I’ve managed to sneak a few minutes away the last month for a fantastic class, Scrapbooking Your Faith, with Courtney Walsh. Pure crafty adrenaline. Look for her, she is talented! And, if you don’t consider yourself “crafty”, no worries. She has made every single step easy to understand and execute. And Courtney? I’d love to meet her. Not just talented, but a transparent and amazing writer. Crafty and wordy? My kind of pal…
This year one of my goals is to create an art journal. You must check out the links below to these ladies sites, they are bound to inspire you as well. I do not consider myself an artist, yet am definitely artistic. That said, I also believe we are all capable of creating beautiful things. The cost of art supplies can be prohibitive, and thankfully Michael’s is coming to the rescue. Each of these items are part of their $4.99 collection. Perhaps if you are beginning from scratch, one thing at a time is within your budget. If not, use what you have! I’ll post my creation for all to see if you’ll promise to reach outside of your comfort zone along with me. And, if you’d like to share, I’ll post your work as well! Sometimes getting started is the hardest part. Remember, if you are inspired by someone’s work, mimic it! Many great artistic souls learned their craft by copying the masters. If you have a great place YOU find encouragement for art, come post the link!
http://www.karenika.com/archives/20351
http://marthalever.blogspot.com/
http://balzerdesigns.typepad.com/balzer_designs/2011/10/30-days-in-your-journal-what-do-i-need.html
Here is a video to get you started, and youtube has TONS of others http://balzerdesigns.typepad.com/balzer_designs/2010/08/hand-lettering-for-your-art-journal.html
After seeing my girl enthusiastically working on a new project, I HAD to share the site where she was inspired. Could list out the designs, but couldn’t do it nearly as well as Cute As a Fox blog http://www.cuteasafox.com/2010/03/no-sew-ribbon-rosette-tutorial.html
Here is girl’s version, and go check out the instructions and try this look for yourself. It was a little tricky to get started but then flew by and had great results…
Money will be extremely tight for us the next few seasons. Perhaps it is for you as well? In that spirit (and always in the Christmas spirit, my favorite) I’ll share with you over a short series some unique and inexpensive gifts to make.
Chances are you will want to make one for yourself! Starting now ensures you a more relaxing time later, being confident that your special items are made and tucked away.
Project #1
Our library book sale had a “Fill your basket for 50 cents” sign. We stocked up on Reader’s Digest Condensed volumes. Unsure what to do with them at the time, they turned out to be perfect for this project. The aesthetic quality of the cover should be considered, as it could remain unaltered. We will be basically gluing pages together, carving out a niche, and creating a hidden spot.
Keepsake Book
Supplies:
Old books, hardcover with pages tight inside binding
Modgepodge
Small foam paintbrush
Plastic grocery bags
Utility knife
Embellishments
Directions:
Prepare your book for Modgepodge by carefully wrapping the outer covers with plastic bags. The goal is to avoid having the pages all stick to the cover. We chose to tuck in a few pages in the front and back as well, to still have the look of a book until we opened it up.
If you don’t have Modgepodge, we had success mixing white school glue with a bit of water to thin it down as well. Taking care to keep the covers dry, start painting the adhesive onto the pages, holding them firmly. This will require several coats. Put something heavy on the book while drying to keep pages together. Once dry, open it up to see where you might have missed and keep going until all pages are completely adhered to each other.
Once the adhesive is completely dry, remove the plastic bags. The book should have all the pages stuck in a tight rectangular unit. Carefully (oh so carefully) use your utility knife to begin cutting layers of pages out of the center. Mark about 1 inch in, the spot you’d like to carve out. Expect to go slow, taking out a few layers at a time until you reach the desired depth.
The labor is done! This is where the personalization starts, and the possibilities are endless. The words could be left visible, covered with paint, repapered with ones to match the cover. Dollhouse size trinkets could be inserted for a theme, special mementos of a trip, heirloom jewelry. The cover could be altered as well. A nice ribbon can be tied around it for a beautiful presentation.
If you like themed ideas, here are a few to get started:
A cookbook, with spices and some favorites recipes inside. Tied with a wooden spoon in the bow
A personal theme, with the inside made into a frame with special photo showcased
An atlas, with a compass and travel items
A dictionary, with nice pens and notepads
Any special theme with a gift card inside
An antique book with special heirloom jewelry to pass down
Here is an easy project that makes a quick display piece for a favorite picture. If you are lucky to come across shadow boxes at yard sales, snatch them up. It is easy and practically free to make them into something cool. This box was a sale find, and the insert was covered with tacky glued on shells. Lots of them. The glass was filthy. It had all the structure though and an already white frame. I simply added a sand dollar collected from a beach trip, used a rub on and a few extra shells.
If you do this with delicate items, exercise a gently hand. This sand dollar almost crumbled under my hand while applying the rub on despite my caution. The finished project took less than half and hour and gave a new way to showcase a memory. The picture is of my 15-year-old, my dad and brother years ago. It has a special place in my heart, and now on my table as well.
The Dover Fine Art Instruction catalog came the other day, awakening forgotten dreams. Pages of offerings to teach me anything I wanted to know. Line, color, shading, painting. It was all there in the Dover catalog.
I felt a jolt —”Hey, I forgot! I like to draw and have always wanted to learn how to do it skillfully!” Isn’t it odd how dreams we had as children get shoved to the back of our minds by the practical? I say let’s deliver our lost artistic skill back into our talented hands! Oh, stop. I hear you saying you just aren’t that talented in the arts. Nonsense. We are all created with a talent, often we don’t know what it is until we try!
Here is a perfect example. My mom, Jeni, has been discovering new artistic passions in the last few years.These aren’t skills she knew she possessed. She is stepping outside her comfort zone and just doing. Not for the sake of perfection, though she will admit that is a hard thing to let loose, but for the pure enjoyment of playing. In the play, art is formed. Here is a sample of her recent project. The first photo is her inspiration piece from a book. Next photo is part of a layering process. Finally, completion. Fantastic! ( I am so proud of my mom)
I have a few ideas for getting us started if you’d like to join me. I am going to order a book and learn some sketching techniques this summer. Right away before I find other stuff I “need” to do. It is important for us not to wait on our dreams. The time is now. If you would enjoy enhancing your artistic skill, browse through a catalog like this and figure out what appeals to you. I am drawn to light and mood. Two favorite artists who capture this are Maxfield Parrish and Alphonse Mucha. Both have colors and lines that draw me in to inspect further.
Locate two artists that grab you and pinpoint what it is about their art that moves you. Devote some time to express that feeling in your own ways, with your unique viewpoint. Few material things bring as deep of satisfaction for me as exploring a project. I hope your time will awaken a creative side that will surprise you! Remember, the joy is in the practice not the perfection.
