Spring Time . . . for More Than Words and Art Journal Journey!

Hi everyone!   It's December and time for some new challenges.

The December Challenge at More Than Words opens this month:

For those of you who don't know, More Than Words is an art journaling challenge blog with one main theme to inspire you each month.   (And the winners have a chance to win fabulous prizes!)

Here is December's Challenge:

This month's theme is all about SEASONS!  Be inspired by the current season (no matter where you live), or your favorite season, the Christmas season, etc. It's up to you!

And here's my art journal page:

I decided to make my page about Spring because I love the suggestion of new beginnings that Spring brings!  I love new flowers, sprouting green grass, the beautiful light blue color of the sky, and everything about Spring.  I took this photo of the daffodil a few years ago in early spring and it's still one of my favs!

I really enjoyed making this page and I hope you can play along with us this month at More Than Words!

 

I am also linking my page up to July's Art Journal Journey Monthly challenge:

 

This month is hosted by Wendy K, whose blog is Wendy's Craft Journal . Her theme for December is "Above us only sky," which is a line from a Beatles song.

 

Wendy says: "This give you loads of scope.  You could do night skies, sunny or moonlit ones.  Rainy or dull, snowy, cloudy or hazy skies.  The possibilities are endless." 

And as you can see, the centerpiece of my page is the photo which shows the beautiful blue sky of Spring!

I want to thank Wendy and Art Journal Journey for this awesome challenge. 

And thank you so much for stopping by my blog today.  I hope you enjoy the hustle and bustle of December but also get a chance to take part in some challenges!

Be Brave . . . for More Than Words!

Hi everyone! I cannot believe that November is already here  -  and before we know it, we will be celebrating Thanksgiving and Christmas. Time flies . . .

The November Challenge at More Than Words is open:

More Than Words is an art journaling challenge blog with one main theme to inspire you each month. 

Here is the November Challenge :

"Hello everyone, and happy November!  This month we are thinking about FAMILY and invite you to journal along with us and tell us what family means to you.This month, we want you to use our FAMILY prompt to create your journal pages.  Feel free to interpret the theme in any way that speaks to you!!"

And use the #MTWartjournalchallenge

Here's my 2-page art journal spread:

Family means everything to me.  I was very excited when I saw that November's theme is FAMILY!  I made this page in memory of my mom, who graduated from college back in 1937.  I'm so proud to be her daughter and to have these wonderful ancestors as role models.  And I found these photos of my mom, grandparents, and great-grandmother in her photo album!

I made this page using ArtStacks' new artist Series releases by Shana Bebeklis   @shanoukiart:

I hope you can play along with us this month at More Than Words!  If you are interested in participating in the challenge, please head over to the More Than Words blog for all of the details. It's so easy and fun, and there are prizes to be won, too!!

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today! Happy November!

Happy Halloween . . . for More Than Words!

Hi everyone! I cannot believe that October is already here and fall is upon us. Time flies by so quickly these days and before we know it, we will be celebrating Halloween. YAY!

The October Challenge at More Than Words is open:

More Than Words is an art journaling challenge blog with one main theme to inspire you each month. 

Here is the October Challenge :

"Welcome to our October challenge which is all about using ORANGE or PURPLE in your journal pages.  Can you guess why we chose these colours?  I'll bet you can because this month is also Halloween.  Of course you don't have to create a Halloween page but you do have to use PURPLE or ORANGE or BOTH if you like!"

Use the #MTWartjournalchallenge

Here's my art journal page:

I love Halloween and so does my entire family.  That's why I chose to use BOTH purple and orange for my Halloween-themed, 2-page art journal spread.  I started by using acrylic paints, MetaMica and Pearlise mediums to create my background.  Then I made my trees with black acrylic paint and a stencil.  I fussy cut the witch, pumpkin, black cat, and dog from an old Halloween card I had saved, and adhered them to my page.  Next, I gave the witch some black wings from the ArtStacks' "Wings and Things" pack. 

