Art Journal Prompt #1 - Your Initial

So I had a request to post art journal prompts or challenges here to help people get started and so we can share our work. I was waiting to start the first week in January, but decided to give you a little extra time on this one. I would love to have as many people as possible play along. I know I keep saying this, but I really do recommend art journaling to everyone. It is so therapeutic and freeing! Please do not limit your creating to just the prompts I give. Play and experiment as much as possible!
I may be swiping some of my prompts from Emily at www.embers.typepad.com, but I will try to be as original as possible. This first one is from her and it is simply, "your intitial." So mine will be a page with the letter "D" on it. You can take these prompts and interpret them anyway you want. Do with them whatever you like! I thought this was a good one to start with and one I hadn't done myself yet. So over the next few days I will be working on this one.
The nice thing about prompts is that they can sometimes give you just a little needed nudge of inspiration when you may be stuck. I will try to do a post soon on some of my favorite art supplies, but nothing fancy is needed. Grab any kind of sketchpad, notebook, journal, etc. and get to it! You can start by using crayons, kids or craft paints magazine images...whatever you have on hand. If you have any questions, please, please, please just ask! Remember, THERE ARE NO RULES!!! Just let yourself be free and most importantly, HAVE FUN!

Mamma Mia

December 16th Mamma Mia came out on DVD. I loved the movie and saw it 5 times in the theater! I decided to have a party to watch it with yummy appetizers and lots of fun drinks!


The room looks really bright because of the flash, but really I just had candles and some hanging Christmas lights, there was just a nice glow. You can see the drink table with Red Hot Punch, Mock Margaritas and Virgin Pina Colada. It was all very yummy!


Kristin, Ileana and Alisa (Lucinda came a little later and I never got a picture of her.) :(


Me and my best friend, Russ. (He and Lucinda were the only ones who took full advantage of the lyrics on the screen for singing along!)

Merry Christmas!

Hello Everyone and a belated Merry Christmas! Sorry its been a while since I've posted, but here I am! I've really been enjoying the Holidays, spending lots of time with family and friends! At the end of November I decided I wanted to squeeze every bit of joy out of December that I could and I sure have! I only wish that I could be with more of you! One of the first Christmas activities that I did was go to A Candlelight Christmas at This is the Place Heritage Park. I had a really good time and highly recommend it to everyone, especially those with children. Very, very fun! Here are a few pictures.


This part of the live Nativity. I really liked how they did it. There was a path you had to go on and their were shepherds along the path with fires going. When you came to the last one, he asked if we came seeking the Christ Child and then led us the rest of the way to the barn. When he entered, he knelt before the baby Jesus. It made it feel very sacred. I almost didn't take a picture, because it somehow felt inappropriate. There were lots of animals in the stalls.

This is Ileana and mom on the train that takes you around the village. They even provided blankets because it was verrrrry chilly!!


Jackie and Stephen and myself up in the front of the train. (I look a little strange.)


Ileana and Stephen participating in an old-fashion dance at the School House. There was a little band there and it was very festive!


At Brigham Young's house the kids could write letters to Father Christmas. Then, we could take them to him in the barn and get your picture taken with him. There were reindeer there while you waited in line. I couldn't believe how big they were!
There were crafts for kids in about six different houses and carolers in the streets and a puppet show and several other fun things. I would love to go back!

Art Journal Pages

Hello! Sorry I haven't been posting, but here are a few more of my recent journal pages. I hope you enjoy them!


I worked on this one the week of Thanksgiving. I really enjoyed doing it and it helped me remember all that I have that makes my life rich! If you are thinking of art journaling, this is a GREAT page to do.


I did these pages when I was REALLY not doing well. I thought it was interesting that even though I used all the black I also had the flowers that may have represented the desire to feel better.

This is kind of a random crazy page, but I like it!

This is an old one, but I loved the colors!

My sleeping baby!

I LOVE this pup! Isn't he the cutest?!?

Just like a toddler in their terrible twos, you can really adore them when they're asleep!

Twilight Night

OK, what did everybody think?


