Book of Days update

Back again to finally show you some art...

While I was away last week, I did do a few pages in my Book of Days which I can show you now.  I am a bit behind in art journaling the pages but because I am also working through Sarah Ban Breathnach's Simple Abundance I am writing it all down so I can refer to it later on. I am really enjoying this process as it stops me from sailing through each week unconscious of what is going on around me but also within me. If you feel like joining in, just visit Book of Days here.

This is a page with the challenge of doing a mosaic of some kind. As you know I love my spirals so this was the shape I first thought of. It expressed perfectly what I was feeling on the day, going within and listening to your inner voice instead of all the chatter that can sometimes send you off course.

  This was my first spread for the start of last week using crafters workshop stencil in the background (white sponged over the stencil on a blue background), glazing with various colours of Copic markers, white paint and punchinella, cut outs of thongs from a scrapbook paper collection, and a white signo pen for the writing.  

 As I had limited supplies, I actually used a few supplies that I don't normally use and it just shows how much you can do with very little. The background for this one was water soluble crayons, then white paint and punchinella and journaling with a black copic marker.

 This last page of the week was to celebrate my youngest sons 20th birthday 

(yes I did say 20 and this makes me feel.... ummmmm... well more advanced in age than I was last year lol).  I am not saying 'old' because I think that it is all in the mind but it did make me pause - in a good way :)

The background was Inktense pencils, a circle border stamp in Black Staz-on and journaling with a purple artline marker and white Signo pen.

The message on the right hand side describes how I was feeling after a lovely relaxing week away, realising that you don't need all the latest gizmos, the clutter of "stuff" and other distractions to make your life complete. Sure they can make it easier but I have found recently that they can also make it more stressful. The technology that was supposed to make our lives easier can often end up taking up more of our time as it gives us more and more things to do while we try to fit it into our already busy lives. 

Sometimes you just need to  

stop, breathe and listen to the stillness. 

Find a quiet retreat, even if for only a few hours and  

just "be". 

This is often when you realise just how much you have to be thankful for.

My quote today is the one I used on this spread.

"Who is content with nothing,

possesses all things."

Have a lovely day

Namaste

Lee

Almost back on board

Hi everyone

I hope you all had a wonderful New Year and break afterwards, I've been on a nice little break which has helped to re-charge the creative batteries and plan the upcoming year. Over the break I have dealt with feelings of overwhelm and excitement as I realise how busy I am going to be over the next 12 months. It is going to be an exciting year with new classes to teach and classes to take. I have also had a lot of time to think about what is important and what is not, what to concentrate on and what to let go and to ultimately prioritise effectively. Janet had a great post last week that expressed much of the same feelings. For years I have always been in a rush at the end of a deadline and have become stressed with all that is on my plate. This year I am feeling that it is going to be a year of new habits and different thinking. My priorities are changing slightly and I have committed to using my diary more effectively. Part of my daily practice towards that Balance is meditation, which helps to stop the scatter-chatter that is in my mind. 

And so on to the choice of my word for the year....  

Balance,

balance in all areas of my life

balance between family time, friends time, art time, spirituality and relax/recharge time

So having said all of that, I signed up for Effy Wild's Book of Days and have become a bit addicted to it. Effy has a wonderful program for artfully documented the next year and gives excellent instruction and encouragement through bi-weekly newsletters and videos as well as a very supportive group environment on Facebook. It has enabled me to sit and art everyday, even if for 15 minutes, which is something I have been trying to do for a while now. Along with Book of Days, I am doing Sarah Ban Breathnach's Simple Abundance. I originally thought it would be committing to to much but am finding that the daily reflection required for Simple Abundance goes perfectly with my journaling in Book of Days. I have kept a journal sporadically but never recording my thoughts every day and I am really enjoying the process. Anyway, if you pop over to Effy's website you can find out how to join in on the fun.

Here is a couple of photos as a sneak peak of my Book of Days. In the coming week I will be sharing my process for some of the pages and the cover.

Have a great day everyone.

My quote today is from one of the lovely ladies from the Book of Days group, thanks Kel :)

"Art has the power to unveil the mysteries if we look closely enough"

Namaste

Lee

Post Christmas reflections

Hi everyone,

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas Day. We had a lovely quiet at home. 
I promised to show you the photos of my Christmas cake this year if it turned out OK. Well it did apart from the fact that I think the sneaky ice cream companies have changed the make up of the ice cream to have more milk or water in it than cream. This therefore meant that it melted really quickly and it was more icy than last time. It was still thoroughly delicious and I will be making it again. Well I have to keep making it till I get it right, don't I??

