Video: Let’s Make a Cardboard Journal

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Today I have a fun upcycling project for you.

I don’t know about you but I love taking things that would have been recycling or trash and turning them into something fun, useful and pretty at the same time.

Years ago my mind was blown when I watched a video that showed me I could make a journal from a cereal box. I am totally in love with the idea of making something from every day items around the house.

Today I am using a similar package to make a very simple journal. I cut it to size (in my case just under 6×6″) I add some gesso, paint and a bit of collage and bind it all together with some ribbon using a 3-hole pamphlet stitch.

It’s a great project to do if you have limited supplies, time or maybe an overabundance of cardboard you would like to use up. These would make really sweet valentine gifts for kids to give their friends or maybe add some photo memories and give them to a loved one.

I hope you enjoy today’s video. If you follow along and make one yourself please do comment below-I would love to hear!

Until next time…

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante

 

 

Video: Art Journaling in My Word of the Year Journal-January

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I am in my studio today and working in my Word of the Year Journal.

As of writing this my page is in what, Juliette Crane calls “the ugly stage.” My brain is busy judging it and telling me, “you can’t share this page-you need to make it look better!” It’s so hard when we feel stuck in our creativity so I thought it might be helpful to share what I’m doing.

I reached a point where I needed to let things dry before I moved on so I took a walk-dropped off my rent check, used the restroom then came back into the studio-made another coffee, and sat down to work on something else.

This may not seem like a plan but in my past experience, when I take a little break and come back, I realize that the page isn’t as bad as I thought and I often have some new ideas and a resurgence of energy to keep going.

Sometimes, I still feel stuck and that’s alright too. In those cases you can:

  • Turn the page: Leave that page for now and go to another page in your journal and start over.
  • Cover it all up with paint or gesso. I love gesso for this-it’s almost like an eraser on the page and you can start over. Depending on the page, some of the colors and textures from your first attempt may still show through giving you some great dimension
  • Collage over it: Often times when I am feeling stuck in my own abilities to create art collage is a cozy blanket that restores faith in my own creativity. Not to mention you can be inspired by the images you are using. When I started this page I was looking for some collage elements and I saw quite a few sketchy faces in the magazine and that inspired me to do my own.

Even though I wasn’t loving the page that I was creating-I was still enjoying the process. This is the first spread I have done in my Word of the Year journal and it felt so nice to be playing in this journal. If you watch the video below you will see that when I came back to the page-it completely changed. I ended the page with adding my favorite symbol-a heart. I also plan to go back and add a small note about what I am feeling about my word and what’s going on in my life at the moment.

I thought about working in this journal from front to back but it just didn’t feel write so I am going to write down the date and then add my note so I have a reference of what was going on in my life at the time. This is going to be a really big year for me personally and professionally and anchoring in my word and watching how it supports me is going to be so much fun.

I love this practice because it’s more than just picking a word and thinking about it here and there. It’s really connecting with the word and what it means to me and how I am actively applying it to my life. Have you picked a word? I would love to hear your word and if you are journaling along with me.

Wishing you a lovely day!

Until next time…

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante

Video: Warm Up Art Journal Process “It’s Your Road”

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Happy Monday!

I am sitting in the studio-a fresh cuppa has just brewed and I have another art journaling process to share with you all.

At the time I am writing this I haven’t quite finished the page. I needed to let things dry a bit so it seemed like the perfect opportunity to have another cup, sit in the cozy chair, and write to all of you.

How is your week starting off? I hope it’s going well, that it’s gentle but fulfilling for you. And if your day is less than how you would like it then I hope sitting here with me for a bit, over a cup of your favorite, offers you a respite. A little oasis for you to come to, relax, take care of yourself and recharge.

My week is starting off well-if not exactly how I planned. Schedules have been moved a bit at home and it seems I will get some early morning studio time each week. It’s a really nice addition and a dream I have been having for years now. I am meeting a friend for breakfast a little later but having the early morning to be a time for me to get my work done is really exciting for me. I had hoped to wake early and go to the gym alas I didn’t drag myself out of bed in time. There is always next week to try again.

