Some Journaling & Art In A Jar

Hello!

I took a few days off from crafting and blogging to spend some time with family.

Today we are having quite a nasty winter storm here.

It's the perfect kind of day to stay inside and do something creative.

I finished a couple of pages in my journal.

I'm pretty sure nobody wants to read my thoughts that are included with these pages, so I'm only showing sections.

The photo on this page was from a card that I purchased somewhere in Maine last year.

It speaks to me somehow and I had to include it in this journal.

The next several photos are my "ART In A Jar" series.

I'm having a ton of fun playing around with these.

This one looks like Spring to me.

I picked the sticks and berries that I used in my backyard.

This one is very whimsical.

There are watch parts scattered about .

I tried making one with pink glitter.

A little too much glitter I think.

I will use less with the next one.

Now I'm off to finish a necklace that I've been working on.

I hope you're keeping busy with something fun on this cold wintery day.

See you soon.

Karen



Art Journal Beginnings

About 10 years ago I was all about scrap booking.

My scrapbooks were not the typical one's where every page was someone else's clip art with a few photos pasted to the pages.  Not that there's anything wrong with that.  It's just not me.

My scrapbooks were more like a journal of my thoughts, my art and my photos.

Kind of interesting (to me at least) but not very pretty.

Well, a few months ago I purchased some handmade paper.

It's so pretty.

I wanted to save it for something special.

I thought it might make a sweet art journal.

I made the cover with recycled card stock paper then layered on some vintage lace and some dried plants that I gathered from along the woods while walking Jack. Then I embellished it with a couple of flea market items and some text. This was my first experience using gesso. This stuff is fabulous! I felt like a kid who had just discovered the joy of finger painting.

I was lost in the zone of creating.

I didn't care that my just cleaned dining room was now covered in gesso, glue, lace and bits of paper.

This morning I'm a little overwhelmed with the mess, but that's nothing new.

I will organize the chaos today and get ready to make a new mess.

It's all part of the process.

My thoughts today:  Life is short. Make a mess. Play as if you were a child and get lost in doing something that brings you joy.

Karen



Fairy Dreams

I've seen so many different things that people have been doing with old jars lately, so of course I had to give it a try. I used an idea that I had seen in a magazine, so it's not very original, but I like the way it turned out.

I had some trouble getting things glued to the inside of the jar.

"Fairy Dreams" is a song I found while sorting through some old sheet music and I thought it was just right for this project.

After I got the fairy glued into place I simply added some bits of a tattered old wedding dress.

I tied a strip of torn fabric around the lid and added a rusty skeleton key.

I placed it on the mantel beside my butterflies in a glass box.

I think they compliment each other nicely.

No, I'm not a butterfly killer!

I found these poor little creatures already in their current condition.

Have a great day.

Karen



More Jewelry Making

After a short break from jewelry making, I'm back to it again.

I feel like I am learning more with each piece that I create.

I've wasted a lot of wire over the past couple of weeks, but I think that's normal when you're learning.

I wanted to make a necklace that I could wear with almost anything and I wanted it to be silver.

Because silver is so expensive, I bought only enough to make this one piece.

The cross and part of the chain are vintage sterling and everything else is new.

I'm fascinated with beads made from unusual materials.

The beads I used for these earrings are made of paper.

I've added just some tiny scraps of tattered tulle to this pair of earrings.

They remind me of dancing ballerinas.

I wear a lot of black and gray, so I figured a pair of black earrings were in order.

These were made with vintage rosary parts.

This last necklace was made using a large glass focal bead that was given to me by my daughter.

I made the findings for this piece.

I think my husband must be at least slightly impressed with my efforts.

He's not big on compliments, but he surprised me with some tools for my jewelry making and he's not complaining about the huge mess.

See you soon.

Karen

Recycled Doily Sachets

If you ask me, nothing smells better than lavender.

I always keep a supply of French lavender buds on hand for making sachets.

These were all made from vintage linen doilies.

I picked these vintage doilies up at an estate sale for 3/$1.00.

These are about 10 and 12 inches in diameter and hold quite a lot of lavender.

These small sachets were made from thrifted doilies.

They are about 3 inches in diameter.

Each sachet holds one tablespoon of lavender.

I purchased all of them for just 29 cents.

They are adorned with tiny vintage flowers.

Jack likes the smell of lavender too, and fresh bed linens, and hamburgers and bacon and......

What's your favorite fragrance?

Karen



Soft and Pretty

It seems the older I get the more I crave softness and comfort in my surroundings.

Soft pastels, ruffles, fluffy girly bedding are some of my favorite things.

Life is hard, so why not soften it up a bit where we can.

PINK

RUFFLES

PAPER

LINENS

FASHION

JEWELRY

Thanks for visiting!

Karen



Brisk

As you can see, there is no snow on the ground.
The air is brisk, but unusually mild for this time of year.
My daughter Jamie, Jack and I were out enjoying the blue skies and fresh air this afternoon.

Down the trail that runs along the creek.

Around the pond.

A beautiful feather caught in a branch.

Don't you hate it when your boots pull your socks off?

Go for a walk. It'll make you feel good.

See you soon.

Karen