The Art Bar

Getting artsy

My friend Hillary and I used to scrap together all the time. Okay, so she lives in New York City and I'm in teeny little St. Marys, Georgia...so it's not as cool as *really* scrapping together. But we'd set a time, IM each other beforehand, and then check in at the halfway point. Then we'd share pages and ooh and ahhh over each other's stuff. But, like I said, it's been a while. I haven't even scrapped (REALLY scrapped) since March. I've lost the regular scrap mojo, but I have worked on a mini book a little.

Anway, we decided to give it a go today, which really means that Hillary all but begged and I begrudingly said "fine...good grief, already". Right away, I felt like what I wanted to say didn't fit a scrapbook page, but was perfect for my art journal. So I switched gears. Put back the cardstock and pulled out the paints. I wasn't 3 minutes into it before Sean saw what I was up to, and of course he had to journal, too. What's great about journaling with the kiddo is that I get to play without ignoring him.  I have a blast, he has a blast, and I hope that someday he looks back and remembers these times fondly, the way I remember perusing book fairs and flea markets with my dad.

Anyway, because Hillary and I always have to share pics, and it was great photo opportunity to get some shots of Sean amidst the chaos of our dining table, here's what we did. Note that Sean has the same leather journal as me, only smaller. Mine is about 6x9 and his is 4x5. It's the cutest thing. :)

Here he is, choosing his next artistic medium, I imagine:

Here's a close up of the artist, hard at work:

As messy as it is, I'm happiest when our dining room table looks just like this:

Here is Sean's finished journal page (and some "Valentines" he made by chopping up pages out of his coloring book!):

And here's mine:

For the record, I have *nothing* against Houston. I've never even been there, I don't think. I took the quote from my pastor, who once talked about how people should choose to be happy, wherever they are in life, both literally and figuratively. He talked about a couple he once counseled who thought their problems would all be magically solved if they moved back to Houston. Their marriage would be better in Houston. They'd have more money in Houston. They would have friends in Houston. Their children would flourish in Houston. They hadn't lived in Houston in decades, and they'd spend that entire time thinking they couldn't be happy, b/c they no longer lived in Houston. Pastor Curt finally told them to wake up...happiness is not in Houston! And he also said that the grass isn't greener on the other side; it's greener where you water it.

After spending the last few weeks lamenting my lot in life- I don't live in Charleston anymore, I don't own a house anymore, I've lost my creative mojo, I'm 30 and not sure where my life is headed, etc.- I came across this photo of our old home in Charleston, which we sold when J. joined the Navy and we had to move to CT. And I immediately thought to myself, "Happiness is not in Houston...or even in Charleston for that matter". Hence this journal page.

So thanks for the much-needed kick in the pants, Hillary. If you hadn't all but *forced* me to scrap and dig through my piles of photos, I wouldn't have come across this one. I wouldn't have remembered the words of one very wise man, and I wouldn't have spent a rainy afternoon with my son, getting our fingers inked up and spilling paint on our dining room table. :) 

Something new

I was kind of hesitant about sharing this...but what the hey. I've started dabbling a little in art journaling again. Nothing fancy, and I haven't even pulled out the paints yet. Just some paper, some collage, a little stamping. These pages were the first I did, literally in months. The last 3 mornings, I woke up, opened the windows to let the sunlight and fresh air in, and then sat down with this book to play a little. Journaling even before my morning coffee...and I like it.

I took a break from journaling b/c I wasn't finding it as emotionally fulfilling (I guess what I mean is therapeudic) as I had in the past, when I first fell in love with the concept. I went wild with it for a few years, and then suddenly it was less about expressing what I was thinking and feeling and more about making pretty pages to show off to my new artsy friends. That's fun, too...having like-minded souls to share your pages with...but when you're more caught up in impressing others, being "edgey", working on "improving" your stuff...it loses heart, at least for me it did. And sometimes I found that the art I was creating was in direct opposition to what I most love about journaling. I was creating this wonderfully textured, painted pages...but I wasn't writing on them much, because it was hard to write on top of that texture. And one thing I've always loved about journaling is the feel of my pen sliding across the paper...

