New Journal

I started a new Journaling Journey today by starting a new course called Falling for You.
Here is the start of my first two pages on the subject of 'The First Day at School.'

I will do more on these pages as time goes by.

Keswick

Just come back from a week in Keswick, Cumbria. My new journal is a rather sweet, handbag sized Moleskine. It meant that wherever I went I always had it with me. This one is a bit like my old fashioned diary which I used to keep when away on holiday - but with a twist. I tried to make it more pictoral, rather than wordy. There is still a lot of work to do on it and I didn't do Friday, the day we came home.
Here is a flavour. I'm sorry the pencil on some of the pictures aren't very clear.

I just had to write a short poem when visiting the stone circles at Castlerigg. It was a very inspirational place.

The last night and day was also an inspiration as it was the start of the Keswick Jazz Festival. We met some amazingly talented people.

Memories and Zentangles

Two journal pages to show you today.
The first is a continuation from my memories page that I showed you yesterday. It isn't quite finished and I will probably add more to it at a later date. My aim was to write on the image lots of good thoughts. The photo doesn't really do it justice.

 The second is a Zentangle that I am going to manipulate using Photoshop. This is a photo editing programme that I haven't played with before so it is a steep learning curve trying to get it to do what I want.

Zentangles are a great way of freeing the mind and just switching off for a while. I started this one sitting outside in the sun yesterday afternoon. It probably took me about an hour to complete altogether. There are lots of good zentangle tutorials on the web. Just Google zentangle and have a look. I am going to use this image in a piece of work that I am planning. More about that later on my other blog.

Memories page

Thanks to Nuvofelt for her tutorial. All week I have been collecting memories of this special week. Not only a bank holiday but an extra holiday for the Royal Wedding. Today I dug out my favourite picture, Mum, Gran and Great Gran. I manipulated it using Photoshop Elements which I am only just starting to get to grips with (laughing because I had to get DH to help) here is the photo and the manipulations. First I picked up all the lines which gives a very sketchy type picture. Nuvofelt gives a much better tutorial than I can for creating these images so follow her blog and get lots of tips for your journal.

Then I took part of the picture by tearing round the heads - I have to admit that I did this quite a while ago and have used it in memory work before. 




So I did the same procedure on Photoshop and got this image

Finally I put my images on a previously created page which was salt diffused, integrating the whole thing with my favourite oil pastels and doing a bit of a touch up with my write-4-all marker pen.

Here is the final page. I just have to date and sign it. 

Inch by Inch

What a lovely twist on an inchy.Thanks Nuvofelt for her tutorial. 


I have cut 7 one inch squares of paper and written on today's the best part of my day 'Sunday - Getting to grips with my garden.' I have done today's already (I know I should have waited until tonight) because I knew straight away what it was, I didn't need to think twice. Looking forward to seeing what tomorrow will bring. Also seeing what I have to do with them next week with a whole weeks worth of good bits.

The Sketchbook Challenge

I was just talking about sketchbooks yesterday. Today my friend Helen posted that she had joined The Sketchbook Project. Click below to get more information.

http://arthousecoop.com/projects/sketchbookproject

So I have joined. I don't really know what I've let myself in for. But then I was always up for a challenge and it will give me an aim for my work - note I am NOT an artist but my journals give me pleasure. I've chosen the topic 'Nothing New', it was between that and 'Travel with me.' let's see what comes. I'll keep you posted.

Blind Flowers

At the end of March I followed Chittle Chattle's Blind flower tutorial and wasn't too impressed with my efforts. 
 Duly it was forgotten and I moved on. On the next two pages I did some very wet water colour and salt diffusion. One, was on the back of my blind flowers, it didn't come out very well but the other one did.
Today while looking through my journal I noticed the blind flowers now had a very nice mottled background. I still think it needs some work but I am much happier with it.