Today is Play Day at The Queen of Arts Studio ! Woohoo !
Started off by decking the hall a little - finishing up the tree, hanging the mistletoe, putting bows on some stuff, etc...
Then I needed a break from Christmas so I headed to the studio to do a journal page. Looking for inspiration, I picked out one of my "Trust Cards" I just bought from Jen Lemen. The card said :
Started off by decking the hall a little - finishing up the tree, hanging the mistletoe, putting bows on some stuff, etc...
Then I needed a break from Christmas so I headed to the studio to do a journal page. Looking for inspiration, I picked out one of my "Trust Cards" I just bought from Jen Lemen. The card said :
"You can be Brave in the dark."
Ooooo... I can ???
Can I ???
I can be brave in the dark if I know I will eventually be back in the light.
This made me think of a butterfly, growing from its caterpillar stage, deep in the darkness of its coccoon. The caterpillar is brave in the dark because it knows that when the light comes, it will be ready to spread its wings and fly...
"A Butterfly to Be" - Art Journal Page
The background for this page has that glorious black Golden gesso sponged on with a makeup sponge to make the block pattern in the back. Then I used Portfolio Water Soluable Oil Pastels in black and teal scribbled in between the blocks. A wet brush to smear the whole thing around and I had a gorgeous wash of color on top of the gesso resist. One thing you should know about these pastels, is that though they have magnificent bright color, they contatin oil that is very difficult to write with anything on top of, even when dry. I have killed quite a few Sharpies, paint pens, gel pens, etc. trying this out. You can paint over them with acrylic which is what I did around my butterfly's red "coccoon" cocktail gown. I did manage to use a paint pen for the quote at the top but I am not sure if I will be able to use it for anything else in the future ! (If anyone knows of anything else that works, please let me know !)
After my journal page, I decided it was time to play with ......
REBEL REBEL !!!!
Yes the Baby has arrived ! And since Hubby is at work today, I get to play with Baby all by myself !!!
You got your Mother in a Whirl is right !!! Man, this baby can shoot !
Check these out (I had to shrink them big time to get them onto Blogger but still !) :
Azzy Cat
The Chica-Girl
Some Hall Decking taken on the deck outside
Close-up - How Festive, n'est pas ?
A window shot of my Decked Branches in the Livingroom
Imagine what the photos will look like when I actually figure out how the Canon Rebel Xsi really works !!!!!
Now it's time for some Rockin' Around That Christmas Tree, Baby !!! Listen to this and boogie for me !!!!
Hot Tramp, I love you so !!!
Great stuff, Kim! The art, decorations and photos are all great. And I adore your quote about the dark. In a strange coincidence, I took my son's sax to be fixed this morning and the repairman told me that sometimes when he teaches kids, he suddenly turns out the lights without warning and challenges them to play in the dark. He says the kids come to love it.
ReplyDeleteWhat is the universe saying with revealing these two bits of wisdom on the same day, I wonder? Hmm!
I simply adore "Butterfly to Be"! Gorgeous! Your furry companions are so splendid! Your decorations, dreamy!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing those and for your inspiring words on my blog :)
Oh my god - 'dark' magick alert! ;)
ReplyDeleteCool journal page. Can't help you with the writing problem. Hope someone else can. I also ruined many markers trying to write on painted projects. Then I got better at writing with acrylics. ;)
Aw, what sweet animals! Mine are driving me a lil crazy. I think I'm cranky due to lack of sleep - I'm on constant kitten duty. They're up until 1 am. And everyone else is up at 6:30 am. Ugh.
I danced myself out of breath. :)
~Hot Kim, I love you so, heehee~
Melissa
Hey there! I've missed blog land so...but taken some much needed rest time in the midst of madness. Your journal page is so beautiful as usual and the quote is much needed. I think that for now I've decided to be brave in the dark...to dance in here a little bit instead of waiting for the light and you know...things don't seem as dark now.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of ruined writing utensils, I too ruin a lot of things. I used those Sharpie paint pens for a while and seemed to have to buy new ones every couple of weeks. I don't know how to fix that one...I hope someone stops by who had the answer to that one!
Big hugs to you!
Luv your handsome Kitty and those decked out branches are wonderful!
ReplyDeleteNice to "meet" you Kim
Colleen in Candia
Oooh La La...where to start?
ReplyDeleteI love the journal page, though I curse their peril to Sharpie's too! I found some pens at Dolarama (Canadian...do they have them in Montreal?) They're two for a buck (alright!). They're Flow-rite brand, permanent, and they actually write over acrylics and the stuff I gunk on my pages. It says on the package: "water resistant, smearproof, writes smoothly on hard to mark surfaces." I'd give them a try.
Love, LOVE the pics! Wow! Nice camera! (not to mention the lovely subjects) Your decking has resulted in very lovely halls girl, and the furries? Divine!
Have a cookie for me. I've set my middle child (always the pleaser) to doing my Christmas baking. All in favour of child labour say "aye"! Since he ate all the baking I did in early December, I say that's fair.
Be Merry and enjoy that nog!
xo arlene
hey Kim
ReplyDeletejust popped by to wish you a happy christmas :)
you seem to be creating some lusciousness for someone who claims to be missing their mojo!
mine's still not quite back either - let's both hope for a creative explosion in the new year! :)
Fab photos from your first trip out with Rebel Rebel. I have the same camera (well, probably a slightly older model than yours) and love it almost as much as I love my kids :D
and isn't your husband cute?! and aren't you even cuter??!! :D
have a great one, buddy
Sarah xxx
wow kim! the photos look awesome! you are clearly doing something right with your new toy!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous journal work! Would it work if you coated with a coat or two of Golden acrylic medium before writing on it? Maybe?? Wow! Those photos are nice and crisp and clean! Love your furry babies. xoxo Serena
ReplyDelete