Share the joy

Welcome back to Halle’s Hobbies. Glad you could stop by today to check out another page for Words to live by on Art Journal Journey which I happen to be guest hosting this month. Yay!

I had really thought I posted this earlier but I had only uploaded the photos. I guess that’s what happens to our brains during the last week of school. Mush…mush for brains. Anywho…

I started with a page of thin blue/green mop up paper. Since it was too thin I adhered it to another sheet of thicker paper. Next I began using my favorite tool…my fingers…to paint over the chaos with bright happy colors…yellow, pink and orange. It was a little crazy so I muted things down with some white paint. After setting it aside to dry a while I cut it down to my 7×7 scrapbook journal size.

I pulled out some scraps that complemented my color scheme at this point. I began to play with layers until I found something that pleased me. Before gluing them down I decided some spatters of black were needed to help form a cohesive look.

Next I added some cheery flower stickers that just happened to match my color palette. The last thing was the words. I searched through my stash of words and phrases and quickly found the perfect one. 

Share the joy.

It wasn’t until I was taking these pictures did I notice that the scrap with the words had JOY visible twice.

I’d love it if you’d join me for Words to live by at Art Journal Journey this month.

Art Journal Journey

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T Tuesday: card making edition

One evening last week, while sitting with Mr. G in front of the TV, I decided to make some cards. I gathered some supplies and set to work.

(pretend this photo was taken pre-card making) Also imagine there is a glass of water off to the side…

Between the pre-folded cards from Micheal’s and the stack of mini collage embellishments previously created it was quick work to put together 29 cards.

 

 

Most of these cards will need a sentiment of some sort such as this one…

I am so pleased that I now have a plethora of cards to chose from for all kinds of occasions to come.

T stands for Tuesday
What are you doing today?

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A second look: 2014 Art Calendar

Just yesterday I was thinking about buying a planner to help me keep a better handle on my blog and personal/family commitments. The family uses a shared digital calendar but I feel the need for something personal as well especially for the blog and art stuff. All of a sudden I remembered the art calendar challenge. It honestly feels like more than 5 years ago but there it is…2014.

Take a look…

1/1/2015

December complete!
2014 art calendar challengeThis challenge hosted by Kate has been a good one for me.  I was able to stay on track and have ended up with a great keepsake from 2014.

2014 art calendar challenge

From the start, I had the idea in my head of what I wanted the end product to look like.

2014 art calendar challenge

After taking this photo I decided that perhaps gluing the pages together would give it more visual appeal. 2014 art calendar challenge

And I was right…  In addition, it provided stability to the binding.

2014 art calendar challenge

I’m in love with how this looks. I don’t want to come off as patting myself on the back but I have to admit that I’m so happy that my vision of this project actually came to fruition. 2014 art calendar challenge

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I might just be making myself a planner after all. We’ll see if I get inspired enough, quickly enough. HA!

Thanks for stopping by for Second on the 2nd.

Second on the 2nd

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Words to live by

I’m super excited to announce that I have the honor of hosting over at Art Journal Journey this month.

Art Journal Journey

I have chosen the theme of Words to live by.

An art journal page just doesn’t seem complete without at least one word on it if you ask me. I’d say that I’m a stickler for the rules and true definition of a journal but that would be a big fat lie. I’m more of a rules are meant to be broken sort of gal…just don’t tell my kids at home or school. However, the gals over at Art Journal Journey do have some rules to adhere to if you want to play along so be sure to check them out.

For my first journal page of the June theme, I began with an abandoned piece of painted watercolor paper. I think Mini-me was attempting a night sky perhaps. Or maybe it was even me…who knows…who cares. It became the base as I began to stack layers of papers and fabric until I found a pleasing arrangement.

I used my sewing machine to loosely stitch the background layers together while I still contemplated where my page was headed. I rarely have an end goal in mind when I sit down to create. It really tends to stifle my creative process.

After a time, I decided on an image I know I have used at least once…but I’m thinking perhaps twice in the past as my focal point. I slipped a piece of dictionary page and scrap of vellum under the image before attaching it with brads. 

The page was really coming together now. I added a few extras such as washi tape, a punched medallion and vintage button before searching out words for my page.

In general the words are my last but critical step in my journal process. As I said before, I cannot seem to create a page with words. Found text is really my favorite way of adding words. The challenge to find something relevant that speaks my mind is so much fun!

When I noticed this phrase I thought it very fitting for the crew in the photo. What is up with this group anyway? Siblings, co-workers, man and his many wives, school chums, glee club…what’s their story? I bet it could start with the phrase “Strangest thing happened…”

Won’t you join me for Words to live by over at Art Journal Journey?

