Pre-Christmas December review

It's getting closer to Christmas and I have a lot going on so thought I would publish an earlier review of my month so far and then I'm having a month off posting here. You may find me with some sneaky posts on my Instagram and Facebook Artist's page if I am excited to get something finished! But no promises.

December always means 3 birthdays in a row for my Mum, Mother-in-law and Aunty.

I love how the floral fodder I made in November combines with these card bases.

I've started my December Daily-ish journal. I started with the idea of combining 2 free offerings of Care December with Kasia Avery and Art Journal Advent 2023 with Raspberry Blue Sky and Tamara Kreativstudio. You can still join I believe and they are not completely orientated around the season so could be useful to use at other times. These were my initial gatherings

I started "late" and have only completed 10 prompts (and there are 19 out so far) but there is no behind. It's really about having prompts there to respond to when the mood takes me.

Paper cut out of Kererū (wood pigeon) by Ellen Giggenbach

I haven't stitched any of my pages inside a cover so I can add more if I wish and they are easily removable to stitch elements on too. And if I don't finish this in December, I can just continue on into January with this additional inspiration : 

This is the same concept as when I did Junk Journal July last year. Sign up HERE. Each day throughout the month, watch a new video from 30 different creators on YouTube. I'm not back at work until the end of the month so hopefully I can fit this in but I have a large list of things I want to do this holidays!

Although I've moved schools this year, I still have student library helpers so I made another batch of bookmarks for a thank you. See my previous years' efforts here. Started with a rather messy base of stencils, sprays and paint. Often at this point I think I should have used less colours!

But then when they are cut up, top corners rounded, edged with black ink, and lovely fibre tassles added, they look quite different and the children loved them.

And to finish, I'm sure Caylee Grey of Get Messy won't mind if I share her Release & Return workbook. 

Focusing on your creativity, reflect on 2023, release that which no longer serves you, and return to your true self as you prepare for 2024. Make a plan for bringing things into your life that your heart wants.

Wishing you a season of love and creativity. Talk to you again in January.  

Autumn Advent Journal completed

I have an Intention to create a book a month this year : small and gorgeous, mixed media and stitched. April's book has been based on Kasia Avery's Advent Calendar offering from 2018. This and 2019 prompts available FREE HERE. I've shared my response to the prompts on separate watercolour pages during April and I am now ready to share the book all finished and glued into my original cover. I started with an old hard back book cover and watercolour paper cut to size

I worked with a limited Autumn colour palette and tried to include stitching, sari ribbon and stencils on each of my spreads.

As I completed each spread, I glued them back to back, and quite soon the pile was too wide to fit inside the original cover so I had to split the spine and remove the back cover

This is the exposed spine view of all the spreads now ready to complete attaching a spine and the cover.

Glued the back of my last page to the back cover

and then wrapped some lovely upholstery fabric over a sari ribbon tie across the spine

Last time I used this method I used super heavy gel medium

but this time I used Aleene's Tacky Glue (just to try something different and I'm running out of gel and not sure when I'll be able to get more)

Decorated my front cover simply

and I thought you might enjoy a flip through.  

To see the process of making these spreads in more detail scroll through my April posts. Check out my other posts about creating a book a month HERE. My May project is going to be less ambitious. Check that out tomorrow.

Autumn Advent Journal : Prompts 20-25

These are the last prompts in my handmade book for April. That link will give you the background to this project. I am working with a limited colour palette and I will try and include stitching, sari ribbon and stencils on each spread. I had to amend a couple of these since very Christmas orientated. Click on any photo to see it larger.
Prompt 20 : Embellishing Autumn Leaves (Embellishing Christmas baubles) Going to use my gelli plate for this one... which turned into several backgrounds prepared! Does that happen to you?!

Prompt 21 : Home Where our family gathers. These are some of the people I really can't wait to see in person again.

Prompt 22 : April memories (Christmas memories) Easter, ANZAC, school holidays and Winter basketball. All different this year...COVID-19 : Level 4 stay at home from midnight Wed 25th March moving to Level 3 from Tuesday 28th April.Took the last gelli print from above right and decided to do a list

Prompt 23 : Phone call I text, call or Face Time message my mum, my brother and my sister(-in-law) every day. Inspired by a lesson from Roben-Marie Smith. You can still enrol for this today. See more detail about that HERE. Went through these stages 

turned upside down

and ended up here

Prompt 24 : Bedtime wish Safe and well together instead of apart.   Went from this (gelli plate in top photo)

to this background in stages from Roben-Marie's class

to this completed spread. I ♥ found poetry. These words all came from one page.

