influenced by Miro

Another journal page I have done..it started off using a milliande prompt from day 2 of her 2010 journal series. I wanted to draw around the shapes formed by the ink and paint scrapes. I have been looking at the paintings by Miro and have a little Miro plate I bought in Spain which has lovely black lines and dots.

Etsy shop updated:
I have found out how to print off good quality prints of my journal pages and have laminated them for extra protection..now for sale in my etsy shop.

Lifes too short to be square (artistic mum group)

I wanted to incorporate some inchies onto a journal page. I have been following projects in the artistic mother book by shona cole and chapter 11 involves using inchies. I have used an inchie punch to make some squares out of inked and painted papers. This face is one I did a couple of months ago but unfortunately the paper ripped but managed to save it for this layout...so dont throw out any ripped paintings! The journalling reads "Lifes too short to be square so be a little wild".
Its the One World One Heart blog giveaway tomorrow 30th Jan so will be giving away a laminated photo print of one of my journal pages..check back for details tomorrow

Nature Queen art journal page.

this is my finished page for the strathmore journal workshop. We had to recycle previous paintings and drawings and make them into a new journal page. She reminds me of a nature queen listening to the bird song. I had fun playing with my new dipping pen nib for the journalling on this page..it reads "she loved to listen to the early morning calls of the birds it was a time of perfect peace".



My sons were off school today so we went to seffy park (as we locals call it) and had great fun running round, feeding all the birds and throwing sticks on the ice. We watched this lone swan by a water fountain for quite a long time..it was so peaceful. Hope you all have a peaceful weekend....

Remembering sweets from childhood . ..

Over at UK Stampers the art journal prompt for this week is all about favourite sweets from childhood..we are to name 5 sweets and include a wrapper on the page. Whenever I see milky way sweets it always reminds me of going on the ferry across the river mersey to new brighton. Mum used to buy my brother and I milky way bars to eat whilst we watched the waves on the mersey...it used to be great running down the gangway to the pier head and then getting on the ferry and the excitement as the ferry bumped against the landing stage over at new brighton..sadly this ferry doesnt run anymore. I took a photo of some of the old ferry boats at the weekend and I have merged it so it looks ghostly along with a photo of me when I was about 3yrs...must get some more childhood photos of me looking cute..lol!

bluebell peace, clay shrines, journal & warm arty gloves..

we had to draw bluebells for the milliande art journal prompt and I am looking forward to seeing bluebells again as it is a sign of warmer days and lighter nights..roll on spring.


I went to my friends house today and it was great to see Pat, Linda, Chantal and Bethan again after the long christmas break. We had a go at playing with polymer clay and I used some stamps, bright metallic green eyeshadow and mica powders to make some shrines I made look coppery...really pleased at the way they turned out...think I will put some little pictures in them at a later date.

Pat knitted me some lovely warm arty gloves...my hands tend to split around the knuckles in cold weather so I need to keep them covered and tend to use lots of heavy duty handcream (I think she is going to make some more soon and sell them on etsy etc). Here is a photo of them next to a lovely fabric papered collaged journal she made me..its full of motivational knitters quotes and even yoga poses for knitters!.. .will have to knit the yoga bag pattern at the back...very me!

focus on your third eye

I try and practice a little bit of yoga every day as it makes me feel a lot better (if you click on the buddha picture above it will take you to yogatic a great site run by esther eckart). During my yoga class this afternoon we were concentrating on the breath and the third eye and this is where I got the idea from for my favourite number 3 page for todays milliande prompt.

Value creative friends..

The prompt at milliande was to make figures with gessoed, painted newspaper bodies. For the background I have used some pale blue and pale green paint pot testers from wilkinsons..I love using paint pots for backgrounds as they come in lovely colours and are only £1! I think friendship is so important. I have made some great arty friends through the internet and have met two in real life who are now my good friends (Linda & Pat)...we get together now and again and have great arty fun. So whether in reality or online value creative friends..

lose yourself..imagination is the key to creativity

the page before colour has been added

Another of my experimental pages for Milliande. I found drawing this page totally new and such a fascinating process. We had to just draw lines on a page using ink in an aqua brush and just let the pen do the drawing not trying to design anything. We then had to look at the page and "find" things in it to draw. I looked at my lines and immediately saw a "picasso type face" and wanted to draw eyes everywhere on the page! I have used promarkers to colour in all the spaces. I am quite happy with the way this page has turned out as I have never done anything like this before and really enjoyed where my imagination took me on the page!
I was very proud this morning as my 11yr old received a special award and medal at school for being a good school citizen. Two children were nominated out of each class and I was so glad that my son was nominated as being very helpful and a model school citizen.

Be a little mad (inspiration ave what inspires you?)

I really enjoyed making this mad page for the milliande group prompt debris. I have been printing out copies of my old journal pages and going over them (face to the left). I wanted to feature some orange in my work influenced by Sarah's thanks page...she has some great pages on her blog. My pages have all kinds of things on them from ripped magazine pages, ikea flowers pictures, stamped squares and a pink painted transparency covering the face on the right. I like being a bit mad sometimes..do you? The challenge over at inspiration ave is "what inspires you"...well milliande inspires me at the moment to do a journal page every day

Words journal page and lacy pretty cards..

Two of my sons are off school now with the cold bug and are sitting under the duvet eating toast watching tv..so made some pretty lacy cards this morning with some stamps I had forgotten about....in between the shouts of "mum, mummm"!


Here is another journal page for the milliande group..for this one we were required to use the theme crosswords...wonder what todays prompt will be? I am enjoying the self discipline of journalling every day as I feel that I have achieved something daily just for me. I often get asked how do you fit it all in with a busy family life etc. Well I tend to look at a prompt around 2.30pm when milliande posts it up then think about it on the way to the school run. In between doing the dinner for the kids I will do little bits on the page eg. painting the background and that can be drying. I have got several kitchen timers everywhere so I dont burn the dinner!! I dont really watch tv except for certain programmes on the iplayer and then I am always drawing or something. ....so how do you fit it all in?

I have really enjoyed reading all your replies to my question.. we are a busy lot arent we..."superwomen"!

take time every day to appreciate the beauties of nature..

another art journal page for the milliande group..this time I experimented with gold and silver pens with acrylic paints and indian inks in aqua brushes. I used some celtic stamps too on this page..it was quite difficult to photograph though but think I have captured the delicacy of the dragonfly wings. My youngest son has been off school sick so have been looking after him ..hope everyone is well in your home

gift of creativity

Over at UK Stampers the journal challenge this week is Gifts. For this challenge we had to incorporate some packaging and wrapping ..so can you spot the amazon packet and wrapping under the thanks 4 journalling. I am lucky as I have been given many gifts in my life: my health, my family and my creativity..what gifts have you been given that you perhaps havent acknowledged?

2011 focus goals journal page (UKS challenge & traci bautistas challenge)

Over at UKS Stampers I was pleased as they have started a journal section too...it seems there are lots of art journaling sites around at the moment. The theme for this week was to name 3 goals on your page etc and as you can see art journals, cards and digi with fabric are my goals for 2011. I felt that last year I was trying out too many things so this year I am to be more focussed on these 3 areas. Traci Bautista is also having an Art Journal daily prompt and I used her prompt of drawing a girl and writing out our 2011 goals with pen and ink. The shading on the girls face is done with watered down ink in an aqua pen (the ones with the reservoir and brush).