art equals happy.

An Art Journal of sorts. :: Drawing & Sketchbooks.

Sometimes I like to draw things on paper that isn't in a sketchbook. Sometimes I like to write down my feelings. Sometimes I just need to glue stuff to other stuff. Sometimes I get that urge to document. Sometimes I just need to remind myself of something.
I guess that's what I used to do with my art journals. I just used to do it a lot more often and perhaps with more cohesion? My art journals have taken a back seat (okay- more like locked away in a bag in the bottom of the boot where I never look), compared to Uni work and growing my knitting skills. But this year, I've kept a loose diary of sorts, along with my notebook that I carry around with me everywhere.
Here are some pages from March and April that I thought you might like..."The city moved and we were still. " "Poetically sad and beautiful" "I turned my phone off." "The wind made my hair dance and the boats kissed each other." "I need to tell this to my pages" (just in case you can't read my messy writing. haha)This 'journal' is a free place for me. It's a place that never gets judged. It never has to be 'beautiful' or 'perfect' or even nice looking. I don't have to be happy with the drawings/compositions I make. It is literally a place for thoughts and bits of paper. I tend to keep scraps/offcuts from projects, reciepts, bags, etc and I like putting them together and marking them with a date. It's a nice reminder of what I was doing at the time- and I love looking back at my old ones too. Hopefully one day my kids will too. Maybe they'll see that we all struggle and get frustrated and hate ourselves now and again- but that if we really think about it, we are lucky and there is a lot to be happy about.It is also incredibly helpful for dealing with CFS/M.E. Being able to write your frustrations down- to make something that can't be seen... tangible- (or just complain) to a piece of paper is such a gift. :] Kimxo

More pages from This & That. :: Scrapbooking.

Ok, so maybe these pages aren't strickly prompts from Kara's class, but I definately used the prompts as starting points for these pages. I'm all about letting it go where it needs to go rather than adhering to the 'rules' too closely. I definately used Kara's example pages as inspirations and tried to go with the flow, while encorporating little elements.I was scrapping with a friend when I made these, actually & we dug into my (rather embarrassingly large) product collection from when I used to work at a scrapbooking store & subscribe to kits. It was really nice to see everything with fresh eyes and not feel scared about using the product. I don't know if I'm the only one that is like this- but where there is something really special or new I tend to hoard it waiting for the 'right' page to put it on. Having taken a break from the scrapbooking world- I felt much less intimadated & was able to mix my office supplies/vintage papers etc with more commercial/fun product. I've got to tell you- it was LIBERATING.Supplies used: Toast Magazine page. Masking tape. Old book page. White cardboard circle.Yarn. Basic Grey Alpha Rubbons.Scrapworks Yellow Alpha Rubbons. Vintage newspaper cutout. Black ink and brush. Yellow vintage folder.  Brown circle 'Tower' office labels (South African). LoveElsie stickers. Various 4ply Yarn. Pencil. Staples.

Supplies used: Unknown paper. Sewing machine. Various magazine clippings. Love Elsie chipboard sticker. Elsiecake flower sticker. some Red Velvet Kit Club odds and ends (fabric&frame), Hambly overlay. Brown tape. Pencil. Lined Paper.

Thanks for letting me share. [: Have you been scrapbooking lately? Art Journalling? Trying to catch up on holiday photos? haha. Here is what Negs has been doing:What a life!!! kimxo

Down Memory Lane... :: Scrapbooking.

Do you ever sit down and go through old family albums, or spend a few hours looking through photographs- and before you know it, you've lost your afternoon to sentimental things?
 The other day, I was looking through some older scrapbooks (up until 2006) of mine, and even though those times feel like miles away from my daily life today- I am so happy I documented at least some of them, because it was wonderful looking back and knowing that those feelings/thoughts/moments aren't lost- in fact, they are right here. 
I took the liberty of photographing some of my favourites, want to come down memory lane with me?(From when I worked a scrapbooking shop in usa.) (photoshoots in my living room without a 'proper' camera)(printing my own darkroom. gosh- i miss that!)(best friend during the summers. we used to play pokemon, ride bikes, swim in the river, go to campfires, identify ferns, play N64 and I would pretty much always beat him at cards, but he'd beat me at races.)(the day i fell in love with scooters)(studio at home, and darkroom at school)(christmas i got my DSLR camera)(Music and dreams and family)

This has made me really want to continue documenting my life. I've taken quite a bit of break. Thanks past kimself for inspiring present kimself. You're pretty cool.
Do you have a favourite photo album?

