The other day i walked down to the library for some exercise and also so i could be alone amongst the books – i feel such a connection to books – they are like tiny friends i have never met until i open them up and begin a relationship. When i was at the library i noticed that they had Quilting arts TV DVD’s you could borrow. Well i was really thrilled since i am not a quilter and didn’t really want to buy the dvd’s but was thrilled that i could borrow them to check out. I’ve been having fun just watching the different techniques. Now i’m thinking of buying a new sewing machine since my 32 year old number doesn’t have the ability to do any free motion stitching. I think that would add a nice element to my pages and fabric journals i plan on creating. I’m not looking for a fancy dancey kind of sewing machine – just a basic one where i can sew some pages and small pieces of fabric.

Does anyone have any recommendations for a good sewing machine?

Right now i’m reading two books: Making Ideas Happen by Scott Belsky and also Linchpin by Seth Godin. Both are really good books. The premise for Making ideads happen is that ideas are useless/worthless if you don’t make them happen. How many brilliant and thrilling creative ideas have you had that have had an untimely death? I know i’ve had many, hopefully this book will help me develop healthy strategies to make the ideas REAL. Linchpin is Seth Godin’s latest brainchild – i’m enjoying it too!

Happy Labour day weekend to my Canadian and American friends – and a regular “have a creative weekend” to all of my friends out in cyberworld.

love, violette xo

The genesis of an art journal page:

Yesterday I received a bit of upsetting news. I have been waiting for many months to see an ear specialist about a hearing problem. Not only did the Dr. have bad news but he also had a terrible bedside manner. I had spent the past year going to clinics about a hearing problem – the doctors made me go home and do strange things like use a steroid nose spray which only made my nose run and clog up my head. Another Dr. Told me to go home and have a shower, plug my nose and blowhard with my mouth closed so that I could pop open my plugged ears. Of course that didn’t work! I kept thinking that I had plugged ears and needed grommets or tubes put in my ears. To make a long story short the ear specialist said I had hearing loss and that grommets in my years would not help. He implied that I would most likely benefit from hearing aids and controlling my environment??? What the heck? By controlling my environment he meant only talking to people when they’re facing me, not across the room or when they’re out of earshot.

So I was pretty upset when I came home and decided to create a journal page around what had transpired. On a happy note – not hearing very well can be quite entertaining since I find what I think people are saying is infinitely more interesting and humorous than what they are actually saying. For example the other day Mr. Gee said we should have brought our umbrellas with us but I heard him say gorilla!!!

Life is full of fodder for your art journal pages.  What upsetting situation did you have that can be transformed by creating a journal page around it?  Art truly can heal you in so many ways!

This is going to take me quite a while to do this tutorial so you might wanna check back in a while to see when it’s finished.

Supply list:

• Micron pens
•  Water color pencil crayons
•  copic pens
• cardstock
• decorative paper for background
• Grommets (grommets kit)
• Folk art acrylics
• Glue
• derwent sketching pencil -medium wash

Begin by painting over a piece of decorative paper (if you look closely you can see I had first glued some text over the background). I thinned down some white folk art paint and dribbled it on the page.

Begin sketching your idea on a loose piece of card stock in pencil.  Ink in with your micron pens and erase your pencil lines.  Colour in the woman’s face, hair and the flowers with watercolor pencil crayons and also copic  pens (you can use ordinary felt pens as well). Colour in other elements as well such as the hands and talk bubbles.

Cut out all of your elements.  A little trick I use to make cutting things out more easier is by outlining everything with a thick black felt pen.

Tone down the background a bit with some watered down white folk art paint.  Glue all the elements  on your page.  As you can see at the last minute I decided to add a hand holding a talk bubble with grommets hammered into it.  When the glue has dried add a bit of shading to your cut out pieces with a derwent sketching pencil -medium wash.

This is a photo of a Buddha sculpture at Ruby lake resort.  I was enchanted when I saw these lovely statues as well as painted metal sculptures of birds and flowers at the rustic resort.

Before leaving ruby lake I took 5 minutes to quickly sketch the buddha head on a piece of junk cardboard I had pre painted.  I will finish it off and let you see how this art journal page turns out.

When you’re away on vacation or even out on an artist walk/date you can bring along a sketchbook or pre painted pages like I did and quickly document what you see.  Later on when you return to your studio or home you can further embellish and paint your journal page adding text and freeform writing to it.  Don’t feel like you have to finish it all on the spot – it’s just a great way to capture a bit of energy of the moment on a page.  I used to carry around with me a miniature sketchbook and while having coffee at the local coffee shop I would sketch the people around me, my coffee cup and muffin, the chair, or any fanciful idea which was swimming around in my head!  As you can see the supplies can be as simple as a black pen and a sketchbook or even a small collection of recipe cards.  Later on you can collage  your tiny creations either in your art journal or in a mixed media project.

