Monthly Archives: March 2015

Art Journal Thursday #24!

It is better late than never…

I am happy to announce that my Art Journal Thursday video has been posted out on YouTube!

The supplies I used this week were:

White gesso
Art Advantage Acrylic Paint: Permanent Green Light, Phthalo Turquoise, Cerulean Blue
Dina Wakley Media Stencils: Halves, and Spinners
Dylusions 5×8 Stencil: Circles Small
Black Stabilo Pencil
Finalize Bottle filled with white acrylic paint
Punchinella
M. Graham & Co Titanium White Acrylic Paint

This week’s page is actually really simple, but I love the way that it turned out.

I was really excited to get started on this week’s art journal spread because this was the week that I got to start in my crisp, clean, new art journal!

My new art journal is a Strathmore 400 series, 8.5×11 watercolor paper journal, and I am just LOVING the size! It is so much more manageable than the art journal I just finished, which was a Strathmore 500 series 11×17, I think!

The pages of this journal aren’t quite as smooth as the last journal, but I think I will be able to enjoy myself so much more, now that I don’t have the pressure of trying to figure out to cover such a large spread! So YEAH FOR THAT!! 😉

I am LOVING all of the textures that this background technique has created!

I also really LOVE the colors that I have chosen for this page – ACTUALLY, it was my hubby who chose blue and green – his favorite colors!! Thank you, Sweetie! 😉

I also am really enjoying adding art journaling to my spreads!! It has kind of become a game to see if I can figure out a new way to journal on my page each week! I really like the circular journaling though…might be my new fave! 🙂

So, even though this page was really simple to do, and actually came together rather quickly, I am really very happy with how it turned out! I think that this new journal is off to a great start!! I can’t wait to see what comes out next!!!

What do you think? I would LOVE to hear your thoughts!! 🙂

Also, if you have any ideas, or techniques that you might like to see me try in one of my future layouts, please let me know in the comment section and I will see what I can do to be accommodating! Also, I really do LOVE answering any questions you may have about art journaling, mixed-media, or anything you might have seen me do here! Please feel free to ask questions in the comments, and I will try and get back to you in a timely manner!!

Until next time!

Here is to a BEAUTIFUL CREATIVE life! 🙂

If you want to have a different life, live differently!

Art Journal Thursday #23!

I am happy to announce that my Art Journal Thursday #23 video has been posted out on YouTube!

This week the materials I used were:

White gesso
Tissue paper – two different patterns, the teal and white chevron patterned tissue paper was from Paper Source
Gel medium
Dina Wakley Media Heavy Body Acrylic Paints: Lime, Magenta, Tangerine, Night
Apple Barrel Craft Paint: White
Balzer Designs Stencil: 12X12 Stones Divided
Balzer Designs Stencil: 6X6 Mini Fifties Clock
Dylusions Stencil: 9X12 Flossie
Fineline Bottle with White Acrylic Craft Paint
Distress Ink Reinker: Festive Berries
Uni-Ball Signo Broad White Pen
Pilot Permaball Black Pen
#2 Pencil
Scissors
Uhu Glue Stick

Well, what can I say about my Art Journal Thursday this week? I was so excited to be finishing up with this particular art journal that I really had no idea where to begin. So, maybe that is where I will start in my explanation for this week’s art journal – my art journal. The journal that I have been using is a Strathmore 500 Series, Mixed Media Paper Journal, which I ABSOLUTELY LOVE this brand, and the paper is SUPER tough, and is so CREAMY to work on…the problem that I have been having is the S.I.Z.E!! I saw that Donna Downey (who I LOVE, by the way!!!) was using this size, 11×14 sized pages, I thought, “I CAN DO THAT!!!” Well, when you are a newbie art journaler, which I am, and you work full time at a non-artsy kind of job, which I do, and when you have committed to yourself to do a two page art journal spread EVERY SINGLE week, and NOT ONLY that, but to record your process and post out on YouTube EVERY SINGLE WEEK, which I SOOO INSANELY DID – you quickly come to the realization that THIS IS A LOT!!! 😉 You DO NOT want to make things harder for yourself by buying the LARGEST art journal that you can possibly find!! What was I thinking???

