The Wisdom Journal (& Livestream)

Hey Love

I'm SO excited.

I have a BRAND NEW Journal Making Class Now OPEN!! Whoop Whoop!

The Wisdom Journal is about making your own survival guidebook of your own personal wisdoms. 

For more info visit: 
The Wisdom Journal {clickable}

In the Wisdom Journal Class we will:

*Make a Unique Journal - including creating pockets, decorating background papers before binding, crafting a decorative spine, adding a closure etc.

*Detect Our Wisdoms – what is to go in the journal? Well, we shall see…

*Art Journal – once we have done the work around finding/making our wisdoms we shall art them out in our fancy new handmade journal.

*Apply Our Wisdoms – we will look at how we can consciously apply our wisdoms in our life. This class is not about locking knowledge away in a book never to be seen again, it is about bringing awareness to light to use …and as a result create our own fabulously customised survival book to have forevermore and use as a tool.

Registration is open now for a CRAZY Low Early Bird Price. 

See more about the class here: journalworkshops.ning.com/page/wisdom-journal-class

(or if it’s already a ‘YES’ workshop for you click ‘Join’ in the classroom here to secure your spot now: journalworkshops.ning.com/group/wisdom) 

Class Starts 1st Sept & you get LIFETIME access to the class content (so grab it now while it's a bargain!)

PS Last night I also did a facebook livestream on 'How to do Art the 'Right' Way' (yes...there is a right way, apparently) & I also showed a little more about the Wisdom Journal Class if you want to see it in 'person' as it were. Check it out here: https://www.facebook.com/Jennibellie/videos/1810971888919813/

xoxo

PPS This new class like all my classes are hosted on my art community Journal Workshops, you can sign up now for free and browse all the classes I have on offer if you wish, or even take a free one!

journalworkshops.ning.com
come join the family...we don't bite =)

New Video: a JUICY Art Journal Tutorial

Hello my lovely

Hope you’re having a gloriously creative weekend so far. I have a new video tutorial for you today, all about the EDGES of your journal pages.

After the little tut I share a few of my art journals pages I created using this edges technique as a base too...

hope you enjoy:

These are the sketchbooks I use: http://amzn.to/2rFFgjZ. 

The glues I use are double sided sticky tape, Glue Stick (my fav http://amzn.to/2ol28TQ) and Tacky Glue (Aleenes Original being my preference http://amzn.to/2oJmnxv).

Here is the ‘3 Glues Technique’ video I mentioned and used in the Juicy Edges tutorial: 

Enjoy the rest of your weekend

Jennibellie

XOXO

PS Are you part of my free art community Journal Workshops yet?? If not get your buns over there and signed up for free weekly and monthly art activities, all of my current online workshops *plus* a free art journaling class. 

http://journalworkshops.ning.com/

The Half-Finished Journal Parade

So the past week or so I have been quenching my thirst to make journals, from which I got to thinking about all the journals I have currently sitting in my studio, not able to go in my journal trunks because only those finished may enter that land of journal fiefdom! 

I have many more unfinished journals than what I share in this vlog, and it doesn't really bother me having so many semi-complete journals. I know some people feel guilty wanting to start yet another journal but I don't think it's wrong to love variety or being able to dip into other journals when you need to (this is where the 'theme' thing I talk about in the vlog comes into play). I think of it as having a favourite dish (my main art journal - currently my loose leaf journal) but occasionally having a taste or try of other things on the menu...still I'd be interested to hear how anyone else works, or what they would do with half-finished journals?

Psst just so you know I cut out about 5 mins of me acting (more) crazy in this....you're welcome ;) I blame the cough syrup!

So any suggestions for these? What about your unfinished journals?? Let me know in the comments below & I'll do a blogpost or video or something if I come up with any grand plans for using them up myself.

Much love

Jennibellie

Mini Journaling

Hello lovelies

This is a very quick post from me tonight as it’s very late and I’m all but sleep-walking lol

Here is a quick video I did on the concept of multi-page journaling. If you have watched my previous flip videos especially you will probably have seen that in the past I’ve been rather fond of putting a journal within a journal, and creating many pages at once is what I think they are especially good for. You can find ways to make quick n easy mini journals in this particular video playlist here – I used a simple pamphlet stitch; a true journalers staple.

Much love (and goodnight, sleep-tight!)

