I Love September! My Week 38 in DLP

Fall

all at once

summer collapsed

into fall

-- Oscar Wilde

I wish it could always be September. 

On that note, here is my fall-infused entry week 38 of The Documented Life Project. 

The colors, the smells, the way the sunlight plays on the changing colors, it is just utterly breathtaking to me! 

^^ Full spread with tip-in open pictured above. ^^

^^Tip-in closed.^^

The top of my tip-in is a collage of my late summer and early fall Instagram photos. The collage is simply done by going to www.Prinkl.com, connecting your Instagram account, adding photos to template, and saving as a PDF to my hard drive, then printing it out on my printer.

I cut off strips of my fall watercolour painting that is in the inside part of the tip-in to accommodate the smaller width of the tip-in, and added the strips to this page.

The yellow strip on the right is some lovely Scotch brand Washi tape that my twin gifted to me. Thank you, Sis! I love it!

^^ Tip-in open.^^

I painted the fall leaves many years ago, and the piece was sitting all this time in my art journal filing system (I do have some of my art journal fodder organized but most of it is all over the place. LOL) It now has a HOME! :)

This is week 38 of my art journal/artsy planner, but I did the week 39 challenge. See HERE for more information about DLP if you're not familiar with it yet. :) See HERE for this week's challenge: Splatters and Drips

I wrote the "Fall" part of the quote with a watercolour brush. Added water, and made it run by holding the paper upright. Simple, but a little dangerous, because I wasn't sure how it would turn out...#bebrave

Doodley-dos with my Sharpie fine-line...

An apology to my Canadian readers: I spelled "potato" with an E! Sorry about that! Up here in Canada we leave out the e, so this kinda bothers me! Teehee! Oh well, too late to change it now.

I scribbled around some of the photos to add a bit of interest and to help ground the collage. Black always manages to ground things visually.

The header above ^^ was created by first sketching/doodling the leaves messily, then messily added drops and splats, you know, like the challenge says to. :) I altered it a bit with a brush until I liked the look. I used acrylic inks for the splattering and Dylusions inks in a waterbrush to move the color around, and to add some other colors.

Be the Color in Someone's Grey Day: Week 26 of DLP

The Documented Life Project

Week 26 

I used my handy dandy Sakura watercolor brush loaded with full strength Dylusions ink for this week's spread. I have the Zesty Lemon (see the yellow day strips?) and the Calypso Teal (the week header) in these great brushes, but will add six more once they get here from www.dickblick.com. Can't wait. Use them everywhere! I just love the Dylusions colors, so having them available as a brush is great. (I don't use sprays as much as brushes and pencils, as they're not as versatile.)

The right hand side is the tip-in, as shown in my previous post. See the LIFT tab there? I added that just now, so that when you page through my art journal, you can see there's something to see underneath this rose. :)

I chose to go all yellow with the day strips this time, instead of alternating different colors like I have in the previous weeks. I like how versatile my design is. I can vary it enough that I don't get bored. :)

This is how it looks with the tip-in open. Three pages. I chose to add a bit of teal and pink to my journaling so that everything matches.

Those pink doodles on the right hand side are so awfully crooked. LOL It's driving me a little bit bonkers, looking at it. I better just not look, huh? Not changing it now!

Be the color in someone's grey day. 

I'm off to supper with my family, so will have to finish post later. See ya!

Four and a half hours later...

Hi, I'm back. :)

I doodled these flowers on watercolor paper, watercolored them in, cut out and glued onto this previously gelli-printed music sheet. (It's the other side of the rose page.) Added more details with Sharpie, Twinkling H2O's. couple more yellows with varying kinds of watercolor pencils, added white details with Uniball Signo gel pen.
Doodled stems and circly things, and added more watercolor in different areas. It was really a project I kept on going back to, adding this and that. :)

I love how the music notes on the bottom right are peaking out from the background paint. :) I chose to go with a layout with lots of white space. White space gives your eyes room to rest, and also makes the flowers really be the center of the scene.

This week's header is filled with a tangle called using my Dylusions ink filled Sakura watercolor brush in Calypso Teal.

I don't the name of the tangle, but it's a cross between
FLUTTER TILE
FIFE
FLOURISH
NETTING
PUF
and
BALES
:)
I just used a simple label sticker for the title. Handy and quick. :)

Some of the pink paint bled through to the page on the left. Oh well. Adds character, right?

The title in hot pink was written with a Montana acrylic paint pen Gleaming Pink.

