A sea of glass

As Oregonians some of our best work is recycling. These “Standing Desk Journals” are made from old chandeliers that still glitter and shine. Adorned with assorted chain and items such as antique dice top off the little beauties to make a nice gift, they fall into the $20 and under category and will be at our show. I’m getting so excited it happens every year about this time all the artists in our group buzz with creativity and anticipation.

The sea of glass is outdoors as well, I wish I could give you the picture beyond the bamboo. A large moon illuminated frozen snow gently balanced on leaf and limb. I stood mesmerized at 1:00 am how quiet and beautiful.

You still have time to put your name in the hat for Jan’s wonderful handmade journal. Here is the link to the page you want to leave your comment on.

More Journal Pages to Share

A calendar art journal helps to chronicle art work, activities and books read each month.

Travel journals remind me of where I've been and what I experienced on a trip- seeing a page brings back memories that fill my senses. This is a map of a day spent in Teotitlán del Valle near Oaxaca, Mexico.
Adding wallet-size photos to journal pages adds color and a sense of place. I used to get these prints made at a local drug store from my camera memory card. Now, I use my Pogo printer.

Here's an example of using my idea book to explore a new project and generate ideas.

Making the journals is as much fun as keeping a journal. The one above is one I made taking "Remains of the Day" shabby journal online class with Mary Ann Moss. Check out Teesha's blog to see how to make the fabric pillow journal below.
Another journal I keep is my blog to record and share my art and travel experiences. Check it out Here.

All My Journals

Journaling is part of my everyday life. I start each morning writing in a journal just to clear my thoughts and organize my day. Those pages often end up with lots of doodles and ideas popping up in the margins.

My visual journals I do more sporadically. I meet with a sketch group once a week, which is probably the only thing that keeps me on a regular sketching schedule. I usually draw with ink then add bits of watercolor. We visit various places around Portland:

I really enjoy journaling when I travel to capture bits of my trip. Leigh inspired me to do a page of "inchies", tiny drawings, while I was in Mexico. A quick way to get a page full of local color and detail.

I also like to work in a visual journal where I work quickly without a plan. This allows me a place to loosen up without fear of the results. (Many of them are just plain ugly when I'm done!) These often are based around collage:

Or painting:

And finally, I like to keep an idea book going for possible future projects. It's a mix of photographs, magazine clippings, sketches, color palettes--anything that attracts my attention. This one contains a quilt from an art magazine and notes about what attracted me to it, a mask from the newspaper, and sketches I did of rain on the window that I thought would make interesting stitch patterns.

Recommend "Remains of the Day" online class

Darlene Veltman told me how much she liked this new online class with Mary Ann Moss called "Remains of the Day" a shabby scrap journal. I decided that I wanted to make one, too. This week, I made the journal cover using a template, fabric scraps and stitching.

What I like about Mary Ann's online classes- she shows lots of how-to videos, provides PDF file instructions, shares what other classmates have made- all with a great sense of humor and a lot of fun.

I used fabrics from France and Japan to make this journal cover. What is great about the process Mary Ann uses is her sense of play and pure experimentation. I highly recommend her online classes.