Sunday Art Journal

I wanted to share this sweet journal page I painted a couple Sundays ago. 

She is clothed with strength and dignity,

    and she laughs without fear of the future.

Proverbs 31:25

Man, I love that. It is such a good one...such a heart filler.  

Happy Sunday Lovelies...may your week be filled with laughter.

Happy Creating,

Art Journaling with Stickers - mambi Monday

I always LOVE adding words to my art journal pages. I don't always add words or quotes, but more often than not I feel the pages are not complete until they have words. One fun and easy way to do that is to use stickers. Now, I don't know about you - but I have a ton of stickers. It also doesn't help that my favorite place is the scrapbook aisles at Michaels.

Today I wanted to share some of the different ways I have used stickers in my journal. Since today is Monday, I thought I would use some fab mambi stickers. :)

On this page I created a background using acrylic paint and doodled with some pens (Pentel & Gelly Roll). I loved using my new favorite paint colors - Navy Blue & Gold. The Follow Your Heart is a clear sticker from me & my BIG ideas. These stickers come in black & gold too!! 

I can't wait to use more of these on my pages. I would suggest using some gel medium or Mod Podge under & over the stickers. Although they really stick well, this will help them stay put for the long run.

I have been wanting to use these super large letter stickers in my journal for a long time. I love their size! Of course they come in all sorts of fonts and patterns, but the ones I used today were plain white. Perfect! I could make them any color I like. First I painted them with two shades of blue. Once that was dry I painted some gold over top. To add a bit of depth, I went around th edge of each letter with my black Pentel pen and a light brown Faber Castell Artist PITT pen.

I think these letters would be perfect for a home decor sign or some subway art, don't you? Hmmm, maybe I need to add another project to my list. :)

Finally, I added this really cool Choose to be Joyful sticker to this sweet girl. I cut the sticker apart because I didn't like the way it looked on the page as one piece. Don't be afraid to whip those scissors out and snip away. 

 

Once the sticker was Mod Podged down and dried, I used my favorite black pen again to add some interest around the edge. I don't want the page to look like a completed page with a sticker slapped on top. I want the sticker to blend into the background. Using pen or more acrylic paint always helps!

There it is! Three pages, using three different kinds of stickers  - and making me super happy. :)

You can find the stickers I used right HERE. 

Happy Creating,

The Journey of the Mixed Media Mini

Yes! The journey of the mini book. I call it a journey because it has taken me a bazillion years to get it put together. (well, maybe not quite that much...but you get the picture) I initially painted these cute girls like a mad woman on a mission. One page right after the other. I was inspired. Then they just sat...and sat...and sat. Does that ever happen to you? I mean, I guess I know inspiration can hit like a tornado and create intense focus. BUT, I didn't want to loose steam on my little whimsy girl book!

SO, today I wanted to share some of the pages. Each page is made from some recycled food boxes like cereal or crackers. I busted out a ton of backgrounds, having a blast playing with different mediums. Then I would sketch and work on the girl. Finally I added a quote, scripture, or words. 

When I started the book, it had been awhile since I had my hands messy with paint. It felt SOOOOOOO good to sling some paint again. :) Seriously... my art table is my Happy Place. 

Grace Girl
I love her pink hair. I love the words too. Don't you? True love never really works without giving other people grace. It's hard for sure. Sometimes they don't deserve it. Sometimes I really have to dig deep in order to give someone else grace. AND...they have to do the same for me. Thank goodness I have such amazing friends and family. :)

Truth Girl
Hmmm, more pink hair. Maybe it's the secret desire that I want cotton candy pink hair? I don't know. It always shows up on my girls. Hmmm, maybe a pink wig for Halloween. 

Believe Girl
This sweetie is a bit different than the others. I just went with it. I was feeling something quirky. The great thing about doing a book like this - all faces - I really got a chance to play, try things, and enjoy my creative time. 

Dream Girl
Her dreams were BIG. Oh, yes! Don't you love that? I am no stranger to massive self doubt. SO the thought of BIG, monstrous, scary dreams makes my stomach quiver. In a good way though. You know the "loose sleep because I am so excited" kinda way...Or the "shout from the mountain tops" kinda way...the scary good way. :)

Loved Girl
She is my favorite. I love the way she turned out. She gets simple words. But, words that are so important. I have to remind myself all the time. That despite my faults & numerous imperfections - I am enough & I am loved. 

And, so are you...
Enjoy your weekend Lovelies!

Happy Creating,

Playing with Inspired Color Palettes

I don't know about you, but I am usually drawn to the same color palette. I can pretty much guarantee that my art work, journal pages, crafty projects, or scrapbook layouts will probably have a collection of colors like - aqua, yellow, gray and some pink. There is usually some shades of orange too. Not bright crazy colors...more pastel in flavor. That's it. That is my usual color combination.

