the smashbook

journal crawl: may

2012-05-28T09:46:00.000-06:00

I'm really excited for today. This little artist is spending the day poolside with good friends, amazing drinks and even better laughter. Before that fun starts, though-- I have a journal crawl to share with you!

What's a journal crawl? It's where you get to crawl through my journal pages for the month. I've selected a few of my favorites from this month to share with you! Enjoy looking through them, getting inspired and taking ideas to use in your own journal pages! If you have questions about the materials I used, or how I achieved a particular style, let me know in the comments below and I'll answer! I promise!

#1: inspired life

#2 Classy like a stache... hahahaha.

#3 self care. I love the way this page turned out.

#4: unfinished. this is started as a background.. we'll see what comes of it!

#5 dare to dream... using a new stamp and SPACKLING PASTE! yep!

Here's an up close photo of the spackling paste. :p I know I'll get questions.. hahaha :D

#6: Outdoorsy. This is an email that a co-worker of mine printed out. I love it.

#7: Used an old painting I wasn't doing anything with, cut it into strips, sprayed paint over it.. then embellished. :D

#8: Loving this page. Quote via People of the Second Chance.

Flipside of the flap on page #8.

#9: Memorial Day Weekend: found some coasters at a bar while attending a birthday party. Love love loved these. Also, if you're in Denver, get your nails done at Sunset. You can see my nails in some of these pictures. HIGHLY recommend these ladies. Ask for Mai. (sounds like "My")

#10: Skyscraper. Yes, I used cheesy lyrics. Yes, I love that song. Yes, this page strikes a chord. Messy and imperfect but wonderful. Journaling a breakup is always difficult.

#11: the fray. I love this lyric. Also, look at the nails!

another view of the fray inspired page.

#12 graffiti girl: something I've been playing around with... faces. they always intimidate me.... so I made some graffiti tissue and collaged it over parts of her hair. I love the way this turned out.

an up close view of the graffiti tissue.

#13 thunder: this page is still wet, next to me. HA. Haven't decided what I'm going to do with it yet, but thought I'd share beginning stages. :D

#14: new. started another new journal... eeek!

A lot of you have been asking to see my workspace/studio... so here's a little peek. There's drawers on either side of the desk, and all over the room for art supplies. :p what fun stuff do you see?

And as promised, a profile view of my journal. it's getting so fat and I'm so in love! nothing gets me to my happy place faster than a fat smash!!! :D (how many times have you heard that?!)

And here's another picture of it when it's "closed". Note that I still have quite a ways to go in this journal, as the bottom half of it is somewhat untouched. love love love love.

hope you enjoyed crawling through my journal! don't forget to sign up for the newsletter/email update on the left sidebar... newsletters and weekly prompts resume THIS WEEK! :D

(btw- you can always follow me on twitter, or check out the bottom feed for my instagram pictures, which usually have lots of art in them!)

confession files + art break

2012-05-24T21:19:00.001-06:00

it's time to get real. are you ready? I haven't done a confession files post in a long time, so I figured I'd start the series off again with a bang! here goes:

today alone, I drank over 32 oz of mint tea. (my man is the best for keeping my fridge stocked with it.)
the live event I mentioned in my post earlier gets major planning this weekend.
I haven't had a manicure in six weeks. (dying.)
four new pages in my journal in the last two days. yeeeeeeah boy.
got to the point where my therapist feels comfortable seeing me once a month instead of every week. never thought I'd see the day. (yeah, I did!)
working and kicking ass at a new job. (really the reason I haven't blogged in a while! that ends now!)
I have eaten two cupcakes this week. TWO. that never happens, kids.
instead of sleeping one night this week, I read an entire novel. wait... is it a novel if it's non-fiction? whatever. I read a BOOK. in ONE night, people!
I've been wearing jeans to work. I made it two weeks without caving. for serious.
there's a boy at work. he's teaching me about dubstep. I'm not really retaining as much information as I'd like to be.
email happened tonight. I had over a hundred messages.
my first ever handmade smashbook found its' way into Texas, into a student's hands. I'm so excited to see what she does with it.
tomorrow i'm having sushi. for the third time in two weeks. what is my life.
boyfriend has a new roommate moving in next week. should be very interesting.
I wrote "a ninja was here" on the hood of a car last week. in the dust, kids. i'm no vandal.
this was incredibly easy to write. yep.

xo,

coming soon!

