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Art Journal August in March ...

 

It's Friday afternoon and I'm sat on the sofa, full of chocolate and tea, ready for another rambling blog post about what I've been up to.  Mainly eating chocolate and drinking tea, to be fair.... actually, I have been reasonably busy, in between bouts of whingeing about the cold weather.  The above page is another finished one for my Ann Wood 100 days stitchbook challenge.  This embroidery is probably the most traditional kind of design I've done so far, and reminds me of those embroidered tablecloths and tray cloths you find in charity shops.  
This is my next page that's just been started.  I'm using a piece of calico that's been coloured and stenciled with acrylic paint.  The paint makes the material rather stiffer to push a needle through, but it's manageable.  
Apart from that, I've been revisiting some YouTube videos I first watched several months ago.  They're by Shana who goes under the channel name of Shanouki Art - link's here - and she hosted an Art Journal August challenge.  The idea was that you made a small junk journal and filled it with pages inspired by her artwork.  I really enjoyed the videos, but didn't feel like taking part at the time.  But, for no good reason, now I do! 
The journal's a really simple zig-zag design.  You make the cover, then stitch in two signatures, each of which is four sheet of paper. I used Amazon packaging for my cover, and any old paper I had lying around.  
After making the journal, we made a 'masterboard'.  A sheet of paper or thin cardstock decorated in the colours of our choice.  I went for blue and green.  Initially my effort lacked anything pleasing, but I persevered, broke out the stencils and metallic gold paint, plus printing stamps and black ink pad.  I ended up with something I kinda liked on the front and back covers of my journal.  
We also made a matching tag, to sit inside a pocket in the book. 
I used my Sissix machine and a label shaped die cut, and added a little snippet of pink sari to pretty it up.  
The next prompt involved picking a colour we either didn't like or didn't use very much.  I went for yellow as I find yellow and orange more difficult colours to use than my preferred pinks, reds and purple shades.  We were to gather up several examples of our 'yuck' colour, as Shana put it, though I struggled to find much in the way of yellow.  In the end most of the background came from an old copy of 'Grazia' magazine.  My collage is quite simple, but it's okay.  If you feel like joining in, the 'Art Journal August' playlist is on Shana's YouTube channel.  Maybe take a look?  
Over the last few days I've made a couple of other junk/art journals too.  The pages inside are mainly gell prints, of which I'd amassed a ridiculous amount.  I folded them into signatures and bound them into simple books, with gell print covered cardboard covers.  The cardboard not coming from Amazon packaging this time, but multipacks of my favourite chocolate bars.  (White choc Bueno bars, since you ask.  The royalty of the confectionary world, as far as I'm concerned.)  
The book's have different prints on their front and back covers as I was using up whatever partial prints I had, and I've covered the spines with pink painted and stenciled brown packaging tape.  
It's fun to make this, and is a DIY version of washi tape.  Only wider.  
What else can I tell you about?  I picked up a chunky 'Weird Fish' jumper in a charity shop for the bargain price of a fiver.  Plus these black feathers for 79p.  I've no idea what I'll use them for, but I bet I'll come up with something.  I also found this delightfully retro craft book for a mere 50 pence.  First printed in 1979 it's got an authentic Seventies look.  
Though I'm not sure I'll be sewing myself a smock any time soon...
Or decorating a lamp base.  
But while the designs might be dated, the technical info in the book is still valid.  I mean, for 50 pence I couldn't resist, could I?  Even though I've got so many craft books already, but then again, what's one more?  

Okay, that's about all.  I'm going to tune into the 6 o'clock news and see what new horrors have gone on in the world.  Honestly, no wonder I spend my days crafting or gardening or reading novels.  The real world feels like it's going to hell in a handcart.  Oh well, there's always tea and chocolate and neighbourhood cats to stroke and listen to them purr.
Hope you have a great weekend.  Bye for now.      

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