finally … it’s a wrap

just put the finishing touches on my 2009 December Art Journal cover

I knew I wanted to use a Paper Whimsy girl to hold the star on a wire that I recently found … Gel Medium was a great help in gluing the cheesecloth, lace (thank you so much Michelle … this is the most I have used at one time!!) and bits of this and that to the gessoed cover

Sue I finally dipped into the box of delights you sent me for my birthday and was brave enough to cut one Austrian crystal button from that perfect vintage card of buttons

… the gold specked netting was the perfect ingredient as well … many thanks!!!

when I thought my cover was finished and had already taken a few photos … it came to me to add one golden wing … symbolic of how I felt a lot of the time this December …  flying with just one wing …

“What has time done to me? Changed my very being” ~a quote from the gorgeous Indian film “Jodhaa Akbar“

a totally stunning film we will watch again … maybe the second time without English Subtitles as to not be distracted from the cinematography and actors for even an instant

once in a blue moon

time to decorate the cover of my December Art Journal and call it a wrap … well almost

here are a couple more pages inspired by the blue moon on  the last day of the last month on the last day of last year 😉

say that quickly five times

new years eve is the anniversary of when my sweetheart and I fell in Love (I REALLY think the “L” in Love should be capitalized…just saying)

Margaret … I’ve had a chance to use both of the lovely napkins you gifted me with for my journal pages (the holly and now the little angels) … thank you!!!

I also want to thank Imke for the lovely papers and tags she sent me from LaWendula’s recent tag swap … I copied the number page she sent me and will be using that one a lot!  Thank you Imke!

“The beginning is always today” ~ Mary Shelley

seeds of change …

before ringing in the new year last night I put the finishing touches on a couple more December Journal pages …

inspiration came from several places … the gorgeous image Marilyn Rock shared on her blog … then a pomegranate (one of nature’s more beautiful and mysterious fruits … delicious and healthy too) which was cut from a leaflet I picked up at the supermarket on how to open pomegranates … had to have it because of the picture …

I have finally gotten better at opening the fruit and removing the seeds … practice practice practice 🙂

the blue Turkish tile image that I cut and used in pieces is from Wikipedia … such gorgeous colors … the pomegranate inspired me to add a touch of gold to the spread, something I would not have done on my own … can’t beat Mother Nature!!!

… here it is Twenty Ten … a bit easier to say than two thousand and nine … I am one that likes to ease into change …  for at least a few days I’m sure I’ll hear myself saying .. 2010 … already!!!

have you chosen a word to guide and inspire you into the new year?  I forget my word from last year … oh my! but the word BALANCE keeps coming to mind … could be the same word from 2009 ?

asked Mr Magpie what his word for 2010 would be (didn’t say inspiring and such) … he said “undecade” … he is annoyed at the talk of this being the beginning of a new decade because according to him it’s not … please … don’t get him started … 🙂

Happy Healthy New Year One and All!!!

“Enter these enchanted woods, You who dare” ~George Meredith

*** I am joining in Ana’s Friday Archive Dive with this post ***

Live…Laugh…Love…Leave

the free fan image from The Vintage Workshop got me going on these 31 December Journal pages

still some time left in the day, month, year … tick tick tick …  to create another December art journal spread 🙂

Winter … season of imagination

my digital camera is no longer speaking to our photo organizer/sizer/whatever it’s called, for no apparent reason today, so I tried scanning these recent journal pages instead of taking photos like I usually would … waiting for my technical support to come home to help me out

I have to laugh at myself just a little … part of the holdup on me learning new technology seems to be the lingo … that said … I have signed up for DJ Pettitt’s online Photoshop class, Memories and Manipulations (sign up ends 4 Jan 10)

I am very excited and hopeful … the only way for me to go with Photoshop is up

… bells are ringing

the sweet twins image from Art Creations Friday was part of the inspiration for these December Journal pages

music was the other … there is something about hearing young children sing that goes straight to the core of my heart …  some years ago  I went along with one of our son’s boy scout troops to visit an elder care home around Christmas … there was a slow and modest trickle of little ladies and gents, several came in wheelchairs ready for a break in their day… the sight of them and the sound of those rascally boys sweetly singing Christmas carols took me to the edge … I opened my mouth to sing along, but the words just would not come … it was all I could do to not break out in sobs (last time they invited me to come along hahaa)

the power of music is amazing … forget about singing

Auld Lang Syne sniff sniff 🙂

for a look at all of my December journal pages thus far you can visit my Flickr Photostream here

