Artist Trading Coin: Enjoy Life

This is my final Artist Trading Coin using
an MDF round surface from That's Crafty,
which has a 2½ inch diameter.

I used a Tim Holtz Paper Doll
& the rest is from Brave Living.

I punched a hole through the top,
with a Crop-A-Dile
to add some fibres.

Here is a group shot of the other nine coins.

Click here to see details of all the other coins.

Art Jar: Unplug

The fourth week of  Art Jar Self - Edition
had prompts & inspiration from Eliza
to help us unplug for a few days
& get away from our digital world.

The printed words are by Hot Off The Press.

The fallen leaves gathered from my garden.

The library card & postcard images
are from Cloth Paper Scissors.

I used DecoArt Americana acrylic paint
(Blue Neon & Pink Neon)
mixed with Daler-Rowney Gesso Primer
(White)
with splashes of Distress Ink
(dusty concord)
for the background.

Then Faber-Castell Watercolour pencils
around the edges.

There is Tim Holtz Design Tape,
a Tim Holtz Paper Doll,
& printed text.

There is nothing quite
like an Autumn walk,
kicking the fallen leaves,
breathing in the fresh air,
listening to the birds,
watching the squirrels
& catching a glimpse
of a shy fox.

It is a chance
to breathe deeply,
to appreciate the slow
but steady pace of nature,
as the colours
of the trees change,
& red berries start to
appear on the shrubs.

I feel calmer.
I feel grateful.
I feel at peace.

Art Jar: Senses

The third week of  Art Jar Self - Edition
had prompts & inspiration from Eliza
to help us focus on our
senses.

The printed words & tag
are by Hot Off The Press.

The bird & the blue postmaster label
are images from The Graphics Fairy.

The postcard image is from Cloth Paper Scissors.

I used DecoArt Americana acrylic paint
(Blue Neon)
mixed with Daler-Rowney Gesso Primer
(White)
with splashes of Distress Ink
(broken china)
for the background.

Then Faber-Castell Watercolour pencils
around the edges.

There is Tim Holtz Design Tape,
a Tim Holtz Paper Doll,
text torn from an old dictionary
& printed text.

You can see details of how the journal was made here.

Art Jar: Rituals

The second week of  Art Jar Self - Edition
had prompts & inspiration from Eliza
to help us focus on our
rituals.

The printed quotation & tag
are by Hot Off The Press &
the flower & the blue postmaster label
are images from The Graphics Fairy.

I used DecoArt Americana acrylic paint
(Blue Neon & Pink Neon)
mixed with Daler-Rowney Gesso Primer
(White)
with splashes of Distress Ink
(dusty concord)
for the background.

Then Faber-Castell Watercolour pencils
around the edges.

There is Tim Holtz Design Tape,
a Tim Holtz Paper Doll,
text torn from an old dictionary
& printed text.

You can see details of how the journal was made here.

I always create with intention,
I probably spend equal amounts of time
enjoying the planning of my art
as I do in creating the final piece.

I am going back & forth with these pages
re-reading the prompts,
exploring the links Eliza provides,
as I listen to her playlist,
each time delving slightly deeper
into my thoughts
adding to my pages until I feel
I have reached a point to move on.

Art Jar: My Self

Just a brief glimpse in my Art Jar Self - Edition journal.

Click on the link above for all the details.

The printed quotations are from Hot Off The Press
& the flower image from The Graphics Fairy.

I used DecoArt Americana acrylic paint
(Blue Neon)
mixed with Daler-Rowney Gesso Primer
(White)
splashes of Distress Ink
(broken china)
for the background.

Then Faber-Castell Watercolour pencils
around the edges.

There is Tim Holtz Design Tape,
Paperchase photo corners
& printed text.

You can see details of how the journal was made here.

Are you following this
course with Eliza?

I'd love to see how
you are interpreting her prompts
& what she inspires you to create.

Be as Free as a Bird

A quick page in my Collage Journal,

inspired by the current Wanderlust online course theme of

Birds.

I used a spare page from my Wreck This Journal book,
a spare bird image from this year's ICAD series,
together with two words & a stamp image from
Eliza's Collage Collection.

I added printed text
coloured card
& watercolour pencils.

This is a reminder for us
to remember that
we are as free as
our mind allows us to be.

Art Jar: Start at the beginning

Art Jar {Self Edition} is a 13 week offering from Everything Art,
hosted by Eliza Trojanowska.

