A fight between intuition and too much thinking!

Hi everyone, I hope you are having a great weekend.

This latest page I want to share was a labour of love and learning. It felt like a tug of war between my intuition and my thinking brain. At times there was just too much thinking about what colours and techniques to use without letting the page form naturally. Whenever I stopped flowing and tried to apply too many rules and reasons for doing things, the layer just didn't look right. Many times I did another layer and walked away cause it just didn't look how I thought it would. Whenever I just relaxed, breathed and let my intuition guide me the page came together. 

Sometimes we struggle against the tide trying to put the "right" colours together, trying to balance the page from the beginning, ignoring the evolving process that is so much a characteristic of art journaling.

So here is the process

For the background I gessoed the page thickly and then pressed the two pages together. opened them up and let them dry naturally to create the texture underneath. Over the top I brushed on Jo Sonja Sapphire and wiped off the excess.

then was a wash of jo Sonja Harbour Blue

and a layer of randomly stamped flowers.

I then used Jo Sonja Yellow Orange with a makeup sponge and a Crafters Workshop Stencil called Flower Frenzy as well as a Gerbera stencil

At this stage I wasn't really happy with the colours so I doodled some flower outlines with a white paint pen

I still wasn't wrapped in the results so used the Crafters Workshop stencil called Mini Daisy cluster and sponged white all over the page

Still not happy because it was too harsh, so I mixed white with Harbour Blue and scrapped over the pages.

 

 I really wanted to get a nice contrasting colour so pulled out a cutout with a floral pattern and sponged white all over the pages then sponged Jo Sonja Tiger Lily randomly

OK so I am feeling better about where this is headed now because I got out of my own way and picked colours without thinking too much.

So I have left this page now and gone to work. I'm sitting at my desk at lunchtime with my favourite scarf on and realise that it is my favourite scarf because of the colour combination. My first thought is wow, these are the colours I can add to the page of my journal. Hence the next steps. Here is the scarf, gorgeous bright colours that just make me feel better on a cold Melbourne day.

 I needed a border so used the Tim Holtz On the Edge Die called Scrollwork cut from a piece of chipboard to use as a stencil

 Jo Sonja Cadmium Yellow Mid was the colour I used with a bigger, softer, more open sponge

 I sponged again with the same stencil but just in from the edge of the yellow layer using Jo Sonja Yellow Green. I also scrapped it down the page in random places

 Next colour was Jo Sonja Brilliant Magenta. I dry brushed this on the page so I could retain the texure underneath. I just love dry brushing or smooching.

  

  Next layer was  stamping with a floral stamp with words in the petals and impress Tangerine and Versa Magic Cloud White

  So this is where I am at and I am really happy with where it is now. So onto the words

 I am a big Sonia Choquette fan and one of her early books called Your Heart's Desire. It is in a workbook format to help you remove obstacles, focus on your dreams and to empower you to manifest your Heart's Desires. I have had it for a while now and have done some chapters sporadically but now the book calls to me to be read from start to finish. Funny how you can have books for ages and not ready them till you are ready to hear what they have to say.

So I found a small pad of Adhesive patterned papers in my stash and a sheet of striped paper in the colours I have used. I cut and tore strips, worked out where I wanted them and wrote a quote from Sonia's book on them and a bit of personal journaling in a Blue Sharpie. 

After I stuck them down I rubbed Jo Sonja Titanium White around the main title, dipped the credit card in the white and underlined the words. I re-stamped a couple of white flowers and there you have it.

So what obstacles or excuses have you put in your way consciously or sub-consciously? Do you tell yourself that you could not possible do something. Surprise yourself, give yourself permission to try something and you will find that what you thought was  a huge immovable mountain was really a smoke screen hiding your potential creative self, ready and waiting to be invited into your life.

“The chief enemy of creativity is  

"good" sense.”

 Pablo Picasso

Namaste

Lee 

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

I love my crystals!

Hi Everyone
I hope you are all safe and having a creative week.
I am about to start painting but thought you may like to see what else I dabble in.
At our True Blue Conference we have a champagne shopping night where we sell our wares. I started beaded a while back because i love my crystals and the metaphysical properties of them and decided to make something that I could have with me if I wasn't wearing my chip bracelets. As you can see here, I love my crystal bracelets...

Hence, i made some crystal bookmarks. These ones have crystal chips that correspond to each of the chakras . They come with an explanation of each crystal and what they are used for.

Here are some brooches I have made using crystals and charms. I have a lot of friends who like angels and together with a wide choice of crystals you can have a different colour to wear with each scarf. Here in Melbourne I wear a knitted scarf everyday and these are a cute addition. 

For our painting group I also made a few with silver charms on them. I found these nice paint palettes on line and thought it might be a nice touch for artistic types like us.

I also painted some angel brooches. I love angels and the serenity they convey. My friends husband kindly cut out these brooches and I painted them in Jo Sonja colours and painted Opal Dust on them to make them shine.

Well off to paint. It is raining cats and dogs outside, the wet washing is sitting waiting to go in the dryer  and my house looks like a laundry with the rest of the wet washing hanging on the clothes horse. I have said it before and I will say it again, I am grateful for the rain that will hopefully fill out depleted dams but gee am I ready for some sunshine and warmth.

Now where is that chocolate biscuit that is my habitual rainy day comfort food and a hot cup of coffee, but before I go

***********

Quote for today comes from Sonia Choquette from her book Your Heart's Desire.

"The greatest miracle in creating your Heart's Desire is that you will discover your own magnificence. Like a lantern, you will shine out in our dark world.  Your creation will be your reward. The realisation of your true self will be your gift to the world...

Laugh, Play, Create."

**********

Are you all being true to your own creative self today? Are you making time to Laugh, Play and Create?

Namaste

Lee