Making My New Recycled Loose Leaf Journal

I have been making art journal pages since my last journal, but as yet no actual journal so now it's time to make my new journal =)

I haven't got any pictures (it's that new),
but here's a video of me making it:

Hope you enjoy =)

Much love

How to Become a Beautiful Bonafide Belliette!!

Arrrrgh how did this happen??

I just received an email from Bloglovin telling me Google Reader is disappearing tomorrow!!!

I was convinced I had longer than that to do the mandatory

'other options for following me' post...but evidently not.

I had plans. I had dreams.

....okay those were only to set up a newsletter, but for the extremely-challenged-in-all-areas-technology-related-gal that is me, doing that is a big deal! 

And now apparently I have only one night to do it in

...but fear not, 

I have help (hey thanks mum, my coding-queen extraordinaire!) and these things happen for a reason - and obviously this happened to kick my butt into action because every time someone leaves a comment on an old post saying 'wow! I love, how did I miss it?' or 'OMG, I was wondering about that and never realised you already did this on it' the little niggly, annoying voice in my head is responding:

'ya really need to get on that newsletter ya know. Nothing major, just send one out once a month so peeps can get the highlights of Jennibellie-land for that month.' 

So here we go, a once a month Jennibellie update sent straight to your inbox can be got by filling in that bright pink form in the top left corner or clicking here.

And as a thank you for becoming a fabulously beautiful bonafide Belliette you'll get some instant goodies (three free digital collage sheets that I created in my 'Creativity is Not Brought From A Craft Store' Video, for you to use however you like in your art and craft pursuits) and you'll also get my eternal love

(that's the forever, and ever, Vampire-esque kind!)

And of course there are other ways to follow
(so there Google Reader :p)
such as Bloglovin, 

the email update button that's on the right over there ----> 

or facebook, twitter or Pinterest.

(But they're just the regular kinda love options, you have to sign up for the Newsletter to my special immortal kind! ;) )

Mwah! Thank you for reading
a tired Jennibellie is now off for a long kip (no coffin-puns required)

Crafty Solutions for Using Waste Paint, Inks & Sprays

Hi guys, a couple of days ago I posted a video showing how to recycle all the product that gets wasted during crafting.

 I think nearly all crafters will do this automatically in their own way - we're not called 'creative', or 'crafty' for nothing after all lol 

Here's how I capture mine, and then what I do with it. Hope you enjoy:

Homemade Watersoluable Palette Book Tutorial

Yep, I did say Palette BOOK...

I've put together a video tutorial to show you how you can carry around ALL of your watersoluable medias in one tiny, easy-peasy-to-put-together book:

They are what I briefly gave you a quick glimpse in my All-in-One Journal & Travel Kit post and they save soooooooooo much room it's incredible!!!! Here's the tutorial (but don't just go off once you've seen it - there's more goodies in this post =D )

Ten mins before I began writing this post I had just come back from a hospital visit, and I took with me this journal below to me to create a page while I was there:

It features in this little 3 min vid I put up to show you more various ways to use the watersoluable palette idea, the main one being a removable palette:

I hope you enjoy & I'm hoping I get to use them on an actual holiday as originally intended...mine has been postponed due to the torrential rain in England (...again) so I'm looking for last min deals abroad. I'd happily only have a short break somewhere that is pretty with nice weather, rather than spending a full week in rainy England, so it looks like that's what I'm going to do. Keep your fingers crossed I can find something!!

2 More Mini Book Tutorials

Hi lovely people, a short post from me just to let you know I've uploaded two more recycled mini book tutorials below:

I'm really pleased everyone seems to like them. Every morning I wake up to sooooo many new cool comments on these videos (time difference means they mostly get watched as I sleep lol) it's so awesome! Happy weekend everyone :) x

The Weirdo Art Book

In my last post I sneaked a pic of my new beadalious book, so here's the finished article:

Believe it or not this whole book only took one sheet of A1 paper to create. I first folded the paper, then tore (there's no precision cutting in the whole book), then painted. It was very freeing.

All the pages inside are completed too

Here is a video flip through if you want to see all of the pages & construction of the book:

Linking to artists in blogland, sneak peek friday & paint party friday. Happy weekend everyone :) x

AEDM & NaNoWriMo Day 18

Today's creation for AEDM is another eco-friendly journal:

This time a soft cover one made from an old check shirt, buttons on front and back recycled from clothing too and beads from old jewellery. The inside is lined with felt, which is 100% made from recycled plastic bottles. Hard plastic bottles = super soft felt, I love what we can do now.