So I started by making my triple chocolate brownie slice. Then when cooled I sliced it up and lined a pudding bowl with cling film, then pressed it against the sides to form a bowl inside a bowl.

 Here is my brother in law chopping the marshmallows for me with my husband looking on

And here is what was left of the brownie slice, well for a while anyway. It was quickly eaten.

In a separate bowl I mixed the slightly softened hokey pokey ice cream with chopped marshmallows, violet crumble, and frozen raspberries. Mixed it all around and then put into the bowl, covered the top with baking paper, folded over the cling film and froze.

So this is the finished cake...... Sorry it is a bit blurry but I was in a hurry to cut and get it on the table before it melted.

and here is the slice...... yum yum! It was perfect for the warm day we had.

The boys have grown up so no early morning wake-up which was good, but sad in a way. As Tracey has said in her post Christmas post, it was a realisation this year that things have changed. 

No more Christmas lists are written to Santa, no more hiding Santa presents; this year there was even no shortbread and beer out for Santa and his reindeers. 

Yes, I know my boys have been way to old for that for a while now, but I have liked holding on to that little bit of Christmas magic. 

But you know, really it is not as if something is lost forever, it is just a change in how we make that Christmas magic isn't it? 

We are evolving as a family and I do love seeing the way my kids have grown into wonderful young men. My youngest son has just received his drivers licence and I am such a proud Mum. This of course, means that no-one is dependant on me now to get them to and fro. It is a big change and a scary one at times. It is like a new phase in my life.

So that said, it has me thinking of my word for 2012. I am tossing up between two or three at the moment so I had better decide in the next couple of days. If you choose a word for the year have you thought about yours yet?

2012 is shaping up to be an exciting busy year for me so far and I am really looking forward to all the wonderful experiences that the universe has in store for me. I am in the process of making my first vision board for 2012 and have signed up for Flora Bowleys online course and Effy Wild's Book of Days. I am just hoping that I have not overcommitted myself and can keep up. I think that the Book of Days will keep me more committed to art journaling on a more regular basis.
Before I go I would like to show you some more bags

This bag is using Jo Sonja paints in Pthalo Green, Prussian Blue Hue, Yellow Green and Aqua. Stencils are Crafters Workshop 6x6 Daisy Cluster, Cosmic Bubbles, 12 x 12 Cosmic Swirl

 This bag was painted with Jo Sonja Prussian Blue Hue, Pthalo Blue, Brilliant Violet and Diox Purple, Crafters workshop stencils, 12 x12 Mums, Gathered Flowers and 6x6 Harlequin.

 Various stamps were used in each and a Bic Black Marker.

 My quote today comes from one of the stamps that I used on the bags.

Hope you are having a lovely week everyone, see you soon before my little holiday up the coast.

namaste

Lee



 

My santa's are getting restless...

Hi everyone

Thank you for all your support for my last post here and my guest post on Your Heart Makes a Difference. I appreciate all of your comments.

Leslie has been generous and included me in her latest post. Please pop over and say hi.  Thank you Leslie.

I'm still painting market bags so here are my latest offerings. They were done in the recipients favourite colours. 

Can you tell I am having fun using the Crafters Workshop stencils? In these bags I used the 12' x 12' Flower Shower,Cosmic Swirl and Flower Frenzy as well as the 6'x6' in Cosmic Bubbles, Tie Dyed and Harlequin.

The bags were based in a mix of Jo Sonja Textile Medium and White Gesso. The paint colours I used were Jo Sonja Titanium White,Pthalo Green, Prussian Blue Hue, Brilliant Green, Brilliant Magenta, Transparent Magenta and Diox Purple all mixed with Jo Sonja Textile Medium.

I have also doodled and written words over the paint with my black Sharpie and then painted the main word.

All bags were heat set with my iron.

Now onto the Christmas buildup.

Today my Santa's are getting excited and restless for the big Day to arrive. They have been here on a shelf at my front door greeting everyone who walks through the door.

  Here is the ring leader that keeps them all in line.

 They are so cheerful and can't wait for the reindeers to come and begin their big fly-around.

Well as we are in the final countdown, I hope you have had a great week. I made my first batch of Christmas Shortbread yesterday using my grand mothers recipe and it is almost gone already. I can see lots of baking to be done in the next week. Quite frankly if my family keep eating it all before next weekend, Santa will have a hard time finding any on his plate that we leave out.

