I went to Paper Tales yesterday. It’s a local scrapbook shop. They have some really great stuff there. I had an AmEx gift card that I hadn’t used yet, so I decided to use some of it there. I found some adorable decorative tape on the clearance table (that would be the tapes on the right side of the pic, minus the very bottom one, which I already had).

One thing I love about their shop is they are in our new neighborhood, so I can go any time and just drop in for a few minutes – without having to plan a trip or waste gas. They are very welcoming and friendly. And they have classes just about every week.

In fact, I am thinking about taking one of these classes next week. Specifically, the one about Grace Notes. I got to look at the sample yesterday (but forgot to snap a pic) and it is adorable. There are pics on their site, if you want to see how cute it is. I had thought about that one or the calendar book, but decided I liked the Grace Notes book better. I could use a gratitude journal for sure.

In the past I have bought pre-made journals. And I still have a ton of them, as they’re great for note taking (especially work stuff) and “just” writing to get stuff out of my head (like in The Artist’s Way). But when I want to doodle or do some art to go along with my writing, I am finding that I love making my own books. Even if some of the pages are pre-made (like some scrapbooking papers), there’s something about putting together your own book:

It’s addicting. Especially if you get involved in any of Mary Ann Moss’ online courses. You’ll never look back.

Pretty soon I’ll have a whole stack of my own books to add to the massive stash of pre-bought books I already have. Or maybe I’ll just have to sell some of those. They make great gifts, right?!

So it’s been weeks, maybe even a month or more since I’ve done anything with my art journals. I don’t have a dedicated space for making art, so each time I have pull everything out and put it back when I’m done. And to keep my son out of things, it has to be done after he goes to bed. And recently I’ve been working after he goes to bed, so no art time for me.

I miss it.

I read artsy blogs, especially by those who do art journals. I see cool things I want to try. I feel inspired. Yet I don’t do anything about it. I have a feeling it’ll be that way for at least the next six months or more. It is what it is.

That’s something that will still be waiting on me when I get back to it. It is patient. No judgment. No rules. And I actually look forward to getting back to it at some point. And maybe someday having an office / studio where I can leave things more accessible. Very high up on shelves, of course, but easier for me to use when inspiration strikes.

That’s such a lovely thought.

I’ve been reading Connie’s 30 Journals 30 Days series over at Dirty Footprints Studio. I have to tell you how much I have been loving the look into other peoples’ art journals. So much inspiration to be had!

Today is the day that others can join up in the project. We were asked to answer a few questions and link up. So here it goes!

How long have you been Art Journaling?

I’ve been doing this for about a year. It started when I took an e-course offered by Teresa McFayden. I had no idea what it was about, but it sounded fun. Soon I found other artists and techniques and I was hooked! I still have a long way to go in order to really find my own style. But I’m experimenting and playing — and I love it!

How has Art Journaling impacted, changed, or enhanced your life?

I feel so much more creative since I started journaling. I look at things in a new light. I try to find a way to reuse papers and interesting bits of things I come across. I used to fill up journal after journal with just words. But I’m finding so much more fun when I put down a little color or some collage elements. So much more interesting than just a page filled with scribbles.

What are some of your favorite Art Journaling materials to use?

Still learning here, too. Definitely use a lot of craft paints, but I really want to move up to Golden. The paints I’ve been using don’t do well with most of the pens I want to use. I like watercolors, all kinds of papers (right now I mostly have scrapbook paper that I tear up & use), rub ons, and lots of found elements. One of my favorites right now is a big Bloomies ad that came in the mail. I’m gessoing over the pages and using them as my base for a completely different book and look. I love it. Also? Water-based paint Sharpies. I can’t believe they discontinued – so great for writing!

I started with Liquitex clear gesso but have moved to Golden gesso. I love it so much better – it’s way smoother than the Liquitex and much easier to apply elements over.

