Journaling Art

I'm working a theme here! New Year, new ideas! 

I signed up for a few different FREE classes on line.  One is Organization for the entire year... all classes give you ideas you may have forgotten about and help you get back or stay on track. 

Another FREE class is to help Jump Start Creativity!!! As I've been writing about in my posts this week.... it's amazing what you find by clicking on a link on someone's blog, it's mind boggling (especially if you have the time) where it will take you.  Today it's about Journaling..... above are just a few (?) notebooks that I either have made or hoarded over the years. I love my fuzzy ribbon.

Loose art, hmmm.... these are rejects. 

If the style looks familiar it is Zindorf . I like to 'get it' on the first try, but sometimes I don't and these bits and pieces approx. 4"H x 5"W didn't quite make it.  Would the 'average' eye know? REJECTS.... but now learning a bit about journaling and collage work.... maybe that pile can be incorporated in some other way!

My SMASH book of course is CASed. 

It is just a typical black covered notebook I found at Target during school supply sales for $0.40. K &Company has created this notebook for you to SMASH all your ideas in one place.... so it's a glorified notebook or real 'scrap' book.  I tabbed off sections and have one area for books, book club etc...one are for ideas from Pinterest, one area for ideas for short stories I want to write, and the last area for just general thoughts or plans for a day.

The book on the right is a pad of paper I rediscovered... thinking I might use as an official ART Journal for 2012....again.... something that has moved with me since my college days.

Inside some of my notebooks, or ART Journals....

I have sketches for cards, actual pictures of cards I made and scanned for future reference, a tiny note book for passwords and user names... and another sketchbook with dimensions of cards.  Let me tell you, it is sometimes very hard to find things, knowing I actually put it in a notebook...... somewhere.....

I guess you could call this a scrapbook ART Journal....

Words and pictures and scraps of paper and numbers and doodles.... it was a 21 day project I worked on in 2010. Again, a class I found on line, for FREE!  It is a very colorful and happy art book.  I found the blank notebook at Goodwill for $0.99.

Extra doodles here in this photo that have been yet to be utilized on a card.

... so many, they measure about 4" deep.  That's a lot of drawing and doodling.  (*technology, I think it is amazing that not 15 minutes ago... I took these pictures, uploaded them to my computer and then downloaded them on a blog that I am currently writing and getting ready to hit send... for the entire world haha to see)

So in my journey to find new ways to be creative this year.... I may just seek out some of my old ideas and incorporate them with the Jump Start Summit webinar I'm following.  Maybe all along.... I have been keeping an ART Journal.....in 15 different places!

I am so excited about learning about ART Journaling... I can't wait to explore all the possibilities.... all Jump Started from some blog posts.

The Conclusion

(fuzzy bear is a little fuzzy in this picture)

I am very interested in all forms of Art. Above is a book that I designed and created in college.  I mentioned to someone that I would post a picture of my 'old' Art journal.  Sadly, I need to find a new one to draw and doodle in, my old book is a great memory of my college days, but it is not conducive to what I think MY art journal should be.

I love the fact that when I visit different blogs I learn so much.  As I ended my post yesterday, I was talking about how blogging has changed.  I started my blog over 5 years ago after our move here to Illinois.  I thought it would be a good way to journal the days events, inside and out.

You can link up to blogs when a poster refers you to a site or place they've been. You can find a blog doing a Google search or through Facebook.  All you have to do is click on their link (often highlighted in another color, or underlined when you hover your mouse over it) and it takes you automatically to a new place. Once inside that blog, you can link to another site, and so on and so on.... and hours later.... you wonder where the time has gone.

In referencing the post yesterday, I mentioned the Inspired Room.... I thought she had a great article about how blogging has changed.  I could relate to so many things she mentioned.... and so many things her commenter's mentioned.  I visited blogs for a few reasons: one I had extra time on my hands being a stay at home mom and 2. because I felt I could relate to the writer who just chatted away about their day, their children, their craft project, a recipe, how to organize a closet.... the list is endless (and maybe mindless) to all the different kinds of blogs I used to go to out there.

Then I too saw a shift in blogs, people started giving away prizes (to draw in more readers) , there were little icons that told you who was visiting and where they were coming from, there were visitor counters, there were blog hops and there were conventions for bloggers.  html, java script, add a gadget....Terms I sure no one heard of 6 or 7 years ago...I started to feel my (3) little blogs were boring and ho hum (actually more than three if you count the Christmas one.... go to the left column and you can click on the pictures that will take you to  my other DIFFERENT than this one, blog) , I needed to FIND exciting things to write about, I needed to have sponsors, I needed more people to comment on what I was doing....some validation that I was interesting.... but you know what.... today it's okay that I have few to none comments to my blog.... less to keep track of.  I appreciate that my MIL and Dad & Mom visit to see what is happening in our home. That was the main point of starting my blog. Every once in a while a friend or neighbor finds out a little tid bit of something they never knew and that's cool too.

I try to reference as best I can where I CASe (copy and share {steal} everything).  Like I said a few days ago in a post about digital cameras and technology..... I can't even imagine where computers will take us in another 5 years! Blogging is a very interesting communicative tool, hopefully it will be used in a positive way in the future.

 Before

and after..... Sissy got her braces off today.  Look at that smile, so bright!:)

What About Blogging?