So, the other day (while I was feeling adventurous) I was painting with my son and I decided to use the colors he chose for my art journal page. I didn't steer him toward the aquas (which I wanted to do, Ha!) and just let him pick away. His favorite color is red, so I knew there would be some unfamiliar painting colors for me. :)

It was such a wonderful creative release to just paint with whatever I had in front of me. The happy discovery of this little color adventure was that I realized that I really like adding dark navy blue to my pages! I hardly EVER grab for that color. It seems so dark. But I LOVED using it!  

I was thinking about some other fun ways to change up my usual color combos. Here is a small list of what I came up with....

• Blindly reach into your paint bin & pull out 5 colors
• Search for color palettes on Pinterest & work from the colors in one
• Visit one of your favorite home decor blogs or magazines and pull a color combination from a favorite room
• Try using a monochromatic selection with your favorite color
• Find a fabulous scrapbook page and use the colors as inspiration for a painting
• Ask each person in your family (or a group of friends) to give you one color. Put them together as one palette.
• When you are at the grocery store, snap a pic of a bouquet of flowers & use it to inspire you
• Do you have a favorite football or basketball team? Or maybe old school  colors? Use these colors to spark your color adventure! :)
• Come join the Summer of Color 4 at Twinkle Twinkle - It starts June 2nd! It is a free 6 week blog party full of color prompts. SO fun!

Another page started in an altered book with the colors from my sons palette.
White added by me. :)



GO ahead...go change up your color choices. You never know what you may discover. 
Happy Creating!!

Using Project Life/ Pocket Pages 3x4 Cards in Your Art Journal

I absolutely love documenting my family's life Project Life style. LOVE. It has made memories so tangible. My kids can grab a photo album, lay on the floor, and pour over the pages. Plus, for me it has become another creative outlet. I adore sitting down at my table with all my pictures and goodies ready to put a page together. With Pocket Pages memory keeping there are tons of 3x4 journaling cards out there to use. I mean tons! BUT, you don't just have to use them for pocket scrapping. They make GREAT additions to an art journal too. I love using all different kinds!

Today I am sharing a few pages in my current journal and I am using some of my favorite 3x4 cards from me & my BIG ideas. These cards are fun, colorful, and have great words or quotes on them. Perfect to add to your journal, right!? So, when you are in your local craft store, shopping online, or have a bunch in your stash (like me) - don't overlook those cards!

One this page I took the 3x4 card and cut up the quote. I used Mod Podge to adhere the quote to the background I had already created. I wanted to play with color first, then find an inspiring quote. This one by e.e Cummings was perfect. 

" It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are. "

Sometimes on a journal page you may not want your journaling obvious. You may want it hidden. This mambi 3x4 card makes a perfect flap. All I did was distress the edges a bit, smudged some paint along the edges, and then  attached it on the top with washi tape. Now I can lift it up and write my secret thoughts underneath. Perfect. 

There are times when I want it easy. So I just use the whole card and glue it down. On the following page I just tore the edges a bit so there was not a hard line edge. Super fun. I really love the way it turned out. :)

I hope you're having a beautiful Good Friday!!

Happy Creating

Also, don't forget to pop over to the me & my BIG ideas blog and subscribe! Go right HERE!

Altered Book Art Journal

Happy Sunday!

I sure am loving an extra hour of daylight today (I will gladly sacrifice an hour of sleep for it too). Are you loving it!? With my extra hour, I decided to work on a few projects. I have a bunch on the table. But, I thought I would quickly share the first page in an altered book journal I started.

 

 

I always have a stack of old books on hand for journals & mini albums. So I grabbed one from the bunch. I did glue the pages together with gel medium a couple of weeks ago to give the pages more strength. This is the first page created on the inside cover. I am really feeling a happy palette of springy colors like blues, yellows, pinks and oranges (adoring coral lately too!).

 

I needed this little reminder today. Sometimes I forget. ;)

 

Have a glorious start to your week my friends!

Art Journal Volume 3 Complete

Oh my goodness do I LOVE a completed art journal. It is just so glorious to sit back and stare at this fat book of oozing goodness. Let me clarify that I am not saying that each page is a work of art. Ha! That is what makes an art journal SO special. It is the heart and soul that drips from the pages. This journal has really covered a huge variety of emotion...happy days, sad days, frustrated days, days for trying technique or colors, sweet girls, bright flowers...all kinds of things. That is what is so fabulous about having a place to just be free and get messy - it becomes sacred. :)

I am super happy that I have finished this volume 3 art journal because I can't wait to start another one. This time around I think I am going to order the 8x10 Strathmore Visual Journal. The 9x12 was wonderful, but I think a smaller size will help me "get it done" if you know what I mean. I want to stay active throughout the year with lots of art journal practice. A smaller journal may be exactly what I need. Also, I DO really like the Strathmore Mixed Media Visual Journals. I like that the paper can handle lots of media and doesn't start falling out or apart on me.

