Beauty & Brains

Inspired by Norma J. Burnell...

Hardcase cover iPhone and more...

A few weeks ago I got myself a new mobile phone...and going from iPhone 4 to iPhone5 meant that my old cover to protect my phone didn't fit any longer.
First I was playing with some old artwork but nothing was suitable enough for my new cover. It looked like there was constantly missing something:  pieces of my collages that didn't fit in the frame for the cover-design.
So I decided to design a new cover! I enlarged the sizes of my iPhone and created a collage. So the original collage is about 4 or 5 times bigger than my phone.
I scanned the collage and uploaded it to the website where I wanted to order my hardcase cover.
This is the original collage:

and this is my new cover:

I already got a lot of compliments! 

I also made new page in my journal:

TFL!

Sandra

Nothing ever goes away...

...untill it teaches us what we need to know.

TFL!

Sandra

Better than that...

I've never seen one of the Rocky movies...but I like the quote!

TFL!

Sandra

Happy 2015!

Starting the new year with positive thoughts....and my only resolution for 2015 is to try to do this all 365 days  that are coming!

Every day starts a new year in your life. 

It's yours to create.

TFL!

Sandra

Mix it all up!

My newest artwork: a little bit of collage mixed with lots of zentangling.

I needed the 'zen'-part...I love the result!

TFL!

Sandra

From paper to cover!

This is one of my journal pages I made a while ago:

And this is what happened when I ordered a new cover for my iPhone at an online photo-printservice:

Unique and personal...Me happy!!!!

TFL!

Sandra

A new page in my pizzabox journal

I decided to finish my pizzabox-journal first before starting a new journal.
Here is my latest page in this journal:

Look for something positive in each day, 

even if some days you have to look a little harder...

(size 23,5x24cm)

If you want to see more pages in my pizzabox-journal: here you will find my latest blogpost about it. Previous blogposts: here, here and here..and here and the start: here !

TFL!

Sandra

Last two pages....

..and now this journal is completely filled with my collages!

Afscheid nemen is met zachte vingers wat voorbij is 

dichtdoen en verpakken in de goede gedachten ter herinnering.

(Translation: Saying goodbye is softly closing and 

wrapping that what has been gone, in good memories.)

Everyone has a friend during each stage of life 

but only the lucky ones have the same friend in all stages of life...

TFL!

Sandra

Black & White..and color of course..

I loved my black and white collage so much that I decided to try another one. I'm not completely satisfied but that is ok:

Don't lose faith...sometimes what looks like a disappointment

is simply meant to get you in position for greatness.

And another one...I needed some color again...:

Be ok with not knowing for sure what might come next, 

but know that whatever it is you will be ok.

Only two more empty pages in this journal left....

TFL!

Sandra

More pages...

This first page I want to show you is about a personal challenge, just to force myself to get out of my comfort zone. First I challenged myself to use only black and white (and grey) pictures in my collage, because I ALWAYS use as much color as possible. The second challenge was to create a collage that didn't mean anything...so no new creatures or girls with big heads, just a collection of cutouts glued on paper.
Because I am working in a selfmade journal (à la Teesha of course) in which I painted all the pages before even working in it...I allowed myself to use a colored background...plain blue acrylic paint as we speak :-)
This is what happened:

Journaling (in dutch): 

Jezelf afsluiten is jezelf beperken. Neem de dingen zoals ze zijn. 

Vertrouw op je eigen kracht. Open je deuren en geniet.

I like it!!! Yeah! So...lesson learned: I want more of this!!

The second page I'm showing you is about a little flaw in my character..haha..I like to be 'a little' stubborn now and then...I like to bend the rules sometimes or let's say: stretch my boundaries!
The page isn't upside down by the way...so don't stretch your neck too far...

Journaling: 

I don't have an attitude problem. 

I just have a personality you can't handle!

And the third page is one I finally finished. The collage was in my journal for months now...I just never felt working on it. I probably had great plans when I made this collage but somehow..it didn't work out like I wanted to.
This is what it looked like:

Last week I wanted to finish it because it is one of the last pages in this journal...and I just couldn't accept the fact that there is an unfinished page in my journal...
By the way. that is also what I like most about these Teesha Moore-bound journals and why I keep coming back to them: the journals have just the right size and the right number of pages. It is possible and even simple to finish a complete journal! (I have lots of journals with only a few pages in it and the rest of the pages are empty, simply because there are too many pages in it, or after a few pages I want another size...)
Anyway, this is what happened after I added some shadow with an Inktense pencil, added the journaling and some doodling with colored markers.