Here's to the last weekend before Christmas. I hope it's not too frantic for you. For me it means  getting the house ready for some relaxing and spending time with family and friends.

I leave you today with a quote from Dr Seuss.

"And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? 

It came without ribbons. 

It came without tags. 

It came without packages, boxes or bags. 

And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. 

Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. 

What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store? 

What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more?"

 

Namaste

Lee

Best GF muffins ever!!

Over at Shabby Art Boutique, Kerryanne is having her weekly Simply Christmas link party. It is for everyone to link and share there Christmas crafts etc. Now I know this does not look very Christmasy but I thought with all that crafting you needed some sustenance. So here is my contribution to the link party to keep all you all happy and well fed while you get ready for Christmas. As my family has 6 birthdays in the first couple of weeks of December we are a bit late getting into the Christmas decorating mode but tomorrow the tree goes up so I will be able to post a real Christmas link during the week.

So, you remember in my last post I teased you with a picture of a Banana Choc Chip muffin that I had made. Quite frankly it was the best Gluten Free muffin I had ever had. It was soft, fluffy and lasted for more than one day, which is more than other Gluten Free muffins or cakes. Well shortly after that photo, this was all that was left of the whole batch.

So of course, before I gave you the recipe I had to run it through my test kitchen again. 

Alas, this batch didn't rise as much as the last ones so maybe another batch over the weekend is in order, hehe. 

I originally found a recipe for Gluten Free Banana choc chip muffins here and then modified to account for my Lactose Intolerance and my love of dark choc chips. 

Anyhow, I promised you the recipe so here it is. 

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups plain gluten free flour. (I used the new Donna Hay White Wings GF flour and  I  must say it is a standout above the others.)

1/4 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 cup white castor sugar

1 teaspoon GF baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1/2 melted butter

1/2 cup milk (I used low fat Lactose Free milk)

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

1 cup mashed ripe banana

3/4 dark choc chip bits (the Nestle ones don't melt when you cook them)

Method

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In another bowl combine the egg, milk, vanilla and melted butter. Stir into dry ingredients only until just moistened. (stir too much and the muffins will be tough)

Fold in banana and choc chips

Fill greased or paper lined muffin tins two-thirds full.

Bake at 160 dec C for fan forced or 180 deg C (350 deg F) for normal ovens.

Leave in tin for a couple of minutes and then put onto wire rack.

Just try to leave for a minute or two before breaking open and eating. 

Go on I dare you to last more than 2 minutes....

They are best eaten warm, well as hot as your hands can stand with a nice hot cuppa.(careful the hot choc chips don't burn your tongue) Just reheat in the microwave for 10 sec and they come up just as fresh as when you first baked them.

Of course you could use normal wheaten flour and normal milk.

Enjoy and have a lovely weekend.

Of course I can't leave you without a quote

"Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all. "

Harriet Van Horne

Namaste

Lee

Dream....

Hi Everyone

Do you have those days when you head is so full of ideas and things to do that it just wants to do nothing? 

I've had a couple of deadlines to meet and I taught my art journal class last Saturday which went really well. This time we played with inks. The colour is a bit washed out here but I used Impress inks in Pansy, Pale Aqua, Tangerine and Spring Green, a distress stain in Dusty concord.

Time is flying by and the merry-go-round has not slowed down so last night I took the night off and indulged in a few hours of tv watching Celebrity Apprentice Australia and NCIS, then went to bed early and slept like a little lamb. Just what the doctor ordered...

Today I would like to share with you an album I did for a friend's daughter who has just finished high school and is ready for the next stage in her life. Ahhh to be 18 again with the whole world at your feet........

Anyway I was watching one of Oprah's Lifeclass webcasts with one of my favourite authors, Iyanla Vanzant. She had made an album to give to Oprah and it gave me an idea so I grabbed some chipboard and cut out the word ........

 ..........and then decorated the pages  with papers , paints, stamps, embossing powders and inks. 

I left spaces for her to write her dreams down and where she is at the moment in life and where she wants to go. I also made some envelopes from die cuts and placed little cards in them for her own hidden messages. 

So here are the pages, front and back. I hope you like them. I really enjoyed the process and hope to make some more.

The gorgeous papers I used are Bo Bunny, I so love these papers!

 

Following on from Oprah's webcasts that I have been watching and devouring, I leave you with this question, it is from the Lifeclass on Living your Truth where she challenges us to really look inside, discover what your real truth is, where you want to go, who you want to be, what your REAL dreams are,  and to live that truth everyday of your life. 

