Journaling Fever

I’ve been an avid journaler since grade school when I kept a journal that locked with a little key. Since that time, I’ve moved on just a bit. For the past six years I’ve been doing Morning Pages, a daily stream of consciousness writing inspired by Julia Cameron and The Artist’s Way. I use a simple lined journal; here is the one I’m using at the current time.


I also like to keep a travel journal when I go on trips, writing at the end of each day and gluing in collected ephemera. I doodle and draw, using watercolors to add some zip.


But the most fun I have is keeping a visual journal. My visual journals are filled with paint, collage, writing, and poems, and sometimes bits and bobs of found treasures. I make my own journals and here is a pile of current, past, and waiting to be used journals.


And here are a few sample pages out of my current journal.





If you want to see more of my pages or read about my monthly visual journaling group, the Orange Dream Monkeys, check out my blog at Alley Art Studio.

Banishing the Winter Blahs

Usually about this time of year I go into hibernation. My Muse takes her vacation and I relax, getting ready for my Spring Spurt. Well, not this year. I signed up for two yearly challenges which has proved to be a good thing for this season. The first was Nature Gathered, below is my January contribution. The participants are to create their monthly works of art on an 8x8 canvas. I'm really enjoying this size and using my other talents.



The second challenge is the Bead Journal Project. Everyone who signed up was to pick a size for their "pages" and make a monthly beaded page for their personal journal. I choose recycled respirator filters for my pages, which I'm glad I did, they are small and quick to bead up. Here is my January page. You can check out my blog to see more of my pages.

February is just right around the corner and I need to get busy in order to get my art done for next month.

Fire and Wind

I finished these two necklaces today for a theme show in Gresham by the Gresham Art Advisory Committee. The show is
Earth, Wind, Fire and Water. It runs from October 28th through December 11th at the Gresham City Hall Visual Arts Gallery on 1333 NW Eastman Parkway. The reception for this show will be November 18th from 5:30 - 7:00 p.m.

Hope to see you there!

Z'anne

Jewelry Binge

Are you one of those people that loves magazine quizzes? I always liked the Cosmo quizzes and remember doing several fashion typologies. Are you Romantic or Practical? Fashion Forward or Caught in Time? I usually end up Eclectic which, I think, comes from my theater background and a lifelong love of costuming.

I just finished a jewelry-production binge and I think I am also an Eclectic designer. As I review the pieces I see several lines:

New Victoriana
Classic pieces with a bit of a twist. Perhaps living in a house built in 1890 is having its influence. I just LOVE the Victorian look, twisted a bit a la Tim Burton. These are Golden pyrite with brass chain and Faceted onyx earrings.

Business, Baby
These are the type of pieces that I put on when I have client meetings. Sharp and clean. These are Moonstone with a Swarovski crystal and Gold-fill beads on sterling silver hoops.

Sweet Things for Sweet, Young Things
My nieces wear these and they look lovely on those beautiful swan necks. They are too delicate for me but I thing they're exquisite on 20-something necks and lobes. These are Peridot with crystals and Freshwater pearl necklace with crystal.

Sassy Brass
These earrings have a dynamic and assertive quality. My daughter wears these. Below are Faceted glass and Czech glass with freshwater pearl both on sterling.

Meditation Chaplets
I'm also producing a limited set of Meditation Chaplets. These are loaded with symbolism and are a great tool for focusing the mind. They each come with a booklet with descriptions of the meaning of the stones and symbols as well as how to use for prayer or meditation. This one is specifically designed for our dear friend, Scotty.

Bead Journal Project Pages

These are two of my beaded pages from the Bead Journal Project that I decided to join this year. The Bead Journal Project blog is where we all meet. For the time being we are posting the pictures of our "pages" only on our personal blogs, so as not to influence any of the other beaders. That will change at the first of the year.

The artistry and talent is amazing and the it's fantastic how many people from many different countries are participating. Have a look and enjoy the sights.

Z'anne

Latest Necklace

I finished this necklace today. It's made with unakite and rhodonite stones, wrapped with chain and held together with square crystals. It was a fun challenge to try to figure out how to tie all the stones together. I started the necklace with different bead stitches, about four times, before my husband suggested chain. He's very smart. :) There are two more rhodonite donuts, that you can't see, on the back side of the necklace close to the clasp. The dark green and light pink of the unakite are highlighted by the darker pink of the rhodonite. It drapes nicely from the neck down to three crystal dangles.

Thank you, Paula, for getting this blog up for us. It looks great! Come on, Ladies, let's see your work!


Z'anne