Stamping on the Go - Art Journal Friday

There is no reason why your stamps shouldn't travel with you, whether you're going to the office, a crop, or a getaway. On this day I wanted to do a little art journaling and stamping in my Midori Traveler's notebook, during the day, so I found this little makeup bag perfect for taking a couple of ink pads and a few stamping supplies because it zips all the way open. Just what I needed!
The bottom was not even expanded all the way with the supplies I packed, so I know I could get more ink pads and stamps in here!

 
I've been quite obsessed with my "dolldori" lately, and I love the art journal booklet I made for it out of watercolor paper, because it will take any medium. I've never doodled sugar skulls before, so for this October, I want to make a lot of flowerly sugar skulls!

My Dolldori

 If you'd like to see a flip-thru of my homemade fabric Midori Traveler's Notebook, click here. I use it for planning, listing, and art journaling. It's like your life wrapped up in one book!

Eat, Write, Dream, Stitch

Planner Peace in My Midori - Scrappy Stash Busters

Love, love, love planning in my Midori.

I didn't think this was going to happen, but then I found a free printable planner on MyLifeAllInOnePlace.com, and decided to try it.

Inside cover of my Midori planner

Que music. Planner peace!!

The weekly planner layout, 6 months per booklet, gives me plenty of room to write my lists, to-do's, add stickers, and write in appointments.
 

A blank week where I've already added a few planner stickers

Outside cover of my Midori planner

 The most fun thing about making booklets is decorating them with scrapbook paper, washi tape and stickers!

This baby goes everywhere

My Midori always travels in my bag, so why not have a planner in it! What really makes it work for me is the other booklets inside. Next to my planner is my list book. I just made it with a pad of yellow lined paper, and I feel free, because the paper's not fancy, to just scribble all kinds of lists: apps I want, recipes to try from Pinterest, craft shopping, very specific to-do's, household project...you get the idea, no list is off limits!

 My pretty patterned paper stash is getting a workout with my Midori booklets - love that. Next, after my planner and simple lists book is a booklet I made with nice lined paper called Random Notes, Thoughts & Quotes. I'm a quote collector, and too many times I've written these things in my planner on the go, and then they get lost. This is why this book is a perfect companion, but it all stays together and doesn't get dated. 

Next is my booklet dedicated to my Side Hustles. So when I have an idea or thought pertaining to my craft selling, Etsy, or writing projects, it has its own special place and I know where to go back and find it. If I'm planning a due date for something, then it's right here next to my planner. Perfect and peaceful. And by the way, I love this new Post-It tape!

My art journal is the last booklet, and it's made of watercolor paper. I also carry a small palette in my  bag, so I can paint and draw whenever and wherever. I love having an art journal in with my planner, lists, and side hustle booklets because sometimes my art relates to something else, like creating my new logo, or inspired by a quote.

I love this swing-out board I made with a grommet attaching it to my dashboard in my Midori. It has washi tape on the go! I made the board with an old planner cover trimmed up to the size I needed. Talk about upcycling. My dashboard is simply card stock patterned paper with stickers, a clip from a very old Workbasket Magazine from the fifties, and laminated so you can stick blank post-it paper to use on the go. Inside my dashboard is a folder I made as well with six pockets. Love, love, love it all!

 The moral of the story is, I obviously can't operate with just a planner. My planner has to have a lot of buddies that cover all the aspects of my day. The Midori solves all those problems. And bonus, I stitched this Midori myself with matryoshka fabric that I'm crazy about because I'm obsessed with those Russian dolls!

About two months ago, I didn't really know anything about Midori traveler's notebooks, and look at me now! And I'm old! I'm telling you that last bit because I've seen too many who think they have nothing to plan, so why have a planner. To that I say, celebrate your life every day. Plan things to do, watch, read, eat, drink, make, buy, cook...enjoy every minute.

Que music...planner peace!