This and That pages for Kara. <3 :: Scrapbooking

Sweet Kara Haupt asked me to do a few pages as examples for her newest and greatest class called This & That. I've been following along and I've got to say it's super inspiring! The format of the class is really easy to access and the pages she's shared are beautiful along with all the tips that make it worth while! See some examples by other bloggers here. These are two pages I've made so far...Prompts 14. and 15.
One of the great things about this class is that all the technique tips and prompts can be mixed and matched. 
Products used: Hand Screen Printed paper by me(from an old school project). Yellow vintage office folder. Elsiecake's instax stickers (from 'Our Story' set). Various cardstock. Hambly overlay. Brown lick and stick paper tape. White pen(Pentel Hybrid Gel Grip), black pen(Pilot G-TEC-C4). Staples.That's a picture of my Grandpa while he was travelling around with his marionette puppets. <3(please excuse the messy hair)Prompts 18 and 4. 
Products used: Amy's photograph. Half Calf paper by Mandi. Crocheted Doily. Lined paper. Black pen(Ball Pentel Fine Point R50). Yellow star and brown circle 'Tower' office labels (South African). White pen(Pentel Hybrid Gel Grip). Thread.I haven't journalled or scrapbooked in a long while, so it was really great to get back into it. In fact, I spent today doing some more pages. Definately owe this new surge of inspiration to Kara. Thanks. :]

Check this out!

Danielle Thompson did the sweetest feature on her blog of me today! She handpicked some photos from my blog and flickr and etsy. She's the best. I love her blog because it's colourful and plus her digital kits are amazing and she has cute DIY's and finds the best things thrifting. :] Check out these amazing arrows that she made!!! :D I'm doing a giveaway on her blog for a full set of my You're Knicked paper- to enter go to her blog and check out the post!
Big smiles to everyone out there,
kimxo
P.s. there is a sneak peek at new products at the bottom of that post!!!

playing around...

So, I've always been curious about digital scrapbooking. Never tried it. Well, until this morning. I've always been kind of in awe of the Kitchy Digitals stuff. And I've seen some of my favourite scrapbookers use the kits. Anyway, I figured now would be a perfect time to try some of them out, so... These are my results. All three pages made from: Calico Dream Kit, Chalkboard Paper, and Granny's Attic Kit. And the fonts I found from here: Font Squirrel. I used that minty doily and some of the pattern paper to create that scallop in the first one. And the wrinkled fabric paper and the shape of the flowers to create the little accent in the middle one. haha. i know they aren't amazing, just playing.

Gosh. I haven't really 'scrapbooked' in a long time. I've been journalling and I do sketchbooks all the time. Is it weird that I feel like there is a huge barrier there? Why does one have to be so exclusive of the other? Hmm. Just thoughts. I did find that this was quick and easy and satisfying. Don't really know what I'll do with these pages now, but I'm looking forward to printing some out and playing 'in real life' with the different elements. 
 
 Ok, time to start some 'real work'. :] Love you kxo

Tell Your Story/Spring 2010

This is my spring art journal. [: I started it off, at the beginning of Spring but it's so big it's turned into Spring/Summer 2010, haha. I also started it in the Tell Your Story online journal class taught by Rachel and Elsie. Their classes are always good. Anyway, here are some peeks:The left page is probably my favourite. simple. real. and talking about beautiful things. [:(the little instax is taken with my lomo instant back)Thanks for looking. [: I'm not really used to working in a big plain white paged sketchbook. it's interesting, i can't say it's my favourite but it's a nice 'special' place for those big thoughts. loves.
(you can get that pink/yellow stripey paper in the second photo from my shop!)

quiet sundays.

If I'm not going to markets on Sunday, I love to spend it being lazy and quiet, drinking cups of tea, journalling and watching movies. And if it's a nice day, maybe a pretty photoshoot with some friends. Have a nice one!kimxo

collage postcards.

A month or so back, I had a lot of really strong feelings that weren't going anywhere. They were hanging in my mind and I couldn't find the words to write about them in my journals, so I gave myself a big pile of magazines, some paint and blank postcards....And this is what happened:It was one of the most free-ing experiences I've experienced. I definitely recommend working on a small scale & making tons because it's satisfying and if you mess up or don't like it, there's no stress- just start a new one. Layers. Building up. Paper cuts. Negative space. Shapes. Lines.What do you think? Do they mean anything to you? I hardly ever work this abstract, so I'd love your opinion. 

In other news, I've got less than a week before my project is due, so things are a little crazy. Luckily, my Mum is around the next day or so to help out [: Say hi!haha. see you tomorrow! kxo   

 

Tell Your Story.

So I'm taking part in this class, and it's really great- just like all of Rachel and Elsie's classes.   Sometimes I follow the prompts really strictly, and sometimes it just gives that burst of enthusiasm to try my own ideas. I always find that even reading their blogs helps me to put down my ideas/thoughts instead of just thinking about them.Those are the first couple of pages. I'll be sure to share more when I've taken photos of them.
Hope your saturday is going great. [:
kxo