Potions and Spells

A Potion is any medicinal drink. Witches, as the wise people of the villages, were very knowledgeale about the use of herbs and brewed potions to administer better health....kinda sounds like all the bottled health/sports drinks, don't it?
I found a great tutorial on making real looking Potion Bottles to display around your home at Witches Kitchen by DeadSpider.


A cool picture of Witch Hazel. I never knew what it looked like, so I surprised.

This book cover is eerie,eicky and easy. Wouldn't it make a neat guest book for your Halloween party or a place for all the Trick or Treat pictures?
Here's the link to the easy instructions at...
spell book how-to at Shadow Manor

First Snow...already!

Where did Fall go?? Yikes! I think we are in for long Winter in these parts.
I took some pictures to share for you gals who are still enjoying the warm weather where you live.

6 Facts About Journaling...Tag

TAGGED! This is my first time getting tagged. That means
I need to list 6 random things...personal or otherwise...facts.
Well,let's see...I think I will share 6 facts about Journaling.

1. You can let your ideas and feelings flow freely, and follow them wherever they lead you.
Because there is no editing, revising, or structure to journaling, it is easier to put your inner critic on hold and get to the heart of what you are thinking and feeling.

2. People write what they need to know.
You will gain surprising and valuable insights into yourself as you journal, and again when you revisit past writings.

3. Journaling over time gives you a broader and more accurate perspective on yourself and your journey.
It is easy to be unaware of how long you have been grappling with a particular issue or challenge. Rereading journals from previous months and years will afford you a time perspective and allow you to see recurring themes.

4.Journals can be burned.
If you are uncomfortable committing your innermost thoughts to paper, journal and burn them. Although you will not get the longitudinal benefits of rereading past writings, the journaling process itself is still extremely valuable, and the ritual of burning the pages can be very freeing and releasing. Many pages are painted over for just this reason.

5.You get to decide who you want to be, and you can change your mind at any time.
Until you can grant yourself this personal freedom in real life, use journaling to try on different ways of being and expressing yourself. Write as though you are already the fearless, limitless being you aspire to be. Remember, journaling is risk-free and private. No one but you is affected by what you write. Your journal will not resist change or pressure you to be who it thinks you ought to be!

6.Intentional journaling can be a gift to others.
While most journaling is private, another form of journaling is done for an intended audience. Keep a notebook or tape recorder handy and record the thoughts you want to share with your children or grandchildren -- stories of the funny and touching things they say and do while they are still fresh in your mind, important family stories you want to share, and even those of your personal thoughts and feelings that will be meaningful to them later in their lives.

Now you know six random facts about me/Journaling, but there are many more.

The rules for tagging are as follows:

1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Write six random things about yourself.
4. Tag six people at the end of your post.
5. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Thank-you Christy -Average American Girl for picking me.

I’ve selected a few Soul Journalers to tag. Here are my tagees:

Adrienne: A Soul Journal

Linda: Blue Eyed Girl

Ruby Claire.X

Jacky: Art4Moi

Altered Art Freak

Carol T's: Taylor's Textile Trials

Lexicons...Soul Journal

Lexicons....n.a special vocabulary.a dictionary.
Personal Lexicons....reaccuring elements or themes that define a persons art that makes it personal and unique to them.
I turned my pages the long way for this one as I wanted to make my 'altered route', my art name, Etsy, Ebay and my blog identity.




I sure enjoyed this journal prompt..thanks Katheryn!

I also decided to join in and have a Halloween Blog Party again this year. There's a logo on the right column to visit Fanciful Twist's site. Our Soul Journal group is also having one and I will be letting you all know the details in the near future.

Adventures in our own back Yard

These nice Fall days call for adventure hikes...had to share this cute pic of the grandboys pretending to hunt...too cute!

Rock Witches

Last night, there came a frost, which has done great damage to my garden.... It is sad that Nature will play such tricks on us poor mortals, inviting us with sunny smiles to confide in her, and then, when we are entirely within her power, striking us to the heart. ~Nathaniel Hawthorne, The American Notebooks

Yep...that's what happened. So Fall is officially here and I decided to make rock witches to put in my flower beds...maybe these gals will bring humor to the sad state of things. Where did the Summer go???