So, the next art journal, which I will start using in next week’s art journal video, is a MUCH more manageable 8.5 x 11 size!! I CAN’T WAIT!!!

Anyway, back to this week’s spread! When I started I didn’t really have a plan, I usually don’t, but I knew that I wanted to use this AWESOME new tissue paper that I had found a Paper Source!

Once I got my colors, patterns, and textures started it was very VERY tricky for me to reign it in, but I was having some good fun playing, and staying in my head!!

I decided that I wanted to use all of that pattern as an element that would pop off of the page by covering a lot of it with a dark color, and a silhouette stencil. Once I had done that I wasn’t really sure where to go from there, but I had some deep, stop-and-listen-to-your-soul-cuz-she’s-a-speakin’ kind of thoughts going on, so I decided to grab my Fineline bottle with some white acrylic paint, and decided to journal some of those thoughts out onto my page.

“She knew that she was going to have to get out of her own way if she were ever going to make her dreams come true. No one was going to do the hard work for her. She knew it was going to have to be all up to her!”

Yeah, I am not sure where that came from, because it came from someplace deep, deep down, and even as I write it now, I KNOW that it is the TRUTH that I am living with right now!

I am not sure if I really love the design of this finished spread – when I look closely it is kind of a bit of train wreck, and I know it definitely had parts of it that I would do differently (for example, the Distress Ink Festive Berries never did really dry – even after 48 hours!! UGH!!! I should’ve used my Dylusions spray ink with a dropper!), if I were to do it again, but for some reason that this spread really resonated with me, so my final thought is that I really LOVE it!!

What do you think? I would LOVE to hear your thoughts!! 🙂

Until next time!

Here is to a BEAUTIFUL CREATIVE life! 😉

If you want a different life, live differently!

My Day of Awesomeness!

Good evening!

I have been having a…er…let’s just say…a challenging kind of week or two! This morning, I realized that I was walking on a slippery slope of wallowing in negativity, which then has the ability to create more negativity, you’ve heard the saying – you get what your mind stays focused on!

Anyway, I decided that I had better change what I focus on tout de suite!! So, I decided that today would be

MY DAY OF AWESOMENESS!!!

My Day Of Awesomeness is basically my version of Pollyanna’s Glad Game! I purposefully and actively look for the good in everything that comes my way in a day!! NO MATTER WHAT MIGHT BE HAPPENING!! It is not always easy, but now that I have done this all day, it really has made a big difference in my attitude this evening!!

I thought I would share my list of AWESOMENESS that I have accumulated for today!! 🙂

Jason made me laugh this as he saw me off to work this morning
I didn’t have to follow Queen Roadrage on the way to work today (that was how my yesterday morning started!)
Followed Slowpoke McGee on drive in this morning, but every time we hit a red light he took his baseball cap and scratched his head…maybe he’s OCD? Or he needs a bigger hat? Or maybe he had a poorly placed mosquito bite??? The possibilities were endless, and thinking about it made me laugh! Completely changed my attitude towards him! Not only that, but this poor guy was a HUGE guy in an itty bitty toy sized truck! I felt for him!
Brad Paisley music is fun to sing really loud to – and that is what I got to listen to in the car!
Got the perfect spot on 5th floor of parking garage
Got to work on time
My coworkers Karla and Britany are such a breathe of fresh air!!! I LOVE them!!!
Had fun helping Gayle in her office! (Gayle is one of my glamorous peeps at work!)
Got to enjoy a skinny, sugar free, iced mocha this morning!
Jennie was in the bed control meeting this morning! She’s awesome!!!!
Got to surprise my coffee guy by going back and thanking him for my “AWESOME” drink! He was tickled pink! (At least I would like to think so!!!)
Robyn says that since today is St Paddy’s Day if you wear green you get “smooches”, if you don’t, you get “pinches”! (I LOVE THAT!!!)
Had a giggling lunch with my girlfriend, Chris!
Got to make someone’s day making them a mock voodoo doll to help put things in perspective!
Had a brownie at the office’s after lunch dessert bar celebration! YUMMY!!!
Got off work only 15 minutes late…which is not something I get to do so often – I am usually SOOOO MUCH later!! So…WHOO! HOO!!!
I finished recording my Art Journal Thursday video, and made headway editing it for Thursday!
I finished an entire art journal this afternoon, which I LOVE because not only do I get to start a new journal, it is a little smaller, so it will be more to work in – not so much pressure to produce on such large real estate!!
I tried a favorite recipe, from memory, that my x-boyfriend’s mom taught me when I was a teen and it turned out AWESOMELY!!! (It was Tater Tot Casserole!, in case you were curious!!!)
As of this evening, we are officially caught up on all of our bills and are back on our way to being debt free again!! CAN I GET AN AMEN???
My sweetie came home in a really good mood this evening!! THANK YOU JESUS!!! 😉 He is such a charmer!! I JUST LOVE THAT MAN!!! 😉
I got to spend some time peacefully listening to some fun country music this evening!!
I am loving the knowledge that I will be crawling into a well made bed this evening, with freshly cleaned sheets!! AAAAH!! It’s the simple things in life…I AM TELLING YOU!!! 😉

