Journal Artista

Why Gesso?

2012-02-09T19:08:00.000-05:00

Here is a new video!

Missing you guys, I will explain tomorrow!
Much Love

Mixed Media Travel Art Journal

2011-11-26T17:34:00.002-05:00

I went to Atlanta for a work conference and made this:

Enjoy!
Much Love

Recent Art Journal Pages

2011-10-30T09:41:00.000-04:00

Welcome back everyone! So good to be here. I have been overwhelmed with audits at the day job (including the one that I broke my ankle on last year) and haven't had much time to breathe. Mix that with some personal stress, and it's made for a few not so fun weeks.

I have been able to create a bit of art, mostly due to my live shows over on Ustream. Thank you so much to all of you that continue to support me and play along!

Please check out this quick video I made showing my ClothPaperScissors Workshop DVD.

You can order the DVD from Interweave HERE

See you soon, I have lots of completed pages from past Ustream classes to show you!
Much Love xo

How to Dry Emboss with Stencils

2011-10-29T16:41:00.000-04:00

Tonight is Stencil Saturday!!! Hope to see you at 9:30pm EST on Ustream where I will be teaching live!

Much LOVE xo

Magazine Art Journal

2011-09-27T09:30:00.001-04:00

Welcome back! I hope you are having a wonderful week!

I have had a few questions about my magazine art journal the past few days, so here we go! First of all, I cannot take any credit for this idea. Over a year ago I saw someone use a magazine for an art journal so I bought a UK Glamour at the airport because it was a cute 6x8 size. I left it on my shelf for awhile until my wonderful friend Joyce (you can see her work linked to that post) showed us her huge daily journal that was made out of two magazines and a bunch of regular lined paper.

I have always liked to write in a journal, but since Art Journaling I have been doing very little of it. I could not get used to plain old writing, even in a fancy journal. A litght bulb went off when I saw Joyce with hers. I could combine the writing and some art!!

Joyce showed us how to incorporate lined paper as signatures into the journal using white glue and tape. Yes, the binding of the magazine takes a beating, but I love the rough look! As you can see from the first picture I used a pretty duct tape along the binding after covering with a cool faux snake skin paper, the duct tape really helps the spine expand.

I am having fun in this journal, creating a mess and trying new things, and writing a whole bunch in between!

Have a wonderful day!

Random Art Journal Pages

2011-09-23T21:15:00.000-04:00

Welcome back!

As you can see I finally got the Julie stencils from The Crafter's Workshop, and I had to start playing right away! I absolutely love the versatility of Julie's new designs.

While I was testing out the designs I created this hot mess:

It was going alright until I got out the black paint! But, I understand that not everything I create has to be wonderful, it's all about the process and how much fun I'm having!

I have also been working in my magazine journal which I am completely infatuated with. It's so wonderful to have a place to write a lot as well as add some art.

Be back early tomorrow with more! Thank you so much for being patient with me during my week of no internet. We have a new modem box and all is well again!

Much Love xo

Art Journaling for Anxiety

2011-09-16T12:53:00.000-04:00

Welcome back!

It's not a secret that I suffer from anxiety. I share it openly in hopes to heal myself as well as inspire others, even though there is a stigma attached to it. Yes, it can be ugly, but it's me and what I have to deal with.

I turn to art as a way to help me cope, to help keep my mind quiet. Even with art I still find myself battling illogical thought patterns. My biggest issue seems to be procrastination. I don't do something and therefore feel bad, because of that I still don't do it and feel worse. The anxiety builds up more and more each time I think about it, which holds me back from completing it. It's a vicious cycle that I have been struggling with for years and in many cases has paralyzed me.

I am beginning to use lists in my art journal, to make baby steps toward accomplishing things and removing the anxiety, but it's a daily struggle. I have committed myself to a cognitive thought based process to help alleviate the paralyzing fear. I want to get better.

Welcome to my journey.

I appreciate each and every one of you that have continued to support me through the good and the bad, and regardless of whether I have a mask on or not.

