The Birth of a Journal

Morning all.
The story really starts back in February.  I bought an "Art Journal Starter" kit from Tando Creative at a weekend workshop retreat with the lovely Di Oliver and the equally talented Andy Skinner. The purchase was, in the back of my mind I suppose, prompted by another fabulous artist by the name of France Papillon. She teaches not only mixed media but also how to explore your inner self through Art Journalling.  I have always used my crafting as a means of pain management and I am going to need it following an accident that has me in more pain than my fibro alone. This also followed the death of my father and there were some emotions that needed to come out and I really found that creating a journal page helped me on this. At the time a loose page was created with a view to adding it to a journal when I had one. I don't know if this one page will ever be added to this particular journal as I'd like it to be a happy place and leave that particular page shut in a drawer for now. Time alone will tell. So............

The Birth of This Journal
A daunting task when journalling has not been an avenue previously explored. Where to start? Well to build the book was the obvious starting point. I won't bore anyone with the hows on this. All the instructions came with the kit, including needle and thread to hand sew the signatures up and into the framework.
The next fun part was decorating.
First the cover.
A coat of white gesso - always a good starting point. Various colours of Decoart paints in the green/blue range with a bit of some browns thrown in. Stamping next. The newts in the "Creepers and Crawlers" plate and a stamp from the Rock 'n Rust plate, both from the Illusionary artists range (the France side of the collaboration) from Chocolate Baroque.

The back cover just has no newts. The green at the bottom - that's the octopus tendrils to form some weed.

The inside front cover. The second layer of a piece of napkin adhered and blended in with the butterfly and moth from the creepers set and highlighted with pan pastels

Inside back cover

The front piece of that napkin on a piece of water colour paper to form a pocket. A bit more stuck in to top corner for balance. The pocket is not stuck down here to show the stamping and paint "drippage". The hearts are made using crackle paste through stencils from Tando and France. Again - all paints and mediums from Decoart. The contrasting purple - because that has always been one of my "go-to" colours and a prompt of back to basics was also influencing this area. That stamp "said something to me" - from France's own shop last year.

Back to basics also features in my first and opening page. How far back? Well France also has the numbers 1957 on the stencil used on the inside back cover. It's that one element that sealed the purchase for me. The year I was born. This was done on the "other piece created when making the back cover pocket. 

  

Other elements apart from the paint. Some tissue paper and a piece of washi tape that stamps from France were sent wrapped in last year. Some stencilled areas with crackle paint. Some bubble wrap stamping. A piece of paint coloured cambric. Words and hearts from the Perfect Words plate from Illusionary Artists.

That's it for now in my journal.

Thanks for looking

I'd like to enter this journal page into the challenge at

The Artistic Stamper - Stencils and Masks

Catchup time again

WOW. Where has the time gone?
Before I know it, 2 weeks have flown by and I've not been here. I've not been idle and have crafted a few things. Mostly in my role as a DT member of The Stampin' Dymonz Scrap Shack.
I have made things I never knew I could, a few cards but above all, loved every minute.

Tomorrow we're having a DT hop, so thought I'd better have a minute or two here and show one or two things that we're doing over at The Village.

The first thing I want to show is the cover of the Art Journal I've finally gotten round to putting together. Instead of slipping the pages into an old scrap book, I have made a purpose built album.
Covered with black jersey fabric with thin chip board pieces that have all been triple heat embossed.
All the lettering has been cut free-hand. The sign and carrier are a TH die cut. The flower, voile, another TH die, Tattered Florals, pinned together loads of layers and heat gun played over it to seal the edges.
Here's a closeup of the sign, The chain, beads and charms from stash.

















Last thing I made was because I was challenged to.
The mixed media group were challenged to decorate a letter. Now most have access to a crafty type shop that sell ready made letters. Be they wood, chipboard or paper mache. Not so here in this corner of Scotland. Next opportunity to go buy one would be in a couple of weeks. Make from scratch was my challenge. So I did.
"C" cut from 3mm chipboard, 3 times. sticking the layers together and again, making my own stencil.
and the reverse.....the other side of me...

All the items on the front were from stash, the larger flower at the bottom was hand made.
The images on the back are from a collection of inchie stamps.