Live Your Life From Your Heart

The ART  This quote is by Melody Beattie.  She wrote the book, Co-Dependent No More and several other really great books.  I recommend her books.  They have helped many, many people with Codependent issues.

I typed the words in MS Publisher and printed them on a copy machine. The font is one of the free ones from Dafont. Then I used a tape transfer to make them transparent.  This method is packing tape over the words. Burnish the paper really well and then soak the taped pieces in warm water.  The warm water is the key.  The paper just peels off with a little light rubbing.

The hearts are pages from an encyclopedia. They are hanging from some of my stash of fiber.

The background was painted with green paint and then stenciled with yellow, orange and violet paint using a Tim Holtz stencil.  The white streaks were made with a credit card and gesso.

Link to:  The Documented Life Project , Art Journal Everyday

FEELINGS In the past 15 years, I have met many people who lived their lives from their hearts. Their stories and their truth did touch my life and help heal my soul. When I was at my lowest, most depressed and anxious, they were there for me.  The showed up and they told their stories sharing their experience, strength and hope.  They showed me that if I just would follow the program and do the work my life would get better.  They were correct.  I thank God for them.

Learning to: act instead of react, mind my own business, love myself and most of all give it to God were the hardest things I've ever done. I'm so grateful that I persevered.

Layers

 What is that saying about art imitating life? I think this page does that.  

The Art: I started by using a square piece of foam that was used as filler in a Tim Holtz Texture Fades package. I stamped squares on three sides of the page in gray, green, purple and hot pink.  The next layer was the piece of paper towel at the top of the page. I added a bit of orange to it.  Then I added the purple text that I stamped on tissue paper using a Hero Arts stamps.  There is a small piece of numbers from an old book I have.  The text at the bottom is an advertisement for paper and the very tiny text is a stamp I got at Michael's and stamped on tissue paper.I love stamping on tissue paper because it lets the other layers show through.  

The final layer is a napkin with a flower on it. I use a water color paint brush and a bit of water to "cut" around the flower.  I used sharpie paint markers for the writing and the outlines of the flower.

Thoughts: I know that I am made of many layers.  When I was young I was often a different person depending on who I was with at the time. I wanted people to like me so I tried to be what others wanted me to be.  It's taken 60 years for me to learn that I am who I am.  I've grown and changed a lot from age 40 to age 60.  I am more free and open.  It took a while to learn that I don't have to tell every thought to every person I meet.  I've learned to trust my instincts and now I find it a bit easier to know who it's ok to let see all of my layers.  

It's a fine line.... being myself and protecting myself from those who might hurt me. It's all about boundaries, trusting my instincts and learning from my mistakes.

Link to: Paint Party Friday, The Documented Life Project 

Attitude of Gratitude

Eccentric Old Art Lady

Most of the images on this page were done as Packing Tape Transfers.  I found the tutorial for the transfers on the Journal Artista  Youtube channel. I thought I'd try a regular transfer before I used a stencil and it was so easy I got carried away.  I've tried this before and had no success. I think the difference is that Paula suggested using warm water and that made all the different.  

All the images are from the June 2014 issue of Oprah magazine. The images come from several different articles.  The reason I began the page is because of the two ladies floating in the inner tubes having so much fun. They seem so happy and content with their age and their bodies. That is what I'm striving for in my life.

I'm not thin like they are but that's OK. I spent years on diets. I felt deprived and unhappy and guess what? I gained all those pounds I lost back several times. I am no longer trying to impress anyone with the way I look. I'm me and you either like me for who I am or you don't have to be part of my life. I will admit I could eat healthier. I'm not advocating being unhealthy at all. All I'm saying is that for me I've decided to be me and I'm short and pudgy.  I'm not in the shape to climb a mountain or bike 10 miles.  Guess what?  Both of those things sound like NO fun at all to me.  If I found my weight was stopping me from doing what I love I'd probably drop a few pounds and kept them off. 

I love that quote by Margaret Atwood. I very seldom feel that age I am. I'll be 60 years old next month.  My hair has grey in it. I earned everyone of my grey hairs. I don't mind them being grey... I just wish they weren't quite so wild.  Oh well, they are what they are.  My truth is I'm way more interested in Art Journaling and Collage than I am in my hair or my clothes. The best thing about 60 is that I'm a year closer to retirement when I can create all day every day if I want to. I plan on being the Eccentric Old Art Lady.. the one with paint in her hair wearing the odd clothes. Until then I have a day job to pay for my art supplies and Scooter's kibble and I create nights and weekends.  I cannot begin to tell you how freeing it is to accept myself as I am at this moment. 

