Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Seek, See, Go - Mixed Media Art Journal Page



Holy Smokes! It's been awhile. I guess I took a mini blog vacation. I have been creating...just not posting. I think we all need that from time to time. You know - just some "unplugged" time. :) I have been working on my Project Life album which I am LOVING you guys. I mean - LOV-ing. I am not a scrapbooker (although I have always had a love affair with all the little scrapbook goodies. They have so many uses really). But, this way of documenting life is really working for me. I am going to be putting together a PL post very soon so I can show you! Also, I went nuts the other day and cleaned out my pantry. I threw away all kinds of things...expired dates we won't mention. Lol. PLUS, I have to share these divine little goodies we baked the other day. So yummers!





Pictured above: my pantry stuff, messy Project Life table, DIY title cards for my album, and delicious "healthy" cookies. 
Recipe at the end of this post!

Enough of all the blog writing procrastination business! Let's get on with the journal page shall we? I was inspired by a picture that my Hubby had shown me of a desert. It was a beautiful sandy dune with the richest color of sand against a turquoise sky. SO pretty. Then...enter a sale on Americana paint at Michaels. The paint was on sale for 50 cents a bottle, so I grabbed a few and found the color Terra Coral. A perfect partner for my collection of aquas and the desert colors I had in my mind.


I created the background, which you see above under those goodies, by layering some paper, acrylic paint, stamps, Caran D'ache watercolor crayons, and pen. It had been awhile since I worked in my 9x12 art journal. So, it felt fabulous to get my hands all mixed media messy. After working on the background, it sat on my studio table for a few days. I left my journal open to this page on my table. I do that quite a bit. My studio space is in an open loft area upstairs. There are no doors to shut. I pass this space it seems a zillion times a day. I leave my projects sitting there on purpose. After passing by them so many times...I finally get a burst of creative mojo and finish them. :) 


In this case, I spotted a portrait. Once my family was tucked in for the night , I got to painting. I didn't initially like the quick pencil sketch I did. But, I decided to keep going and not worry much about it. I really like the colors, her quirky hair, and the small butterfly stamps.


There was a textured piece of layered paper right above her eye, perfect for a stamped word. I stamped see with my tiny dollar alphabet stamps. Then I completed the little saying with stamping seek above and go under. I also wrote the words, "I can only be me" near a stamped butterfly. I think I am trying to remind myself that I am unique. We all are. We all have a different story. We all have something different to say. It's no fun when we all try to be like each other. Right!? I just want to be true to who I am. :)


NOW, I did not forget about the cookies. If you like bananas - these are definitely for you! Even if you don't, you have to try them anyways. I am always trying to find "healthy" alternatives for my family. I think I originally found these on Pinterest. No shock there. :) I put healthy in quotations because they still have chocolate chips or non-dairy chips in them. But, they are WAY better than the standard cookie. Are you ready?? OK. Two bananas (ripe and speckled are good), 1 cup oats, and chocolate chips (or vegan chips). The measurement can vary on the chips depending on how chocolatey you want them. Mix that all together and bake them in the oven at 350 for 15 minutes. That's it!!


Now, go! Go! Bake!


2 comments:

  1. I love her. So beautiful! And now I need to try some banana cookies.

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  2. "I can only be me"

    Thank you for that beautiful reminder Jen. And those banana cookies, wish I have the oven and most important of all, the talent to bake haha

    Enjoy your time painting and we will be waiting for your ultimate showcase always :)

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