~ Rebecca Brooks ~

Rebecca hosts Haiku my Heart Friday and when I discovered this circle
of Haiku-lovers and joined in with a haiku every week, the participants
embraced me with all their kindness and love.

Every week, I look forward to Friday
Thank you Rebecca!

I have more art to share…

..

I usually show my weekly art journal on my blog earlier in the week, but
last week was overly busy and stressful and I didn’t finish the pages until
Wednesday – here it is:

(click on each image to enlarge for a better view)

The Chronicles of Marit 2012 – Week 16

(Size: 24,5 x 49 cm – 9.65 x 14.86 inch)

There was so much going on in Week 16 – with FEATURING magazine
being printed and published and the weekend that I spend with my mom
at a poetry festival – that I needed more space to document it all.

I made a pocket of an transparent document protector and taped it
in between pages as an extra. You can see it on the right. It holds notes
that we asked our neighbours to make. We gave both neighbours a copy
of FEATURING and asked them to give feedback on the magazine.
The ladies ‘did their homework’ and I was very happy with their comments
and praise!

The pocket also holds a small book (not visible on the photo) with poems
and names of poets that speeched at the festival. The diner on Saturday night
was very nice – we sat with all children’s poets on a big table. I know most of
them from former festivals and it was pleasant to meet them again and chat
with each other. One of the poets had his text printed on paper place-mats
which the diner was served on, and he signed it for all the other poets.
I folded mine so that it would fit in the pocket. For the Dutchies: the website
and blog of this writer/poet are worth a visit: Ted van Lieshout

Some of you remember the book with templates that my friend Lena send
me (see former post.) I just couldn’t resist playing with one of the templates.
It was quite difficult to choose  (they are all gorgeous!) but when I came
across the the image of a record player I choose to use that with a left over
‘Eels’ affiche/photo transfer and made a page in my ‘Album Cover Journal.’

Album Cover Journal – Eels

(Size: approximately 30 x 27 cm – 12 x 10.5 inch)

I think it’s one happy and bright page and it makes me wanna put on
that record and dance!

I have all reasons to dance: I got emails from the UK and the USA that
FEATURING magazine arrived at the customers homes. My baby has
stepped into the wide world and I hope he’s making it there.

I wish you all a happy weekend.
Whatever colour you may like – orange… red… purple… pink –
make sure to colour your days bright and enjoy life!

From the song 'Love You More' by Racoon
For the complete song, click here)

This song kept playing in my head last week so I think it is time
to start posting again. Heya folks! Did you miss me?

I enjoyed the break I took from blogging.
I worked on articles for FEATURING, fooled around in my art journals,
practiced my drawing skills and overall enjoyed the relaxed feeling that
came over me after a few days. Funny, how keeping a blog is both nice
and pressuring… I know you all must feel it that way every now and then.
My advise? Take a break – I’m sure you come back with a lot of new energy
after a while. I know I do!

Soooo… I won’t show you all that I created at once (and some things I won’t
show you at all: ‘doodles’ for practicing, cards and a folder that I forgot to
take pictures from and send away… )

Today is haiku day – so let’s start with that shall we?
Enjoy!

Last week, temperatures dropped in the Netherlands. Just when I thought
Winter was almost over, the wind turned east and brought frost… and I mean
‘real, serious frost’. We Dutchies are weird people, because every time winter
sets in the whole country starts talking about a ‘Elfstedentocht’.
(‘Eleven Cities Tour‘).

The last time this race was held, was in 1997. The ice must be really thick
to make this happen but lots of people already got their skates out of the
drawer and are preparing. (No, not me. I hate sports! I watch it on TV, Ha!)

Anyway, I watched a movie that was made about the toughest tour in history,
called ‘The Hell of 1963’ and I recommend you ‘foreigners’ to watch the trailer
here. (I know it’s in Dutch, but the scenes show ‘Netherland at it’s best=cold’)
I wrote the haiku after I’d seen the movie.

For more haiku and photos, find the other Haiku my heart Friday
participants on Rebecca’s blog Recuaerda mi Corazon.

See how much I missed you?
I start rambling right away, there’s sooo much to tell you!

Like how I practiced drawing.
I started with sketching self portraits in my ‘grid journal’.
(I sketched after photos)

Self portraits in pencil

(Size: 15 x 15 cm - 6 x 6 inch)

… and then some little sketches ended up on my ‘weekly page’

The Chronicles of Marit 2012 – Week 3

(Size: 24,5 x 49 cm - 9.65 x 14.86 inch)

The text is all ‘venting’ (as you English speaking folks call it so nicely)
It’s not that there were serious problems or that I was angry or something,
but still I find it too private to publish so I blurred it all…

… but here’s some text that doesn’t need blurring

The Who – See Me, Feel Me

(Size: approximately 30 x 15 cm - 12 x 6 inch)

No, these words are not printed!
I painted it and used a black sharpie for outlining the words.
It is a page in the Album Cover Art Journal – that still has a lot of
blank pages – but I might finish it this year.