2012-05-24T20:13:00.002-06:00

I've been working hard on new pages, homemade smashbooks for the store and ephemera packs to give away soon!

I'm also working hard on a live event... that's all I can share right now, but know I'm bursting at the seams until the moment I can share!

Regular posts and newsletters resume this week!

I'm excited for the future! Can't wait to give details!

xo,

15 piece brush set by @mashnails + a sparkling review

2012-04-30T19:03:00.001-06:00

The wonderful wonderful team over at Mash Nails invited me to do a review of their 15 piece nail brush set. Being an artist and someone who uses brushes quite a bit, I wondered if the brush skills would transfer to my nails-- and sure enough, they did!

If you follow me on instagram, you've seen my nails... if not, go follow, or check out the bottom of this page! If you scroll all the way down, you'll see that I have a feed of my instagram pictures posted.

I was skeptical to try the nail brush set, because there are SO many brushes! I was worried about how I would use all fifteen of them! Not to worry though-- there are lots of designs to make and experiments to try! I've used all the brushes at least once to make really fun designs! They're very versatile, even for someone who doesn't handle a brush very often! Don't be intimidated-- you'll soon find yourself dreaming up designs to use!

Here you can see a good view of all of the brushes. There are a lot to choose from. I was really impressed with the variety of brushes, the brush hairs themselves and the handles. They are sturdy, the brushes are firmly placed into the stems of the handles, and despite tugging on them, they don't come loose. These are going to last a long time! They also come BEAUTIFULLY packaged in a leather case that has magnetic snaps on it. I've successfully toted this thing around from my house to my boyfriend's and back... and ADORE it! There's a little flap included too, to save the brushes from getting rubbed by the leather. So nice!

The shipping was fast and efficient, and the customer service department is SO nice! They respond super quickly to emails and are there if you have any questions at all. They also maintain a solid twitter presence. I'm excited to see what else the mash team comes up with!

I would love to try their 5 way dotting tool, their rhinestones and their fimo canes! Such neat stuff and all at a reasonable price. So glad I got to review these products, I'd love to see more from MashNails!

Here's the fine print on my reviews! I wasn't paid to do this review; and it's my honest opinion! I love love love these brushes and recommend them solely because I like them!

my love list + storyboard style art journal pages

2012-04-17T13:02:00.002-06:00

For those of you who attended the first April session of the Smashbook Art Journal Video Conferences on Saturday, you'll recognize a few of these pages! I thought I'd post them so you can get a little more inspiration if you're stuck on Saturday's prompts!

try journaling things you love.

you'll be surprised how quickly they come flying out of your pen.

try making a little storyboard of your day. it's fun to see what people document about their day, isn't it? for me, eating chips and salsa was worthy of a box.

... it was really good salsa... ;)

journal your dreams. sometimes they're really funny to journal because they don't make sense at all.

what's on the list of things with which people can "win you over"? make that a page!

I played around with textures here. I had some ephemera scraps I cut in to 1" x 1" squares and pasted into my journal.

if you signed up to receive the Smashbook Newsletter (it's free and rad!) you learned how to make this page!

I also added some awesome fabric. I love it!

This was fun! I love thinking about traditions and rituals my family has... and carrying those on in my own family someday.

and this little elephant is making his debut all over my pages.

what should we name him? leave me a comment below!

lil' cutie.

themed journals: a reader question

2012-04-14T12:53:00.001-06:00

One of the best things about blogging is the people I get to meet! I've come across some of the sweetest artists, non-artists, mommies, nannies, daddies, bachelors, fashionistas, graphic wizards, style fiends and blogging beauties! I seriously have been so lucky to meet all these rad people!