Much Love xo

Crafter's Workshop Stencil Hop

2011-09-13T07:11:00.000-04:00

Welcome friends!!

There are two things I absolutely love: Crafter's Workshop, and Julie Fei-Fan Balzer. When I heard a few months ago that they were teaming together I was ecstatic!! Julie is one of my most favourite artists. Her style and approach to art inspires me to no end, and I am ever grateful!

When I was asked to participate in the Stencil Hop, I actually jumped for joy! Unfortunately, due to the wonderful mail system I have yet to receive this beautiful stencil:

It is called Triangle Plaid, and comes in both 6x6 and 12x12. It is only one of the multiple fantastic stencil Julie has designed. Click on the link and see all the other fantastic designs. My favourite is the faux sequin waste, brilliant!

In honour of Julie I wanted to dedicate a page in my art journal to her, and how she's inspired me:

Collage image of Julies' stencil design is her copywrite and used with permission. I love her logo!!

I created this background using gesso, a pallette knife, Crafter's Workshop stencil "Flower Frenzy" and multiple layers of acrylic paint. This was part of my ongoing Ustream Stencil Saturday classes. Unfortunately, I was (and still am!) having internet connectivity problems, and it didn't record. I will be teaching this technique again this coming Saturday at 9:30pm EST with Julie's stencil!!

Can you believe all that texture is just from gesso? I absolutely love adding a dimensional element to my backgrounds, mostly to have something fun to run my hands over when paging through my art journal.

Check out this older Youtube video tutorial using a technique inspired by Julie and another Crafter's Workshop stencil, simple and stunning!

Thank you for visiting my blog, please check out the other fabulous artists in this stencil hop!!

Ronda Palazzari

Nathalie Kalbach

Paula Phillips - You are here! :)

Doris Sander

Julie Fei-Fan Balzer - our wonderful host!

Much Love xo

Recent Art Journal Pages

2011-09-05T17:35:00.001-04:00

The pages speak for themselves.

I hope everyone had a wonderful long weekend!
Much Love xo

New Mixed Media Art Journal Tutorial Video Up!

2011-08-30T21:21:00.000-04:00

Check it out my friends!!!

Much Love! xo

Art Journaling on Staycation

2011-08-25T21:23:00.001-04:00

Happy Thursday! My vacation has just flown by, and I've loved it! I have been creating every day, walking Asha lots and taking many naps.

Even though it's been a good week, I have had a few challenges. The anxiety is getting to me, so I turned to my art journal today. I created the above page in about 20 mins. I was not worried about technique, or a zillion layers, I just needed to get it out, and get it out fast.

I do like how it turned out, and it helped me quite a bit. It's important for me to step back every once in awhile and just let it all out. Let go.

Really love how this simple page turned out so well! I was given this postcard from a wonderful friend, and just love the message. Thanks so much Sharon!

****EDIT: I was actually given this beautiful postcard from the lovely Joyce! So sorry for the mistake, I LOVE you BOTH!!! xo

These colours were so fun to work with. I had written some notes on the right hand side of the journal that I didn't want to cover up, so I decided to create the spread to the left of it. I really like the way it looks.

This last spread is still a work in process. I am still deciding on a title for the left hand side. I had fun using the Mademoiselle Stack from DCWV.

Sorry for having to cancel my Ustream show last night, major thunder storm was passing through. Speaking of the weather, my thoughts and prayers are with those on the East Coast. Stay safe my friends!

Much Love xox

Inspired Sunday- Lots of Art Journal Pages

2011-08-22T20:09:00.000-04:00

Welcome friends!

I had a wonderful weekend, and a very artful Sunday. Yesterday, in more than one sitting, I created a total of six completed pages. That is so far outside of my process, it's a little scary. Scary yet so exciting!

Can you believe it? All of those pages! This is after about three weeks of not creating much while taking care of this girl:

This is Asha's "stay" position, I just LOVE her crooked little mouth! Training is going well, but there are definitely challenging times. I just figured out the playing tug with her has caused her to become nippy, so now we're correcting that. I would have never thought I'd be a dog person, but she is an absolute joy and blessing in our lives.

