Tell All Tuesday ~ Featured Artist: Christine Langemeijer

Hi guys it's week nineteen of TAT already, can you believe it?? Times flying like crazy, this whole year actually, just leaving a slight 'whooshing' noise as it's passing by my ears. This weeks featured artist is Christine Langemeijer, hope you enjoy:

Tell us a little bit about yourself & what kind of artist you are.

Would I have been an artist if I had not got fybromyalgia, I don't know. But I'm very happy found art. I learned my art from books and youtube clips.

What is the biggest challenge you personally face as an artist and how do you overcome it?

At the moment my biggest challenge is to find right balance between my art activities and my energy and pain levels. I have a whole range of things I can do for good, bad and in between days, so even when I feel really bad I can do something positive. I break lots of the activities down in different stages so I can pace myself.

What is the best thing / worst thing that art has brought into your life?

I don't think there is a worst thing about doing my art, the fact that I found it and it fills my life with something positive is one of the best things that happen to me. I found a direction in life and I can make it work on what ever level I can manage that day.

Do you ever lose your mojo, and if so, how do you get it back?

When everything gets to much often my art activities are the first to suffer, no energy, sore hands, empty head and a journal with lots of empty pages does not work very well. I turn to book and look at other peoples art and try to get ideas from that. I also just doodle or zentangle on small bit of cotton and make card out of them, it always gives you the feeling you achieved something and I'm still doing something.

Tell us where can we find out more about you & your art?

I like sharing my art with others and I was on Julie Fei Balzer blog but I have no blog.

Thank you Christine for sharing your story and allowing us to see where your art drive comes from. I really like what you said about doing your zentangles ~ I think it's important for everyone to do something small like that, no matter how small it is, everyday. Sometimes it's difficult to remember that, this weekend for example I wanted nothing less than to do art, but I did...and I felt, as you say, like I have achieved something that day.

If you would like to be a featured artist please click the TAT lady (over there ---->) for more info =)

Womanly Woes

I'm so grateful I was born a woman...I think it's the historian in me that has studied the lives of women through the ages and sees the strength, courage and determination of my sex that makes me such a (though I hate the negative connotations that are attached to the word) feminist.

I'm born into a line of very strong-minded women; which does not mean we always do what is right or best for us (often actually it's the opposite) it's just that we do it with such stubbornness it's hard to not to admire it in one another lol. Unfortunately also passed through these genes are womanly woes that can make me identify with all the teenager werewolf books & tv shows around: wanting to rip someone's head off just for being there, going through terrible pain & not being in control of your body once a month are all things I can very strongly empathise with. My grandmother to this day still says 'arrrrh I used to be terrible, but don't worry it'll get better with your first baby' - which never helped the 14 year old me much, or the 28 year old me for that matter, who still sees her mother having the same trouble despite having had her baby 28 years ago. So that's what this page is about, me thinking about the fact I would never want to be anything other than woman, but what it means in terms of another wasted weekend.

Still there are worse ways to spend a weekend than curled up in bed with a hot water bottle, watching old episodes of Xena Warrior Princess, while eating sweets brought for trick or treating kids lol it's just the popping of an avalanche of drugs to keep in a decent state of mind and body that taints the image a bit lol

PS sorry if you have read this & you are the occasional man that visits my blog, but hey least I've probably made you appreciate you being born your gender a hell of a lot more too! lol

Recycled Buttons Tutorial

Hey guys, as some of you may have seen I posted a recycling project yesterday - my arty style buttons: 

The reason for me posting this is two-fold - first and most obviously you know I *love* to recycle, turning something that is seen as useless* into something beautiful that has a purpose gives me a warm fuzzy glow =D but also secondly I want to share another project I've come up with, in which these buttons play a part...

so if you like the look of the sneak peek that I share in the video then GET MAKING YOUR BUTTONS so as to be ready for it lol

Thanks for stopping by, Jennibellie xx

* Nothing, in my eyes, is EVER useless ~ it just means you haven't brought out it's worth and beauty...yet =)