One of my readers asked a question this morning through email, and I thought I would answer it here so everyone could see it! :)

She asked:

"I have a question about themed art journals. I know you kinda touched on this by showing us your different journals. You have one that you carry in your purse etc. And I know you move one to another one so one can dry etc.... But do you really just randomly put stuff in anywhere? No rhyme or reason?"

This is a RAD question!! I'm so glad she asked it!

The beautiful thing about art journals is that they're versatile. They can be exactly what you need them to be. I do use between 3 and 5 journals simultaneously... but they're all kind of haphazard journals, with ONE exception. I usually put whatever I'm feeling inside my journals. Whether that's anger, sadness, journaling about magic, my relationships, art itself... even testing out new art supplies or making color charts. Usually, I work with a "no holds barred" kind of approach. Whatever I want to put in, I put in!

I do however have one exception. I have one journal that is dedicated to my man. I write/paint/document/etc all of our dates. I put pictures, souvenirs (like a parking pass from a state park hike we took) and things in the journal from our dates/time together. Flowers from camping trips, even the first flower he ever gave me will be a part of that journal! It's for him/us, so that we can look back on it in the future and remember the fun things we did. :) It's the only themed journal I have.

Themed journals can be fun if you don't let them pressure you. I find that with newer journalers (and I still do this to myself sometimes) that it's easy to force things out when the journal is themed. If you're thinking about starting a themed journal, make sure it's something you can talk about for a long period of time. You need to have almost endless thoughts on this topic in order for it to fill (or take up most of) a journal. Make sure you choose something that has different facets!

Try things like: a relationship, dreams, goals for yourself, rituals or traditions your family has, your kiddos, a birth journal, a wedding journal, a cooking journal... there are lots of possibilites!

If you've never seen the movie "50 First Dates" (my favorite movie in life), you need to watch it. There's a scene in this movie that shows Drew Barrymore's character going through her art journal. In this journal, she documents her relationship with the character played by Adam Sandler. It's what inspired me to make my journal for Andrew. :)

Check it out!

Hope this answered your question!

my art on your smashbook: painted covers

2012-04-13T09:44:00.000-06:00

I've been working on some smashbook covers for those of you who have ring-bound smashbooks. It's so hard to make them and not want to keep them all for myself.

These will be available in the shop next week. :)

(example shown is for a 9" x 5.5" smashbook, dual ring bound)

xo!

{and don't forget! for all of you workshop students, the art journal video conference is TOMORROW at 10 AM MST!!! See you there!!!)

journal page sneak peeks {april}

2012-04-12T11:11:00.000-06:00

I've been working on some ridiculous amounts of art lately. Between toting my journal around town, from my place to my boyfriends' and back.... it's gotten a lot of love lately. I'm really enjoying the way my journals are bulking up. To me, that's the best part! Watching them get fatter and fatter is awesome!

The ART Journaling April Workshop 2012 is going SO super well. I'm so excited for my lovely lovely lovely students' journals. They're getting SO much love this month! Nothing makes me happier than seeing people create something wonderful from inspiration! Because of the success of this workshop, I've added a new e-course that's self paced and for complete newbies to the world of Art Journaling. It's called ART Journaling 101! It's $15 and the course is yours to keep! :)

On a different (but equally fun) note, I wanted to share some of the recent pages I've done in my journals. Take a peek and let me know what you think by leaving a comment below. There's a little description under each one, just in case you're into that kinda thing. ;)

Inspired by a Ben Rector song. Love the colors that came out of this page!

Used a little something from a "recent" Moo purchase. I love their branding and designs.

Got some new Punchinella in the mail, so it's been showing up in my designs lately. I'm also a fan of using the PITT artist pens (brush tip) to go over words. Looove.

This page is one I did on the fly, with no paint. It's rare for me to abandon acrylic completely in a page... but this is an example of a paintless page! Based on my trip to the aquarium with Andrew, I used tiger stripes as well as some of the flowers we saw as inspiration.

An example of india ink and watercolor pencil on the fly!