Since I was taking pictures in some good sunlight I thought I'd retake a few that I've already posted:

The above page was completed for Stencil Saturday live over on Ustream! Check me out here, where you can watch the recording dated August 20th.

Finally, below is a page I created to remember Asha's first walk. I hope you can see the cute little paw print stamps in the background!

I am on vacation and so happy! I hope you have a wonderful week!

Much Love xo

Recent Pages, and a Change in Process?

2011-08-20T15:52:00.000-04:00

Welcome!

This past Thursday was my 33rd birthday, I had the day off and enjoyed every second of relaxation! The night before was my regular Live Wednesday show on Ustream. We had a great time, and I created the page above.

If you missed the show, check it out here:

I have created more than usual this week, and did a few impromptu streams. It's fun jumping on live and creating with friends, it also is a little less busy in chat so it's a great time! Make sure you follow me on Twitter or Facebook to know when I'm popping on. I have this next week off on vacation, so you can expect some surprise streams!

The two pages above were both created in one sitting, live. It's a little strange for me. I normally work on multiple pages at once, but for some reason it felt right to just focus on the one page at a time. I LOVE how both of these turned out. I even have a third page I did this week that I will share tomorrow once I finish titling it. I am not sure if my process is changing, or if I just needed something different? I can't wait to find out!

A few Saturday's ago we created a cover for a mini album during my Stencil Saturday show. I absolutely love how this looks! A little spray inks, light molding paste and UTEE.

I hope to see you tonight at 9:30pm EST for my Stencil Saturday show over here. Don't forget to join my crowd to see my recordings and upcoming shows.

Much LOVE! xo

A New Puppy and Recent Art Journal Pages

2011-08-14T22:14:00.000-04:00

Welcome back everyone! Yes, it's been awhile. I have been spending all of my time with this sweet girl! Her name is Asha and she is a Morkie. A Morkie is a Maltese/Yorkie mix. She has been home for just over two weeks now and is three months old.

She has stolen both of our hearts. She loves to sleep on Simon's belly. Even though we chose a toy breed, we are treating her like a dog. I am spending lots of time training her as well as loving her.

This was her first bath! I'm looking a little rough (no pun intended) but she is so darn cute. She is such a fluff ball that when her hair is wet, she looks less than half her size. She is currently 4.5 pounds.

Right now she is black and tan, but if you look closely you can see that she has grey roots. It will be such a joy watching her grow into a new coat.

This was her first casualty. The poor pen! She was also running around with this forsaken art journal page but I didn't get to the camera in time.

This is the first dog I have ever owned, so I am learning lots. She is an absolute joy and changing my life for the good.

I have been so busy with her that I have found only a little time to art. Here are a few things I've been working on recently:

As usual, all of the pages were created LIVE over on Ustream. I hope to see you there with us soon!

I have missed you all so much! Thank you for being patient with me.

Much Love xox

PS... the digital downloads of my ClothPaperScissors DVD are on SALE!!!!!! Check them out by clicking on my DVD button on the side bar!

A Week In the Life Art Journal

2011-07-25T19:48:00.000-04:00

Welcome everyone!! What a beautiful Monday it has been! I would like to share with you this quick new journal I created for Ali Edwards challenge, A Week in the Life.

Basically, the challenge is about taking pictures of the everyday life things for a week. As I don't take many pictures, I figured it would be a great challenge for me to join.

It's a simple journal. I bound a few sheets of watercolour paper using a file folder as a cover. I only used four sheets of paper which is enough to create a two page art journal spread per day. I made it while live over HERE, watch when you have a chance! I created the cover and bound the book in this recording.

The cover is not complete (looks a little washed out in this picture), I will add the lumpy bumpy stuff when the journal is full. My intention is to work on art journal pages to document my week rather than a scrapbook or mini album, I will be printing my little pictures and paste them right in.

I'm looking forward to a wonderful week!
Much LOVE xo

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Art Journal Pages

2011-07-22T19:53:00.000-04:00

Happy Friday my friends!! It's been a long, hot week and I am so excited for the weekend!

