The Moleskin Journal group

I've hooked up with a few artsy friends and we're passing accordian style Moleskin journals around the globe. Each person adds 3 or 4 pages to the journal and then sends it onto the next person in the group.

These little journal books are great for mailing around. They're sturdy and lightweight, so even postage to Holland only costs $3 something to mail.

My journal theme is "Feathers, Fins and Feelers". I'll post pics of it as I get them.

I'm finding this project to be really invigorating!! At first I was intimidated about painting and drawing in someone else's journal. What if I wreck it! What if I spill something on it? What if? What if? What if?

But I had to get past that. I've completed my first 4 pages which were for Dana's journal.
Her theme was "The Elements" as in the classical Greek elements. So adding a little bit of me to the mix, this is what I came up with.

Tag --- I'm it!!

It sorta feels like grade school. A game of tag, and now I'm it. Well, a fellow has noticed that I hadn't updated in awhile, so my assignment is to share six random things about myself with all my dear readers. Here goes:

1. I'm a bit of a fanatic when it comes to our society taking our planet for granted. Just a bit. Not a total crunchy granola, but I sure do wish people would make more effort to do their part.
   
2. I hate to exercise, but I'd rather do that than give up eating, so I force myself to get to the gym.
   
3. I seem to be intolerant of enriched white flours. Not technically allergic to it, but it does nasty things to my digestive system and you don't want to be around me if I eat too much of it. Yes....that includes cakes, pies, cookies and all those other yummy things. Poor me! You've been warned. If you see me eating such items, run. You'd think I'd be skinny, but I'm not. Because.........
   
4. I love nachos. Corn tortillas, covered in cheese and piled with onions, peppers, and olives. Oh.... and a dollop of guacamole and some sour cream. OK, a BIG dollop of guacamole. Yes, I love good Mexican food and Thai and Cambodian and Chinese food, and....
   
5. I wish I could cook better. I actually enjoy cooking, but I'm not really all that good at it. I'm adequate, just not "good".
6. I love to travel and explore new places. I don't care if I have to take unpaid time off work to do it. I'm gonna travel, cuz you never know what tomorrow will bring. So, I'm gonna enjoy today, enjoy my kids, my grandkids, my husband and I'm gonna travel.
   

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And my 6 to be tagged are

• Eggstudio
  
• BlueSkySunburn
• Muppin
• KatieV
• Boatbird
• Genxster
  

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THE RULES

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 AND LINK TO THEM

5. LET EACH PERSON KNOW THEY ARE TAGGED AND LEAVE A COMMENT ON THEIR BLOG

6.LET THE TAGGER KNOW WHEN YOUR ENTRY IS UP

7. DON’T BREAK THE CHAIN

I only have another week....

I have 3 Christmas packages to get out soon. The bulk of them will be art and/or handmade. So...the heat is on. I can't share pictures because well....because they're a secret. So I have to bear all the frustrations and failures all by my little lonesome. I was feeling quite blocked for awhile there, but my mind seems to have cleared some and I'm making progress.

I'm having loads of fun with one "fun" gift. I made a prototype and it turned out well, so now I'm onto the "real" gift. Its fun and quirky and.... well....fun! Nothing artsy about it.

So this weekend was devoted mostly to these gift packages, which will consist of a large or larger item and several small things. I've got 2 of the big things totally done. No big gift yet for the 3rd package. I'm still deciding what to do on that one.

Of the smaller items. One gift, a large drawing isn't panning out too well. I actually like it, but its not turning out to give the mood its supposed to. So...I may have to start all over. Tho I'll save this for later. A second piece, same size is watercolor and ink; it's turning out well. I've got the watercolor washes down and just need to add the ink work. This is the time consuming part, but I can work at it in fits and spurts. And then there is the fun piece. Again something I can work on it fits and spurts, so I work on it when I need a break on the others.

I only have another week to get them in the mail. Oh geez.....I only have another week.

My first Tarot cards...

These were done as part of a project on iATCs. My assignment was the Fool and the 6 of Cups.

Well, this isn't my usual type of drawing and I found this exercise extremely difficult. So....after numerous failed or half failed attempts, here they are.

ATC Recipe for Collage

Some time ago at the now defunct ATCards.com, I hosted a swap that was based on an idea that I had gotten from the internet. I believe it was teacher's art project for her students. I can't for the life of me find the site or page now.

Lately, though, there has been some renewed interest in using this theme for teaching kids how to make ATCs using collage as an example.

The idea is that a good collage is made up of multiple layers and should include:

1. pleasing colors
   
2. contrast
   
3. use of lines and texture
4. a focal point/ balance
5. uneven numbers of elements or layers (3 minimum, 5 is better)

So this recipe includes certain ingredients which will help satisfy those necessary components.
The ingredients:

• 2 toothpicks
  
• 5 punched dots
• fabric
  
• 2 visual textures
  
• original background

You are encouraged to use your imagination. You may use the toothpicks whole or break them. All ingredients may be cut or otherwise altered.

Here are some examples of what was submitted for the swap.



First Row:

• Smullis
  

2nd Row (left to right):

• Goatgoddess
• Chatty
• Glenwine

3rd Row:

• Scrappylicious
• CarolynMinto
• BlueRue

A good resource for collage is: 5-Layer Collage by Carole Pivarnik

The Baby Quilt

I thought it rather ironic really. The night before Amanda went into labour, I finished the baby quilt. I remember thinking "now the peanut has nana's permission to be born". LOL I was just teasing of course, but there you have it, he listens to his nana.

Getting back in the artsy groove

Things are settling down in the world of websites, so I'm trying desperately to get back to some art.

I finished up a Famous Artists piece that I had started for a Pick a Theme swap and doodled a bit in the car. I'm calling the doodles "Zoodles" since I was inspired by the Zentangle craze.

They're ATC sized. Not too bad given all the jiggling in the car. I like the idea of using the doodling to help me get through blocks. In ways they're quite freeing.