Here’s another photo.

This journal is made out of old album covers and extra cardboard pages.
It can be folded in strange ways, and there are smaller flaps (like the one
I created the ‘Who page’ on.)

That’s all I want to show you today.
I’ll be back next Tuesday (as usual) with more pages and art.
I loved my ‘blog vacation’ but I’m glad I’m back!

Have a nice weekend you all.
(OH, and Dutchies: stay warm!)

Then, in this post, I would show you the page and explain why
I choose this word.
I would tell you that I will try to live my life with respect for
my inner core.
I would have explained that my goal is to seek inside, going to
the very core of myself,
to see if the things I do and the choices I make are true and
honest to the deepest of me.

However…

This week I came across Scrapping the Music.
Seeing the new challenge that was up there, I couldn’t resist.
I wanted to make a layout in my ‘Album Cover Art Journal’.

Although I wasn’t really aware of it – that was my first test.
I listened to my deepest me.
I went to the core and I decided to go for the music.
Go for creating the page that I really wanted to make.

It left me no time to make my ‘core’ page,
but it showed me how good it feels to be aware of that deepest feeling.
My core.

‘Awareness’ was my word for 2011.
See how it all comes together?

I think CORE is the perfect word for me, for 2012.
I know that already ’cause the ‘planned’ blogpost is here too.
In another way than I thought I would write it.
Maybe even better!

I’ll show you the core page after I’ve made it.
Sometime next week.
Today, I show you the other stuff.

..

Last Friday I didn’t participate in ‘Haiku my Heart’ – because of the ‘crew’
(ahem, 2 people) of the Dutch television that came to film me that day about
the top 2000 blogparty that was going on on my blog…
(see the little movie they made of me here on youtube)

so;

Hi my Haiku friends!
I’m back!
Happy New Year to you!

Do you love haiku?
Rebecca started hosting Haiku my heart Friday in 2010.
I discovered her ‘haiku circle’ last May and am addicted ever since.
I will continue writing a haiku once a week and publish it each Friday.
For more haiku and photos, visit the haiku-post on Recuaerda mi Corazon.

I bet you’re curious to see what I did instead of making a ‘core’ page.

After a months long break, my friend Michelle is back at Scrapping the Music.
She and the team re-arranged the challenge blog – gave it a new look and
blew new life into it. The first challenge of the year is to create something,
anything inspired by the song ‘Piece of My Heart’ (by Janis Joplin)

Besides the STM challenge, Three Muses came with a prompt to use
song lyrics in your artwork… so this piece goes in there too!

Aaah, ‘good ol’ Janis’ … How could I resist?
Here’s the page I made in my ‘Album Cover Art Journal’

Size: approximately 30 x 30 cm – 12 x 12 inch

I’ve always loved this photo of her on that bike.
This picture is on the cover of a ‘greatest hits’ album.
In the Netherlands, we would call it ‘stoer’ (tough?!) and that’s exactly
the line from the lyrics I choose to work with.

I’m gonna show you, baby
that a woman can be tough

How’s that for my first artistic work in 2012?!

Before I go and step into the weekend – here’s one last thing for the people
who don’t know already.

In the first issue of FEATURING magazine we’ll be covering the topic
of Etsy shops and we’d like to hear your opinions on the subject through
our Etsy survey.

We’d like a wide variety of responses.
Whether or not you run an Etsy shop of your own and whether or not
you’ve ever shopped in one, all views are equally welcome.

I would be very grateful if you would be so kind to answer our questions!
The survey should only take 5 – 10 minutes to complete.

Click here to go to the survey.

Enjoy your weekend dear ones!
Take time to listen to your core!

What’s a mom to do to overcome the silence?
Well, for an art journaling mom, there is no better therapy than get creative!

I made this page in my ‘album cover art journal’
There couldn’t be a more appropriate song then this one…

Teach your children – Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

I used the second part of the song:

And you, of tender years
Don’t know the fears
That your elders grew by
so please help them with your youth
They seek the truth
Before they can die.
Teach your parents well
Their children’s hell
Will slowly go by
And feed them on your dreams
The ones they pick
The ones you’ll know by.
Don’t you ever ask them why
If they told you, you would cry
So just look at them and sigh
And know they love you

approximately 30,5 x 30,5 cm - 12 x 12 inch

The ‘album cover art journal’ is made of album covers/sleeves that are
taped together, forming a huge folded art journal (see pics in this post)
Every time I create a page in this journal, I need to take into account the page
that comes next to it or falls over it. It’s a bit of a puzzle to combine the pages
in a way that they fit each other.