The background is a Gelli-print on vintage music paper. I think I was just cleaning off the plate, or from multiple printings. Only a bit of the paint was left over. I figure that makes for a nice subtle background. :)
Well, that's it Lovelies!
I'm looking forward to creating next week's pages. How about you?

Have a great evening.
Anna

Week 24: The Documented Life Project

June 8-14th, 2014 is one of my favorite weeks of this year. My kids were involved in our city's 100th year celebration, namely, in a community play. Very exciting.

And I want to boast about my spread: I love how this all turned out. The details, the colors, the content. 

I made a tip-in, shown on the right side in photo above. It was hard to get a good photo with proper lighting and accurate coloring today for some reason! This week's challenge was to fill your flap with hearts, so did that. A tower of hearts, let's say.

The flap opens to reveal the last half of the week .

Photo above is the back side of the flap: a scrapbook page! Felt so good working with photos again. :) I met a lady on Instagram who just could not stick to one type of scrapbooky art format, so she combined them all: art journals, traditional scrapbook pages, smashbooks and pocket scrapbooks. So, that's what I've got a bit going on here. :)

For placement of photos and elements, I used an idea sketch by PageMaps that matched the photo sizes and number of photos. If you are a scrapbooker and really struggle with where to place photos and embellish, I strongly recommend trying a map. There are hundreds to choose from. There are other companies that use maps too. Check it out! It totally revolutionized the design of my scrapbook layouts!

Will talk about the details of my pages, and will start with my week at a glance layout.

For this week's header, I filled in the background with Tim Holtz distress inks, using a baby wipe for blending. Then added doodling with a Sharpie and a few colors of Montana acrylic paint markers. Then, something I haven't done in a while, scrapbook paper! I was working on this page at my friend's scrapbook store when I spied this paper that just went absolutely perfect with my color scheme. Cute patterns of clouds and trees. :)

For the day strips of watercolor, I just used a few colors from a cheap brand of a watercolor pan set.

Now, just to warn you, the next set of photos you might find reduntant, but I could not just settle on which ones to include. I just love my flowers and doodles and colors here...

For the flowers, I used a punch set by Martha Stewart. One punch was the larger hydrangea flower, and the second punch was a set of three smaller ones. Decorated with my Montana acrylic pens, waterbrush filled with Dylusions ink and sharpie markers.

punched flowers out of old book paper (which was the DLP's challenge last week)...

neons mixed with retro pastel colors...

random dots make it so playful...

the second page: 

more flowers
some I punched out of Gelli-prints
others out of old book pages

some font play going on

The 13th was a rainy day, so added a cute little cloud with raindrops.

The little orange bird washi tape was a cheap set of three I found at Walmart. Thought it went well with the feel of this layout. This washi tape fastens the tip-in on the inside, so when you open and close it, everything will stay snug and intact. It bends well, but so decorative at the same time. Washi-tape, that is. :)

Now, for the scrapbook layout on the inside flap:

As seen in the photo of my photo grid, I could have placed another square photo beside the top middle, but I chose to go with a decorated square paper since I didn't have another photo to place there. Could have left it blank totally, but that didn't look quite right when I looked at my layout from a distance.

I used a simple index card for some of the embellishing, adding some journaling and doodles, cut out a piece from some patterned paper, punched more flowers out of Gelli-prints and old book paper, added doodles and dots, and last but not least, some watercoloring.

The background is an old Gelli-print I had laying around. Glued the whole thing to the flap with matte medium. 

Another little square of index card, doodles and flowers tucked in among the square photos which I printed off at www.prinkl.com

And now for the top of the flap: last week's challenge was to include text paper and this week's is to cover your flap with hearts. I did both here.

I think I bent one of the punches, trying to punch out some flowers of a triple layer of paper in the top left part of the page. LOL I was somewhat successful with the flowers, I like how you can see through to the other pages. :) 

I pinned this quote some time ago to my Words board on Pinterest, and since I am reading Mother Teresa's story right now to the kids in my homeschool, I figured it was timely and appropriate! The frame is from the same patterned paper set I got from the scrapbook store. It's Prima brand, but can't remember the name of the line. 

The bright yellow swirls were made using a cute set of Target watercolor gel crayons. You color with them, then wet them, creating a vivid design. LOVE! They are in the kids' section at Target! Only $4.50, or something like that!

Hot neon, two blues, white, and an orange Montana acrylic paint marker for the doodles.

 Stampin' Up punch of three different sized hearts. Use this punch A LOT! Very versatile! Again, I punched book paper, and doodled the edges. 

