AJC10.52 (Nearly Finished) - Reflect on what's Good

And finally... from Studio Tangie Baxter @ Scrapbookgraphics - this page using elements and a background from Parcel 52, whilst the font is her Frogfootman

AJC10 week 51, "Color Your World 2.0" and digital She-Art: She aspired to be

She aspired to be

As you may be aware, I'm finishing off Tangie Baxter's Art Journal Caravan of last year and I've also started a number of other online courses.  This is actually for my Art Journal but as it was inspired by the other courses, I've included it here.  The background, journal label, quote and lady are from Tangie's Week 51 parcel for last year's Art Journal Caravan (from http://www.scrapbookgraphics.com/) whilst the stars were from her Week 24 parcel for 2010.

AJC 2010 - Working through

I've been working through the week agendas for AJC 2010, as I had to stop after last year's surgeries, but I've not been posting my pages here, as it's been a speed thing. However, I love this page I've just made and the sentiment that I came up with last year, so I'm sharing. This is for Week 39, so it's coming along...

Credits: All from Studio Tangie Baxter @ Scrapbookgraphics:

Yacht (reversed and altered) and lifebuoy - AJC 10 week 40 parcel

Background - Junque Journal

Font - Mock Turtle

AJC10 Week 48 preview - discovering quotes

This quote also came from the "Kind over Matter" blog and I wanted to journal it to remember it

http://www.kindovermatter.com/2010/11/dont-give-anyone-permission-to-snuff.html

Credits:
Background - Basic Grey, Color Me Silly Digital paper: Discovery
http://www.basicgrey.com/digital/shop/product/col-d343/collection:current
Floral texture (opacity reduced) - Basic Grey, Sublime Digital texture http://www.basicgrey.com/digital/shop/product/acs-d246/collection:current

AJC10 Week 13 - "Where thou art, that is home"

This piece is based on a blog I wrote in Sept last year on my main blog - a jewel shining through: http://ajewelshiningthrough.blogspot.com/2009/09/i-am-what-i-am.html The paper just went so well with the journalling :) Wish I could draw like that really - perhaps one day :)

Credit:

Background paper - Tangie Baxter & Sherrie JD @ Scrapbookgraphics, Junque Journal collab set

AJC10 Week 12 catch-up - Proverbs

Week 12 asked to explore proverbs or little titbits of wisdoms, and how we used them. The proverb slip came from a kit by Tangie Baxter.

Credits:

Background paper: Tangie Baxter (guest designer) @ Scrap Matter, Orchid Elixir

Palm tree shadow, floral tattoo shadow and decorated hand - Orchid Elixir (as above)

Pencil - Tangie Baxter @ Scrapbookgraphics, Art Journal Caravan Week 12 parcel

Proverb slip - Tangie Baxter @ Scrapbookgraphics, Proverbs Word Strips kit

Birds - Tangie Baxter @ Scrapbookgraphics, Art Journal Caravan Week 2 parcel

AJC10 "Only as high as I reach can I grow"

Credits:
Paper and Elements: Holliewood Studios @ Deviant Scrap, The Collector
I can't remember where the quote came from

AJC10 Week 11 catch-up "Each photo is a memory I've collected"

The pictures are all from our trip to Ireland a couple of years ago and these are illustrate my favourite trip somewhere. We are going back this summer for new memories this year. The places illustrated are Glendalough (the top two rows), Newgrange (the next two rows) and finally Avoca, where they used to film Ballykissangel.

Credits:

Background paper - Nancie Rowe Janitz @ ScrapArtist, Altered Art Mixed Media Volume 1 paper set

Wood box - Paula Kesselring @ ScrapArtist, Girl Wood Box set

Journal doodle = Nancie Rowe Janitz @ ScrapArtist, Playful Journal Pieces

AJC10 Week 10 - A Blank Page? (double page layout)

One of the alternative journalling prompt for this week was "What's your first reaction to a blank page or canvas?" I blogged about blank pages last year Oct/Nov time as I was trying to find me. The journalled poem appeared in my main blog then, but I've now added to it for the Art Journal Caravan.

Credits:
Background papers - Studio Tangie @ SBG, Nature Notes papers
Journal book - Studio Tangie @ SBG, Art Journal Caravan, Steamer Trunk Elements

AJC10 Week 10 - Sometimes I wish I could point... 2 minds

This double-page layout came about because of a project appearing on a blog by Graphics Fairy. The phrenology images were freebies. With the week I've had, the words just came to me yesterday morning. The picture of me is from a few years ago from a Halloween dress-up but the colours suited the layout.

Credits:

Background papers - Studio Tangie @ SBG, Enchanted Art Box kit, Artist Canvas papers

Phrenology heads - Graphics Fairy blog @ Blogspot

Black and white striped border - Studio Tangie @ SBG, Enchanted Art Box kit, Altered add-ons

Sparkles - Studio Tangie @ SBG, Industrial Velvet, Elements

AJC10: Week 10 - Life can be a bit of a Circus

This week's task was to "explore the idea of entertainment and how sometimes life really is like a circus!" At the beginning of the week I learnt that it's unlikely that I'm going to get any help from the Local Mental Health team after all now to help me address the mental issues behind my bingeing eating. I'm gathering my own strength to face this myself. The tightrope is actually from a washing-line digital kit so it set the tone of the piece, that sometimes there are just so many things that need to be done or need our attention all at once, hence the hulu ring and ring of flames behind the walker.

