Art Journal 2nd Layout

Whenever I begin a project, I never quite know how it will end up. That's what happened with this layout. I began with some shimmer coral/pink pearlescent powder and smudged it on the surface with my fingers. Then I added some shimmer violet. I've had these small "pots" of color for several years and can't remember just what the product is. I'm glad I didn't get rid of all my art supplies when we moved! I then wrote a couple of paragraphs from the book The Five Little Peppers and how they grew because I like children's books and I bought the book years ago with the intent of reading it, which I have yet to do.

My dear mother-in-law, Jan, had told me that it was one of her favorite book series when she was a child. I figured what a good way this would be to remember my MIL! Of course, the hot peppers are just a reminder of the five children written about in the book. And the big black dog is featured in the book. One day I will get around to reading it. I have a compilation of the stories that was published in 1984, but the stories were actually written by Margaret Sidney from 1881 to 1916.

I used one of my favorite products, acrylic Gesso by Liquitex, to set the powder, dog picture and handwriting. I made a stamp out of a potato to make the puppy paws and found some drawings online of peppers so I could glue them onto the page. All in all, it was a fun page to make and sort of memorialize my mother-in-law.

My Art Journal 2015

It's time to share with you a new project that I have embarked on. I happened on a blog for people that are interested in stretching their artistic muscles. Well, that's me! Check it out
here. I went ahead and ordered my Ranger brand dylusions creative journal from Amazon. You can buy yours here.

It arrived today, so then the fun began.

The first step was to find scraps of paper to glue on to make the background. I used a simple glue stick. Not that it mattered what I used since they will all be pretty well covered up by the end anyway.

Then I brushed on some Acrylic Gesso and used a paper towel to soak up some of the gesso so I could still see through it.

Next it was time for some color. I used some acrylic artist paints. Since we downsized and I got rid of so much stuff I've been hyperventilating over all the tools and products that I no longer have. BUT I still have some supplies so I will use what I have. I brushed on some more gesso to tone the colors down a bit.

Here is my finished page I used a black oil stick for the words "Celebrate" and "Dream," smudging them a bit, a micropen for the written words and a black IDenti-pen for the other words. I also added a couple of pieces of paper tape. After it had set overnight, I sprayed it with fixative to set it.

This journal project involves making a 2-page layout each week for the year. That is 52 of these pages. I entered into this project 3 weeks late, so I will have to catch up. The words I used on this page are: Dream, Love, Believe, Take a Chance, Hope, Create;, Pray, Laugh, Practice, Be Thankful, One Step at a Time, Celebrate and Change. It seemed like words fitting for the beginning of a new year. And I can't help but be inspired by my grandkids!