doodly-do

when life gets kinda crazy,
sometimes the best solution is to put everything aside,
pull out your journal,
and start to fill your page with a little doodly-do…..

especially your favorite doodly-do.

your creative side will thank you immensely,
and you'll be amazed at how a little watercolor and your favorite pen
always sets things right with the world again!


{this catch-up journal page was created for the DLP week 26 prompt:
"add a Bible verse that inspires you".
supplies:  moleskine journal, fabriano artistico 140lb HP paper,
derwent inktense pencils, pitt pens, 6B & 4B graphite pencils, 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}

piece by piece

my sweet bloggy friend kathy, aka paper pumpkin, has been creating some fabulous collaged journal pages......and in the process of sharing them with us at her blog, she's also been totally inspiring me! kathy has been taking kelly kilmer's "a life made by hand" class, and highly recommended it, so i decided to take the plunge and dive into the world of collage!

normally, my in-the-box-must-have-a-grid personality resists anything that has to do with collage......but kelly's easy going style makes this seem uncomplicated, even for someone like me. plus, if you get stuck, she offers "collage templates" and lots of journal prompts to get you started! and what i really like is the concept of spending just 15 minutes a day with it.....no over thinking, no over gluing.....just simple creative time!!

thanks kathy and kelly for helping me to think outside the box (even if it's for only 15 minutes a day....heeheehee)!

journal page finished using scrap papers, vellum quote, photo frame, stapler, and glue stick

today, yesterday...and tomorrow

i did this piece a few years ago and i still love it because: *i love the scripture, *it has a simple design, *this lettering is my favorite, *i enjoy using the heart-in-hand motif in my work, *i love using different shades of purple (especially blue purple!), *and, you guessed it, there are six wonderful little boxes to put all of that fun stuff in! one of the nice things about keeping a record of my work, and then looking back on it from time to time, is that i'm reminded of how much i enjoy doing little pieces of artwork like this. i have been overwhelmed recently...trying to decide "shall i paint today?, shall i draw today?, shall i letter today?". as usual, i've been making the process too difficult. what i should be doing today is take what i love from all of my artwork yesterday(s) and focus on that. of course, all of this is subject to change tomorrow(!).