Holiday Shop Update & Giveaway!

I've updated my Etsy shop with vintage paper goods, vintage Christmas ephemera and embellishment packs and vintage mixed-paper recycled journals and scrapbook mini albums.  Yay!  Blog Readers, enter code BLOG2011 at checkout for a 20% discount on your order!

I absolutely love vintage Christmas cards.  The one above is a sweet angel, embossed and made to look like a patchwork quilt.  I could see this in one of my holiday journals or used as an embellishment on a scrapbook page.

I've restocked the Christmas journals/mini albums.  Each journal/album comes with a little stash of goodies tucked into the back pocket so you are ready from day 1 to start recording those holiday/everyday memories!

The journals are filled with my favorite vintage paper: pages from holiday books and kids workbooks, ledger and graph paper, as well as current favorites such as brightly colored scrapbook and handmade paper.

 The journals also come in shades of wintry blue for those who prefer a more subtle winter pallet.  Pages are also embellished with labels and stickers from the Cavalini sticker tins.

And these are my favorite!  Precious packs of my favorite embellishments, perfect for holiday crafting!  Each pack has a glittered gift tag, and an assortment of vintage and new paper and ephemera.

here's a more detailed photo of what is in the ephemera packs: patterned scrapbook paper, handmade paper, vintage dennison seal, scalloped cardstock, glittered Christmas tag, vintage green-and-red playing card, vintage book illustration images.  Each pack comes tucked inside a glassine envelope.

Well I am excited for the holiday season to begin!  

Have a Happy Thanksgiving (if you're in the U.S) and have a wonderful weekend!  I'll be drawing a name from the comments on Tuesday, November 29th.  One lucky commenter will win a mini journal and ephemera pack of their choice!   All you have to do is leave a comment and tell me, what are you most thankful for?  

Summer has officially started!

here is a little peek into my june journal.  i made it in my online class "get those creative juices flowing" with amy tangerine at big picture classes.  she taught us how to make these super simple scrappy journals.  LOVE it!!

i never think ahead to do "before and after" page shots, so here goes.  above is a page in the june journal.  just basic scraps of paper, labels, journaling cards, etc.

and voila! after adding sticker letters, journaling and doodling.

here's digging deeper into the journal.  the pages are made of scrapbook paper (cut to 8.5" x 11" and folded in half) and folded tags, envelopes and other odd-shaped papers.  fold 'em all up, sew 'em down the middle (hand stitch or machine stitch) and you've got yourself a super speedy journal ready to go!

flop a flap over and reveal little hidden messages and other secret surprises!  here is a hot air balloon sticker from 1979.  i bought a package of totally unused dennison stickers from ebay.  still wrapped in cellophane with a Kmart price sticker of .79 cents!  awesome.

can't get enough of online journaling classes these days.  especially if they are FREE!  found out about this awesome summer journaling class through a recent commenter (thank you, nathalie!)  check out "in the sun" with natalie malik (a different natalie!).  she is posting a prompt a day and i'm excited to start following along!  above is the start of my SUMMER TO DO LIST.  and i'm happy to report that i've been doing a lot of them already!

today's journal page went from playful to serious!  i was camped out in my usual spot with the girls and we were having a blast.  i was journaling in the shade and the girls were running in the grass and splashing in the fountain.

 anyway, we were surrounded by an incoming group of college freshman attending their summer orientation.  i saw a friend of my stepson's (wild coincidence!) and he was all smiles in his group, newly graduated, ready to conquer the next big educational challenge in life.  then it hit me.  my stepson will not be one of these fresh new college-bound faces.  he has chosen not to pursue the path of higher education (for the moment) and will instead enter the workforce with a high school diploma.

suddenly, i felt like a complete failure as a parent.

a little conversation with friends and some journaling helped me realize that everything will be OK.  plenty of people take time off after school to figure out what they want to do next in life.  no need to rush a young person into something they don't feel ready for.  i know, it will be fine.

and onto a lighter subject...here is a little sneak peek at a recent washi tape postcard swap i entered over at mescrap with lay hoon.  i love postcards. i don't know why i don't write them more often!  especially when you can make your own.  anyone up for a MAIL ART SWAP?  let me know in the comments below.  we'll swap some postcards around the world.  let's get this summer party started!!

I am just having too much fun!  The weather has been gorgeous this week and while the baby is napping, i'm out on the front lawn with my journal and supplies for about an hour of uninterrupted art time!  it feels really really good.

I especially just LOVE to use all my prettiest and most favorite paper, tape, stickers, cut-outs, rub-ons, etc.  I highly recommend just grabbing all the colors and things that make you happy and putting them onto paper, canvas or an art journal.  

I know we are all guilty of saving those supplies for that special day/project/class/moment, etc.  But really, the best time to use all the best stuff is NOW! :)

My journal is my most favorite place to use my best and most favorite stuff because I see it every day.  I think of it as my grown-up sticker book.  Did you collect stickers as a kid?  I did.  I had a very special sticker book and I remember filling up the pages with all my favorites.  Smelly scratch-and-sniff, puffy sticker animals with googly eyes, neon bright wonderful goodness!

