Continuing the Journey...

After studying Tam's "Happy Traveller Class" last month

I really got inspired and got back into art journalling.

I made these 3 pages(A4 cold press watercolour paper)

Then I got a bit more "ME"

and my next page took a bit of a creepy turn...

 as I got to thinking about all those people out there teaching "Love" but allowing (or even encouraging) their followers to be hateful to others because their work is similar.

 But then I pulled back the more gentle aspects for a while...

 though she did look just a little sad.

 My pieces are led not by politics, but by the expression of the face I draw to begin with.

Yes maybe it is my subconscious guiding my hand...maybe not. 

 But my Mad Hare self couldn't help trying to cheer her up :D

 ..because she is beautiful just being who she is...

 and if that is being a little sad now and then...that's just fine X

On a lighter note...I just looked at my pages and realised I have made each page to a different element lol

Guess I'm pretty good at being "ME"

Enjoy :D XXX

Nothing exploded!

Day 28 of NaPoWriMo with Magaly

"In the beginning there was nothing, which exploded"

Terry Pratchett's Birthday. Make a quote into a poem.
This was an impossible task. How to choose from an almost endless list of genius?
Get hubby to pick one lol

"The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it!" (Truckers 1990)

(ChakrArt journal page)

Don't forget to take your rubbish home with you!

Isn't that just typical!

I had a real good Spring Clean out.

Ditched all those old worn out "Gonnas" and saggy tired "Wannas".

Saged and cleansed and purged the new spaces

 ready to fill and file all the fresh "Wills" and "Shalls"

And here they all come...

Tramping on the tidy lawns of relaxation to dump their trash!

Pile after pile of "Now your not doing thats..."

Heaps and heaps of "Don't want you getting boreds..."

Followed by reams and reams of "Have you thought you might be happier ifs...".

I can't be held responsible for people confusing "Open mind" with "Open house".

But I am responsible for any trash I let them leave behind!

Lol....this was a really tricky assignment for me. All the quotes I read made me snigger with wicked intent. It seems to me the Mr Pratchett had an amazingly wicked sense of humour. Writing from his inspired quotes was easy...not offending or alienating all my lovely friends was what I was struggling with. (OMG...the "Schrodingers cat " quote!!!) Hubby decided the above quote had least scope for offence :D

Enjoy :D XXX

Final 4 pages for 2011!!!

As we draw ever closer to the end of 2011, Darcy has given us the final 2 prompts for our journal pages....grief!!! It doesn't seem a year since I started this journey with her, I guess it's because it has been such an enjoyable experience :D

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Darcy so much for encouraging me to do this project. It is great fun, and often very moving to look back through the pages and remember moments of contemplation.

So here goes with my final 4 pages for 2011;

page 46#Grow ....(the gardener's prayer)

Page 47# Gratitude...who are you grateful to?
I am and will ever be grateful to the antiquarians of this world :D

Page 51#Celebrate... Christmas, love it or hate it?
not sure where I stand on this one, I always feel so trapped in other peoples expectations that I struggle to enjoy myself :S

and finally

Page 52 for 2011........Anticipate...

(this is a piece of scrap paper I have been using whilst making my journal pages :D)

I for one am anticipating another year of messy creative fun with my blogging buddies !!! :D

Thank you for joining me on this journey :D

4 more pages ...steaming on to 2012!!

Definitely on a roll with these pages for Darcy's "52 pages for 2011" :D

Page 37# Release: why you should let your children have there freedom...much as you want to keep them safe and protect them from the world....

"How will they thrive if they are held too tight?"

Page 41# Desire

Who or what is the object of desire in this picture :D?

Yep, you went for shiny red shoes too didn't you :D

Page 45# Listen

Are you listening to the earth's heart beating? Or do you just trample her underfoot?

Page 50# Utopia

I had quite a bit of trouble on where to go with this one. Call me a grouch, but I can't see how this state of existence that others crave can actual be! Unless we all spend eternity in a drug imposed stupor. I like the rawness of life as it is....that's how we know we are alive :)

Are free thought and paradise compatible??

Phew!! 4 more to go and we will be steaming on into 2012's Postcard prompts...yay!! :D XXX

4!!!! catch up pages, and a mystery.....

