Art journals past and future...

I have about six art journals that i have made and i thought i would share a few pages from some old ones and three pages that have been collaged but not finished yet. I like to go through my old journals every once in awhile and look for inspiration for my newer journals. I wanted to share it all here...

So first some of the pages from past journals...

and these are unfinished but i like to collage a lot of pages at one time and then go back in later with words and more embellishments...

New sketchbook pages...

Hello everyone, I'm back to blogging with some new sketchbook pages, that I've done over the past few weeks, a few of my favorite things like Bonny Doon Farm lotion, some vintage Dennison Labels I ordered on Etsy, a pretty new book, some snacks and a visit to the Mcgill Rose Garden.

I hope everyone had a good Memorial Day...

spring flowers and a little bit of a break...

I'm going to be taking a short break from blogging, I can tell I am going through a little bit of a creative block, and can't think of things to do and post right now, I have two projects I am working on to submit to magazines and that seems to be all the creative energy I have right now. I go through this from time to time and then the creative inspiration always comes back around so I will be back soon :)

My drawing notebooks

These are my drawing journals where I practice drawing flowers, usually from magazines and books and I'm also starting to incorporate more lettering ideas after seeing this image from Pam Garrison.

This afternoon I was looking at this april 1995 issue of Victoria that I bought on ebay and I was happy to run across an article about Aude Kamlet, someone who did a lot of illustrating for Victoria through the years and shes been an inspiration of mine and this article was about her garden journal so now of course I am inspired to start a garden journal this year. I've always done drawings in my sketchbooks but I want a journal where I also write down notes and lists and whats blooming when. It's just a little patio garden but I still think it will be a lot of fun and keep me busy this summer.

How I bind my journals

I thought this week I would try and show how I bind my books. I don't use a lot of proper tools, I haven't gotten around to buying them so I use what I do have...so a nail and hammer instead of an awl and regular embroidery thread instead of stronger bookbinding thread, these things seem to work good enough for me...
I will show a few photos and then instructions at the end...

1. first I gut the book by cutting out the pages with an exacto, along the front seam where they attach and then the back, leaving just the hardcover and spine intact.
2. then i cover the book with the images i want and i like to use washi tape on the spine.
3. cut or tear your paper down to size and create the signatures , i usually do three or four sheets per signature and about four signatures.
4. fold each sheet and use a bone folder to smooth, then gather the sheets in a stack and clip them 
5. measure for the holes, i do every inch
6. poke the holes along each signature and and on the book spine too
7. use embroidery thread through a large needle and begin at the bottom going up the spine in and out and then down and tie a double knot when you reach the bottom. 

I hope these instructions help somewhat and if any one has any questions I'd be happy to try and answer them :)

spring journaling pages...

I haven't done any collage art journaling in over a month and it's always enjoyable to get back to it, I also switched to a different size, a few pages leftover in another journal. I feel like goldilocks trying to find the right size for everything : ). I tried a few pages in a small journal, and then a few in a large journal and now I'm back to a medium size that I like best. Today I will bind a new art journal and do the cover for it, I always enjoy making a new journal.

These are some pages to celebrate spring, the temperature still isn't very warm but it does feel more like spring here, finally...

"the colors of spring emerge with the first sweet sounds of song birds to fill our wintry weary souls: bringing hope, new beginnings, and inspiration."      unknown quote

I hope your beginning to see some signs of spring, it's been a  long winter, hasn't it?

Sketchbook...

I am now doing sketches in my large journal it's about 11x8, a few months back I said I preferred a smaller 5x5 size, but now I think I like this best. I am so inspired by other people and other styles that it has been an up and down trial of trying to really find what I do like best and what feels like me, so now I am mixing drawing with some doodles and lettering and it feels calming and enjoyable so I will see how it goes. I guess sometimes you have to try out a variety of things but I really just want to find my preferred way of working. Has any one else gone through this or did you have your style pretty well down from the beginning ? Or do you like to constantly try something new and not think about it so much?

Paper Love Blog Hop

Today is a special Blog Hop for paper lovers. I love paper and stationery so much and I have since I was very young, also magazine clippings, ideas and articles that I have always saved for years. Paper is definitely one of my favorite things.

For this blog hop I decided to do my post about my love of paper planners, Daybooks and binders.
I am showing some pages from my seasonal daybook first and then my idea binder that I fill with things I clip and save from magazines, I just recently organized it all into a binder with categories.

I also love making my own little paper labels and pretty To Do lists.

