WOYWW #177--The Only Thing Spooky Here is the Mess!

I decided to take an afternoon and use up some old scrapbook papers--that's when I got carried away! What a mess I created! I worked on my altered book art journal...then I moved on to creating some blank tags for all my art journals...I made bookmarks...and then about the time I wanted to work on some cards, my aching back said, "No no Nanette...you're done. Back to your knitting!" I rallied, later on, and worked on my fairy wings--we are having a big family chili buffet for Halloween, taking the kids around the neighborhood, and answering our own door to dole out candy to our trick-or-treaters. I'm sure we'll be watching The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown over and over and just having a good time. 

Happy Halloween and WOYWW everyone! Visit worktables from around the world right here. Don't be afraid! We won't bite you--not all the work tables are as messy as mine!

I love making blank tags for art journaling from my scrap paper stash!

Sewing lots of patches on my fairy wings!

Maybe I'll finish this one and start on the new one next week!

 

Eat, Write, Dream, and Stitch--even when your back hurts!

Altered Book Art Journal

 I love finding old books at library sales and using them for a plethora things beyond reading and reference! I know there are those who cringe at the thought of destroying a book. That would only bother me if it were a rare, limited edition, or absolutely ancient. But this fairly recent spiral bound book on the subject of housekeeping is ideal for transforming into an art journal for next year. 

Book price: fifty cents. Supplies: what I have on hand.

Going through my scrapbook papers stash

 

BEFORE: Inside cover--my cutout images layed out

AFTER: Inside cover

Supplies on hand: white paint, mod podge, gloss sealer spray

Began the inside cover with a light coat of white acrylic

Positioned my cutout images right on the paint, let dry, and then painted on mod podge

Added a scrapbook paper and images on the right, mod podge, let dry, then gloss sealer on both sides.

 My scrapbooking papers stash has come out to play, along with white acrylic paint, mod podge and gloss sealer spray. Now that I have all the inside pages painted--that is, all the pages I wanted to destroy because I've actually kept a few in tact just for fun--I am ready to do the cover, the inside, and then gradually add papers, stamping and decoration to all of the painted pages. For one, this will help them not stick together, since I painted them and didn't use gesso. And two, this book will be prepared for all the art journaling...just like the concept of a Smash book. Only, I'm doing it my way with some mixed media. And that's what really makes it fun.

I decided to put some cross-stitch on the cover--my theme is heART Journal, and then I found these stamp-like images on some scrapbook paper stock and that's when the mod podge came out! I cut out the ones I liked and this became my cover and inside cover decorations. As I work on this ongoing altered book project, off and on, it will probably take a few more weeks to get all the pages prepared. I'm going to label the months in here for 2013, and boom! I've got an art journal, made from a fifty cent book and all my scraps.

A scrap piece of tea-stained aida cloth, some floss, and a design I just made up as I stitched.

The original cover

 Eat, Write, Dream, and Stitch the unexpected.

Sunday Threads

CASTING all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you.

I Peter 5:7

Art Journal Every Day--When Your Ribbon Runs Out...

 Does anyone out there remember typewriters...and typewriter ribbon?
So what do you do, when you have a little typewriter you ADORE and the manufacturer no longer makes the ribbons for it? You cry, and art journal about it! AND use the used typewriter ribbon IN your art journaling!

A search on Ebay and other sources told me that my little typewriter's days are numbered. Because it was stored away for about a decade before I pulled it out one day to show my daughter who said, "what's that?" I still have four ribbon cartridges! Unlike computer printer ink, typewriter ribbons do not dry up and crumble, thank goodness. The other day I was typing some words on some fun craft paper to use in my journal when the current ribbon ran out. It occurred to me, as I was changing out the ribbon, that I could see the words reversed out on the old ribbon, and that's when I decided it was great art journaling material.

