Trust in yourself and listen to your heart

Hello everyone

Thanks for visiting my little blog and leaving such lovely comments. I appreciate them very much.

I have been busy getting back to work and then packing for a week's holiday at the beach next week. I have also signed up for Louise Gale's online ecourse called Big Dreams, Small Wonders . I joined a bit late but hoping to catch up while I am sitting on the beach relaxing. From what I have read so far I just love what it is about and can't wait to get right into Dreaming Big. 

In all of that I did find time to fit in some art getting some pages base coated ready for me to doodle when I am away and finishing another journal page that was basecoated ages ago waiting for inspiration to strike.

I started with a plain base of Jo Sonja Linen

Then stipple through a lemon bag with Jo Sonja Opal. I splayed it out a bit so it looked like it was coming out from one place.

 Then I stippled on some butterflies. These are the left over pieces of vellum that I used to make my butterflies for a card in a previous post here. The colour I used this time was Jo Sonja Smoked Pearl.

 This is the result so far. I liked the softness these colours gave. As you know I am sort of a heavy handed painter, using bright bold colours, not really being able to achieve soft pastel colours in my paintings so this was the challenge for me.

 I also wanted to recycle things on this page so I found a piece of plastic that was part of a container that my new pens came in and I kept this bit of it because it looked like a good stamping pattern. I painted it with Jo Sonja Raindrop and then stamped down the pages in stripes.

 Next was a little plastic dot thingy. I don't know where it came from but I remind you that I am a hoarder and now particularly since I started doing art journals, I keep anything that I could use in the future. Anyway i dipped this in Opal and randomly dotted the pages.

 Next came a brush cleaner that I was given ages ago and it has a neat little heart pattern on the back of it.  I painted it with Jo Sonja Lilac and stamped away

Another bit of leftover paper that I had punched for another page that I will show you when I get back and this too became a stencil. I am loving this recycling!

So here it is so far with the stamping and stenciling.

 If you look on the right hand side near the bottom, there is a bit of colour that has bled through from the following page. I liked it and thought I would incorporate it on this page in a different way. It is Jo Sonja Rich Gold. With my finger I tapped into the Rich Gold and then in the Lilac and rubbed it on the pages in rough lines. I do like to get my hands in the paint. I end up with it everywhere after a painting session.

Now these were the new pens I told you about before. They are Staedtler triplus fineliner in multi colours and it says they can write on anything so I tested it out. I also used a White Inkssentials pen to do the journaling.

So here is the finished page. i journaled about why I am so drawn to butterflies at the moment and what they symbolise to me.

I have a few more journal pages to show you but haven't had the time to get them organised on my computer so until then here is a sneak peak at them.

My quote today comes from a book that arrived in the mail today by Julia Cameron called "Blessings" In it is a quote from Sonia Choquette about enthusiasm. Julia asks the reader to respond to life with lively interest, joy and delight. She adds that enthusiasm is the fuel for her endeavours. So are you enthusiastic about your endeavours, creativity, life?

Enthusiasm means "of the Gods". When you have an enthusiastic heart, all the heavens can flow through it.

Sonia Choquette

Well I must get back to the packing so I will bid you goodbye for a week. I hope you have a great weekend and to all my Aussie friends I hope you all have a fantastic Australia Day next Wednesday celebrating everything Australia. I will be celebrating with you and being grateful for every day in this great southern land.

Namaste

Lee