• Art - Blog - Creativity

    Junky art journal

    August 23, 2020 - By 

    As so often happens, I was inspired to create smack in the process of cleaning up my art space. I had bits of this and that laying around…parts of projects that went astray…papers headed for the recycling bin…you know the usual junk that seems to take up my precious space.

    The inspiration to make a small hand bound art journal was from Susanne Rose art. I follow her in Instagram and always love seeing her work in these small journals

    All of the pieces I had laying around really worked well in a small size.

     

    Including these upholstery fabric strips… again cut for another project that never came together. They worked perfectly stitched down on a stack of book page and plain newsprint paper.

     

    I stitched my signatures in using waxed linen and a pamphlet stitch.

    I was sure to leave lots of space this time around. I tend to make very chunky pages… especially when I don’t have the space.

    I goofed a little here. The needle didn’t pierce the gold fabric on the first stab through. I may use some lace to cover or just leave it as is.

    It’s not meant to be perfect. It’s wonky. It’s junky. It’s fraying. It’s just perfect for experimenting.

  • Art - Blog - Creativity

    Junk Journal November challenge

    November 9, 2019 - By 

    I did it. I committed to a new challenge. Even knowing I’d be behind in the beginning.

    I’m over halfway to being caught up.  Not too shabby.

    Time Travel 1/30

    All the pieces fell right into place for this one. I had the tag premade from another scrap busting project. The clock face is vellum. I have no idea where I got it…I have a small baggie of clock faces and gauges in vellum.

    Collage 2/30

    I wasn’t sure where I was going with this one…I didn’t really think, just started layering papers. I knew I’d end up with a focal image or words. The fussy cut elephant told me she belonged on the page. I love elephants. One Saturday I spent the afternoon watching documentaries on elephants while cutting fabric. Such a great way to spend a couple of hours.

    Old-fashioned 3/30

    I’m sure this prompt was meant to be old -fashioned as in a period in time and all that went along with it. My mind went in another direction entirely. I immediately thought about Don Draper of Mad Men. The character had a drink of choice…an Old-Fashioned.

    I did my best to mimic a low ball glass with whiskey. I even added ice cubes.

    Reduce 4/30

    I didn’t particularly care for this prompt so this is what I came up with to get it over with.

    Fox 5/30

    This one feels a bit too scrapbooky. I journaled about the time we had a sick fox under our deck. It was really gross…we could smell it before we could see it. The police and animal control were in the area looking for it as they feared it had rabies. It ran away before they caught it. I never heard the end of the tale but I have to assume they got it or it crawled in a hole somewhere and died.

    Stay tuned for more pages as I get caught up. You can also see them on Instagram if you can’t wait for them to post here.

  • Art - Blog - Creativity

    New junk journal

    November 3, 2019 - By 

    I can hardly believe it but I’m posting something other than T Tuesday. It’s been a while. I’ve been in a creative slump. Not sure how it happened but never the less it did.

    I’ve sat down a couple of times trying to force creativity.

    Don’t do it. It’s ugly.

    What I did finally decide that I’d like to create was a place to create. A junk journal. I’m sure you’re thinking…hey wait…didn’t she just make one of those. Yep sure did. But that one is for bits of my life, more personal.

    This one is for the creative process. Whether that may be art journaling, responding to a prompt or a challenge.

    I loved this calendar ephemera my BFF sent in a package. She knew I’d love it as much as the actual gift she sent.

    I used some rusted fabric on the inside of the softcover.

    The outside is watercolor paper that had been painted and whitewash some time ago. I found it in my stash and knew it would make a nice flexible cover.

    I decided to use a 5 hole pamphlet stitch this time instead of my usual go-to of three hole stitch.

    This journal has a wide variety of papers that should prove to be a good and challenging launching point for the creative process.

    I’m considering joining another junk journal challenge on Instagram as I did in July. I need to decide soon otherwise I might be too far behind.