Eat, Write, Dream, Stitch

Use Your Words

Hope is the thing with feathers

That perches in the soul

And sings the tune

Without the words

And never stops at all.

And the sweetest in the gale is heard

And sore must be the storm

That could abash that little bird

That kept so many warm

I’ve heard it in the chilliest land

And in the strangest sea

And never in the extremity

It asks a crumb of me.

—Emily Dickinson

Looking for a new idea for a junk journal? How about a hopes and dreams book? Use old file folders, index cards, and scrapbook paper scraps to put together a colorful and special journal and fill it with words of wisdom, encouragement, and joy. You'll want to reference it often.

I use my old typewriter, stamps, ticket stubs, old pattern books, and a flower here and there. These word sticker books make it easy to add your sentiments too. Then get out your markers, colored pencils and gelatos and color away!

This is one of my favorite junk journals with covers made from vintage file dividers

 

My typewriter is covered with stickers - I like it this way. I only have three ribbons left until the poor thing is obsolete. I'm glad I had the foresight back then to buy so many ribbons, they should actually last me for a few years.

 

Eat, Write, Dream, Stitch

Doodle a Day ... Doodley Doo

I love participating in Art Journal Friday--but I don't have a real art journal page to share today! I've been keeping a little sketch book in my bag though, so that at least I can do a doodle a day. Well...it's something, right? 

 Just a little doodle in honor of my little boho business idea. Nothing like a colorful pair of pants!

Also thought I would share the blog candy I won from the Unity Stamp Company's Thursday blog hop! Click here to visit their blog. I love the Unity Itty Bitty stamps so much, and I won eight of them all at once on the Thursday blog hop. The package came in the mail right away--at first, Joseph wouldn't give it back to me! (I think he's still miffed from the sparkly bum incident the other day...see my blog from Wednesday.)

I squealed when I opened this happy mail. I'm gonna have a lot of fun this weekend. Tags, scrapbooking, cards, and art journaling--here I go!

So, if you can't manage a full-blown art journal page--a doodle will make you feel dandy like blog candy. (I made that up! Amazing.)

Eat, Write, Dream, Stitch, Doodle

Doodle a Day

Wouldn't it be amazing if I actually could make myself get into that art journal every single day and do something. AND, if I couldn't art journal for some reason, at least doodle something! I've been caught away from home many days with no art supplies or art journal in reach. But, I always have this little sketch book in my bag and a few colored pencils--so today I doodled. It felt good. I love to be grateful for something every day.

It's just not always easy to bring my big ole art journal with me when I have a heavy bag for the day already. I do like this little sketch book though for jotting down a doodle that can become a future art journal page.

I also had this stamp I just picked up at Michaels for three bucks. I couldn't resist the little typewriter! A clear block and little stamps are very portable.

Soon my little typewriter stamp become a full-blown doodle in my little sketch book. Happy.

Eat, Write, Dream, Stitch, Doodle

A Doodle and a Stitch

 It's important to find your bliss every day. But some days are harder than others...we over-commit our time, we get sick, our kids get sick, and computers get sick! Artists and crafters also need to carve out that time and space, every day if they can, to create. It's an outlet for the soul. Some days I can barely manage a doodle in the art journal, and a stitch of floss onto a little piece of fabric. But if that's all I did today, then that's all I needed to do! Have a happy Tuesday!

Eat, Write, Dream, Stitch Happy

Art Journal Friday - Me an My House

As a dollhouse lover, (I recently updated my Victorian dollhouse and made it a Scrapbook Dollhouse project - click here to see it) I love making little houses of all kinds. When I was little my teacher taught us how to make an origami paper dollhouse out of a sheet of 8-1/2X11 paper, and I must have made a zillion of those! The perk was being able to draw and color in your own furniture! So any chance I get, I'm making paper houses in the pages of my art journal.