Inside are just a few odds and sods from my scrap drawer - patterned paper, vintage ephemera etc

Yesterday I said I would post the video tutorial on how I made this journal:

So here it is and with damn YouTube taking for-ever to update the thumbnail you have this very inspiring craft mat image to click, rather than a terrible picture of the actual book or something lol

Linking to artists in blogland, sneak peek friday & paint party friday in the hopes I'll have enough time today to get around in blogland and snoop :)

Day 17's final word count for NaNoWriMo was: 1019, totalling: 18,250. I am trying, just life seems to get in the way...every day lol 

Thanks for stopping by, Jennibellie x

AEDM & NaNoWriMo Day 15 - A Personal Post for Me Today: My Inner Voice

Today's creation for AEDM is:

First journal this month I have made for my Etsy shop, created from recycled goodies.

The basis is three office dividers that I salvaged from going to the landfill at my old 'world be damned' workplace.

Then covered in found paper scraps, stitched and covered in gems, broken jewellery and vintage ephemera decoration:

I've been pretty neglectful of bookbinding one journal, after another, after another, to refresh stock in my shop the past couple of months, but creativity has taken me in another direction; and I think it's always important to listen to that inner voice.

For this reason I have till now tried to avoid taking online art classes. I have only ever taken one class with one person, and then never finished it because I worry that I will not channel my own work, but the work of the artist who taught the class. However there are two classes I wish to take next year, and literally feel broken down the middle trying to decide what to do - one side is screaming "do not miss such great opportunities", the other is saying that "if you do the classes you will get caught up going down the creative path they have carved out for you, and fail to see your own (and what if that path had your masterpiece on it in your own, uniquely found style?)".

Finding my creativity has never been an issue for me, I have never misplaced a muse, so it is just technical skill I need (and feel I don't always have) to be able meet the muse and produce something great. Lets just say I feel like I have ideas/imagination at 100%, but can never produce GREAT work because my skills are at 20% and it leaves me frustrated, feeling like I have not expressed myself to my fullest potential.

This is my art journal page today and this is the most personal I have ever gotten in a post but perhaps all artists feel something like this at some point do they? From what I read they do. And I guess art, like life, is a learning process, which means I'll only be at my fullest potential on the day I die - for that will be the day I have learnt most. Sorry if this sounds terribly morbid or like I am ranting, this is the first time my inner voice has failed to give me an answer so I am trying to do it through a blog post. Shall I take these classes or not?........Still silence. I guess I shall just have to see on the day.

Day 14's final word count for NaNoWriMo was: 1,033

Totalling: 16,251, by today I should be on 25,000 as this is the halfway point. I cannot see my writing nearly 9,000 words today alone, but hopefully if I am feeling better today I plan on making a decent dent in that figure. Fingers crossed.

Jennibellie x

AEDM & NaNoWriMo Day 13

Today's creation for AEDM is:

Made from cereal boxes, one of my favourite materials - it's free, it helps the planet and there's a million and seven things you can do with it (I'm currently working on the million and eighth!). This was a folder type book, like an accordion wallet to keep in my bag & store all those little bits of paper you scribble on and a little notebook. That's why it has chains of the side/fastening on the top to keep them all tucked in safely and a pen loop on the top so everything would be in one place when I wanted to jot down something.

It worked ok, however I didn't like it very much so I pulled it apart and made it into (my usual preference) an art journal:

 

But it won't just be an art journal, I plan on turning it into a handbag too - yep a handbag lol. Well those chains are already there so all I need is a longer one to connect them and I'll have a portable art journal with built in pen to take with me & doodle on the go - or perhaps just to take to my outdoor studio where I have supplies ready and no one but the birds & squirrels can see me sporting my new look haha

Whatever I do with it I'll post an updated pic tomorrow along with whatever else I go and make. Also linking to Sunday Sketches, where if you haven't joined before come over as they're a lovely bunch of artists that gather and share :)

Day 12's final word count for NaNoWriMo was: none. I had an evening off last night for me and mum to watch Castle as both of us felt rotten. Although like usual when we watch our programmes we stayed up till 2am to finish them - not sure that ever helps us get better any lol but it's just too tempting to hit the play button again, and again...and again. So total is still: 14,214

Happy (what's left of) Sunday :) hugs, Jennibellie

AEDM & NaNoWriMo Day 10

Today's creation for AEDM is:

A video I made yesterday (I know, cheating a little, but today I really want to work on getting my NaNoWriMo word count up - now I no longer feel like is someone sucker punching me, repeatedly!) It is a video on some journals I made with the tutorial I did on how to make 100% recycled journals. I've shown these three journals before on my blog but not youtube so I uploaded for my subscribers on there to see, and hell it does take some (very little) editing skill, so I say it's creative enough for AEDM lol. I also did start making a few journals, so I have technically had my daily diet, but they're just a pile of mess at the moment so no point showing you them yet :)

Day 9's final word count for NaNoWriMo was: 1,769

Totalling: 11,175, still off target but I've broke double figures so right now I'm happy.