Lost and Found....Soul Journal

Soul Journal prompts for Lost and Found....As you go through your day today collect everyday items that can be worked into a collage. Consider everything as possible journal fodder. One of the biggest challenges after collecting a lot of items is deciding which ones to use. I only used 1/4 of what I collected in order to make my story. I also collected affirming comments from fellow Journalers...The Found leaves reflect these and on the Lost page I wrote personal things that I Knowingly have dismissed or plan to lose on this artistic journey. I sure enjoyed these pages and I think it has been my favorite prompt so far.

Soul Journal

The Soul Journalers are back at it!
Kathryn, The Collage Diva
is heading up this journey and taking it on into phase 2.
Sarah Whitmire, the originator, is keeping the group inspired from time to time, but is busy setting up Joggles workshops and you can learn more about that on her blog.

The lovely Christy AKA "Average American Girl"
has made a Yahoo group for fellow Soul journalers to discuss, share and continue friendships started in the Soul Journaling project...we as a group work on the same themed pages.

Join us at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SoulJournal/


The prompt for my pages above...is Permission Slip. Since I am playing with my new book...Taking Flight...I gave myself permission to do it Kelly Rae style. The list is full of permissions to remind me to be a free spirit with art and journaling and was a fun prompt to work with!

Annie Oakley....Get yer Gun!!

Little Miss Wing-Shot....and I thought it was Sure-Shot!

Here's what I found out about this western charactor. She really wasn't western, just very skilled with firearms and horseback riding. It was only through the promotion of the Buffalo Bill's Wild West Exhibition, she became the archetypal(prototype/stereotype) of the western woman. As the girly-girl who created the genre "cowgirl", Annie projected an image so feminine, ladylike, Victorian and unique that most people found themselves drawn to the version of a strong, acheiving woman....viewers cheered her onward just to see and believe that women, even of the western variety, were fully capible of manley feats and daring exploits.

Her Motto:
Aim at a high mark and you will hit it.
No not the first time,nor the second and maybe not the third.
But keep on aiming and keep on shooting
for only practice will make you perfect.
Finally, you will hit the bull's eye of SUCCESS.

(Maybe she was a womens libber...because I don't think she was just talking about shooting)

As I am working my way through the 'Taking Flight' book by Kelley Rae, I did this 13 x 13 picture of Annie with alot of influence by another favorite artist named Thom Ross.

Once one has viewed the art of Thom Ross, one never forgets it. His work is best described as "mod historical western genre and figure painting." Ross is best known for his accurate and extremely whimsical portrayal of events taken from the Wild West era. His paintings are bright, bold and refreshing in their style, yet accurate in their history.
He has had a life long interest in American History and the "folk hero" who is a product of that history. His emphasis however is focused on the historical "folk hero" as compared to the mythical "folk hero". (An example of the historical folk hero would be Jesse James, a mythical folk hero would be Paul Bunyan; one actually existed while the other is a product of tall tails.)
His desire is to produce a work of art that requires the viewer to re-examine either what he knows about history, or what he thinks he knows about history.
His work is seen at Visions West Gallery..CLICK HERE or by searching Thom Ross.

Do you think the two styles can be blended together???

Taking Flight...with new book!

"Taking Flight - Inspiration and Techniques to Give Your Creative Spirit Wings"

Remember a few weeks back, I mentioned Kelly Rae's new book was due to come out?
My issue of "Taking Flight"arrived and I have been having fun and learning some new things. The book is very well put together with great techniques and wonderful guest and contributing artists that I really admire such as DJ Pettitt and Judy Wise, just to name two. Buying this book is the result of my pity-party that I had when I had to turn down an Art Retreat this summer...and I was substituting by buying Kelly's book and having a home workshop of my own. I also Participated in Sharah Whitmire's Soul Journaling online challenge and I am amazed that two different types of art can inspire with the same purpose....Learning to Soar!

