Art Journalling

Last week I went along to an Etsy lab here in Brussels, hosted by Marta of Dutch Handmade and Julie Ann of Turtlewings. The lab was given by Anna Denise, a super-talented artist-and-more. She talked us through our first few pages of art journalling.

Following on from my (now, evidently pre-emptive) realisation that I could draw, this art journalling business really challenged me.

The first page was closer to what I'm used to - paper, dimension, glue - but then we had to go on our individual journeys and journal about our day.

Anna assured us that if we carried on with our art journals, our self-portrait would eventually emerge. I guess I need to be patient.

I already discover I'm better at journalling than I am at art.

But I am persevering nonetheless, because it's fun.

And because it's interesting to see what comes out of your subconscious when you're in automatic mode. Sometimes scrapbooking can be like that, but the art journalling has made me really think more about placement and colourways in my scrapbooking. I'm looking at another long weekend full of journal-able, as well as scrappable, moments, so let's see what I can come up with...

All Change!

There's a lot going on behind the scenes generally at the moment, but in particular I'd like to mention that after a short hiatus, the True XOXO Girls scraplifting challenge blog will be up and running again in a bit with a new challenge.

It'll be blogging inspirational posts throughout the month, as well as giving the chance to win a great kit for scraplifting one of the DT's layouts.

Despite the hiatus, we all went ahead and made a layout for last month anyway.

There's a change in the weather, too: much-needed rain for the strawberry plants. All round this should mean a clearing of the air and a fresh start. Keep an eye out for my next XOXO post because that'll mean the challenge is up and running!

Marriage Musings

With the wedding of a friend next weekend looming, and our own some three months off, there may well be cause for musings on the subject.

For us, the invitations we recently sent out have given rise to a new flurry of congratulations... yes, we were engaged for a long time - long enough that people forgot, apparently - but it's been amazing, and we'll be a little sad to see it end, I think.

For others, plans are about to come together, anniversaries have just been celebrated, or memories are still living strong. I recently scrapped about my friend's marriage, for which I was a bridesmaid. Three years ago, almost, and hasn't that passed in a flash?

The sumptuous Emma's Shoppe papers from Crate formed the most part of this page - and aren't they sumptuous? Just right for a sunny Sunday. Have a lovely day, everyone, and give a few seconds thought to a marriage close to you at this time.

Working Long Distance

....isn't so bad. I have a sea view, a plush carpet to scrunch my toes into, and a nice comfy office chair of a calibre far beyond mine at home.

Speaking of work, I am thinking about relationships, and what it takes to make them work. It's a delicate balance, I've found, between standing up for yourself and giving a lot - amongst many other things. And I found myself turning these thoughts into a layout in response to a challenge that came up for me recently on Scrapbook Challenges. It was to make an olympic-themed page, and I got in the misting, the journalling, and the altered chipboard that were demanded.

Hoping you all have winning days. I'll be working, long distance, but with a smile on my face.

Back to the Grindstone

After a necessary break, I'm back, and seemingly with a vengeance. Life, apparently, goes on with or without you, so I'm not wasting a moment more of mine.

A recent Scrapbook Challenges DT Social event, generously and kindly sponsored by Nikki Sivils, The Paper Trail, Lawn Fawn and The Cutting Cafe, saw a flurry of creativity as we produced layout after layout.

This is the first one I produced - a real challenge for me because I'm not really a flower fan any more. It's about the time we went to Corfu and got engaged.

I used some rolled up Greek Drachma as a decorative element (they were long gone by the time we went to Corfu, but I had them and it was a nice touch, I thought).

And I used A LOT of flowers, including stamping some in acrylic paint. Which I think looks rather nice.

In the spirit of things, I'm going to keep this short to go off and do all the things there are to be done.