Happy Thursday Everyone, Jennibellie :) xxx

AEDM & NaNoWriMo Day 5

Today's creation for AEDM is the second half of my eco-friendly box project, the insides:

6 journals made by taking the boxes and covering them in scraps of leather I have from other projects. I thought I would have to do a patchwork job on some but thankfully I found 6 whole pieces large enough.

The insides are lined with pieces of patterned paper from my scrap drawer, again left over of previous projects:

All bindings were done with my Grandmother's left over knitting yarn and on each spine I added a charm from broken jewellery as a handle to pull out the box, but as it turns out they're real easy to remove anyhow. I pretty much did the same binding with the wrap-over dangle closure as I demonstrated in the dos-a-dos book tutorial.

Day 4's final word count for NaNoWriMo was: 1,201

Totalling: 6,282 so far

AEDM & NaNoWriMo Day 3

Today for AEDM I have been playing around with Sennelier Oil Pastels:

I don't especially like the results but my intention was the test them out with colours mixing on the page (not smudging with fingers basically - as I have an obsession to merge everything together so it's smooth and uniform). I LOVE these pastels so much. I really do have to start planning a proper picture in mind so I will actually like the results, but I become a child when I get them in my hands and just start scribbling away until I realise I have just made a mess.

I've put them inside this art journal which I also gave a spruce up today by adding fabric and decorative tapes, a sketch and closures with elastic:

I have never enjoyed working in this journal since I made it in the Journal a Day June Challenge I set myself. I can't say why when I usually enjoy working in any & every journal & all the right elements are there - watercolour papers, patterned scrapbooking papers, vintage ephemera, envelopes and flip out pages and I made it myself, which I always feel gives a connection. I just don't like it, so I think I'm going to add the bits and pieces of playful scraps like the two oil pastel drawings until it is full up (because I simply cannot bear the idea of another journal left unfinished)

Day 2's final word count for NaNoWriMo was: 1,376, slipping a little already! Going to try to catch up on those few extra words today, otherwise I can see it going downhill ridiculously early.

Total words so far: 3044

Thanks for stopping by, Jennibellie xxx

AEDM & NaNoWriMo Day 1 & Giveaway Winner

November is AEDM & NaNoWriMo Month Whoop!

Today's creation for AEDM is:

It is a junk journal I made from a pamphlet/leaflet I had similar to this one below (which will probably also face the same fate one day):

First I painted all the pages, then grabbed some packaging board (you know that greyboard that stiffens envelopes) which I decoupaged in newspaper to strengthen it, painted then added as the covers.

I painted the paper thoroughly in the middles but I like layers so I left the edges rough to hint at the original pages underneath:

Today's word count for NaNoWriMo is: (currently - it's 5pm here) 341 - but I realised I am a night owl and will usually write away up to (and over) midnight so it's pretty useless doing a blog post for the same day's word count, as it probably won't even be done yet. Therefore after today my Nanowrimo word update will for the previous day's total.

Finally today is the day I said I would pick a winner for this Zine & Ephemera giveaway:

However, I also said in a previous post I would also add another extra I have been recently working on. So here you go - it is to be the winners choice as to which one they want, you may pick any of the below digital ephemera college sheet kits. Each kit contains 5 sheets:

Hollywood Star Cigarette Cards

Wild Bird Collectable Tea Cards

Christmas Vintage Ephemera Set I

Christmas Vintage Ephemera Set II

British Costume Collectable Tea Cards 

Winner - please click on the links below each picture, which will take you to my Etsy shop listing for each set, if you want further details to choose which one you want.

So onto picking the winner. All names went into this vintage tin:

and were shook up

and...

the winner is

Congratulations Patsy! I'll contact you soon for shipping/emailing details.

Thank you to everyone who entered too - all of you who think my blog is worth your time to read mean a great deal to me :)

Much love, Jennibellie xx