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.  

Bookmarks

I work at a private school in Palmerston North, part-time librarian and part-time administration support. As part of my library role we have student librarians who help throughout the year. Since 2015 I've been making bookmarks for them all as a thank you. Every year it's VERY busy at this time, and every year I think it's important enough to create for my special helpers. These are my process photos and what they received this morning

Spray inks through stencils over an original stencil on watercolour paper from several years ago. Look really different once you cut them apart, curve the top edges and punch the hole

I thought I would have to add more but once I put the ribbon on, they are really cool. 

And I purchased a custom-made stamp for the back 

Especially lovely to hear some of them say they still have their bookmark from last year 💙 Check out my other postings about bookmarks from previous years here. 

Bookmarks

I work at a private school in Palmerston North, part-time librarian and part-time administration support. As part of my library role we have student librarians who help throughout the year. Since 2015 I've been making bookmarks for them all as a thank you. Every year it's VERY busy at this time, and every year I think it's important enough to create for my special helpers. I actually made these a few weeks ago. This time I was inspired by an old project on the StencilGirl blog by Suanne Summers. I played with acrylic paint and stencils for the first layer

I was going to add pen doodles, but once I cut them and curved the top corners I saw that some didn't need any such additions

Here they are with fibres added ready to gift - one batch with nothing more

The other ones with doodles added

Gifted yesterday. See my previous posts about this annual project HERE.

Bookmarks

I work at a private school in Palmerston North, part-time admin and part-time librarian. As part of my library role we have student librarians who help throughout the year. Since 2015 I've been making bookmarks for them all as a thank you. Every year it's VERY busy at this time, and every year I think it's important enough to create for my special helpers. This year I discovered I had some cardstock cut into bookmark shapes. I laid them out on old sheet music to catch overspray and then used some spare pieces of scrap watercolour paper to mop up. Sprayed with 3 colours through stencils.  

Because I've been doing this a while I've got a good sense of what works well together. Many pieces looked lovely once dry and only needed to have the fibre tassel added 

while others just needed a little tape glued on. 

Happy with this quick project and my librarians loved them too 💜

See the other bookmarks I've made over the years HERE.

Creative bookmarks

Every year I have a team of student librarians who help me in my school library. I have got into a tradition of making bookmarks for them as a thank you. These were from last year

And these from 2017 

I used the same method again for this year because it's a quick way to create with lovely results and I needed to create 30 bookmarks! Beginning with 2 x A3 sized watercolour paper for my base. This year I started by painting my bases first

Spraying through stencils and mopping up onto the opposite page as I went

 

Once they are cut they look quite different and I looked at each one individually before adding fibre and I wondered if extra elements were required. 

Turns out only a few needed extra white stamping 

I just love the bright ones but not everyone has my taste and I can never predict which ones the children will choose

It's really interesting to consider each one separately - each unique in its inky patterned loveliness. 

Bookmarks and Creative Cards

I work as a librarian in a school and every year I make bookmarks to gift to my student helpers. Here's what I did this year - sprays and stencils are my favourite base

Printed on the both sides of pieces of heavy watercolour paper

I seemed to have even less time than other years so at this point I just cut the paper to size, punched a hole in the end and added fibres

And below are the other sides - I was interested to see what appealed to the children - I didn't predict what they would love and my favourite was chosen last.

I wished I'd thought ahead before I cut the paper to size, but then my mind turned to other possible uses for the leftovers

I also have this pack of Tim Holtz Botanical Layer pieces gifted to me by a friend last year - they are cardstock 

You can just use glue to attach them of course

But very cool that the butterfly wings can stick out a bit if you just stitch the bodies

I always love stitching on a bit of sari ribbon

Great to have card bases prepared for future use ♥

All can have words and extra imagery added when I know who's going to receive them. I love how they've turned out so far and I'm never very good at leaving white space but really loving how these look....maybe some will just have some found words and be done.