CED 2008 ~ Almost Daily Journal ~ Songbird Serenade

Today I created another page for my Almost Daily Art Journal. I had this quotation, "May songbirds serenade you every step along the way" that I have been desireing to use for something arty for a while now, and there's no time like the present, right? Of course, I needed an image of a songbird to go along with it so a google search came in handy. I chose the Golden-crowned Kinglets simply for their beauty, as I've never heard one sing.

Almost Daily Art Journal ~ Stacked

Stacked ~ All my recent pages.... unfortunately I'm done for today as Don will be arriving home soon. I really don't want to stop as I'm so excited about how this all taking shape!!!

CED 2008 ~ Almost Daily Art Journal ~ The Best in Others

Although I'm almost certain that I am not done creating this page, I've decided to post it anyways. I love the stamped quote, that reads,

"When you LOOK for GOOD in OTHERS you DISCOVER the BEST in YOURSELF."

~ Martin Waldo

I believe I want to write some personal journaling of when that has occurred within my life. I can think of so many people that this quote could pertain to, so, perhaps... I'll just write it like generally style as a message to all of them!

CED 2008 ~ Daily Art Journal ~ Another reminant

I thought a mannogram of my first initial was perfect for adding to my book. Unfortunately, I didn't wait until the modge podge was dry before I stuck my fingers into it, so it's a little rough and distressed, kinda like me! I really like this on the black background and may have to cut some black cardstock up to use within this book as well. You know it's going to need some --- just to balance things out.

CED 2008 ~ Almost Daily Journal ~ Name Plate

While sitting, spending time with Don, and daydreaming more about what I desire this book to be and become, I gave a little bit of thought to how I'll keep the pages of journaling together and think perhaps I'll bind them together that way --- individually, like little sections that make for the larger whole, once all together. As I sat and pondered on those thoughts, I suddenly realized that I would need a book libris to indicate that this book belongs to me. I also knew that whatever I created I wanted it lay only on a portion of the finished pages so the idea of using a large tag occurred to me. I also knew that I want this book to represent parts of me that make up who I am so it had to contain lots of pieces of nature because I'm sort of like a magpie that way. What could be more perfect than using a nest, eggs, and birds? And some fallen feathers? I believe I may just have to add an actual feather to this sometime on down the line.

As I began working to create this, I suddenly realized I have no "egg" stamps. Well, other than the ones in the nest stamp, but I wanted these eggs to be larger. That's when I remembered an old trick that I learned while attending a European Papers ATC Exhibit of using a stryofoam plate to create a stamp image. So I dug out a plate, cut it to my desired size, used the end of a paintbrush to indent it using pressure. Once my egg was drawn, I cut it out, took a piece of gift wrapping tape and created a handle for the back side of it and used the remaining piece of the plate to mix up my paint choice of robin eggs blue. Once stamped onto the tag, I used a fine tipped black pen to outline the shape. Easy peasy........

CED 2008 ~ Almost Daily Journal ~ Ordinary Miracle

This page came together in several stages. First, I stamped the quote on regular white cardstock, then decided I'd like to cut it into strips. Instead of simply adhering the strips onto the background, I thought it would look cool attached to a piece of cardstock instead. Then, the cardstock shouted out it needed to be layered, so a piece of printed paper was torn and aged with distress inks. I couldn't resist adding on the rub on letters to spell out "Ordinary" As I was assembling this page, I thought about the results of my book pages, stacked all together and realized that was my dream for this book's finished results, to appear put together using "ordinary everyday" items to make it appear "as a miracle" once it is complete. I also know that I want to have a tactile feel so what better way to achieve that than to use fabric to layer and adhere it together.

Edited to add:

AS The stamp is hard to actually read here, here's the wording:

Magical things happen

every day, if we allow it.

Think

of daylight, of the stars at

night, a flower. A dandelion is

a miracle .......

If you open yourself to miracles.

CED 2008 ~ Almost Daily Art Journal

Aspire To Be... Family... I love all these face images on this Postmodern Design Portrait Cube. While looking at it today, I thought it would make a lovely composition stamped on small tags. Of course, the standard white string had to go and what better way to dress them up than to use some ribbons and fibers. While digging through my stash of stamps, I came across this "aspire to be" stamp, and I suddenly realized that those faces could resemble Don and I and our children as we aspire to be family --- well a blended one anyways. The large sewing snap was added just because I love it and it provided the perfect compliment to the lace edge.