Sketchy Girls and Journal pages

Well, it certainly has been a while since I last posted. I have been following and loving all the bits you guys have been sharing over in the Brimbles Facebook Group  but I've been a bit AWOL. I got married at the beginning of October (yay!) so most of August and September saw me working away on candles, decorations and my bouquet as I decided to undertake most things myself. Phew! It was stressful and hardworking but boy did it teach me a thing or two!

(Photo curtesy of Anna Brim. I was too busy doing the getting married bit and I've not had the professional photographs back yet.)

For a while I've been struggling with creativity and I've continuously hit a block whenever the creative mojo strikes. I've had to learn to love and enjoy the process of crafting again, sometimes working creatively for you business can, sadly, sometimes starve and taint the artist within. The process becomes clinical, and unfortunately I have lost some love for it. Since the wedding though, I feel rejuvenated and I've decided to dedicate some more time for creating just for me. I've taken a couple of weeks off, closing my shop to create purely for me and to push and explore some ideas I'd placed on the back burner.

Autumn is probably my favourite season, with Winter coming an incredibly close second (mostly because of CHRISTMAS!). It's all the magical colours, the slight chill in the air, the feel of forthcoming rain, the squash and crunch of leaves underfoot. It is like the world opens up, and comes alive, shedding itself of what has come before and preparing itself for the new beginning in Spring. I feel like my soul vibrates to a different tune during the autumn, like I can breathe again. I can feel the inspiration bubbling away under the surface.

Following Anna's Autumn Doodle from last month's Patreon collage sheets, which pictured all her favourite things about the season, I decided to fetch my stamps and felt tips and give it a whirl. It feels like it's been a very long time since I did any of this!

Using stamps felt like a good way to go, it meant I could get creating a page, building volume and content quickly. All without the fear of how it would look, once it's down, it's down, no faffing back and forth about placement.

I have quite a collection of stamps, but there were a few Autumnal activities which I didn't have an appropriate stamp for, so I doodled a few in there too!

I ended up doing a bit of ghost stamping, which came about by mistake, since I dropped my inked stamp block onto the page and a little transferred. I thought I would roll with it and turn it into a feature. You'll notice it is a little funky around the tea bag haha! I've now filled

After getting stuck in with the stamping and colouring in, the creativity just kept on coming. This little lady came to mind after looking in the mirror. I often wear my dreads in a bun on the top of my head when I'm creating as they have a tendency to fall into paint, glue, glitter, whatever it is and the result is always a mess! J made the joke once that my dread bun looks like a cross between a pineapple and a pumpkin, and he's right.

Cartoony style art is something I'm really getting into, I'm not very good, I still really struggle with the looseness of it, but I'm getting there! I used a mixture of watercolour paint and pencils to create the texture of her hair and then outlined her using a 0.3 waterfast pigment liner. I felt she was missing something so I gave her some pumpkin leaf earrings too match her hair. I want to work a little more on faces so I'm going revisit some of Anna's early Patreon content where she gave some tips and tricks for drawing sketchy girls.

I'm now off to download and play with the next lot of collage sheets! Till next time guys xx

This month's blog post from me is inspired by our book club and the book we read for
September and October: Mr Penumbra's 24 hour book store.  I really liked this book, it was magical in the way only books about books can be.  I also really liked the theme of fellowship and friendship.

I really loved Anna's collage sheet that focused on her favourite quotes from the book and it got me thinking about my favourite.

I thought this one summed up the magic of the book for me:

"There is no immortality that is not built on friendship and work done with care.  All the secrets in the world are hiding in plain sight."

I knew I wanted my page to represent the magic of the book and so I decided to paint a universe with watercolours, as we are led to believe the secrets to the universe are held in the bookstore and in the codes.  I then drew my representation of the symbol used by The Unbroken Spine (this is a great name for a book society!) and added the second part of the quote to it.

I really enjoyed stretching myself for this art journal page - I don't usually make art based on books I've read but I think I'm going to try and do it each month for the book club.