And finally, I added some stamping - the spider and web, the "Happy Halloween" and the black grass.

I hope you can play along with us this month at More Than Words!  If you are interested in participating in the challenge, please head over to the More Than Words blog for all of the details. It's so easy and fun, and there are prizes to be won, too!!

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today!  I hope you all have a wonderful October!

Be Unique . . . for More Than Words!

Hi everyone!   It's September and time for a new challenge.  But first, I cannot believe that September is here already and for those of you who live in the northern hemisphere, it will be Fall soon!  WOW.  Time sure flies by so quickly these days.

Now back to the challenge . . . the September Challenge at More Than Words is now open:

More Than Words is an art journaling challenge blog with one main theme to inspire you each month. 

Here is the September Challenge :

"This month, we want you to take a lovely walk in nature and then translate that onto your pages. We can't wait to see where you take us this month. Feel free to interpret the theme in any way that speaks to you!" Use the #MTWartjournalchallenge

Here's my art journal page:

We love a NATURE WALK! We used to walk with our daughters almost every day. Now that they are grown, it doesn't happen as much as we'd like, although my husband and I still try to walk every day. This is a photo of them, taken at Jacobsburg Park, in 2017.

I hope you can play along with us this month at More Than Words!  If you are interested in participating in the challenge, please head over to the More Than Words blog for all of the details. It's so easy and fun!!

 

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today!  I hope you all have a wonderful September!

You Are Awesome . . . for More Than Words!

Hi everyone!   It's August 1st and time for some new challenges.

The August Challenge at More Than Words is now open:

For those of you who don't know, More Than Words is an art journaling challenge blog with one main theme to inspire you each month. 

Here is the August Challenge :

This month, they are giving us a choice! You can make a COLLAGE page or a page about COLLEGE. This means you can choose to make a page using COLLAGE techniques or you can make a page inspired by COLLEGE (your college days, going back to school, etc) OR you could combine them and make a collage page about college!

And here's my art journal page:

I made my art journal page about both COLLAGE and COLLEGE! I used Nadine Karen Design beautiful images to make my collage and gave the highland cow a graduation cap to fit the college theme. I also used a quote from ArtStacks' "Fabulous Faces" pack to complete my page.

I hope you can play along with us this month at More Than Words!

 

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today!  I hope you all have a wonderful August!

You Will Find Your Way Home . . . for More Than Words!

Hi everyone!   It's July and time for some new challenges.

The July Challenge at More Than Words opened this month:

For those of you who don't know, More Than Words is an art journaling challenge blog with one main theme to inspire you each month. 

Here is July's Challenge:

This month's theme is all about a MASH-UP. You can choose two or more themes from this year's challenges to inspire your pages.

Here are the January to June challenge themes:

• January - Time
• February - Love Letters
• March - Home
• April - Being Green
• May - Celebrations
• June - Art Supplies

And here's my art journal page:

My 12 x 12 mixed media page incorporates a MASH UP of four of our MTW themes as follows: the color GREEN, a CELEBRATION of owls, a quote about HOME, and my favorite ART SUPPLIES, which are ArtStacks packs. 

The owl, (entitled "Swoop") created by Kimberly Kohr, and the "Poppies," created by Amber Bennison, are both from the new Gelatin Printing Enthusiasts "Art & Nature" pack:  

And the quote is from Tamara Laporte's "Fabulous Faces" pack: 

All are from ArtStacks!  

I hope you can play along with us this month at More Than Words!

 

I am also linking my page up to July's Art Journal Journey Monthly challenge:

 

This month is hosted by Alison, whose blog is Craftytrogs Arty Adventures and her theme for July is "Come Fly With Me."

 

Alison says: "For this theme, you can use anything that flies.  Birds, Insects, fairies, aircraft, hot air balloons, etc,  can all be used on your pages.  I hope you have fun, and I'm looking forward to seeing your beautiful art!" 