I have been thinking again (uh oh), and feel like I want to share some thoughts on "bad" art journal pages. Now, when I use the term "bad", I am only referring to how you feel about your own art, not what others may think. Truthfully, I don't care about what others think, other than a hope that what I create and share will inspire others.

If you choose to follow me for any amount of time you will notice that I post pictures of all of my pages, no matter how I feel about them. I have been art journaling for two years now, and it's taken me almost that long to come to terms with letting go of negative thoughts regarding what I create. My goal is to have a blog that shows the real me, which may include some pages that some people may feel are "less than". I'm good with that.

Art journaling is about the process for me, not just about making pretty pages. Some pages turn out looking like a hot mess, and I am OK with that now. It's what I needed to get out at the time, or maybe it was a learning experience on (how not to use) colour or a specific technique.

Many people ask me if I have a vision in my mind of how any given page will turn out. It is very rare that this happens. I mostly get thoughts of themes or ideas for techniques, sometimes an idea about layout. When I sit down to art journal I use what's around me, colours that are appealing to me at the moment and just go with the flow. This process is one that grounds me, releases the anxieties in my head, and makes art journaling enjoyable.

I hope that the next time you create you can attempt to let go and just create, without a worry about creating a hot mess. As my wonderful friend Leslie always says, "Art Journaling, It's All Good!"

About a month ago we celebrated one year of me streaming live over on Ustream! This year has brought so many new and wonderful friendships, a community I am proud of, amazing opportunities and MUCH LOVE into my life. A big THANK YOU to each and every one of you that take the time to join me twice a week. I truly love and appreciate you all.

Lastly, if you follow me over on Facebook (search for Journalartista over there and friend me!!) you know I'm looking for a puppy. I created the above art journal page on Easter Sunday. At the time I didn't really know why I chose the title "My Egg", and for a long time the page sat without any writing. I now understand what my mind was trying to tell me at the time... it's OK if babies are not in my future. I am not going to worry or stress about it any longer.

I know what you are thinking. A puppy is not exactly a substitute for a child, but at this time of my life, I know it's the right decision for me. I am SUPER excited, doing lots of reading and researching. I will keep you updated!!

Have a great night, I will see you tomorrow for Stencil Saturday!!

Much LOVE xo

Yellow Art Journal Page

2011-07-19T23:21:00.000-04:00

Welcome everyone!

For the past few days (week) I have felt a little "blah". I think it's the heat and humidity taking all my energy away.

Last Wednesday on my regular live Ustream show I decided I needed to cheer myself up by creating a bright and cheery page. I chose yellow!

If you missed the show, check out the recording here:

Hope to see you tomorrow night at 9:30pm EST!!

Much LOVE xo

Stencil Saturday Art Journal Pages

2011-07-16T18:45:00.000-04:00

Welcome back my friends! It's been a wonderful week for me, I hope yours was just as awesome!

Last Saturday night during my Stencil Saturday Live Ustream Class we had a blast creating many different pages using a few different techniques.

I believe the page above was actually the second page of the night! I was giving my Adirondack Color Washes and baby wipes some love.

This page was close to the end of the night. I was getting a little punch drunk and had a good time sticking my hands in the spray ink!

This was the first page of the night, and the main technique. I absolutely love where this spread is going, check out the yummy close ups below...

All stencils used are from the wonderful The Crafter's Workshop. I am WAY excited about the new Julie Fei Fan Balzer's designs!!!

I love all things Egypt, and dedicate at least one spread in every journal. I used images from an old National Geographic here as well as stamps from my collection.

I absolutely LOVE where this spread is going! The colours are so warm and bright. This is one of those art journal pages where I may have trouble covering up the background. Check out the yummy close ups below...

It was an absolutely fun filled, art packed, sprayage galore night! If you missed it, check out the recording here:

Don't forget to "Join Crowd" over on Ustream so that recordings and live shows are emailed to you directly!