It has taken me a loooooonnnng time to finish all the pages. I do work on other things at the same time as I work through my main journal. I have a small journal with just faces, a junk journal made from recycled stuff, altered books, canvases, shop goodies as well as mini albums & scrapbooking projects. So there is lots of creating going on. BUT, I do want to be more intentional this year about spending time working through the new art journal that I get. I NEED to spend more time...make more time really I guess. Time...I think it needs to help out a bit and slow down. There is just too much FUN stuff to do! ;)

Here are some pages...

I can't wait to share new pages I create!

Happy Creating,

Gratitude Journal - 14 Days of an Art Journal

Happy almost middle of November! Can you believe that!? I know I can't. There is so much to do...so many lists of things to cross off. But, lately with so many crazy things going on around me, I have an urge to get quiet, simplify, cherish moments, cling to the true blessings, and hunt down every bit of gratitude in me.

 With 14 days counting down until Thanksgiving, I thought I would challenge myself to reflect on these with a journal spread each day. A creative gratitude journal is exactly what I need right now. I don't want to burden myself with expectations or have a certain way it needs to look. One day I may paint...the next write & doodle...and the next scrapbook. I am going to go with whatever I am feeling that day. Yes! I like the way that sounds. Do you keep a gratitude journal or something like it?

I am going to kick off my little challenge with sharing a few journal pages that I have been working on. I am still trying to finish up my current art journal so I can begin another! Geesh, it is taking a long time, lol.

 

This page came together SO quickly. I had a bunch of paint already spread randomly around the page. (Probably a page used to wipe excess paint off from other pieces. Many of my pages start like that.) Then as I passed the page sitting on my table one day, I just grabbed a brush with some black acrylic paint and made simple flowers. After several layers of more paint, washi tape, white pen, and Faber-Castell PITT pens, I really wanted some words. These words from a me & my BIG ideas 3x4 Specialty Cards were perfect. I just cut them up, glued them down, and wrote my own words to finish it off. It says, "Dance like no one is watching, Love fiercely, Sing loud, and pray always.

Here is another page I am working on. It started much the same as the other. It is a work in progress, but I love how it has begun.

 Feeling blessed...beyond measure... :)

I'll be back to share more pages of gratitude. Let me know if you are sharing somewhere too, so I can come by for a visit. I love visiting new blogs or Instagram feeds. Come follow me on instagram too @sadieinspired.

May your week be filled with color, blessings, and tons of creative mojo!

Martha Stewart Gesso & Goodbye Summer

Holy Smokes! How are you? All I can say, is that I blinked and summer disappeared. Literally...poof! My family and I had a wonderful time enjoying the warm weather, a fab vacation to Mammoth Lakes, baseball games, and all the good things that summer bring. I am so sad to see it go! My daughter just headed back to school this past Wednesday, so it is back to schedules, homework, and busy! I am happy to say though, I live in southern California...so the flip flops aren't going anywhere for awhile. :)

As I was packing up artsy goodies for our family trip to Mammoth and a Hubby & me trip to Vegas, I knew I wanted to bring along some gesso. I use it all the time. It is my absolute "go to" product for pretty much anything I am working on. I didn't want to bring my large container of Liquitex, so I ran over to Michaels (I seriously should work there) to see what I could find.

I found a small bottle of gesso by Martha Stewart that looked perfect. It was just a little bit bigger than a bottle of craft paint. I also HAD to buy this inexpensive Artist Loft set of watercolor. I mean, I HAD to - they shimmer! I am a lover of all the shimmer, the shine, the glitter, the sparkle. So these looked like a ton of fun. When I got home, I tossed them in my bag thinking I would have time to give them a try. 

 Fast forward to Mammoth. We did a whole bunch of this...

 ...so, there was not a lot of time for creating. Which was fine with me!

 But, when my husband & I went to Vegas, I had plenty of time. He had conferences all day so my art journal kept me company. I really liked using the Martha gesso. I liked trying something different. The consistency is pretty fluid, but grainier than the Liquitex. Once I spread it out over the page it became much more creamy in texture. It is thin and shows layers well, which I like. You will need to use a couple of layers if you want something completely covered though. I am going to stick to my favorite Liquitex, but I will also love changing it up from time to time. Hmmm, or better yet...maybe another mini vacation! Hint. Hint. :)

  
I got started on this girl while in Vegas and finished her up at home. I used some of the watercolors too. I'll talk about those later on in another post. But, let's just say - I love them! I also used some alphas from Heidi Swapp that can be inked, misted, or painted to change their color. I loved using them too and can't wait to do more projects with them. 

I hope you have had some fun creative time. Are you working on any projects?

DO tell...and HAPPY creating!