Art Journal Journey

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T Tuesday: motivation edition

The beginning of this long Memorial Day weekend was filled with activity. Outdoors was where it was at. Mowing, garden planted, attending a graduation party, grilling, bonfire, morning “campfire breakfast” with the neighbors just to name a few. It was amazing.  

Obviously this was before planting. I didn’t get any photos of the after…not sure why but must have slipped my mind.

This is today…nothing much to see. I feel for all the Memorial Day remembrances and ceremonies that are either extremely soggy or had to be cancelled. Can’t change the weather though.

Today our pursuits are of the indoor variety.  I put together this this gift for another rock loving gal.

Mini-me is working on a children’s book assignment for her AP Biology class. They each had to pick a topic from the year to base their book upon. She chose ecosystems. The penguin will be explaining ecosystems to the leopard seal. I love out of the box projects such as this. Of course, it would have been a nightmare for my left-brained boy but it plays quite nicely into my creative girls strength.

I have been working away at my blog a bit. Getting caught up on some things. Leafing through the pages of ideas I’ve written over the past month or so in preparation for summer vacation.

I am old school when it comes to brainstorming. Pencil and paper are the way to go for me. I know there are all kinds of mind-map programs and other digital forms that people utilize, I’ve even tried a few myself but I always go back to the pencil paper method.

T stands for Tuesday
What are you doing today?

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It’s all about presentation

Over 30 years ago, I mined these lovely black rocks and since then they have resided in an old Christmas tin…such a shame. The other day I decided that I wanted to gift another rock loving gal with some of my treasured Apache Tears.

Technically they are obsidian but the ones found in this particular area of Arizona are named Apache Tears.

The Apache Tear is named after a legend of the Apache tribe. In the 1870s, a small group of Apache warriors met the US Cavalry in a battle. They were horribly outnumbered and it became clear that they could not win the battle. Instead of conceding defeat and being captured then murdered, they decided to ride their horses off the side of a mountain to their deaths. According to the legend, when the wives and children of these warriors mourned, their tears turned to stones when they touched the ground where their warriors fell. Those stones were the Apache Tears so we would always remember what happened.

My friend’s mom is waving at us from our high vantage point….likely worried we’d scare up a rattlesnake or fall from the cliff behind us. But teenagers are fearless.

I took these photos during our time adventuring around at the mine. It is honestly one of my favorite memories of my spring break trip to AZ my junior year in high school. Getting to use a small pick ax to gently tap away at the perlite unearthing the rounds of obsidian was so much fun. I can see how miners could get “gold fever” very easily.  It’s my understanding that this mine is now closed to the public. So glad I had the chance to experience it when it was available.

When I came across this glass jar, I was instantly inspired to create a lovely displayable gift. The rubber stopper is removable so she can take out the stones to admire them any time she wants. I used an old dreamcatcher earring as decoration along with a specimen tag. I plan to make another for myself as soon as I find just the right bottle again.

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T Tuesday: long time, no see edition

This Spring has been a real challenge for me to stay creative AND post about it…or even catch up with my blog friends. It’s been 10 days since my last post…ridiculous!

I did sit down and do a bit of creating last evening and finished this morning.

I kept adding layers to the background. In fact the paper I started with was oversized for my scrapbook journal. It was a purposeful choice. I wanted to just work on the layers, then cut it down the the part I loved the most.

My only regret is that the image I used of the woman buckled from the wet glue I used. It’s ok though…art journals are a perfect place for all those imperfections.

Speaking of layers and imperfections…

I love how my little stack of papers and fabric turned out. Frayed and torn but lovely.

Did any of you T Tuesday people notice the coffee mugs in the background? Yep I’m counting it.

This afternoon after returning from another funeral, I found this baby bird.

It was still alive and breathing really hard. I was afraid it had crashed into the patio door but looked ok. I checked on it on and off for a while. Finally I decided to go see if I could help or at the very least scare it enough to fly into the nearby tree with low branches.

After a few attempts it was able to find its way to the tree.

I texted my bird loving cousin, who I happened to had just seen at the funeral, asking what kind of bird it was. She is pretty sure its a Tennesse Warbler. I hope he/she is able to continue its migration with the rest.

I am happy to say that there are only 12 school days left of the year. Not that its been a bad year but I’m ready for a break…the kids are too. I have so many things I want to do this summer, way more than I’ll be able to fit in but it will certainly be fun to try!

T stands for Tuesday
What are you doing today?

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