WHEW!!! It is AMAZING how just changing your focus really changes your entire outlook on what is possible in any given day!! I would encourage you to give it a try…matter of fact, I may just do that again tomorrow!!! 😉

Here is to having a BEAUTIFUL CREATIVE life!! 😉

If you want to have a different life, live differently!

Random Thought Kinda Post!

Good evening!

Tonight is the first night in a really, REALLY long time that

I got off of work and home at a normal time
I have no pressing commitments, appointments, or really anything needing my full attention right this minute!

Let’s just have a moment of silence, join me, will you???

–

Do you feel that?? Yeah me too!! It is the feeling of peace!!

I know I haven’t really posted anything besides Art Journal Thursdays in a really long time, so I thought I would sit down, and just fill you in on what has been going on in my life right now! 🙂

Well, to start! As you may remember, I had been taking a hiatus from my career – I wasn’t sure how long it was going to last, but I was very fortunate to be able to hang in there, being a full-time artist for 6 months – and man it was fun!!

BUT…mama’s got bills to pay!!!

and although I have big dreams for a full time creative career in the future, I realized I had better get to work if I was ever going to have a chance of making those dreams come true!

So, I was lucky enough to have a girlfriend refer me to a job at one of the company’s I had left, and before I could say “BOO” I was back at work, doing what I do!!! 😉

I am officially a Project Associate, which I am not sure exactly what that means yet, but what I have figured out is that I am getting paid to HELP. MY. NEW. TEAM. and that feels sooooooo good!!! 😉

And let me tell you about my new team!!! They are happy, fun, supportive, and really ALL AROUND AMAZING!!! I have to say I am feeling like one lucky girl right now!!!

SO, as all of the pieces of my life are falling back into place again, after getting tossed up into the air, it has taken me some time to get back to where I have some breathing room, and I think I am finally there!

So where does that leave me now? Well, I am working, hard, and trying to focus on the best of every situation I run into! I still try to art as often as my tired self will allow – my sleep has been suffering so I have to figure out how to make that more of a priority here too soon! I am happily dedicated to getting my weekly YouTube videos out, and LOVING all of the feedback that I have been getting, and am still teaching my monthly Soul Book Clubs, which is probably still my FAVORITE time of my month!!!

I am looking to the future, trying to figure out how to best put together an online soul+art class, and I am also working with a new friend to try and come up with a Yoga/Soul/Art retreat for later this year, that I am thinking is going to be SO AWESOME!!! I cannot wait!!! 😉 Our ultimate goal is still to have a small farm, out in the country somewhere, and be able to host soul+art classes retreats and classes from there!! COULD YOU IMAGINE??? OMG – I COULD JUST FAINT WITH THE EXCITEMENT OF IT ALL!!! 😉

Anyway, there is more to come, and I will try to make sure to take and share lots of pictures, and keep you posted with any new going ons in our lives!!!

Life is soooooooo good!

Here is to living a Beautiful Creative Life!! 😉

If you want to have a different life, live differently!

Art Journal Thursday #22

Good morning!