Don't forget to check out Anna's Patreon which includes all of Anna's beautiful collage sheets including these gorgeous pages as well as art tutorials. You can find more of my art here, on my blog, or on Instagram.

Using poetry to inspire art

I use poetry a lot in my art journal- it inspires a lot of my pages and gives additional meaning to my art.  I usually just store photos of poems I like on my phone but I've recently found this hard to keep track of.  So I've created a travelers notebook to collect these words that inspire me.  I write them poems or quotes in here and use a simple decoration on each page.  For these two poems I've used collage sheets from this month's Patreon and think they set the poems off nicely and look so pretty (making me more likely to continue with this notebook).

I've just started a new journal about the seasons and plan to include some of my favourite poems about change within it.  This is a found journal (basically anything that can be repurposed for art - in this case a children's book but it can be as simple as a mail order catalogue or a pamphlet you find at the doctor's office).

For my introductory page I wanted to journal about my journey as a woman, the seasons in our lives.  So I drew some figures based on some images from Jane Davenport's book and painted them.  I wanted a background that was airy and clean but it was impossible to watercolour on the glossy papers.  I sorted through some of my paper stash and thought this collage paper from last month's patreon was perfect - the exact style I needed in a format that I could add to the glossy pages.

As you can see I kept the original book page on the right and added my poem around the clouds.  I like the daytime-sunset contrast between the two pages and feel it helps further illustrate the idea of the seasons of our life.

 Don't forget to check out Anna's Patreon which includes all of Anna's beautiful collage sheets including these gorgeous pages as well as art tutorials.

You can find more of my art here, on my blog, or on Instagram.

A New journal

I was sent a beautiful new something to share with you. Spoiler alert....it's lovely ha ha! If you would like to check out this company you can find them at: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/rkivejournals or https://www.instagram.com/r_kivejournals/

PLEASE NOTE: I was given this / these product(s) in exchange for my honest review and opinion, the fact that I was given these does not alter my opinion in anyway. This review is my own personal opinion on the product / company, given in good faith and has not be sponsored or endorsed. None of the links are affiliate links. Unless otherwise stated, all photography is my own

It's like greeting an old friend: Getting back into Creative Journalling

Hey guys!

I've been on a bit of a creative spurt since coming back from Cambs Planner Con. I'm not sure whether it is being in a room full of creative people or having spent time with amazing friends surrounded by like minded individuals on a mini holiday from normality. Once the post planner con blues have passed I'm left feeling rejuvenated and inspired!

For some time I've been in a creative lull, my journals both my art ones and my documenting ones have been left pretty much untouched since mid December (I've still not finished my Dec Daily!!). I've been creating, in the sense of dying leather and creating beautiful (if I do say so myself) planners for other people, but I've not created anything just for me.

Now the rush of stock making and creating for Cambs has finished I've had time to sit down and just create, and create, and create! Not only have I been involving myself in new areas of creativity (Mermay & Kerry's Monthly Challenges) I've also had a breakthrough. I've started working my way through alllll the pretty ephemera and papers I've hoarded for years. It is a turning point for sure!

I've two creative journal spreads to share with you today. The first documenting my trip with J to the cake baker for our wedding.....a rather tasty trip!! I thought this spread would perfectly suit Anna's 'We go together' Collection. The second documenting my time away for Cambs Planner Con 2018.

We go together like...

Often when the vellums (this one is from Filofabulousss) I use in my actual planning planner become too tatty or torn from use I'll include them in my creative journals. This insert is one I made especially for this entry as I thought the gorgeous teacups suited the theme perfectly, although I didn't have tea at the tasting, boo! Tea and cake, mmmm!

I began with a gentle water colour wash, I tried to pick out colours which complimented the teacups. I didn't want anything too bold or strong that it would overshadow the rest of the page. I then tentatively used my heatgun to quickly dry the wash....the thing still scares me!

Whilst I deliberated which pieces from the 'We go together' Collection I wanted to include, I used my  Canon Slephy to print off the photos. I will often print more than I use, so a) I have more choices available and b) I'll print other photos from other days so as not to waste the paper.

