Bank holiday creative madness!

Hello All,

This lovely long bank holiday weekend saw me go creative mad! I started so many different projects at once and flicked from one to the other. My brain was filled with so many ideas and I couldn't wait to have a go.

Firstly I did a few journaling pages:

I was feeling happy and so inspired and I think the colours I went for in these pages reflect that. I just kept flitting back and adding a layer to these then moving on to something else and coming back once they were dry to add some more. I am really pleased how they turned out.

The other thing I was getting really excited about this weekend was some upcycling. I love the idea of taking something old and giving it a new lease of life. I have done a bit of this, some of my journals for instance are made from old boxes etc, but I would really like to get into this more. I was watching you tube vids for example Sealemon and Hermione Chantal who have some fab ideas. Turning something plain or forgotten into something that looks great. I particularly like DIY decor. I started thinking that once the kids are back at school I will start going around junk shops and seeing what I can find to revamp. I felt so inspired I couldn't wait and took a trip to my local poundland and chose a few bits to start with.

I am in the middle of turning a ice cream glass into a tea light holder and I also bought a few frames to do up:

I turned one into a shopping list by painting the frame and adding some nice paper inside. I found some little letter magnets in the shop too and glued these on to form 'shopping list' all it needs now is a whiteboard marker :) the little pot next to it is a pen holder made with craft foam. I got this idea from a sealemon vid and it looks really cute on my windowsill.

I hope you like these as much as I enjoyed making them! I will have a go with the other frame and finish the glass and post them up to see what you think! 

Bye for now xxx

Thoughts On Paper

Hello All,

I don't know what I would do without art journaling. It helps me to record important memories that I don't want to forget and to get my thoughts and feelings out on paper so that I can make sense of things. Here are a couple of recent pages:

I found an old picture of my daughter it reminded me what she was like at that age. I decided to create a journal spread to capture that moment in time. The french text reads "she rose, brilliant as the moon in full" which is a quote from a song by Fiona Apple which I used to sing to her. The other piece of text reads "My beautiful little girl" 

I also did this page this week:

The text is again a quote from a song. This one is a Ray Lamontagne song. I have been thinking recently about the importance of being happy with yourself and finding time to take care of yourself. That you cannot make others happy if you are not happy yourself. whilst listening to the song I heard this line and it was perfect for what I wanted to portray. I decided to paint the lady as if she is lying in the grass in the sunshine, totally at peace.

I think creativity is so important. It doesn't matter it what form that takes, just having that outlet for yourself is so good for the soul!

By for now xxx

Finished Painting and spot of Bookbinding

Hello All,

Having lots of time off with my kids this summer taking them to various art workshops as well as getting crafty at home. I am feeling really inspired and full of creative beans. The sun is shining, its all family fun and frolics. I can't wait to get back to my various projects whenever I have the chance to.

I was enjoying my latest canvas so much I seemed to finish it rather quickly and so have gone straight into another. Here is the finished piece:

I adore all the yummy colour and texture in this one, particularly the blues and greens which I think I am going to use for the next one.

Apart from painting and the odd bit of art journaling I also had the urge for a spot of bookbinding and started three at once. I have managed to finish this one:

This one is made from an old cereal bar box and brown paper packaging. The cover is painted with acrylic paint and iridescent medium so it is all shimmery. The inside has decorative paper and sketch book paper pages. 

I love making journals! They take time but the end result is so satisfying, turning what is essentially rubbish into something that is both beautiful and useful.

I will get on and make the other two I started now! 

Bye for now! xxx