Don't forget to come find me on Instagram!! I'd love to see you over there.

I am @sadieinspired

New Art Journal Pages

Happy Sunday Friends! How are you all doing? I am trying  my best to not melt in this heat wave we are having. I love a little sunshine for sure, but uncomfortable heat - NO thank you! :) But... it does give me some time for creating which is a definite plus in my book. I am so close to finishing up my 9x12 Strathmore Visual Journal!! I am determined to complete it this summer!! No excuses. I just need to keep my artsy mojo flowing and get to my studio table a bit every day. My creative focus this month: happy canvases for my shop, finishing my journal and keeping up with Project Life.

This last week I finished this little cutie. I had already glued down a bunch of extra little bits I had laying around onto the page. I like doing that because I have an immediate jumping off point. I open up my journal and I already have a page started. I threw down some gesso, got out a bunch of bright, cheerful acrylic paint, and I was off. Her face came out of the background after several layers. I didn't really plan to do a portrait (I can't seem to stop!), but she happened. :)

I love the swirly textured card on the right side of her dress. It was a piece of a small note card I had been given. The texture of the card really looks beautiful and the gesso I used lightly over top picked up the edges. SO cool! Of course I felt that my girl needed some words. "She found beauty anyway" fit the way I was feeling perfectly. This phrase was from an old print out from The Brave Girls Club Soul Restoration class I took a couple of years ago.

I really like the way my other page turned out too. It was another page in my journal that already had some color on it. I had used this page to wipe off excess paint as I worked on other things. As I was adding gesso and my favorite acrylic colors like pinks, aquas, and yellow...a bunch of interesting house shapes began to show up. I love that they were going every which way and had different shapes to them.

To add a bit more texture I used some modeling paste through a stencil and just wiped some on the page using a popsicle stick. I had some chipboard pieces that I painted with gesso and silver paint. I used some gray Staz On to bring out the raised design on each piece. I attached them to the houses using E6000. Finally I added the words...my home sweet home. I absolutely LOVE being at home with my family. It is such my happy place. My wonderful kids, amazing Hubby, and sweet dog make all things right in the world. This page reflects exactly what my heart feels. :)

I am looking forward to tackling my creative goals this next month. 

Can you believe it is already July! Yikes! (Grab hold because time is flying!!)  

What creative goals are you working on lately?

Summer of Color 3 - Orange and Hot Pink

Hello Friends! I hope you are having a fabulous weekend. We have been busy bees around here with my daughter performing in her 4th dance recital last night. (She was amazingly beautiful and we are SO incredibly proud of her hard work and dedication. Wow! Is that girl a little performer!) This last week has been all about dance, but I did find some time to work on this week's color challenge from Summer of Color 3. This week's color were orange and hot pink. Last week I worked on a black sharpie doodle, so this week I thought I would change it up and paint a whimsical girl. 

I wanted to use this sketch I did last week while my daughter was giving me a drawing lesson. :) Look how cute my little dancer's girl is. She told me what to do and I followed. I am ALWAYS learning new things from her!!

I cut out the sketched face and added her with Mod Podge to a journal page I created earlier in the week. I love how bright and cheerful this color combo looks. Isn't it fun!?

I used a paint chip that I picked up at Lowe's as her dress. I always keep my paint chips! They make for great collage goodies. There is such a wide variety of color too! I added the words SHINE ON that I had in my stash.

I had a lot of fun working on this journal page this week. I am looking forward to visiting some other Summer of Color 3 artists. Come take a look!!

Citron Green & Turquoise - Last Week's Summer of Color 3

I love that color combo. Don't you? I guess, truly I am a fan of anything with turquoise. So when I saw that the first week of Twinkle Twinkle's Summer of Color 3 was a combination of green and aqua, I felt right at home. That still didn't help me get the challenge finished by the Sunday deadline though. Ha! It's not really a "deadline." I am still going to link this post up, I just missed out on a chance to win the fab giveaway. You can see all the first week entries HERE.

In my art journal I had a couple of simple black Sharpie doodles that needed some color. I thought this week's color combo would work perfectly. Using a black Sharpie makes for a super "quick" page. Sometimes I use pencil first. Other times I just go right for the Sharpie. On this page, I drew this little house with words in pencil and then went over that with pen. The hills were a perfect spot for some journaling too. It sure does feel good to get all those thoughts out! 

When I created this journal page, I was never planning on going back and reading what I wrote. The writing in my journals is more about the process and having a place to vent feelings, dream, release the "ickies", clear my mind and of course add texture. Sometimes the text shows, other times it is hidden beneath layers.

Each Monday there is a new color prompt at SOC. This week we are creatively playing with Orange and Hot Pink. So girly and fun, right? It makes me think of rainbow sherbert. :)   What is your favorite color combination?

Come vote for next week's color challenge and join in!

Happy Creating!