November 21, 12:01 am. We bought our tickets months ago and were so excited! All 8 theaters were rented out and when we were on our way out of the midnight showing, there was a group waiting to go in for a 2:40 showing. All of Utah and salt lake County was like that, and probably more. Over 75 theaters were rented out that night!

Melodie, me and Ileana

This is my friend Jeanney who had rented out the theater.

There was a raffle with tons of prizes! Ileana won the very best thing, I was so happy for her! It's a sterling silver charm bracelet with a charm representing each of the characters.

More journal pages

I'm just about finished with my 2nd art journal, just a page or two left. I like to wait until I'm almost done to decorate the cover, so I did this last week. I was REALLY happy with how it turned out!

There is a wonderful blog by a very talented woman. She is very free and creative and I love that! embers.typepad.com In January of last year she started a project for her viewers online. It is a deck of cards called "The Deck of You." You check it out at http://embers.typepad.com/e/2007/01/page/2/ She gave a new prompt each week for a card. I've decided to use these prompts for journal pages. This is challange #3 I am...


I did this a few weeks ago. First, I put down a ripped paper towel with some Modge Podge, then just painted the sun and stapled some ribbons in the corner. The inspiriation was a small drawing of a sun that I saw in a magazine add. I really like the texture!


I had an artist friend that told me one of her teachers had taught that you should draw a self-portrait everyday. I have gotten out of the practice, but decided to do this a few weeks ago. I was really pleased with this, especially because its much skinnier than I am!


I had done these pages about a year ago, but just recently added the quote by marriane Williamson. I'd like to share it,
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'who am I to be brilliant...talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a Child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. there is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you...We are born to make manifest the Glory of God that is within us...As we let our own light shine, we unconciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."
I absolutely LOVE this quote! May we all learn to live it!

My own version of shower jelly.

Before I ordered my Lush, I was loving the idea of the shower jelly. I searched online and found a recipe. I made the version with the two packets of gelatin so that it would be firm enough to hold and use as is. (With the Lush version, many people pinch off a piece and smush it into a loofah because its hard to hold on to.) I think I may try using just one and a half packs next time and see how it works. You keep it in the fridge so when you use it is nice and cool and silky. I did not use the preservative and I have had the green one well over a month and it is still just fine!
I just found a new recipe that looks more like Lush's. Here is the link to it http://www.craftbits.com/viewProject.do?projectID=3

Here is the recipe I used:

1/2 cup melted transparent pour and melt soap. You can also substitute the melt and pour for a liquid shower gel or bubble bath. (I didn't notice you could use liquid soap. I might try that to make it a little more jiggly!)

2 cups boiling water

1 envelope Knox brand unflavored gelatin

1/2 oz Germaben II (a preservative that prevents mold and available from many online supply companies). Only needed if you won't be using the bath jelly within a few weeks. A couple teaspoons of Vodka (yes, the kind you drink) will also help prevent mold and can be used instead of Germaben II.

1/4 to 1/2 ounce fragrance oil

Water based soap coloring


Several small containers, like empty yogurt containers, or plastic baby food tubs. I love the plastic baby food containers because they are clear (with no label) and have snap-on lids.

GETTING STARTED

Step One
This receipe will make approximately 16 ounces of bath jelly. For firmer Jelly that you can slice, add 1 additional packet of gelatin to the above ingredients. Sliced jelly soap pictured below. I poured the gelatin/soap mixuture into square Tupperware containers, let set up and then gently removed from tray with a plastic spatula.

Step Two
In a bowl, add gelatin to boiling water. Slowly (and I mean slowly; you don't want to create a bunch of foam) stir until completely dissolved.

Step Three
Set the gelatin/water mixture aside. Using a glass measuring cup, melt the soap base on a low setting in the microwave. Be careful not to overheat.
Step Four
Allow melted soap to cool down a bit before adding fragrance and color.
Step Five
Pour melted soap into the gelatin/water mixture. Stir slowly and gently.
Step Six
Pour mixture into clean containers. Allow to set up in fridge until firm (3-5 hours).
Step Seven
Store any unused bath jelly in the fridge until ready to use. Like any gelatin, it will melt if stored at room temp.
Step Eight
NOTE: You can revise this recipe using liquid soap or bubble bath. Substitute 1/2 cup clear shower gel or bubble bath for the melt and our soap and reduce boiling water to 3/4 cups.