The above picture is an extreme close up of our New Year's day brunch.  Off of Pinterest I found a scrumptious looking dish that used 8  Pillsbury crescent rolls, cheese, 5 scrambled eggs and 8 slices of bacon. Once it's baked you can top it with your choice, I used fresh salsa. It was very delicious!

Simple and to the point card. Cuttlebugged the pop out red with Swiss dots. Added a few score lines above and below the heart to give the card some definition. I really wanted to punch the heart on the bottom of the card, but it really depends on the orientation of the punch.... I never realized that before.  Unless you use die cuts where you can place it anywhere on the space.... you may be punch limited!

I started my blog on October 9th 2006.  Blogging was farely new.  At first (and I still do) think it's a great way to journal your day and practice writing skills.  Unless something happens to the World Wide Web, my pictures and stories, my joys and my sorrows are here FOREVER!!!

I recently read a great article (what's a magazine again??) here at the Inspired Room , titled "What I learned about Blogging".  Stay with me here, I found the article on FACEBOOK through a cyber friend (that's what I call someone who I never met in person, and most cases I just follow their blog, website etc.... ) This said friend pointed out that the author of the Inspired Room used some of her artwork she copied off Pinterest and didn't give her credit. Here in lies the problem.... it's so easy to COPY or CASe off the internet.  Yes, all artists should give credit where credit is due, but when it's copied from a blog to another blog and then to Pinterest, some things get lost in translation......

This is just a tease of my point and what the article said.  I will continue this topic on tomorrows post, so as not to bore you to death with a long post. Something to think about until then, why do people blog? 

Come on back and visit me again, when I tell you the rest of the story!

It's a Matter of Balance

Get organized, set goals, shine, de-clutter, get a full-filling job, exercise, find a purpose, eat less, smile more, quit your complaining, find your passion, think of the environment, create, love more, one vote can make a difference, volunteer, discover, pamper yourself, take a class, learn to say no, read..... okay, that list goes on, either it's a New Year's Resolutions or setting goals to start out the new year right. (things I've been told personally or read about in the past New Year day!!)   It takes 21 consecutive days to make or 'break' a habit.  Just Do it!!

I'm a marketing junkie!! Do you balance what's most important (which one is?) or be true to yourself and do a little bit of everything when the opportunity arises?

I was CASe-ing this cute and simple card above while I was watching Paula Dean add her trademark 'butter' to a recipe that she was making with her gal pal Liza Minnelli..... what a sweet show. I really LOVE the bird.... is he balancing on a 'hot' wire or is he just strutting his colors for all to see?

Today, I'm thinking about how does opportunity find you and give you a chance?

Send out FuN MaiL!

It is a brand new year!!!  Happy New Year everybody.  If you are interested, my sidebars on my blog here are full of information.  If you'd like a synopsis of 2011, click on the Robinson Replay, it's my Christmas news letter!  If you just want to see greeting cards and paper crafts that I make, click on the little lady in yellow, she will take you to my card blog. And if you want to follow along 365 days of pictures (didn't quite make it, but there are a lot of fun pictures) click on the icon with the camera!  I found the great way to design 2012 (above) on Pinterest.....

I'm up for pretty much anything and wanted to try the Oreo Cookie Cupcake recipe.  Photos of yummy food, how awesome is that?  If you are just dying to try this recipe and can't find it when you do a google search, just email me, and I will forward you the recipe.  My email can be found at the top of this blog!

Sent out HNY!!! cards this year.  Had to be a little different.  It's a shy little penguin with a big NEW YEAR wish of joy, peace, love and happiness! Send out FuN MaiL!!!!!

Check back often and see what I'm up to!!!!

Blast from the Past

I've been writing this blog for a long time!  I thought I'd go back to one of my first months of posting and find some cute card I created over 5 years ago.  Do you believe? 

What an awesome way this computer allows us to record history.  How will documenting digital photos and blogs, emails and webs and all the other technology be in another 5 years.  Where will I be then???

I recently caught up with a friend from college.  Can you find me in this dated picture from 1983???? I thought that there was never a picture taken of her and I together... and she told me, yes! just the one for the yearbook.  Good memory.  So sad almost 30 years ago.... documenting 'history' was so odd, cheap cameras, expensive film, expensive developing fees... and boxes full of photos that were blurry or heads cut off!

This is my personal daily diary.  Thanks for visiting and taking this journey with me.

 Making mini scrapbooks.... these are so much fun and they take time and planning.  I love using my leftovers to create a fantastic page with different do-dads to see and interactive pockets to pull whimsy tags from. We'll call this one a shabby chic with lacey ribbon a fabric flower and some pearlized buttons. You can see a bit of corrugated cardboard, a paper rose bud and a flower pick or pin that is holding 3 little tags and an embossed button with what looks to be a butterfly?

Here's a side view A: because I think it's cool picture to take a close up of all the textures. B: always practicing my picture taking.  This mini is for sale.... not sure what a reasonable price would be for it.  Have any ideas?  Please, please leave me a comment... does the comment section work?????? The size is approximately 4-1/2"H x 6-1/2" W... room for little photos, or a journaling book to jot your favorite quotes.

No snow yet!  It's the big talk around here.... a December without snow!  Yes it's odd, but then the complaints will start flying the first day we get 2".  It's global warming.

Supposed to be a 'warm' weekend... perfect for taking down all the outdoor decor and getting on with the new year!

The answer to yesterday's question....the college boy was picked to go on stage with Blue Man Group!