So this journal is an experiment of sorts. I bought a plain spiral notebook with kraft colored pages (my fave!) at the bookstore. Not a fancy journal this time. Just a place to do some collage, and write and stamp, and...hopefully tomorrow, paint. I want to experiment more with watercolors this time, because I think I could do a thin wash and still write over it just fine. I want to play with water-soluble crayons more. And of course, lots of alphabet stamping, which never gets old to me.

And for the part of me that still longs to slap down acrylic paint, I started another new project...a project called the Deck of Me, that Emily Falconbridge is leading over on her blog. I'm a little late, seeing as she's on the tenth week, but since it only involves creating one card a week (so that you end up with a full deck 52 by the end of the year), I think I can catch up pretty easily. Over the weekend, I sat down and painted a bunch of backgrounds with acrylic paints, stamps and Sean's watercolors.  In fact, I let Sean paint with his watercolors on a bunch of them.  He's the best sort of artist- fearless, bold, and enjoying every second of the process, regardless of the end result. :) I'll have to take some pics to share tomorrow, if I have some time.

My friend Sandy's kids are out of school tomorrow for a teacher workday, so we're going to take the kidlets for a picnic at the park. The weather is so beautiful lately that it's hard to stay indoors...soon enough, it will feel like Hell's kitchen, so we have to enjoy it while it lasts. 

Not as MIA as I seem...

I've been on vacation for the last week and a half. James, Sean and I met my parents for a weekend at a small resort area last weekend, and then Sean and I spent the past week in Charleston. My best friend Maggie came and spent some time with me, and it was wonderful...4 days of antique stores, visiting a few of our old college haunts in downtown Charleston, daily Starbucks runs, scrapping, playing Scattergories at night with my mom, and endless conversations about anything and everything. I had so much fun, I forgot to take pics for most of the week...now that's FUN.

We're visiting my in-laws now, and are headed back to St. Marys tomorrow. I'm ready to sleep in my own bed again, even though I'll be doing so with a cat stretched out on my neck and chest. James said the cat has been ALL OVER him this week, from missing Sean and I so much. He (the cat, not James! lol) is used to having people to rub up on all day long.

Anyway, I just wanted to pop in and share what I've been reading during this trip. No matter how tired I am at night (and this week, I have been *exhausted*), I can't sleep until I've read for at least a few minutes. And I always have several books on the nightstand at once, usually a mix of fiction and non-fiction.

Right now I'm into:

The Soul of Rumi- a collection of Rumi's poetry, translated by Coleman Barks. Rumi is a Sufi poet from the 13th (I think) century. Beautiful stuff. I have loved Rumi since I was in college, but oddly enough, this is the first collection of his poems that I've bought. I'm enjoying dipping into it slowly.

Snowflower and the Secret Fan- a bit reminiscent of Amy Tan, IMO. If you like Tan, you'll like this. I always enjoy novels that delve into the secret hearts of women, and this one- so far as I've read- definitely fits the bill.

Wide Open- Okay, so this one technically isn't a book. It's a deck of cards with art journaling prompts on one side and an art journal page by the author on the other side. The art is fresh, raw, and gorgeous, and the prompts are thought-provoking and fun. It also comes with a little journal with prepped pages. I haven't done anything with mine yet, but it looks inviting.

And that- along with the lastest BHG scrap mag and peppermint Tums- is what's currently on my nightstand! :) 

Peek

Here's what I'm working on right now. It's a 7x7 mini of these random pics I have of Sean, from all ages and stages of life so far. I pulled out a bunch of my favorite papers, letter stickers and embellies for this one. Stuff I've been hoarding, some of it for quite a while. I want to get it out of my scrap cabinet and into albums! What is the point of letting the good stuff, my very fave stuff, rot in my scrap cabinet? So out came the Wild Asparagus, Christina Cole, and Scenic Route papers. Out came the SEI Superhero tags and rub-ons that I've had for at least 2 years. Out came the glitter stickers, the Danny O alphas, and the Doodlebug Frills. And I even got some new goodies for this mini- Li'l Davis stripped chipboard and a few of the Ranger paint dabbers.

I'm not exaggerating when I say that those paint dabbers will end up changing the way I scrap. I almost *never* use paint on my pages. I am the laziest scrapper. If I have to clean a paintbrush, I ain't doing it! So these are just perfect. They work just like bingo dabbers, if you've ever seen one of those. (My mom's a bingo nut, so I grew up with those things around!) So simple to use...I applied the dabber directly to my chipboard to paint it that lovely red. No brushes, no clean up, no fuss. I should've gotten a bunch more, but there were so many gorgeous colors that I decided it'd be easier to buy the colors I need as I go. I got Red Pepper (seen here on the chipboard frame), Citrus, and Pool. Those are my basics- red, green, and teal, always.