Tell All Tuesday ~ Featured Artist: Alpha Shanahan

Hey guys, hoping everyone is enjoying the easing into October and the winter months. Here I've switched to my inside-fluff covered boots to fend out the cutting cold that's creeping up on us. Right now I've an electric heater glowing at my feet and beginning to think this may be the last TAT interviews that I type without wearing fingerless gloves! This week is the turn of Alpha Shanahan, go grab a warm cuppa & enjoy =)

Tell us a little bit about yourself & what kind of artist you are.
I consider myself a figurative mixed media artist and art journaler. As a self-taught artist, my art boot camp is my family day-to-day experiences as a mom to twin boys and a work-at-home mom by choice. I have been painting for about 12 years now.

What is the biggest challenge you personally face as an artist and how do you overcome it?
I am a perfectionist and prone to procrastination. So whenever it takes me too long to finish a painting, it's not because of the demands of family life. In fact, i feel luckiest in that area because i am free to spend an hour or the whole 24 hours in my studio if i want to. Art journaling has helped me tremendously. It has helped me become aware of certain issues which, unattended, manifest as a "block". Accountability is also another thing that helps me overcome procrastination. The weekly painting check-ins which i have just joined at Paint Party Friday is working wonders. Thanks to you, actually, for I have seen this on your blog and got into it. Deadlines definitely help. Another challenge is being too creative. :)... 'Got too many ideas going and i didn't want to lose the inspiration to i begin the project and there are many works-in-progress scattered all over my workspace. I did an ideas journal lately (the inspiration i got from you!) and it helps me organize my thoughts and work schedule.

What is your heart’s greatest desire for your life as an artist?
I firmly believe that art journaling is a powerful tool for self-awareness, transformation and healing. I hope to have the opportunity to accompany individuals in their journey along that path. My degree in Psychology and life experiences as a former nun and a spiritual seeker is slowly merging with my life as an artist. I believe it is a calling to be an artist and a creative and not a job. Therefore, I am presently working on a format where I could share by teaching and mentoring for free. Well, my family has to eat, too, so I set up a painted gifts shop to earn my keep. 

What is the best thing / worst thing that art has brought into your life?
Art has brought me silence, focus, and happiness. It has brought me quality time with my family, enabling me to work at home and see my kids most hours of the day. Priceless!

Tell us where can we find out more about you & your art?

You can find my blog here

Thank you Alpha, I can certainly identify with being 'perfectionist and prone to procrastination', it seems a contradiction in terms but the first really does fuel the second. Thank you for sharing I really enjoyed looking through your art and hearing the background to your work & focus =)

Would you like to be a featured artist? Please click the details here to find out how =D

It's Not So Pretty

In the words of Bridget Jones 'everyone knows diaries are full of crap!' I think this sometimes gets forgotten with art journaling.

Journaling for me is not just about making pretty pictures, although some pages are all about exploring art and techniques, many (although I don't always make it known) are about dealing with personal issues.  

I know some people use their journals just for art, others just to explore their feelings. I feel that not do both, for me at least, would be to miss a trick; I am both an artist and a person with situations & feelings to deal with like any other. I've said on many occasions I think writing is the most therapeutic way to purge feelings, and that basically is all this page is.

Layers and layers of writing, to deal with layers and layers of subconscious, bound in a reoccurring dream I've had ever since I moved out of London. Paying attention to my subconscious - if I cannot stop dreaming about something, there's obviously something that needs addressing. Both the good and bad came out in this page, things I didn't even know I was dealing with.

A journal to me, is a place to splurge, that doesn't always mean pretty pages but at least it means issues recognised and dealt with head on, rather than them being left as dark shapes in the night.

The subconscious is ceaselessly murmuring, and it is by listening to these murmurs that one hears the truth. 

Gaston Bachelard 

My New Recycled Art Caddy

Hi guys, my studio is getting *crazy* messy recently so I've been busy saving food packaging to recycle it into this art caddy, what do you think??

I made it strong with LOTS of layers of vintage text pages & glue, and a re-purposed old drawer handle. 

bottoms up!