Really love the washi tape edges of this project! Art to the 5th ladies, you are brilliant! :)

The background is another Gelli-print I found that matched my colors so perfectly. You should see my stack of prints! Kinda embarrassing actually. LOL!

Well, finally the end of a very long post! Had such a great time creating these pages. Worked on it really early in the morning, some in the afternoon, some in the evening, and long into the night sometimes...work of love, it is!

Like Ms. Teresa said, 

Spread love wherever you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier. 

Anna

P.S. Do check out her biography. You won't be disappointed, as she's a very inspiring lady. This is the book I'm reading to my family:

Teresa of Calcutta: Serving the Poorest of the Poor

Week 23 of DLP Summary

Hi everyone! Thanks for stopping by. :)

The right side of this two page layout is the tip-in, as described on the Art to the 5th blog and DLP project. :) A tip-in is a flap you attach to the edge and opens to reveal more pages. 

Underneath will reveal the facing page of my weekly pages (the 4th of June to the 7th). I printed three of my Instagram photos using Prinkl.  I didn't get a photo showing the whole page. Below is some of it as well as the Week 23 challenge on the opposite side of this page. 

So, when you open the flap, this is what is underneath. :) I am really explaining it in a confusing way, but I guess that's how my brain works. Teehee! Basically, when you open the flap, you have a three-page spread. :) In photo above, the right side is the third page. Week 23 Challenge was to write down one thing you are grateful for each day. Fun and important challenge. 

Photo below is a close-up of the middle page.

My sister and I finally planted my garden yesterday. Made a little chart of what is where. Very very pleased that I have a garden! Also planted Hops yesterday. So excited about those. Hoping they will creep to the top of the garage. Our house faces the east wall of our very white garage. {fingers crossed} 

On the opposite side of the little flap you LIFT, is the ICAD 2014 prompts. If you want to see my first three ICADs, go here. Still need to do four of them. I like to do them in batches, though it is meant to decorate one index card per day...:)

A close-up of my Week 23, (First week of June) header. Some fun zentangling of exploding hearts and bright neon pink to make it all crazy looking. :) 

Well, week 23 is done, on to the next week! Next week's challenge is to use book text. That's an easy one, as I do that all the time.  

Happy documenting but do not forget to make meaningful memories with your loved ones.

♥♥♥ Anna ♥♥♥

Gratitude Challenge

•  The Documented Life Project  •

Week 23 Challenge - Practice gratitude - write what you are grateful for each day this week.

"Let us come before Him with thanksgiving." - Psalm 95:2a

• I choose to be very specific with my gratitude list. Wrote down Sunday's, will continue with each day as the week progresses. Really love this challenge. 

• Gelli-print on an old sheet of music.

• Cheap craft paint in neon pink, yellows and oranges.

• Doily die cut for texture.

• Sewed around edges of background with random zigzag and straight stitches.

• Printed off the letters for my title in my digital layout software (I use Lumapix FotoFusion) using fonts Janda Happy Day and Fishfingers.

• Cut them out leaving a small white outline and glued to page.

• Heart and dots and little scallop border with Montana acrylic pen.

• Wrote part of the bible verse on a scrap piece of the background in a random style.

• Cut seven uneven squares of white cardstock and doodled edge for my journal spots.

• Lastly, I changed up the washi tape edge with a plain neon pink paper tape from Target, and added white dots with my Signo Uniball gel pen.

This is my first tip-in! Meaning, adding another page to your existing pages in your planner for added room. As you turn the pages in your planner, you can expand it to a three-page spread, instead of the usual two in any book. Clear as mud, I'm sure. Lol! You adhere the extra page with washi tape, as this project's artists demonstrate on their blog. 

Happy Creating to you! 

♥♥  Anna  ♥♥

Doodles, Watercolors and a Butterfly

My first pic is a little blurry, sorry. Daylight hours are gone, or I would retake this picture. This one will have to do.  Had lots of room to play with the first week of March, as the first landed on a Saturday. (Why did I set it up like this?! Grrrr... )

I just love cabbage roses. My take is somewhat juvenile, but this is a work in progress. After all, it's an ART JOURNAL. Come with me on a little rabbit trail here...

The definition of an ART JOURNAL:

1. It's an artist's journal.
2. It's an illustrated diary.
3. Debbie Hodge says, "Simply put, an art journal is a journal in which you combine art and words to express yourself".
4. It's a playground.
5. It's a place where you can put down your thoughts and questions.
6. It's a place where you can experiment with new techniques and new mediums. 
7. A place where you can learn something new.