In my Smash book journal, there are some of the pages that have graphics I don't particularly like, and I end up sort of destroying them. This was a page I had painted and stamped on for a while before I finally decided what to do with it. My little typewriter ribbon house was born with my text about how much I'll miss my little Brother typewriter! Months ago, I wrote a little blog about the issue...you can read my really sad typewriter story here. At the time of that blog, I thought I only had a package of three ribbons left--but later, found another in a drawer of an old table! Crazy! So at least I'm four ribbon cartridges away from the end of the line. This was the coolest little typewriter ever--but somehow, more than blogging about it, art journaling about it makes me feel even better.

I recently bought my first gelatos and used them to color in my poppies here. Fun! Love those things--like crayons for grownups.

I made the house's window with paint chips for panes, and washi tape.

Art washes from the soul the dust of everyday life. -Picasso

"They could tell you how to paint their landscape, but they couldn't tell you how to paint mine."
Georgia O'Keefe


"A large red drop of sun lingered on the horizon and then dripped over and was gone."
John Steinbeck

"Write on your heart that every day is the best day in the year."
Ralph Waldo Emerson

"The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears or the sea."
Isak Dinesen

"A river may twist and turn on its way to the sea, but it knows its destination."
Unknown


This beautiful photograph taken last week by my high school friend, Mary, of a Florida sunset, inspired me to pull a few quotes from my lengthy quote collection. I have a page in my art journal about water--and I'm going to write them all in there. I think it's important, in the digital age, to use your handwriting in your art. Someday, your children and their children will want to see it! Who knows how far in the future handwriting may become a very treasured thing. As much as I treasure the sea.

Eat soup, Write daily, Dream sweet, Stitch sassy.

Creative Mess - WOYWW #177

Well hello there! What's on your creative workspace today? I can't wait to hop around some blogs and find out! 

Visit our lovely bloghop host, Julia, here to participate in What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday.

My worktable is messy, happy, and busy! I have a new ruler/stencil laying there--OF COURSE, it was a Michael's 50% off coupon buy, as are the new gelato crayon marker thingies--I am having sooo much fun with those! I've never tried them before, but I really really like them. However, when I go get my Michaels goodie this week, I think I'll be on the lookout for an acrylic paint set and some gesso--just the basics. I've been art journaling and stitching like a mad woman. I have not knitted as much as I'd like, but tonight I'm going to catch up on episodes I've recorded of "Call the Midwife" and have myself a knitting party! I will welcome the calm, because I was busy all weekend with projects, a high school reunion lunch in the park, and my nephew's hockey games followed by a wonderful family dinner out. It was fun--and this time, not only did I take pictures, but I've printed them out already. Remember our vow? Print those pictures, don't leave them in a digital void on your phone! Love you guys!

Those luscious gelatos! They came with a clear stamp.

Yes, I have a magic wand! I'm making fairy wings to go with it!

The everlasting saga of the butterfly scarf.

Eat, Write, Dream, and Stitch yourself happy.

Hello Kitties! Easy to Make Little Kitty Pillows

I love how easy these stuffed kitties are to make--and it only takes three or four of them to turn into a cute gift. You know the drill. Cut out the fabric, right sides together, sew around the edges, leaving a gap to turn right side out, stuff, and whip stitch closed. You can make them whatever size you wish, and use your scrap fabric! And of course, I have to stitch a flat one, without stuffing, for my art journal--I put everything in my art journal!

I have had this pattern for decades!

I stitched this one from an old quilt square.

And now I must leave you with a beautiful sunset my friend from high school days, Mary, took on her recent trip to Florida! Eat, Write, Dream of the Beach, Stitch!

Sunday Threads

"For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ."

Galations 3:27

Art Journal Inchie Gallery

My mixed-media art journal page of the week started out as a mini art gallery. Last year I participated in a blog linkup called Every Inchie Monday, and every Monday we had a theme to create these one-inch-square works of art. Many of my Inchies were created with fabric--and to display some of those, I made a little crazy quilt, check it out here. Fun! But for my surviving papercraft Inchies, I decided to put them in an art journal page, like a little gallery, and after that I layered on some goodies--fabric, sequins, paper flowers, stamps, washie tape, netting from some fruit, and a page from a decades old novel. I was having a crafty weekend, and had all this stuff laying around--so why not! To some, it may look like a sticker sneeze of sort, but to me, it all means something special--right down to the chocolate candy wrapper where I got the word "Minis." I smashed it on there while eating the chocolate!

