The Art Journaling Journey Continues

Three Art Journals in Progress

I spent the day collaging and journaling. I had a great time checking out websites for inspiration and trying all the new things I saw. I don't think my journey with art journals is anything new...except to me. I'm loving the journey. I have been able to let go of some of my OCD tendencies that seem to be accentuated by my scrapbooking. The art is messy and sticky and amazing. I love it.

Trying out new styles of borders and doodles (Your name is doodle)

Got brave with watercolors and tried a desert scene while in Arizona last week.
Added the poem in photo editing.

She started a new art journal anyway.

I felt so despondent the day I found out about leaving my journal outside overnight. I had sprayed sealer on a couple of pages and left it out to dry. My amazing husband Mike found it the next morning after the sprinklers had turned on during the night. He didn't want to wake me with bad news so he asked to kids to tell me before I went downstairs and found it. My sweet son Zachary was so kind when he saw me that morning. "Mom, are you happy today?" I asked why and he shared the news with me. I tried to dry the pages but since the journal is spiral bound the perforated edges just couldn't take being wet. All my completed pages came out of the journal as I was turning them. I laid them around my craft area to dry. In the midst of all that I asked my son for a hug as I began to cry a few tears of loss. He gave me one more hug of support before heading upstairs. A little while later my daughter Brittanie came down for a hug. "Zach, said you needed a hug." What wonderful children. My good friends all gave me such loving support. After the days and weeks went by I was able to put the pages together into a new homemade album. It was quite the ride but I'm learning that it's about the process not the final product.

Pictures for Denice

Art Journals and Paper Dolls

You may be wondering why I'm posting this awesome picture by Julie Nutting. You may not be wondering that at all. In fact, you may not even be thinking or even breathing...bwahahahahaha. That might explain why you are here reading this. Anyhoo, on with the story. 

Three months ago I had never heard of Art Journals,  Collage Art or Mixed Media Art. I'll write later about GEMS and how it started me on this journey. My fabulous FlySistah  friend Peggy introduced me to the Brave Girls Club website. I started watching Melody Ross's videos and learning about collage art. I started my own art journal and a few other projects. I hadn't touched Mod Podge since I was a 12 year old Beehive at a church activity. Suddenly I was the Mod Podge Maven and was up to my elbows in the sticky, white goo. I  loved the mix of art and therapy and felt the joy welling up inside myself. I had to have more. 

My amazing friend Denice shared some of her art journals and answered so many of my questions. She even let me come visit to see her studio in progress. Award winning art projects by her children were displayed on the wall and one by one the little ones came to show some "favorite" picture from their own art journals.

I spent hours on the interwebs searching for art journals. Oh the great, wide world of art collage was now before my eyes. I found Julie Nutting's website  (http://www.julienuttingdesigns.blogspot.com/) and immediately fell in love with her style. I toyed with the idea of trying to do something in her style. Then I found Katies Blog "One Polka Dot Day"  (http://onepolkadotday.blogspot.com/2011/06/art-in-style-of-julie-nutting.html)with her version of the project in the "style" of Julie Nutting. 

I loved it and decided that since hers was a bit simpler that I'd try to do my own version. So...here is my paper doll "In the style of Katie who's project is in the style of Julie Nutting". 

This is what I came up with.

Katie's is on the right and mine is on the left. I really liked the concept and have been working on how to incorporate this project into the GEMS curriculum. 

The next step in this process was to search for simple, printable paper dolls that I could use for doing this project with kids, namely my sweet GEMS. Then I remembered a picture from my childhood with my FAVORITE gypsy dress. My Mom made it from scraps left over from other dresses and projects. 

Here I am in my wonderful, colorful dress.

 Joseph had a coat of many colors...and I had a dress of many colors. So I made a copy of this picture and made my own pattern for a paper doll for my journal. 

This picture shows the steps  I took to making this favorite childhood photo into a paper doll. I traced the picture with a light board and then cut the picture into puzzle pieces. I used the pieces as patterns for the final colored paper version.It was really fun and I sure wish I had been able to do all this fun stuff when I was little. Of course, I really am enjoying the process now. 

Warmly,

Allie

Memorial Day 2011

After all the years and all the struggles we have remained together. The journey has been amazing. Amazingly tough at times and amazingly blissful at others. I guess that's what life is all about, accepting the good with the bad and finding joy in the journey. I love this man of mine.