Below is my first effort...
What I rarely see in Kelly's work are Hands or feet for that matter, so to enjoy the techniques and the style without imitating...just learning, I also challenged myself to adding hands.

The Shoppe at Somerset

Day of the Day...Halloween Charms by Connie Hippen

I was so happy when I was asked by the editor of Stampington & Company early this year to make some sets of my Day of the Dead Charms for The Shoppe! CLICK HERE TO SEE!

How it happened was I participated in the OneWorldOneHeart giveaway event last Feb and Kellene Giloff, President/Publisher, was out visiting blogs and noticed my charms. She shot me off a nice e-mail with her idea for The Shoppe at Somerset. From there I was in contact with Vanessa Spencer who is in charge of The Shoppe and who design the neat Dress Form project featured in the site. Both are wonderfully nice business women and I am happy with the opportunity!

Advice to share....
* Put your e-maill addy on your blog or make your contact info easy to find, because not all viewers are bloggers.
* Participate or visit&comment in Blogging Events such as giveaways, celebrations or themed events. The people out there are wonderful!
* Blog your best and keep it interesting!!!

Perspective....

What you see is not always what you get. What is photograghed is sometimes much better than what is in real life. And the opposite could be said about both.
Ever use a pattern for something and follow the instructions to the tee and it never looks like the picture? Ever visited a place in a travel brochure and you wonder why they didn't use pictures from a totally different angle?
Have you ever walked the same route day after day and then one day notice something you had never noticed before? Ever walked to a destination that you usually drive and noticed new things like it is blown up or Zoomed in?


Perspective...is what you miss when you don't take the time to really look. It's crazy the things you discover when you do that! I think that is why some bloggers share a rock that they find in the driveway that looks like a heart. No matter what you are doing or where you are going if you become less focused on the routine and more mentally focused on the process or each step...your world soon becomes alive and interesting.

Okay, so I catch myself doing this a lot ~ I go about my everyday business, focused on what needs to be done (or focused on other stuff that keeps me from focusing on what needs to be done ...... ), then I take a minute to look around & I notice things I've never noticed before. It makes me think about what I've missed by limiting my view ...and what an impact it would make to my art, my personal life, if I slow down to see everything from a whole other perspective!

A Primitive Award

I Love Primitive stuff...Vintage things and it's wonderful to get this award.
I received this unexpected honor from Pammi at gritsgreensandcornbread.
Check out her brand new blog. Thank-you Pammi!
Now to go find the links to some great Prim blogs....

Once an award is received, the rules are as follows:
Put the logo on your blog.
Add a link to the person who awarded you.
Nominate at least seven other blogs.
Add links to those blogs on your blog.
Leave a message for your nominee on their blogs.
My nominees are:

Heidi *** http://crabbygabby.blogspot.com/

Erika *** http://erikascupboard.blogspot.com/

Joyce *** http://joycestahl.blogspot.com/

Brenda *** http://rustycreekprimitives.blogspot.com/

Rosanne *** http://rosclutteredattic.blogspot.com/

Pea *** http://peapickersprimitives.blogspot.com/

BirdyJo *** http://www.birdyjo.blogspot.com/

I received this award this week from Elizabeth of LastDoorDownTheHall, which is a super blog to go visit! Thank you so much, Elizabeth!

This award is for blogs you really like to visit. As most of the awards go, you are to nominate seven blogs with their blog links, email them, post this award on your blog with the link going back to the person who awards you the award, and then they nominate or award seven blogs. It has perpetual motion and good feelings.

So, I am awarding these people and their blogs. Their blogs make me feel inspired, bring something new to the worktable or are just fascinating to me.