So, even if I can't make roses like I'd like to, I can sure practice. That is part of the purpose of my art journal. :) No demand for perfection allowed!

Oh, and the "March" title is driving me crazy, because it's crookedly cut and crookedly mounted on the page. 

There was a crooked man, and he walked a crooked mile.

He found a crooked sixpence upon a crooked stile.

He bought a crooked cat, which caught a crooked mouse,

And they all lived together in a little crooked house.

Oh, sorry! Got distracted...

I added some doodles and stuff to see if I could make it look like it was on purpose. I think I was half successful. Tee hee! Oh, and the letter H I managed to not draw as tall as the other letters, had to improvise. so another imperfection. ;)

About the butterfly. I love it. It's a Tattered Angels stencil that I've had for ages. I simply placed it down on the page, masked off the other areas where I didn't want color, and proceeded to spray with three different colors of Dylusions Ink. They kinda blended together, and I really really like it. I might add colorful ombre sequins to the body of the butterfly yet. We'll see.

Next, I dropped droplets of water onto the color in random areas, creating this pooled watercolor look, which makes the colors brighter. 

I really like the washi tape there on the left edge...Each page of this art journal has a washi tape edge, in the spirit of The Documented Life Project.

This page spread is really FULL. I like to doodle while I listen to sermons at church. In this case, we did church at home this last Sunday. Made some notes while listening to a QandA session with Tim Keller. Those notes probably don't make a lot of sense to anyone but those that actually listened to it, but that's okay. It's my journal, my diary. :) Later, I added more doodles to fill out the page. The white paper is the top side of a flap.

I added many flaps to this side of the spread, as you will see in the next few photos. One of the challenges in the DLP was to make a flap on a flap. Not sure which number of challenge that was, but here it is. I am not following the challenges chronologically with this project, I'm all over the map. But that's okay. That's how I roll. My main goal is to document my every day, not necessarily the artsy part. It's a side benefit. Whoo hoo!

See the bright pink dots paper, with the words "about me"? That is another flap, but accordion-folded.

I created those circles using my Copic markers. Did that a long time ago, when I first had the markers. Saved the page in one of my sketch books, and finally gave it a real home in this art journal. Some of my own handwriting paired with some Basic Grey letter stickers, and we're good to go. Week 10 of the DLP was to creat a list of what makes me, ME. It was funny. I had just completed this list on a Friday, and the next day I read the challenge, and it fit exactly. It's not really a list of EXACTLY what makes me, ME, but it's a li'l list of little details about me. Figured that was close enough. :)

Saturday, the first of March was a crazy day of hubby helping me clean. Not my favoritist memory, 'cause he was a tad disgusted at my lack of deep cleaning...I can laugh about it now, but I was really mad at him for about a day. #maritalbliss But now, I have no dust on my fridge, no dust on my microwave, etc, etc. Was it worth it really? Not sure. Tee hee!

The map revealed under the first flap is one I tore out of a vintage atlas. Yummy. Love me some maps.

Let me tell you all about The Book Thief. If you loooove books, you gotta read this one and watch the movie. It's so sweet! (And sad.) I watched the movie first, then went out and bought the book. Not sure which to do first. Maybe...watch the movie first. The book is written in a really unique format, but it might be quite confusing if you hadn't watched the movie. It leaps from place to place. It reads just like the way I think: in a spaghetti-like fashion. LOL!

ANYWAYS...the quote above is one of the many juicy ways the author used to explain physical settings. Very very cool. Never thought of clouds "making room for each other" before! It's a literary genius! Couldn't stop thinking of this description. Hubby wasn't very interested, my twin wasn't really either, but the pages of my gesso-ed up art journal sure were all ears! Like I said earlier, an art journal can be so many things. I love writing down quotes. It's a perfect place for them.

I joined a postcard swap, and this is a lovely, lovely one I got blessed with.  My very first art postcard swap. Definitely want to do more of them! I think the squares are from a Gelli-print. It's darling! Thank you Melissa Schroeder! I attached it to another flap. So, flap on a flap - I did it! *The challenge, that is.)

I am learning so much about drawing since I started Zentangling! Love me some doodles.

 I got a little carried away with my ten things, and ended up with eleven. What can I say. So, every flap I make, I use washi tape. Simple simple. Nothing fancy. Simple.

Well, that's enough of my jabbing at you. 

adieu

goodbye

auf wiedersehen

au revoir