My hope is to get up, gym, studio and then back home for homeschool and all things family. The really exciting part is that I can, starting next week, offer my creative coaching sessions during the day-something I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to manage. So if you have been looking to schedule a day session you can visit the scheduling page today and see the new available hours.

So now, in the midst of journal pages drying I thought it would be fun to tell you a bit about what I was doing in my warm up journal.

First I should say I have never had a warm up journal before. I created this journal last year and the idea of having a place where I could start off my studio sessions was appealing to me. I wanted something that would give me a place to lay down some color or journal a few words and not feel pressured to make anything. If I am honest, most of my art journals are becoming a space where I have freed myself from the need to make anything in particular. Where I can just create in a free way that feels like me.

Even though I have given myself permission to not make amazing art-I do like a theme for my journals. I love a container that holds the plans, dreams, fears and intentions I have around a certain project or area of my life.

(This concept is something I have learned mainly from Andrea Schroeder at The Creative Dream Incubator-if you would like to learn more you can click here to see her work-tell her Michele says “hi!’ 🙂

Right now I have a home journal, a business journal, my word of the year journal and my warm up journal. Each one is a place where I come to dream, plant seeds and work out what may be holding me back from taking next steps. I am a believer that these sessions don’t need to take long and I often plop down at my desk at home for 2 or 3 minutes to add color or collage to a page before going back to whatever I was doing. Letting the ideas mull over in the back of my mind as I go about the day.

My warm-up journal is where I start when I come to the studio. Today I got to the studio and realized I forgot my planner-then realized I left all my memory cards at home-so back off I went. I was trying to not add to the frustration with the thoughts of, “and you didn’t do the gym like you planned….” and realized I was feeling rushed and as if I was falling behind-and it wasn’t even 9am yet!

So I made my coffee (the first thing I do when I get to the studio) and decided to play in my warm up journal as today’s video.

I had no plan. I was going to start off with my tempura paint sticks (have I ever told you how much I love these?) but then I saw some colors in my Neo Color II that I wanted to play with so I just started scribbling.

My first scribble started to look like a heart so I decided to just go with it and make it a heart. This brought me back to being a kid where I would doodle hearts and stars all over my notebooks so I decided to add a star.

From there I was pulling colors I liked. I did grab my tempura paint sticks and use the peachy color-one of my favorites-to start tying things together. I added some tissue paper as collage and just kept going. I was looking for some neat paper to draw on thinking I wanted to cut it out and add it to the page but found a quote I decided to add instead. Then I noticed the scribbles at the bottom left looked a bit like a river going through a field so I played with some loose scribbles to enhance what I was seeing.

I took a break to start this blog post and then I went back and it’s always fun to see how differently things appear when you come back to a page. I decided to use one of my small rough brushes to add a pathway representing my own road. Then I added lots of trees to either side because if it’s my road-it needs to be lined with trees.Surrounded by them I would say.

I tried to apply this last layer in a way that would allow the previous textures and colors to come through but I always get heavy handed when I start to feel like I am coloring. Learning restraint in art making is still a skill I am developing.

Or maybe not.

I added some sky and enhanced the look of the river and embankment I saw earlier. I loved the sketchy look it had where you just had the illusion of it being there but it didn’t go with the other page so I added some paint. I think I will be exploring some sketchy type scenery in the future though.

So that is my video share for you this week. I hope you are able to take a few minutes today to do something fun for yourself. Regardless of your creative medium just 5 minutes can really help improve your mood or give you a new look on things. If you would like to take some time now-why not join me? You can see my process emerge on screen by watching the video below and play along. If you do create along with me-comment below and share what you made-I would love to hear!

Until next time…

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante

Music by Saint Stephen – 50’s Milkshake – https://thmatc.co/?l=352EAE2D

Music by You ME and the Piano – Merry-Go-Round – https://thmatc.co/?l=4B20EFD1

January Book Club and a Chat

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This morning I was catching up on the blogs that I follow. If you listened to this week’s podcast you know that I am going to make a blog roll to share some of my favorite bloggers with you. Today I am sharing a blog post that inspired me to bring back my book club posts I was doing last year. On the Simple Simon & Company blog post they are doing a January challenge to finish a book you have started. Since I have 3 of them at the moment it seemed like a fun challenge to take part in and share with you all.