Cast update – I went to the cast clinic yesterday, after four weeks of being in a cast and was told that everything is healing nicely and will have to be in the same cast for another two weeks.  The cast guy – the fellow who  was going to cut off my cast with the scariest looking implements I might add – told me that glitter cast the nicest looking cast he had ever seen!  After they remove the cast I will have to wear a splint for a while but at least I’ll be able to type and have a shower.  YAY!!!

I think I should get an award for using the word cast in a paragraph in as many ways as possible don’t you think?

Mr. Gee and I went away to visit family and friends this weekend and on the way home we dropped by to see some tunnels which had been created in the 1800s to make way for a railroad (near Hope).  Since I have a fascination with orbs I asked Mr. Gee to take a picture of me with my spirit friends.  Notice how there’s a green orb next to my head?  I believe that is a my spirit guide or guardian angel.

We’re walking through another tunnel when I felt somebody walking beside me – so I quickly turned into the pitch black to see who was there.  When I turn there was no one there.  So I asked Mr. Gee to take a picture of me to see if there was a spirit hanging out there – sure enough there was an  orb next to my shoulder!  Cool eh?

This is a picture we took of the pathway to the tunnels.  I always love taking photos of pathways – I’m thinking ahead of future art journal pages that these lovely photos would be perfect for!  Of course pathways are always a metaphor for the journey.  They really speak to me.

Here is another lovely pathway picture we took yesterday.

The cast clinic

Today I’m going to the cast clinic – it’s been four weeks since I’ve had my cast on and I believe they’re going to xray my wrist to see if everything’s healing properly.  I’m hoping that they will put on a smaller cast.  It’s been very hot here and having a big heavy cast on makes me a wee bit cranky.  Ha!!!

Well that’s my blogpost for 2 day folks!  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend full of love, joy, glitter and creativity!

Lots of love,

Violette and her glitter cast

For those of you who just joined me – I broke my wrist while on holidays and my arm is in a cast so can only type with one hand. Needless to say it takes forever to type anything so I’m learning how to operate a voice recognition program – this is typed in that program. It takes longer than regular typing since the program often mistakens what you’re saying which sometimes leads to, comical results! 

So I’ll be back tomorrow with a regular blogpost. I hope you’re all having a wonderful summer! 

A journal page I am working on

A sunset picture taken by Mr. G on the Okeover Inlet close to Desolation Sound

A  buddha in the garden at Ruby Lake Resort

The safari tent we stayed in at Ruby Lake – cool eh?

Mr. G and I on a tiny island in Ruby Lake – we canoed there

Mr. G paddling the canoe (with a kayak paddle) ……boy was I spoilt!

Glitter cast enjoying the beach while Mr. G is kayaking Ruby Lake (I was envious)

Having a rest in a fancy tree-trunk carved chair – whimsy and magic abounded at Ruby Lake Resort

Here I am sketching in a park while Mr. G kayaks

Bidding a fond farewell to the lovely upper Sunshine Coast

Our vacation is almost over – we’re spending the next couple of days down in Gibsons Bay and will be leaving for home tomorrow.

So I should be blogging again regularly  – as soon as I get the hang of the voice recognition software to help me along.

Love,

Violette

Thank you once again for all the warm wishes and thoughts from everyone.

I am such a creature of habit.  I like drawing on the same size paper most of the time – 8 1/2 x 11 so every now and then it’s a good idea to get out of being so complacent!  The above pages are done on what i believe is mulberry paper – it’s kind of porous and not something i’ve ever worked with before.  It was a stretch to create these two journal pages – the Omm page was almost ruined as i added water media to it – the paper began peeling and buckling………my first thought was “ACK!!!!!!!  I’ve ruined it!”  But then i put a piece of wax paper underneath and dried it with a hair blow dryer.  Did you notice i have a bit of a theme going there?  It’s all about nature and peace!  When working on your journal page it’s a good idea to go with where you are at at the time.  That’s what i do anyways – it always has to be personal with me.  If you like to be inspired by checking out the journals of other people you can always go to flickr and search for art journals – you’ll find tons of them.  Or if you are like me and are a bit old fashioned you’ll also enjoy holding a paper arts magazine in your hands and flipping through the pages while being inspired – i love love love the flippy noises the pages make as you leaf through them. 

Art Journaling!