Same as above. ;)

I loved these lyrics from Katy Perry. I had used Punchinella to accent another page, and simply put the wet piece in-between these two pages, pushed the book shut and went about my merry way. Kind of neat the way it created the opposite effect, no? :)

I love love love the contrast in this page. I have done acrylic and a little ink rubbing on the back of the pages, then journaled over them. On the right side, I attached (via paperclip) a map of the aquarium, part of a stub and a photo of jellyfishies! The blue and the red play off of each other in this spread. I'm loving contrasting colors lately.

Here's a better view of the right hand side! :)

Sometimes, I like seeing what colors my watercolor pencils are capable of. This is an example of me doodling and then writing overtop.

An unfinished page. I like the monochrome feel of this color scheme... maybe I'll keep it that way? :)

A good tip for bringing words up to the front and make them pop: use a sharpie and write them bigger than the other script! Then, use a white gelpen (my favorite is the GellyRoll Med. tip White) and outline the big words again. Loooove.

(and yes, that's my man taking pictures of poisonous frogs. we're toddlers...)

I have a journal prepared just for Andrew. He hasn't seen it yet and he won't for a long while. I like keeping documents and souvenirs from our dates in it, as well as my grandiose recaps of our days. He'll see it someday and crack up, I'm sure. :) I used a lot of color washes, specifically blue, green and a cherry-maroon color. (if you want the exact name, let me know.) I'm a fan of cutting acrylic with water and using it as a wash. (Notice how you can still see the lines of the pages?)

Kind of a different color scheme for me. I usually shy away from "grungy" color schemes, but this time I did something different. I'm all about stretching and flexing that creative muscle. Gotta do it too if I'm asking all my art journal students to do it! :p I used quite a bit of spray ink in this page, and the red ink is Adirondack Alcohol Ink in Cherry Red.

This is one of my favorites because of the colors. I love the transition from blue to green to yellow to turquoise and everything in-between. I used a bit of an old book, washi tape and a sticker. I rarely use scripted stickers in my journals, just because I'm all about customizing. In the rare case a sticker sums up what I want to say, I use it! (see above!) I also used Glimmer Mist in "Antique Gold" on this page. Love the way it gives an added shimmer. It's a huge process in self control to NOT use it in all of my pages!

What have you been creating lately? Share with me! Leave a link in the comments below! :)

xox,

student feature: kelly a

2012-04-04T10:14:00.005-06:00

Being able to teach art is so rewarding. I get to meet the most wonderful people ever. Kelli is a perfect example of this. She's working through the prompts, stretching herself and coming up with INCREDIBLE results. This is one of her most recent pieces. I found it in my inbox today. :)

I love love love love LOVE her patterns, the use of glitter and her photograph, all around the idea of being serene and the feeling of serenity!

Thank you for sharing your art with us, Kelli!

(check out Kelli's blog!)

the perfection monster

2012-04-03T13:14:00.003-06:00

This month, I'm teaching an art journal workshop. We're talking a lot about working through perfection, through "completion", through messiness in our lives and our art. I included this tidbit in my daily email to my students, and I thought it fitting to share with everyone.

Art journaling is so fun, but sometimes it can make us feel frazzled or stressed. A lot of times, when I feel that way, I'm pushing myself to create for someone else. It's important to remember a few things when you're art journaling. Remember first that this journal is YOURS! No one else ever has to see it if you don't want to. No one will know what it says, what it looks like... or even that it exists if you don't want them to! Remember that you're allowing yourself to be expressive, whatever that looks like. You're letting yourself be freeform, expressive, creative, unleashed. You don't have to worry about what it looks like-- do what FEELS good! If you like the way your credit card sounds when it scrapes paint, scrape away. If you hate brush strokes, don't dare use a brush! And so what if you've been told brown and black don't go together... put them on your page right next to each other if you want to!

This journal is for you. It's your space away from your critic. It's your space away from your definition of perfection. It's your space of grace. Your space to breathe, play, to be yourself when no one is watching. Do what feels right. Be good to you. You won't regret it, I promise!