That's all the prompts from this 2018 class. I had one more spread cut to size and as I was talking to a friend online this morning I was commenting that in amongst the upset, I can also focus on some lovely things have come out of lockdown for me. Please note I know there are others struggling and not so lucky. My heart goes out to them with wishes for some grace and ease.   
Prompt 25 : Silver Linings FB Lives in NZ : Auckland Writer's Festival and RNZ Ballet, Family games, Free online art offerings - almost overwhelming!, plus huge gratitude for daily walks, for technology to communicate, for my lovely bubble boys (my family ♥), for our ability to work from home, Journal Jams, a pair of tui singing in my trees, for how well my Chemo treatment is going (over half way), my husband has finished some new steps for our deck, for catching up on some good movies and for this blog which is to share with and inspire you and also for me - art is keeping me grounded, happy, engaged, making new discoveries. I don't know how I'd manage without my creative time. And Marit provided the perfect quote : For the artist soul, isolation often is like a wood filled with birdsong (Louis Couperus)

Now I just have to alter the cover and I'm finished. 

Will share that hopefully tomorrow. To see other spreads in this project scroll through my April posts.  

Autumn Advent Journal : Days 16-19

Sharing progress in my handmade book for April. That link will give you the background to this project. I am working with a limited colour palette and I will try and include stitching, sari ribbon and stencils on each spread. Click on any photo to see it larger.
Prompt 16 : Remember your colour palette A chance to play with favourite elements

Prompt 17 : The ways you bring this season into your home Daylight savings has ended so it's time to start slowing down at night - lighting candles - layering up - adding light to dark corners.

Prompt 18 : Gratefulness So much to be grateful for in the face of current challenges. I am most grateful every day for the lovely relationship I have with the people in my bubble and also how lucky I am to be a Kiwi. Printed a favourite quote onto my page and then surrounded it with NZ elements. 

Prompt 19 : Gifts you can give without spending money Spending time together to create lovely memories, listening carefully, telling people you love them, and reminding others of what you value about them. Couldn't believe my luck when I found this very cool couple with face masks in an old magazine!

It's ANZAC day in New Zealand today. I completed the above page today and added the poppy tape to honour that. Because we are in lockdown, New Zealanders were encouraged to assemble at the end of their driveways at 6am. My husband took his trombone out and played the last post. It was very moving and we felt connected though apart as we saw others standing outside their properties and heard the echoes of other instruments playing in their own areas. 
You may notice I've switched to Prompt instead of Day...crazily I was feeling anxious that I was 'getting behind'. Since there are only 24 prompts in this class I'm better doing them when I feel like it instead of pushing myself for daily. This way I'll finish near the end of the month and I'll have time to do my cover too. To see other spreads in this project scroll through my April posts. 

Autumn Advent Journal : Days 10-15

Sharing progress in my handmade book for April. That link will give you the background to this project. I am working with a limited colour palette and I will try and include stitching, sari ribbon and stencils on each spread. In the photo above you'll see I've had to split the spine of my book now because the pages have got too deep to fit. I was expecting this and will share my process for finishing the cover at the end of this project.
Day 10 : Simplicity I have been cleaning off some remainder paint onto a couple of pages so the "simplest" thing is to use one of these prepared pages 

I'd just been watching Dina Wakley demo about white space - check it out HERE. Very good - and lots more than just white space. 

White space does not have to be white... My Simplicity page was not simple for me! It still doesn't feel finished to my eye but I'm leaving this as a learning experiment

Day 11 : Random acts of kindness Thinking about speaking kindly - I try and give compliments and words of encouragement as often as possible. If you think something nice about someone why not say it out loud?

Day 12 : Senses Hearing native birdsong - Tasting homemade food - Seeing Autumn colour - Smelling late roses - creating a tactile page that begs to be Touched : waxed butterfly paper, sari ribbon, a soft feather hand stitched, machine stitched leaves, hand coloured crumpled brown paper, and a gold doily.

Day 13 : Express your character with collage I love butterflies, the beach, being a Kiwi, music, found words, roses, paper and stitch, colour, trim lattes, reading, arting and I always try to SHINE

Day 14 : Doodling mindfully Fun to spread paint around and prepared the other side at the same time...hope it won't be covered up with another collage prompt!

I at first used a Uniball white pen but I didn't like what I did and I was able to remove it with a baby white the next day! I did re-apply my dark green paint through the stencil. This time I've used a Sakura Gelly Roll pen and followed the guidance for this prompt to be completely focused and enjoy the process.

Day 15 : Kindness to people not close to your heart. 

To see other pages in this project scroll through my April posts.