phone photo fun (say that 3 times real fast!)

ok, i was a little slow to jumping on the smartphone bandwagon, but now that i've discovered the free app "little photo" for my android, i totally GET it now.  and i LOVE my phone. it is my new camera.

(above is a shot of a box full of vintage sheet fat quarters from a recent swap i did with the vintage sheet patchwork swap flickr group!)

it can take regular old photos and age them, make the colors all funky, make them look like they were taken by an old camera, etc.  fun fun stuff.  i will be experimenting a lot more in the near future and posting my results on the blog! 

now i just need an awesome, mini portable printer so i can add my photos instantly to my journal! any recommendations? ;)

also, be on the lookout for an upcoming mail art swap...i'll make some examples and post the info and take signups soon!

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!!

spring petit swap boxes

i received my spring petit inspiration box swap in the mail today from my partner, lelainia lloyd of tattered edge and all i can say is... WOW!!!

the details are so sweet!  from the "knob" on the drawer to the washi tape and zetti stamped image on the top.  and that's just the outside!

 when i opened the box, i found the treasures sweetly wrapped in tissue paper, surrounded by a cool ribbon with the word "believe" on it.

inside i found all sorts of fun and lovely and brightly colored treasures!

there were fabric bits, ribbon, paper, an old coin, lace, shredded money (!), a compas, two cards filled with different colored and patterned washi tape, mesh screen (for making cool prints in my art journal!), and a bag of all sorts of goodies (see detail pic below).

opening this bag was like opening a whole other box of goodies!  there were gold foil number stickers, tickets, labels, stickers, letters, you name it!  it's really hard to pick a favorite out of all these wonderful bits.

this was a fun tidbit, too!  a teeny tiny plastic fish with a cap for a nose!  i think it might have held ink at one time?  the box and all the goodies are so cool.  i'm just going to put it right inside my traveling journal bag because it has everything i need for art journaling on the go!

**WARNING: if you are my swap partner for the petit spring swap, stop reading now if you don't want to spoil your surprise!!**

i had such a great time with this swap.  my partners, lelainia and marlene were the best!  i had a lot of fun investigating over at their blogs, trying to get a feel for their style, favorite colors, and favorite items.  i'm not going to say which box is who's but i did want to share some sneak peeks into both.

 i added ribbons, trims and all kinds of little spring-inspired bits that i thought each partner would enjoy.

our group was put together based on our preferences.  i think we ended up being the "bright and colorful" and "anything goes" group!  it was a fun challenge to put together these boxes and the goodies inside according to each person's likes.

if you haven't done a petit inspiration swap with speckled egg yet, i highly recommend it!  these swaps are always so much fun.  i have always had the most delightful partners and it feels like a fun little treasure hunt as you put together the boxes and goodies with specific people in mind.  you can check out the flickr group to get an idea of how the swaps change with the seasons.  heather (of speckled egg) is a great hostess and she does a wonderful job pairing people up and keeping it fun!

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!

JOURNALFEST and halloween and rainbows!

i can't believe journalfest and halloween have come and gone. but they were so much fun and a much needed break from the hum-drum of daily life. so, i'm much too tired to go into a detailed account, so i'll just post some photos and say that if you love journaling and/or making art in general, you've GOT to get up to the fort fort at least ONE of the 'fests that teesha and tracy put on every year. c'mon! what are you waiting for? or, if you live too far, check out if there are any local groups that get together for some kind of artsy gathering. and if not, start your own! :) (and be sure to let me know...i'll come and play!)

so journalfest...

this year i shared the cost of a rental car with some fellow journalfesters instead of riding the shuttle. it was cheaper AND we got to ride the ferry! i've never been on a ferry before. what a great way to start a magical journey.

bye, bye seattle!

i stayed in the officer's housing which is so different than the dorms. the houses are cozy and quaint and you really get to know your housemates. each night after classes and dinner, we'd gather in the dining room and spread out our projects and supplies and show and tell what we made that day and then continue making art late into the night.

house number 11. yes, it's as spooky as it looks! :)

view of the grassy field in front of our house.

i took classes with roxanne padgett, orly avineri and indgrid dijkers. i'll let the photos speak for themselves! it was tons of fun. i can't even begin to express how wonderful it is to make art all day, break for food and fun and then make more art into the wee hours of the night. it was so nice to have a break from, "mommy! i need this! i need that!" and just do art AAAALLLLL day.

colorful, messy table evidence of a fun class with roxanne padgett

a peek into one of indgrid dijkers' tunnel book journals

i barely had enough time to decompress from journalfest when i returned sunday afternoon because it was halloween! but it was fun. the kids dressed up, my gal pal and her little munchkin came over and we walked the little ones down the street for their first halloween as trick-or-treaters. i think they were still too little to really "get" what was going on, but it was still fun. sureya had the most fun giving out candy and knocking on doors (something she does anyway when we go out on walks around the neighborhood).

little strawberry princess all ready to go

climbing around outside, waiting for it to get dark

strawberry's friend, "chupi" dressed up as a cute little nerd!

mamas and their little "treats" on halloween

and i finally got around to photographing the lovely items i received from my swap partner, marilyn. such a gorgeous and eclectic array of goodies! you can view more of the rainbow goodies on our flickr group.

my favorite color, blue! this bag was packed full of goodies!