Jewelry Making- Watch Bands

Last spring I got these at a craft boutique here in town. I absolutely loved the idea of switching out the bands and the big chunky bracelet style! They're a little pricey so I decided that I could probably make some bands myself .


So, this was my first try at jewelry making. I love the colors of these beads! I did this a while ago, but I'm sure I will end up making lots! I look forward to making other pieces of jewelry as well.

Lush Report #2

Here are more things from Lush that I've tried and REALLY like!
This is the "Ma Bar Bubble Bar." You just break off a chunk and crumble it under the running water for nice rich toffee and chocolate scented bubbles. (It does turn the water a bit dirty looking, but smells great!)


This is the Godiva solid shampoo bar. It smells like jasmine and I have really enjoyed using it. You can buy these tins to keep them in, or if you buy two shampoos, you get a free tin.



This is their most popular soap called, "Honey I Washed the Kids." It smells like honey is gentle enough for sensitive skin. Contains Aloe Vera.

This looks black in this picture, but is actually a deep purple with glitter in it! It is their "Sweetie Pie Shower Jelly," and feels and jiggles just like Jello. It is made from seaweed and contains no gelatin. It is used a s a soap and is very fun and refreshing! This one smells quite sweet and grapey. You can see some better pictures at http://www.lush.com/

This is the "MMM Melting Marshmallow Moments Bath Melt." As you can see it looks loke a cupcake and is about the same size. This, you also crumble under the running water but it just foams instead of bubbles. It melts and releases lots of moisturizers into the water. When I use this I don't need to use anything else on my skin to shave. It is very sweet smelling. (Almost a little too sweet for me.)

They're having a special right now, if you spend $50 you get a free gift. Check them out!

Here I am!

Hello everyone, sorry for the long break. Those of you of you who know me, know that I am bi-polar and also have really bad anxiety, both of which present quite the challange in my life. Sometimes I am much more functional than others, so if you ever don't hear from me for a while, I'm probably just having a hard time. I wanted to be able to add something so I decided to post more of my art journal pages. I highly recommend art journaling to everyone. It is so freeing and especially helpful when having a difficult time. These are not pages that I've done this past week, but more recently than the others I previously posted.

On this page I just layered masking tape and then I took water soluable oil pastels by Portfolio and outlined the pieces of tape and then just smeared it with my finger. I highly recommend this product. Its inexpensive and you can buy them at Staples, Office Max, etc. A pack of 24 colors is about $9. They are nice vibrant colors and smear easily with or without water and you can layer them and blend colors nicely.

This is a page about the Hindu Goddess Sarasvati. She is the goddess of all the arts: music, painting, sculpture, dance and writing. I have a piece of crinkled tissue paper, paint and some melted crayon. I adhered her picture with melted beeswax.

The left page is covered with black artist quality acrylics, which gives it a nice glossy finish. I wrote on top with glitter gel pens. (They're called "The Ultimate Gel Pen" and I love them! They right really smoothly.) The right page is done in dry pastels.

This is the oldest of the pages I'm showing today, but I wanted to show it because it was the first time I used beeswax. You just melt it and then you can paint it right on. It gives a really neat effect. I also used a little melted crayon. I was even able to use the wax to adhere the small Scrabble tiles. Bees wax stays supple so it doesn't dry and crack and fall off.

SO, grab a notebook or sketch pad of some sort and start playing! It is so fun and refreshing. Don't judge, just pretend you're a kid! You can even just use one of those cheap black and white composition books.

A last little bit of Halloween!

I just wanted to share a couple more Halloween things and then I'll be done!
These are the art journal pages I did on my fun-filled Halloween weekend when my friend from Arizona came up to surprise me! (It was actually a couple weeks before Halloween.)


I realized in the pictures of me dressed up as a witch, you could never get a look at my hat. I LOVE this hat! I think it may be my favorite witch hat ever!

This is my "Hocus Pocus" quilt. Its quite a masterpiece, TONS of work!!

