Weekend Journal

A Journey Through My Moleskin

You may remember my excitement when I bought my first Moleskin journal back in May.  I pull this little gem out about once a month and let my creative muse run free.  If you haven't seen the first posts about my Moleskin, I'll attach some links at the end of this post.


These two pages were all about color and line.  I randomly pulled tubes of artist acrylics and just played to my heart's content.

I wanted to play with a page from an old dictionary on these pages.  I decided to cut out blocks from the page and let my muse play from there.

Music has always played a major part in my life, and these pages were inspired by old sheet music and a postcard for a gallery exhibition.

I created these pages last Saturday.  I was waiting for a student in my art journaling class and was actually writing about her.  When she arrived, she gifted me with a page that read, "Won't you hand on some of your time?"  It was perfect for this spread and I attached it to the page immediately.   You've just got to love synchronicity!

My final two pages were created with water soluble crayons.  I began scribbling in lines in various colors until what emerged was a scene from a woods.  It's no wonder that autumn's on my mind; the weather here is unseasonably cool and my summer flowers are struggling to hold on for a few more weeks.

If you haven't tried using a Moleskin journal, I highly recommend giving it a try.  They're a little pricey for someone as frugal as I, but they're worth their weight in gold.  The pages are watercolor paper and every medium I've tried on them works beautifully.  I bought mine from Dick Blick, but you may be able to find them at your favorite local craft or art store.

TODAY'S PHOTO

The first signs of autumn are beginning to appear in my neighborhood.  I couldn't help but notice this shock of crimson in my neighbor's maple tree.  What's it like in your neighborhood?  I know some of you are entering spring.  As the weather gets cooler and more gloomy by the day, I'm thinking I'd like to trade places with you!

MY SONS' VIDEOS

Here's a shameless plug for my sons' videos.  (Hey, you can't blame a mom for sharing her enthusiasm for her sons' creative endeavors!)  This first video was filmed by my son, Nick, and is footage of Lake Erie last weekend.  It's a little early in the season to see the lake so muddy and active from the north winds.

This next video was created by my son, Mike, who moved to sunny, southern California back in June.  He's having a blast in his new environment and with his new Sony camera.  He's been playing with time lapse and other assorted film making goodies.  This video is from his weekend at Big Bear Lake in CA with his girlfriend, Nadia.

If you've never been to California (as I have not!), check out some of his other videos for a tour of some really beautiful scenery from their travels in CA, NY, and Canada.  They're headed to Europe next week and I can't wait to see those videos.  I'll keep you posted!

My Moleskin Journal Post Links

My First Moleskin
The Black Keys
More Moleskin Fun
Ideas
Visions of Sugar Skulls
Reflecting on the Weekend

Have a Wonderful Weekend!

I hope you have a wonderful, restful and creative weekend!  Take some time out of your busy schedule to do the things that make YOU happy, and don't forget to spend some time out of doors enjoying the scenery in your world.  Whether it's time to flip through spring catalogs or winterize your deck, I hope you're enjoying every moment of your life as you "Celebrate, LOVE, and Create!"  And, hey - don't forget to leave a comment below.   I do so enjoy hearing from you and what you're doing!

Synchronicity and Inspiration

Yesterday afternoon Keith and I braved the smoldering heat and headed out for ice cream. I have to say it was everything I had my taste buds ready for; gooey hot fudge heaped upon warmed, homemade brownies smothered in sweet, vanilla ice cream and topped with mountains of fluffy whipped cream.  Yummy!  We returned home as soon as we scarfed down our delightful treats, and between the heat and the sugar overload, it wasn't long before I was blissfully snoring to the afternoon sitcoms Keith was watching. 

I slowly awakened to Doug Heffernan and his father-in-law, Arthur, verbally abusing each other on "King of Queens" and the thought, "Tear newspaper in strips. 3 strips. Paint one yellow, one orange, one red.  Surround each strip with it's complimentary color."  Immediately I search my mind for further information; Why do I need to do this?  What do with the strips once they're done? What? Really? OK. I'm suddenly more awake and Keith is saying "good morning" to me and inquiring about ordering pizza.  I try to put the newspaper strips out of my mind but they linger in the background whispering at me.

Keith orders the pizza and I flip through the bulb catalog that the mailman has left for my enjoyment.  The tulip on the cover looks like something out of a fairytale and each page is more delightful than the previous.  OK.  I'm convinced.  Send me one of each, please, and I'll find somewhere to plant them later.

Eventually, I pull my head out of the catalog and remember that I want to check out some more blogs on the last Blog Hop that I joined.  (If you haven't noticed the links yet, look at the bar beneath the header and click on "Blog Hops".  You're in for a great adventure!)  I've been visiting the blogs randomly by clicking on the thumbnails that appeal to me.  The first thumbnail I clicked on was #110 Paula (Little Scraps o Magic). I scrolled through her blog and came across a picture of a journal page where she's incorporated tags and I'm intrigued to read that she completed the spread as part of a monthly journal challenge from a website called  GPP Street Team.  I clicked on that link and guess what I saw?  This month's challenge is: "Strip Ease" - "tear your paper into strips and put it on your page"!  I can't believe what I'm seeing! (Well, yes I can, but synchronicity never ceases to amaze me!) That clinched the deal for me.  I knew that I would be tearing newspaper strips and painting them yellow, orange and red for my journal page today!

So, early this afternoon, I pulled out my journal and newspaper and prepared my strips "as instructed".  I then prepped my journal pages with blocks of complementary colors, but beyond that, I had no idea what direction the spread would take.  As I gazed at my drying spread, I began to see a face emerge so I quickly sketched it in.  I thought about what the vast expanse of green represented to me and I immediately thought of a brain and "information".  I began writing the word "information" over and over again and let my mind wander where it wanted. ( I often use repetition of words, phrases and shapes in my journals as a form of meditation.) The next word that came to me was "intuition", and I knew intuitively that I only need print it once and it "demanded" presence.  "Inspiration" came next, followed by "spirituality" and "synchronicity".

After I completed the hair and shadowing of the face and letters, I contemplated my spread and thought about the message.  I noted the overload of "information" on the right side, and noted that what lies in front of me is "intuition", "inspiration", "spirituality" and "synchronicity".  Those four words have much more meaning to me than all the "information" packed into my brain.  Maybe this spread is a reminder to me that everything I need is "contained within".  Anyway, I'll continue to ponder this spread and meanwhile, I hope you tune your awareness into the synchronicity in your life.  "Happy Creating!"