I want to eventually try nicer paints and some Pan Pastels – I hear such great things about them!

Who are some of your favorite Art Journalers?

I discover new ones nearly every day! But so far:

Teresa McFayden
Teesha Moore (I love her YouTube videos – so helpful!)
Sabrina Ward Harrison
Pam Garrison
Judy Wise
Diana Trout
Mary Ann Moss
and there are so many more on YouTube with terrific videos that I love!

What kind of words of encouragement would you say to an Art Journal newbie?

Well, I still feel like a newbie myself. Keep looking around for inspiration. If you hate a page you made, let it sit for a while and come back to it. I had a page where I played with watercolor crayons. I loved the colors, but hated the shapes and designs I made. It sat & stared at me for days. I finally just turned the page away to start on something else. I’ll come back to it later and see what I want to do with it. You can always cover something up. Or tear it out and use pieces of it in another work. Just keep plugging away.

Where can we contact you… give us some link LOVE!!

I blog at misspriss.org – I’m working on taking pics of my work and featuring more of it there. I have posted in the past on my Flickr page (but not recently – I need to get back to that!).

Videos:

My Scrappy Journal from Becky S. on Vimeo.

Short Bio.

I’m a writer and editor and have been blogging since about 2003. I live in San Diego with my husband and son (soon to be two sons!). I’ve written journals as long as I can remember, but never considered myself an artist. Only recently have I learned to love combining images and words – and I don’t know why I didn’t think of it sooner! I’m still a bit of a dabbler, but am trying to incorporate more art and creativity in my everyday life.

Okay, so it wasn’t too many days ago I said I want a gift card for Mother’s Day. But after browsing through my reader I actually saw something else I really, really want.

I haven’t been into creating my own art for too long. Well, not on paper with paint, brushes, glue and messes. Photography, yes. Other art? No. And even though I don’t have a lot of time to work on my art journals these days, it still calls to me. So much so that I’m going to have to make time to get my hands dirty really soon. It speaks to a deep part of me that I didn’t realize needed its own form of expression.

Several months ago, I bought a book called Taking Flight: Inspiration & Techniques to give your Creative spirit wings by Kelly Rae Roberts. Before picking up this book, I was not at all familiar with her art. But it wasn’t her art that drew me in. It was the content of her book. At that time, at that moment when I started reading her book, I needed inspiration and encouragement. I needed to hear how we all find our place (in art) with experimentation. There’s no room for perfection, but there’s plenty of room for play.

I tend to get frustrated with myself because I see the amazing things other incredible art journalers are doing and I really wish I could do that, too. I want to be inspired by them and learn new ways to do things, not to be intimidated into thinking that I’ll never make anything interesting.

And then I remembered that I’m not making any of this for anyone else but me. Would I love to do this and someday have people want to see it and enjoy it? Yes. But not yet.

There is that someday, though. How would I do it if I wanted to get my art out there and maybe even make money with it at some point? How in the world do you get started?

Kelly Rae is giving a class just like that. It’s called Flying Lessons: Tips + Tricks to Help Your Creative Business Soar . And I admit it. I want to take it. Who knows if she’ll even offer it again. There’s something about her tone in her writing that I really enjoy. I think I’d learn a lot from her.

Alas, the $99 price tag is nowhere in our budget right now. So while I’d love for this to be my Mother’s Day gift, it isn’t going to happen. But maybe one of you out there will get a chance to take it and I can live vicariously though you.

So here’s what I’ve been doing with a lot of my time recently. I haven’t used my sewing machine in YEARS, but I finally dug it out, got it serviced, and am USING it. Of course, not for what you’d think. But still. Creating. Learning. Enjoying.

I’ve never made a scrappy journal like this before and I absolutely love it. I don’t think it’ll replace the art journals, but I can see how great this type of journal will be for vacations – collecting little tidbits and memories.

