Art Journaling: my 'recipe-card' art journal for LSNED

Hello, hello.

I first joined in with Shimelle Laine's Learn Something New Everyday project last September and, as it was such a positive experience, I felt like I really should make the effort to join in once again this year.

Last time round:

• I ended the month with  notebook filled with scrappy, art journally pages which I was really happy with. Plus I felt that by creating 30 of them in the month really helped me find my art journaling style. Not only that but ...
•  it was during LSNED that I created my 'Art Journal page from Start to Finish' tutorial which remains the most viewed post on my blog and furthermore ...
• it was my LSNED pages which led the editor of Stampington's Art Journaling magazine to ask me to contribute to their Spring issue this year ...

... so you can probably see why I wanted to give it another whirl this year.

This time round:

• I wanted to try a different format - something other than a notebook which my regular art journaling tends to happen in;
• I also wanted it to be in 'landscape' format rather than 'portrait' ... just because;

But by day 6 I still hadn't done anything useful at all on it and was beginning to think I might just quietly drop the idea of joining in altogether ... and then I spotted a pile of folded recipe cards I bought months ago,for purposes as then unknown. But it certainly wasn't for writing recipes on. I don't do recipes. I prefer art journaling ...

... and so my LSNED 2012 project was born ...

My LSNED album consists of:

• 15 folded recipe cards cut in half to make 30 - one for each day of the month;
• a base layer of gesso and acrylic paint either slapped on [very technical process] or sponged through a stencil plus various shades of ink sprayed and flicked around the place;
• a limited colour palette of mainly white, pink, cream and red- just to set myself a challenge;
• a traditional library date stamp;
• an image for each day - cut from my vintage book collection / 'Plundered Pages';
• appropriate wording cut from vintage books;
• half handwritten / half stamped journaling;
• a date at the bottom - cut from the Radio Times;
• plus various paper scraps, stickers and washi tape;
• and they're all stored inside a decorated Collections Elements Creative Folder which I'll share with you on Tuesday in a 'How To' [my 3DJean Design Team project this month].

[If you like the style of my pages I've put together 3 kits containing some of the same elements I've used - so you might like to look at the full kit details here.]

But for now ... here's how Week One looks:

September 1st:

I've only worked on one side of the recipe cards, leaving the back as a more private spot for extra journaling either inspired by Shimelle's prompt for that day ... or where I've wandered off with my own thoughts for the day.

September 2nd:

September 3rd:

September 4th:

September 5th:

For the record: While I'm not going to get into explaining what each page means ... rest assured that this one is not about James! I was thinking more of metaphorical hand-holding. Not the literal kind. I still like that!

September 6th:

For the record: it was a cheese + onion pasty ... ;-)

September 7th:

Right then .. that's the first 7 ... I'll be back tomorrow with my the next 7 cards which go to make up Learn Something New Everyday Week 2 ...

... and in the meantime you can drop by to have a quick look at the recipe card kits I've put together here.

See you soon.

Julie :-)

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You can view my pages from Week 2 in a separate blog post here.

Giveaway winner + shop update

Hello hello.

So ... lots of you like scarves too then? But alas I only  have one to give away and it goes to ....

Congratulations Karen! Can you email me the postal address you'd like me to send your prize to please [there's a link to my email in my righthand sidebar] ... then I'll get this to you ASAP:

[For the record: there were 48 comments on the giveaway post, the online random number selector I used chose '29' and while counting I skipped over one of the comments as it wasn't a competition entry.]

If you want another chance to win something ... there's still time to enter my giveaway being hosted over at shimelle.com where you can win a customised pack of Plundered Pages! [Competition closes midnight UK time Thursday 20th Sept].

And, speaking of Plundered Pages ...

... as of today, there are 8 new packs in the shop with mainly outdoors, fresh air, in nature, muddy feet type themes. Here's a peek:

To be more precise the themes are:

• Out + About. Adventures;
• In the Garden;
• On the Farm;
• Wonderful Woodland [1 + 2]
• A Turn in the Weather. The Seasons [1 + 2] and ...
• entirely unrelated ... Egypt!

For more details and images just swing by the Plundered Pages section of the shop.

OK, that's all from me for tonight. Karen - don't forget to send me your address and we'll have you wearing that scarf by the weekend!

Julie :-)

Gudrun Sjoden Giveaway!