Journaling:

You don't need another human being to make your life complete. 

But let's be honest...

having your wounds kissed by someone who doesn't see them

as disasters in your soul but cracks to put their love into 

is the most calming thing in this world.

That's all for now. Only four pages left in this journal...

TFL!

Sandra

Whenever you find yourself doubting...

...how far you can go...just remember how far you've come. Remember everything you have faced, all the battles you have won and all the fears you have overcome.

Enjoying lots of art journaling time right now...being in a great, creative flow!
Let's hope it will last a little bit longer...

TFL!

Sandra

Sometimes you wish...

..you could just fast forward time, just to see if in the end it is all worth it.

TFL!

Sandra

No matter how you feel...

...get up, dress up, show up and never give up!

TFL!

Sandra

Watch the sunrise...

It is summer but it feels like autumn today...a grey, rainy day here in Holland!
But this bad weather was great for working in my art journal...

"Watch the sunrise at least once a year. Put a lot of marshmellows in your hot chocolate. Lie on your back and look at the stars. Never pass up a chance to jump on a trampoline. Don't overlook life's small joys while searching for the big ones."

TFL!

Sandra

A little bit of this and that...

I created several pages lately, trying different things, just what I felt like doing.
It is all about being creative and not about the results! Although I like what came out of my hands....

Simple collage, combined with text on a background of Neocolors and stamps:

 

Doodling, in black and white...

..and colored with Prismacolor pencils:

More doodling and coloring with Prismacolor pencils:

Collage on a background of scrapbookpaper, cut to A4 size.
I would have loved to credit the designer of the scrapbookpaper, but I threw away the strips with their name on it...However, their papers make a quick and easy backgroud!
I just added the cutout of the woman and the text (in red). I made some blue dots too.

The same for this page, only without an image. Just added the journaling (found on Pinterest) and a little bit of extra doodling.

As I said before, it was all about being creative. No fancy techniques, no complicated collages, I just kept things simple...and the fact that I'm happy with the results is a bonus!

TFL!

Sandra

Finally, after a long time...I found a new job...one that I really, really, really wanted and never dreamed of finding it again. I just finished my first week....Instead of working 16 hours a week (divided in cleaning and being a mailwoman) I now work for 24 hours a week at the office. So I'm feeling good!!! And tired....:-)
I even managed to squeeze in some time for art journaling:

TFL!

Sandra

Letting go...

Three new pages...

TFL!

Sandra

Inspired...

The past few weeks I was inspired by Terri Kahrs' workshop she did for 21Secrets 2013. She released her workshop on her YouTube channel and I loved it!!
She showed the difference between inkjetprinted and laserprinted pictures and how she uses reproduced images and backgrounds from her own artwork.
It was just what I needed to get me started in my art journal again!

First I created some quick collagesheet with parts of my own artwork. Like this:

I had these printed on a laserprinter, together with some previously made backgrounds, which I scanned before I collaged my images.
I wanted to start a new journal in which I would write down my favourite quotes, so I grabbed a thin Moleskine A5 sized journal (cahier) and started working...
I collaged pieces of the printed backgrounds in my journal. I tried all the background techniques Terri showed in her video's, with gesso, neocolors, acrylic paint etc. I noticed that the one with gesso, water and neocolors got me the best results. On top of these backgrounds I collaged my printed images. I also used some clothing labels as flaps on my pages to create some secret journaling spots. I collaged these flaps with pieces of my printed papers too.

(The image is collaged on a flap. 

The text on the flap is in golden letters 

but somehow my printer/scanner didn't get it right...

Behind the flap is some secret journaling.)

(With the backgrounds I created on pieces of cardstock, 

while watching the video's, I created some cute houses..)

The butterfly wings on this last page come from a great book I found at a big booksale. The book was all about butterflies with lots of images, perfect for my collages. So be prepared for some more butterfly inspired pages!

TFL!

Sandra

Never regret...

...anything that has happened in your life....

I think it took me a month to finish these pages. I'm way too busy too create, which makes it hard getting in the right creative flow.

TFL!

Sandra