"For as long are you are pretending you are something that you are not, you will never be who you are supposed to be, you will never maximise what you are meant to be in your life... success is not fuelled by pretence." - Martha Beck

Ask yourself

"Am I being real,

am I showing up 

as my true self 

in this moment?"

Have a great weekend everyone

Namaste

Lee

Has it been 30 years since I was in school????????

Yes it has been!

Last weekend I flew up to Sydney to go to my 30th School Reunion. I missed the 20th and so hadn't seen or been in contact with my school friends for over 20 years.

Since I have been on Facebook I have connected with my old friends (saying old friends doesn't sound good does it but you know what I mean and they didn't look old at all!) and so was excited to go and catch up after so long.

To make a long story of a whirlwind weekend short,
I stayed at my friends place who was also my bridesmaid( sitting beside me in this photo below, whose name also happens to be Lee), 

had dinner with a close circle of school friends on the Friday night,

had a great time at the reunion on Saturday night,

we stayed up till 3am talking each night,

and flew back to Melbourne on the Sunday. 

I was so glad that I went and hope to be having a few of my friends to come and visit me in Melbourne soon. It was so easy and natural, we started talking like we had just seen each other last week. I know Facebook gets a bad wrap but in this instance it was a good thing. Anyway here are just a couple of photos, 

 one of me in my first year of high school 

and the last year

We haven't changed much, right??

Well now for some art,
I did manage to take my sketch book and pen on the flight and did some doodles, a couple of freehand mandalas, so please excuse the inconsistency of the strokes and sizes.

I don't do a lot of mandala's even though I love looking at them but I think I will do these properly and make sure I do at least one a week, they are so relaxing.

Oh by the way, I didn't pick a winner in Tuesday's cup but had a great day sipping champagne and socialising with family.

Hope you are having a great day, the quote today is one I found on Facebook

Best Friends have conversations, impossible to understand by other people

Namaste

Lee

I love Butterflies...

I wanted to show you parts of some pages that I did for a swap that I have signed up for. Soon I will show the whole pages but here they are for now.

Each of the participants has set a theme for their pages and then we do a round robin so that we do a page for each participant in their chosen theme. I really liked the way that we are doing this one as we are not posting the whole journal all around the world (which can be very cost prohibitive) but we have taken our journals apart and are just sending a page at a time. Over the year each recipient will receive 16 journal pages which we will then re-bind (that is the beauty of spiral bound journals) and have a finished journal. We are using a Strathmore visual art journal 300gsm.

I then found a post about a page that I did late last year that I thought I had posted but was sitting there as a draft. So here it is..

I was inspired by Paula over at Journal Artista when she showed a ghosting technique on her you tube channel. Paula used Alcohol inks under the white but since I didn't have any I tried with ordinary paints mixed with Atelier Liquifying Medium so the paint would thin in consistency but not in strength of colour.

I started with Jo Sonja Carbon Black

 .. then used a butterfly and flower stencil with Jo Sonja Napthol Crimson and Pthalo Green to pattern the background. I had quite a bit of water in the sponge so there would be the bubbled pattern as below.

 ... here it is dry

 .. with a stencil I sponged on shapes with Titanium White

 ... then misted with water

 ... and wiped away excess with a baby wipe. I like the ghostly moon-like appearance I ended up with. Until this stage I didn't know where the page was headed but the moon gave me some direction

 I found some ribbon and butterflies I had die cut out of red cardstock

 ... stuck them down with Mod Podge

 ... and floated Napthol Crimson around the outside edges of the flower shapes with an angle shader brush

 Next I chose a stamp and the Cloud White Vera Magic stamp pad and stamped over the top of the ribbon and in some other places

... I then found some other butterflies I had die cut and embossed with the Spellbinders range, rubbed black paint over them to distress them, and doodled on them with a silver gel pen. I stuck them down only by the body part so they would be 3D.

I then stamped the word butterfly on the right hand page..

 and journalled around the page about transformation, freedom, change and the colour red. I also rubbed silver paint around the outside edges of the pages to frame them.

A butterfly is the symbol of transformation, change, soul and transition. You can go here to read  a bit more about butterfly symbolism.

My quote today

"Happiness is like a butterfly: the more you chase it, the more it will elude you. 

But if you turn your attention to other things, it will come and sit softly on your shoulder"

- Thoreau

Have a lovely day everyone, tomorrow is the Melbourne Cup which means a nice day relaxing at home with friends and family watching the race that stops the nation,  so pretend we are all together and have a glass of bubbly with me.

Namaste

Lee