1. Linda van Vliet, Netherlands
http://r2art.blogspot.com/
2. Karin Bartimole, NY
http://aviewbeyondwords.blogspot.com
3. Tami Bayer, Southern California
http://dappledesigns.blogspot.com
4. Marie Patterson, My Little World
http://mariepatterson.blogspot.com/
5. Brenda Wampler,Texas
http://memoriesandtreasures.blogspot.com/
6. Ginny Carter, OHIO
http://smallstudio.typepad.com/
7. INKA, Idaho
http://inkastamps.blogspot.com/

Technique Fat Book

Major FAT Book....
I signed up for a Fat book swap...with ArtTecniques yahoo group. This is a Technique Book. I will be doing 120 4x4's of an alcohol ink overlay. It started out to be 50 gals/techniques per book, but the overwhelming response was to have them all in one book with no duplicates. Then it grew to 120. This will be the 'grandaddy' of all fat books for sure...but what a treasure to have a sample of every technique these gals come up with. ...and there are some awesome talent on the list ...alot of published gals, book authors and noted teachers from all over. Can you tell I am excited about this one???lol!!.....ps...I am done with all of mine and it isn't due till Oct...lol!
I will be sure to share pictures when the swap is made!

DAY 20 and 21...and 22

Sarah is back and I am behind a few days....
Sarah's prompt for Day 20 is for us to photocopy some of our past pages and collage them.
Her prompt for Day 23 is to do a self portrait using just our fingers....So I combined these separate projects into one.





Day 21

Her prompt is to doodle a misfit. I'm not a doodler! If I chicken-scratch idlely while on the phone for example, I do boxes, triangles or spider webs...not the looptyloops...know what I mean? So to follow her lead and doodle some loops that we try to find a character was pretty hard for me. So here's my misfit...MissFit. I tried...lol!



This is it on the Soulful Journal with Sarah as the leader...I will miss the daily prompts, but I have to admit I have a ton of great ideas and this journey has broadened the horizons in what is so liberating about journaling!! Thank-you Sarah for taking the time to do this and will keep in touch and look forward to future installments. Congrats that Joggles found out about this Soul Journaling project and were so impressed that they have asked you to teach online classes for them! How cool it that!

The Bird Nest

Weird bird day for me!!
This morning I decided I was late enough sending Melissa at Lazy Day Creations a "bird" creation for her Design Team Gallery.
So I got this Urge to do something using my handemade nests. Just as I started out, a bird hit my studio window. Then there was little pitter-pattering on the deck just outside my door. Weird....I never have birds on this side of the house, but what was going on was a grasshopper fest. Yeah!!! Natural insecticide!!
Then a show came on about the Olympics...it was about the architecs, the design and the construction of the stadium in Beijing. The nickname for one of a kind stadium is THE BIRD NEST!!
So I guess it was my muse, a weird omen or just a big coeinky-dink, but I finished them and wanted to share them before I put them on Etsy.




Here's a neat picture. I know in a few weeks this will be old news and some will be sick of all the coverage...but I can't wait!


The Bird's Nest stadium in Beijing is a work of ART!! It is hailed as the finest arena in the world and the centrepiece of the most expensive Olympics in history and it is full of hidden symbolism.
It's architects also claim it is one of the most environmentally-friendly stadiums in the world, as undersoil geothermal pipes help heat indoor parts of stadium in winter and rainwater is collected and stored in underground cisterns for irrigation and to flush lavatories and the solar features

I've been seeing this award on a few great blogs and was just thrilled to hear it was sent my way! I want to thank Sarah Whitmire for honoring me with this award. What a sweetie...Thanks!!
The Rules:
Post your award on your blog.
Nominate 7 other blogs.
Post the links of those blogs on your blog.
Leave a message on those blogs so they know they have been nominated.

My nominees are:

http://polkadotbarn.blogspot.com/
http://lauriehardinsaccents.blogspot.com/
http://inkastamps.blogspot.com/

...fellow Soul Journalers....
http://maryshunt.blogspot.com/
http://artheartstudio.blogspot.com/
http://art4moi.blogspot.com/
http://thecolourguru.typepad.com/
Thank you all for being an inspiration!

Soulful Journal Continued.....

