Anyway, for today, I thought I would give you a FABULOUS link with lots of GREAT tutorials – its the Textile Arts Resource Guide blog.  And, I guess I better read their latest post on Procrastination!!! LOL!

Long weekend coming up for most everyone in our country….ENJOY!  I’ll be trying to stay cool – just not a heat lover!  Carrie arrives Sunday for a few days before she goes on to Edmonton to celebrate a friend’s wedding.

I am asked this question alot also…..So, here is my TOP TEN REASONS TO JOURNAL!

This is my altered book journal that is slowly getting filled up.

For this page spread, I first painted the pages with Gesso, dried & today that did NOT take long (its HOT!).  Then, I painted the apple green, and while the paint was still wet I stamped one of the stamps from Alisa Burke‘s Bohemian carved set.  Then with a sponge brush I painted the other two stamps with different colours.  I wanted to soften the background a little, so rubbed some beige paint…..all the paints on this page spread are dollar store acrylics.  Also added some bronze paint with a brush…

The tape is from some little packages of goodies that Wendy sent me for my birthday – she had taped the little envelopes closed with that lovely tape.  The oval with the question is from her and so is the flower on the corner of the list.  I then went nuts – cut out a couple free hand flowers from painted bounce sheet leftover from another project.  The large flower was free hand cut, then punched all around, the paper was in my paper bin….behind it is come dyed cheesecloth for texture.  Leaves & stem were from a leftover piece of cardstock (I think it was a sample from a card class I did years ago).

My reasons to journal:

• Its FUN!
• I can try out new ideas & techniques.
• I can clear my head & choose to show or not.
• Play with paint!
• Befriend other journalers.
• CREATE!
• Use up art supplies I have.
• Make a mess!
• I don’t have to be perfect.
• IT FEELS SO GOOD TO let it all out!!!

So, WHY DO YOU JOURNAL?  And, if you don’t I will have the perfect workshop for you starting in September, more details coming next week.

This page spread shows another background done like THIS one.  I needed an accent, so I rolled some red paint onto the bubble wrap and then brayered it down in a couple places.

I made a smaller feather stencil, using a feather in my collection of real feathers – the stencil turned out pretty good if I do say so myself!

Then, I wanted to add the quote but didn’t want to use my own handwriting again.  I stamped most of the quote using an old mini stamp set using black Staz On ink, then flipped through some magazines to get the remaining words. I am not totally loving this one, I’m not sure why….DH is the same.  He says it might have something to do with the ransom note words.  I was going to do the whole quote in cut out words but it would have taken days to find the right words……

I have run out of canvases, so don’t have one to show you…..will be buying more this week when we go to the city for our monthly shopping spree.

We are having +30 C temperatures….I’m NOT a HEAT person, so I try to work in the cooler mornings & evenings as my studio is on the second floor.  During the day, I stay on the main floor, sketch or read or handwork…..YES, we have AC but it doesn’t cool off the upstairs as good as the main floor.

With this card, I glued down a leftover piece of painted paper towel (same as THIS piece) with gel medium.  I added the 30, from a bingo card.

Then, I wanted something simple as I liked the background….so digging into the bottom of my pizza box I came up with the little piece of corrugated paper, the embossed punched flower and the THANKS which was probably cut many years ago.  The strip of paper was the perfect size, I snipped the end and wrote the question on it.

WHO do you need to THANK this week?  Is there someone who inspires you or is always there to encourage you?  Send them a handwritten note…..we NEED to do of that in our lives!!!

Its not too late to join in!!!

I used my journal as the base for this….Don’t forget – the image can be clicked to be larger.

I had painted this background the same time as I did THIS 52 Questions card.  I added the pattern tissue and then just started laying down things I had pulled out to use today.

What are YOUR dreams for the month?  Are you keeping them to yourself or putting them out into the universe?  DO put them out there……

I was looking through an old Outdoor Canada book I picked up for 50 cents at the local thrift store…..WILDFLOWERS shouted out to me!

With these Textile Abstractions challenges I wanted to challenge myself to try something OUT OF MY regular box!

So, I just went with it…..I used all Jacquard paints – Textile Color,  Dye-Na-Flow, Lumiere, & Neopaque.  I wet the fabric (Its prepared for dyeing fabric) then starting laying down the colours.  DH & I like watching Yarnell School of Fine Art shows on SCN. On Yarnell’s show, he showed how to make grass with the flick of a brush….did that with Lumiere green & gold.

I LIKE…..no I LOVE IT!!!  DH likes it also.

Now, I will let it totally dry, heat set it and then start quilting it.  Reveal day is August 1st…..

For this page spread, I covered the background with insides to all kinds of envelopes that we & Mom get in the mail.  They were all black & white patterns. Used gel medium to glue them down & over top.

I then did a light gesso layer, and brushed the green paint (a cheap folk art paint from the dollar store) onto bubble wrap and brayer it down onto the page.

I adapted this feather stencil from Linda Kemshall‘s screenprinting video on their Design Matters TV handout.  I forget what I changed on it, but doesn’t matter I like this version!  I used Kroma acrylic black paint for the paint.  I have to say once you use good quality acrylic paint, its so hard to go back to the cheap stuff…..LOL!

Here is the 8 X 10 canvas.

I did a bigger piece of the bubble wrap on here….

LOVE them both!  And, I think this has inspired me to make a version in fabric, but it will have to get into line on my TO DO list.

Don’t forget to go back to the other page spreads to see the canvases I added.  I still have to go back & do one like the first page.

Another paper towel background on this one.  I spent some time on the internet looking for crow or raven quotes, but they are few & far between.  I did read that someone said their “Caw Caw” calls sound like they are asking “Come fly with me…”  So, that’s where that statement came from.

I made the right image as a stencil – now have a few to choose from now.

The “Cs” on the left side came about when I went to stamp “Come” and didn’t check if I had it right up before stamping…..

The bottom shiny piece of paper is really from the inside of a chicken pie from M & M Meat shops.…..we like their chicken pies so treat ourselves once a month.

Before I finish this post today……just thought I’d let you know that I made a canvas copy of my Page 2 spread  HERE.

Today’s page spread will have one soon as well, working on it between other projects.  Then, once I have caught up doing pieces for page spreads I’ve already done – I will do both at the same time.

ADDITION:

Here is the 8 X 10 canvas I created the same as the above sketchbook page spread, except I didn’t add the shiny paper at the bottom.  DH & I, both, decided it didn’t need it.

THANK YOU C & T !!!