Holly and Ivy

I named these two Genteel Paper Whimsy ladies, Holly and Ivy, and  included them in my December Art Journal

*you can click for a closer look*

holiday music is a special feature of December and something I enjoy very much

somewhere out there …

inspired by the words of Lord Byron (1788-1824)

“Oh! darkly, deeply, beautifully blue, As someone somewhere sings about the sky”

this is the third of my blue spreads for my December Art Journal … I had no idea when I began this journal on 1 December just how much I would enjoy and be driven to create it in … heartfelt thanks go out to Linda and Nathalie for inspiring me to begin

fourteen spreads completed with more pages to fill

the image on the left hand side is from a flyer that arrived in the mail advertising a ballet … white painted through a plastic doily makes her “halo” (thanks again Lynn) … Golden’s paints work so nicely on these simple lined journal pages (many thanks to Julie for making me much braver with a paintbrush) … the bit of glimmer at the bottom is also Golden’s … small Pearl Mica Flakes

the angel on the right is from a vintage Swedish postcard … it was a nice challenge mixing shades of blue to blend the postcard into the page … the snowflakes are from Martha Stewart … the white writing is a Sharpie Poster Paint marker

thank you to all who have followed my journal pages thus far and for your kind words and observations, especially in such a busy month as this …. I would like to share the Swedish Postcard with you … here is the FREE DOWNLOAD for your personal use

*ENJOY * ENJOY *

May All of Your Xmas’ Be Bright

these pages began with the gold and tan greeting card from the Hartsfield’s in 1930 … mailed from Douglas, GA to Tryon, NC

gold gouache for the background and black felt tip marker for doodling and a flimmersterne as a centerpiece on the left with a lovely Paper Whimsy lady in the center

WS: Blue and White

Blue and White is the theme for this week’s Wednesday Stamper challenge … another chance to play in my December art journal

collaged papers … blue and white envelope liner … foam stick on snowflakes … the little girl is from Dover Publications

along with one of my snowflake stamps

HoHoSnow!

keep me where the Light is …

Sunday was St Lucia day

a celebration of sweetness and Light

our family is searching for the Light

after the Worldwide Candlelighting our hearts are filled with Love and tenderness

… you have touched our hearts so sweetly … many many thanks and lots of  Love right back to each of you now and always !!! OXOXOXO

lyrics from John Mayer’s “GRAVITY” also inspired me for these journal pages … “keep me where the Light is”

***footnote added 15 Dec … inspired by a collage and quote from Constance

“At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person.
Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.” ~Albert Schweitzer

*Peace On Earth*

as soon as I saw the Dover image of the Asian angel with the fish, I knew I wanted to use it in my December art journal

the face with the holly is a photo I took of a mask at a sushi restaurant at the Inner Harbor in Baltimore … I added the holly … peeled paper napkin, along with other Asian papers to make up the background … black PanPastel helped edge the pages and give a little shadowing

please feel free to download this mask photo and use it in your art, not for collage sheets or for sale of course

*double click for large size FREE DOWNLOAD*

“Peace is not something you wish for … It’s something you make, Something you do, Something you are, And something you give away.” ~Robert Fulghum

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*** there is a new feature on my sidebar ***

several people have asked how they can subscribe to my Magpie’s Nest blog … I finally found a way … if you look under my Avatar (blue lady in an arch)  near the top of the sidebar (thanks again to Estivalia for helping me with that) you’ll see

“EMAIL SUBSCRIPTION” click there and add your information, I believe an email will come to your inbox asking you to verify that request and if you chose to, you will be sent an email each time I update my bbb (blogblogblog) 🙂

Blue Christmas

lots of paint on these pages AND on my hands … about 4 different blues … two yellows and silver

as with my other December journal pages … I worked quickly using what was close at hand … the heat tool helped speed the drying paint between layers

*a closer look is just a click or two away*

the tiny cottage in the snow is a piece from an old advent calendar … I knew I saved all these years for some reason

and from Leo Tolstoy

“Art is not a handicraft, it is the transmission of feeling the artist has experienced”

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did you know that if you wanted to see my other December Art Journal posts, all you have to do is look at Categories below and click on the words: December 2009 Art Journal and it will take you to all of my links so far