PPF, In the Studio & Giveaway Winner

This week has been a marathon of making things for me, even so I still feel I need more hands! I've not managed to paint anything today but I must have made about 12-15 journals this week to stock up my etsy shop, so wanted to join in the fun and share these two for Paint Party Friday, In the Studio Sneak Peek and for the first time Artists in Blogland, as they are very 'painterly' is style and I really like how they've turned out:

Clementine Front

 Clementine Back

Hermonie

Okay so onto the giveaway winner of this here art journal:

Thank you to everyone that entered, here are all your names and I thought it would be fun to put them into this cute trunk case thing so I could give them a good shake up:

Shake, shake, shake

And the winner is:

Congratulations Grandma Yellow Hair! I'll be in touch to organise postage, I hope you find a use for your new recycled journal.

As a final note I want your opinion if I may - I have so enjoyed making this journal and doing this giveaway that I'm already thinking of another. I'm currently working on some (along with a hundred others) journals that are particularly for creative writing, prompted journals for recreation and more exactly character development. What does everyone think - is anyone out there interested in creative writing?  The reason I'm thinking of this is I had such positive feedback in regards to the video tutorial I gave for the art journal that I want to do the same for the creative writing.  The journal itself I will probably be a nice leather binding or something but the actual creative writing exercise & character development principles I can share, please let me know your thoughts on if you are interested in this (or not, whatever the case may be). 

There is another reason why I'm wanting to do this giveaway - I have been either rather stupid or very brave - it's the same reason I'm trying to stock up my etsy shop as I doubt I'll have much time soon...but I'll leave that to another post.

Thanks for stopping by :) off to bloghop around PPF, Sneak Peek Studio & Artists in Blogland now, hugs Jenny

WOYWW #121 - Paint More, Pay Less

My workdesk this week for WOYWW is currently the floor in my outdoor studio. I decided a few days ago that I wanted to play with paint, I had no agenda, no particular painting in mind, I just wanted to slosh it around and paint like a child (act like a child in other words). So outside I went with a load of cheap acrylic paints, some cardboard to cover the floor, a piece of A1 paper and some tape to stick it to the wall.

By the end of that day I realised I had half the amount of craft paints left and a half-finished painting I didn't really like.  But, I had achieved that feeling of freedom when expression is in abundance - and you can't put a price on that right?  Well, I still thought if I carried on at that rate I soon wouldn't have any paints left to be expressive with so I figured out a plan - I went and found some really cheap (& large) acrylic paints & brought the prime colours:

These I found at Art Discount and they cost £5 for 500ml (and the vintage French milk crate I brought a while ago from an antiques market - nice home for them don't you think?).  Now the craft paints that come in 59ml bottles (Folk Art, Anitas, Do Crafts etc) are cheap by any standards £1.25-£2 each, still even if you compare with the cheapest 59ml bottle price these large paints are still a minimum of half that cost.

We all know that 'real' artists put out their few oils/acrylics on a palette and then mix their colours to be exactly the same colour as the purple sky, or green leaf they are painting. I'm not like that - well very occasionally - but right now I just want to paint, tube to paper and back to another tube, even without washing my brushes. So I used the large paints to mix my own lot of colours ready - using these pots that I have been saving every time I have finished with my cosmetics for years - for storing buttons, gemstones etc (because I just think it's silly to throw away something that is made so well and of really tough plastic).

So I managed to get some pastels

Some bright & some jewel tones

& some darks

So I finished the painting with these & just in case you were wondering I've found no difference in the quality whatsoever.  And just in case you were double wondering here is the finished painting:

It's had about 4-5 layers of paint (you can see the corners in pictures above, completely different colours were used - some I left in those lines & squiggles you can see on her) and I don't especially like it any more now that it's done. But I'm in a happier place now than before it was started and that to me is the point of painting. So I say save your jam jars, shampoo bottles or any other pots you may have & why not save a few pennies? You get to do some messy mixing as a bonus!!

Finally as this post is about art thought I'd mention that there's two days left to enter my giveaway for an art journal before I pick a winner, and yours artfully has a fantastic giveaway too to win some pan pastels so check them out. Happy WOYWW much love, Jenny

The Versatile Blogger Award

Ok so I've been a bit slack with posting this but a couple of weeks ago a lovely lady called Di,  who recently befriended me through Etsy due to our mutual love of writing and journaling, has passed this award onto me: 

To accept the award, the following must be done:

1) I thank whomever I received the award from, and link back to them

2) I must share 7 things about myself

3) I must pass the award along to 15 blogs that are newly discovered by me

So thank you so much Di, I'm so honoured - I'm not sure I've ever received an award before, except for those rubbish team building ones at school - so will wear the award like a badge of honour (or at least my blog will on the sidebar hehe). 