Eat, Write, Dream, Stitch.

Overwintering the plants

 So the time has come to start picking all the healthy green tomatoes from the garden. The weather, while lovely most days, is not to be trusted here in the Ozarks. We've already had a frosty morning here and there, a violent thunderstorm and tornado warnings just a few nights ago, and my tomato plants are still loaded with growing tomatoes! So, I'm gathering in the green ones too and letting them ripen on the greenhouse. Because I don't trust the chance-of-frost--I've brought in a lot of plants too to start overwintering them. This means, I bring in everything I can onto my greenhouse sun porch (a completely enclosed room with tons of windows which is not heated or cooled), and I water most of the pots about once a week. It's kind of fun to have all my babies inside for the winter, and gives me a chance to do things like repot some of the herbs at my leisure. I think I'll dig out my recipe for fried green tomatoes--yum!!

Repotted my little flat-leaf parsley plant into an old ceramic pot.

Eat, Write, Dream, Stitch, Grow.

Havin' My Morning Coffee and a Little WOYWW #176

 Happy What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday beautiful crafters! I've got my coffee and I'm ready to visitate! And I am very proud to say I had a really productive weekend in my crafty corner of the world--where I live here in the U.S., in the Ozarks, surrounded by lakes, streams, ponds, and the little thriving city I live in, just down the road from a very touristy little music town.
Anyhoo--this weekend, my crafting table was fully loaded because I was stitching, cutting, painting, knitting, writing, stamping and gluing. It was so fun, and I feel refreshed! Oooh! Forgot to snap a pic of this, but, my sale item of the week from Michaels was a beautiful new spiral bound mixed-media journal. That means I can watercolor in it, use markers, stamping, colored pencil...whatever I want, it's a completely blank slate. With a combined sale and a coupon, I got 60% off...and I bought my daughter a new Smash book. She is very excited to get her art journaling going again.

So now, things have calmed down, and been put away for the busy work week--except my knitting and art journaling. Also, I was beyond THRILLED to get a delicious parcel from the United Kingdom on Saturday, from my 51-club soul sister Jan. Visit Lunch Lady Jan right here. We exchanged things made from scraps--mine, an ATC, and hers, are the cutest most adorable pin cushion EVER, and this amazingly beautiful Christmas bunting. I don't want to show it off too much yet, because it is going to trim a whole table filled with my Nutcracker collection this Christmas. I don't know, something about this bunting makes me want to go ahead and have that Christmas open house I postponed from last year, just to show it off!!

Laying on my worktable here is an old photo of my grandmother as a little girl which has been printed onto fabric and will be part of a little art quilt.

My pin cushion from Jan wants to live on my worktable to take care of all those stray pins that get away during my mad mess project sessions! It reminds me that ladies in my tribe of crafters live so far away, yet we have so much in common.

Beautiful Christmas bunting from Jan!

Chunky new yarn--soon to become butterfly scarf number 2!

A page in my Smash book

Here is one of the art journal pages I've been layering on over the weekend. This is a photo taken on my phone when my husband and I attended a Tent Theatre reunion one weekend and we were then in the audience to see the special performance of the musical, 42nd Street. What was funny was, later, when we were looking at my phone pictures we realized that actor John Goodman is in this picture! He is a Tent Theatre alum, and was at the reunion and happened to be sitting behind us. I had no idea. But that's not really the point. The point is, we take so many pictures, especially with our phones, and never print them out! So my new vow is to get those pics on paper, and hopefully into my art journal too. I smash all kinds of things into an art journal page, and later when I look at it again, it makes me so happy. I love using lots of textures--like there I have a feather I found in the garden, and a little crochet flower. And of course, anytime I can crown myself a princess, I do!

Butterfly scarf update: I've finally started adding in the purple!!! And it's getting long!

Eat dinner with your family, Write what makes you happy, Dream in chocolate, Stitch your scraps into works of art.