I Love It! I LOVE It!!

I really need to take a photography class so that the photos I take of my projects come out better. I LOVE this piece, but I don't think this photo really does it justice. I had a picture in my mind when I started working on it, and it came out even better than I pictured. I tried out watercolor crayons, and I couldn't have asked for a better medium. They're easy to handle and blend like pastels, but also make this lovely wash when you add water. The shading they provided on the carrot was unintentional, but it turned out so nice I may just have to try to do it on another project in the future! The only thing I have a bit of a problem with is that my soil line tilts a little downward on the right, but that's okay. I live on a hill so it's just true to life. =-) I am so glad I decided to start this art journaling project! I have made some really nice projects, and given myself a few precious minutes all to myself every day. There is something so satisfying about taking a white piece of paper and making something colorful grow out of it. Thank you Julie for introducing me to art journaling and encouraging so many of us to join you in Art Journaling Every Day.

Spring is here!

Spring in Seattle is truly a sight to behold. Used to grey overcast days, the sun pouring down through crystal clear air is brilliant! Where mud and uck have previously been, buds of spring flowers begin peeking through and I know my beloved lilies will just be a few months away! Man I love my lilies. . . So knowing that spring is finally here and the great outdoors will soon be irresistibly available, I began this art journal page. And I'm loving it. The photo doesn't do it justice though.

Tummy Bubblings . . .

About 10 days ago, I made the decision to send off resumes and cover letters for three part-time jobs, still uncertain that I was ready to go back to work. This past Sunday, one of those resumes bore fruit and I was called for an interview tomorrow morning. The job would be perfect for next year. It is just two mornings a week, just enough time for me to get some time away from home and doing something just for myself, but still allowing me to be with my boys a bunch too. Slowly, the nerves have come on and now I have the curious bubbling in my stomach that always accompanies me having to do something I don't feel 100% sure I am capable of doing.

Even though I believe that I am a highly capable teacher and am generally am able to express myself verbally (often talking too much), when I am on an interview, I get terribly nervous and so tongue-tied I find it very difficult to express myself. But I have been on a number of job interviews for public schools and can fairly easily figure out what kinds of questions they will ask at the interview. But this job is for a cooperative preschool and I haven't a clue what they will be asking me there.

I am trying to just let go of the nervousness and to just relax so I can be myself at the interview, but that is easier said than done. At it's core, a job interview is a situation where you are being compared to a set of parameters that are often undisclosed to you. I don't know a single person who feels comfortable being measured thus, and I certainly fear being found wanting.  So, we shall just see how the interview goes and the following week's storytime interview.

Not Much Art Journaling. . .

But I have been doing some creative stuff, mostly some mini albums inspired by Monika Wright. The first is a mini I made for my hubby for our anniversary.

Okay, our anniversary was back in January, but I had the darnedest time getting some of those photos off my computer. Turns out my uber efficient husband has backed up a bunch of the older photos and removed the actual files from my computer (though the thumbnails are still there) so I had to wait until after giving him the unfinished album to find out how to get to those files.

Then I decided to get to work on a mini the describes the Christmas ornaments we have. We get a new one each year that describes something we've done that year. Above is a star for when Liam was born and a gingerbread house for our new house.

I also started a journal designed to help me recommit to my weight loss goals. I've been a member since 2008, taking a break while I was pregnant with Liam of course. But since Liam's birth, more than a year ago, I've lost a whopping 10 pounds. As it is right now, I was basically just flushing that $40 down the toilet each month, so I decided that if I switched to writing about things I'm thinking and feeling rather than eating, that would help in two ways. 1) It would keep me busy doing something other than eating my feelings, and 2) Maybe if I stop to actually think about those feelings, I can learn to understand what is going inside me.

My final project is Liam's first year album. Just like with Noah's first  year album, I am WAY behind in this (Liam is 16 months now.) So this past weekend I just plowed right through it. Thankfully I had done a really good job of organizing my photos and collecting stuff for the album, and just had to put everything together. I'll post photos when it's all done.

My Favorite AJED Page this week.

Some days are harder than others to feel tender feelings for my family. This week, on a particularly loud day, I was taking a break and browsing the web looking for some art journal inspiration and found just a phrase that triggered something in me. "Love List". I walked into the kitchen, spread some thinned acrylic on a piece of paper, and got to work. First I busted out some of my letter stamps and stamped the word "Love List". Then I pulled out my tiny ones and added the "my" at the beginning. Initially, I was going to just list some things I loved, not really using any photos, but these photos happened to be in my workspace (left over from another project) and they found a home here. Then I filled in the white space with other things I love and more hearts. I don't particularly love the colors I used inside the hearts, but I love how it turned out. I can always change the colors later, right? =-) Best part, even when those beautiful boys are driving me nuts, I still have something to smile about when I look at this.

AJED progress

I began this before the "incident", so it was pretty easy to finish.

 Now, it may look like I haven't made any progress on my Art Journal because I haven't posted anything about it in over a month, but in fact, I have been working in it. The *%$@# finger took FOREVER to heal, and even now, it feels just plain weird when I type or hold a pen/pencil/brush. It feels like there is a ridge of scar tissue right down the center of my fingertip, and that is taking a bit for me to get used to. But despite this "weirdness," I still plugged away. I also fell victim this month to the dreaded Out-of-sight-out-of-mind-itis. We had a few dinner parties, and since I tend to leave my art journal stuff out on the kitchen counter, I had to put everything away. It took me awhile to notice that it wasn't out and I wasn't using it! Anyway, enough excuses. Here are the pages I completed this month:

I did all the painting for this page back in August when Julie hosted the first Art Journal Week. I begged for journaling, and since writing was less painful than drawing, It was a natural options. Besides, something HAD to be created on Valentine's Day. =-)

Another text heavy page because it was easier than anything more "art" intensive. I did enjoy playing around with the watercolors for the background. I would have liked to blend the center in a bit more, but that can be something I do on another page.

This one was inspired by something I saw in the Flickr pool but when I went back to find it later (and give the artist credit), I couldn't find it. I really enjoyed working on this page, more than I really thought I would. And I felt SO much better emotionally after doing this than I had beforehand.

This doodle is begging for something more to be added to it, but I just haven't figured out what yet. I'll figure it out. Eventually.

One day, I was at a coffee shop and really wished I had a travelling kit for my art journaling things. I looked around and couldn't find anything that fit my needs, so I made one. It's basically a fabric envelope that is just big enough for my sketch pad and an elastic band that fits around the pad to hold my pens and water brush. I love it!