I had not seen this spread myself for a while (the page is from April 2010)
and looking at it with fresh eyes made me see how joyful and whimsical it
is. Here’s that old spread:

The Chronicles of Marit 2010 – Week 17

I also remembered how fun it was to work with all kinds of small images,
journal pads, stamps and doodles. I did that a lot on those first pages…

Later, I changed my ways and all kinds of spreads were made since then,
but this week I decided to go back to my ‘old ways’ and make a week-spread
similar to this one.

… and did I had fun making this page!
I combined lots of things here…

The Chronicles of Marit 2012 – Week 45

So – let us see what is on this spread.

• The drawing: I had a disturbing dream in which I was a ‘detective’
  (yep, too much CSI, Criminal Minds and NCIS on TV) looking for
  a lost teenager. I searched a house and when I pulled back a curtain,
  I found her in the book case that was behind it – bonded and scared.
  This image stayed with me for almost three days – until I sketched it
  in my art journal. An art journal is such a nice thing to  get rid of
  feelings or, like here, scary images. Bring them out in the open (that
  is: on to the page) and your mind is free again!

• The background is coloured with Caran d’Ache watersoluble crayons,
  water and a brush… I love those crayons and the effect they give!

• Cut out images: eyes, bird, hearts, collaged figure with fish-head, legs.

• Photo of Autumn landscape – transferred with mod podge

• Left over paper I experimented on with spray ink (bottom left page)

• Cut out text: on the paper scrap – bottom left page

• Washi tape (top and bottom)

• Sticker (accolade) from my stash

• Stamps: corner stamp, lace stamp and clock (I received the latter,
  along with more stamps and a Tim Holtz flourish mask in a package
  from Glenda. Thank you so much dear!)

• Last but not least: writing and doodling with all kinds of pens/markers.

I’m already looking forward to the next spread – I think I will work in a
similar way as I created this one – I had so much fun with it! It felt like
I found back a lost item that completely disappeared out of my mind.

Do you ever re-discover an old way of working or a technique that you
almost forgot or put aside, and get enthusiastic about it all over again?
What was it? Let me know in a comment!

Oh – and don’t forget about MIXED EMOTIONS
ONLINE ART JOURNALING WORKSHOP!
I am teaching it with Michelle LaPoint – Rydell.
Classes start on February 4, 2013 and we are going to have
tons of FUN!!  Click on the badge in the sidebar, or click here
to find out more. We’d LOVE to have you join us!

“One World One Heart is a worldwide event for bloggers only.
It gives all those who blog a chance to meet and mingle and
form connections with those they may not have otherwise met
from all over the world….Think of it as a GIGANTIC open house
allowing you to travel without ever leaving your home……..
going from blog to blog in various countries, and meeting all
the fabulous people behind them. As a bonus each blogger
participant will offer up a “door prize or prizes”…. just for
dropping by, saying hello and seeing their world.”

Find the list of all participants here

I guess you don’t feel like reading long posts, ’cause you may have visited a lot
of blogs already, and still have a lot to go… so I will keep the introduction short
and instead, present you a short overview of my artwork.

..

But before you see my art – a little bit about me:

I’m Marit Barentsen and I live in the Netherlands. I am a passionate artist and
I graduated as a teacher in arts. I teach online art journal workshops on my
website Marit’s Paper World.

I discovered ‘scrapbooking’ in 2003 but over the last years, my art changed
from scrapbooking to art journaling. When you look at both fields, there is a
certain cross over and I like to explore the boundaries of it. I also like to use
words (quotes, song lyrics) in my art and my art work often contains details
or words that have a deeper meaning.

I think that’s enough for now… if you want to know more about me, or see
more of my work, you can find my resume and galleries in the menu
on top of this blog.

Here are some pages from last year that gives a clear view on what I create.
(And Yep, there is a door prize too! Hang on, you’ll get there!)

In 2010 I started “The Chronicles of Marit”
It’s an art journal in which I work during the week, filling the page with
text and images preserving the things I thought and did in that week.