Lastly, my ClothPaperScissors Workshop DVD is now up for instant download! A 77 min workshop with professional video for the insane price of $14.99! Click on the DVD cover to see a preview as well as read some wonderful reviews!

See you tonight my friends for another episode of Stencil Saturday!! 9:30pm EST.

Much LOVE! xox

Stencil Saturday and a WIP Art Journal

2011-07-09T13:20:00.001-04:00

Happy Saturday my friends! I am so excited that it's the weekend, and that it's Stencil Saturday!! Here is the page we worked on last Saturday on Ustream.

I bought this REALLY cool book last weekend which has 400 word and phrase stickers. I got it on clearance for $5, but you can find it here on Amazon. It's called Sticker Nation. LOVE

If you are new, Stencil Saturday is a free, live class every Saturday night at 9:30pm EST where I teach a different technique using The Crafter's Workshop stencils. I hope you will come join us HERE!

If you missed out on the live class, here is the recorded video:

Yesterday a few of my friends were talking about UFO's (unfinished objects) and WIP's (works in process). This is a huge subject for me as I have MANY unfinished pages, in multiple stages. Recently I have learned to not worry too much about finishing each and every page, it's all about the process.

Here are a few pages that are in one of my handmade watercolor journals. The journal has 20 pages, and they are all WIP's.

As you can see, lots of yummy pages, in all different stages of "done" (is a page ever really done??). I need to take a day and add the finishing touches to each of these pages!

My question to you, how do you deal with WIP's and UFO's? Do they bother you?

Welcome to all my new subscribers and friends! I am blessed.

Much LOVE! xo

My Positive Intention Art Journal

2011-07-05T21:53:00.000-04:00

Happy Tuesday my friends! Today is such an exciting day for me. Today I started my first "100 Day Challenge". You can learn more about it here if you are interested in learning more.

For me, this challenge is not only about the Law of Attraction, but about living positively every day. It's about choosing to see the good. The good in myself, in other people, in life.

This is about choosing to focus on what I want in life rather than dwelling on the past or worrying about the future.

This is about enjoying life, getting my butt outside, and enjoying the beauty that is all around us.

This is about LOVE. Loving myself, my family, my friends. It's about focusing on love rather than judgement.

This challenge is about enjoying the process, enjoying the now while getting excited about the future.

This is about finding peace within myself, relaxing my mind rather than getting myself all worked up for no reason.

This is about releasing worries and enjoying the moment.

This is about being thankful for all the blessings in my life. This is about being grateful for what I do have, what I have accomplished, and for all the wonderful friends I have met along the way.

I am beyond excited about this new journey. I will continue to work in the Positive Intention Journal and update you along the way.

Thank you so much for reading, for your love, for your support, but most of all... for your friendship.

Much LOVE xo

My Trash and Stash Art Journals

2011-07-03T11:11:00.000-04:00

I taped a short video for you all the other day flipping through my Trash Book and Stash Book. I hope you enjoy!

I would love to see what you create!

Much Love xo

Stencil Saturday for Art Journaling

2011-07-02T13:40:00.000-04:00

Welcome everyone! Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by my little part of the web. I hope everyone is having a wonderful long weekend so far. I have been arting and relaxing, couldn't be happier!

The above page was from last week's Stencil Saturday. If you missed the LIVE class, you can watch the recording here:

I hope you enjoy the new camera view. During this past Wednesdays' show I finally figured out my sound issues, so happy the screeching is gone!

Thank you so much to all the wonderful artists who participated in my Stencil Challenge. I picked the winners on Wednesday night. Congratulations to Sharon, Debi and Isle! Please email me your addresses! Please click on the about link to check out all the wonderful stencil fun!

I hope to see you all tonight on Ustream at 9:30pm EST for another stencil technique! See you there my friends.

Much LOVE xo

My Art Journaling DVD Is Finally Up for Preorder!

2011-06-28T20:41:00.000-04:00

I am happy to announce that my ClothPaperScissors DVD is finally up for preorder! It is on their "what's new" page here! I am planning to have signed copies in my Etsy in the future when the DVD's ship, send me an email if you are interested so I can assure I have enough copies!

