She Had 3 Hearts Art Journaling Workshop {Christy Tomlinson}

I am SOOOO excited to start the She Had 3 Hearts Art Journaling workshop today! Of course, I have to get through my workday first, and then head to Taylor's first swimming lessons, and then sometime mid-evening, I'll be able to take a peak at all the goodness and then I'll really delve into the videos after Taylor's in bed and I have some uninterrupted time to watch the videos.

I've been working on a few canvases in various stages since my last post. Thank you all SO much for your kind comments. :) I've also been trying to nurse my hand back to health. An arthritis flare last weekend and into Monday, resulted in numbness in my right thumb. As of Tuesday, doc had diagnosed it as tendinitis and put me on oral steroids. Finally, tonight, I've gotten some relief from the pins and needles sensation. Makes it difficult to complete most daily tasks and it has certainly impacted my art making this week. I guess that's what I get for trying to catch up on housework and organizing! ;)

Anyway, now that I seem to be on the mend, I'm definitely looking forward to playing in my journal and absorbing all the creative juice that Christy has to offer. If you'd like to join the workshop, there's still time! Just head on over to her blog and read this post and register. After my experience in her She Art Workshop, I can tell you, Christy does not disappoint!

I'm still working on my collection for The Summer of Color, as well, but I haven't finished my red or brown piece. I'll get back in the groove and post and then link back up with this week's color of Purple! And of course, you can always join in on The Summer of Color, still, too!

Junk Journal {Art Journal} Cover

I was inspired by my friend Jen to make a junk journal. I recently bought a Bind-it-All and I am absolutely IN LOVE with it. How did I ever survive before without one of these? ;) So, my junk journal is a handmade art journal that I created using all sorts of odds and ends. There are sheets of standard papers like watercolor paper, white cardstock, lined notebook paper, copy paper, and graph paper. I also included shipping tags, manilla envelopes, greeting cards, scraps of patterned papers and other odds and ends.

Once I had my journal put together and bound with my Bind-it-All, I needed to decorate the cover. Prior to binding it, I had gesso'd the cover and adhered a text patterned paper to the front using dry adhesive tape. I then covered over the paper using watercolor crayons and added water. I ended up hating what I created so I tore the paper off the cover, which resulted in a peeled paper look, adding cool texture. Oh happy mistakes! I then painted the cover with cream paint and randomly dropped alcohol ink. I used latte, ginger, butterscotch and caramel alcohol inks by Ranger.

I then stamped various images using black archival ink. The title was created by painted various chipboard letters black and then inking them with brown chalk ink. Finally, I punched butterflies out of sheet music, and added the 7 Gypsies vintage ephemera. I stamped the word "discover" on masking tape, then inked the tape with distress inks and taped it to the cover. I then added the lacy trim and flower for a feminine touch.

I'm SO happy with this finished product. This journal is going to be a place for me to play freely and learn new art techniques. I can't wait to fill it with artsy goodness! Oh, and when Taylor saw it, she asked me to make one for her, too. I'm so excited to start art journaling with her. Do you do art journaling? What kind of a journal do you use? Where do you find inspiration for your journaling.