Holiday Journal

Here's a peek at this year's holiday journal.  It's a super simple binder ring construction that measures 6" x 9".  The covers are book board covered with patterned paper and the inside pages are a mixture of patterned paper, tags, envelopes and plain pages.

The opening page contains one of my favorite quotes by Rainer Maria Rilke.

I included some pockets to store my journaling tags and other odds and ends.

 

 

I also included several tags for fun!

  

And an envelope or two decorated with some vintage sheet music.

 

It was a lot of fun to make, now it's going to be fun filling it up with 2012 Christmas memories.

Thanks for stopping by today - stay in touch by becoming a follower of this blog or following my Facebook page.

Ali

Linking to:
Happy Hour Link Party
DIY Project Parade 
Creative Mondays Blog Hop

Forest Journal

I walk in the forest most days of the year and take lots of pictures.  So, I created a 5 hole pamphlet stitched journal to store these photos plus quotes, poems and ideas about the forest.

The journal measures 9" x 6" and the cover is made from a piece handmade Indian paper that the has silhouettes of leaves on it.  I purchased it on a trip to NYC last fall and of course, have been hoarding it ever since!

The journal pages are a mixture of textures - handmade papers, coffee stained card stock and even an old paper bag.  You can see some tags peeking out of the paper bag in one of the pictures below:

I still need to add a title on the front but I've already started to add some pictures and will continue through the winter months. 

Talking of journals, I plan to do a Project Life scrapbook in 2013 and purchased the pocket pages from Amazon yesterday.  I want to give my album a vintage twist.  Anyone want to join me?  Here are a few designers who created beautiful Project Life albums in 2012: Ali Edwards, Deb Duty and Michelle Wooderson.

Have a creative day!

Ali

Double Dip Travel Journal

I was cleaning out the spare bedroom last week and came across an old travel journal from 2005 documenting a family vacation in Vermont.  All the wonderful memories from that trip came flooding back to me when I read it - it was such a gift stumbling across it unexpectedly.

The Double Dip

In a piece written for the Ladies Home Journal, Sandy Fernandez refers to memories as ‘one of the secret weapons of happiness because they offer a double dip’.  She continues to say that it’s scientifically proven that thinking back on a pleasant experience stimulates the same area of the brain that made the event pleasurable in the first place.  

This was definitely true for me looking through the old Vermont album.  

  

Tips:

• Why not try leafing through a scrapbook, photo album or journal you created and see if you re-experience the original joy of the vacation.
•  Keep your scrapbooks out and enjoy them often - don't keep them locked in a closet.
•  Create journals and scrapbooks to document the everyday as well as vacations.  

 

Further reading:

• Project Life by Ali Edwards
• Calendar Tutorial by Kate Crane
• 6 Journaling Ideas by Ali Manning

Thanks for stopping by! 

Keep It Simple

It's been a while and I'm still feeling in a creative slump.  But I forced myself to get out my stamps last weekend and make something.  I decided to keep it really simple.  I covered one of my new Fred Mullett stamps with markers, spritzed it with water and stamped onto watercolor paper.  Once dry, I stamped a sentiment on top.

On the second card, I added a little more interest to the panel by sponging ink around the edges and spritzing the main panel with marker.

 

I then fooled around a little more with the same image, stamping the same image several times using a positioner and adding detail with prisma pencils and gamasol.  I decided not to make cards with these ones, but put them in my journal instead.  I like how they turned out.  My mojo will return one day!

Have a creative week!

Ali

Watercolor Journal Pages & WOYWW

I don't seem to have had much time to create anything lately because life's just been too hectic.  But on Sunday, I did crack open some watercolors and of course, they're still on my work table on Wednesday, so I can share them with you for WOYWW148.

I was fooling around with different color combos and recording them in my journal.  And while I had all these puddles of paint on the palette, I created some patchwork watercolor panels.  Not sure what I plan to do with them - make another journals more than likely and write on them.

 

I like giving journal pages a watercolor wash as a starting point.  Here's a page I created with a yellow watercolor wash as the base.  I included a piece of dictionary page in the center of the page and gessoed over it.  I hand wrote a favorite poem by Wendell Berry and some stamped words from the poem at the top and bottom.  I finished it by highlighting the edges with a watercolor crayons (the blue and green).

