My Personal Art Journal - Part 3

This is the third installment of a journey into my Personal Art Journal and I am sharing a page that I created almost like a scrapbook page... well actually it created itself... I just came along for the ride - grin.

This part of my journey is called "No Man's Land" and creating this page helped me to realize that if you never allow yourself to grieve you end up in a place where you cannot go back but you cannot move forward either, so there you are... STUCK in No Man's Land...

I love that my hubby said, when he saw it, "It looks like a desert."  because that was how I felt about it all - Dry, Barren, Hot winds blowing across the prairies, and Alone... oh so Alone...

Fro those who need to know, I created the background using my Tim Holtz Distress stains in Broken China, Mustard Seed and Walnut Stain, and used my Tim Holtz Alpha Die Strip as a mask to break up the too intense colors.... I added torn paper, and finally got to use my Quickutz Tree with Crows Die that I bought EONS ago, because it just added to the overall desert feel.

I spent a lot of time with my black and white gel pens on this page, doodling and writing whatever came to me... not worrying about how it looked, only about how it felt... and when I was done it felt GOOD!

Thank you for stopping in to share this part of my journey with me and please do let me know what YOU think about all of this... smile

Scrapbook Lynne Mizera

My Personal Art Journal - part 2

As promised, here is the second installment of my Personal Art Journal... As I mentioned in the previous post, I don't usually share this part of my world because for me art journaling really IS about using Art to heal or to work through something difficult, and I don't want to taint my process worrying about making pretty pictures.  But because this process has had such a huge impact on my life I just HAVE to share some of it with all of you in case one of you is searching for something.  This process has helped me when nothing else did...

This particular page is pretty dark, but you will notice not ALL dark... because for this exercise, called "Ground Zero", I was directed to create a picture of how my heart felt at the beginning of my healing journey... My initial thought was to create something all Black with a crack of Red running right through it like a river of  lava... So I sat down with a pile of red paper that I RIPPED and TORE (part of the healing process) and covered the entire page with all that RED... 

but when it came time to to paint the page black I just couldn't... because to me this page represented my soul and I just could not paint my entire soul BLACK, because it wasn't all black, so the idea evolved and strips of of black, and bits of  shiny, sparkly silver and the soft glow of gold added themselves to the page.

And then right in the middle of the page I saw the Heart shape, and as I pulled that shape out with my pen, a second smaller heart appeared to me... 

This page is THICK with Mod Podged texture and bumpy and smooth at the same time and I find that every time I look at it I have to touch it, stroke it... but this page, and the process of creating it has helped me to heal so much...

Thank you for allowing me to share this powerful, healing part of my art with you... and please do let me know what you think about it all...

Scrapbook Lynne Mizera

Art Journaling is for the SOUL...

It's Friday and that means Unity Stamps "Friends with Flair" and it also means with this post I will have posted for three "Friends with Flair" in a row... now THAT's a follow-through for sure!

Today I am sharing a journal page I created this week of my "Happy Place". 

Now, I don't normally share my personal art journaling, but as I work my way through a very intense, very personal journey I am on as I mourn some losses, my art journal has become the polysporin and band-aid that is covering up the holes in my heart and finally allowing me to heal...

This page shows with uncanny reality how I see myself in my head and expresses almost exactly how I feel when I am on my wooden swing under "My Trees".  

I use this visual when I am feeling very fragile and don't think I can continue on with my journaling... I stop and imagine myself on my swing...SOARING... and it gives me that little bit of time to "catch my emotional breath" and then continue on through the pain to the healing... Happy Sigh!

Now for those of you that want to know, I created this background with my inky paper towels I use to blot my dylusion spraying, they are so pretty I cannot bare to throw them away, so here they are again! I used Mod Podge to apply them righ tovertop of some paint splatters and stamped images already on the page and the paper towels did  not cover up the images, but just faded them back, Cool Huh? So if you haven't tried Art Journaling yet, give it a go, it's not about making pretty pictures, it's about creating to make YOU feel better...

Note:  This is the first in a series of Art Journal Pages that I will be sharing with all of you this coming week... So if this interests you, do stop by next week.

