Attentions Diverted!

I have gotten involved with 21 Secrets and after finally getting back to this blog have diverted my energies again!  I really recommend the groups and hope others come to join…I thought I got started late, but once in I feel at ease to go at my own pace and feel I will get my value several times over.  It’s not that I haven’t done any artwork….mostly journaling and I am posting there.

Here is an ATC I did finish recently:

…..come play over at 21 Secrets.  I’ll try to get back here, but definitely come check it out.

Stitching added

So, my friend Steph’s comment on the last blog entry was to try some stitching….and since she is usually right with these things, I tried it out.  So here are the 2 pages, with stitching around parts of the edges and I think they are finished. Thanks Steph!

Journal Pages, stuck

These 2 are side by side…neither feels fully finished, but I’m stuck here.  Any input?

Journal Page

A journal page with a favorite photo I took years ago.  The photo on the left of the page I took looking through a tunnel at Central Park near the Bethesda Fountain.  There was a man playing an instrument in an unusual costume that everyone is looking at.  I just love the way the light floods in.  The geometric image along the top is a Frank Lloyd Wright piece.  The other images are from magazines.  The brown framing is Japanese paper tape.

Playing….catch up

Another fairly recent journal page

Just a fun collage and tape entry.

Uh Oh…..my bad.

I have been woefully neglectful.  Sometimes too much time creates a loss of focus for me.  No excuses, just mea culpas.  I have been neglectful of this space.  However, I have not been neglecting art….so there’s an upside, lots to catch up on.  I’ve been working on several journals, collages, and a few pieces I am working on to submit to CPS and Somerset Studio (so they will not be posted until I hear yea or nay).

To start, some  journal pages:

I still struggle with words…to add or not to add….As I look at them, the first page does feel like it needs written word and I think the second stands on it’s own.  The problem is even when it feels like words are needed I find myself at a loss, no words come to mind. Ahhh well, keep on keeping at it. TFL

Zen Tangle Challenge-The Space Between

I have been obsessively tangling lately–no time even to post, must tangle 🙂

But in search of inspiration….draw too much water and the well does begin to run dry…I hopped over to the Diva’s zen tangle challenge blog (see the roll on the right) and saw this week the challenge was to work with the white space, the space between all those little lines…I needed to work on breathing space indeed and this one just created itself for me:

TFL

Valentine’s Day Gift Wrap

I love making my own wrapping paper…I think it started when we used the Sunday comics to wrap presents when I was a kid.  I’ll stamp, paint, draw, or do all three to transform plain paper (usually brown kraft) into something fun.  Even if I don’t do something with the paper, I’ll create an interesting fold or accessory in wrapping the gift.  This year I had the time to make some paper for my sweetie’s Valentine’s Day gift…

I painted large hearts, then drew small ones with gelly pens, added stickles dots and white enamel accent highlights.

I forgot to think about how small the gift box was and probably should have made the large hearts smaller and a smaller “pattern” overall. But I added more “sketched” white enamel accent hearts and placed the curling ribbon over an empty spot.  Overall I’m pleased, though it’s not my best, I had fun and it was all done with love!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

New Projects, but don’t forget the old

Don’t know why, but I have been having a hard time getting myself to post updates.  Perhaps it is because, once again, I have begun a new project.  I’ve started a new facebook page for my “day job”…feel free to stop by if you’d like: “arttherapyinfo” is the name of the business page.

I have been busy on my journal, however and will spend some time catching up with posts.

This is a journal page I worked on while trying to figure out my next step to keep building my private practice.  The main image of the ferris wheel is a photo I took a few years ago while at Niagara Falls on the Canadian side.  The title “All Roads” does come from “all roads lead to Rome”, it has been a theme in my life in such unusual ways that it has become a motto. ‘Nuf said.

Mini book

So after seeing several mini book youtube videos I got a little hooked.  I’ve been playing with creating small books with used envelopes or cereal boxes and painting, stitching, covering, etc.  It’s fun.  There’s one small problem.  I don’t have any use for them.  I mean I don’t have any impulse to write in them or add photos.  They end up being empty albums.  I struggled with what to do…and then came up with an answer….RAK.  I’ve decided to leave them in public areas to be found by someone.  The cereal box one is harder to leave, but my first one is ready to go.  I’ve taken photos to keep a record of what I’ve done and what I’m sending out into the world.

TFL