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Thursday, August 28, 2014

Friday Ramblings: A New Art Journal


What a week. SO FULL!!
The days start early and end early. 
I had renamed Brenna grumpy butt and myself whiny britches, but I think we are pulling out of that.
What better way to pull out than with some art.
And sleep.
 For once, the sleep has won out, but the art is a close second.

I discovered a little community on Face Book called Journaling Bible Community and the Pinterest page of the Blogger, Shanna Noel.
I was instantly drawn to using a Bible as an art journal.

I rummaged around and found this Bible that I have had for at least 20 years.

Which you can see by the broken binding and the general wear and tear. 
I haven't wanted to get rid of this one because it has so many memories for me of constantly going back to it to find what I needed to do those early child raising years well.

I found some packaging paper I have saved and took some india ink and a paint brush to it, once again reveling in repetition.



I dug around and found some book binding tape I had purchased long ago for some forgotten project and taped it to the binding of the Bible.


I chose three colors just for simplicity's sake and went to town.


I used acrylic paints and some acrylic paint markers and then went over some details with a black marker.


After that, I cut out squares a little larger than the cover and glued it on, folding over the inside cover.
I debated about covering the book binding, and then chose to cut a strip to glue over it to complete the cover.





Yes, I had to do this twice thanks to my sleep deprived self.



I added sheet music to finish it off. 
Pretty proud to say that only took one cut.


I finished off the outside with a coat of decoupage and smoothed it over with an old hotel key card. Then tried desperately to not think of summer vacation.


Then the fun really kicked in: 


In this particular edition, there are spaces that have small devotional writings, so I covered those with Gesso and went to work art journaling.
A little water color, a little stamping, a little Aquarelle Marker and black ink pen. Oooh-white gel pen, too!




The next page I just covered part of the devotional with white acrylic paint. I think I'll like this better as the Gesso I have is a little rough. I ended up gluing on a piece of sheet music that I drew on over the paint, so I'll have to try it again and see what I think.


I looooove doing this. I can forget all the rules and play.
No small notes on the side margins that I can't see.
No yellow highlighter.
No highlighter, period.



Nope. 
It's all about ink and paint and I even tried running a page through the sewing machine. 
It didn't work very well, but who cares? I tried it. Maybe I'll hand stitch instead.
hmmmm...better wait until I have more sleep under my belt.




My advice? 
Go for it!
 Find an old book, an old Bible, maybe an old dictionary or a thrift store book and go to town.
Use acrylics, stamps, scrapbook stuff, glue, decoupage, markers, you name it.
It's all yours and there are no rules.

linking to Paint Party Friday




Thursday, August 21, 2014

Friday Ramblings: Balancing Act



So, I had a great idea for a blog post yesterday. It was something about rain and how it cleans our brains and there is nothing like an amazing summer thunderstorm.
The theme of the rain was supposed to coincide with anxiety and letting go and how I've found relief in a tutorial from Fran's blog about lettering and isn't it a little strange to find (compulsive) repetitive motion a way to let my mind wander.



That was before I was thrown into what I call the end of summer, which for me is like, oh, I don't know...torment.
Instead, I'll ramble in a true fashion and show you pretty pictures.



Bus pick up time for the new transitional program Brenna is entering at our local high school:
6:30 am
Wake up time for mom?
5:30am
Now, I like to think of myself as a morning person. But this is not true and has been reinforced all through out my day today.


We find out that the real bus pick up time 
 is somewhere around 7:00
Many thanks to the bus driver for changing what she had told in the beginning and then not telling me later. Many. Many thanks.


List of anxious thoughts for mom-
 (which lead to liking repetitive and small motions in art and lettering)
waking up early and havoc it will wreak on Brenna
new program
new teacher
learning job skills
waking up early and the havoc it will wreak on Brenna
IEP meetings
juggling early morning wake ups and doctor appts., and night time activities, which apparently now will be non-existent.
hoping that this program will do what it says it will do and teach my child life skills and job skills.
Anxious thoughts for Brenna:





Right.
She came home today full of smiles and excitement over lots of activities at school and promptly snapped my head off.
See above for list for life skills and wreaking havoc.


I'm sure by next week I will have found that whining does no good, be fully in the groove of a new season and actually rejoicing at the early wake up time and HOW MUCH I CAN GET DONE DURING THE DAY!!!
I'm sure by next week, I'll have so much art work done, it will astound you. And me.
By next week, Brenna will have a job at Trader Joe's. Or the movie theater, and on top of that she won't be snapping my head off when she comes in the door.


Until then, I'm going to bed at 4:00 in the afternoon.

 linking to Paint Party Friday






Friday, August 15, 2014

Friday Ramblings: I'm Baaaaaack!

Hey!!!
How is everyone?
I'm back, ready to get back into blogging and I can't wait to come and visit and see what everyone has been up to.
July was summer in all it's glory.

We turned 29


We celebrated a very special wedding.


Brenna and I headed to San Diego, where she was a Leader-In-Training at a camp in Coronado

all good leaders dress up on pirate day!

I played wedding coordinator for these two


I did a little art in whatever form I could fit in...




Brenna and I had a couple of long afternoons coloring together



I found some Spiritual Whitespace


Enjoyed some quiet



The beginning of August brought more preparations for the upcoming wedding,
and SOMEone somehow turned 20.


Together, we celebrated all good things.



Can't wait to hear how everyone is doing!

linking to