I so enjoyed making it. I hope you enjoy taking a peek. BTW, the video is kinda long. I couldn’t figure out how to make it shorter without skipping pages. And we couldn’t do that now, could we?

My Scrappy Journal from Becky S. on Vimeo.

Surprisingly, there’s one “project” that I haven’t lost momentum on. Art journaling. Yes, I am still at it. In fact, I’m learning even more techniques, reading, and trying to grow. I got a few art journal/ mixed media art books for Christmas (I was saving for a Nook, but decided that some of these books would be more fun) and I’m gobbling them up.

I tend to flit from thing to thing. Sometimes I have great powers of concentration. I can focus on details or the big picture. Or both. But hobbies? I jump around a lot. I get really enthusiastic in the beginning, but it tapers off.

But I’ve written in journals since elementary school. Adding pictures, doodles, paint, collage … it has opened up a new arena of inspiration for me. There are times when I just write because I need a lot of blank paper to get my thoughts out. But other times, I enjoy adding a design element to it.

I really, REALLY enjoy it. I’ve had such a hard time finding things that I like over the last year. I’m still having some trouble finding direction, especially in my career. But at least there’s one little thing that is providing some enjoyment right now.

I’ve been trying to look at everyday objects in a new way, as potential for art rather than just clutter or junk. It has to be a balance, though, because I can’t hang on to everything in hopes it’ll become useful later. And instead of wishing I hadn’t tossed something that I suddenly think I can use, I’m working to turn that energy elsewhere. What do I have in front of me right now that can be used instead?

I fight my natural clutterbug tendencies. I don’t want our stuff to own us. (And sometimes it really feels like it does.) Right now it feels like a balancing act between purging junk from our lives and keeping interesting objects for future use.

I really want to create right now. To find inspiration in my everyday life. I am not an artist. Yet I’m learning to create art. And it’s a really cool thing. Maybe I’ll be able to articulate it better once I learn a little more about how to make my own stuff (instead of just using inspiration from others). Regardless of where it goes, I’m learning a lot and really enjoying it.

And maybe I’ll actually finish a project and get to move on to the next one.

Oh my. I think I might just be in love — or maybe just lust — with this baby (not an affiliate link):

It goes perfectly with my art journal obsession. I love nice, neat, organized spaces like this. I rarely have them, but I love them. Look at all of those spaces to hold my supplies. Love!

We don’t have the space for something like this (nor the money – yikes!) but it’s on my “someday” list. But I might just have to ask my husband and dad to make me one.

What are you salivating over right now?

(photo from Scrapbox)

I have been BIG TIME into art journaling recently. As in, I love it. Maybe I’m loving the idea of it more than actually, you know, DOING it, since I seem to wax poetically about it while the journal sits on my desk WAITING for me to pick it up. I started in like gangbusters back in July, and have done a few pages on & off since then. I can’t leave my supplies out as the short person known as BUG, aka DESTRUCTO BOY, will redecorate my house if left to his own devices. Not that he’s ever left to his own devices when I’m on the computer. Ahem.

ANYWHO, I’m tired of just scribbling in indecipherable … scribbles … in my journals. Using collage and art hadn’t really occurred to me much beyond pasting in some interesting pictures or quotes here and there. But now, I’m ready for bits and pieces of THINGS. Found things. Bits of bark. Grass. Wrapping paper. Magazine clippings. PAINT. Markers. You name it. I used to keep my journals all nice & neat. Can’t break the spine so it won’t close anymore, right? WRONG. NOT ANY MORE. The more crammed and messy it is, the better I think I will like it.

This is a new thing for me. I think it started when I bought a copy of Wreck This Journal. It got me out of my comfort zone and into seeing just about anything as a possibility for art. Since then, I’ve been more open to mixing up my journaling. And I’ve participated in a couple of e-zines about art journaling, which just whet my appetite even more. Now I’m seeking books & art journalers & blogs & putting things into my RSS reader so I can be inspired and amazed at what others are doing.