For my birthday i received lots of Chapters/Indigo gift certificates so i was in book/magazine heaven.  I bought some paper arts magazines as well as arts and crafts related books.  One of the magazines i bought was Art Journaling Magazine by Somerset Studio .  I just LOVE it!  Pam Carriker has a lovely article in the magazine featuring her hauntingly beautiful women, Cathy Bluteau has a gorgeous, juicy and oh so colourful spread called Following the Doodle – you can imagine that i would love that!  Her colourful art makes me happy!  Orly Avineri almost made me SCREAM when i saw her Passport journal…….oh my gosh…..it looks like something you’d find in a pirate’s treasure chest……….all poofy and bursting with juicy goodness.  Orly uses all kinds of stuff to “poof out” or trick out her journal – coins, cork, gum wrappers, dried flowers, beads and more!  I hope you check out Orly’s art journal pages on her blog and hope that you are as enchanted as i was by her gorgeous handmade journals!

Going to Disneyland………whoops….Vacation!

Guess what?  Mr. G and i are going away on vacation for 2 weeks starting tomorrow. We are going to a gorgeous area called Desolation Sound, B.C. We’ll naturally be kayaking and enjoying being in nature!  I’m inspired to paint some pages from cardboard discards, like packaging boxes, spagetti, cereal, etc. to ready them so i can create some journal spreads while i’m away.  Just reading the Art Journaling magazine and also making the Junk Journal the other day is prompting me to make a different kind of journal for a change.  Should be heaps of fun!

Guest Blogger

While we are away i’ll have sporadic internet access so i plan on posting photos and maybe even pics of my journal as it evolves on my blog.  My friend Wendy Gibson of Craft Dinner has graciously accepted to be a guest blogger here on the two mondays while i’m away so stay tuned for Wendy’s lovely projects. Thanks Wendy!  Speaking of my artsy friend check out her article on the Retro fitness craze of hooping.  You just might want to take up hula hooping for fun and fitness.

Okay………so i’ll be seeing you next week…until then have a fabulous weekend!

Love, Violette xo

This is the one of the backgrounds i created for my Junk Journal.  I love creating grungy – graffiti-ish backgrounds!  I thought today i would do a simple post on what i was grateful for – this is a good prompt to use in your Journal on a regular basis:

• my family – especially grandbaby Sammy
• the magic cottage and colourful garden in the backyard
• Mr. G and his infinite patience and blossoming creativity
• my friends
• the frogs in the nearby park
• my tree i visit several times a week
• my online friends i have never met in real life but who i feel so connected to
• kayaking and being out in nature
• going on vacation (on Saturday) to Desolation Sound!  Yay!
• EFT (emotional freedom technique)
• artistic ability and the gift of being able to share it
• my book Journal Bliss
• the kindness of strangers
• paper arts magazines like Cloth Paper Scissors, Artful Journaling, Somerset Studios etc.
• art books, how to books
• Sunshine on my face
• walking barefoot
• quinoa salad
• the infinite inspiration that can be found on the net
• little cute facial nuances
• quiet
• gyspy kings
• supertramp
• dancing in the backyard
• my new hand painted silk jacket
• having a creative problem to solve – that gives me juice!
• sleeping better
• my new earthbed and pad - thank you Bernie – i’m having fun “earthing” !
• oh….lots more……i’ll probably keep adding things as i think of them!

Now it’s your turn! xo

Here is one more thing i am grateful for…….all of the wonderful bloggers out there who have been kind enough to feature me on their blogs.  Nellie Jacobs featured me yesterday on Igniting your Imagination .  Thanks so much Nellie for featuring me! xo

Kashi never looked so good eh?

You know how you accumulate so much junk that you haven’t got a clue what to do with it?  Well you can turn some of that junk into JUNK JOURNALS!!!!!  As you can see i turned a Kashi cereal box into a small journal with signatures of assorted papers – i even used some old calendar pages inside, as well as painted papers, graph paper and coloured paper.  As you can see this particular packaging had a pretty cool cut out with cellophane over it – the perfect spot to feature “Sammy” my grandson in!  I simply slipped the photo behind the niche and taped it down.  This journal in particular will be housing all things/people that i love.  For example there will be pics of my kids, their partners, Mr. G, parents, lists of stuff i love, quotations, recipes (quinoa salad will be there), drawings and magazine clippings of things i would love to manifest.  I squashed a few bottle caps with a hammer and glued gems to them – then i hot glued the bottlecaps to the journal for a fun little edgy embellishment.  What prompted this you say?  Well i’m glad you asked.  I’ll be teaching Junk Journals to a couple of groups of Mom’s this afternoon at Camp Alex Neighbourhood house  and needed a sample to show them exactly what they can do.  I’ll also be suggesting that they can make mini journals with old greeting cards. Mom’s will be enjoying some crafting time with me while their kids are off being creative and having fun in another part of the Camp.  We’re going to have such fun!

Well i’m off to gather my supplies and embellish my book a bit more before the session.  Hopefully i’ll see you tomorrow with bells on! xo