his name was chip

i'm truly honored and super excited to be this week's Featured Artist

over at Documented Life Project 2015 
and i'd like to send out a big hug
and many thanks to the Art to the 5th gals for inviting me!!  woo hoo!

this week's DLP art challenge is to use deli paper on your journal page,

and the prompt is "you had me at hello"….

so, i took the challenge and prompt,
and threw in a bit of chocolate
(because you can never really have enough chocolate, right?)….
and this is my finished journal page,
featuring my zero-calorie chocolate chip cookie made from deli paper!

                     

here's a video showing my entire process from start to finish!

i hope you have tons of fun using deli paper this week!!
xox

thanks again to the gals at DLP!

you can read more about Documented Life Project here.

you can watch this video in larger format here!

{supplies:  Strathmore Visual journal for mixed media, pan pastel,

Sofft tool, deli paper, micron pens, 6B pencil, watercolor, matte Mod Podge,

heart stamp, Staz On ink pad, washi tape, needle, embroidery floss,

tape runner}

heart shower

the DLP prompt this week is to fill your page with hearts….

and that makes this journal girl pretty happy….

because what could be more cheerful than a 

red-orange-and-pink-heart shower!

:))

{supplies:  moleskine planner, fabriano artistico 140 lb. HP paper, 

pitt pens, PanPastel, derwent inktense pencils, 

uniball signo broad white pen, 6B graphite pencil, washi tape}

breathings of your heart

one of the best things about doing a weekly journal challenge is
many times it takes you out of your creative comfort zone and
puts you through a brand new learning process.

this can also be one of the most uncomfortable things.

this week, our DLP challenge is to add book text to our page,
and for whatever reason, this was difficult for me.
maybe it's because it feels a little like collage, and well,
the simple in my brain really doesn't like to go down the collage trail!
so all of my ideas kept getting edited, and by the time i was finished,
i ended up adding only this tiny piece of book text.

but oddly enough, it has turned out to be
one of my favorite pages!

challenging yourself, listening to your gut, and
filling your page with what feels right to you,
even if it's only one tiny piece of book text at a time,
is a really good lesson in trusting your creative heart.

and your creative heart will never let you down!



{supplies for this week's DLP page:
moleskine planner, fabriano artistico 140 lb. HP paper, pitt pens,
PanPastel, derwent inktense pencils, 6B graphite pencil, washi tape.
…..and book text!}

so very grateful

this week, the documented life project challenge is to
practice gratitude…..

so i thought about the things that are always on my heart….

but i quickly discovered there wasn't
 nearly enough space to journal on the page,
because i have SO much to be grateful for…..

and that definitely includes YOU!

your sweet blog visits, comments, and e-mails continue to
touch my heart, and i truly appreciate each and
every one of you so, so much!

 thank you, precious bloggy friends!   xox


{supplies:  moleskine planner, fabriano artistico 140 lb. HP paper,
derwent inktense pencils, pitt pens, PanPastel, 6B graphite pencil,
washi tape}

*******

i'm a firm believer that "practice makes perfect", 
so, i'm going to spend some time this summer practicing 
what i love to do most…..lettering.
and since i'll also be doing some travel, i've decided to give my 
"inspiration monday" series a bit of a break for a while,
but i'll be continuing on with the weekly DLP challenges.
 see you next week with a new journal page!
happy weekend to you!

art house

when the art-to-the-5th gals revealed this week's challenge to draw a house….

i went a little crazy with my art supplies…..

and came up with my own version of a fun little art house!
{and there's a bonus room inside with belgian chocolate tucked away,
because all well-designed art houses have a special spot
for the chocolate stash,  you know.  heeheehee}

i hope you have lots of time to
make really awesome stuff this weekend!!  xox

{supplies for this week's DLP challenge:
moleskine planner, fabriano artistico 140 lb HP paper, 
derwent inktense pencils, micron and pitt artist pens, pan pastel,
washi tape, 6B and 4B graphite pencils}

the little moments

here's to all the little moments in life
that make our hearts smile!


{this page was created in my moleskine planner for the
week twenty-one DLP challenge to use embroidery floss on our page.
other supplies:  fabriano artistico 140 lb. HP paper, pitt pens,
derwent watercolor pencils, 6B graphite pencil,
assorted embroidery floss, needle, washi tape}

words sweet as honey

the documented life project challenge for this week is
 to use a rubber stamp in a new way, and after thinking about it for a
looong time, i finally came up with an idea!  so, i got out some favorite stamps….

and then i cut a "mask" out of a piece of tracing paper.

then i used washi tape to hold it in place on my watercolor paper…..

and i started stamping inside the opening with
one of the stamps from this stamp set.

i wanted to create something that looks like a vintage bee-keep,
so i used a waterbrush to move the water-based ink around
and then i added a bit more color with a derwent watercolor pencil.

next, i needed some bees for the bee-keep,
so i drew a simple bee shape and then i used one of the heart stamps
from this set to create the wings.
(i also covered part of the bee when i stamped,
since i didn't need the entire heart shape)

then i defined them a bit more by using a pitt pen.

finally, i added all my favorite details, and…..
challenge complete!



{supplies:  moleskine planner, fabriano artistico 140 HP paper, 
"positive strokes" by paper smooches,  crushed curry ink pad by stampin' up,
"i made this" set by technique tuesday, derwent inktense pencils, pitt pens,
5B graphite pencil, white pilot "choose" pen, pan pastel}

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}

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}

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}

heart song

this week's documented life challenge is to use a bird on our journal page,
and i think every single member did a happy dance when they found out!

because, let's face it…..
what's happier than a sweet little doodle birdie with long skinny legs?

especially when he's singing a sweet little doodly-heart-song!




{supplies:  moleskine planner, 140 lb fabriano artistico HP paper, pitt and micron pens, koi watercolor,
derwent watercolor pencils, 6B & 3B graphite pencils, washi tape}

inspiration monday

one of my goals for the new year was to find a way to be more productive….in a balanced, creative, sort of way.  and to be more productive, i need organization!  but every time i looked for a planner to help me get my act together, i struck out.  there was always a major element missing…..there was no "fun factor".  and the reality for me is, if it's not fun, i'm not going to keep up with it!

but thankfully, my sweet bloggy friend sandi keene had the answer to my dilemma…..

Documented Life Project!

as usual, i'm late to the party, but if you haven't already heard of it,

you combine a simple weekly planner  {hello, productivity!}

with a space to write your goals and other life stuff  {hello, balance!}…..

and then add a piece of watercolor paper to each week's page spread 

using some favorite washi tape so you can be artsy {hello, creativity!!}

each week, the DLP dream team shares a page prompt 

to help get those creative juices flowing

{this week's challenge was to do a page about "me", 

so i used my new hand-carved selfie stamp, along with some other

favorite supplies!}

it's a ton of fun and there really are no rules.

it's your journal, done your way.

 and the best part is you get to be a part of a DLP community that's full of
encouraging, supportive, and very inspiring artists!  woo hoo!
thank you, sandi…..i feel more creatively organized already!   :))


{p.s.  are you on Facebook?  i have a new page here!}


{supplies:  moleskine planner, pitt and micron pens, derwent inktense pencils,
hand-carved selfie stamp, hand-carved thumbprint stamp, black archival ink, scrapbook paper, washi tape, fabriano artistico 140 lb HP paper, 6B and 3B graphite pencils}


for more information, the DLP dream team is:
roben-marie smith, lorraine bell, rae missingman, sandi keene, and barbara moore