Hot Summer Days

Gosh! 1^st August already! And to celebrate this month’s theme at Country View Crafts Challenges is ‘Hot Summer Days’. My team mates have produced some fabulous ideas to tempt you to join in and try and win the monthly prize – I have decided to share my Bullet Journal with you.

What’s a Bullet Journal? Well, as always if you google it you’ll get lots of tips and ideas but the original idea started here: http://bulletjournal.com/ In a nutshell it’s a way to organise your life in, well, bullet form – a sort of digital approach to an analogue art form. For me, I have always loved a diary and art journaling and this is a way to combine them both and keep track of some things that would get missed along the way. You can, of course, customise it to suit yourself (and there are LOADS of tips and tricks on the web) and I change each month to suit as I constantly refine the journal for my changing needs. The beauty of this is that you make it what you want it to be. Let me show you.

For me I like a title page for the month. It defines the new month and allows me to be a bit more creative than just a list keeper. This month I went a bit cartoony (no idea why!) and stamped JoFy’s hut, ball and sandcastle in Old Paper Distress Ink (because it’s pale) so I could doodle over the top. I added the sun and clouds (Emma Godfrey) and ‘painted’ it all with water colour pencils.

The Monthly Log is something that I find really useful. I use it as an aide memoir of what’s already in the diary – I will add to it as more things get booked in but I think of this page more like the headlines of a newspaper. How cute are JoFy’s little beach huts?!

These are my favourite pages. These are the pages where I choose topics to record as the month progresses. Sometimes, like with the ‘goals’ section, I think of the goals I’d like to achieve for the month and then tick them as I achieve them – for example this month I am going to increase my step count. Other sections, like ‘listening to’ I will add to when that one song/album seems to be the only one I hear – often it’s something the children play on loop  as its currently top of the ‘hip parade’ (I am so down with the kidz!) or it might be an advert’s sound track that’s stuck in my head – please let it NOT be the Frozen soundtrack anymore...! For this month I’ve made the boxes into ice lollies (and coloured them again with watercolour pencils). There’s an empty lolly at the top for me to add to when inspiration strikes and a couple of small empty spaces should I need more boxes. Sorry one section is covered up – you don’t want to know all my secrets do you?!

These pages are the weekly log – I’ll write my day in three bullet points and draw a picture of today’s weather. The note section is used for things to do this week or reminders for next week (love JoFy’s bucket and spade!) and because I’m a little pedantic – each week will be visually identical to this one. These are the little buckets and spades which are the only difference!

I am starting to add random other pages in as the mood strikes. I had a summary of last month that was really useful; I could write a shopping list of crafting ‘essentials’ I’d need like to own; jobs that need doing - that sort of thing. Some people keep their budgets in their journals and others the top 50 movies to see and then mark them off as they are watched. Really you can use it for whatever you like and I’d recommend you search and find out more! I have an idea to keep a log of the month in numbers e.g. most number of steps walked; hours spent in the Studio - that sort of thing! 

Please let me know if you have any questions and as I learn more I’ll share it with you!

Edit:

Jane asked a question, in her comment below, about which journal I use. I use a Moleskine Journal (I have loads in all different sizes) but I prefer the sketchbook versions as the paper allows me to work it quite hard (layers and layers of paint/water colours etc). I buy mine from Amazon.

My daughter uses a Moleskine with squared paper (but uses felt pens instead of water colours so the paper doesn’t need to be as robust) and lots of people use them with dots as guides but I have a ruler so I’m quite happy with plain paper! Hope that helped!

September

Blimey! It's a new month already! As it's September my monthly journal page is 'back to school' themed as that will occupy much of my thoughts over the next few days!

I started by putting Slate Fresco paint all over the page. I didn't worry about having perfect coverage as I wanted to create a blackboard! Then I added stencilled numbers, letters and gold stars (got to have gold stars!) and some stamped images in Watering Can Archival Ink.