(prior 10 Days are in a post below)

DAY 18
Page 5 and 6
Mix up this list!

-Write the Alphabet quick and Angry (use a permanent ink pen)
-Cut out a silhouette of a person’s face, ink or paint over (magazine stencil technique)
-Add a wash of paint in a new color
-Use something unusual as a stamp (like a piece of corrugated cardboard or a sliced green pepper)
-List everything you did today so far. (Include little things like: brushed my teeth and let the dog out)
-Gesso out a section of your work, don’t think about it…just do it. Add something new over it.
-Add something metal
-Add a drybrush of paint in a new color



Sarah is going to New York City until Aug 7th..so we have alittle homework to keep us busy.
Homework:
Assignment#1: Write somewhere in your journal about your experiences with Soul Journaling so far. What were your favorite and least favorite prompts? What exercises would you like to do again? What surprises have you encountered? Has this process changed anything for you in your life or in your art making? Has our "Fellow Soul journalers" community influenced the journaling process for you? How?

Assignment#2: Go back and work on your "Taped page". No rules. We will have a show and tell when she gets back!


DAY 17
Page 3 and 4
Mix up this list!

-Fill up the page with numbers (Draw, collage, or stamp)
-Blob acrylic paint in your book and close it (did you know that Frida Kahlo used to do this in her journals?)
-Trace the outline of your hand at least 6 times (Use a permanent ink pen or paint*)
-Add a wash of a new color paint
-Use a crayon somewhere
-Paint with a fork dipped in paint
-Stitch with a needle and thread OR attach something with thread
-Add some meaningful words

Here are my mix of potpourri items.....
Numbers....Hands and stitching??






DAY 16......collage potpourri
Take 6 pages or 3 layouts and add text paper then a layer of Gesso....number the pages 1 thru 6.
We are going to do a fun Journal thing called the Magazine Stencil technique.
First, find an interesting body shape in a magazine and cut it out. Use a paint wash and sponge to stencil it onto the page. Then Sarah gave us a list of things to add...doing them in different order for each page.
Mix up this list!
-Fill the page with descriptive adjectives (Use a permanent ink pen)
-Cut out a silhouette of a person and ink or paint over it (Use the Magazine Stencil technique)
-Add a wash of paint (use a color you haven't used yet)
-Write your grocery list or any other list somewhere (use your non-dominate hand)
-Add tape
-Use pencil somewhere
-Make some quick lines, fast and without thinking
-Drip and splatter at least two different colors of paint
-Dry-brush on some paint (use a color you haven't used yet)

Be messy and have fun. The cool thing about this is you could do this same basic list over and over again and get totally different results each time.
Here's my pages so far...
I felt the body stenciling had a commercial look...graffitic perhaps...so I dedicated the layout to DADA and went with words that describe the DADA movement. I think this was the birth of collage in the artworld and certainly a good description of what art journalism is.




Homework: You will need a plastic fork for tomorrow! ;)


DAY 13 to 15

The project was to make Paper Dolls of the family to put in the House Pocket....
I searched High and Low for photos that had heads large enough to alter onto some figures, but no luck. I did make some copies of family members to slip inside so the pocket is full. You really do need to go to Sarah's blog
to see how cute her dolls turned out....wish I could have done something similar.

Homework: Prep a total of 6 pages or 3 full spreads for tomorrow with random Ephemera or Dictionary pages followed by a dry brushing of Gesso on top.....and you will need a fashiony type magazine for tomorrow....something with people.......and you will need a fashiony type magazine for tomorrow....something with people. Now that might be a problem for me unless Cabela catelogs will work??? lol!

DAY 12

Today we color-up our house pages and I decided to do watercolor wash with one brush and my fingers....also standing up! I'm a bi-focal kind of gal and if I work at arms length I am always surprised at what I see when I am done...lol! We live far away from any neighbors, so I had to add Devil's Tower that is just up the road.

