My Block

 

Yesterday I took a walk around the block to get a coffee. I do this many times a week, but the light was so beautiful today I wanted to capture it. 

I have only lived in this area for a short time but have loved it the most of all the places I have lived in Bournemouth and Poole. I will defo live here again when if I return. There are so many huge trees and beautiful streets.

 The shopping area has great coffee places, grocery stores as well as many, many charity shops...which I frequent like a territorial animal *wink*

 The buildings are full of character and history.

 And this is the only place I have ever been to where the traffic stops for you EVERY time at a Zebra Crossing. I love the staff at my local Costa, they know me a bit too well :)

I have a spot I like to sit and drink my soya-sugar-free-syrup-latte and do some Art Journalling.

 Is it wrong that I fall in love with things like this? A manky drain and a cul-de-sac sign...Nicola seriously?

 I pass this sign on the way home, I love the fonts. My street is so pretty, I find a little walk really inspiring and often just what I need to kick start an idea or some creative project.

This shadow was spooky looking, but the light was so lovely through the trees, I wanted to take a billion photos.

 What is your local area like? Where do you go to get inspired or just to re-connect with you?
Love, me x

Ps - photos taken with the awful camera on my Blackberry for purposeful poor quality, then transformed into Polaroids using this FREE software which I heard about from another blog I love to read.

February Art Journal

Morning...
I am currently listening to a bit of Radiohead and drinking coffee, and talking to you. Today is grey and melancholy...so cold for April (and I'm sick of saying it). Snow imminent.
What better way to while away an hour or so than to share my February Art Journal with you...there is no better way, and by-the-way I have moved on to candles, incense and Buddha Chants at this point in the blog writing process. Snow is now happening.

For February I wanted to use pink quite a lot, it being the month of Love and all...so you'll see a lot of that. As for last time I wrote about my monthly journal I'll comment below on approaches and materials...

Enjoy...

Materials: paint colour strips from B&Q, catalogue cover which was painted in black acrylic an scratched, masking tape, black marker

Materials: collaged papers, black ink

Materials: red and black pen, white acrylic on top of postcard and collage + stitch then scratched

Materials: other peoples shopping lists (I collect these from around supermarkets), stitch, black marker

Materials: pink marker, black marker, blue marker, glitter picked up on  sellotape

Materials: masking tape, black marker, pink marker, graphite pencil, date page, blue pen

Materials: washi tapes, blue marker, black fineliner, tipex

Materials: pink marker, blue pen, keri smith's 100 ideas 

Materials: red pen, photographs, black marker, washi tape, keri smith's 100 ideas



Materials: white acrylic, pencil, pink pen, black marker, black ink and pen, tip ex, tea  label, staples

Materials: tracing paper, ink and pen, date stamp, watercolour paint, grey marker, black marker

Materials: newspaper glued and ripped back, washi tape, grey and pink markers, keri smith's 100 ideas 

Materials: catalogue painted with black acrylic and scratched, washi tapes

 And there we have it...sorry it took so long I have been head first into a major project which I can now reveal to you, lovely reader:

YES!! For reals!!
I got a job in an International school, and we're off in August! I still can't quite believe it and keep having to pinch myself (not literally of course), I am still in shock. I have been thinking about it for many years, dreamed about travelling to SEA since I was a teenager, and after my travels to Cambodia the last few years it became and even more urgent desire. I am so delighted. We both are.
Don't worry, I will still be blogging for as long as I feel like that's what I want to do. I love my blog being something to look back on in years to come as well as interesting for you (of course).

It's Easter break for me, and this week I have done lots of sorting and practice packing (yes, I know...I like to get right on to things like this as soon as possible, there is so much to organise!). I guess for the rest of the time we will hang out, go to the library, have coffee dates and wait out this cold weather. What are your plans?
Love, me x

January Art Journal ----> Complete!

Hi Peeps...

It's time to share some more Art Journal with you. This time it is the completed January book which I am super pleased with! You can find a DIY on how I put this together and the things I use to create it here.

