A Little Imagination and a Pile of Junk

because you've got too much free time on your hands

 

 

Recently I stumbled across this cool blog and its out-of-this-world mother-list of artist gift tags and labels you can link to directly here. Most of them are holiday themed and not particularly what I would use in my art journal, but there were some--oh, blessed some!--that were perfect for journaling! I literally spent the next few hours going through the list, downloading the tags/labels I liked, and then bunny hopping to each site linked to discovering that most of the sites had even more downloadable pretties to feast upon!! And what a feast it was!!! I was literally chasing after and downloading tags for hours! I found so many amazing ones that I'd probably never need to buy another label again--but then where's the fun in that??

 

 

 

However, I feel it is my duty to warn you now: carve out a significant portion of your day before clicking on the link above or your job, family, and responsibilities will suffer when you are glued to the computer for the next 5 hours--I'm not exaggerating.

 

Here are a couple of tips I discovered:

 

-Visit each site after downloading the tags/labels you like and search the sidebars for "downloadables", "freebies", "printables" and the like. And beware: you are likely to link to many more sites before you find your way back to where you began. This is the fun part.

-Use your best quality paper and printer settings to print these babies. I have a great Epson printer and with the right paper, the quality is just as good as a color copy made from a printer service. It eats me alive in ink but is well worth the money on occasions like this.

-Many of the tags have "to, from" written on them which can be easily erased by opening the pdf file (or jpg) in an image editing software (like Photoshop) instead of Adobe Reader. Download the file then open it by right clicking on the icon and 'Open With' then choose your imaging program. Once it's up, choose your erasing tool or a paintbrush the same color as the background and remove the writing you don't want to make a generic label for journaling. Make sure you save the new file to print again later!

-If you don't have all day and need a quick fix, here are some favorites I discovered:

 

The Container Store - several choices of labels in various sizes. I fell in love with the "colored frame" labels and downloaded them in every size.

 

Style Guide | Downloads - printable goodies to use as wedding/party favors but there are tons of great things to use in your journaling with a little creativity. I'm seriously searching all the wedding sites after this.

 

Just Something I Made - This site alone will occupy you for hours. Look in the left side bar for the "FREE digital downloads" link. She's got an insane number of downloadable goodies to share and lots of great ideas for using them. Well worth wading through!

new art journals and label love

 

I added some new art journals to the Etsy shop. With the out-of-state move coming in 3 weeks--yikes!! Note to self: time to find a place to live!--this will probably be my last shop update for a while.

 

It's fitting that these are my last creations and a farewell and homage to Mexico the land that I love but am leaving behind. The covers of the Mexican Papel Amate Journals incorporate an original piece of Mexican folk art hand painted on paper made from pounded amate bark. This is an ancient tradition still practiced and probably undervalued here on the Texas/Mexico border. I've tried to add as many authentic Mexican details as possible including end papers in Mexican oilcloth and binding fabric also purchased over the border. Hopefully, I'll be making a few more of these in the future. I love the vibrant paintings and have stocked up on as many as I can afford to bring with me to Colorado.

 

 

 

I've also included a couple of File Art Journals.

 

 

And a few scrap paper packs.

 

As for me, I'm taking a break from packing to add some of the newly found printable labels I've downloaded online to my journal--whooo-wee!

 

 

I'll be back with those links in a bit if you're interested in accumulating a few lovely labels for yourself.  

turning clutter into meaning

Things I've learned about us by packing up all our crap: 1.) Our house may look neat on the surface, but move things around and the truth comes out: we are pigs, 2.) No matter how much we get rid of, we still have waaaayyyy too much stuff. Sewing new journal pages helps to clear the mind and release frustration from too much dust up the nose.

 

 

 

 

 

Some of these paper scraps I've had for 5 years or more--Years!! The only thing better than tossing stuff you've been hoarding is finally putting it to use! So liberating and highly recommended.

one step at a time

 

So many times this week I've thanked God for art journaling! Journal the Fourth has been my constant companion, much to the annoyance of my good natured husband who has watched me lug my journaling bag into every restaurant in town wondering, 'Why can't we go anywhere without looking like we're moving in?' It's been such an exhausting week preparing for the move, showing the house on a moment's notice, and agonizing over a thousand necessary details--and we're just getting started! Although I think about practically nothing else, strangely I haven't been journaling much about the move. I'm finding my creative thoughts turning back to Christmas, reliving Guanajuato and Portland, and just generally looking for an escape from the real world anxieties around me. Again, I'm so thankful to have her!