The spaces to write on are (I hope) emulating pages from a torn notebook using both ends of a Tim Holtz die. 

The added decorations are my favourite Wendy Vecchi stamps. The jars are stamped on tissue paper. I didn't want to use acetate as it wouldn't show up against the dark background. There's an extra gold star on the 24th - that's there to mark my son's birthday - as if I forget...!!! ;)

I hope you have a wonderful September, thank you as always for stopping by! If you want to see more then I have grouped my calendar pages this year here and there's a Facebook group full of incredible inspiration with loads of different styles - really worth checking out!

Secret Garden

There's a new PaperArtsy challenge and it's Flowers! I simply had to make a journal page in my large Moleskin journal and this is it!

The background is full of brayered, layered paints, stencils and stamps.

The lovely Lin Brown flowers are stamped on tissue paper (painted on the reverse) and the clouds are painted on an old book page. Thank you for popping by and thanks to all at PAHQ for choosing a great theme!

Smell the flowers

I am currently experimenting in my small Moleskin journal and this is the latest! The background is Caribbean Sea, Yellow Submarine and Snowflake Fresco paints with three JoFy flowers in a Wendy Vecchi jar. It was quite freeing to make a simple page, allowing the flowers to take centre stage... Experimenting is as liberating as it is fun!

Thank you, as always, for popping by!

Su in disguise

I had an afternoon in my much neglected studio today and made a page in my small Moleskin Journal. I wanted to use the glasses and moustache stamp that came free with a Craft Stamper magazine ages ago. I had used them in a similar way ages last October and fancied another go!

The quotation is a slightly altered one by Margaret Atwood - I had to make it fit the Emma Godfrey journal spot!

The little hat Su is wearing is from a Wendy Vecchi stamp as are the other stamps and the stencil.
Thank you, as always for popping by! It's one of the best nights of the year tonight as it's Eurovision and Twitter explodes with all the comments! If you're around and will be watching then let me know! My Twitter name is @freyatom.

Third time lucky?!

The latest challenge over at the Make Art Challenge blog the theme is Flowers this month. I used my medium Moleskin Journal and created this page.

I love Wendy's jug stamp as a flower vase and this page was born! I used many other favourite stamps and stencils so it was a really enjoyable page to make!

I used the zig zag stamp from a sewing stamp set to ground my jug so it wasn't 'floating' in mid air!

I love these rules to live by - I do try and live up to them! Now, this wasn't my first attempt at this challenge... I had two aborted attempts first... I thought I'd be honest and share them. I'd be interested in your opinions!

Thought this one was a bit too pink...!

And this one was a bit too bland! Glad I finally got one right! Thank you, as always, for popping by - it is much appreciated.

Experimental words

PaperArtsy's challenge this fortnight is Words and I loved Alison's use of a Sara Naumann stamp set and was drawn to this quotation on another Sara Naumann set. 

I had a brand new small Moleskin journal that just needed to be started and what better way than Fresco paints?!

I used Yellow Submarine, Beach Hut and Snowflake paints for the background and also to paint the Lynne Perrella image. Really enjoyed starting a new journal - I like to have different sized ones 'on the go' at the same time! Thank you, as always, for popping by!

Still moving forward

Had the chance to play in my A4 journal yesterday and to use my new Dina Wakely stencil - I couldn't chose between both faces so, of course, bought both! The stamps are various Emma Godfrey for PaperArtsy ones. The background was made up of brayering layers of Fresco paints (Concrete, Bourgainvillea, Beach Hut, Limelight and Snowflake) and I chose Slate for the stencils.

Thanks for popping by today!

April

Ooh! It's my fourth month of Kate Crane's Art Journal Calendar challenge for 2015! I think I might have said this before, but I am really enjoying participating in the monthly Art Journal Calendar challenge. I seem to spend the month before coming up with ideas and then having great fun attempting to turn the idea into a reality! 