Hi, hi, hi.

You know how I love serendipity and believe you get what you give? Well, earlier in the week - as I was absorbed with the Fabricky Bits kits I was launching in my shop - I was a little bit taken aback with a particularly exciting example of it. And I get to share it with one of you too!

After [somehow] discovering an art journaling post of mine, where I happened to mention which catalogue I'd cut up for my page, the UK PR firm for the Gudrun Sjoden clothing brand [whose catalogue I'd abused] approached me to ask if I'd like one of their scarves.

Well ... errrmmm ... of course I would!

I've been a fan of the brand for many years, I've been pinning their dresses to Pinterest since I started there, I blogged about the brand - of my own accord - for The Copy & Paste Project 2 years ago, and I've been wearing my only Gudrun Sjoden pieces - a Christmas gift of hat + fingerless gloves - every Winter for around the last decade!

But, I pondered for a while before screaming 'YES!' as ... well ... you rarely get nothing for nothing do you? So I double-checked for strings-attached ...found none ... and once I was convinced it was a genuine offer ... I accepted**. 

And here I am wearing it:

But... here's what really clinched the deal ... they sent me a scarf to pass on to one of you too meaning I get to share the good fortune. One of my favourite things to do!

Here's the one I'll be sending to a randomly selected winner next week:

Look! It even comes in its own lovely fabric bag ...

So, would you like this colourful addition to your winter wardrobe? To brighten up the dark wintry days ahead?  Or those in the Southern hemisphere ... would you like it to wrap it around yourself on the beach? [It's definitely large enough].

Or maybe you'd like it to give away as a gift yourself?

Whatever  ... here's what you need to know ...

GIVE AWAY DETAILS:

• Simply comment on this post making it clear you'd like me to package this up and mail it your way.
• Make sure you are logged into an account which links me back to a way to contact you if you win;
• If you must post as 'Anonymous' you'll need to leave an email address or external link where I can contact you;
• I will use an online random number generator to select a winner form the comments.
• I will announce the winner ASAP here on my blog, via Twitter and my Facebook page.
• If I can't get in touch, or don't hear back from the winner, within 3 days, I'll select another.
• I will be paying all postage costs personally + will post it out within the week ending 21st Sept.

DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES:  9pm [UK time] Monday 17th September 2012.

If you'd like to spread the word to any friends you think would like the scarf, you're welcome to share the giveaway via social media.

Best of luck to you ... now go leave a comment!

Julie :-)

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**Disclaimer:
I was sent one Gudrun Sjoden scarf for myself and another to give away here. There were no conditions set by the PR company and they requested no review of the products nor links to their site etc whatsoever.

Any opinions, excitement, gushiness and excessive adjectives expressed in this post are entirely my own and come from a genuine delight at having [a] a new scarf from a brand I've coveted for years and [b] the chance to share the treat with someone else.

Introducing: Fabricky Bits

Hello.

I've got something I'd like you to meet ...

It's my new range of creativity kits which I've called ... Fabricky Bits.

Because they are!

Here's how I describe them in my Etsy shop:

*FABRICKY BITS* are ... well ... they're exactly what it sounds like! Bits. Of the fabricky sort.

These happy, jumbled, bundles of inspiration contain:

** a mix of colour co-ordinated fabrics, ribbons & trimmings.

The contents are a mix of new, vintage + reclaimed, & others somewhere-in-between.

They're also:
*** a delicious boost of inspiration for your sewing projects, cardmaking, scrapbooking, mixed-media work & so much more;
*** ideal to take along to a coffee shop / crafty morning / workshop / holiday as the contents co-ordinate;
*** perfect 'starter kits' for anyone who wants to build up a supply of unique fabrics + trimmings;
*** ideal self-contained packs for art and textile students and also school children.

Plus ... they're priced to sell at just £5.00. [They're better off out of my work room and into your crafty hands I reckon!]

I loved putting these together - compiling these mini colour stories and naming each one appropriately was a lot of fun. For example .... below we have, amongst others, 'Kingfisher Coloured', 'Mint Choc Chip', 'Night Sky' and 'A Misty Morning':

 Hopefully these will appeal to all kinds of crafters [happily 3 have already been sent on their way since their debut on Tuesday ... so it's a good start!] ... however ...

