Beginnings of Winter Journal Page

I took out my journal and was thinking of how I just made my Autumn girl * (you can see her in the previous post if you missed her) and how maybe I should do a girl for each of the seasons. And so the story begins.

I knew I wanted winter to be a girl who was pale like snow, with jet black hair and ruby red lips.

I had this wonderful scrapbook paper that had deer, birds, trees and snow. I added it to give the page interest and dimension. I wrapped it around my girl like winter wraps snow around nature in winter.

I wanted the sky to be blue with snow and maybe have the appearance of rain falling. This was the beginning concepts for my winter pages.

I love how sometimes things just flow better when you sit down on a different days and on different weeks. I can't wait to share with you the finished pages. Here she is with a few layers and sorry the image was taken at night so its not the clearest, but when I post the pages done I will take the photographs in day light.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend ahead! We've been having our typical late CA. summer, which as me indoors under a fan and trying to paint more! If you like to visit other artists and see what they created this week this post is linked up with Paint Party Friday and the link is in resources. See you soon!

Did you get any creative projects done this past week? What is your favorite season? 

Slide Show of 2010 Artwork

I created this slide show with some of the work that I had placed on Flickr. I thought you might like to see what I created in 2010 all in one space. You can see some of the changes, exploring and outcomes that happened over the year with my art and might see some crafty designs in other mediums too. I know I am missing quite a few pieces but hope you enjoy it none the less. I am planning on starting new sets for my journal pages, mixed media etc. and tag work by year. This way I can keep all the images in Flickr to help organize what I am doing and be able to reflect and share my work. If you are on Flickr feel free to add me as a contact & I'll do the same. *link to page above I hope you had a wonderful holiday season and a Happy New Year! I look forward to getting back to creating after settling in from being out of town. I also plan on sharing some photos from our little trip and family fun that we had & more~ Until then happy creating!

Simply Sunday "Pocketful of Dreams"

Journal Page pocketful of Dreams~

Knowing that I have guides watching over me~
Putting my goals in my pocketful of dreams~
November + Reflections of the year~
Thankful for~
This weeks free journal prompt is "Pocketful of Dreams." I always find myself at the end of the year in November and December having a lot of reflection, asking myself questions and wondering if my choices in this year were the best I could of made. Have I used my time wisely, met my goals and do I see my dreams becoming a reality? Have I taken risks? Put myself out there enough? Maybe not. Maybe I haven't accomplished all that I have wanted but I have a lot to be thankful for and the steps that were taken this year. I still have my dreams and am not giving up on them. I am listening to the voices that guide me and am creating a plan and putting my dreams in a pocket. One by one I will take them out and try to accomplish them and maybe one day when I reach in I will get that golden ticket~
I hope you make a journal page and write down your pocketful of dreams and don't give up on them. Be happy for others successes and don't compare yourself to where they are in their journey. Create your goals and take the little steps necessary to bring them to fruition.
I have to remind myself this daily as it is so easy to compare one's self and get lost in the pool of talent that is around us in the world.
Do you find it hard to focus when you see such talent abound? How do you hold on to your dreams to make them a reality?

Cherish your visions and dreams as they are the children of your soul, the blueprint of ultimate achievements. ~Napoleon Hill

Keep your dreams alive, understand to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hard work, and determination. Remember things are possible for those who believe. ~Gail Devers

*feel free to leave your link in the comment section if you use this prompt to create a page so we may visit and see what you have created~

Simply Sunday " Magical" Halloween

Do you remember when you were a kid and Halloween was the most magical time! It still is for many adults being able to dress up in your fantasy costumes, have parties decorated in full fantasy and cast with magic. At our house part of the magic includes passing out candy to excited children running around in their costumes, eyes light up, waiting for that handful of candy. The magical treat for us is seeing all the wonderful costumes and happy kids. Even our daughter Sammie loves to pass out candy it is half the fun for her. We usually pass out candy for half the time and run around the neighborhood the other half. We leave a bucket of candy at the door when we leave and hope they only grab a handful~ and what is great is I think they do as when we return there is always some candy left in the bucket. So if you have time to create a journal page today or this week our prompt is "Magical" you can draw an illustration, write about your favorite magical time as a child or maybe the party you went to last night & what made it so magical~ For anyone that celebrates Halloween have a safe and magical time~
What is your favorite part of Halloween? What is magical to you?
The real secret of magic lies in the performance~ David Copperfield
A piece of writing is like a piece of magic. You create something out of nothing.~ Susanna Clarke

