A Few Pages

The last of my March journal pages. Actually, there are more but these are the last ones I'm sharing. I'm working on two journals this month so there will be lots more pages to come!
I jazzed up the focal image using my Latte pens. I LOVE those pens! the colors are so vibrant and the pens themselves flow nicely. I wish they'd come out with more colors. I'd buy them all!!!!!

I've been having some glum moments lately. This page shows some of what I've been feeling. the under-layer of writing is done in red. A great way to write freely, but still maintain privacy because red is so hard to read!

This page is smaller than the others. I love having various sized pages in a journal! It keeps things interesting!!!!!

April brings another month of Kelly Kilmer's A Prompt A Day classes. A lot of the journal pages I show on my blog were done using the prompts from her classes. If you haven't done so already, check the classes out. Seriously, you NEED to be a part of these!!!! Go sign up. NOW. You'll never regret it.

Journal Almost Full!

My first Prompt A Day journal is almost filled to capacity. I made it at the end of December specifically for the on-line classes. It's got 80 pages made of 140 lb Wausau, cover is a Pendeflex file folder that I cut, painted and collaged then added clear packing tape to. Size is 7" x 11.5" This will get me through mid to late March then I'll move on to the journal I just made.

I love seeing a journal filled to capacity. They look so awesome and are such a treasure trove of eye candy.

A Note on A Prompt A Day: If you love to work in an art journal or have always wanted to but haven't given it a try yet, do consider signing up for A Prompt A Day. It's well worth it! Kelly gives you more than enough inspiration to jump start your creativity each day. And the group of artists participating is great. I'm not one who typically joins classes, on-line or in person, but this is well worth it. Seriously.

No Time? That's A Load of Bull!!!

It's been busy here. Just few of the things that have been keeping me occupied are the annual Cub Scout Pinewood Derby, breaking up ice on stairs and walkways, cleaning the wood stove, making pizza, taking care of lots of critters and creating, creating, creating! No matter how busy life gets there is ALWAYS time to create. If you have time to make a cup of tea, you have time to slap some paint on a page. If you have to wait at the bus stop, you have time to paste a few pictures in your journal. If you have time to send a bunch of e-mails, you have time to do some journaling or make some ATC's.

Too many times I hear people say they don't have time for art making. Well, yes they do!!! All the time that's wasted complaining that they have no time could of been used to make something. Anything.

So, even though it's been busy, busy here I've still had lots of time to create. I painted a few dozen journal pages, finished a painting on wood I had started and stockpiled a bunch of images for collages. Oh, and finished 5 journal pages too. Not bad for two days that were filled with other "must do" activities.

Oh, and for anyone who's had to deal with shitty, art snobs criticizing their art or making them feel like they weren't good enough, you HAVE to read this: Finding Your Voice Seriously. Go read it NOW!!!! You'll be glad you did. (Thanks Kelly for being wicked pissa!!!!)

More Journal Pages

Some more journal pages finished. The majority of the ones I've posted are from the A Prompt A Day group. Every day we're giving painting, collage & journal prompts to spark our creativity. I highly recommend the group, offered by Kelly Kilmer.

Because it is a paying group, an on-line course in reality, I won't share what the prompts are (it wouldn't be fair) but I don't mind sharing my completed pages!

Collate: A Paper Collaboration

After seeing this on Kelly Kilmer's blog I just had to check it out. Sweet Jessie is hosting this totally awesome paper collaboration where each participant sends in 50-70 pieces of paper and for a small fee gets a bound journal of mixed papers in return!!! Being a total paper whore I joined immediately.

My pile of 6" x 9" papers were cut last night, put in an envelope this morning and will be mailed off tomorrow. Now I just need to wait (impatiently) for the day I receive a bound journal in return. Can't wait to get it in my hands and make those first entries!

A Few Journal Pages

These journal pages were started in the classes I took with Kelly Kilmer then finished at home later.

The first and third ones were created by painting, stamping layering opaque and transparent images then using markers to highlight images and add text.

The second page has layered collage and paint on the left-hand page and decorative tape over paint on the right-hand page.

If there's one thing to remember about mixed-media it's layering cannot be faked! In order to have rich, interesting pages multiple materials are a must.

5 Things I Did With Kelly Kilmer

August 22 & 23 I took 4 classes with Kelly Kilmer. I'd taken classes with Kelly in December 2007 and really enjoyed them so had to go for some more when she came back to town! There are very few artisits I'm willing to pay money to take classes with, but Kelly is definitely in the top 2. Actually, there are only 2 so that's saying something!

Here are 5 things I did while in class with Kelly:


1. Made this journal:

2. Made These Postcards

3. Made this journal:

4. Made these faux monoprint books:

5. Had my picture taken with Kelly:

(and had a whole lot of fun, but that goes without saying.)

Time Flies!

It's been days since I managed to post anything. Where has the time gone? I've been busy with home life and getting caught up on some projects I needed to finish, but even with all that I should of been able to carve out a few moments to post here. Obviously, I'm not an obsessive blogger or I never would of allowed days to go by with out an update! Or, perhaps, it is simply a lack of discipline on my part. I'm sure that's it because being a highly disciplined person is just not in me. I flit from one thing to another, have multiple projects going at a time and generally float through life like a feather on a breeze. It works for me so I don't expect that to change anytime soon.

So, what have I been working on? ATC's, journaling, making a Goddess doll for a swap, altering a denim jacket, reorganizing my bookcases so my newest additions can fit (a loosing battle, by the way) and general chores around the house.

The journal work I did was adding paint, marker & text to a hand-bound & collaged journal I made in a workshop back in December. Raine and I spent a day at Ink About It immersing ourselves in journal making & collage fun with Kelly Kilmer. Kelly was a great person to take a workshop with. She's fun, livley and very creative. And, as luck would have it, she's coming back to this area in August so I'll be jumping on the chance to take classes with her once again.

The cover & pages shown were started in class, with the addition of paint, marker & text being added in my studio.