Art Journal Friday - Cuppa Thankful

I seem to get a lot more art journaling done when I just splash down some paint, then go back later and doodle a little, glue some paper, and then finally the journaling just happens. I used metallic watercolors to lay some different shades of gold onto this page. The next day, it suddenly came to life with this purple-haired lady who seemed to be thankful for everything. I love a lady in a paper dress! She inspired me that day to do a whole other craft project!

Art Journal Friday - Doodles and Lists

Art journaling is such a simple, creative outlet. Today I wasn't making anything in particular--just covering a page with thoughts and lists, watercolor, doodles, old dress pattern paper and a page from an old music book. Very therapeutic! ♥

Art Journal Friday--Shh! It's a wig, not a cross-stitch.

This page smashed together what I happened to be feeling that day. First, I was going through a basket of UFO's (unfinished objects) when I ran across a pathetic little piece of cross-stitch. Once upon a time, it was going to be a flower basket motif--but for whatever reason, I didn't get past the flowers. I started snipping around it wondering what I could do, where I could patch it in, and this was while I was working on an art journal page. When I turned it upside down, it hit me.

My first cross-stitch wig!

Suddenly it had a place on a page where I was celebrating summer, celebrating back to school, and putting on  a wig of happiness...so thankful for my family, the beautiful weather, and all the fun things that come with this time of year.

Layers of papers, paint, stamping, gelato, marker, ric rac and fabric.

I love filling up my Smash book.

Eat, Write, Dream, Stitch, Journal

Art Journal Friday--Paper Sack

 A paper sack page in my upcycled art journal just needed a few words today. This page torn from a Panera Bread paper sack (one of my favorite places) was partially prepared with a little water color and some punched-out tags from scraps. So it's all pretty scrappy, yet inspiring to me. The white paint came next...just slapped on with the paint left on a brush after I had painted a table. The edges were inked and another page was done.

You can click here to see how the whole upcycled art journal was made.

Happy Friday!

Eat, Write, Dream, Stitch, Journal

Tuesday Good Mood Board

Theme Song: Treasure
Goals: Work on Christmas scripts, art journal, sew, exercise and yoga
Thought: Be bold pray big
Words: Strength...Energy...Passion
Gratitude: What a beautiful day to live life and go for your dreams

Eat, Write, Dream, Stitch

Make a Tissue Box Pocket Journal - Paint on the Go

One minute you're dabbing away the tears from the season finale of Downton Abbey--and the next minute you're onto an adventure with your lovely pocket journal tucked in your bag--all made from the same tissue box that tended to your tears!!

Okay, that was dramatic, but seriously, who doesn't want to upcycle a tissue box into something so fantastic? I started buying Hyvee brand tissues (my grocery store), mainly because I liked the design of their nice, fat and tall tissue boxes. I mean, someone went to a lot of trouble to make them pretty enough to sit on our vanities!
When all the tissues are gone, I snip up the pretty cardboard and make these fun little watercolor journals, ready to tuck in your bag, and paint your thoughts! Here's how it goes.

STEP 1: Cut your cardboard to a nice vertical size. It will be folded in half.

STEP 2: Use a paint pen to create the spine in the center, and let dry.

STEP 3: Score down the center and make a nice, clean fold.
STEP 4: Use markers, scrapbook paper, and even tags and stickers to decorate the outside and inside of the cover.
STEP 5: Prepare some craft wire and beads for the handle.

  STEP 6: Cut a strip of watercolor paper and measure it to fit inside your cover, scoring and folding for an accordian fold-out. Or, you can fold in half and place inside. You can fit in anywhere from 4 to 10 little pages. You can cut it to size, or use a ruler and tear it for a fun rough edge.

   STEP 7: Use a heavy duty hole punch and punch two small holes in the spine, going through the watercolor paper and the cover. Poke the craft wire through the holes, add beads, and twist and trim it closed.

Each little pocket journal can be decorated differently--then it's time to paint your first page!

This will fit into any bag.

Eat, Write, Dream, and Stitch Happy.