Each week, she shares an article full of prompts & ideas.

What we do with them is entirely up to us.

Although I have been following along with
her Wanderlust Mini Art Jars each month,
I was stumped as to how to translate these focused prompts
into a more formal process.

Then finally yesterday,
I decided that instead of a glass jar,
I would have an Art Box.

I used a very old box which once contained
a set of notelets & envelopes.

I rummaged through my scrapbook papers
& found some thick, slightly textured,
distressed looking cardstock from Crate Paper,
which I've had for years.

This one is called Clambake
from their Hampton Collection.

I covered the box
(after painting the edges)
lining the top section & bottom of the drawer with hessian.

I swapped out the white plastic drawer pull
for one of Tim Holtz metal Hitch Fasteners.

Then I realised that the small notebook I made in June,
(using images & instructions from Cloth Paper Scissors)
was a perfect match.

It is just the right size to sit in the top section,
whilst the bottom drawer can hold all the little bits
& pieces I want to use for this project.

I did plan to take the notebook on holiday with me
& prepped all the little inserts to go inside,
but it all stayed at home, unused.

I am so pleased.

The Unconventional Life

This piece was inspired by a Wanderlust class by Jamie Avery
on our new theme of
Birds.

I used a That's Crafty ATC Art Shrine
made from 3mm MDF.

I covered the outside with white gesso,
then Eco Green Crafts acrylic paint
(Mulch & Pure Gold).

Inside the background is a printed image
from Shawn Petite,
edged with Distress Ink (antique linen).

I composed my three dimensional scene,
using magazine images
& twigs gathered from the garden,
together with a found feather.

The finished piece measures approx. 11cm x 7.5cm x 4cm.

Sometimes in life
it is better to take
the road less travelled
& create your own path.

When life gives you a hard square box
instead of a round soft nest,
look for the positives
& make the most of it.

Artist Trading Coin: Breathe

This is an Artist Trading Coin using
an MDF round surface from That's Crafty,
which has a 2½ inch diameter.

When there is chaos all around you,
when the noise & hubbub of everyday life
seems to overwhelm you,
this is a reminder to take a moment,
sit calmly,
somewhere quiet
& remember to breathe.

The background paper is from Shawn Petite.

There is a Tim Holtz Paper Doll,
a few of his Remnant Rubs (Elements)
& tissue tape.

It was edged with Eco Green Crafts
acrylic paint in Pure Gold.

My Renaissance Friend

Inspired by a Wanderlust class by Eliza Trojanowska,
this is a double-page spread in my collage journal.

My renaissance girl
is an image from National Galley of Art
paired with an image from Dover.

She is by Leonardo da Vinci
entitled Ginevra de' Benci
c. 1474/1478

The first page uses a page torn from Pride & Prejudice,
teabag paper,
Tim Holtz Remnant Rubs (Elements),
mt washi tape ,
printed text,
Stabilo All black pencil
& a scrap of a printed image by Shawn Petite.

Soft, graceful & thoughtful,
as she sets about writing her own story.

On the second page she is paired
with an image from a current magazine,
set over the image & words of a page
from my Wreck This Journal book.

There is mt washi tape,
book text & scraps of printed paper as before,
together with printed text
& Stabilo All black pencil.

Here she has more attitude,
defiance & strength,
as she makes a stand in the modern world,
unafraid to just be herself.

A Simple List for September

This month's
To Do List
inspired by a regular feature in The Simple Things magazine.

Each month they publish a list of things to try.

I have taken their words,
(adapting them slighty)

typed them on background images
from Emily at Sweetly Scrapped

then adhered to Tim Holtz Resist kraft card.

Each card can be used

as a prompt to try something new,

to go on an adventure that month

or just spark your creative imagination.

The cards measure 7.5 cms by 5.5 cms
& they are kept together in an altered matchbox.

I thoroughly enjoyed writing poetry
every day last month.

I wrote a three lined non-rhyming stanza
in the format of 7-5-7 syllables
(an inverted Haiku if you like).

What I have now is a daily record
of a memory from each day
& whilst each stanza is wholly unconnected to another,
every one holds something meaningful to me.

So on to this month & I need to find a journal
to start recording my thoughts & ideas
& note down the changes to the season.

There are already a few dried leaves on the ground,
the temperature is cooler,
the breezes stronger
& dusk falls earlier each evening.