Some of my favorite pages have come from my wreckless abandon of not caring at all what people think. If I paint for me, the way I want to... I end up loving it and that's all that matters. If I don't love it, I paint over it, or I throw glitter on top... or rip the page out! The rule is that there are no rules. It's amazing to be liberated from yourself and your perfection monster. Kick that thing to the curb and paint all over it. You'll be better for it!

finding inspiration

2012-04-02T15:18:00.002-06:00

I spent all day Sunday with my boyfriend at the Aquarium downtown! We're both four years old so it was an incredible day of magical fun. Pretty much better than any other day I've had... ever. We even got to pet stingrays! So fun!

My favorite picture of the 200+ I took yesterday is the one above. I adore the colors in this photo.

When you're frequently looking at paint colors and art and nature, you realize how much beauty is in a simple fishtank. I'm going to use this picture as the muse for a page in my journal.

I thought I'd share it with you if you wanted a little inspiration as well. ;)

xo!

what's going on? (regarding my absence)

2012-04-01T10:22:00.001-06:00

So.. those of you who have noticed I've been scant around these parts... there IS a reason why.... ;)

my reason for devoting so much time away from the blog... is this guy.

God's been so good these last few weeks. I can't believe the things He's doing for me and the people in my life.

I am still doing art daily (it has to be made a priority), but I've been filling my days with movies, kisses, cuddles, so so many laughs and fun memories with this guy.

His name is Andrew. He's my favorite boy. And if you're wondering, he's the Mister behind the hashtags #studmuffin, the one that is described in my "Letters to my Future Husband" feature as well as the "Studmuffin and Cupcake" button on the right sidebar. :]

I'm so excited to see what God has for Andrew and I in this chapter. I know he will (already has) influence my art and my creative impetus... that's what love should do, right?

I guess I just wanted to let you all know that I'm still very much alive, very much still creating and very much still happy. :)

Cheers, friends.

<3 Char

Mr. Moore, You're So Swell : an art journal timelapse post!

2012-03-11T17:47:00.001-06:00

Last night, I attended a housewarming barbeque with some amazing people. I only knew one person there (we'll get to him in a minute) and it was kind of nervewracking going into a house full of people you don't know.

The person I knew... well he's pretty rad. In fact, he thinks I'm pretty rad too. We might be a little into each other. Or something. :P I almost didn't notice anyone else in the house the whole time. Talk about a funny night. We got asked nearly 10 times how long we'd been married. That's a good sign, isn't it? Bahahaha. Regardless, I loved it. He's making me blush as we speak.

And... he brought me this on Friday: (and if you're paying attention, that means we saw each other two days in a row! Gasp!)

Yeah, he's pretty rad. I toldja so.

I decided ... because he's so swell, I should probably make an art journal page devoted to him, no?

I did. :D

Check it out below.

XO!

peek inside my journal + self care

2012-03-08T22:30:00.000-07:00

Dreaming about my soon-to-be-moved-into studio (EEK!) makes me think about how much I need to nourish my creativity. Life just gets better when I get to create the way I love. When I get time to myself, time to paint or collage or just spend time PLAYING in my journal, life gets BETTER!!!

On the topic of nourishing yourself, I've been mindful of what self care looks like for me. What makes me fuel and fill up. What makes my heart full. For me, that's painting. It's getting time to be messy. It's having an agenda-less moment to create.

Peek into my journal and see this page created with self care in mind. :)

xox,
C

Smashbook Art Journal Workshop Update!

2012-03-05T12:07:00.002-07:00

Hi Artsy People!!!

I just wanted to give a little update on the Smashbook Art Journal Online Workshop coming up in 3 weeks! I'm so excited for this, you guys! We're going to create something organic every single day, together!

I have people signed up in the States, and even a participant in France! HOW FUN!

There are 20 days left to sign up, and only a few spots left! If you're debating, take the plunge and I promise you won't regret it!

For more info and a list of the rad things you get, click here!

Hope to have you join us!