I'll be in Charleston next week, visiting my parents and in-laws, and meeting up with my best friend for 4 days. We'll both be staying with my parents, and we're each bringing something scrappy to work on. I'll be bringing this mini with me, and maybe a little something else, in case I'm super-productive. I doubt it, but you never know...

It's actually like a mini-vacation for us next week. On Friday, James, Sean and I are meeting my parents at Short Stay. SS is like a little (and I do mean little!) resort area for military families. There's a man-made beach, picnic areas, campgrounds, playgrounds, etc. We'll be staying in a villa with my parents for the weekend. On Sunday, J. has to head back here since he has to be back at work on Monday, and Sean and I will go back to Charleston with my parents. Maggie will come on Monday, and stay with us until Thurs. or Fri. morning. We have lots planned. Besides scrapping, we want to hit our usual antique stores, Starbucks (every day!), 2 scrappy stores, our favorite local restaurant, and our favorite hairdresser! Yep, new do's for both of us...Maggie's going shorter and wants some funky, razored ends. I'm just getting layered up, because it's been a while and my hair is dull and lifeless right now.

Anyway, I've got a kidlet who wants to go outside and pick 2 white flowers (yes, he's picky about his flowers...there must be 2 and they must be white!). Hope you're having a happy day. :) 

   

Let me just say that *any* day that I get goodies in the mail is a very good day...even more so when the goodies are from my favorite kit club, Poppy Ink. I love how they come all wrapped up like a little giftie to myself. I have been wanting that little scalloped oval for the longest time, and have big plans for it. The flowers, too. I probably could've lived without the bracket, but it was the only one in the Little Pretty stamp store (love that name!) that I was missing, and it was only a few bucks, so I grabbed it anyway. Whenever I do that- buy something I probably don't need- I purposely use it like mad to sort of justify the purchase to myself. So I expect I'll be using that stamp on everything for a while!

Today I'm doing tons of stuff around the house...the boring SAHM stuff- making lunch, doing laundry, dusting, vaccuming, tidying up. I have to get it all done so I can scrap guilt-free tonight. I feel bad scrapping at night if the house is a mess. We're going to rent movies tonight. I'm dying to see Marie Antoinette again. And again. And then one more time. Clearly, I should just buy it. I *love* this movie. I actually saw it in the theatre, which I pretty much never do (no one to watch the kidlet). It's visually stunning...the clothes, the shoes, Versailles, the decorations, even the candy in the "I love candy" scene.  I'm primarily a Tudor history nut (yes, I know how nerdy that sounds, but it's still true and I don't care! hee!), but after I saw this movie I ran right out and bought a biography about MA. (I got this one, if anyone is interested. It's a great read. A. Fraser is one of my fave biographers.) Okay, I fully admit that Sofia Coppola was a little lax on plot here...I do think that someone who didn't know the history would be confused as to *why* people hated MA and Louis 16 so much. But the movie is so gorgeous, I forgive its failings. That's saying a lot, coming from a history nut.

I'm so ready to do something creative tonight, while watching MA and drinking some coffee with coconut creamer. Even better if it's guilt-free...off to fold laundry...sigh...

The Mini Revolution

So I've never been a mini-album kind of girl. I always liked the idea of knowing that all of my photos were in one spot....I'm not normally an anal sort, but I was this way about my album library. It even kind of bugged me that I had a few 12x12 albums in the midst of all my 8.5x11's. But I've had this handful of park photos sitting on my table since last May, because I wanted to do something special with them, and a LO just didn't seem to cut it.

So I got the Enchanted Forest kit from ZingBoom in the mail last week, and while I was looking through it all, I noticed these pics on my table, still waiting. It was the *perfect* fit...so perfect, in fact, that I dropped everything that night and started working on it. I had the MOST fun doing this mini. I always like scrapping, or I wouldn't bother. But doing this just felt good...it was like my love of scrapping and my love of art journaling merged and this mini came about... I worked on all last weekend, and a few nights last week, while James and I watched Law & Order reruns.