Here it is in action:

I'm honestly shocked with how much it actually holds, I wish I'd have taken a picture of what a mess my tool area was before ~ but look my lil ornaments below actually have *room* to stretch their legs now (though I doubt that'll last very long at all lol)

For those of you who are on facebook and saw my latest update saying my next tuts are recycling cardboard so start saving it, no this isn't one of them...but you can go grab some food boxes and make one of these in the interim =D x

Tell All Tuesday ~ Featured Artist: Miz Katie

Hey guys, time for another inspirational artist interview, this week we have the lovely Katherine, aka Miz Katie sharing. Enjoy =D

Tell us a little bit about yourself & what kind of artist you are.

Hiii!! My name is Katherine Labbé, and I'm a mixed media artist. Most people know me as Miz Katie. I didn't know how serious I was going to be about painting when I started in 2008, so I created a pseudonym. It's a fun name, so I don't mind. I'm mostly focused on painting portraits, but I just started painting abstract and landscapes, too!! I find abstract to be so much fun! I can do whatever I want, which is the complete opposite of portraits. I like the discipline of painting portraits, and the freedom when painting abstract.

What is the biggest challenge you personally face as an artist and how do you overcome it?

My biggest challenge is trying to do it all. It would be so easy if all I had to do is come up with ideas for paintings, and paint. But, unfortunately, it doesn't stop there. Some days, I don't leave my studio/office for 14 to 16 hours. I could work around the clock, and still not get everything done. I haven't quite figured out how to overcome it, yet. I'm not making enough money to hire someone to help out, and hiring someone to do my job isn't something I'm interested in doing, anyway. So, I guess I will keep doing what I'm doing, even though it is challenging.

Do you ever lose your mojo, and if so, how do you get it back?

I do, and it mostly happens because I get overtired. I've learned to rest. I pull the curtains closed, curl up on the couch, and watch tv or read. I used to worry, will it ever come back? Will I paint again? But, now, I don't think twice about it. I know my muse will return, and usually with a huge whooosh!! And, then I'll be right back at it again, painting for hours every day.

What do you most wish your art to achieve?

I just want to make people happy when they look at one of my paintings on their wall. I am so honored to have my paintings in homes around the globe.

Tell us where can we find out more about you & your art?

More information can be found here:

Website/blog, Etsy shop, FaceBook, FB Page, Twitter, Pinterest, Youtube

Thank you Katherine I really enjoyed browsing your stunning artwork, you definitely have your own distinct style, which I think most of the rest of us only dream of =) I also liked your answer to what you do to wait upon your mojo - I do these things too, but I grumble as I do them (you know what I'm talking about; cursing my creative self for not being present, being down on my regular self for being "lazy"!). Patience is something I preach (A LOT), especially to new art journalers who ask me for advice when they dislike their pages, now you've made me realise I have to administer a dose of my own medicine next time my mojo goes on holiday, and have patience that she'll return, then I can enjoy my own holiday from her more too =)

Would you like to be a featured artist? Click here for the deets. See you soon, Jennibellie x x

Doodle Scrapbooking Tutorial

Hi guys, I've got a video for you =) and thank goodness too, because I've several unfinished ones on the go that seem never-ending - so I decided to spend a bit of time doing this fun and simple* video instead. (*it turned out to be less simple than expected & more work than many other larger vids, but hey ho! you never know how things'll go till they're gone! lol). 

I didn't use any 'scrapbooking' supplies on this page - just paper and pen, so it's a great technique if you either don't have many scrapbooking supplies, or just don't want to use them. I'm no scrapbooker but wanted to play about a little with layout, and I ended up really enjoying doing this page...but then I guess to enjoy anything is to bring a little bit of yourself into it - for me I guess that equals making things 'artified' lol.

Later on that'lll mean blasting Pink, or may be Lady Gaga, then some rock music to help me get through the cleaning (my arch enemy lol) here's the video, I hope you enjoy:

Thanks for visiting, don't forget tomorrow is Tell All Tuesday here, stop by to see who the next featured artist is (or if you want to be one just click the link for the info ;) ), much love Jennibellie xxx