-Charissa

childhood memories invade my art journal

2012-03-03T14:31:00.000-07:00

This week's prompt on OYAJ is about childhood memories! I filmed a little timelapse so you can see it in creation! Here's what the finished product looks like:

Materials I used:

Liquitex acrylic paint in Gold
Americana acrylic paint in chocolate brown
washi tape
masking tape
spray ink in Lemon by Sprinklers
a Trevor Hall concert ticket
a birthday card
Pitt Pen
gesso

Here's the video!

Enjoy, loves!

FREE art journal supplies

2012-03-02T11:15:00.001-07:00

Chances are you've landed here looking for some free and/or cheap art journal supplies! Well, lucky for you, I've got a huge list of things you can use in your art journal for free or nearly free!

receipts from the grocery store / your morning coffee run
sleeves from your coffee cup
old cereal boxes or cracker boxes
magazines you have laying around the house
photocopies of library book pages
expired credit cards and store loyalty cards
coffee filters -- ask your local coffee shop if you can have a few, they'll happily oblige!
boxes of tea make great storage containers, or if they're cardboard, you can use them as a page!
bubble wrap
packing peanuts
duct tape or packaging tape
napkins from your favorite restaurant
packaging from your kids' toys-- you can find some amazing typefaces on these!
cut up an old t-shirt and use scraps in your pages or to cover your smashbook
screencaps of text messages and/or computer screens, printed out
ribbons used in packaging
old gift bags
greeting cards
take out menus
pages from your old yellow book or white pages! (remember phone books?!)
tape from a VHS tape or cassette tape
white out
post-it notes
toothbrushes make interesting texture when used to paint
fabric / silk flowers
stickers
kids' coloring book pages
candy wrappers
soda bottle wrapping

Check back often as I update this list all the time! :]

judging a SMASHBOOK by the cover + art journal techniques

2012-02-29T16:27:00.002-07:00

As I weeded through my bedroom the other day, I found this book. I had only written on the first page... and it was a to-do list from August 2011. I decided (obviously) I'd turn this into (yet another) smashbook. EEEK! After thumbing through the pages, feeling the weight of them as well as the book as a whole, I decided I'd start at the cover. The cover of my first art journal (see the video below if you don't know the one I'm talking about) is covered in photos. I needed to do something different with this one. I wanted a change. Something raw.

Here's what I came up with:

How freakin' awesome is that?! A little gesso, alcohol ink, glimmer mist, perfect pearl mist and some spray ink = magic. I've since added stickers with a little message on the front. Adore.

I get asked a lot what happens when I make a mistake in my journals. I think mistakes are part of life! They happen all the time, and I've found freedom (recently) in letting myself make mistakes in all areas of life. Above is pictured my FIRST word in my new smashbook--- and I misspelled it. I NEVER misspell things, kids. Never. I think it's pretty funny that my first word is a typo. Hahaha. In case I ever need a reminder that I'm not perfect. :P

I make mistakes too! It's okay!

I've been experimenting with spray inks and alcohol inks. See above. :P

{materials: acrylic paint, alcohol ink, gesso)

Enter washi tape! ADORE.

Also, this lyric is from "Sunday" by Saints of Valory. Look them up on youtube-- they're AMAZING!

Happy creating!

-C

Art Journal Inspiration Prompt and Tutorial!!

2012-02-26T12:14:00.003-07:00

My first ever video for the Smashbook!!! Enjoy, loves!

about the artist + random facts you asked

2012-02-23T12:15:00.002-07:00

about the artist:

some of you asked about me; you asked me to share more about myself...

so here's a few little tidbits:

1. I started art journaling only a short time ago, and since have fallen in love.

2. I don't eat blue m&ms. True story. Also, peanut butter and chocolate = best combo ever.

3. I sneeze a lot. No, really.

4. I'm addicted to coffee. It's kind of bad. Working at Starbucks only makes it worse. (or better, depending on your view..)

5. I currently work in three art journals simultaneously. Yeah, I'm rad.

6. I'm reading a book that's changing my life. I'll post about it when I finish.

7. My birthday is tomorrow! (eek!)

8. My favorite colors are yellow, pink and orange. It's hard to stay away from them when i'm journaling. I constantly have to use other colors.