However before I share my 7 things and pass on the award I can't mention Di without mentioning the wonderful book she has bestowed on me, which I think anyone interested in journaling should know about. About a month ago Di and I did a swap, one of my then 'in process' Prompted Art Journals for her published (check her out!) book Time to Write to Yourself. As you might expect the book gives you journaling exercises & is beyond encouraging but Di has also looked into the scientific reasons why journaling is good for our mental, emotional and even physical health.  I have been kept awake reading this when I should be long snoozing and am so impressed with it. If you are at all interested in learning how journaling can benefit you (I journal LOADS and have still found this useful) I'm positive you'll enjoy it...and Di, I'm so VERY happy you mentioned Stephen Fry's The Ode Less Travelled: Unlocking the Poet Within in your poetry section! I love all of Stephen's books (as much as I do the man) but this my special favourite as I, like most, fear attempting to create poetry as much as I do realising I'm suddenly naked in public.  So if you feel the same but still want to give it a go I thoroughly say check out wonderful Mr Fry's book too, but listen to me going off - sorry - back to the point we go...

Ok so, 7 things about myself:

1) I have a terrible diet, I can honestly go a year without eating one fruit or vegetable but regularily eat chocolate for breakfast.

2) At 27 I loathe clothes shopping, except the once or twice a year I can be bothered.  At 22 (and all the years before) I LOVED it, go figure!

3) I am an only child and think this is the reason why I need (at least a little) time and space to myself everyday. Otherwise I unintentionally get VERY cranky with people ;)

4) Caffeine is my only addiction

5) I'm single and my friends would say I'm very hard on any interested men, but I just think it's good sense to do a practice paper before sitting an exam.

6) I'm a city girl and feel much more at home in a crowd than in the country. I MISS LONDON! sob sob :(

7) I have been everywhere ever connected with Jane Austen (lived in a couple of them too - just because she did), this also includes all historic houses in the tv productions & films adaptations.

So in summary I'm a nut.

Now the 15 blogs I've 'recently' discovered doesn't really apply - I'm so new to blogging that all the blogs have I ever visited are recently discovered to me so I am having difficulty limiting to only 15 great ones but here goes:

1) Bohemianne Art - A talented artist who I stalk frequently on flickr to see what wonderful new things she has created. I especially love what she can do with fabric - just fabulous.

2) Art of Mine - Blog of a lovely lady and friend I met through the net, she does such beautiful work that makes me think of wonderful Victorian shabby chic-iness.

3) Angelia's Art Journal - A wonderful art journaler, who's style is bright and makes me smile everytime I look at one of her pages.

4) Creative Carmelina - a very popular blog, if you've ever looked you'll know why.  Very talented and beautiful artist of many talents.

5) Alchemy Art Memories - Another artist whos work I often stalk, and in return makes me smile

6) Kellys Art Journaling - A fellow believer in the healing of journaling and fabulous artist - just check out the pages in her recent calender & Gone with the Wind posts, stunning!

7) Mamie Janes - Lovely blog of a junker called Jane, who repurposes treasure she finds into the most wonderful & exciting things - a woman with a mission close to my own heart.

8) Marmalade Rose - Blog of a fabulous artist - her recent post has pictures of old sketches she did years ago - sketches that, for me, it will take years to get as good as.

9) All Norahs Art - Another extremely talented artist, who also does some online courses that look like a lot of fun

10) Pringle Hill Studio - Another great artist whos art journaling in particular I really love

11) Stamping Ground - Blog of Julia, who's not only the gracious host of What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday, from which I have found a plateau of talented bloggers, but a very talented crafter who finds great uses for vinegar bottles...!

12) The Queen of Creativity - Blog of Kate, who is a fantastic mixed media art, another artist who's faces I absolutely LOVE
13) My Art Journal - Diane is one I actually have only recently discovered and I absolutely love her style, her work is just beautiful go check her out

14) What's Up Roc - Roc is another fantastic art journaler, whos vibrant pages have so much to look I can look at one for 10 minutes and still be seeing new things

15) Sacred Yoli - Finally Yoli is a mixed media artist whos work is so beautifully bold and colourful it's sure to inspire

Wow that was HARD, picking only 15! The tough task of picking their top fifteen is now up to these fifteen mwah ha haaaaaa.  Bye for now, Jenny x

