followers did  too!

To give you another chance with that, and to give you a sense flipping through the book, here is one more set of pictures:

Front (R) and Back (L) pages

Pages 2 & 3

Pages 4 & 5

Pages 6 & 7

Ok, so how did you do?  

Tell me in the comments.

I love your interpretations.

You will have to come back to see if you found what I incorporated.  

Answers will be in the next post.  :)

In which there are no golden arches....

Having fun with the background and a spray bottle made me happy.

Bunting made with paper scraps.

Just to give you another insight on how my mind breaks out in random song. 

You only have to listen to the first 20 seconds to get the connection.  

Wasn't that fun?

Watch for a photo-packed post coming soon..........

Friends

As I was working on this page, a song I had not thought about in years popped into my head.

 I had to hear it.  And I have to share it with you.  

Wow, does this take me back!

The Beauty of Age

 This layout just fell into place and was so much fun to do.

The background is from an old Harlequin romance paperback.

The color was perfect!  I did nothing to it.

You can't create aged paper like that.

It just takes time.

That is the same truth that applies to the natural 

beauty of age--be it paper, heirlooms or people.

Age is a wonderful thing.

A true blessing.

Embrace it.

Here comes the color!

Inspiration can come from anywhere--anything.

These neon labels had found their way to my art table.

Why not?

After rummaging around in the paint box

and gathering some random words:

Feels good to be in the paint and glue again.

And of course, a bit o' pink!