And as you can see, the centerpiece of my page is the owl, which can definitely fly!  

I want to thank Alison and Art Journal Journey for this awesome challenge. 

And thank you so much for stopping by my blog today.  Enjoy July!

Live in Color . . . for More Than Words!

Hi everyone! It's a new month - YAY!  

June 1st is here and it's time for some new challenges.

The June Challenge at More Than Words opened today!

For those of you who don't know, More Than Words has simplified their art journal challenges this year to make it easier to participate!! They have one main theme to inspire you each month and they hope that you get a chance to join in on the fun each month!

This month's theme is Art Supplies. Feel free to interpret the theme in any way that you like. You can talk about and use your favorite art supplies or try something new if you like.

Here is June's Challenge:

And here's my art journal page:

I loved creating this art journal page about color because without it, there would be no art! I had fun using my favorite art supplies: stencils, inks, stamps, stickers and die cut ephemera from Vickie Boutin's Color Study collection. And I especially liked creating with some of my favorite ArtStacks images from Tamara Laporte's Artist Series packs.  I think that the beautiful images of the owl and the butterflies from Tamara Laporte's "Artsy Animals" pack are perfect here.  And when I saw the AJJ theme this month, I added some stamped numbers to my page.

My hope is that you will join the challenge at More Than Words his month!

 

I am also linking my page to April's Art Journal Journey Monthly challenge:

 

 

This month is hosted by Matilde.  Her blog is Craftowanie and her theme for June is All About Numbers!" 

 

Matilde says:  I hope you will enjoy it and come and join us this month!

 

I want to thank Matilde and Art Journal Journey for the awesome challenge!  And  I cannot wait to see what all of the talented AJJ artists create.

And thank you for stopping by my blog today.  Have a wonderful June.

Pandamania . . . for More Than Words and Art Journal Journey Monthly!

Hi everyone! It's May 1st and time for some new challenges . . .

First, the May Challenge at More Than Words opened today!

More Than Words has simplified their art journal challenges this year and will have one main theme to inspire you each month. This month's theme is CELEBRATIONS. Feel free to interpret the theme in any way that you like. What does celebrating mean to you? 

Here is May's Challenge:

 

 And here's my art journal page:

In our family, we love to celebrate the things that make each of us happy. Our daughter, Anne, loves panda bears . . . we have always called her joy for pandas - "Pandamania!"  

 

I used ArtStacks' new releases to create my page.  I thought that the image of the panda from Tamara Laporte's "Artsy Animals" was the perfect focal point for my page!  I  placed this adorable panda on one of Tam's backgrounds from her "Fabulous Faces" pack. Please look closely so that you can see the little flower that the panda is holding!  And I added "flowers" growing around the panda - also from Tam's Fabulous Faces pack.  I must say that this page was so simple to make, too!

I hope that you get a chance to check More Than Words his month!

 

I am also linking my page to April's Art Journal Journey Monthly challenge: 

 

This month is hosted by Aimeslee Winans!  Her blog is Paper Paisleys Art Adventures and her theme for May is "Flowers!" 

 

Aimeslee says:  "One thing I dearly love about both seasons(Spring and Fall) are the many flowers that bloom, so I have chosen FLOWERS as our theme for May"

 

I cannot thank Art Journal Journey and Aimeslee enough for her wonderful challenge!! I cannot wait to see how all of the wonderful AJJ artists interpretations of her theme.

Thank you for stopping by my blog today. Enjoy May!

An Irish Blessing . . . for More Than Words and Art Journal Journey Monthly!

Hi everyone! It's April 1st (can you believe it?!) and time for some new challenges . . .

First, the April Challenge at More Than Words opened today!

More Than Words has simplified their art journal challenges this year and will have one main theme to inspire you. This month's theme is BEING GREEN. Feel free to interpret the theme in any way that you like. What does being green mean to you? 

