So happy to be sharing my last 3 spreads and the cover that's completed this December Daily project for 2019.
Day 22 : Following intuition. No expectations - drops of ink on my paper. Rolled it about and it was getting very messy so I closed along the fold, then opened and rolled with paper towel....Do you see what I see?
Turned upside down ♥
No stitching this time, but I love the messier look of this one. New Zealand elements included with the fantail stamp and 2 x postage stamps.
Day 23 : I love you. I've already devoted pages in this journal to my love and gratitude for my family and friends so decided to just add elements that I love with Christmas ideas. I started with a spread I'd already wiped excess paint upon
Turned out this page became imbued with unexpected meaning as I worked remembering my gorgeous Dad and got news of the passing of a close friend's Mum. Aroha nui
Day 24 : Magic. Again, I worked on this spread intuitively to see what would come up. First gathered elements I thought I might like to include and I definitely want to have this gorgeous double-sided card front as part of my finish. Given by a mum at school, it is so cleverly done that it's going in despite not being strictly part of my colour palette. Trimmed to size and in position ♥
Then I worked on each side adding a bit here and there
I decided to finish the Christmas side with inspiration from the cards I made for workmates earlier this month - it's lovelier in person when you can see all the delicious textures
And the New Year side with a photo of my gorgeous family
It feels magical to have got this project complete by the end of the year and I just love the gorgeous chunkiness of the finished pages.
I glued the loose pages together as I finished them to enable me to add stitching wherever I needed, and now the cover won't wrap around!
Just as well I often like to leave altering the cover of my hand-made journals until the end and I was already prepared for this probability. Go HERE to see the beginnings on 1st December. I knew I would probably have to split the spine and had some lovely furnishing fabric off-cuts to use to extend that, as well as wanting to add sari ribbon to tie it closed. Step 1 : Cut through spine. Glue tissue inside back cover so that when I glue the back page down it has a nice finish
Front cover decoration next - torn and imperfect - just how I like it.
Glued the fabric and sari ribbon tie on the front and left to dry completely before wrapping around. For all the gluing of the pages back to back, into the cover, and attaching this fabric spine I used the heavy gloss medium in the photo.
After more than an hour of drying, I wrapped the fabric around and glued to the back and left to set again. And now my book is complete
Find all my posts about this project HERE or just look at the photos in my Flickr Set.
Wishing you a creative and joy filled 2020 ♥
I have adored this year-long monthly project. See how I began HERE with an idea to fill my mixed media Klimt in the Garden Collaged Box with art cards inspired by Effy's A Year of Rumi prompts. I think you can still sign up for this although my cards are no indication of the art you'll find there, only the quotes used.
The cards begin as 300gsm watercolour paper cut to 5 3/4" square. This last prompt once again needs a candle. I did one for August, so need to create this in a different way. I dug through my box of gatherings for this project and was immediately inspired by my samples of painted fusible together with this lovely piece of polymer clay and a gorgeous Tyvek bead originally made by Carolyn Saxby and gifted to me by a friend. Using that paper cast would be cool too if I can manage it.
First I need a background layer and I love the glow that comes when I start with gold. Then I tried my layout. Working this small is a challenge every time. I think I can include all the elements I want though.
I always put a meaningful backing fabric on the back of my finished cards. This black with gold seems appropriate for the festive season but also a tinge of sadness that this is the end. I decided to use one of those heart samples for the label
I thought the paper cast was going to have to count as my garden element this time, but then I was able to add a sweet seed head stamp with Staz On ink and even managed to sneak in a butterfly. I love the final result.
I've managed to include sari ribbon and hand stitched elements on most of my cards, and metallic machine stitching on all. It's so lovely to see them all together. Click on the photos to see them larger.
You can see the entire series in my Flickr photo set or look through my blog posts HERE. I will definitely have to pursue another mixed media fibre project next year.
Sharing 4 prompts today from my 2019 December Daily project. I will definitely finish this project before the end of the year. There are 24 prompts in all.
Day 18 : No One is watching. My favourite things are getting creative in my studio, and being at the beach. If I had a day to myself, I would spend it doing both of those things and singing to my favourite music.
Day 19 : Tie loose ends. I'd deliberately gone over the centre fold to unite this spread again. The sari ribbon at the bottom will be stitched down on the new page.
I decided to tie up loose ends by using up some of the scraps from other pages - bits of that spotty paper and tissue, paper doily, the teabag
Then I hand couched some lovely sari thread that I'd been gifted a long time ago. Use the good stuff ♥
This is how the double spread looks
My chosen colours of pink and green make me so happy. And I am very pleased that I have enough paper left to make full spreads for the rest of the prompts if that's what moves me.
Day 20 : Sounds. Outside my window : Tui and other birdsong, a lawnmower, and always music playing at my house...this is obviously going to be a garden page again ♥
Happy to find the pink butterfly sticker and an old stamp featuring a Tui
Day 21 : Gifts. I have challenges ahead at the beginning of 2020 but I know that it will be okay because of the wonderful people I have in my life. I am also lucky to have been gifted with creativity, an open heart, and an optimistic outlook. Background - took a progress shot cos love the interplay of spots - washi tape, tissue, stencil
Stars punched from gelli printed paper. Found words from a large print dictionary
That leaves just 3 prompts and the cover. Share with you again soon. Find all my posts about this project HERE or just look at the photos in my Flickr Set.
I hope you've had some special time with people you love these last few days. Waving to you from New Zealand ♥
Despite getting many days behind in my December Daily, I still have time to get this journal finished before the end of the year....Here's how my book looked by end of Day 14 in my previous post.
Day 15 : Light. I decided to celebrate my boys - my beautiful family light up my life every single day. This photo was taken on my 50th birthday a couple of years ago.
Day 16 : Where are you? An opportunity for another photo on the facing page. My studio needed a tidy up when I came out today. Before
After
Now :
And I really like how the stitched ribbons tie the pages together into a unified spread
Day 17 : Shadow. Did you notice the cool shadows in the first photo I posted of some of my extended family and I on Christmas day at the beach? This prompt was about drawing from the shadow of something. I chose a lovely pink hydrangea from my garden
I tried sketching the shadow - it was hard on a light night in summer, even trying to organise a light bulb to shine over my shoulder. Set the stabilo with gel medium
I just let the page evolve from there with neocolor crayons and lovely iridescent green paint with fav stencils
It became more of a celebration of a garden than about shadows. I used my microfleur flower press again and included petals from my hydrangea (they lost colour in the drying process but are still pretty) and found the perfect decorative stitch on my sewing machine
And then I found a quote in a magazine which gave this page context as an antidote to shadow feelings that may come at this time of year through missing loved ones or receiving bad news.
I love that these prompts are leading me (sometimes unexpectedly) to capture this season in nature too. Be back tomorrow with more pages to share. Find all my posts about this project HERE or just look at the photos in my Flickr Set.