Here’s what the page looks like with the next page visible (which is an album
cover by James Last – I will work on that one next)

Folding the pages, it looks like this…

I think I will make a video – flipping through the pages – when it’s all done.
That way, the ingenious folded pages will be more clear.

Next I want to show you this little antique booklet I bought in a small store
last Summer. I had the intention to alter the pages and turn it into a small
art journal. The text is in French, and I didn’t know what it said at first.
My mum found out it contains the catechism… but I’m sure that if there is
a God, he/she won’t mind me putting gesso over these words to turn it into
art journal pages.

I won’t alter the cover though… look at the beautiful weathered leather!

The book is bound with a thin thread.
Here’s a detail (click on the photo to enlarge)

The pages inside turned yellow and the paper is very thin and torn…

… with curly edges.

I’m preparing this booklet right now. I already glued pages together and
smeared a thin layer of gesso over the pages so the text shines through.
I’m not sure where to go next, but I’ll show you when it’s finished.

I’m sure you are expecting to see my weekly ‘Chronicles’ page coming now.
Well, no. Sorry… I started working on it but it’s not finished yet. (I know,
I know, it’s Tuesday already!) I want to work on it some more this afternoon
and will publish it next time.

One last thing before I go.
Do you know my friend Lena?
Her daughter Carmen made a video clip with her class (high school)
It’s amazing to see a bunch of teenage kids making something so professional!
I recommend you all hop over to Lena’s blog to watch the video and leave
Carmen some nice words ’cause WOWZAH, those kids are stunning!!!

Enjoy your week dear ones!

I thought it would be fun to tell you the inspiration-sources with each
piece I made last weekend.

(Remember you can click on each and every image to enlarge)

Inspiration source: Michelle LaPoint – Rydell

In my last post I commented that I was working on a page in my
‘album cover journal’. Michelle LaPoint – Rydell integrated album
sleeves in her art journals a while ago, and when I saw her doing this
I thought it would be neat to make something similar in my album
cover journal.

I journaled all bands and singers that I love or have dear memories of…
The old record (eeckk – James Last!) is there for the colour. I want to
replace it with another one from a more appropriate musician when I
find a label in the right colour.

Favourite music

approximately 30,5 x 30,5 cm - 12 x 12 inch

Used materials/techniques: Basic - Acrylic paint.
Journaling/doodling - poster paint sharpies.

Inspiration source: Daniella Hayes

In this blogpost, Danielle talked about a zentangling group she joined
and how much she’d learn there. I clicked on a link she provided – from
there on I clicked some more links and I ended up finding this tutorial
about paradox zentangling. I just HAD to try it in my grid journal!
(If you look well, you can discover a grid of 9 squares on this page)

Paradox – zentangles

15 x 15 cm - 6 x 6 inch

Used materials/techniques: Pentel: Tradio brush pen

Inspiration source: Scrapbookers Anonymous

Theresa and Lea started this challenge blog and wow – that was
a year ago already! Scrapbookers Anonymous is celebrating the event
with mini challenges al through the Month. The challenges are thought
up by different team members and some come with tutorials as well.
(See for example this tutorial and challenge, made by my friend Lena)

I made the next page especially for this challenge that was provided
by Theresa but in fact, almost all my art work fits the challenge:
no photo’s, journaling is required and use your stash.

29,7 x 42 cm - 11.7 x 16.9 inch

Used materials/techniques: old book pages, gesso, Ranger:
Adirondack color wash spray ink, self made mask, Caran d'Ache
Neocolor II: watersoluble crayons, hand curved stamps

(My ‘weekly page’ almost always fits the above challenge and this week
is no different. So hey Theresa & ‘Anonymous team:  I also submit the
chronicles page ‘week 36’  – it has more of the ‘journaling’ you asked for
in the challenge as well, so it may even fit better?!)

Inspiration source: LIFE!
and uhmm… Teesha Moore, Phinner, National Geographic

Teesha:  making borders out of old scraps of pattern papers may not be
exclusively Teesha’s idea, but I picked it up at her blog first.

Phinner: who send me the postcard with the funky ‘mardy grass’ dancer on it!