More paper love blog posts on the blog hop
Majo Bautista / Tona Bell / Louise Best / Cathy Bluteau / Jennifer Bomgardner / Giova Brusa / Lindsay Buck / Beka Buckley / Joanna Caskie / Jonathan Chapman (Mr Yen) / Halle Cisco / Sarah Clare / Cathryn Clarge / Dawn Clarkson / Rhiannon Connelly / Jenny D'Fuego / Molly Dhiman / Ian Dudley / Ayisatu Emore / Akmal Farid / Monika Forsberg / Claire Fritz-Domeney / Louise Gale / Chrissy Gaskell / Julie Hamilton / Emma Hawman / Rachel Hazell / Holly Helgeson / Claudine Hellmuth / Kim Henkel / Sarah Hoffman / Joanne Hus / Paula Joerling / Beth Kempton / Julie Kirk / Eos Koch / Katie LaClair / Kristy Lankford / Michelle Manolov / Doreen Marts / Rosie Martinez-Dekker / Tori Mears / Maria Mederios / Lise Meijer / Debbie Miller / MaryJane Mitchell / Suzy Naidoo / Grace Noel / Hannah Nunn / Camilla Olsson / Jo Packham / Rachelle Panagarry / Monette Pangan / Melanie Paul / Nicole Piar / Jen Pitta / Liz Plummer / Julie Reed / Michelle Reynolds / Lisa Rivas / Angee Robertson / Natalie Ryan / Aisling Ryan / Elisabet Sapena / Kyrrha Sevco / Jamie Sprague / Elizabeth Steele / Terri Stephens / Juniper Stokes / Mary Tanana / Maike Thoma / Linda Tieu / Gabrielle Treanor / Tammy Tutterow / Deborah Velasquez / Jordan Vinograd Kim / Cat Whipple / Brooke Witt / Katie Wood / Amelia Woodbridge

This week...

First is a collage spread in my visual journal, it ended up being about Jane Austen, I used a large image from a victoria magazine and I had watched the movie AustenLand so I wrote a little about that, and than added other bits of collage to make it really flowery because I'm so anxious for spring.

I also made some project life cards, I wasn't sure if I was going to do project life again this year, but about a week ago I really felt like i wanted too, somehow it's very addictive and fun, I ordered some cards, but I also wanted to make some.

I made another large doodle art journal, I found an old book at a thrift shop and added a bit of scrapbook paper and alphabet stickers to the front, and then rebound  it with watercolor paper, its about 8x11.

Here are a couple of pages that I started,  there a work in progress so I will post again when I do finish them.

This week a few sketchbooks arrived and I thought I would post all of my favorite artists and sketchbooks. With the help of Amazon I've been able to build up a collection that I really love...View from a sketchbook and The painted garden came this week and I can't wait to make some tea and look through them.

a new idea notebook

This is a notebook that I will fill with ideas, notes, lists, drawings...

Collages of inspiration...

Self care ideas, and ideas I get while visiting other blogs...

sketches and notes for project life.

I think this is an idea I've needed for awhile now, somewhere to get everything out onto paper and all in one place, so I can easily look back through for ideas and inspiration.

A new sketchbook...

I bought this book thinking it was a book on drawing and sketchbooks, but it is mostly a blank sketchbook and at first I was disappointed, but then I decided it might be fun to use as my nature sketchbook. On Sunday I was really feeling an urge to do some sketching but when I looked out the window I felt like there wouldn't be much to draw in mid-winter. Then I decided I would just draw whatever I found like twigs, seedpods or any kind of leaf, and it turned out to be a really fun sketching session. There really are a million things out there to draw when you let go of expectations.

More of my daybook

This is everything spread out on the floor, somewhere that I tend to work a lot so that I can really spread out. I needed to make lots of piles. I'm still not completely finished but I wanted to share some of it here...

 It's a light blue binder from Russell and Hazel that I order on Amazon, it's a thin binder, but I like it that way and it holds everything that I really need. This is the front with a postcard that I love and at the top I have a paperclip with ribbon attached to mark the calender page and a little marker for the to do section and a tab that says create your passion. The side tabs are Plan, Somerset (this one I think I will change though) Projects, Self-care and Notes.

 The beginning of the book is a monthly daybook with seasonal ideas and inspiration, I'm still adding to this. This page is some spring inspiration. I will write in some things that I want to do during the months of March and April.

 This is my simple hand drawn calender and the picture on the right is an extra bit that I put in the back of the binder for this years goals.

 This is in the self care section with some pretty pictures and a list of relaxing things to do, I will be adding more to these pages as well.

It's really fun to put together and personalize your own binder. I will still be sharing more when I have some of the pages finished.

a couple of journal pages

For some reason it's been hard for me to get back into my creative routines during this new year, but I finally did some art journaling yesterday and it felt really good to be back at it. I'm sorry it took me so long to do any blogging, it feels good to be back at that as well.
These pages are kind of a mix from december and now.
This first spread was from Simple Abundance about writing a letter for the new year, so I tucked that inside an envelope and attached it with a paperclip. It will be fun to read it next year.

On these pages the inspiration was about home and retreats and what that means for me, my journal also feels like a retreat which is why I'm glad to be back at it. also a list of three activities that relax me...

art journaling

reading

nature sketching

Happy new year everyone I hope it's been a good one so far.