And it's just so freeing to use what you have and not feel too attached to it.  It is fun to experiment and let go and not judge (too much!) ;)

i'm going to hawaii with my family in a few days and i'm having a hard time pairing down my supplies to fit into one little travel-sized bag.  i don't know if i can limit myself to just ONE journal! ;)

i'll have to make myself a new little travel journal, i think.  and just take the basics: mini kids scissors (as far as i can tell, any scissors under 4" are ok to take on the plane--but always check with TSA before flying when in doubt), mini glue stick, tape runner, a few washi tape (a few???), a small packet of papers vintage and new, one sheet of rubons, a small box of vintage labels, stickers (dilemma: the sheets are 12 x 12 inches!)... am i forgetting anything?

oh! and a few pens.  (that'll be hard trying to decide on those precious few!  and, does any one know which pens DON'T explode on airplanes?? i always have a problem with that!)

ok, i guess that's all for now. here's the list of materials used for the above pages:  tissue paper, washi tape, scrapbook stickers by october afternoon, echo park, sassafrass lass, cavalini & co and crate paper, collage sheet image by teesha moore, vintage dennison labels.

journal page step-by-step

So I've had a chance to work in my XXL moleskine journal and i thought i'd share a few photos of some pages and how they evolved... (disclaimer, i did not invent any of these techniques. i am simply using what i've learned from various artists, classes, books, etc over the years)

I start off with a magazine image for the focal point (usually a face i find intriguing or fascinating). and i dig through my bag o' scraps (those precious little paper pieces i can't bare to throw out! yes, you can use up every little bit!) i just glue down the focal image and surrounded it with paper that i find pleasing to my eye (i don't spend too much time on this step since it's going to be covered up anyway!) what's funny is that i really love this part and it's sometimes (most times!) hard for me to go on to any other steps (paint, stamps, spray paint, etc). but i push myself to try new things, so...

i squeeze out acrylic paint right out of the tube and onto the page. little drops here and there. i try to keep analogous or harmonious colors together (avoiding those colors that fall opposite each other on the color wheel--otherwise when you blend them, you end up with muddy browns and blacks and greens). this part is actually really fun. i use an old gift card or credit card to scrape the paint around the page. i also smear the paint around with my fingers and wipe the colors off on other pages-in-progress (i love to work in multiple journals at once). on this page, i also played with stamps (to add texture to the background), copic markers (to add color to the face & around the eyes) and puffy fabric paint (tulip brand, the squeeze kind that has the thin applicator tip). the puffy paint is fun to draw with, adding patterns, details to the face/body, just playing with (i learned this from anahata katkin. i also used ink to make drips on the page and turned the book so it sits upright so the ink will drip down--also learned from anahata) i've also outlined the eyes & mouth with micron pens and colored them in with sharpie poster paint pens.

ok, this is my favorite part (wait, haven't i already said that? i guess once i get going, it's all fun!) this is where i lay down spray paint. i've been using montana cans and various stencils i've collected--my favorites are by crafter's workshop. (i have to give credit to mary ann moss for inspiring me on my newfound love of spray paint and stencils!!!) so, i don't know if it's finished yet. i still would like to add some journaling and maybe draw in some patterns or designs here and there.

here's two other journal pages i shared previously. these were in the early stages. just cut out images from magazines and added some spray paint.

then i smeared & scraped the paint around and added ink drips and stamps, spray paint and outlines with fabric paint.

here's the other side of the two-page spread. this is the one that inspired me to go kind of tribal with the other pages. i had some red paint on my fingers from smearing paint around the pages so i just wiped it off on the face and i liked what i saw. i also filled in this face with acrylic paint. nothing fancy. just off-white. i like to paint in faces ala misty mawn, but that technique usually takes a little longer and i didn't have the right colors to blend for face tones, anyway.

so, aside from playing in my journals, i've also managed to participate in speckled egg's petit inspiration box swap again this year. the theme was "flea market style" so i filled up the boxes with all of my sweetest vintage (and vintage-inspired) goodies!

the outsides were fun to decorate, too. i got to go through my wonderful collection of vintage-inspired scrap book papers and put them to good use! :) each box was decorated a little different for each of my two swap partners. i tried to tailor it to their interests as best i could. that's always fun--to make something special with someone in mind. :)

i won't say who they're going to so i don't ruin their surprise! :) but i thought i'd post a little sneak peek here to inspire you. (and encourage you to join swaps! i'm always up for a good swap, by the way. just email me or leave a comment!)

well, that's all for today. i hope you've been inspired to make something and try new things. as always, i love to hear from you in the comments. i love to see what others are up to!

special coupon code for my blog readers (yes, that's YOU!)