I'm late getting this posted as the hubby is using my camera today to take some pics of the grandsons in the hayfield...this is the first summer to get behind the wheel of the tractors...and boy are they excited!
It's sad that as we get older we forget the magic that happens for 'first anythings'.
Maybe that is just a perk of being a grandparent to know that these are the things that 'imprint' and are little acheivements that really are remembered. Parents often think it is the first carnval ride, the first trip to Disneyland...the big things that are e-ticket or cost alot, but it's not. Don't really know where I am going with these thoughts...maybe just that today, working on these house pages has got me to thinking of 'where' the inspiration and the creativity begins. It begins in the home, your soul, and from all the little acheivements that you have piled up in your life over the years. That is why I chose, "Home is where my ART is" for my page.


So glad I took the Journal a-part!! Much better.
Tomorrow we will need some small brads and some type of heavy weight paper like card stock or watercolor paper.

DAY 11

I took my journal apart. I was getting pretty irritated with the paint and inks getting onto the other pages because of the spiral spine. I got brave after Christy, a fellow journaler, mentioned
Michelle Ward’s site
and found her ‘tip/trick’ where she shows you how to add a bit of wire to your metal coil when you put it back together. My book happens to be the same one as she shows...so Out those pages come!

Today we are going to collage over some of our drawings of our House and surroundings. ...then come back with permanent marker and define our drawings. No Picture for today....sorry...this is a work in progress.
Tomorrow, we are going to fill this page with color! This can be paint, markers, crayons, colored pencil, etc. Continue working on these pages adding any elements you want....so until tomorrow, happy journaling!

Mini Canvas Altered Art

I wanted to share a Mini Canvas I did earlier this year. Is was being submitted to a publication so I had to wait. It's a 2x2 inch little deal that I wasn't sure about, but it turned out kinda fun.

Indian Taco Recipe

I don't usually do recipes on my blog, but because of the response to my altered recipe card, I will print out the long version with some yummy pictures..

Indian fry bread is the foundation of a popular dish called Indian Tacos. Originally known as Navajo Tacos, they have been adopted by other tribes. They are the universal modern powwow food and are also popular attractions at many fairs, festivals, and outdoor summer events...the perfect vender food....great Summer food.



Sioux Indian Taco

1 pound lean ground meat (beef, lamb, venison or pork)
1 cup diced onion
1 small can red Beans - optional
4 cooked Indian Fry Breads (see recipe below)
1 head iceberg lettuce, shredded
3 tomatoes, diced - 1 small onion diced
2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 (3-ounce) can diced green chiles, drained or black olives
Sour cream or Ranch Dressing(optional)

In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, brown ground meat and onions until cooked, add beans; remove from heat.

Place Fry Bread, cupped side up, on separate plates. Layer ground meat, lettuce, tomatoes, Cheddar cheese, and green chiles onto top of each Fry Brad. Top with sour cream, if desired, and either roll up or serve open-faced with a fork. Makes 4 servings.


Indian Fry Bread

1 cup unbleached flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon powdered milk
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup water
Vegetable oil for frying

Sift together the flour, salt, powdered milk, and baking powder into a large bowl. Pour the water over the flour mixture all at once and stir the dough with a fork until it starts to form one big clump.
Flour your hands. Using your hands, begin to mix the dough, trying to get all the flour into the mixture to form a ball. NOTE: You want to mix this well, but you do NOT want to knead it. Kneading it will make for a heavy Fry Bread when cooked. The inside of the dough ball should still be sticky after it is formed, while the outside will be well floured.

Cut the dough into four (4) pieces. Using your floured hands, shape, stretch, pat, and form a disk of about 5 to 7 inches in diameter.

Heat the vegetable oil to about 350 degrees F. NOTE: You can check by either dropping a small piece of dough in the hot oil and seeing if it begins to fry, or by dipping the end of a wooden spoon in and seeing if that bubbles. Your oil should be about 1-inch deep in a large cast-iron skillet or other large fryer.

Take the formed dough and gently place it into the oil, being careful not to splatter the hot oil. Press down on the dough as it fries so the top is submersed into the hot oil. Fry until brown, and then flip to fry the other side. Each side will take about 3 to 4 minutes.