Since January I have been using Darcy's prompt challenge 52 Pages for 2011 to make art journal pages...we only have 2 weeks left!!!

For 2012 Darcy has agreed to do another years worth of prompts, but in a slightly different format...we are doing Postcards...between 2 people. The prompt each week will be the name of the country one of them is visiting, and sounds great fun. The idea is to build up a story/relationship between these 2 people.

I bought these blank postcards from the post office(50 for £1.69), and am already excited to learn the 1st country :D
In the mean time I am desperately trying to catch up on my 52 pages for 2011(a bit geeky about finishing one task before starting another :S)

So here are the latest 4...

Page 38#Author
I wrote a little ditty. It says;

Authors are my heroes,

They open up our minds,

And show us lots of lovely things

All colours, shapes and kinds.

They take us to the farthest lands,

They scare us and they bless,

And mesmerise us with their hands

By Magical "WORDINESS" :D

Page 43# First....the 1st stamp I ever bought was a tiny bee. It was to be 1st of many :D

Page 48# Floating....boats on water in Newquay harbour, just before a storm
Page 49# Evolve.....to transform from one thing into a better and improved version...Blossom to fruit to alcohol :D Nicely evolved :D

Now to the mystery.....Where has page 48 gone???? I made all 4 pages this afternoon on my desk. I took photo's as I made them. But when I came to put them in the box.........No 48 was gone!!!

Shorty says the poltergeist has moved it( I prefer the title lodger) He likes to torment us by moving things(only in fun). It will turn up, I'll tell you when it does :D XXX

Yay! 3 more journal pages for Darcy..and a poem what I wrote :D

Still on catch up with my art journal pages for Darcy's 52 Pages Challenge, so here goes with the next 3 :D

Page 31: Compromise

I have chosen to stop compromising with my life, after all, none of us knows how long we have got. Don't keep putting of til tomorrow what YOU want to do today!!!
Page 32: Discover (what did you learn at school)

I learnt that I am very good at "reading " people :D If I choose to call you friend, believe I truly mean it :D
Page 35: Wilderness

This dp made me think of swirling icy winds. Possibly Arctic/Antarctic, possibly depths of space. But then I added a bit of coloured pencil as it started to speak to me of the vast emptiness of sky, filled with the spectacular wildness of the Northern lights :D
For all 3 pages I used some free papers I got from Magpies Nest, cutesy of Inspiration Avenue (just added a hint of colour to the blue and white swirl)

The next page I need to work on is called "Author", which reminded me of this poetry book I made a few years back
And I thought I'd share one I wrote about this time of year, while making Christmas gifts. I think most of you have someone you could read this too :D

Yuletide Joy

I screwed up my eyes

and snuggled in bed,

to dream of the heroes from books that I've read.

Of hiding from Dragons

in caves that are dark,

or drifting through meadows to the song of a lark.

Warm, balmy evening

walking on sand,

while my heart skips a beat

as he's holding my hand.

In ballroom and sparkle

I twirl and I dance,

just hoping he'll spare me

one soft, sultry glance.

Sat in a station

the train I will miss,

as he's bending towards me....

I wake as we kiss.

But I'm glad that I've woken.

My dreams all came true.

I won't pine for a stranger....

My hero is you!

Enjoy :D XXX

A bit of coolness and 2 more pages :D

First a bit of fun :D Sent hubby out for some "light refreshment" in the week, and instead of wine he came back with beer!!!!

Oh! thinks me, but a change is as good as a rest, so enjoy :D

An hour later, hubby says " there is a reason I bought you beer instead of wine tonight".......oooow me thinks bad thoughts :D

"I thought you might want the bottle tops for your arty stash"

Now I'm impressed but a little confused.....til he held them out to me....

...a black crow and a bumble bee!!!! How cool are these??? And how cool is hubby that he even had those thoughts :D

So now to 2 more pages for Art and Sole's 52 Pages for 2011....

Page 34: TRIBAL

I'd love to think of myself as celtic, but can't find any ancestral links, in fact gone back 300years and haven't got outside a 70mile radius of wear I was born :S

Got some gorgeous Celtic knotwork stamps from The Stamp Man(Celtic Christmas collection, Virginia!!!) , and used the 5 point star as my starting point.