Spread Your Wings & Fly

Completed pages

Willowing is having a free e class Art, Heart & Healing. I decided to join her group & participate. She is being so generous to have her course up & allowing anyone to join at any time. It just started on Oct. 18th. Willowing is covering some basics of her style of drawing and also sharing journal inspiration, thoughts & prompts. I created for week one the pages Spread your wings & fly. I thought I would share it with you. At first my pages were going to be in light colors, peachy and then I just went bold with the girl in contrast to her wings and background. On the left side my journal writing is covered and on her hair it reads; Make your dreams a reality. I have put Willowing's button here & will add it to resources for others who don't see this post. I think for anyone starting out or wanting more inspiration this is a great opportunity to see someones process and gather more tools for your personal toolbox.
Have you ever taken any of Willowing's classes? Do you enjoy journaling? What dreams do you wish to become a reality?

Vintage Love Journal Page

I wanted to share one of my "Vintage Love" journal prompt pages. This was the first page I did it is rather simple compared to the one I'll show you later. One of the things I did was painted a aged colored background. I took an old letter that had ink writing on it and split it in half. I glued down the side with writing and then sewed by hand the words Vintage Love. On the journal page I also used a photograph of my grandmother, some vintage buttons, lace, old wall paper and a few other elements. I hope you give the journal prompt "Vintage Love" a try and add your linky to the "Simply Sunday" posting~ Its open for awhile so there is still plenty of time to make a page and share it.
"Suddenly, as rare things will, it vanished."~Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Variations Of Trust

I wanted to show you the original journal page and the variation which I posted first. I am looking for the better photograph of the original but wanted to show you so you could see the differences. I need to organize my photographs, another thing on my to do list. What I love about the first one is the bird and what I love about the second one is the writing in her hair. (listen to your heart, trust and follow your dreams) I may try doing another variation of them until I find one I love for the whole painting. Which is your favorite? Why? Do you ever use a piece of artwork and build it on variations of a theme? What kind of art, photography or writing have you created with using variations? Maybe if you haven't tried it this would be a good exercise ~
To me I think artists in general make a statement - and for the rest of their lives - every album, every book - are variations on a theme.~ Mark Mothersbaugh

Earth Day

woodlywonderworks' photostream on flickr
Mitten melee
Journal pages by Theresa Huse

Earth day is a important reminder how fragile our mother Earth is. I am grateful for all she has given us. Her beauty, her wisdom and insights ~ We must listen to her and be one with the Earth as she is our precious home and asking for our help. Every day is Earth day and we must do our part to help save her~ for some links to tips, products and another Earth day article click here.

We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children. ~Native American Proverb

When we heal the earth, we heal ourselves. ~David Orr

After a visit to the beach, it's hard to believe that we live in a material world. ~Pam Shaw

Art Journal Pages "The Crucifixion"

Crucifixion was done to provide a death that was particularly slow, painful (hence the term excruciating, literally "out of crucifying").

My grandmother was a very religious person and although I do not practice her faith, I decided to do this page to honor her memory and her belief's. I decided to look up information about the Crucifixion of Jesus. I remember her always attending mass for Ash Wednesday and giving up things for Lent and being so happy about Easter and the celebration of Christ's rising from the dead. More about Jesus' s crucifixion - Here
Whether we learn of history and religion from our relatives, books or Internet it is something we can continue to use for inspiration in our art work. For me it broadens my thoughts, appreciation and understanding for all people and places.
What events in history interest you? What spiritual or religious belief's or holidays have influenced you? Have you used it for inspiration in your art or journal work? Who influenced your childhood? How?
Let me know, then consider journaling the topics in your art journal pages.

The resurrection gives my life meaning and direction and the opportunity to start over no matter what my circumstances. ~Robert Flatt

Easter is the demonstration of God that life is essentially spiritual and timeless. ~Charles M. Crowe