My Ta Dah! list

As the year comes to an end, I thought I would share the larger projects I completed in 2014. I also made cards, and did some online class work, but I haven't included them here. You can click on any link to take you to the relevant post. 
December Daily project - completed January 2nd

Love collage and card for my parents' 50th wedding anniversary

Another fabric collage for my sister-in-law's 50th birthday

This Art journal

I transformed my work diary

Created a desk sign

Journaled our South Island holiday

Star book for Sam

Fabric Banner

Me Time Messages workshop

Altered pen case

Simply Delicious Quilt

Watercolour calendar journal

Butterfly star book

Postcard swap

Christmas cards (I know I said I wouldn't share cards but this counts as a larger project since I made almost 40 of them)

Star book for my mother-in-law

Feathered Christmas tree quilt

And not quite finished but they have been major projects that are very close to done :
Stitched paper daily journal - only these 2 pages to complete and I'll be binding all the loose pages into their cover

Full Tilt Boogie - last seen in the previous post with only 8 pages to go!

Both these journals will be shown complete in January...

That was a fun post for me to create and realise how much I achieved this year. And now it's a good reference if I need to find one of those projects easily :-)

See you next year!

Art journal pages : 81-83

Back in my Full Tilt Boogie journal - I'm getting near the end and enjoying how these next pages turned out.

Love seeing the progress from base page to finished

click on any photo to see it larger

I added machine zigzag stitching on the edge of this one, which also finishes the next page...bit of fun with rub-ons here

Next up a small card for the middle of the signature - mostly serviettes torn and glued down.

I'll be sharing the remaining pages and the finished journal in January. You can see all the Full Tilt Boogie journal pages in my Flickr Set

Creative projects in 2015

I'm finishing off a couple of projects this week, but with 2015 just around the corner, it's time to share what I'm going to focus on creatively in the new year. 
The main thing I want to make in 2015 is quilts - lots of quilts.
I am starting the year right with our national Quilt Symposium in January 2015 here in Palmerston North. This is the main venue :

I'm also taking 2 post-symposium day classes through our club with Karen Stone - love her work and a good way to start the year with fabric and colour design ideas. In 2012 I tried Creating a Book a Month - didn't quite make it but I did make 6 which is more than I would have done without that goal. Wondering if I should try that goal for quilts in 2015 - made 2 this year. Here are the links in case you are new to my blog : Christmas tree quilt and Simply Delicious quilt. 
Next is Art Journaling - which I could never give up :-)
I have committed to Life Book 2015 which starts on January 1st - because it is such good value {NZ$152 which spread over the year = $2.92 per week! and there's a 3-part payment plan if needed as well} -  because I want to get out of my comfort zone and try some different ways of making art (eg. faces) - because I've never tried it before and want to find out about it for myself - because the teachers are amazing...

Tam promises an inspired, creative and nourishing year - get in touch with your creative inner fire! Go HERE for the full schedule of lesson dates, teachers and weekly offerings. And she's posted a pic of her first lesson....I just hope I'll be able to create something half as beautiful

My other art journal focus will be The Documented Life Project for 2015 which will inform my daily journaling.

And just for fun...
I was going to resist doing Creative Jumpstart in January 2015, but I just couldn't!

At only US$25 you get 25 videos from 23 artists, and access to all content until November 2015. It was the list of artists participating this time around that sold me (also $5 off for returning Jumpstarters)
The online classes I have enrolled in with Mary Ann Moss over the last few years will expire for me in 2016 so I should devote some time to them. 

The 2 Stitched and Stenciled classes are permanently retired. The other 2 on the left are still available to you but with different purchase options.
I am also very inspired by the work of Anne Brooke, and would like to explore some collage ideas and create some mounted art pieces.

Works by Anne Brooke

I will continue to update my list of Cheap and FREE online art classes that you can always get to in my sidebar. Check out the new possibilities there.
What's on your list?

New free classes

I'll be posting tomorrow about the online classes and creative focuses I'm having in 2015, but thought I would share these with you first.
A blog reader shared a class with me to add to my list of cheap and free online classes that you can always access over in my sidebar. Only problem is - registration closes 31 December. Part of the info says it's for : People who can't paint or draw and don't know what art journaling is - People who enjoyed art classes at school - Experienced artists and crafty types. Read more HERE

Tammy at Daisy Yellow is launching a new series of journaling prompts that will challenge you with sparks, ideas & quotes. The challenge will help you strengthen both your artmaking and your writing practice. Start any time - the prompts begin Dec 31st. More HERE.

Felicia Borges contacted me about her ART JOURNAL REBELLION for 2015.  Details HERE.

I am really happy for you to contact me with info about free online art classes that I have missed....Recent updates to the list include 2015 information and links to Strathmore, Journal 52, Lisa Sonora Beam's new 30 day project, and Documented Life Project 2015. So many choices!

Christmas stiched paper daily art journal

Having a wonderful week - Christmas in New Zealand is summer and the weather is certainly gorgeously sunny and hot this week. We've had Christmas day with family, and Boxing day relaxing at home and I caught up on my remaining Christmas pages in my daily journal :

First the page I hadn't completed when I showed you last time 

click on any photo to see it larger

Starting a page with a serviette and stitching down a strip of ribbon is a fun base

and you might recognise this serviette base from when I made my Christmas cards

and then it was Christmas day

fun to use a serviette from the Christmas table as a background

Cute printable journal labels available from Mary Ann Moss as digital download HERE and I love my cute new staz-on ink pad

To capture memories, pages can be as simple as stitched photos and a bit of tape...this next page is card cut from a gifted calendar envelope - and doesn't even have stitch! 

Boxing Day - summer sunshine and relaxing

The blue label is another Mary Ann Moss one

Only 5 days left of the year so I'll be finishing just a few more pages and then binding them together before I start new ventures in 2015. In that first photo you can see the stack of pages for this journal...Hope you find some inspiration here.
See all the posts about this journal HERE and in my Flickr Set HERE.