One thing I've been dreading is painting over my beloved blue walls. Besides the fact that I still think a thousand times a day how much I love them, that particular shade of blue has come to symbolize a time of significant changes in the life of our family and the hope that has sprung out of that unwanted and unwelcome change. I thought making those first few strokes of stark white paint would be like a stab to the heart, but it was great. A necessary step toward more--this time quite welcome and anticipated--change.

 

So, it's all good. And slowly the details are falling into place and the things we have no control over, we're learning not to fret about. If we can do that, I'll think we've accomplished something far greater than selling a house.
 

change, i love you

Well, it's official: we're moving to Colorado!! Pueblo, Colorado to be exact and I couldn't be more excited. My honey starts his new job March 1 so there is lots to do between now and then, but I'm up for it. I've been waiting for this for over a year so a few more weeks is nothing. Thank God for my new journal to record the move and to provide some artistic relief once the planning and transition really begin to get rough. And good thing I spent this past weekend getting to know my new journal intimately. We'll be spending lots of time together over then next 5 weeks. It might be all the creative time I can muster for a while. But you can bet she won't be neglected.

 

 

 

 

 

 

wintry wonder

 

We've been anxiously waiting all morning. But the sky has only now started to darken ever so slightly, so we've thrown open the doors in welcome on the cold front that's been moving down from the stormy wintry North, this time with enough left over to share. I know it must be cold for you Midwesterners because tonight here nearer the equator, we'll be dipping down into the twenties which is almost unheard of. But for now, the wind is only just starting to pick up and a rush of cold air occasionally bursts through the open door beside me and wraps me in his icy arms as I sit at the computer talking to you. Heavenly.

 

Good thing the only plans I have for the weekend involve me sitting here with a pile of photos and a few pens.

 

Oh, and thank goodness that if I do have to get out in the blustery cold, I was able to check these off my December To-Do List.  

 

It feels good to be prepared for once.

Hope you have a super weekend and stay warm! 

don't let the door hit you in the butt on your way out

Hallelujah, 2009 is gone. I thought she would never leave. Geez, talk about not being able to take a hint. It's not so much that the lingering sorrow and loss of 2008 is another year gone as the promise of a fresh start like a blank page, all pristine and new just waiting to be written upon. But then again, personally, I like my blank pages to have a little something on them to get me going.

 

So working on a new journal is a completely appropriate way to start off a new year. See how I justify spending most of my time buried in paper scraps and tangled thread ends? (As if it needs any justification.) Looks like I'll be wrapping up my remains of the day journal this week. The signatures are done and I've already started journaling on the loose pages. They came with me to visit family during the holidays. I couldn't bear to be without them. But very soon they'll be nestled into their cozy and colorful cover and officially become Favorite Journal #4, aka Journal the Fourth.

 

I highly recommend taking one of Miss Mary Ann's online classes. I'm now a huge fan of this kind of long distance learning. It's kind of like those very cool but too-far-away-from-me-art-retreats that I've always longed to go to but without the expensive airfare and with martinis and pajamas thrown in. Here's a peek at some of my pages. You can see where I've already started journaling on some of them.

 

 

 

One of the most fun parts for many of us I think has been digging through and using up all those paper and fabric scraps we've been squirreling away for ages. Some of my favorite pages have special scraps I don't know if I'd have ever found a use for but couldn't bear to part with.

Some old recipes with a bit of my dad's (who died when I was 19) handwriting on it:

 

The packaging from a piece of mailart I received turned into a see-through pocket for goodies (love the vellum pocket on the opposite side, too):

An old book page with a photo of a stained glass window in St. Peter's Basilica that was the inspiration for one of my husband's tattoos: (I need to remember to get a picture of the tat, too--get it? Sorry.):

 

A menu from our trip to Portland that made a great base for a journal page:

And a blown up photo from Mexico:

Just looking at these makes me want to make more more more! But first, responsibilities of the new year are calling. You know I've been dragging my feet when the kids start reminding me it's past time to start school. Better go before they change their minds!