I really want to spend less time online and more time reading books that are inspiring or interesting. The kids and I have been making weekly trips to our local libraries and I have 3 books on the go right now. I just finished my first book of the year which is exciting. It’s called Find Your People by Jennie Allen (this link is an affiliate link. If you use this link I earn a small commission but you don’t pay anymore). The book has some really great insights and suggestions but if I am honest I am not sure I am fully on board with all of it. Still if you are someone who is seeking deeper, more meaningful relationships with a Christian focus you might like to check this one out.

The other book I am reading is “The Storyteller“ by Dave Grohl (this link is an affiliate link. If you use this link I earn a small commission but you don’t pay anymore). You may be thinking, “that’s a bit different than a Christian book about finding community.” You would be right. I love to learn, I love to read all sorts of things even if I don’t fully identify in any one way. To be honest, I’m not sure I am meant to. The previous book I mentioned had me thinking about the beauty in picking a path and just forging forward no matter what. Still, I think that life is meant to be a unique experience for all of us and I struggle to pick a camp and just stay there. If I am honest-that can make finding relationships challenging but I am just trusting in the path I am walking and open to where it leads me. How about you?

I think if I am being honest I relate a bit more to “The Storyteller.”  Not because my life has at all resembled Dave Grohl’s but I like the honest way he rights and what I am perceiving as his view of life, work and creativity. I never listened to Nirvana-I was more a New Kids on the Block fan (still am) and I never got into the Grunge scene in the 90’s. I wanted to read this book because I have read several quotes by Dave Grohl that I added to my quote book and I thought it would be fun to read a whole book written by him. I loved the fact that he went on record to say he actually wrote it rather than giving interviews to a ghost writer and letting them write it which I thought was pretty cool.

I am about half way through the book and it’s a fun read. Not having any previous knowledge of his career path I was wondering if I would enjoy it as much but I really am. I also am not one who reads biographies but this was definitely one I am glad I picked up-or checked out as it were 🙂

The other book I am reading I found through Substack and it’s called “Daily Rituals: How Artists Work”  (this link is an affiliate link. If you use this link I earn a small commission but you don’t pay anymore) by Mason Currey.  It’s really interesting learning about the process of so many artists. A little sad sometimes reading the darker sides of their lives but if you like hearing about the routines of creatives it’s an interesting read. It also led me to an artist I wasn’t familiar with-Al Hirschfeld and that lead me to checking out a book all about his artwork. I am going to be sharing more about how I am inspired from that in a future blog post so stay tuned!

The third book I am working on is called, “Unoffendable” by Brant Hansen (this link is an affiliate link. If you use this link I earn a small commission but you don’t pay anymore). This book along with “Find Your People” came in an email from Money Saving Mom. I requested it from the library and when it came in I couldn’t remember why I picked it-does that happen to you? I don’t consider myself as someone who offends easily and this book is geared towards Christians specifically but if I were to guess I think I was intrigued by the idea of just letting things go. I’m only a few pages in but it’s humorous and well-written so I am looking forward to it being my 4th book read of January.

I am also reading the “Complete Works of H. Emilie Cady”-or rather re-reading it. I love her wisdom and I read a bit during my prayer and meditation time in the afternoons along with A Course in Miracles (this link is an affiliate link. If you use this link I earn a small commission but you don’t pay anymore). They are both filled with such wisdom and I find something insightful each time I read. I haven’t finished A Course in Miracles yet but I hope to have it done by the end of the year.

So that is my January book club list. Are you reading anything special? I would love to hear! Do you have a favorite genre? Have you set a monthly reading goal for yourself? This year I am really trying for a book a week but recognize that may not happen so it’s more of a fun goal rather than something to stress about. How about you? Please comment below and let me know!

Until next time…

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante

Video: Studio Art Journaling Session

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How is your midweek going? Mine feels productive but if I were to be honest I am itching for some people time. I feel as if I am working up towards some real shifts in my life-good shifts-but I am getting a bit impatient.

It can be hard to move towards something new while still sitting with the old on a daily basis and it is in the times of feeling uncomfortable or anxious or worried that I do two things: pray and art journal.