National Geographic magazines: My aunt gave me a whole bunch of these
magazines some years ago and I still use them a lot! There’s always a fun and
fitting image somewhere on one of the pages. I think I flipped through these
magazines a thousand times by now and it keeps on inspiring me!
This time, I cut out the photo of the meerkats.

The Chronicles of Marit 2011 – Week 36

(23 x 31 cm - 9.1 x 12.2 inch)

Used materials/techniques: gesso, acrylic paint (scraped upon
the page with an old credit card) scraps of paper for the border,
Glitz: teeny alpha stickers, cut out postcard ('dancer'), cut out
image from NG (meerkats) stamps (for the dates), poster paint sharpie

..
I have more work to show, but I will save that for another day.
Let’s say: Friday?!
Same time, same place?
See you then!

I worked on several art journal pages and I even painted! I hadn’t done that in
a long time. It felt odd. I always have to get rid of the comments of my former
teachers in my head. I studied at art school in the eighties, and some teachers
still ‘haunt me’… (I’ll never forget this comment: ‘The only thing good about
your work is the little containers that you mix your paint in’)

I guess me art journaling has to do a lot with ‘prove I can be creative after all’
and trying to find back the joy that I had as a little child. (I’m happy to say that
I’m almost there… I DID find that pleasure and happiness back! But I put the
‘painting’ part aside and now it’s time to tackle that last hurdle!)

I started carefully and small… I sketched the jar that hold my brushes.
I was very satisfied with the result! I used Indian Ink and it turned out into a
nice, little watercolour sketch! While working on it, a haiku came to mind so
I added that too.

Here it is for Haiku my Heart Friday this week: Brushes

(Remember you can click on each image in this post to enlarge)

(21 x 13 cm - 8.3 x 5.1 inch)

..

Join in if you like to write haiku’s, or at least visit Haiku my Heart
and see some wonderful haiku’s and photographs.

Did the title of this blogpost got you singing?
If so – you must be my age or older….
If you are young and it got you singing:
you must be a real fan of Pink Floyd!

Yep, this is the title of a Pink Floyd song.
I used it to make a page in my ‘Album Cover Journal‘.

Hey you

(19,5 x 31 cm - 7.7 x 12.2 inch)

I had not worked in this journal since early July and because it has a lot
of (big!) pages to fill, I guess this album-journal will turn into a multi-year
project – or maybe not, ’cause I started working on a third page already!

I’ll end this post with an index card I made just for fun.
Something silly and nice to do when all the other pages have to dry!

(Index card: 8 x 13,2 cm - 3.1 x 5.2 x inch)

I have plans to finish some more pages this weekend ánd I have to ‘clean out’
the workshop community-site in order to make it neat for the new students
that will come in next week. Two online art journal workshops will start then!
The registration for ‘A Creative Art Journey‘ and ‘Let it Loose‘ is still
open. You’re very welcome to join! Find all the information by clicking the
badges in the right side menu.

I wish you all a lovely weekend and sunshiny days!
See you next week dear ones!

..

… that I gave birth to a little baby boy…

… and when did this happen? Did he grow overnight? Did I blink?

Today, my son is 19 years old!

Happy birthday dearest!

A memorial

Last Sunday it was 40 years ago that Jim Morrison died (you know,
the lead singer of the Doors). I made this ‘tribute’. It’s the first page
in my ‘album cover folded book’

(30,5 x 30,5 cm - 12 x 12 inch)

The background is pattern scrapbook paper. The face is drawn with a black
marker. I stamped the text and used distress embossing powder (Tim Holtz)
to make it stand out more. A little bit of distress ink (‘vintage photo’) around
the edges finishes it.

I don’t know if you can see it well (you can click the image to enlarge)
but I drew Jim’s face with raindrops (‘Faces come out of the rain…’)
Here’s a detail of his eyes

Then we come to the WINNER of my giveaway.

Congratulations YVON
You are the lucky winner of the small, handmade book!
I will send you an e-mail to inform you.

Last week was all about the weather – tropical days followed by
thunderstorms – and ‘Le Tour de France‘. (In fact, the next three
weeks will be all about the Tour! Watching ‘The Tour’ on TV is
sort of a ‘Summer ritual’.

The Chronicles – week 26

(30 x 21 cm - 11.8 x 8.3 inch)

And last but not least – I made another index card.
I couldn’t let go of the mermaids yet…

(Index card: 8 x 13,2 cm - 3.1 x 5.2 inch)

The background is made with Adirondack color wash spray ink – Ranger
(‘Stream’ and ‘Denim’) and salt. The mermaid and shells are stamped and
embossed with glossy, black embossing powder. The ‘bubbles’ were made
with a pearl pen.

