name play

our documented life project challenge this week was to
write your name, and then embellish it…..

and you can probably guess that after being so nervous with last week's prompt,
this week, i had an absolute ball!

i kept this page really simple, and added some of my favorite things….

and to be honest, i don't know which i had more fun with,
the writing-my-name part, or the embellishing!
the entire process was total happy!!


{supplies:  fabriano artistico 140 lb. HP paper, derwent watercolor pencils, pitt pens,
derwent inktense pencils, pan pastel, uniball signo white gel pen, washi tape,
6B and 3B graphite pencils}

inspiration monday

as much as i love playing in my art journal, sometimes i get the itch to do something completely different.  i've had my eye on elke bergeron's "leather clutch" workshop over at creativebug for quite a while, so i decided this was the perfect time to learn something new!

while elke's class doesn't include this step,  you probably know i don't do too many projects unless it includes letterforms, and i couldn't resist using my set of hand-carved stamps for this little clutch!  so i put a piece of washi tape across the front of my leather to use as a guide, and then i placed an acrylic ruler under the top to provide a firm surface for stamping.

i used a white pigment stamp pad that i had on hand,
and then i heat set the ink with my heat gun.

then i rounded the corners,  punched some holes along the side,
and stitched it up with some linen thread.

for my closure, i decided to add a snap….

and now i have a really cool leather pouch….and it was super simple to make!

the only two things i would do differently next time:
first, to make the stamping more permanent, i think i'll try using acrylic paint...

and secondly,  i'll pay more attention to the mantra
"measure twice, cut once" before i start my next project!
my plan was to store my inktense pencils in here, but when
i finished the pouch and tried to put them inside, they were too long!!
so now i have a leather clutch that's perfect for my glasses and micron pens,
but it's marked "pencils" on the front!  aaack!
:))


for more information about elke bergeron's creativebug class, click here
to watch a tutorial for setting snaps, click here


{supplies:  leather piece from hobby lobby, leather punch, hammer, 
hand-carved letter stamps, white ink pad, linen thread, needle, snap set tool, snaps}

collaboration

this week, the documented life project challenge was to
ask someone to draw on your journal page, and then finish it.

to be honest, my first thought was "yikes!"…..
because i knew i'd have to hand over some of the control of my page,
and well, that's an entirely different kind of challenge!
so, i asked my little dutch sweetie to join me in the project,
and when i saw what a great page he had drawn,
i thought "double-yikes", because i didn't want to mess it up!

the first thing i added were some washi tapes that my dutch boy and our son
brought back from a recent trip to japan.
 i traced the shapes from the page, and cut them out of the washis.

then i added some color and other details to the page…..

and once i was finished…..and finally got over being a nervous wreck...
i was able to think of those "yikes" as "likes",
because it really was a lot of fun collaborating with
my very talented little dutch sweetie!


{supplies:  moleskine planner, fabriano artistico 140 lb HP paper,  pentel colorbrush,
derwent inktense pencils, 6B graphite pencil, micron pens, washi tapes}

inspiration monday

if spring hasn't quite sprung in your part of the world yet,
and the skies are still looking a little gray…..

here's some words of wisdom from someone who
knows how to make people smile.

all you need to do is channel all your good thoughts…..

you know…...the really over-the-top, super cheery thoughts!

and then say bye-bye to gray skies,
and let those smile-sunbeams inspire an absolutely lovely day!

(quite possibly the most sugary, pollyanna-coated post i've written to date!
but sometimes "happy" just goes that way!  :))


{supplies:  walls notebook, pan pastel, micron and pitt pens, 8B graphite pencil,
white pilot choose pen}

ongoing task

this week's documented life project challenge was to use a magazine on your journal page…..

so, i grabbed a "getting organized" magazine and chose three of my favorite ideas.
then i tore out part of the magazine, glued it onto my journal page, and finished the illustration by drawing it in.  not only does starting with part of the magazine image help get past "blank page syndrome", it's also a great way to add your own little touches while practicing your drawing skills!

now, the biggest challenge remains…..
actually using some of these ideas in my overrun-by-clutter studio!!
ugh.


{supplies:  fabriano artistico 140# HP paper, magazine, glue stick, derwent watercolor and inktense pencils, waterbrush, 2B and 6B graphite pencils, washi tape}