Chose 3 colours red/dark blue/gold and coloured and doodled....
was going to fill whole page as a tangle, but liked the "glowiness" the colours were making :D

The next is Page: 36 UNIQUE

I like to think I'm pretty unique...I like to feel different....I dress how I want.....and I WANTED this hat!!!!
It goes perfectly with my new woolly winter coat :D Amy! It has ears!!! And yes I am expecting a long cold winter :S The style of the page was inspired by Dawn of Journal Journeys, who's latest challenge is "New Look", so this is my new look for this winter :D

Enjoy :D XXX

The pages came in 3x3 hoorah!! hoorah!!

With only 8 weeks left, I am determined to catch up with my art journal pages for Darcy of Art and Soles 52 Pages for 20011.......did I just say there are only 8 weeks left of 2011????

Page 40: Invoke

As a pagan/wiccan I firmly believe in the power to call up help, and I also believe you must be extremely careful in what you ask for.......!
Stamps used by Marion Emberson (dandelion) , and Papermania Urban Christmas(Faerie)

Page 42:Direction

No matter how much fun it is to run round and round the mulberry bush...we must remember the dance leads to a purpose,i.e wash your face, get a job, enjoy your life ....:D
Stamps used: Large Bee from The Stamp Man, Hinge from Angel Company

Page 44:Spark

Something that is garunteed(that doesn't look right?:S) to light my fuse, is idiots discarding "hot stuff"(matches /ciggies/ bar-b-ques/broken glass) in open countryside, and not understanding the consequences. And to those who deliberately light forest fires...."woe on you!!!" :(
Mirri card "messed up" with Tim Holtz alcohol inks

Off to make more............:D XXX

Rush job :D

I am so behind with my art journal pages for Darcy, but managed to grab some time today and did 3 :)

The 1st is page 30: SMILE

Perhaps not the right time of year for this one?!?

The legend reads "Beware the welcome in his grin...!" (and there are lime green highlights and eyes but they haven't shown up on this pic??)

The 2nd is page 33:Bargain.

This week I went to the Stamp Fair at Doncaster, and got these 3 wood mounted stamps for 50p each....now that's a bargain! My favourite is the heart shaped earth(I drew one of these in my sketchbook, and now I have a proper stamp....spooky!) The motto reads "Love your Mother" over the planet so very appropriate to me :D I also consider the backing paper a total bargain, as it is made from the scraps of paper I clean/test my stamps on.

The 3rd is page 39:Crayon

Having read Amy's post about encaustic art, I thought "I wonder how wax crayons feel about being ironed?" It seems they quite like it :) They didn't melt and smudge about like the proper wax does, but the heat seem to have "fixed" the surface and made the pic chalky looking.(Do not iron directly onto wax, put a layer of paper over it first. I now have a cool bit of backing paper from where the excess wax transferred onto the other paper)

Stay tuned....only 10 pages to catch up.....!!

What Rocked my world This Week?

LOADS OF STUFF!!! :D

Firstly, hubby finished his present job, so he has been home most of the week(hence fewer blog posts!). I'd mentioned that this was the first house we'd lived in that had no scented roses in the garden.....so he took me to one of my fav garden centres(Bamford in Derbyshire) and bought me 5 new rose bushes.. all different and all beautifully scented :D

Then on tuesday, my day lillies started to open...They are actually bright orange, don't know what happened with the pic? The flowers are about 6 inches across :)
Then there has been the joy of working on Darcy's page prompt this week, which was the word PLEDGE. I had to rummage through my memory box to find this(totally private and confidential) note I wrote to hubby when we first met(1982)
Don't know if you can read it.....but it is a truly heartfelt pledge I made to him on the day I realised he was the one!!
I couldn't really use it for my journal page, so it is back in the treasure box(see I can do soppy ;p)
I redecorated the bathroom on tuesday as well....well actually I was spray painting more colours onto my jacket....and the bath needed cleaning anyway.
And to round off a wonderful week...Chunky Monkey was presented with a certificate from school for outstanding achievement in MUSIC !! None of us play instruments so this was quite a surprise. He did ask for a keyboard a couple of months ago, and from a start point of zero, he has reached a year level of 3b, which I am told is very good!!

Well Done sweetheart, you are making me one proud mum!!!

So, What's rocking your world this week ??

:D XXX