Happy New Year!!

"May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you're wonderful, and don't forget to make some art- write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you can surprise yourself." ~ Neil Gaiman

New Year Coming

I added a bit more to this page in my jumbo sized journal. I just love the colors in here with my handmade stencil.

I used "Texture Fierro" something I found in a discount bin at Michael's many months ago and some compound joint tape from the hardware store to rough up some parts in gold and get some grid like dark areas.

I laid down the joint compound tape and then spread texture on top like buttering toast and then lifted it off, but left some areas with the tape on. The gold tear drop shapes are made from a stencil I made myself, as are the large flowers. I am also making a calendar in my journal. You've seen this page before, too.

I cut out 2x2 squares of photocopied pieces of my art and have it set up for the month of January. I can add a bit of something on each day which would be kind of cool to look back on.

I am ready for a new year. I am ready to begin again and anew. Thanks for all of your support, kindness and friendship. Thanks for being one of the reasons I keep returning here. The company is good in this community. Thanks for stopping by................Jo

Angels

I caught a few angels hanging 'round the tree.

He appears to be after something.

Slow down! Why are you going so fast?

May we all believe in angels. Thanks for visiting.......................................jo

Stuck on Tags

I don't know why, but I'm stuck on tags still. I certainly didn't have enough hours before Christmas to make all the tags I wanted so maybe that's the reason. Or maybe I should blame it on the Gelli Plate jumping out and telling me " play with me." I had so many tags I had to make a mini tag line from the door frame to the lamp over my work table.

I finished an art journal page.

Here's a closeup.

Thanks for stopping by.

If.............

If you've made an ornament you'll need something nice to mail it in. And of course you have to use glitter.

Thanks for popping in............................................jo

I Love Glitter

I played more today making tag/ornaments using some of my art journal pages. It's so cool how just a little bit of glitter can brighten something up.

I hope you are having a good day today. Thanks for visiting.

I've been absent. This time of year brings a myriad of emotions for many people including myself. I've found peace in my studio. I hope you are able to find some peace today.

Thanks for stopping by.

Three Letters

I sometimes visit and participate in a site where right now I am participating in a group called Three Letters. It was decided to write letters to three people about a favorite Christmas memory. I have the usual fun family Christmas memories, but the one that stands out in my mind from childhood is dancing in church on Christmas eve. Yes, I said, dancing in church. For those of you who have followed my blog for awhile know that my father was a Methodist minister. I grew up with dance used in worship. Anyway, I guess it was a big deal for me back then since I was the youngest dancer in a group of mostly older teenagers, and I wanted to be hip, slick and cool like them. So, for many years, on Christmas eve I got to be up late at the 11 PM candle light service processing down the aisle with lighted candles. It was really beautiful. It was there that I had my introduction to performing and the performing arts. That memory stays with me, especially at Christmas time. As I got older I also directed a dance choir or liturgical dance group which performed in upstate New York in many churches through out the year. My letters to three people told about that memory. I found some old onion skin typing paper(remember typing paper?) and set to work, hand writing three letters.

So these letters will be going to the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia. There is something really beautiful about watching moving candle light in darkness. There was something really magical for me as a young girl moving that light. I am the one in the front at the edge of the altar, balancing on one knee, looking pretty serene, but probably trying really hard not to spill hot candle wax.

So, do check out Coach Creative space. I think there are a lot of very creative and supportive people there. Thanks for visiting............................jo

More Smashingly Smash Book pages...

My goal is to get this

finished by the end of the year or very shortly after. I just feel the need to get it finished. I have so many unfinished projects laying around the studio and it's really beginning to bug me. Here's a couple more pages.

If you had to leave your home in an extreme hurry what things would you take? What are your most important possessions? I decided I would grab family photos,my pets, my written journals, some art journals, maybe a few books, and as many art supplies as I could. And this one.

In my "spare moments" where nothing in particular is going on ( ha ha ha ha ha. AS if that ever happens) what do you think about? I think about all the ideas I have and the art I could be creating. It seems that all my ideas seem to come while I'm at work, which is good because I can sometimes quickly jot it down and email it to myself. But when I get home at the end of a work day, I often don't have the same kind of energy or energy at all because I have spent much of it already. Thank goodness for the weekends which, of course, go by far too quickly. I find that frustrating. What do you think about in your "spare moments?" Thanks for stopping by.................................................. jo