I am very happy to announce that my Art Journal Thursday video #21 is up on YouTube!

The supplies I used this week were:

Gesso
Dina Wakley Media Heavy Body Acrylic Paints: Tangerine, Magenta, Lime
Tim Holtz Distress Ink Re-inker: Peeled Paint
Alesa Baker Designs Wood Mounted Stamp: French Handwriting
Art Impressions Wood Mounted Rubber Stamp: Squiggly line (that’s what I am calling it)
Apple Barrel Acrylic Paint: White
Paper Towel that had mopped up various Dylusions sprays
Scissors
Uhu Glue Stick
Fineline Applicator filled with White Acrylic Paint
Black Pilot Multiball Pen – my new FAVE doodling pen!!!

If you watched this week’s video, you already know that I really didn’t have any kind of plan when I went into this week’s art journal spread! In all honesty, I just knew that I had to get an art journal video done for this week, but I was so tired from a week of not really taking very good care of myself sleep-wise, compounded with losing another hour of sleep due to daylight savings time, I wasn’t sure exactly how I was going to get this one done!

I decided to help get me into the arting mood that I would listen to some loud happy music, and it worked! Before I knew what hit me, I had found my stride, and was once again a very VERY happy girl! 😉

I had a lot of fun this week just putting down colors, doodling, and just really letting myself play! I find that when I revert back to my inner, kindergarten Chrissie, that I have a tendency to be really happy with my art journal pages!

This week was no different!!! As soon as I released my inner me, I found myself having fun, and pulling from a pile that I haven’t really played with in a while – and that was my stash of used paper towels, which may not seem like something to be proud of, but trust me, I am!!! I just LOVE finding new ways to use treasures from my stash!!

Anyway, I really hope you enjoyed watching this week’s video! I really hope that these weekly videos can, in some way, inspire you to try something new in your own art journals – that would be so AMAZING to me!!! 😉

What do you think of this week’s spread? I would LOVE to hear your thoughts!! 🙂

Until next time!

Here is to a BEAUTIFUL CREATIVE life! 😉

If you want to have a different life, live differently!

Art Journal Thursday Video #21!

Good evening!

I am very happy to report that my 21st Art Journal Thursday video out on YouTube!

The art supplies I used this week were:

Tim Holtz Idea-ology Decorative Tissue Wrap: Postale
Uhu Glue Stick
3×5 Gelli Plate
Blick Studio Acrylic Paints: Cadmium Orange Hue, Primary Red, Phthalo Green
Apple Barrel Acrylic Craft Paint: White
Brayer
Art Advantage Double Ended Stylus
5 Miscellaneous Wood Mounted Rubber Stamps: one is from Great Impressions (3 concentric circles), one is from Inkadoo (Carte postale), one is from Delafield Stamp Company (XOXOXO), one is from Hero Arts (Painted Circle), and I am not sure where the last one is from, but it is the one with small doily design
Ranger’s Black Archival Ink Pad
Black Stabilo All Pencil
Uni-Ball Signo White Broad Pen
Scissors
Scarlet Lime Black Doodling Pen

When I started this week’s layout, I was determined to try something that I had felt failed miserably last week; and that was creating a background using my 3×5 Gelli Plate.

I felt like the reason this didn’t work for me last week was the fact that I didn’t limit myself to a selection of a handful of colors. That background ended up being so busy that there was no way that anything could stood out on its own in the foreground. This time I made sure to limit my colors to just three, not counting white!

As I was laying my color down with my Gelli Plate, I started seeing this layout as kind of a paper quilt, which made me start thinking about my mama, and my grandmother, and all of the strong women who came before me. It made me really happy to reconnect with those memories, and to understand just how blessed I am that I come from such a long line of really strong, and AMAZING women!

Thinking on the women of family, also made me think of a favorite song from my childhood, that has a way of popping up in my life at exactly the right moments. This song is called “This Little Light of Mine”. It has been showing up a LOT in my life over the past year, and it again this week. It reminds me that I need to shine my light, which is where my my sentiment came from this week. You may be the only light in the world someone sees today, make sure you shine bright!