Indian Fry Bread can be kept warm in a 200 degree F. oven for up to 1 hour. They refrigerate well and can be reheated in a 350 degree F. oven for 10 to 15 minutes before serving. (Great for dessert too, just add cinnamon & sugar!)

Pity Party...Domino Pendant

At AAWA we are having a "pity party" for some of us that 'cannot' attend the Artful Gathering down in Texas. Whaaaa! When the cat is away the mice must play righT? So we have decided to do a Pity Party Pendant Project..say that a few time in a row! We are having a domino swap in a Western Theme. Here's mine....

Altered Recipe Card

I wanted to share an Altered Recipe Card...Indian Tacos.
I made a dozen of these to swap out...and it sure was fun trying to get an ethnic look to them. When I get the other recipes from all over, I will bind all the cards together for a cool recipe book.

In this country, SD, WY and MT, the Indian Taco is a big treat. You can find them served at outdoor events like Arts in the Park, Festivals, Rodeos and MaPa cafe's in and around Indian reservations. They are a full meal as they fill your whole plate and when they are made right with the fried squaw bread and rest of the taco toppings, you will never pass them up!

Journal Challenge - Soul Journaling

(All DAILY posts on this will be added to this Post in sequence)

Sarah Whitmire has a 'journal challenge' on her blog and I figured it was just what I needed to do a 'art journey' this summer and see where it leads.....and to have someone to keep me in line....and to not let me slide. It will be fun! So here goes....

The book I am going to use is a blank book I got at Borders last summer and it has kraft cardstock pages.


To start out, we are to cover the first 3 pages in text from a dictionary or phone book ....then write in bold marker... Starting with the prompt: “Today I feel…” Like I feel stupid for starting a journal challenge during the busy summer months, but then Big Brother just started and I will be up late every night for the next couple months watching these 'other' stupid people....lol! That's my excuse and I am sticking to it! I ripped a few glossery pages from William Shakspeare and wrote some stuff....tomorrow I will check in and see what Sarah has planned.


To share progress with Sarah, I will also be sharing with 'you' here on this blog. YOU could join us if you want....just head to her blog
http://sarahwhitmire.blogspot.com/
and read up and get started.


DAY 2....Claim our Journals!
We are to dry brush gesso over our dried pages exCEPT I screwed up and did my writing with a non- permanent marker...what a mess!


But I fixed it. Then to CLAIM we Stamp or write "This Book belongs to:" at the top of the page. Write your full name underneath that. Then write it again and again until you have filled the page with your name. Use different fonts. Be Creative. Be free. OK....this is as free a I get without it looking like a 2nd grader (one of which I have here today helping me...he said, "Good job Grandma!") That's it until tomorow....

Homework assignment: to think about what you need to protect and nourish your creative spirit. Think about the things that sustain you. What’s needed to shield you from outside criticism and your inner critic?

DAY 3....&4....
Construct our own Soul Armor!
Think of strength and protection. Think about what you turn to when you are “under siege”. What does your creative spirit NEED more of?
How do we keep all those critical voices from crippling us in our crusade?

We are taking a couple days to do this...with clipart, altering and more writing. I will post a picture as soon as the paint dries. Visit Sarah's site to see how hers is coming along. http://sarahwhitmire.blogspot.com/

I have My Armor On!
I had difficulty thinking of things I needed to protect myself from....so my Armor is to help hold things in that I want to nurture and explore so I don't get sidetracked. Expressing Myself and Making it Personal instead of cookie cutter art are things I want to work on. Time is my only enemy...I have great support here at home and the groups I am in on the internet are excellent stimulation and inspiring! Well, that's it...I'm sure I will add more to this page as the journal continues.




More artists that are on this crusade....
Cheeka - Soul Lilies
Christy - Average American Girl
Mary Hunt - Working Projects
Caro - Glitter Tart Designs
Eliabeth - Miss Oddity's Crazy Collection

DAY 5 Scavenger Hunt!!