Cards and Stamps

Mother's Day was a little difficult this year.  I miss my mom. It was odd not to be getting together with my family this weekend. We are scattered around this country this weekend instead. I guess we each had our own way of dealing with being without my mom today.

I visited my friend, Ann, at Studio 901 (also known as the Art House). Ann has a plethora of stamps and supplies and generously shares them with me when I visit. I decided that since I didn't need to make a card for my mom, I'd make one for her 93 year old mom. The background stripes are made with a Tim Holtz stencil. The Thinking of You is from one of those dollar sets at Michaels or JoAnn's.  I did not get the name of the company that made the flower.  It was a two sided stamp. One side was a solid block which I stamped off on a paper towel before stamping the paper. That is how I got the cool textured background on the squares. That is the pattern from the paper towel. I used Dried Marigold and Spiced Marmalade Distressed Ink. 

Enough

Thoughts
I am spending the weekend with two of my art friends. It is so great to spend time with people who really "get" my love for art journaling and all thing painty. They think being up to our elbows in glue, paper and paint is a fine way to spend the day.  

These weekends feed my soul. I know I'll learn something new. I'm away from all the "stuff" at home.  No guilt about cooking or cleaning. I'm on a mini vacation. I'm spending time with people who enjoy my company as much as I enjoy theirs.  Today... I have way more than enough.

The Art
I love spiral bound journals. I like how they lay flat when I work in them. I find it a bit easier to protect my previous pages in them. This is a recycled book that was originally some kind of investment manual.  The background is painted with Bella Acrylic paint. Ann said she bought a whole set of these paints at Lowe's back in the winter. I really like them because they are nice and thick. The birds are Eggplant Adirondack paint and a Dina Wakley stencil.  The circles are gesso and a Tim Holtz stencil.  

Now to the part I love about this page.  All those lines. I love, love, love those lines. If I wasn't such a good friend I'd pack that Tim Holtz stencil in my bag when I leave tomorrow. The stencil belongs to Ann and I'm having stencil envy at the moment. I used the Bella paints again and stenciled with the Stripes by Tim randomly on the page.

The page is called Enough because I didn't want to do anything else to it. I kept thinking I should add a focal point but I didn't want to. I just couldn't cover up those yummy lines. I decided it's enough exactly the way it is.  That's a good thought to remember about myself too. I hope you will do the same today. You are enough just the way you are.  Happy Creating!!

What have you been working on these days?  I would love to see your work. Feel free to post it on the Art Journal Feel Facebook page

Link to Paint Party Friday, Artist Playroom, Art Journal Everyday

Put It Out There... aka Vulnerability

Thoughts (if you just want to know how the art was done,feel free to skip this section)
I've been reading, Daring Greatly, by Brene Brown. It's about what we have to do to be our true authentic selves. It's also about shame and vulnerability which we have to understand in order to dare to be great.  This book is really getting to me.  I think I need to hear what she is saying but I'm finding it a bit painful.  I'm only a few chapters in and I already see how not being able to be the real me hurt my past relationships.  

Part of me wants to crawl in a hole and hide because I feel ashamed that I was not brave enough to stand up for myself and say,"THIS IS THE REAL ME!"  For years I felt like I was not enough or I was too much. I felt like the emotional equivalent of Goldilocks. I wanted to feel just right.

I tried to be what I thought I was suppose to be or what I thought other people wanted me to be... and it didn't work.  I spend years being unhappy and depressed. My worse fear was that I would be alone. After years of trying to be what I thought I was suppose to be in order not to be alone... I ended up alone anyway.  The worse thing that I thought could happened to me did happen and guess what? 

I didn't die.  I didn't curl in a ball and die. I found out that under that scared little girl was a strong big girl. I not only survived but I'm thriving!  Today, as I listen the Brene Brown, I'm saddened because I hide for so many years. It's ok for me to feel sad for a little bit. I can have regrets so long as I don't let them rule my life. I'm hoping that this book will teach me new skills about learning to be the real me and to take chances. 

The Art
The background is yellow because I wanted to finish that bottle of paint sitting on my table. The flowers are made with background paper I bought from The Angel Company years ago. Yea! I used some of my stash.  I used my new favorite stencil (a piece of plastic canvas) and a stencil by Dyan Reaveley. The title was written with a Liquitex paint marker. I really like the angle tip on this marker. 

I used that quote because of Daring Greatly. Brene talks about how innovation and creativity don't grow if we don't take chances.  In my opinion, this is not my best work. That's ok because I tried something a little different. This page has given me experience with using background paper in a different way. I have learned things from doing this page. It is part of my art journey so I'm putting it out there. I won't grow if I don't try new things and have a few pieces that I feel "meh" about. It's important that I tried something different and that I'm brave enough to show it to the world.

Art Journal Everyday