So much fun...so much, in fact, that I went back to the LSS on Friday and bought like 4 more minis so I can make more! I started one this weekend with a bunch of random photos of Sean- baby pics, toddler pics, current ones. And when this one is done, I want to make one about our zoo trip last week, something for Sean to see the animals whenever he wants to. And then I want to make one with a bunch of my fave quotes and song lyrics. And then...and then...and then...

Yep. Officially obsessed. If you want to see the whole mini, click here: St. Marys mini

Journal your Christmas, day 6

A day late...because my husband came home yesterday! I just couldn't tear myself away from him and Sean last night, despite my best intentions of keeping up with this journal on a daily basis. We had a pierside homecoming, and it was amazing to stand there and wait for him to walk off the sub and back into our lives. It's so good to have him home.

So I did day 6 this morning instead, since he's at work today. I had a LOT to say about my best and worst Christmas memories, so I ended up doing glassine envies with the journaling inside. My best Christmas really wasn't any certain year...it's just a combination of memories that, together, mean Christmas to me. My worst was last year, when I was so sick and didn't know what was wrong, and so afraid. I think I appreciate the season so much more this year, because I more or less missed it all last year.

Since I'm switching to the digi camera instead of my scanner, I can add a few detail shots, which is fun. (See below.)

Oh, and I have to include a few more shots of Day 5 below as well...I don't think the scan did it justice. You just have to SEE those pretty buttons to really appreciate the page...lol! Hope to work on day 7 this afternoon...

   

Journal your Christmas, day 5

Okay, I think this is the last day of scanning pages...my book has gotten so lumpy (and it's only day 5! Wowza!) that the scans just aren't turning out well anymore. I'll have to start snapping pics instead. My batteries are recharging tonight, though, so a lumpy, blurry scan it is...

This one ended up just being a little Decemeber countdown page, because I don't do an advent calendar. Fun to record all the big dates for the month, anyway. I actually have one more BIG event to add to the calendar, because my husband returns from his deployment this month...but I can't have that date on my posted page because of security concerns.

I just love December...so much to look forward to. So much to enjoy.

Journal your Christmas, day 4

This is my favorite entry so far, even though it ended up just being a random list of what would make up my "perfect" Christmas. I love the colors on this one, though- I just love pink and red together, even better when you add some green and and a pale turquoise or aqua blue. I am crazy about that absolutely adorable reindeer ribbon, and I even stepped outside of my box and did some painting on this one (the chipboard snowflake).

What's extra-fun is that, for the last 4 nights, when I sat down to journal, my little son joined me. He'll be 4 a week from today, and anything artsy is right up his alley. So while I rip, glue, stamp, and write, he sits with me and either plays in his own journal or colors in a coloring book. And he loves looking at my page when I finish, and touching them, too.

The touch factor is always a big thing for me in a journal. It's why I love them so much, I think. I love working inside a book (vs. on an individual page), and I love lumping it up with ribbon, buttons, fabric, chipboard, etc. When I scrap, I tend to be less lumpy-bumpy because I don't want anything to press into and dent my photos. But in a journal, everything is fair game and I love it! It's so fun to flip through a journal and *touch* everything!

Journal your Christmas, day 4

Shh...don't tell- I don't send Christmas cards. At all. To anyone. So when I got the prompt today, I had to laugh. A prompt about Christmas cards? Use one on a page? At first I was stumped...and then I thought I might as well just do a page about how I don't do cards! lol Loved using the photo of the silver-plated rolodex from a recent Pottery Barn catalog...something I obviously will never have a need for! (Hey, while you're looking, check out the star rhinestones on the swirly thing...isn't that PRETTY? It didn't scan well, but it's sooo elegant IRL!)

So far I am really enjoying this journal. I'm trying to keep it simple in "design" by covering each page with some PP and a border across one edge. Sitting down each evening with my box of supplies has been so refreshing...so much easier than having my whole stash to choose from. (Perhaps this is why I love scrapbook kits so much as well...narrows down the decisions!) I have always loved working in this size journal, and I don't know what I'll do when I run out of them. (I purchased all that my former local stamp store had in stock when they went out of business, and I think I have 2, maybe 3 more after this one. Yikes... ) If anyone is interested, it's made by K&Co. and is from their "Junk it Up" line. The size is 5.5x10. And if you find a source, let me know!  :)