9. I've been learning that feelings can be a good thing when they're shared but not judged. I'm practicing feeling without judging things.

10. If you knew me, you'd know that I often contemplate locking my twitter feed. I never do, but the thought's there.

11. At my house, you either always hear music or Fox News on TV.

12. I love caramel anything. And I make wicked amazing salted caramels.

13. Speaking of making things... I love to bake. Cookies, cakes, cake pops... anything yummy. Lovelove.

14. I'd tell you that I've had a string of really bad dates this week and last week. Dates are not so fun sometimes. There is light at the end of the tunnel though.... my phone has been blowing up today. Saturday should be a very good day. :D

15. I'm excited to spend tomorrow with my family and spending time in my journal, creating. I can't wait to get elbow-deep in paint!

16. My favorite movie of all time is "50 First Dates". I want to be Lucy so bad.

17. I've been more active in church these last few weeks and I'm really loving it. The church I attend is super super growing and they're adding a second campus.

18. I sing in the shower. All the time.

19. I've been loving all over my Kindle lately. I downloaded eleven books and added a ton of books onto my amazon wish list! If I get birthday money, you can bet it'll be spent on art books and paints!

20. I loathe snow. And as I type this, there's a foot and a half of it outside.... true story.

Announcing the Smashbook Art Journal Workshop!

2012-02-23T06:00:00.000-07:00

art journal sneak peek + my recent pages

2012-02-22T12:30:00.001-07:00

I use these pajama prints as inspiration. What's not better with polka dots, right?

A number of you asked to see my desk! This is how it looked before I organized everything into orderly piles. :D

You know you make it into my art journal when you're mean or upsetting. After all, my art journal is a place for my space and thoughts and feelings. I'm learning to express those better through the love I have for art journaling. This made me laugh. All the bottom says is, "he's a douche." Hahahaha.

Friends and family made it into this page. I have a good friend who's amazing at making me laugh when the chips are down. He's rad at cheering me up, so he made it onto this page! If you have questions about the paint or stamps, comment below and I'll respond back. :]

Sneak peek of a little something fun!

And a little something at the end. :] Love how these pages turned out!

I also wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone who has signed up for the Smashbook Newsletter. I am so incredibly grateful and awestruck at how many of you complete the prompts each week. It's amazing and I love you guys! Keep tuned tomorrow on the blog for a HUGE announcement you won't want to miss! (If you have my newsletter, you already know what it is!) :D

xoxo,

5 Favorite Art Journal Supplies

2012-02-17T12:06:00.002-07:00

I'm always curious to see what fellow art journalers use when they create! I thought I'd share five of my favorite supplies/materials for creating in my art journal!

Acrylic paints! I LOVE LOVE them. I use them in every page except my watercolor pages... and sometimes (on rare occasion) I do both! They're so versatile and so easy to use-- you can stamp, paint, texturize, cover, embellish... pretty much anything with them!
Watercolor pencils! If you've never used them, they're basically like colored pencils-- except you can paint over them with a wet brush and they become watercolor-like! They're really fantastic for detail work and/or tiny embellishments!
Stamps! I only recently started using stamps and they're freakin' awesome. You can use rubber ones or the silicone ones that stick to acrylic blocks! I use the silicone ones mostly, but I do have quite a few rubber ones. Collect them-- you can reuse them, which I ADORE!
Permanent markers. My art journals would be dead without them. I use them in every single page. They're amazing for journaling words and detail work, doodles, outlining... pretty much everything!
Gel pens. Specifically the white ones. They get used a lot over other lettering and for miniature detail work / doodles on the pages with a dark background!

What are your favorite supplies and materials to use?! I'm so curious to know your favorites!

Happy Creating!

-C

DIY homemade smashbook + my recent pages

2012-02-08T17:32:00.000-07:00

This is the cover of my homemade smashbook! I'm not talking about the big spiral I do pages in... this is a whole new journal! I thought I'd show you guys how to make it and maybe give you some ideas for pages along the way!