I know my handwriting is horrible, so I've included the poem below.  Enjoy!

I Go Among Things and Sit Still - Wendall Berry

I go among trees and sit still.
All my stirring becomes quiet
around me like circles on water.
My tasks lie in their places
where I left them, asleep like cattle.

Then what is afraid of me comes
and lives a while in my sight.
What it fears in me leaves me,
and the fear of me leaves it.
It sings, and I hear its song.

Then what I am afraid of comes.
I live for a while in its sight.
What I fear in it leaves it,
and the fear of it leaves me.
It sings, and I hear its song.

After days of labor,
mute in my consternations,
I hear my song at last,
and I sing it. As we sing,
the day turns, the trees move.

I hope you're having a creative week!

Ali

Art Journal Winner

Thanks to everyone who took part in my De-Stash challenge.  I think you all did better than I did getting rid of your old patterned paper! The winner of the art journal is.....

 #10 Petra Berendsen - congrats Petra!  I'll drop you a line and mail you your prize. 

Current Journal

I'd like to share with you my current journal that I made last month.  It's very similar to the one I'm giving away for the De-Stash Challenge because it combines vintage papers and patterned papers to create a unique little journal.

I covered both chipboard covers with an old Cavallini calendar and on top I collaged sheet music, handwritten letters, an old postcard, book pages, postage stamps and flash cards.  There's also some rubber stamped text, including the title and some Tim Holtz hardware to finish it off.

Front:

Back:

Here are some of the inside pages with patterned paper, old ledger paper, a flash card and an envelope.

  

And here's an acrylic page that I stuck a little note from my daughter to - I love that you can see both sides!

Some of the vintage papers you see are from a little bundle in my Etsy store - check them out if like vintage papers!

Hope you're having a creative week!

Ali

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5 Friday Favorites

I've found so many favorite projects this week, it's hard to pick just 5!

Janice's card really caught my eye because of the designer paper background that she antiqued - I love this look!  Check out more of Janice's lovely work on her blog Inkee Paws.

 

Vada's creative use of scraps and the layout of this card just blew me away.  I really need to try this design!  There's lots more to see on her lovely blog, Vada's Blog Stamps Ink and Paper.

And as for these little beauties - I thought I was going to fall off my chair when I saw them.  Trisha's Twinchie books are unbelievable! And so is the rest of her work, which you can check out at Easily Amused, Hard to Offend.

 

This little princess by Electra really captured my heart!  I adore the text in the background and those lovely bright colors!  Check out more of her inspiring work on her blog Wishin' I Knew How to Blog.

 

My final Friday Favorite is a link to some art journaling videos.  Don't ask me how I came across Samantha Kira's videos, but you should check them out - they are great!

I'll be back tomorrow with some cards I made using up more of my patterned paper!  Don't forget to play the challenge...

Ali

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My De-Stash Challenge & Art Journal Giveaway

Do you have too much stuff?  I do - way too much!  So, I'm challenging myself over the next few months to get rid of some of the clutter in my studio.  And I'm starting with

PATTERED PAPER

I love the designer paper, but can't buy anything new until I use up what I've got.  As well as donating a bunch to my daughter's school and our church, I'll be posting projects all month using up my pile.  Want to join me?

Here's the first project I made - a 6" x 6" art journal.  The 25 pages consist of:

• patterned paper
• card stock
• old book pages (from this bundle in my store)
• vintage ephemera - postcard, flash cards & bingo card
• an envelope
• an acrylic page

Here's a handful of the pages:




And I'm going to it give it away to a randomly drawn winner who joins me in the challenge!

So, look into your stash of patterned paper and pick something that's been in there at least 3 months and use it.  Create a card, layout, altered art project, journal page - whatever you fancy. Then link it up here.  I'll be featuring ones that catch my eye throughout the month!  Challenge ends March 31, 2012.

Just a couple of pointers:

1. Use up patterned paper that's been in your stash for at least 3 months - we're on the honor system here!
2. Provide a direct link to your project on your blog or online gallery.
3. Please include a link back to the challenge.
4. Limit your entries to 3 per person.
5. By entering the challenge, you're giving me permission to feature your card on the blog or Facebook page.

I can't wait to be inspired by your creations!