Thanks for popping in to see me again today, and as always, leave me a comment if you like what you see!

Scrapbook Lynne Mizera

PS: I linked this up to Unity Stamps' Friends With Flair Today!

A Girl And An Empty Coffeemate Tin

Today I have created a pictorial "How-To" showing you what happens when you leave me alone with my imagination and an empty CoffeeMate tin ... Grin

Yes, I admit it - I LOVE CoffeeMate and I buy it in the biggest tin it comes in and refill my four plastic CoffeeMate containers over and over.  But have you ever seen the Tin?!  They are so BIG and so solidly made that I just cannot throw them away, I just KNOW there must be something I can do to "re-purpose" them ... And then it came to me - My NEW Halloween Candy bucket and future Treasure Holder: TAAA DAAA!

And Here's How It's Done:

1. Start with an empty tin

2. Paste on paint chips (taken from the hardware store to re-purpose) which have been run through an embossing folder to create some texture, and add more texture using modeling paste and some stencils - let dry

3. Cover completely with white Gesso - let dry and then paint background with Silks enamel paint which allow you to layer the color without mixing- let dry

4. Spray 140lbs water color paper with a variety of Dylusion sprays, stamp Multiple Dyan Reaveley images and cut out

5. Paste cut out images to tin using matte ModPodge or multi medium,layering as you go

6. Add details with black and white gel pens

7. finish off with Stickles, Liquid Pearl and Liquid Glass

8. Fill with Candy and share with your friends!

I am sharing this on the Dylusions FaceBook Challenge Site for the October challenge of using Orange and Lime and Toadstools

And with Altered Eclectics - an Anything Goes Mixed Media site that is currently doing a Design Team Call!
And with 2 Creative Chicks, Challenge #19- Use any Tin Can (how could I NOT) grin

Thanks for stopping by to share my creativity and don't forget to leave me a comment if you like what you seeee! Grin
Scrapbook Lynne Mizera

The Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers Challenge #18 "I" is for Iconic...

Yup, it's time for another Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers (SSS) challenge and this week it's all about being FAMOUS...  

Create something that features a famous (or at least well-known) person, place or thing and link it up to our blog by October 11th for a chance to win one of our AWESOME Queen of Snark or Princess of Snark badges for your blog AND a chance to be a Guest Snarky Sister for a Challenge... Now who wouldn't want that? 

Here's my Submission for this week... MAE WEST... A truly great figure in the world of Women and a Feminist before that was a word.  I think she needs more ATTENTION!  Here are some of the wonderful "Words of Wisdom" attributed to the lovely Mae West:

“You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.” 

“There are no good girls gone wrong - just bad girls found out.” 

“Every man I meet wants to protect me. I can't figure out what from.”

“Between two evils, I always pick the one I never tried before.”  

So pop on over the "Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers"  Blog and see what my fellow sisters have created.

Thanks for stopping by to see what I am up to, and please leave me a comment if you like what you see.

Smile

Scrapbook Lynne Mizera

On Friday's It's Unity Stamps "Friends with Flair"!

I LOVE Unity Stamps and I have been collecting for about three years now (grin).  I made a promise to myself this year after the Gigantic MOVE from the acreage to town, when I had to pack up and unpack all my STUFF five times in six months and then SQUISH it all into my new studio space, that I would USE MY STUFF!  And a lot of my stuff is UNITY Stamps (Bigger Grin).  So Every Friday (I hope) you will see me enter somthing Yummy created with something Unity and I will be linking up to Friday's Friends with Flair!  Now tell me, what is more yummier than Birthday Cake?  Here is this weeks entry....

And for those that want to know:

I created that great background using my Kaleidacolor stamp pad and a brayer in Riviera colors (see HERE for more about What is a Kaleidacolor stamp pad. I used a Unity stamp from one of my many KOM's (Kits of the Month) And please don't ask me which one, I take them all apart when I get them and file them away into binders so I have NO IDEA which kit it came from. And I colored in my cake using Ranger's Liquid Pearls and Stickles in multiple colors. And some very old rick-rack stickers and a bit of ribbon with some star brads finished off this wonderful little tag already gifted to a dear, dear friend of mine...

