Almost to the middle of 2011......

My one and only resolution for 2011 was more like a promise to myself to do something creative EVERYDAY.  Some days that works better than others, you know how that goes, but most days I have managed to do something. 

Creating is so much more than just drawing and painting, it is what ever makes your heart sing and contributes something that makes you feel good about yourself and the world around you......I happen to love playing with paper and paint.

My goal was to grow my skills with collage and design.  I have been doing a garden journal for several years.....this year I decided that would be where I would practice my collage and create plus make notes on my garden and my life. 

I shared some pictures of the journal pages on this blog back in February, you can CLICK HERE to see the pages in their "raw" form.

So, here we are near the mid-point of 2011 and I thought I would share some photos of those pages after I get through writing, attaching "stuff" and generally messing them up......

There are more but I won't bore you with all of them. 

A journal does not have to contain fancy artwork to be useful.  I've kept garden notes for years, only in the last five years have I started making it into a "life" journal.  Now, most days I make some note of what we have done that day.  I do the art a page or two at a time, as inspiration moves me.

You would be amazed at how many times I refer back to these little books.  I've written directions to a great art supplies store in Portland that I went to a year ago, when I wanted to visit recently I had them to refer back to.

Husband was certain our dog was four years old....no, he is only three....I wrote down the day we brought him home in my journal.  It is really a trip to read pages from three or four years  back and refresh your memory of big and little events.

Few more pages that are prepped and ready to go...I included recipes, and receipts in these little books, along with pictures of flowers I have or want to have, when I fertilized, when I planted.

You have no idea what a handy reference journals can become.