put a bird nest on it…

and call it done…

my twenty-eight spread journal using an old rescued encyclopedia volume that I have worked in so much lately

now has a cover on it using a piece of one of the cutter quilts I got recently…

while I was out on the back porch (where the light is good for photography) a robin redbreast popped into our angel fountain not seeming to mind me being quite close…

as I had my camera handy I clicked a few photos of her splish splashing away…

something went amiss with the robin that nested in our pink climbing rose out front as the four beautiful eggs disappeared from the nest over night leaving us guessing what might have gone wrong…

 back to my art journal…

I always like an excuse to use one of my wire bird nests as they are such fun to make…

I am close to finishing a smaller Funk & Wagnalls volume but that may not happen before our trip in June…

*Wordpress tells me this is blog post #1660*

Seize the day …

when I heard that Dawn’s Journal Journey’s May challenge was “Birds” I had a couple of images I knew I wanted to use (sorry I could not find who to give credit to for the images)…

the girl with the basket on her head is from a 3×5 skinny that I created on cereal box cardboard some time ago…

I increased the size which is unusual for me as I seem to most often reduce the size of images…

adding a little texture with some sari threads for the nest and a wooden inchie frame that I glued text onto sanding and inking the edges…

I began working in this 1958 encyclopedia back in 2009…

excitement is building for me as there are only two more sections to complete in my visual journal and I’ll be ready to put a cover on it and call it done…

 I am also sharing this with Susi’s Art Journal Journey “Challenge Yourself” for May as I did challenge myself in several ways (i.e. use of images and only using stamp inks along with limiting my color palette)…

♥Happy Weekend All♥

sunlight and flower petals…

“Art is the only way to run away without leaving home.” ~Twyla Tharp

it has been a little while since I have gotten my hands into paint as I seem to have my camera in my hands this time of year snapping photos of the glorious Spring blooms arriving anew each day (sorry to all of my friends where Spring is long overdue!)…

wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do other than use some of my new dabber paints…

using a page from a large print book I let a few words pop off the page at me and was inspired…

my camera was downstairs so there is only this one photograph of my pages just about completed after lots and lots of layers of paint and rubber stamping…

being recently inspired by a talented artist’s beautiful creativity I knew that my pages could use some of this leaf trim…

often I find it good to step away from what I am creating for a bit…

it is easier to see where things might be added or not…

“Art is both creation and recreation.  Of the two ideas,  I think art as recreation or as sheer play of the human spirit is more important.” ~ Lin Yutang

The Snow Queen

each year I treat myself to a special wall calendar…

this year the cover art of all things a Witches’ Calendar with brilliant scratchboard artwork by Jennifer Hewitson really spoke to me…

I have known a few “witches” in my time but other than that have no real connection to the topic…

that said the January Snow Queen surrounded by children touched my heart in so many ways…

before January 2013 slips away I thought I would post these simple pages I created using some of my black and white gelli monoprinting cardstock, black gesso, a little blue Lumiere paint and white poster pen …

it took great restraint to not use color when monoprinting these pages by the way…

Happy February as I know to some of my friends way around the globe it has already arrived…

oxo

STRETCH in 2013 …

new year’s resolutions are not something I really get into but I have chosen a word for the last several years…

in 2011 my word was AUTHENTIC and

in 2012 I chose BALANCE…

I could easily have had that as my word again this year but I decided to go with

(most of the heart rocks are from my Mr Magpie who knows I enjoy a pretty rock as much as a bouquet of flowers)

a reminder to stretch my spiritual body…

 my physical body…

and

to continue stretching my wings trying new things…

(thank you Susan for the beautiful wings…they fit perfectly with my new AVAM swan)

here are my latest art journal pages for two different monthly journal challenges Susi’s with the theme of “Crowns” and Dawn’s with the theme of “New” using colors that I don’t often go to…

my encyclopedia pages (each measuring 4×6″/postcard size) began with some found poetry that eerily and unintentionally lined up with words showing thru my painted and collaged backgrounds on page 213 and 214…

did you pick a word to inspire you this year?

A BIG thank you once again to my sweet and talented friend Estivalia in Chile for creating the code for my Word of the Year to appear on my sidebar…she’s the best!!!

You’ll probably never know…

my art journal pages were inspired by a couple of images from a wonderful card and special paper swap from the lovely and talented Madeleine Schineis in The Netherlands

(with special thanks to LaWendula for the many swaps she continues to organize … I believe there is still time to sign up for the December “Yummy Papers” swap here)…

the girl with her long tresses caught in the train door really spoke to me as I have had long hair for much of my life…

the delicate bird image on the right hand page was just perfect too…

(here is some of what went into my pages: a chocolate paper, black and white rub ons, cotton gauze, music fabric tape, metal button, acrylic paint, white Signo gel pen, black marker and black  Stabilo Woody)

a Japanese Journal…

my handmade journal has been finished since early last month but time moves so quickly I haven’t had a chance to share it with you until now…

a couple of years ago Carole of Madness and Mess offered a wonderful online journal making class…

 my Gypsy Journal was the first that I completed and I was very pleased with it…

(see my sweet cup pin cushion that I won in Nathalie’s giveaway in September and my ‘Born to be Wild’ traveling sewing kit)

this journal has been in the works for a couple of years now (oh my!) with my stained watercolor paper pages torn and ready to decorate and stitch …

a friend gave me the perfect piece of blue indigo for the cover that I accented with french knots

and another local friend Linda Yeatman gave me the perfect red bead for the cover…

Jenxo in Australia had shared some beautiful pieces of old sari fabric with me last year which I knew I wanted to add to the pages of my journal…

(I have a serious correction to my description above…those gorgeous fabric pieces from Jen are KIMONO fabrics = doh!)

 I used various images and papers from my Asian collection along with a few rubber stamped highlights here and there…

my centerfold pages fold out on each side…

the pretty Japanese coin on the left is from my friend Susan and the coaster on the right was from my friend Margaret when we were visiting various Brocki’s (Swiss for thrift stores)  in Zurich last spring…

the image on the right is a favorite of a lady standing in a tea field from my now far away art friend Cheryl Novey…

this journal is an example of needing to make something with no real plans for what I’ll actually do with it…

(heart rocks from my Mr Magpie)

it also represents to me the thoughtful generosity of so many art friends some that I have never even met in person which makes this journal extra special to me…

for newcomers to my Magpie’s Nest you will notice there are underlined words throughout my post…

those are links for you to click if you’re interested in more details or photographs of things I have mentioned here…

they may also take you to some wonderful blogs … just sayin’