First prepare 2 pages as before with gesso cover and then wash with dark stain to age.

Time to get out those magazines!!

Find the following images in your magazines. When you see one on a page just tear the whole page out, set it aside and keep going. Don’t pay any attention to the size of the image. When you find one you like, just tear and go!

1.A smile
2.Something beautiful
3. a chair
4. something red
5. something blue
6. something comfortable
7. something exotic
8. a leaf
9. a color you love
10. a pattern
11. a flower
12. a bird
13. something you want
14. something you own
15. the letter R
16 something that smells good
17. something that tastes good
18. A circle
19. the letter A
20. An eye that’s the same color as yours
21. a hand
22. the letter T
23. a butterfly
24. a number

Set your images aside until tomorrow.

Part of not knowing what the end result will be is learning to enjoy the journey.

DAY6.....

Scavageing for photos posed a bigger problem than I expected....besides my Somerset and ClothPaperScissor mags, that I would never cut up, I could only come up with ranchey/agricultural ones like Acres, Heartland, and WesternHorseman. But it ended up ok and I found just what I was looking for except a Butterfly...so I picked another insect that represents what we are dealing with this summer in numbers! lol!

We are to cut the 24 pictures into 1x1 inch sguares and get them glued to our pages in this fashion...then we will see tommorrow what the next thing is....we are suppose to gather all the tape from around the house that isn't clear, this should be interesting!





DAY7
Today we are going to journal. Take the next 2 pages and write small, filling both pages....starting with the prompt, "I forgot to tell you…”

I wrote about Art Secrets...stuff I see myself doing and how I want to improve.

Then,the Tape that we gathered yesterday is to cover what we wrote...seal it up.

I'm not so sure what the lesson/goal is here...to write and get things out of our systems then dimiss them by hideing them forever??? Or to learn that tape is a good material to feel free to use in different ways when we journal?? This is what I did... What I wrote, let's say, is beginner journaling. Some day, in the future, I want to revisit my "thinking" to see how I have progressed. So what I did was create two cover pages over my journaling, tied off with ribbon that only 'I' open. like doors. I used tape and I will add more to this later, maybe some alchohol inks. That's it for today...no homework. This has been a lot of fun and just wanted to let you know it is not too late to join in. It would not take long to catch up!!



Four more gals just joined us...
Kathryn - The Collage Diva
Jo - Art Heart Studio
Keron - The Colour Guru
Jacky - art4mio
And another few....
Ruby Claire from Australia
Taylor's Textiles Trials
Jane - Sepia and Glitter

DAY 8
Textural background day....take the taped pages and SAND. Add gesso (white or black) then wipe off as you go. Add color in the same manner. Sand again. Texture seems to pop! Assignment for tomorrow....Pick a flower today and press it somewhere in your book! :) I'm going to antique this a bit before tomorrow.



Day 9
Today we are to go back to the scavenger hunt 1x1 pages and add some paint and journaling....I used straw yellow since that was my fav color I picked out for my square. The lesson here is to feel free to go back and add stuff to prior pages in your journal at any time, this journal will ever really be what you may consider “Finished”. I want it to be constantly growing and changing. As new insights and ideas are awakened in me I want to be able to go back into my journal and add to it.



DAY 10

Start two new pages. If the paper is not watercolor, then gesso it. I am starting to feel 'One with my Gesso'.
Draw a basic house shape with a pencil. This is be 'symbolic' of my house and not meant to look exactly like it.
Then we are to use a brown paper grocery bag (recycle) to make a pocket over the square section of house. On the next opposite page I am to to draw more houses or your "outside world". Our instructions are to not go into too much detail yet...and wait till tomorrow, while the glue dries on the pocket.



I see a few more Soul Journalers were added to the list at http://sarahwhitmire.blogspot.com/
so, if you think you might like to join us, you could easily get caught up in a full afternoon...grab a book and lets go!

Linda - Blue Eyed Girl -from the UK
Vicki- Altered Everything and More