I quilted each block to go with the specific applique in it. This one has potion bubbling out of the bottle.

You can see the spiderweb I quilted around the spider.

OK, I promise I'm done with Halloween now!

Art Jornaling

For those of you who are not familiar with art journaling, it is exactly as it sounds, a combination of art and journaling. I first decided to give it a shot about seven years ago when I was inspired by the published journal of artist Sabrina Ward Harrison. Her book was called "Spilling Open- The art of becoming yourself." I have always been a big journaler and then this adds one of my other greatest passions, art. Now let me make something clear, when I say that it is one of my greatest passions this does not necessarily mean I am good at it. But the wonderful thing about art journals is there is no right or wrong. You CAN"T mess it up. There are NO rules! You can use any and every sort of art supply or found objects in your journal and just let yourself and your emotions just spill out onto the pages.

Its an incredibly theraputic process. Its not something that has to be pretty. If you're angry you can scribble in black or red, the point is to give your emotions some place to go so that you can get past them. This is also great way to figure out things. These pages started a series of pages answering the question, "Who do I want to be?" One of the things I love is trying all sorts of different techniques. I will try to share some of these with you in the future. There are also some great tutorials on Youtube. (I've decided I LOVE Youtube! You can learn how to do anything on there!) You might not be able to tell, but on the above right hand page I printed one of my favorite quotes on acetate and then just used stickers to tape it in. This is what the quote says:

"I want to be a woman who lives with TRUTH and without fear. I want to reach the highest vibration of humanity possible. I want my LIGHT to shine so brightly that others will be attracted to it and be compelled to SHINE as brightly. I want to be truth in the universe, to SEEK it, to STAND for it, to BE it. "

~Oprah Winfrey

You'll notice that I like to put quotes in my art journals. I find it a perfect way to keep favorites that I hear or read. Its a nice way to keep them accessible.

This last one I did recently, but the others were from my first art journal. I can see my style changing as I learn new things. I will share more pages soon. These were kind of similiar because I happened to choose several with quotes, but I journal all sorts of pages. Sometimes there is alot of journaling and sometimes it is more art. Sometimes I may not have much to say, but I feel like creating, so I'll just work on backrounds and then another time, go back and add to them. Or other times, I may not be feeling very creative but I have alot to say or just need to get stuff out of my head so then I'll just fill a page or two with writing. Like I said, NO RULES!!

Lush Report- My favorites so far!

OK, here we go. The very first thing I tried was the "Mange Too Massage Bar." They have these great massage bars that melt with the warmth of your hands. On the reviews that I watched, I found that alot of women use them as lotions. Its a little greasy at first but then it soaks right in. I use mine at night and rub it on my hands, elbows and feet. It has a very pleasant, light scent of honey and white chocolate.

This odd looking specimen is "Angels on Bare Skin." It is a cleanser and exfoliator. It smells very herby and natural. I wouldn't want the scent to stay on me, but the product is great! I really love the way it leaves my face feeling. Its kind of interesting to use. You just pinch off a little piece and then add a little water to it in the palm of your hand and work it into a paste.

I REALLY like this one! Its a solid shampoo called "Trichomania." I love the idea of the solid shampoo because it saves on packaging. One bar should last about 80 washes. I like the scent of this one. It is supposed to be coconut cream. This one is a shampoo and conditioner in one. I thought that I might still need to use a liquid conditioner, but I didn't. I was really happy with the way it left my hair feeling.

This is the "It's a Date Bubble Bar" You just break some off, (you can see where I took a chunk) and crumble it under the running water. They actually intend you to use the whole thing, but its not necessary. Especially if you have a jetted tub! This has a sweet and fruity scent and turns the water pink with rich thick bubbles! (And yes, that's a real date stuffed in the top!)

This is a Body Butter that used to be called "Buffy the Backside Slayer." They had to change the name, so now its just "Buffy." It is to be used in the shower and is both a moisturizer and EXTREME exfoliator. So go easy with it the first time you try it! It has ground almonds, rice and aduki beans and has a light lavender scent. You don't need to put lotion on when you get out because it leaves you nice and buttery. Just pat dry and it all soaks in!