I’m not anywhere near ready to call myself an artist. Or ARTEEST. Writer, yes. I’m comfortable with that mantle, even though it took quite a few years and an English degree for that to be easily bandied about. But art? This art? New to me. If I could do that and write all day and make a living at it? BLISS.

Let’s work on these things in itsy-bitsy steps, mmmkay?

I compose things in my head during the day. Little bits and pieces that I need to write about. You see, I’m the type who HAS to write. Whether it be in a paper journal, or here, or whatever. I HAVE to write to keep my sanity. Some people would say it’s too late, that [sanity] ship has sailed. I would tell those people to SHUT UP, who asked you anyway?

So I keep telling myself to write. But I get up, feed the kid, work until afternoon, hubby gets home, we get busy with the kid, and later supper prep. Then there’s the meal and by that time I’m too tired to do dishes, much less put personal thoughts together. They’re not coherent IN my head, so how would they be coherent OUT of my head? So I do my other paid writing and it’s so late at night by that point I have to go to bed or I won’t get up early enough to start work all over again.

As it is, I’m usually in bed around 1 am. This cycle is just not working. Why? Because I’m tired ALL THE TIME. And I cry a lot, and not just at those stinking Extreme Makeover: Home Edition episodes that they edit JUST TO MAKE ME CRY, but at everything. And I feel like THE CRAZY is hiding under my bed and waiting for my foot or arm to hang off the side just a little bit so it can GRAB ME and pull me into its HELLISH DEPTHS. That could might be the reason I keep a flashlight and baseball bat next to my side of the bed. I aim to be PREPARED for THE CRAZY. Ahem. Anyway.

When I do manage to sit down, I open up a window to start writing and… crickets. Lots of chirping. And it’s not the cute little chirping. It’s the “I want to gouge my eardrums out” chirping. In my head. Because we don’t have any crickets in our house. And if we did I’d drive myself crazy finding the little sucker and disposing of it. (I don’t mind the sound of crickets as long as they are OUTSIDE OF MY HOUSE.)

Not too long ago, I was chatting with a friend and I was telling her how rough it’s been. What makes it worse is worrying. I am an all-time champeen worrier. I might even have a plaque or trophy somewhere to prove it and NO YOU CANNOT SEE IT. My cross to bear. The problem with worrying is it’s so draining. And crazy-making. I’ll tell you all about OCD my worrying is. Sometime. Not now.

But as I was telling her exactly how utterly ridiculous this worrying is, that which I cannot seem to STOP IT, I realized exactly how insane I sounded. HI, I’M CRAZY, WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE MY FRIEND? She just might have mentioned that maybe a little more drinking is in order. I let her know that I have TRIED to drink enough to DROWN THE CRAZY, but that little bugger can swim BETTER THAN I CAN.

I’m also trying a couple of projects for fun, like art journaling and binding my own small project books. I am actually looking forward to carving out some time for them. Using paint, and paintbrushes. SHARP POINTY TOOLS. (Like awls and paper punches, y’all. Yeesh.) Colored pencils. Bits of old books, and beautifully-patterned paper. Oh, the BEAUTIFUL PAPER. It calls to me, especially from the clearance aisle at Michael’s. Which, by the way I think I am going to have to BAN MYSELF from Michael’s. And the local paper supply shops. But at least it’s something I am getting immense joy from. Or maybe that’s just fumes from the glue stick.

I guess I really need to make an effort to find creative outlets. Because I may not be able to drown THE CRAZY in drink, but I sure can try to glue her down to a piece of paper and SMOTHER HER IN ACRYLIC PAINT. Or, you know, just enjoy being creative in a no-pressure environment. Whichever.

ps) Major credits if you can figure out where the title comes from. And I just realized that Laura does her titles this way all the time and I SWEAR I’m not stealing it from her. I just haven’t named my posts from songs in a long time and wanted to for old time’s sake.