Cereal Box Art Follow Through

Well after my last post and talking about all the projects I have on the go at the moment I realised something, I only tend to show about a tenth of what I actually create in my posts! I know I’m still very new to blogging but may be my scantiness is to blame or I just have no follow through. Anyhow it has made me resolve to get better with my posting (but also to try not to overflood posts with ‘samey’ stuff either). So, in conclusion I decided to complete one of these damn recycled cereal box art journals from my last post - so that I will have some follow through and show you what they will look like, as well as that be an end to it (well at least to one of my current projects anyhow) : -

Covers are made with similar principle to that I showed in the giveaway art journal tutorial and are made from recycled materials (in pics below the plaque that I bound to the spine is from a belt, along with all the wooden beads I have hidden in amongst the dangles made with more of my Grandmothers left-over knitting yarn). It is the first time I have actually included my own artwork in a journal. It is a simple ink drawing done on a 1937 French novel page & with a quote from good old Ralph Waldo Emerson. I have done stencil art journals or collage journals before but never put my own artwork on a journal - not on a journal I am not keeping for myself anyhow - as these ones (like the millions of others I make) will go into my journal shop.

I still have three more to go, but then done is the cereal box torment…until I go and eat a whole load more of course then the vicious cycle will recommence. I do just want to say a thank you to all those who have entered into my giveaway and shown me they see the value in cereal boxes too hehe, if you haven’t entered yet you still have time as winner will be picked in exactly one weeks time.

Finally for the first time ever I’m going to link up to Paint Party Friday and Sneak Peek Friday as I’m finally beginning to get over my blogosphere shyness a little & am loving blog hopping so much (esp around other peoples work spaces on Wednesdays over at Stamping Ground) so thought this would be another excellent way of seeing and sharing.  

Come join if you can, much love Jenny

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 21/09/11

Well Julia over at Stamping Ground is having the same time as me right now I have to say, no smugness over here Julia, all shame too.

On my workdesk today is the cereal box bars left over from my giveaway art journal. If you watched the video tutorial you may have seen them, as well as my mother (who as mothers do went checking up with what I was doing - yes mama I know you'll be reading this too at some point, hello! hehe). Well when she watched the video she literally laughed out loud at the cereal bar boxes I had piled up on my desk. So the shame came and now I am turning these into journals also, though with different techniques to the one I showed you in the video, but still all with more scrap papers. Slow process though as this month I seem to be having a million and one projects I wish to complete & all I'm doing is adding more to the fire. Anyone else feeling that? I so want to put it down to a bewitching September lull than my dire working style lol well whatever you're making I hope it's coming on faster for you than mine are for me at present. Hugs Jenny x

My First Ever Give Away (and Journal Making Tutorial)

Hello lovely people

Well I have to say I've had rather a good week for receiving goodies. I've had an abundance of new papers to make journals with, including a huge amount of ephemera I have discovered, which includes everything from a beautiful illustrated 1877 edition of Don Quixote for 50p to Queens Alexandra's 1908 Photo Book and Players Cigarette Cards book full of the original Hollywood Stars.  But what I have loved receiving the most is this beautiful bag I have received from Jan over at Lunch Lady Jan's Fabric Frenzy:

It was her first ever giveaway, and my first ever entry into one and I'm so thrilled with it I can't tell you, it's new employment is my studio bag as it is such a fantastic size it allows me to carry whole projects between my two studios.  So thank you Jan, as I'm a firm believer in karma your generosity has inspired me to do a giveaway of my own, so here it is:

It is an art journal I have created from 100% recycled materials, as you may have seen with my last blog post I am getting more and more conscious of consumer waste and making everything as eco-friendly as humanly possible so this journal was created from cereal boxes.

I am going to pick a winner on 30th September when I will automatically enter all of my followers (as I'm so very grateful to have you considering I'm still a newborn blogger) and anyone that has left a comment on this post. So if you are a follower and a commenter you will be entered twice.

However as I enjoy making videos I decided to do a tutorial on how I made this journal for anyone who likes the look of giving it a go themselves, seeing as there can be only one actual winner of the piece itself.  Here it is, hope you enjoy and good luck if you enter:

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 07/09/11

Hello, so here’s what’s on my workdesk today:

Yep, a whole load of rubbish!!! It’s due to the promise I made in my last blog post (my head is hung in shame at it being a month ago!) that I would upload a video of projects I have been making out of scrap elements, such as cardboard boxes, found paper scraps, reclaimed metal etc, well...it’s finally done.  I was up very, very late finishing it but that’s my repentance for being so utterly awful with my blogging and video creating recently.  So easiest way of telling you what I’ve been up to in my absence is by showing, here’s the video, and I promise not to have another vanishing act month till my next post.  Hugs Jenny x