The Chronicles of Marit: Week 34 – 2010

The Chronicles of Marit: Week 2 – 2011

Last year, I participated in ‘A Year in the Life of an Art Journal’.
This is a art journal blog that publishes prompts twice a month to get
you started and create an art journal page. I’m proud to say that
for this year 2011, I was asked to be a guest host!

Pages from last year:

With the word: Moment

With the word: Vision

I love me a good swap! ATC cards, Yeay!

ATC: Uprising (song by Muse)

I even dared to make skinnies: Bettie

Another art journal page.
I like this one very much!

Big dreams

People who follow my blog, know that I’m totally in love with bookbinding
lately. Especially with the new binding I learned last December.

So here is the book that I made as a doorprize and that YOU can win
if you leave me a comment!
I kept the cover quite simple, you can add your own title later if you like.
The blank paper inside is from ‘Winston and Newton’ (220 gr. = 0.5 lb.)
and the seize is 14 x 20 cm (= 5.5 x 7.9 inch)
It contains 12 pages (24 sides) and it’s ideal for sketching or art journaling.

Here’s a picture from aside, so you can see the awesome way
this book was bound!

This sketch book / art journal can be yours!
You don’t have to do anything but leave me a comment!
I announce the winner on February 17.
(Note: I will contact the winner by e-mail so make sure
you type the right address when you leave me a comment!)

Thanks for visiting my blog! See ya!

At least I am used to NOT put on the radio in the morning.
My top 2000 album is done – I added a first and last page to the album
and you can see the complete book in my gallery.
(Look under ‘art journals’ in the top menu of this blog – which raises
the thought that it might be more logical when I  put it under ‘mini albums’.
What do you think…)

Yesterday, I started fiddling around in a new art journal.
It’s a bit scary to put a pencil on the first page… it’s all so ‘new’ and open –
but I overcome my nerves and my art journal is deflowered now –
ready to be filled with all that’s yet to come! The future lies open!

I can’t show you the page yet – but I do have some ‘oldies’ for you.
I haven’t published the last weekly art journal pages from 2010 on my blog
yet because the blog party was going on in those weeks. (By the way,
from now on my weekly art journals will be called “the chronicles of Marit” –
don’t you just love the way that sounds? Like I am some sort of ancient
book character!)

Oh dear, am I rambling again?
Sorry… here we go with the pictures then.

Week 51

A happy and colourful page with the New Years card I made and the start
of the top 2000! I used that photo of Elvis on one of my top 2000 pages,
this photo had the wrong size for the page I worked on, so I glued it
right on to this page…

See how easy this ‘daily journaling’ is?
You just keep your journal nearby your workspace, and shift all things
that are rejected for the lay out you’re working on straight to your journal.
(The same goes for painting, stamping etc. Smear the last paint from your
brush on your journal page.  When you are stamping – stamp an extra image
in the art journal. This way, you end up with a happy and colourful basic-page
in your art journal without really ‘working on it’. You can add text later.)

Week 52

My beloved received that postcard from a friend, and it made us giggle!
(click on the image to enlarge for a better view)
It’s so fitting for this musical week in my journal – I snitched the card
and glued it on my page, Ha!
Oh, and if you look real close, you can see I used a top 2000 newspaper list
(from previous years)  as a background.

I want to make this last page in my “Chronicles” an annual ritual: a self portrait
taken on the last day of the year. (I do hope I will look a bit slimmer next year!)

Here’s a pic of my closed art journal. I started this weekly journaling in April
(week 17) so there isn’t even one year in it – and look how fat this book is?!!
(I plan to do only half a year in my new art journal… so it won’t become too fat)

And that’s it for today.
It felt good to start the ‘normal blogging’ again – I hope you all had a great
start of this week and fell into daily routine easily.

Thanks for following me to this new blog-address !

One last thing: if you follow this blog with RSS feed or google reader
or something like that, don’t forget to change the address!
Also the address of my blinkie is changed, so please add the new
code to your blog. (find it in the side menu)

See you later this week!