Here is April's Challenge:

 And here's my art journal page:

 

 

The theme Being Green immediately reminded me of my Irish heritage.  I remember my dad telling me about the Irish Blessing, so I made it the focal point of my art journal page!  I used one of ArtStacks' new releases to create my page.  I thought that the image of the woman from Tamara Laporte's "Fabulous Faces" pack looked like me, so I added digital glasses like mine!  I also placed her in the palm of a tissue paper hand. (The hand image is from ArtStacks' "Faces and Figures" pack that I had on hand.) In addition, her crown is from the same pack.  I fussy cut it and colored it green.

And in keeping with the "being green" theme, I recycled the background paper from an old pack of 49 and Market "Spectrum Sherbet" that I had on hand. And the beautiful tissue paper images at the top and bottom of my page are also from the ArtStacks "Fabulous Faces" pack.

I hope that you get a chance to check More Than Words his month!

 

I am also linking my page to the March Art Journal Journey Monthly challenge: 

 

This month is hosted by Bleubeard and Elizabeth;  their blog is Altered Book Lover and  they are focusing on ways to save the planet in their journal pages.  

 

Elizabeth says:  "Recycle a portion of that beloved birthday or Christmas card, reuse those patterned security envelopes, repurpose those cardboard boxes Amazon is so famous for, or those 512 used tea bags you’ve been hoarding.  Turn them into collage fodder for your art journals.  While you’re at it, let us know what you recycled in your entry, so we can applaud you, too."

 

Okay . . .  I recycled a piece of cardstock paper from a pack of 49 and Market papers that I had in my stash.  I cut it apart and adhered it back together to form the rectangular background of my art journal page.  Also, the hand image was used from a pack of ArtStacks papers that I had in my stash.

I cannot thank Art Journal Journey and Bleubeard and Elizabeth enough for their wonderful challenge and all of the artist's inspiration this month!  I know it will be a pleasure to see how all of the AJJ artists interpret the theme.

And thank you for stopping by my blog today.  Have a wonderful April!

And don't forget to recycle, reuse, and repurpose! 

#Love . . . for More Than Words and Art Journal Journey Monthly!

Hi everyone! It's February1st  and time for some new challenges . . .

First, the February Challenge at More Than Words opened today!

More Than Words has simplified their challenges this year and the challenge will no longer have two parts. Instead, it has one main theme to inspire you - this month it's all about LOVE LETTERS and LOVE.   Feel free to be inspired by the theme in any way that speaks to you.

More Than Words is looking forward to seeing what you do with their challenge prompt this month, and if you need more inspiration, their new digital magazine is amazing.   Inside there are weekly prompts as well as details of where to download the free printables available for the February challenge.  You can check it out at their blog post here.

Please note - they made the decision to cancel the Mini Challenge from the schedule.  If you are sad about this, they would like to hear from you because if there is enough interest, they may consider bringing it back.

And without further ado, here is February's Challenge:

Here is is my finished art journal project:

When I saw that the February theme is love, I just had to use a photo from my wedding day. We met on a blind date 33 years ago and were married 2 months later. I guess when you know it's love, you know! LOL.  (John was in the Army when we first met, and we actually wrote many letters to each other during that 2 month period!)  I used the lyrics from Elvis Presley's beautiful song "Can't Help Falling In Love."

The background paper that I used is from the 49 and Market "Spectrum Sherbet" collection, specifically the Sherbet Foundations pack.

I hope that you get a chance to check More Than Words his month!

I am also linking my page to the February Art Journal Journey Monthly challenge: 

 

This month is hosted by Erika from BioArtGal!  Her awesome theme is "Seeing Red."

 

As you know, my page is all about love, and I have included a red heart next to the photo that definitely stands out!  Thanks so much, Art Journal Journey and Erika, for the inspiration this month.

And thank you for stopping by my blog today.  Have a wonderful February!!