So Thanks for popping  by today and sharing my creativity... and don't forget to leave me a comment if you like what you are seeing!

Scrapbook Lynne Mizera

WOYWW (What's on Your Workdesk? Wednesday)

OK Peeps... I'm jumping in with both feet and linking up to Julia Dunnit's Stamping Ground Blog for What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday... a place where you snap a photo of what our work space looks like Right Now... No cleaning allowed (grin) and talk a little about what you are working on...

So here are the very first photos of my Finally-Finished Studio Space or as I have now christened it... The PLAY ROOM!

And you are seeing a page from my Art Journal that I am keeping for a very personal and intense Woman's Support Group I am in right now...  On this page I was asked to create my "Happy Place"

Which I created IN my Happy Place (note the empty wine glass? Grin).

 and here is a closer Close up...

At some point this month I plan on writing a week-long reveal for my brand new studio space (which I have been planning for years and building for the past six months) so consider this a TEASER... and a glimpse into what it REALLY looks like when I am working!

Thanks for stopping by to share with me today... and please do leave me a comment if you like what you see... I LOVE getting them!

Scrapbook Lynne Mizera

Gettin my BlogLovin

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/4701179/?claim=8gea2qqus37">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

Guest Designer for Quirky Crafts... whoo hooo!

Today I am taking a little trip "over the pond" to Britain and joining the awesome Design Team at Quirky Crafts.  The Challenge this week is called Autumn Leaves  and you have two weeks to create something Autumn themed and link it up.  This challenge is being sponsored by "Stitchy Bear's Digital Stamps"  And there will be first, second and third place winners... 

Here is the Tag I created for this challenge using the Acorn Girl Digital Stamp.

I love using digital stamps because I size them to my project and print as many as I need.

I actually printed two of this image so I could cut out and "pop" elements off the tag to create some dimension.

I painted both images using my Silks, an acrylic glaze that shimmers, and then cut out and adheared key elements to the base using foam pop dots.  Then I added a layer of Ranger Stickles and CTMH Liquid Glass for that final bit of sparkle.

A bit of fiber for texture, two colors of mats and a bit of poetry about Autumn finished off this lovely little lady.
  So pop on by the Quirky Crafts Blog to see what the rest of the Design Team came up with and why not link up one of your creations?  You have until October 11th to play!

Thanks for stopping by to see what I am  up to, and please DO leave me a comment if you like what you are seeing! 

Cheers, Scrapbook Lynne

September "Be Inspired" Challenges

Today I created this tag for Unity Stamp's Friday "Friends with Flair" AND today I also get to cross one item off my Bucket List since I am also entering it into a couple of monthly challenges that have been on my radar for awhile, Smile.

And Here is my Creation.... 

To create this background I finally got to use my new collection of Lindsey's Stamp Gang Sprays - the Starburst collection, and a Unity Kit Of the Month (KOM) stamp I love using for backgrounds;

then I stamped and colored one of my favorite Phyllis Harris Unity stamps "Every Breath" and mounted her using foam pop dots over the tag... the sentiment is from another of my KOM's.

I am entering this tag into these two other Challenges:
Unity Stamp's "Be Inspired" Challenge: A challenge that I have wanted to particpate in for a while because I have been purchasing Unity Stamps for about three years now and have quite a collection... (so this also works with my mission to USE MY STUFF, especially stuff that is still brand spanking new...Grin.)

This is the Unity September Challenge Board - I went with the color challenge - and it goes until October 8th if you want to join in!

Rubber Dance Stamps September Challenge is the other challenge I am entering into.  This is a wonderful little stamp company out of Norway with a color challenge every month, with this month's theme being fall colors.  You can create anyTHING with any Thing! (frin) and it is open until September 30th if you want to play along. smile

Thank you Unity Stamps and Rubber Dance Stamps for giving me a reason to pull out some of my stash and USE IT!  I cannot wait for next month's challenges!

and Thank YOU for stopping by to see what I am up to these days... and please do leave me a comment if you are liking what you are seeing...Smile.

Scrapbook Lynne Mizera