I had spotted Lin Brown’s flower being brilliantly used by just about everyone and it occurred to me that it had 5 larger petals... April has 30 days so that’s 6 flower heads! In March, I went to the stamp show in Stevenage specially to buy it (and, of course, meet up with crafty friends!) and whilst there found the stamp I wanted to use for May’s pages so it was quite a trip! For this page I covered some of my vintage book pages in Chalk paint and stamped six flower heads and two jugs. I then covered more book paper in green paint and then stamped six stalks, moving the stalk on my acrylic block so that I had two bending to the left, right and straight up! I debated whether to paint the outlines of my petals and in fact left the flower heads for a week before finally deciding to leave them plain. I think the black and white flowers (and jugs) are really effective against the colourful background. 

The background is Lin’s Bougainvillea pink with a little Chalk and Beach Hut. The contrast colour I chose is Tangerine Twist (what a fabulous name!) and I used one of Wendy Vecchi’s stencils. It’s my birthday this month and so that’s what the arrow signifies! I LOVE birthdays and so am looking forward to filling in that petal! I am so very pleased with this page – hope you like it too! I have noticed that the last three months have featured pink so I need to challenge myself and try a different colour next month...!

Remember Su... Make ART everyday!

It is a new theme at the Make ART blog this month and it’s stencils. The idea of the challenge is to embrace all things Wendy Vecchi. I was more than fortunate to have won last month’s challenge and my prize was some Wendy Vecchi goodies (including, fortuitously, stencils!) Sunday was Mother’s Day here in the UK and I was given a small moleskin sketchbook (sort of police notebook style - what's that really called?!) which was crying out to be inked! 

I added paints to the background and then I employed some these stencils (and some trusty old faves!) I used paint and Distress Inks through the stencils to give a sense of layers. The stripes on the side were emphasised with white pen. 

I adore my phrenology head stamp (fondly known as Su) and thought she should probably wear a headpiece encouraging me to fill my new sketchbook and so the page was born! I covered some book paper and with a thin layer of white paint and the stamped Su on top - looks like her head is full of ideas!

I hope you like my new Su! And if you know the correct name for this type of notebook I'd be really grateful!

March

It's March so it must be time to play along with Kate Crane's Art Journal Calendar challenge for 2015! I have really enjoyed not only making the pages but recording what we've done each day in a few words. February could be summed up with the word 'ill' as we seem to have played relay with endless germs so I have high hopes for March heralding in Spring air and the end to our woes!

I wanted to create a fairground feel this time with lots of bright colours. The background was sanded after it was painted and then a spritz of Dylusions ink through a stencil. I added the stamped images which, if you're very eagle eyed, you might notice have moved on the final pages! When I put the journal spots on the pages they completely covered up the bubble stamps! So they needed to be redone! Hey, no one's perfect!

The journal spots are by Emma Godfrey for PaperArtsy. I love them! They seem to have tonnes of uses I have only just started to explore! Actually, there are lots of Emma's new stamps on this; and a couple of Sara's, Ellen's and Jo's..!

Thank you for popping by - it really is very much appreciated!

Love me forever

I LOVE Lin Brown's new paint colours for PaperArtsy as part of this latest release. They are rich and vibrant and really evocative of her holiday. I wanted to make a journal page  with a softer feel as it was recently Valentine's Day, and so I used three of the colours (Caribbean Sea, Bougainvillea, Banana) with Chalk to create a softer palette. 

Over the top I added some stencilled images in Distress Ink and some stronger stamped images. I love these new painty rings by Sara Naumann (and my favourite stripes from Ellen Vargo) - I've used them lots already! 

I then added some more stamping courtesy of Emma Godfrey's new stamps as well as images from Mischief Circus. To finish it off I added some painty rings (using bottle caps!) in Caribbean Sea, Bougainvillea and Chalk.

I thought I'd add this to the PaperArsty challenge this fortnight which is Paint themed!