Space can be a bit of a premium for me at times, I like to leave a lot of white space, for my writing, which often navigates around the photographs and any bits of ephemera I've included. So using a journal card washi'd (is that even a word?) down as a flip out window really helps free up some of this real estate. I've also recently adopted Anna's style of adding a tab, which I came across in one of her DecDaily Youtube Videos. The tabs really do add that little bit extra to the window, gives it a bit more purpose, I think. 

Next played around with some 12x12 paper scraps I had left over from making this insert. I had a bit of mishap with the double sided tape and ended up ripping up some of the paper underneath. I need to  be a little more brave about just going with where I've stuck something down. In the end though I managed to cover it up with another sticker. When we travelled that morning the air was incredibly misty or foggy? Either way, it was pearly white and it always made me feel so nostalgic. Like I'm a kid again embarking on a new adventure.

I'm quite pleased with how the pages turned out. I decided to put the date on the vellum, I wasn't sure at first but I felt it needed to be tied in to the spread a little more as initially it felt like it was kinda just plonked there. A bit of layering and more washi and I'm a happy bunny. I'm really drawn to layering at the minute which you'll see in the next few pages I did documenting my trip to Cambridge for Cambs Planner Con 2018.

Cambridge Planner Con 2018

Whilst I was creating the above spread I decided to watch Anna's latest Patreon videos where Anna explores and demonstrates how to create your own ephemera. It got me thinking about how I would document Cambscon. The colour scheme Anna chose for this year was spot on! So bright and colourful, it sparked so many creative ideas for me. 

It has been an awful long time since I've made my own ephemera and journal cards, I tend to stick to scrapbook collections, and honestly I'd forgotten just how fun it was to make them myself. I didn't have to search through all the little bags of ephemera looking for the right colour or theme. I could just make them to fit exactly what I was after. 

I wanted to follow the bold and bright colours Anna chose for the event. So I grabbed out some of my acrylic paints and set to work. I tried to mix the colour palette in a way I wouldn't usually, for instance I tend to shy away from putting pink and green hues together. But here I decided to just have fun and try something different. Pushing away my usual creative lines. 

I really love how this page turned out. At first I wasn't sure how I was going to tie all the aspects together as  I just wasn't feeling it. Once I had added a few more layers and some phrases to the photos it began to feel more cohesive. I love the contrast of the black washi against the bright green and yellow acrylics!

Here I totally stole this idea from Anna's patreon video! Shameless but it is such an effective way of adding lettering to your page as well as creating interesting visuals. I had some left over bits from the ephemera pages I made, so I used a paper punch to punch the circles and then used a Sharpie Fineliner to add the letters. I'm definitely going to use this more often in my pages!

I'm not too keen on the black border on the yellow piece of ephemera I made, so I decided to hide it as much of it as I could...haha. A couple of stickers added and it softened the harsh edge a little more. I've also left quite a of white space as I have one or two more photographs to add, but, unfortunately I ran out of paper, so I'll stick them in when my new batch arrives. I have just clipped in the photo at the top for now until I can work out how I want to place them. 

I got a little carried away with the alpha stickers and realised I'd left very little space for me to add my writing, however, I love how this page turned out. To me it represents perfectly the excitement and buzz I felt just before everyone came through the doors. I did catch the 'Awesome' sticker as I was peeling it off the backing and the white layer underneath was showing. So I covered the worst parts with the gold stars and actually I think it looks even better for it. A happy little accident! 

Another flip out window tab thing (I'm still not sure what I want or should call it!). Initially I was going to add this to the acetate but I didn't like the way the sticky tape showed on the reverse so I opted for the good ol' washi trick. I've left it a fairly blank so I have some space to write! I get so carried away I often forget this part, haha. 

Here I've included some of the journal spots/ephemera pieces I created with my Dylusions acrylics, layering it behind the group photo. I then went with some contrasting alpha stickers, I love the way the word stands out. I even love how the word 'family' looks, as after I'd stuck down the F and A I realised I'd run out of M's and I's, so had to revert back to the silver alphas. I also really love, love, love all the bright colours and layers I have going on in this part of the spread! I'm all about the layers!!