Why a DVD? Well my friends, where can you take a class for $19.99 and have it to reference forever? It's such an amazing value for 70+ minutes of technique goodness! If you haven't seen my little preview of the goodness to come, check this out!

A Big Art Journal Update

2011-06-27T21:36:00.000-04:00

Welcome back everyone! First I'd like to say thank you. Thank you for being patient while I spent a few weeks in hiatus. I took some much needed rest while taking the antibiotics. I spent over a week in bed relaxing and healing. I can now say I feel back to 100%.

I also want to say thank you for all the WONDERFUL entries to the stencil contest!! I had such a great time looking at all the links and projects, you all did an amazing job! I will be choosing the winners live this Wednesday on my Ustream show at 9:30pm EST.

We now have had three weeks of my Stencil Saturday show and I am having a blast! Here is project number one:

When you've got a bit of time, you can watch the recording here:

In week number two we focused on using light molding paste to create texture.

I will share the page from this past Saturday tomorrow!

I have been working away in my new "Trash" Journal. It is loosely based on the K&Company "Smashbook" which is simply a coil bound book of patterned paper. As I have a *tiny* stash of patterned paper, I thought I'd make my own.

I have been having such a wonderful time working in this! I call it my Trash Book because I am using a lot of random bits and pieces that I my have thrown away previously. I am also enjoying the process of creating for creating's sake, not putting much thought into the work, not having the pages mean anything as they do in my art journals. Here are a few examples of how I'm working in it:

As you can see, none of these pages are complete, that is the joy I'm experiencing in this book. Just focusing on adding a bit here and a bit there. I hope you try one!

Lastly, here is a sneak peek of things I'm playing with and trying for future Stencil Saturday shows!

I will be back tomorrow with more goodness!
Much LOVE my friends xo

Stencil Saturday and a Contest!

2011-06-11T14:59:00.001-04:00

Welcome back everyone! Alright, alright, so it's not really a contest. As many of you know, I do not allow links during my live Ustream. This is because we have been spammed in the past, and I do not want my viewers to have to put up with that. The downfall of this is that we miss out on each other's wonderful blogs and Flickr pages.

To remedy this I am having a little link party. I was amazed to receive a wonderful package from Crafter's Workshop. They make my absolute favourite stencils. I received so many that I was inspired to create a new feature for my live classes and blog called Stencil Saturday. Every Saturday night I will choose a new stencil and technique to feature on Ustream, tonight being the first night! I'm way excited, here are the stencils I will be working with:

I know what you're asking, what does this have to do with you?? Well, I'd love to see your work and your blogs (or Flicrk/Tumblr). All you need to do is create a project of your choosing using any stencil. You can use the wonderful ones from Crafter's Workshop, one you create, or any in between! Blog about it mentioning my blog/ustream show and add your link below! It's that easy!

I cannot wait to see everyone's projects and blogs! I will randomly choose two winners for some stencil goodness on June 26th, that's two weeks for you to get creative!

Link away my friends!

Much Love xox

***Journal Artista***

Why Gesso?

Mixed Media Travel Art Journal

Recent Art Journal Pages

How to Dry Emboss with Stencils

Magazine Art Journal

Random Art Journal Pages

Art Journaling for Anxiety

Crafter's Workshop Stencil Hop

Recent Art Journal Pages

New Mixed Media Art Journal Tutorial Video Up!

Art Journaling on Staycation

Inspired Sunday- Lots of Art Journal Pages

Recent Pages, and a Change in Process?

A New Puppy and Recent Art Journal Pages

A Week In the Life Art Journal

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Art Journal Pages

Yellow Art Journal Page

Stencil Saturday Art Journal Pages

Stencil Saturday and a WIP Art Journal

My Positive Intention Art Journal

My Trash and Stash Art Journals

Stencil Saturday for Art Journaling

My Art Journaling DVD Is Finally Up for Preorder!

A Big Art Journal Update

Stencil Saturday and a Contest!

Journal Artista