Getting Back On Track

It been a crazy couple of months- non stop activity rushing from one priority to another. From the musical my senior was in and I heavily/overly volunteered for, to lax coaching, party planning and all the graduation craziness I have survived. Family has come & gone house was cleaned from top to bottom-except my bedroom! WHY??? I took a week recovery where I started shoveling out my "studio" as it was a dumping ground for all of the above. I finally did start a project that has been on my list for a few years. I am making an art journal/smash type book for my favorites. Photos, stuff, memories anything that strikes me. I want to keep it simple but inky. I am using a book I bought from a thrift store. Here is my first layout!

These happy little gnomes were bought for my garden but they were so cute I kept them on my kitchen window sill. They have been there for a few years now & they just make me happy. The background is texture paste with stencils and glimmer mist. A stash tag and some ephemera. Yay I have started!!!!

5 Is My Favorite Number!

Working on week # 9 in Documented Life Project -here is a quick post on the art journal page created.

February Theme
Layers You Will Love!
February 28
Art Challenge:  Using at Least Five Layers
Journal Prompt:  Give Me a  High Five

I scramble to get through April & somehow smell the roses while not losing my mind or forget some important task. I survived running a 129 elementary/middle school kid drama camp, my Senior has a lead in the school musical which means heavy volunteering, my youngest is in her school play at the same time-Peter Pan (sure I can whip up a mermaid costume) and my middle son made States for rowing. All the events converge in one weekend May 9&10. Will I make it? Needless to say there is no room for art or any type of frivolity. The auction prize scrapbook page I am working on sits on my desk. Ah the life of a "stay-at-home" mom. If I am staying at home how come there is 2 days of dishes in my sink????? Oh happiness on with the page:

This is totally different for me- look at all that white space!!! My 5 layers are:

Modeling paste/ stencil

Ink/stencil

gelli paper glued down

writing

an embellishment- which has 5 layers! See how I did that?

The number 5 is my favorite number so my slight journaling reflects that. Loving DLP just wish I had more time right now!!! May 10th is Mothers Week-thats right if teachers get a week why shouldn't we? As a mass amount of activities conveniently end on the 9th I will have a week of art play!!!! What are your plans for Mothers Week?

Stay Calm- repeat stay calm

OK so it is full swing crazy time with all kinds of scheduling on the fly- rescheduling, conflicts...just love this time of year-not. I have fallen behind in the art journal world but I have decided that a) that's ok cause I need to live my life too & b) I am going to "Embrace the Chaos". I want to get this as a tattoo so I actually listen to my own advice!  At the same time I am going to try and casually catch up on my Documented Life Project. I am finding for some reason this size of paper makes me go all out on every page which is great & makes my book look fabulous but is also quite time consuming. Need to get on with it already....so here is week 8:

February Theme
Layers You Will Love!
February 21
Art Challenge:  Repeating Elements
Journal Prompt:  It's Worth Repeating

I am also putting this page in the April monthly contest for Creative Embellishments. I have newly discovered this company thanks to my friend Suzie and as I am a hoarder of all things chipboard I bought a bunch! This contest forces me to actually use them on a page. I tend to love and want to keep my chippes.  Dusting them off to look at them & than putting them back-crazy!!! Now them may actually be used.

Quick tutorial today:

 I gessoed my page and using gelatos spread randomly using my fingers. I covered my page with decoupage glue to give it some shine. Next some stencils with more gelato. Random stamping with archival ink (loving the new Wendy Vecchi colors) mainly my repeating element the beautiful butterfly.  For some dimension the quick drying Ferro in turquoise this became one of my repeating elements- circles. 

My pinterest quote was repeated because I love beating a concept to death thoroughly. The quote falls in with my being more positive in general. I outlined some of my shapes with irRESISTible fine liners. The heart was done on a separate paper, stenciled with modeling paste, painted and highlighted with gelato. 

Tim Holtz's big butterfly was stamped on tissue and adhered. Finally I added my new chippies from Creative Embellishments. The butterfly is covered with Glimmer Glam and the word "play" with sharpie, glitter & glossy accents. You can see some of the glitter on the picture below but it is actually way more sparkly.

I even repeated my date stamp without thinking!!!! Sublime! So check out the awesome inspiration of DLP and Creative Embellishments! *I am also adding this to Julie Balzer's Art Journal Everyday- follow her blog she does tons of great stuff!