Vintage Back to School Swap…….

 

Recently, I and thirteen very talented women participate in a journal page swap organized by Michelle Geller.  Yippee!  Last night, Sheila and I met up with Michelle for dinner and our journal “hand-off”!

 

That’s Michelle on the left, me in the center and Sheila on the right.  We all live in the Portland area, so it was easy to get together and just too much fun to share experience of the first viewing!

Every artist involved in this project out did themselves!  The page below, is just one example of the thought and effort that went into each page.

This is the page at first glance……..

This is the sum of it’s parts………………………

…..the flash card, composition book, chalkboard, report card envelope with note paper to journal on tucked in-between the pages…..and all this was held together by a giant paper clip!  EVERY page in this book is like this, each with it’s own personality but overflowing with exciting and interesting bits and pieces. 

So, here we go……you’re going to LOVE this!

The cover was done by Michelle, check out her hand lettering…….

Inside cover and first page by Jan Clem……it is difficult to see but Jan’s page is a pull out with the ruler being the tab that you pull to make three pages pop up!  Awesome!

  On the left is the back of Jan’s page, on the right is Shelia Earhart’s page with her incredible baton twirling medal.   It is very cool!

The back of Sheila’s page and the front of Cynthia Fawcett’s page where she used a triangle for a pocket!

The back of Cynthia’s page and the front of Michelle Geller’s page.

Michelle gave us all a star and lunch tickets!  This if the front of my page.

The back of my page and the front of Beth Leintz’s page….she transferred photos on to fabric and added the button and ribbon embellishments!

The back of Beth’s and the front of Rachel McGough….Rachel used a photo to make a pocket!

The back of Rachel’s page included a photo and a reading practice.  Michelle added the flash card divider!

The back of the flash card and Mollie Morrison’s page with it’s banner and cute paper flower……she has a hidden pocket between pages, as well.

The alphabet is the back side of Mollie’s page and on the right is Lorraine Peltier’s page.  Lorraine has added a cute buckle to a envelope full of tags.

The back of Lorraine’s page and the front of Heidi’s page, shown above.

The back of Heidi’s page and the front of Barb Rickard’s with crayons and a sketch pad first page followed by three more pages…..

The inside of Barb’s signature page…….

The back of Barb’s page and the sweet silhouette page by Jessica Rodarte.

 The back of Jessica’s page and the front of Jill Sibbald where she has hidden journaling tags behind the photo.

The back of Jill’s page and the front of Lisa Stanton’s page with a pocket full of cute cards and a precious vintage artwork.

The Lisa’s back page and Michelle added an envelope for our lunch money!

THE END!

What a fun book……don’t you agree!  It is a cornucopia of ideas for journaling and all the pages are soooooo beautifully done!  Thank you so much to each and every one of you who participated.  I will treasure this little book FOREVER!

Nature journal and experimenting…..

 

Still playing in my nature journal!  Today, I found an old class project in a drawer.  I had painted it with acrylics on paper and thought it would be fun to recycle it…..by adding words.  I, also, needed to add some length to the page.  So, I glued a piece of heavy paper to the top, where the binding will hide it, then I added a wash and a funky border.

You can’t go wrong with Ralph Waldo Emerson!

 

 

I liked the colors in this painting and the looseness of it, so, I decided it would be journal worthy with the addition of the quote and a few doodles.

 

 

 

 

 

I’ve, also, been experimenting with some of the rubber stamps I’ve been carving.  I liked the one with the man’s face until I decided to write on the page.  The writing became a distraction. 

But, I had fun stamping with paint, both acrylic and watercolor, on the watercolor washed backgrounds.  I used a leaf stamp to make trees and added doodles with a pen and cardboard  for texture.  I’ve been trying to learn more about watercolor paper and it’s properties, too, so all in all it was a great learning experience.

I “pinned my own board”!  I put these experiments on my inspiration board for just that reason, to inspire me to play some more with the stamps and various mediums. 

I really like the colors and, for now, that’s enough!

More of my Nature Journal……..

Still making pages for my nature journal…….

This is another real butterfly, glued to a vintage map of Paris and a book index page.  I added the envelope with the dictionary page of a butterfly and the cardboard tag for the finishing touch.
 



These are silica dried roses from my yard.  They are fragile and I’m not sure what I’ll do with them but they are beautiful to look at!



Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful weekend. 

Cover story…….

 

Finished the relativity small, 8”x9” cover for my nature journal today!

 

 

This photo shows the colors best!  The cover is covered with green canvas like fabric, so I used gesso for the first layer and then painted over with acrylic.

I love the yummy color of the burgundy velvet ribbon that trims the top.  The “etc.” charm and Anagram letters finish it off.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The other side (or inside cover)….I’ll write my name and the book title on the label, otherwise I believe this page is finished.

 

 

 

This bit of news made my week!!!!!!!!

Last April, I blogged about a challenge being presented by the magazine, ClothPaperScissors, you can read it HERE!  My art work was accepted and is pictured here…it’s the one with the big red heart! 