thank you marilyn! :) so i think i'm caught up for now! sorry for such a packed post...blogger is only letting me upload one photo at a time and now i've kind of lost steam. i still have so much more to say about journalfest and my new adventures in homeschooling my 8-year-old daughter. more on that later.

our days have been in the upper 80s, really unusual for autumn. glad i can still get a little more wear out of my summer skirts and flip flops, though. as much as i love the changing seasons, i really do love running around outdoors in the sunshine. more on that later, too!

let's swap a RAINBOW!

i'm loving the idea of swaps these days and i'd love it if you'd join me in a rainbow swap! let's collect fun and funky items from our studios in all different colors of the rainbow. items could include:

*buttons

*beads

*fabric

*paper (vintage, scrapbook, handmade)

*tickets

*tags

*labels

*stickers

*millinery flowers

*paper flowers

*ribbon, fiber, yarn

*vintage trims, ric rac

*scrapbook elements

*glass glitter

*misc ephemera, doodads, bits and bobs!

what to do: everyone will fill a total of 6 sandwich-sized ziplock bags with goodies each with a different color of the rainbow (red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple). red items go in the red baggie, orange items in the orange baggie, etc. anything goes as far as what to put in the baggies, as long as they are items that YOU would LOVE to receive yourself. no need to buy anything extra for the swap, just use what you have on hand. (if you do want to buy some things for the swap, don't spend more that $5.)

how to sign up: just email me at kinueko @ gmail . com with the following info...

1. name

2. email

3. most favorite color

4. least favorite color

5. willing to swap with an international partner?

6. your website, blog, etsy and/or flickr site(s) (optional--but it helps your partner get to know you better)

i will leave the swap open until monday, october 11 and i will email everyone with the details and their partners next week (tuesday or wednesday). swaps should be postmarked to your partner by november 1.

hope you can join us!

flickr photo credits:

1. Red buttons, 2. Mixed Medium, 3. red fabric, 4. RAEWADOLLY Plastic Red Strawberry Supplies, 5. FAA Lucky Parcel swap :: Orange, 6. 100_6583, 7.Glitter, 8. Orange Vintage Bingo Cards, 9. Orange Squares Postcard, 10. Sewing Buttons in Orange Squash - Set of 5 Handmade Ceramic Buttons, 11.WIP:Yellow Paper Quilt Collage {diagonal-detail}, 12. Vintage Ephemera: floral, 13. Green buttons, 14. Paper Quilt Card Green, 15. Green Stash Yarn, 16.bluechip, 17. Blue Angel Tears, 18. Security Envelope Pendants, 19. Sequins, 20. Handmade co Blues swap -sent, 21. Vintage Button Card, 24 Purple, 22.Purple Feathers, 23. A little bit of Violette, 24. Purple Pattern Tags

swaps! and, anyone interested in a swap?

i love swaps. can you tell? ;) i just shipped off my black-and-white petite inspiration matchboxes to my partners amy and stevie.

it is my first swap of this kind. i've been wanting to join in on a swap hosted by heather of speckled egg for a long time. they always look so fun! take a look on flickr to see what i mean.

there's something so satisfying about collecting a group of gorgeous supplies and things that all coordinate. i loved the black and white theme.

it was a challenge for me because i LOVE color so much. but this was calming. i forget how much an absence of color can be so inspiring too.

i also participated in a one-on-one swap with christina and boy was i in for a treat! :) it felt like my birthday!

i was so excited to receive such a nice, big envelope stuffed with goodies in my mailbox on friday. just what i needed to end a somewhat stressful week!

i found vintage paper, a vintage map, a leather-bound fabric sample book (i have never seen anything like it and i can't wait to use them in my quilting and journaling projects!!),

beautiful pink buttons, lace, scrapbooking goodies, metal bits and bobs, vintage office supplies (love!)...i could go on and on but i'll let the photos speak for themselves! :)

which brings me to a question: would anyone be interesting in doing a group swap? i've never hosted a swap before, but i thought it would be fun. i'm not sure of the theme. for some reason, i was thinking of rainbows (i know, it's fall! but i'm stuck on spring for some reason. or maybe it's just my love of all things colorful!) i'm not talkin' rainbows with pots of gold at the end (although that would be fun, too!) but more like, a swap where you collect items and group them by color and send them off to your swap partner. like, fill a sandwich-sized bag of wonderful goodies for each color of the rainbow. i'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments. i will post an "official" swap announcement later in the week for the sign ups, so stay tuned! :)

1. Glossy Rainbow IV, 2. For A Rainy Day..., 3. Rainbow Fake, 4. Rainbow, 5. Rainbow Stars, 6. Rainbow Beads, 7. Colourful letters, 8. - paint! - , 9. Rainbow beads, 10. Mucho Color, 11. Glitter Glitter Glitter Glitter Glitter, 12. 100_2202.JPG, 13. Button size 15mm, 14. Rainbow matchboxes filling, 15. 26/365 (Explore~), 16. Alphabet Rainbow

maybe i'm stuck on rainbows because i'm wishing it were spring...cool weather, cloudy days, rain. we are supposedly in the fall season right now, but with 100 degree weather, it's hard to think about pumpkins and cool, smoky nights! we are boiling here, folks! :( hope you are enjoying cool, fall weather wherever you are. and if you're stuck in this early fall heatwave, i can sympathize with you!

hope you're having some creative, quite moments to yourself this week!