Of course that may look different for everyone but when I create in my art journal it allows me to connect sometimes in a more meaningful way. It clears out the noisy thoughts and reminds me to be a bit more aware of what is. And I don’t know about you but it’s much easier for me to focus on what is when there are colorful paints and collage materials around me.

Would you like to have a little midweek creative time with me? You don’t have to work in your journal but maybe 5 minutes with your favorite creative outlet will help you through your day or to unwind from it. I created a little video for you to watch below. If you do join me please comment I would love to hear what you created during our time together!

 

Until next time…

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante

Music by You ME and the Piano – Merry-Go-Round – https://thmatc.co/?l=4B20EFD1

Music by Julia Pauletti – Yesterday – https://thmatc.co/?l=06E3D048

Video Breaking in a New Art Journal & Unfinished Pages

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I am in my cozy chair at the studio as I write to you.

Cozy chair has a twin that lives at home where I also like to sit and write. And eat popcorn and watch Netflix. I like to think that they are united in some way, where the creative and cozy energy just flows back and forth between them. I need more cozy vibes in my life, how about you?

I haven’t been in my studio since Friday and it’s always a surprise to come back in and see the bits and pieces I have left laying around. An in process art journal page on the one table, another in process journal page on the other. Little reminders of how I left things.

I usually come in and put my bags down in the comfy chair. Then I set up the coffee and while that’s brewing I unpack my studio bag. Which has turned into 2 bags on most days. With all the journals I have been making I have been repurposing a lot of cardboard boxes so I am bringing them from home in my large purple bag. Inside that bag is usually a mish mosh of items that I felt would be better used at the studio than at my creative corner at home.

Once I am unpacked I have been trying to sit in my cozy chair, sip some coffee and see what the plan for the day is. I have my schedule written off, but I usually take some time to get quiet and just listen and see if there is another area that I should be focusing on.

After that I usually try and get to work. It may require a warm up session in a journal first but then I try and get down to the business of creativity-and of course writing you.

Today I had planned on editing the video I made Friday only I left the memory card at home so that bit will be done later. If I am honest, writing the blog post is still my favorite part along with filming. I love sharing the creative process with you and hope that, like me, you enjoy some company from time to time in your creative areas.

There are times when I like my creative time to be just me, a cup of coffee or tea, some music and my creativity. Other times I opt for no music but having a creative video playing in the background. Do you like to have virtual company when you are creating? I haven’t had real-life creative company in a very long time but I have a feeling that might be changing soon.

Today I have a little journal with me video. I am breaking in a journal I made a few years back but never started working in. The journal was made as a part of a class I took with Jennibellie where she shows how to do these unique expanding pages. It was a lot of fun and if you are interested in how to make your own you can see the class here. I painted an owl on the cover inspired by a class I took with Juliette Crane. I think it was her Whimsical Animals class but I’m not positive. I’m pretty sure she demonstrates an owl there too.

I have decided to make art journals for specific areas I am focusing on in my life (like my word of the year journal). This journal is going to focus on my creative business and I thought it would be fun to start with the first page. A lot of time you may hear that it’s good to skip the first few pages because we often times need to get a feel for a journal and sometimes we can put pressure on ourselves for that first page.

Today, I decided I wanted to start at the front and treat as a title page of sorts. I wanted it to have the feel I am hoping to call in for my business and also some reminders to keep me on task as I go through the year.

As you see in the video I got a little stuck looking for words. I was going to try and hand write them but it just didn’t feel right. I found some definitions in an old dictionary that I was really happy with but I still wanted to put a few main words on the page. I searched through magazines without luck and ultimately decided to leave the page for now and come back to it.

It may feel like we need to finish an art journal page at the same time we start it but giving ourselves permission to walk away and come back can not only allow time for the page to reveal itself to us but also provide insights we may not have had otherwise.

It’s important to allow things to unfold in their own time an space (a reminder I needed more than anything else). I love how art journaling helps us in every area of our lives, revealing the parts that need healing, the parts that excited and of course, the parts are still developing.

I hope you will join me for a few minutes with some of your favorite art supplies and your journal. Whether you are breaking in a new one or cracking open a chunky favorite maybe we can keep each other company and make a little art together. You can watch the video below.

Until next time…

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante

 

Music by Saint Stephen – 50’s Milkshake – https://thmatc.co/?l=352EAE2D