The inside cover holds one of my favorite quotes. I firmly believe in self discovery through artistic expression. Adore.

So here's how you make it! Ready?!

1. Scour your kitchen cabinets/house/boyfriend's house/parent's house/etc for cardboard boxes. They can be different "strengths" (think cereal box versus cardboard box). Just get whatever boxes you'd like to work with! Any size works for this, too!

2. Compile the pieces in whatever ways you'd like. You can trim them all to size, use the flaps (bottom of boxes or sides of boxes) attached or unattached if you'd like.

3. Trim them to be the same size or leave them different. It's all up to you-- it's your journal!

4. Align pages on one side, á la book. You're going to punch holes in them, so orient the pieces of board how you'd like them to be in your book. Keep in mind the fronts/backs of cereal boxes and things. Do you want the text to be all right side up? Check before you punch holes!

5. Punch holes in your pages! I recommend using a three hole punch. You can also use a single hole punch if one particular page is being stubborn!

6. Use big jump rings/split rings (I got mine at an office supply store!)

7. Feed your rings through the page holes!

That's it! Woot!

Here's a close up of the rings and the pages! You can see I used all cereal boxes, as the pages are all the same "strength"! I really love the feel. I'm going to add pages in to this book as well, made of legal paper, phone book pages, etc. Because the main bulk of the book is cereal box weight, the book is bulky and chunky. I ADORE this!

You can see some elements sticking out of the bottom of this book so far (like the ribbon)! It's coming along GREAT so far!

Now for my recent pages!

I used some produce bag netting for a page! Yay, apple packaging! :D

Working with a different theme here, I decided to just use a quote with no journaling on the page. I like the way it turned out. I also used a different painting technique on this page I'll discuss later this week!

Isn't the paint cool looking?!

Last week it snowed pretty hardcore in Denver! We got 18" in 24 hours. I used the wrappers from many many cups of hot cocoa to make this spread.

Love love love my homemade smash! Let me know if you make one!

If you have questions, leave a comment below!

And don't forget to subscribe to my weekly art journal prompt newsletter!

10 Art Journal Background Ideas

2012-02-03T09:54:00.000-07:00

For a complete list of my art journaling posts, click here!

I get a lot of emails, instagram comments and tweets asking about background ideas in my art journal pages. I thought it'd be fun to give you all 10 ideas to spice up your backgrounds!

Using acrylic paint and a brush, cover your page with paint. While the paint is still wet, drip rubbing alcohol on the page and watch magic texture appear!
Paint your page with watercolor. While the paint is still wet, sprinkle table salt on top of it. Let the page(s) dry and then rub the salt off of the page. Check out what's left! Pretty sweet!
Collage coffee filters or tissue paper over the page using tape. (Keep the tissue paper as dry as possible!) Then, drip liquid watercolor over the tissue paper. Gorgeous!
Position three drops of acrylic paint in different colors on your page, right next to one another. Then, using a credit card or old store loyalty card (hey, Best Buy...) smear the paint colors down the page. Then use side strokes over the vertical ones. It mixes the paint but keeps the colors somewhat separate still. Kind of (really) rad. :D
Use pages from an old book to collage the background of a page. Highlight or mark out certain words.
Give the page to your kids/hubby/boyfriend/best friend/someone you trust and let them color/doodle on the background. It can be fun to create something based on someone else's start.
Use a map as the background for your page(s). A vintage map, or even one printed out from google can work!
Dip a string (yarn or even dental floss will work!) into acrylic paint. Place string/floss on your page, then shut your journal/smashbook on it. Pull out the string while the book is still closed. Then open up and see what shapes you've created! Keep going to cover the page as much as you'd like.
Use a piece of newspaper as your background, then watercolor over it. This turns out so so beautifully.
Using an ink pad, color the whole page. (Put the ink pad down on the page and press!) Then, using a brush wet with water, brush over the ink and watch it turn into watercolor! This can do some beautiful things on your page!

Happy Creating!

- C.