{how kira got her mojo back}

It’s no secret that, for the last few weeks, I’ve been working more on the computer than in my journals or on canvas — packing up most of your supplies and losing desk space will do that to you — only pulling them out for Tuesday Vlog sessions or my weekly page for Points of Two. I can’t say it’s been entirely due to circumstance, as stress would be a more motivating force when it comes to art; instead, I’ve just been tired. My legs have been giving me more issues that normal, meaning I haven’t been sleeping very much, and sitting in a chair and pulling out papers and painting has seemed daunting.

And I haven’t been all that inspired, I guess. Maybe long to-do lists are the kryptonite to creative impulses — how could I take time to play when I still had so much to do?

Being a holiday weekend, I decided to take the time off, gather supplies in an old, discarded Easter basket, and head outside to try and journal.

And OMG, did it work! I spent the last three days outside working in two journals, switching back and forth between layers, not wanting to lose the flow while things dried. You see, on Thursday, I ventured to Michael’s and bought a little cheap pan watercolor set — who knew all the great things you could do with them? And with less mess? And with fun effects?

I just had to keep playing and making backgrounds, and then play with tape and new ways of writing inspired by a sign at Starbucks and papers and doodles and bits. I made a MESS. I made other people come out and play with me. I got spray paint in the sand. And sand on my pages.

Now I want to doodle and draw and paint some more and get stencils and make messes and find stick-on letters and new white paint and just keep going keep going until I drop...

 

{points of two week #25: change}

Points of Two is an experiment in journaling with myself and Roben Marie! Check out our archives to see the previous weeks' pages.

I'm going to give you this week's theme in Roben-Marie's own words:

This might be too deep, but I was thinking this weekend about how much I have changed over the last few years.  I find that I have much more patience and find I am much more giving of my time and talents.  I am calmer and react so differently to situations when things are out of my control.  I believe that people can change and I wonder if there may be a way to reflect on our growth over the last few years or less.  How can we meld that into a journal entry?

I do agree with her. There are so many things in me that have changed over the past few years: different reactions, more silver-lining, less depression, more confidence. I tried to meditate on these things while I worked on my page, even trying to work through the different stages in my art as I created. Experimentation. Mess. Thought. Collage. I even used watercolors, which was my very first medium.

People do change. I've seen it with my own eyes, how, if you put your mind to it, if you truly want to change for the better, you can. And if you want to become something more, a bigger, better YOU, that can happen, too.

I took some shots while I worked outside yesterday. Today, I'm grabbing the umbrella and setting up shop. I can't think of a better way to spend a nice, long holiday weekend.

Here's my completed page:

Materials: gesso, pan watercolors, collage bits, liquid acrylics, white pen, pencil, pen, hand-carved stamp

And Roben-Marie's page. Check out her blog for her story!

{vlog tuesday: when trolls attack}

Yup. It was exactly what that title implies. The kiddies are out of school, and several of them came over to today's vlog to spread around their message of immaturity and the need for nudity (not to mention one's apparent hate of people who are not supermodel thin). I had to actually stop broadcasting for a bit to figure out how to ban people and create a moderator (or three) to keep up with the endless chatter.

Once that was figured out, we had a good time. Thank you, girls, for defending me as I tried to figure things out, and having my back. I usually can keep poise when such things happen, but this was just too much! And amusing, actually....their comments showed much more about them than they probably thought!

Because of that, there's no recording from this week's vlog. It just kept having errors and issues. Now that the moderators are in place, I'm sure things will be back to normal next week.

There are a few things in the works, though, due to discussions from today's session! I'll have more on all those tomorrow!

<3, kira

{points of two week #24: trim!}

Points of Two is an experiment in journaling with myself and Roben Marie! Check out our archives to see the previous weeks' pages.

TRIM! I love trim. I really, really do. It's so much fun and comes in all sorts of colors and styles. Just wandering down those aisles of trim in Jo-Ann's or Hobby Lobby causes my muse to start jumping for joy and spurting out all sorts of ideas. Sewing it, stitching it, gluing it -- you can't escape the fun and joy of adding trim to your page.

True, true, in a journal, it may be a bit harder, and defiantly makes it thicker, but sometimes, we've just got to do what we love.

These days, scrapbooking shops carry all sorts of trims made especially for paper work, some of them miniaturized to fit better on the page. They come in more colors, with coordinating patterns, almost cookie-cut for a themed piece. Personally, I love the vintage-looking trims, those crocheted pieces of ivory lace, the sewn pieces full of frills and eyelets. You can find great trims at thrift stores, that is, if you're willing to cut up old tablecloths or sheets.

This page was actually created on the back of one of those postal service flat-rate envelopes. I just finished my current journal and haven't bound together my current one (it's all cut down, along with one I'm making for Norm!), so I grabbed what was closest and just started working. Gesso and paint reacted differently on this cardboard surface, even after a few layers, and I'm tempted to cut up a few more of these envelopes to bind into my new journal. I love working on new materials, and really love how things turned out on this one.

I attached the trims with double-sided tape. I find that works the best when working with ribbon and trim -- just lay down a path with the tape and press the trim/ribbon down along it. I've tried glue and gel medium before, and just wasn't satisfied with the results.

Be sure to check out Roben-Marie's blog for the story behind her page!

 

week 24 TRIM!

(click & go to flickr)

& Roben-Marie's page!

{playing with ATCs...}

A few weeks ago, I noticed they sell ATC-sized papers in little packets for $1.99. Okay, I didn't just notice them a few weeks ago, but it was then that I was tempted to buy some and try this tiny format out. I had done some ATCs years and years ago (seen here and here), and while I enjoyed making them, I was still finding my collaging-self.

But, being adventurous, I cut down some blanks from left-over poster board and began playing. And I have to say, it's been a lot of fun. Here's some in-progress shots and the completed cards. Anyone up for trades? I've wanted to write letters, by hand, to unseen pen-pals, and figure this would be a fun way to do so!

 

 

 

PS. About tomorrow's live vlog -- please watch my Twitter stream for updates. I have to take my laptop apart to fix a problem, so am not sure it's 100% going to happen. YAY technology! [/sarcasm]

{points of two week #23: art bits & digital work}

Points of Two is an experiment in journaling with myself and Roben Marie! Check out our archives to see the previous weeks' pages.

A few weeks ago, Roben-Marie came to me with a proposition. She said that, over at the site where she sells her digital scrapbooking goods, they sometimes pair designers with artists to create some lovely things, and would I be interested? Now, if you've seen her creations, you know how amazingly talented she is, so I jumped at the opportunity.

And you should see the gorgeous things she came up with!

Of course, I just HAD to play with them. They're so fun and bright and COOL. So this week's pages were created with the digital bits Roben-Marie created. I love how different our pages came out even though we were using the same bits and pieces. It really is a great dichotomy. And if you'd like some of the bits for yourself, go on and grab 'em!

Click to make the images bigger!

And Roben-Marie's page. Be sure to check out her blog for her story!

And here's info and such for the bits ;)

First user save $1 on Art Bits!  Use code:  meandkira110  at checkout! :)

First user save $1 on Art Bits!  Use code:  meandkira210  at checkout! :)