I think this background turned out much better than my attempt last week, hands down! This week’s attempt has inspired me to try this again, but this time on an art canvas! I am thinking that this might be a really cool background for a new piece of artwork that I can hang in my new office at work!

What do you think? I would LOVE to hear your thoughts on this week’s art spread!! 🙂

Until next time!

Here is to a BEAUTIFUL CREATIVE life! 😉

If you want a different life, live differently!

Art Journal Thursday #20!

I realize this is better late than never, but I am happy to report that my Art Journal Thursday #20 has been posted out on YouTube!

The art supplies I used this week were:

3X5 Gelli Plate
Brayer
Blick Studio Acrylic Paints: Titanium White, Phthalo Green, Cadmium Orange Hue, Green Light Permanent, Primary Red, Primary Blue
Dina Wakley Stencils: Mod, Organic Shapes, Halves
Dylusions Stencils: Circles Large, Shattered Large, Triangles Large
Huey’s Mask Stencil: Bubbles
Liquitex White Gesso
Dylusions Spray Inks: White Linen, Vibrant Turquoise, Calypso Teal, London Blue, Fresh Lime, Cut Grass
Apple Barrel Acrylic Craft Paint: White
Uhu Glue Stick
Black Stabilo Pencil
Blue Stabilo Pencil
Ranger’s Archival Black Ink Pad

If you watched the video this week, you might notice that I was really struggling to get this spread to a point that I was happy with!

I also, generally, frown on completely whiting a page out and starting over…I usually am a firm believer that every spread is salvageable in some way or another! So, when I finally hit day three, try three, and I was still feeling really stuck, I knew that whiting the spread out was going to have to be my solution this week!

Although I felt the need to completely white out my backgrounds and start over, I really had fun just playing with my Gelli Plate and playing some with a few new stencils!

My final attempt at this spread, which is the one that I was finally happy with was so much fun to create. I think the reason that I felt I was finally successful was that I finally got out of my own head, and started to really just go with the flow! I think I was having so much trouble because I was overthinking what I was trying to do…I have a tendency to do that at times! 😉

I also think that where the genius of this spread shows up is in some of the close up photographs! I can say genius, right??? Yeah! I can do that! I just LOVE all the yummily-scrumptious color combinations that unexpectantly showed up!

I also really LOVE the very textured background that was created by all of the layers that I had inadvertently created with all of my ugly background tries! It has resulted in a very tactile friendly kind of spread, which I surprisingly LOVE!

See what I mean??? This green and blue are just AMAZING together!! I love the pop that it creates!

And somehow, I ended up with a few speckles of a deep burgundy, red – I am not sure how that happened, but I am really LOVING that too!! 😉 So, all-in-all, I think that after more than a few heartbreaking tries, this page turned into something that I can be very happy about! 😉

What do you think? I would LOVE to hear your thoughts on this week’s art spread!! 🙂

Also, if you have any ideas, or techniques that you might like to see me try in one of my future layouts, please let me know in the comment section and I will see what I can do to be accommodating! Also, I really do LOVE answering any questions you may have about art journaling, mixed-media, or anything you might have seen me do here! Please feel free to ask questions in the comments, and I will try and get back to you in a timely manner!!

Until next time!

Here is to a BEAUTIFUL CREATIVE life! 😉

If you want a different life, live differently!

Beautiful Creatives

Empowering your juicy life!

Monthly Archives: March 2015

Art Journal Thursday #24!

If you want to have a different life, live differently!

Art Journal Thursday #23!

“She knew that she was going to have to get out of her own way if she were ever going to make her dreams come true. No one was going to do the hard work for her. She knew it was going to have to be all up to her!”

If you want a different life, live differently!

My Day of Awesomeness!

MY DAY OF AWESOMENESS!!!

If you want to have a different life, live differently!

Random Thought Kinda Post!

BUT…mama’s got bills to pay!!!

Life is soooooooo good!

If you want to have a different life, live differently!

Art Journal Thursday #22

If you want to have a different life, live differently!

Art Journal Thursday Video #21!

If you want a different life, live differently!

Art Journal Thursday #20!

If you want a different life, live differently!