Yes, it is very fun and exciting to see your work published in a national magazine!    You should try it.  Many magazines are looking for submissions from artist and crafters, sure there is a risk you will be turned down…..but who will know, if you don’t tell them.  Besides, the next time you send something in, it may be accepted and you, too, will be published.

More……….

 

The weather has been hot, well for Oregon, three days of 100 degrees, or near, so I’ve been staying in my cool house and making pages for my nature journal.

Here’s are the pages I’ve accomplished, so far…….

I shared the hydrangea blossom and fir cones with you last week.  This week it is sunflower, butterflies and what we call, Deadly Nightshade.

The Sunflower is painted with acrylics on a piece of canvas and trimmed out with a ruffle of lace, pieces of paper and button….with yellow handmade paper for the backing.

 

To attach the canvas and papers to the handmade paper I used my sewing skills, such as they are.

 

 

 

These are real butterflies that I picked up, framed, from a flea market.  I’ve coated the page with PVA glue that’s what is giving it the sheen.  The French phrase interprets to “catching butterflies”.  The page is fastened, with grommets, to handmade paper and backed with a thin purple paper and trimmed out with a little butterfly tape.

Today is much cooler.  So, I took another walk in the park where I picked this Nightshade vine and came home and drew it.  I’m still working on the watercolor part….I need more practice or lessons, maybe.

I’ve been dating my pages but I’ve noticed that some artists do this little box “thing” with the date….I like that!  I’m doing it from here on out.

I may not have as much time next week, but I’ve got another butterfly page started so, hopefully, I will get a couple more pages finished. 

Thanks for stopping by and have a great week and join me at Julie's Art Journal Everyday.

Nature Journal pages…….

 

Hi, I’m getting into this nature journal I told you about the other day!  It is so fun when the ideas come fast and furious instead of the normal, slow and uninteresting.

Here is first journal page I’ve completed…….I’m going for the specimen page look.

I laid down a thin, watery layer of blue gouache before I sketched the flower, then I went back in and added some high and low lights to the petals.  The leaf is real!  Glued it down with Mod Podge and put a coat over to protect it.

 

Added a label and typed, yes, typed with my vintage typewriter the plant name!

Finished off with a circle from a dictionary page and a touch of orange postage stamp!

 

This is the back side of the page…simply a beautiful napkin glued down!

 

The next journal page is all about sketching items I picked up in the park while I was walking the dog.

 

 

 

 

 

 

You know what, I’m learning a lot on this project, too.  When you draw a fir cone or a feather you see the fine details that we don’t see when we just look at fir or pine cone hanging from a tree.

Stay tuned, I have a lot more ideas I want to try out in this journal.

 

 

I have been journaling everyday, so I think I will join Julie Belzer’s linky party at Art Journal Everyday.  Please join me.

New theme…….

 

I’m starting my first “themed” journal!  Since I’ve spent so much time lately in my garden and creating fun projects with fruits and vegetable….I decided my theme should be nature!

Starting off with one of my Farmer’s Markets photos of carrots trimmed with marks from a leaf stamp I carved.

Then I added a watercolor sketch of one of my favorite lawn chairs and that I bordered with the saying “ Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished”……..

Also, started drying some rose blossoms in silica gel crystals and air-drying hydrangea flower heads . 

 

 

I plan on incorporating the dried flowers into my journal in some fashion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These are pansy blossoms that I placed between two pieces of paper and then pounded with a hammer to make these prints.  I’m excited to use them in this journal, as well.

I’m looking forward to working on this project!  I’m starting now while the flowers are still blooming, the produce is abundant and soon the leaves will begin changing into their beautiful fall colors……all the things that make my heart sing and should make for some outstanding journal inspiration.

Blogcation?

 

I’ve been on a bit of a “blogcation”…..no, I didn’t go out of town or lounge in the backyard.  I’ve been busy.  I just haven’t been blogging, reading or writing.  It’s only been a week, I know, but I missed you.  So, let’s catch up…….

First, I hung my prayer flags outside in the garden to allow their positive messages to flow into the world…….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then my husband’s youngest son and his wonderful family came to visit from California.

 

Saturday, we managed to attend a fun street sale in the small town of Aurora, located nearby.

 

 

 

Always interesting stuff to look at……….rockers and deer and porch swings and graniteware…….

 

 

Somebody has all their chickens in a row………..

 

 

 

 

 

 

then there was a wood carving, some Japanese glass fishing floats, antlers for the deer above, and more graniteware…

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the treasure I couldn’t live without

so, it had to come home with me…..the spelling board!  I’ve always wanted one and for $12. I wasn’t leaving without it!

Today, a trip to visit a lovely gallery near by, in the town of Silverton.  Lunaria is a co-operative gallery that features many very talented local artist.  A friend and I went to see the work of Dayna Collins, a Salem artist, who does these great assemblages.

I even entered three pieces of artwork in the art show at the county fair this week and I managed to do a little work in my journal, too.  My, I have been a busy girl.

It has been a fun and busy summer, so far, and I’m lovin’ it.  Thanks for stopping by, it was good to see you!