I am going to try and tell you a little about each page as I go. I get inspiration from a number of places: books, like this one I am reading at the mo, my students, pinterest, friends, photography and just looking around. I gather it up in my Creative-Mental-Filofax and then spew it all out in ways like this and others such as Textile Art ( I will share some of this soon). I am a creative being (as I believe we all are), and this is the perfect way for me to communicate and demonstrate what I have stored away. Anyhoo...I ramble:

 

Front cover: I took a quote from a song, and mainly used a fineliner, then stuck yellow tissue paper over the date, I wanted it to look a bit like highlighter pen. 

 

I used photographs and magazine imagery together with fineliner drawings and marker pen detail of a railing I saw locally. I stuck on the frame from a page of postage stamps and them printed a weave pattern using embossed foam and a stamp pad.

I stuck napkin to the surface with Pritt Stick (this is one of my favorite techniques), I drew Boscombe pier in felt pen, added watercolour. I used my stamp letters and full stops to make the text on the right and dots. I painted lettering in gold paint on the right. I used felt pen wording on the right too then watered it to make it run, working well with the tissue background.

I wrote a song quote in pencil and shaded around it. Here I like how some drawing elements from previous pages become part of what is going on. I love happy accidents.

I don't like this page. I used batik wax and waterclour pencil.

This is one of me faves. I used a song quote and black ink on a newsprint background. The blue was made with acrylic paint squeezed between two sheets of paper...a long time ago and made one of the pages.

This is just about my Photo-a-Day challenge and a bit of drawing. Oh and I see some date stamping there too.

I really don't like this page. I used a fineliner, calendar page, date stamp and receipts.

I used the tisue method again on the right ( a Costa napkin), fineliner writing using a different style, marker pen on the right to draw me plates-o-meat.

Fineliner writing, chinky marker word on top, watercolour around and ink and pen for the black bold text.

Finliner birds, chunky marker for the tree, fineliner writing, date stamp tree texture.

So that was goodbye January. The February one is coming along well but it is already trying hard to live up to the glory of January.

I am having a creative boom at the moment and want to make things all the time. Right now I am working on some Art Textiles pieces that I am very much enjoying. Half term is great for catching up with me.

What are you guys creating at the moment?
Love, me x

Art Journal - Freestyle it - DIY

Hey co-creators!
Today I will be sharing with you my new Art Journalling fad for 2013, and how to get started yourself. I have shown my January book to all my friends and even some students and they all have very positive things to say...that means its time to share it with the rest of y'all cos you might like it too ( I know how creative you all are).

1. an inside page
2. inside front cover resolution - I intend to write monthly goals in mine
3. back cover
4. front cover with quote for the month

So...for this journal I actually intend to make a new one each month. I decided on this after sitting down with my usual notebook style Art Journal to write resolutions and felt really uninspired, and it just came to me: make your own! I decided to set some limits (well more like limit - as there is only one)

- choose 10 different pieces of paper plus a piece of stiffer card for the cover. (Pictures 2 +3)

I will show you how I am putting together my February book:

Once you have your book together, staple one side (picture 4) - put quite a few staples in there as you will need it to stay together.

I then cover the staples with tape (picture 1) as mine seem to be quite sharp but you could leave them showing if you like the look.

the other 'rule' I would say although it isn't really it's just nice and sets the mood/ intention for your book is:

- use a quote for the front cover from a song/ poem or book.

1. Travel Art Journal Kit - my journals are always made to fit inside
2. My favorite quote book
3. You can see al my junk in here
4. Quote I might use for February cover

And that's it....you're off!

Here are some pictures of my travel Art Journal kit which I take with me everywhere:

A. Clear plastic case - I bought this on Ebay for £2 it just pops closed and keeps everything in, it also slides in and out of my handbag easily
B. Watercolour pencils or a pencil tin - good to keep pencils in and to stick tape to for later use
C. Drink stirrers - I think I collect these and have no use for them as yet
D. Glue - got to be Pritt Stick, various pens and pencils (these change all the time but must include - at least 2b pencil, biro, felt tips, marker pen, paint brush)
E. Date stamp and ink pad - bought in Cambodia
F. Mini stapler - also from Cambodia
G. Tape - this is the matte type - from poundland
H. reliable scissors and I usually have a craft knife too.

I will be sharing more of thos project as the year progresses :)
Have fun peoples,
Love, me x