Lastly here is a picture of my desk, just because, and also Anna has several desk avalanches in her video! A common occurrence for me too, haha. This, for me, is tidy! 

So that is all from me this time. After a rather brief time of short and sweet posts from me we are back to the long essays!....Sorry!

I would love to see everyone's desks mid creating, and to know if there is anyone who doesn't create mess as they create beauty?

In a bit x

You can also find me on Instagram, Pinterest, or Facebook. 

Grace's We Go Together Journal Pages

Hello everyone!

With this month's "We Go Together Like..." sticker club I was so happy that Anna made a kit that was suitable for those who like Valentine's... and also for those who do not (that would be me!).

With my stickers I decided to use the 'We Go Together' theme to do some creative journaling pages with pictures of my best friends and I. 

I have many creative journals, but as this is a super cute collection I went with my A6 size journal to do a smaller spread.

I started by painting on a thick layer of light pink acrylic paint. Nothing fancy, just a couple of swooshes with a wide brush:

The paper in this particular notebook is good quality, so I didn't bother priming the pages with gesso, which is what I would usually have started with. Once that paint was dry I added some of the washi and half box stickers:

Then backed my photos with some plain pink and blue paper to help them stand out, and started adding a few more stickers in clusters around the photos.

And some more stickers...

For the large 'XO' sticker in the centre I snipped it in half so it didn't bubble or buckle where it went over the two pages. I also used a 'We Go Together Like...' label from one of the sheets on the main photo to use as my title. Sometimes I think it's fun to use a 'small' title (if you're using one), rather than it taking up a lot of the page and drawing all the attention.

Lastly I added some doodles in a fine nib black gel pen, making a border around the whole spread and adding a few hearts. 

And there we go! I added in my journaling later on (in another fine nib gel pen) after I had taken the photos, some journaling you want to keep to yourself ;-)

And then, as ever, I decorated my planner pages. 

For my planner spread I decided to just stick with the Coffee and Doughnuts, and Tea and Biscuits stickers to have a 'Tea and Coffee' themed week. With Coffee for the Monday-Thursday half of the week (when you need it most!), and Tea and Biscuits for the weekend. 

There's a Plan With Me video for this spread on my YouTube channel, if you'd like to see the process. If you're not inclined to watching Plan With Me videos, then here are some close ups to get an idea of the process :) 

And there we have it! I had great fun with this super cute kit, and still have a few extra stickers that I think I'll use to decorate some happy mail - if I do, I'll share pictures on my instagram and on the Happy Place Facebook group, so keep an eye out! 

Thanks so much for reading :) 

Grace @ms.paperlover

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Grace's Bundled Up Creative Journaling

January's warm and snuggly stickers were just perfect for the beginning of the year; when it's horrible outside (well, it is for most of Europe anyway!), and all you want to do is hide in a duvet. 

Unfortunately I spent more of January wrapped in my duvet than I'd like after getting the dreaded flu! But this sticker kit was exactly what I needed to journal the event. It's always important to journal the good and the not so good!

I started by spraying the pages with a light layer of water, then adding watercolour paints and letting them blend into one another. I also added some watercolour splatters by tapping my brush over the pages.

I then added washi, both from the kit and from my stash onto the pages.

I backed my two photos with some Brimbles papers, both are the B sides of this paper, and this paper. 

Apologies for having to see my make-up-less face! But my lovely cat kept me warm while I was poorly and I managed to get a selfie with him! The flowers are some beautiful pink and white roses (one of my favourites) that my Dad got me as get well soon flowers.

I layered the stickers and some of the phrases over and around the photos, and some more in the corners of the pages, before adding my title with both hand lettering and some alpha stickers from a previous Brimbles Box. 

If you'd like to watch the whole process, then I have a video of that on my YouTube channel which you can watch by clicking here.

After that I did my usual, which was to decorate a weekly planner spread:

 And likewise, you can watch a video of that on my YouTube channel. 

Thanks so much for reading - I hope you're all keeping warm!

Grace @ms.paperlover

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