I’m known for being a lousy cook, but I’m going to hit the kitchen now
to bake my son’s birthday cake. The famous ‘Elvis pie’*
I baked it before and failed only once, so it’s do-able, even for me!
One ‘problem’ though… the pie contains two cups of whipping cream,
at least 300 grams of sugar, bananas…

I’ll be back blogging on Friday with at least 2 pounds heavier weight!

*Curious? Here’s a post about it on my old blog.

Enjoy your week dear ones!

So let’s get on with it right away!

..

In my last post I wrote that I was looking forward to a special moment,
and special it was! On Tuesday evening I went with my beloved and son
to a concert of the Eels!!!!

I can’t remember the last time I went to a pop concert, I don’t like crowds
and I rather stay at home listening to the cd, but I wouldn’t have wanted
to miss this for the world! I discovered ‘Eels’ last Spring, my son is a fan
and he made me listen to the music one evening. I made art journal pages,
using the song lyrics, right away. (See here and here )

Last Tuesday I had a FABULOUS night!!!!
To share a little bit of what I saw and heard… this you tube movie is made
at the same concert (the man/woman who made it must have been on a
chair behind me and more to the left… we had great seats in the middle
and more to the front.)

This is going to be a long post… I will have to stop using a lot of words
otherwise you will be long gone before I come to the end of this post…
Over to a briefly style then:

Here’s a newpaper site that has an article about me (left top corner)
Dutchies might find it fun to read…

While surfing the Internet last week, I found quite a few art journalers
participating in Index Card A Day. Tammy from Daisy Yellow-Art Journaling
started this Summer challenge. The premise is to create, draw, doodle, write,
collage something on a simple index card every day in June, July and August.

I have this old index
card box – got it from
my dad a few years ago
– and I thought it would
be fun to give it a go.

I won’t create one card
every day though…
there are way to many
projects I want to work
on, but one card every
now and then will be
manageable.

I will alter the old, metal
box eventually.

I don’t follow the prompts either… but if you’d like to participate, or if you’d
like to see some of Tammy’s ‘Index Card A Day’ prompts, click here to visit
her blog, Daisy Yellow.

Here are the first cards I made last weekend.

(Index card: 13,2 x 8 cm - 5.2 x 3.1 inch)

‘I’m lost on a road – and there’s no one to talk to – there’s no one to run to –
I’m going in circles – I’m talking to myself’ ~ Gorilla Zoe

And a colourful one (the quote is from Helen Keller)

(Index card: 13,2 x 8 cm - 5.2 x 3.1 inch)

Another project I started is this ‘album cover folded book’

I taped together some album covers (see this post) and pieces of cardboard.
It’s a bizarre and huge ‘book’ (the covers and pages are 12×12 inch!) and I
only just gessoed the cardboard pages. That alone took me days…
(gesso – lay to dry – unfold the other side – gesso – dry – and so on…)

I don’t know exactly yet what I will create on the pages and where this book
will lead me… something ‘music related’ I guess…

Friday: time for Haiku my Heart!

This week, Rebecca celebrates the One Year Anniversary of this weekly event.
I have been a part of it for only a couple of weeks now, but I hope to be there
still when the next Anniversary comes! Thanks Rebecca, for the inspiration
and the kind words you have for each and every participant!

Be sure to stop at Rebecca’s blog Recuerda mi Corazon to experience more
Haiku from the heart, as well as find out how to participate yourself.

I started this blogpost with a little ‘list’ and now I come to the last point:

I NEED HELP FROM ONE OF MY AMERICAN BLOG-READERS!!

This is what it’s all about:
I spend a small fortune on black and white markers I use for my art journals.
None of the brands work really well… they dehydrate or, more likely, can’t
handle the layers of paint I use them on…
Some time ago, I won a white Poster Paint Sharpie from Terri and that
specific marker is like a miracle! IT WORKS! And it KEEPS ON writing!

But…

They don’t sell those in the Netherlands and I haven’t found a company
that ships overseas…

Here’s the question:

Is there one of you that would be so kind to buy me a bunch of
black and white Sharpie Poster-Paint Markers  – extra fine point
and send them to me? I can pay you back via PayPal.

Send me an e-mail (see side menu for ’email me’) if you are willing to do this,
so that we can ‘make a deal’.

Edit: I ‘have a deal’ with Julie (thanks love!) and Sharpies are coming my way!
Thanks to everyone who offered to buy them for me!!

Thanks for staying with me all through the post (or didn’t you?)
I wish you a fabulous SUNNY weekend!