Credits:

"Wall" Background paper - Tangie Baxter @ SBG, Art Journal Caravan Week 10 Parcel

"Floor" and back border - Tangie Baxter @ SBG, Penelope & Priscilla kit

Curtains and Golden Lace - Tangie Baxter @ SBG, Centre Stage kit

Art Dolls - Tangie Baxter collab @ SBG, Hello Dollie

Rope, clothes pegs, and clothes - Laurie Ann, ScrapArtist, Fresh Laundry kit

AJC10: A summary of my week - last week

Postcards home

Credits:

Paper and elements from Tangie Baxter, Art Journal Caravan Week 9 parcel

except for postcard - from Studio Gypsy, Paper Fluff 1

AJC10: Smallest of things

This was a photo I took last summer and blogged, but I liked its simplicity so had to include it for a week on the power of imagery.

Credits:
Background, string, and picture frames - Soaring kit, Studio Zampf @ SBG

AJC10: Week 9 - Peace

My second layout for last week incorporated the quote for the week from Margaret Fairless Barber. I wanted a pared-down layout with the zen garden background, but I added the orchids to give some colour to the piece. I slightly recoloured the "peace come from within" quote and split around the main quote, as otherwise it disappeared into the background.

Credits:

Zen background, "Peace" quote and orchid stem (multi-layered) - Orchid Dreams Awakening Kit, Studio Phlong @ SBG

Paint spot - Art Journal Caravan Week 9 parcel, Studio Tangie @ SBG

AJC10 Last week - The power of Imagery - Drifting Off

Last week's Itinerary was to explore "the idea of an image that is really powerful, calming, exciting, energizing, refreshing": a mediation image that might keep you calm and refreshed, centred or focused. Periodically my son can't sleep. Sometimes he's overtired or ill or it's because of previous bad dreams. I used to receive relaxation lessons to help me anxiety and over the years he and I have used one of the visualizations as a way of getting him to sleep.

We imagine we're laying on a beach, with golden sand, peaceful waves that lap gently on the beach and wispy clouds that are float in the sky of blue. The visualisation does vary each time I tell it but usually it does the trick - in fact last time, I nearly fall asleep telling it. I darkened the floral frame that I put inside the doorway and multiplied it to represent the nightmares and inability to sleep, but the doorway shows the beach bed and the light waiting to banish the nightmarish dark away

Credits:
Room with doorway frame, Floral and tree frame (decoloured and darkened), Beach paper, Hammock and Umbrella elements - Fishy Island Kit, Lorie Davison @ SBG
Paper strip used for journalling from Keeper of Time kit, Studio Gypsy @ SBG

AJC10: Taking Chances

I love the TV show "Glee". I watch it, then my son and I watch it together later, and we love it. He loves drama and wants to be a singer or an actor. The top quote is from the pilot episode, from the founder of the high school's Glee club, and the quote on the gingham ribbon is from the Celine Dion song Taking Chances - written by David A. Stewart and Kara Dioguardi: "What do you say to taking chances, What do you say to jumping off the edge? Never knowing if there's solid ground below Or hand to hold, or hell to pay…". The photo is of my mum aged about 12 - I used it as I liked the pose. The "Remember that song" is there to remind me to take some chances.

Credits:

Backing paper, gingham ribbon, piano hand (rotated), marbled border - Studio Tangie @ SBG, Art Journal Caravan, Week 8 parcel
"Remember that song" - Gypsy Couture @ SBG, Journalling prompts
Red ribbon - Studio mgl @ SBG, Dreaming in Colours 2.0 - Red

AJC10: A Case of You

These are some of my favourite lyrics for they are so evocative and now with the Art Journal provisions plus a few more elements, the layout spoke to me through the lyrics. My favourite version is by my favourite singer Brian Kennedy as it's more within his range I feel, but I also like the Diana Krall version. I love the idea of living within a paintbox. To me this part of the song is uplifting for following those who aren't afraid surely gives courage to those who would fear otherwise.

Credits:
Background paper - Studio Tangie, Journal Anthology Papers
Paintbox, paintbrush and Blue stars - Studio Tangie, Art Journal Caravan, Steamer Trunk Elements
Boxes, Canvases, Light string, Easel and folder tag - Gypsy Couture @ Digichick, Artists Loft elements
Blue circle border - Studio Tangie, Art Journal Caravan, Week 4 Parcel

AJC10 Week 6 - Leisurely bliss

The photo came from a walk I took last Autumn around a local lake. The water was so still and reflected the blue sky beautifully. The extract is from a poem ("Leisure") that I had to learn off by heart at secondary school (high school). In the first year we had a weekly lesson with the Head teacher and she was very intimidating when you were only 11 years old. We had to learn the words and the punctuation of the poem so that we could write it out unaided as a test the next lesson. Needless to say I only remember bits of it now, but the words seemed appropriate for the photo.

Credits:
Paper - Studio Flergs, Apartment D Quick Page kit
I can't find the details for the tag, sorry, forgot to write it down as I put the page together earlier in the week

AJC10 Week 5 - The 2 wolves (thanks Dixie for bringing this to my attention)

Thanks Dixie for posting this story a while back. I just wanted to scrapbook it this week

Credits:

Background paper (rotated) - Studio Manu, Mother Nature papers

Picture of wolf from the internet

AJC10 Week 5 - Simplify

This week on the art journey the theme is to explore the idea of me - how would I describe me? Eeeek, where do I start as I'm still trying to work out myself my idea of self? The "poem" came to me at the weekend. Simplification is just a backing paper and a photoshop font...

Credits: Background paper: Tangie Baxter, Art Journal Caravan Week 5 Parcel, papers