... I think they might just be the perfect fit for papercrafters who dabble in adding fabric to projects, but who don't want to have to buy full pieces of fabric just to make some bunting on a scrapbook page for example.

Also, as I mentioned above, they'd be great for art students too - again, because there's just enough of everything in the packs to make an interesting project, yet without there being any waste or overwhelming mounds of supplies left over! [This angle, which I didn't even think of, was pointed out to me by three separate people, independent of one another ... which makes me believe they must have a point!]

Half of the stock I've put together so far is now on sale at the SkyBlueRed Studio shop in Guisborough N.Yorks and now, after much photo taking, editing and description writing ... the other half are available here in the shop:

Click image to visit the Fabricky Bits section of the shop

If you do swing by the shop you'll also see the latest themed Plundered Pages packs which include:

• Dogs; [Yes dogs. Particularly golden labs. And me a phobic! The only dogs I can work with are illustrated ones!]
• At One with Nature [perfect for anyone with a strong connection and affinity to nature, trees, the seasons]
• Gorgeous Graphics, Geometrics + Colour; [A fab pack for art journalers / smashbookers, filled with colour + form. Eminently cut-up-able.]

And you'll also see the Halloween pack, Disney packs and yet another Harry Potter pack I've added over recent weeks.

And if that's not enough to be getting on with ... in the coming weeks I'll be adding some new Interesting Bits kits with themes including: Rustic Halloween; Gothic Romance; Parisian Love Notes and Christmas ...  so watch this space.

Don't forget - if you've ever made anything with any of my kits, I really would love to see. Just get in touch.

Phew, now you've made it to the end of this post I think you deserve to go put your feet up, drink something nice .... and have a browse around the shop.

Enjoy!

Julie :-)

Scrapbooking: A Justified Excuse

Hi, hi.

Round these parts Wednesdays are Justified days.

In fact, it's just as accurate to say that my life has become a Justified life ... because ...

Ever since I first clapped eyes on it - when we watched the entire first season over Easter weekend - I don't think I've gone a week without watching at least one episode.

After watching Season 1 ... twice ... on demand, we bought the Season 2 box set ... and watched that ... twice ... then Season 3 began on TV ... so we watched that too. Then I had to introduce my Mam and sister to it as we meet up each Wednesday night ...which is when Season 3 was airing ... and I couldn't possibly have missed it!!

Then they caught the bug.

So, when Season 3 finished ... they wanted to know what had happened in the previous 2 series ... so now, every Wednesday night we watch between 1 and 3 episodes of Seasons 1 & 2 ... and I'm keeping a close eye on the release date for the Season 3 box set.

Basically, to cut a long story short ... for the last 5 months I've been living part time in Kentucky!

This is not normal behaviour. Not for me. I really don't have an obsessive or addictive nature.

Not since I was a teenager, when I was slightly addicted to Bros ... Bill + Ted and then Little Angels and Guns N Roses ... have I ever followed anything this avidly.

So either there's something special about the show ... or I'm having an early midlife crisis. I'm open to either explanation.

I think part the frequent watching and re-watching is definitely down to the communal element though. It's something James and I both enjoy equally and now so does the rest of my family. And it gives us a talking point ... and leads to some fun times ...

I blogged some photos from the Justified end of season 3 party we had here  ... and I thought you might like to see the scrapbook page which followed:

Note: I blurred out the other faces because ... it's one thing to blog photos of yourself ...

wearing a felt 'tache while pretending to be Dickie Bennet ...

... but it's quite another thing to blog photos of innocent non-blogging [yet basically just as weird] family members.

Even the family member who brought her own plastic gun and Sheriff badge:

Right ... I'd best be off ... it's Wednesday after all and you know what that means ...

 

I'll see you on the other side of another episode or two of Justified ...

Julie :-{D

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Supplies used:

Paper [background] + journaling card: Cosmo Cricket '23'

Other papers: Kaisercraft

Moustache papers: Kaisercraft 'Sears & Sons' 'Moustache' and also Echo Park 'Times & Seasones' 'Spiffy Moustache'

Alphas: Kaisercraft 'Tiny Alpha Stickers' [and they really are tiny!]; Echo Park 'Everyday Eclectic'

Washi tape: Hobbycraft's own brand
Border punch: EK Success 'Slim edger Punch 'Round Binding Edge' [edited to add after question in comments]