Altered Journal Swap - Part Two

In last Monday's post, I told you about the Altered Journal Swap I participated in recently. It really was so much fun and I was grateful to be able to use some of my stash of composition books which I've been hoarding for a while.

The first journal, shown above, is the one I made for Mary. She told me she likes blues and greens, ribbons, as well as bird and vintage themes.

Perfect! Because I like all of those things too!

My inspiration for this journal came from this vintage bird image which I had.

I was taking an online class taught by Jeanne Oliver while I was creating these journals, so I was able to incorporate a lot of the techniques I learned.

This is the back cover of the journal.

The second journal I created was for Patty. She told me she is a "color-loving red girl" who likes vintage ephemera. This too was great, because I love the color red also. Although I don't have any red in this house, my crafting room at our cottage is decorated in reds. I think red is such a happy color.

I grabbed my bin of red papers and proceeded to collage the cover of the composition book. Then I remembered I had this vintage image from a collage sheet I bought from Lisa's Altered Art quite a while ago and decided it would work nicely as a focal point for the cover.

Back cover of journal.

I really had a lot of fun with this swap. I got to use supplies that I already had in my studio. I got to work with colors that I love. And I got to practice new art techniques that I had learned. What could be better that all that?

Friday Fill-Ins

Starting this week I'm combining two challenges on Fridays. A few weeks ago I began participating in Friday Fill-Ins which has been a lot of fun. Today, I am also joining in on Jeanne Oliver and Kimberly Taylor's brand new photo challenge for February called Finding the Lovely, which you can read about here.

The weather has been so mild here in the midwest that I guess the plants are as puzzled as I am by this winter. This week I noticed the tiniest of green poking through the earth next to my front door. Today there were flower buds showing too. I know that Snow Drops are one of the earliest of bloomers here in Zone 5, but the first week of February seems ridiculously early even for these hardy little guys!

So here we go with my Friday Fill-Ins. . . .

1. When it comes time to make a decision, I have difficulty doing it.

2. Be kind to others - that must be the rule.

3. Ma says, always wear clean underwear.

4. I listen to my iPod at the same time as I walk.

5. I never saw a unicorn.

6. The light bulb is not a new invention.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to eating leftover ravioli, tomorrow my plans include lunch at Panera and Sunday, I want to go to the flea market!

You can join in here.

Altered Journal Swap - Part One

Heather, from Speckled Egg is well-known for her Inspiration Box Swaps where everyone decorates a large matchbox and fills it with lots of fun goodies. Well, this time around Heather switched things up a bit and instead of altering a matchbox, we altered composition books to create journals for our swap partners. I was paired up with Mary and Patty and after exchanging a list of the things we like, these are the journals they sent me:

Here is the sweet journal Mary created. Mary likes birds just like me. I love the soft colors and all the lace she used.

Pictured above is the inside front cover.

The inside back cover.

And the back cover.

The second journal was created by Patty. She really got my love of aquas and pinks.

Don't you love the pocket she hid in the cover? So clever!

Here is the inside front cover shown above.

And this is the back cover. Both of these altered journals are beautiful and I can't wait to start filling them up. Thanks girls!!! And a BIG hug to Heather for organizing another fun swap!

Next time I'll show you the journals I made for Mary and Patty.

Prize Winner!

Can you believe it? Valentine's Day is only 9 days away and I don't have any of my decorations put out yet! Except for this one......

This darling Be Mine ornie was made by my sweet friend Natalea and I was lucky enough to win it in her Have A Heart Giveaway!

Thanks for helping to decorate my house for Valentine's Day Nat~I love it!!!!

Friday Fill-Ins

And...here we go!

1. Go ahead, there's some old poinsettias to throw away.

2. Watching the rest of the online class videos - I'll get that soon!

3. Don't worry, Be Happy!

4. I'm done for the day.

5. Pretty much cozying up with a blanket on the couch tonight.

6. My friends had brunch with me today.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to watching "Who Do You Think You Are", tomorrow my plans include catching up on my decluttering calendar and Sunday, I want to watch the Super Bowl!

Join in HERE!

P.S. Happy Birthday Aunt Helen!!!!

Friend Indeed - Friend In Need

~ Excerpt from The Brave Girl's Club ~

Yesterday I got news from my dear friend Sue Reaney about her husband Jud. Many of you know Sue from her beautiful blog, Katsui Jewelry. Some of you may not. Sue is an incredibly strong woman who is so caring and supportive of others. She is always such a positive force in the blogging world and she left so many encouraging comments on my blog when my DH was battling cancer. Her similar journey was just beginning at that time. She needs that support and encouragement herself now, so if you have a moment please say a prayer and leave her a comment on this post here.

Friday Fill-Ins

1. It's time to start exercising.

2. Clean out the fridge ... and don't forget the freezer!

3. I'm trying to organize my studio.

4. "Oakie Dokie", that was the last funny comment I received.

5. Please send me a new roof.

6. Don't worry cause I'm in it for the long haul.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to watching TV, tomorrow my plans include Game Night and Sunday, I want to finish my journals for a swap!

Join in on the fun here.

Altered Journal

The past few days I've been working on my altered journal from the Creatively Made class I am taking. I am finally finished....I think. Sometimes it's hard to know when to stop.

This is what the journal looked like before I began altering it. It's just a inexpensive journal I found in the $1.00 bin at Michael's.

I collaged the cover with lots of vintage papers, inks, paints and stamps, etc.

Next, I added more details to my girl.

And finally, I added some gold wire and beads to the spine of the journal to give it a little bling.

What you don't see is the entire box of neatly organized beads turned upside down on the floor of my studio after it fell off the edge of my work table! I spent the rest of the afternoon picking them all up from the carpet and re-sorting them back into their various compartments.

Vintage Journal

I've been taking Jeanne Oliver's Creatively Made class. She is such an inspirational artist. I love her sweet, gentle, encouraging spirit. She's teaching us so many wonderful techniques and it's been a lot of fun to create some artwork using them.

This is the vintage journal I made from one of her week one lessons.

I really like the juxtaposition between the frilly lace and rhinestones and the leather

"be strong" piece which I made from the belt of someone very special to me. I know he would want me to be strong.

Friday Fill-Ins

Here we go!

1. When I looked out the window this morning I saw a lot of snow!

(The snow-thrower didn't work, so I had to shovel by it by hand - Ugh!)

2. Twitter doesn't make sense to me.

3. Remind me to clean out my junk drawer.

4. Journaling is something I love to do!

5. TP is short for toilet paper on my grocery list.

6. I cleaned the refrigerator recently and I found a lot of candy!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to watching a movie, tomorrow my plans include cleaning the house and Sunday, I want to go out for breakfast.

Want to play along? Join in here.

I Got My Mojo Back. . .

We had our first measurable snowfall of winter today which is very late for us here in the Midwest. I watched the snow falling from my window - I didn't even go outside to shovel the driveway because I was busy enjoying a steaming cup of French Vanilla coffee and looking at old magazines! Can you say L-A-Z-Y??? I'll probably pay for it tomorrow when the temperature drops and the snow is frozen solid. But being snowed-in has it's benefits, because I got a little creative urge. This is just a peek at what I'm working on.

It felt so good to be making something artsy again.

Morning Routine

I've been trying to walk at the mall on weekdays. I find I can get a more non-stop continuous walk in if I don't walk in my neighborhood where people stop and want to chat. I listen to talk-radio on my iPhone to catch up with the news while I walk. Afterwards I usually grab a cup of coffee and find a place to sit. I carry a small tablet of paper and pen with me so I can do some sketching. This routine seems to get my day off to a good start.