just finished my first round of holiday updates for my etsy shop. and i wanted to give you, my lovely blog readers, an early christmas gift (or, if you don't celebrate christmas, an early birthday present!). and that goes for first time visitors (lucky you!) and those who are too shy to comment (you're here with us in spirit and that's what counts!) ;)

if you go to my etsy shop, and enter the coupon code: BLOG20, you will receive 20% off your entire order. this is good through Monday, November 29 (11:59pm PST).

i've updated the shop with holiday themed mini journal/scrapbooks in red-and-green (for the traditionalists) or a wintry blue-and-white for something a little different.

this little journal made it into my first Etsy Treasury!

all my journals come with ephemera tucked into the back pockets so you are ready to go as soon as you receive it. ephemera may include stickers, labels, vintage and scrapbook papers, tags, etc.

i also have ephemera packs that go great with the journals or you can create a card or ATC (artist trading card) and mail it in the glassine envelope that is also included! perfect for art-on-the go, mail art, or stocking stuffers for your favorite artist (or just a little treat for yourself!)

ok, it's waaay past my bedtime. i think i might just watch the sunrise on this fine Thanksgiving morning!

happy turkey day, everyone! and thanks again for stopping by. i love your comments and i do try to visit everyone who leaves evidence that they were here. i hope wherever you are, you are happy, creative and surrounded by love and loved ones.

xo,

nicole

ETSY shop update & it's finally feeling like FALL!

i've been working on some new upcycled mini journals for my etsy shop. i finally am getting into the holiday mood, so the new journals all have a wintry and festive feel to them. lots of red-and-green (brights and muted) as well as cool, snowy blue-and-white.

i've packed these journals with my most treasured vintage, handmade, and recycled paper. for vintage paper, i use music sheets, atlas pages, children's books & workbooks, coloring books. recycled paper includes used and unused ledger pages, "junk mail" (my favorite are the paper source catalogs. the colors are bright and the paper is thick!), and graph paper (which also falls into the vintage category, too).

i'm loving all the color combinations. i've also never been an either-or kind of gal when it comes to colors! i really love traditional christmas colors as well as more off-beat brights and more muted, vintage tones.

most of the christmas images came from an old magazine called "christmas ideals." it was full of wonderful images, poems, stories and songs all printed in blue or green ink. and i also recycled holiday catalogs (it feels good putting "junk mail" to good use!)

i have a lot of old children's books and workbooks from the 5os & 60s but the paper is too frail to include in my journals as pages. so i made some high-quality color copies on my printer on the back of my favorite scrapbook paper and, voila! i was able to include some of my favorite images, plus the copies retained the aged and textured look of the originals.

i've got a christmas tune in my head, but the words are changed to: "it's beginning to look a lot like AUTUMN!" there are leaves of all colors sprouting on trees and scattering in the wind like butterflies.

when i go on an afternoon walk with the girls, i hear the satisfying CRUNCH of dried leaves beneath our feet (although, since it's california, we're still walking around in flip flops! an odd sensation, but i love it still!) the smells are returning, too, like sweet, smoky fires, rotting pumpkins, wet leaves in the gutter. it's like a second spring of sorts, but with smells of decay and death instead of blossoms and life.

we took a little walk today to get some lunch near the university. we stopped for photos in the late afternoon sun and i played with my new point-and-shoot camera (it's a sony cyber shot dsc-t99)...still unsure if i like it or not! :(

(i love pictures of my girls, though! they are fun subjects!) most of the images, though, i have to do a little touch-up in i-photo (mostly with getting the color to look right).

maybe i should just read the instructions. i've never been a by-the-book kind of gal, i really like to just feel out new technology on my own (it should just be totally intuitive and user-friendly in my opinion, anyway!). but i was able to take some great photos! :)

and on another slightly-related topic (it has to do with journals, at least!), i received the mother of all art journals today! (it's 11.7" x 16.5"! the regular moleskines are about 5" x 8") i recently attended journalfest and i saw someone with the most amazing journal in one of my classes (orly avineri's "mapping me"). it looked like a super-sized moleskine and i immediately thought, "i must have one!" i asked where she bought it and she said Amazon.com! so after a little searching, i found it! it comes in regular drawing/sketching and watercolor paper! they are about $26 each (free shipping on Amazon!) but totally worth every penny, in my opinion! my quest for this amazing journal also lead me to the most wonderful blog, notebook stories. it's about, well...JOURNALS and the people who love them. if you are a fellow journal junkie like me, i suggest you check it out!

ok, that's all for now. the monkeys are getting restless and it's time for dinner. oh, and i keep meaning to blog about our homeschooling adventures, but i'll save it for another day.

everything is working out good so far! maya is loving her new educational environment (her home, and the whole world, really is her "new classroom.") and little sureya is getting in on the act, too, emulating her older sister by "reading" books and "doing homework." so cute! :) i've heard when you homeschool, the younger ones start in on the learning really early. i remember that from when maya was 2 or 3 and she would want me to assign her "homework" because she would see her older brother and sister doing their homework after school.

well, that's all the fun for now. i'll be updating the shop tomorrow AND i'll be attending the cavallini & co. warehouse SALE this saturday. i will be sure to post ALL the goodies i find! :)