WholeLife Mastery

Scanner Daybook Spreads

Susan asked to see some of the pages in my Scanner Daybook.  The left two pages are notes for a "Journaling with Your Personality Workshop"  idea I toyed with almost two years ago.  The third page is a large vellum envelope (recycled from the post office) filled with clippings for a DaVinci spread I have yet to get around to. 

And to answer Susan's question about the table of contents for my journal: when I start a new journal volume I skip about the first ten pages for a title page, a running list of dreams, books read, and the table of contents.  The table of contents is a large post-it note running list of key concepts that keep popping up in my journals and the dates, so I can find them easily later.  When I've filled that volume I go back and alphabetize the list and enter it on that volume's table of contents.  Thanks for asking Susan.  

What do you journal?

In a blog tour interview about her new book The Awe-manac: A Daily Dose of Wonder on Zura Ledbetter's Creative Clown blog, author Jill Badonsky describes journaling as "practicing, self-talk that nurtures and motivates, play, test driving ideas, doodling, reflecting, centering, grounding, complaining, revising, mind-mapping, listing, thanking, acknowledging, and inventing. It is essential to my sanity and to the progression of ideas to reality." 

Love and Live Deliciously

I've been hunting for an authentically Southern, i.e. with cocoa and without artificial red food coloring, Red Velvet cake for a few weeks now. The closest I've found so far are at Freed's Bakery, which was featured on $40 a Day with Rachel Ray. It's that neither chocolate nor vanilla flavor without the artificial taste and the velvety ruby color I remember from rainbow teas at church that's driving my search. That nostalgic longing along with today's Gluebook Yahoo Group prompt came together in this Valentine's Day journal page.  I probably won't try the Red Velvet Whoopie Pies pictured in my spread (free registration required to access recipe), but let me know how they turn out if you do. 

Halfway through the Dog Days of Summer

  The Dog Days of Summer are upon us and I'm doing everything I can to savor them, including making this spread in my journal. 

Journal Conference 2008 Journal First Spread

I cut the title page from the cover of my conference bag.  My conference registration with the list of workshops is tucked inside with a pull made from a bracelet that says "Journal writing...do it daily".  The other page lists my conference intentions, which I set before leaving following Dave Fox's Pre-journaling prompts, my conference badge and a quotation: "Traveling gives us a chance to build our sense of community as well as our palates."  Yes, there will be a food spread in here somewhere! 

Journal Conference Journal

No, that redundancy is not a typo.  Inspired by Kelly Kilmer's Taped Journal , I finally went on an artist date (go to page 10 of the excerpt or see page 18 of The Artist's Way) adventure to Kelly Paper, where I bought the 11 x 17 paper to make a journal for my conference notes and tidbits.  The photo is of the stamped masterboard that is the cover of the journal.  Journal Conference 2008 was THAT special and I didn't want to just file my notes away to be forgotten in a cabinet. I learned a lot and met some fascinating, authentic, and just plain nice people.  I'll post the journal pages as I get them done. 

Make Peace Where You Are

I almost didn't post this journal page because there's a big boo-boo in it.  I stamped one of the peace quotations from Stamp Camp Upside down.  Of course it was the last thing I stamped.  Too far gone!  Then the "Embrace Imperfection" stamp I'd ordered from Stamper's Anonymous arrived and I couldn't resist the synchronicity.

If you resolved to be more creative this year here's a chance to get off to a strong start.  January is International Creativity Month.  I first read about it in Elizabeth Dillow's The Scrapbooker's Almanac.  This book has several bookmaking projects and creativity prompts that work for journalers, gluebookers (Did I just make that word up?), and altered artists. While I wouldn't identify myself as a scrapbooker, one of my favorite stores (after my two local stamp stores closed/will be closing soon -- support your local stamp stores people!!) is a scrapbook store.  In the past I've found daily and weekly challenges to be really helpful in keeping me actively crafting. Let me know if what online challenges you've found useful so I can update my list. 

Maybe it could happen again?

I'd heard of the Christmas Truce before, when during World War I, British soldiers and German soldiers lay down their arms, came out of their trenches singing Silent Night in English and German and crossed No Man's Land, but I wrote it off as an urban legend. Until Today. Watching the History Channel's documentary today, I spent most of the hour crying and praying.  The In Flanders Fields Museum offers a wonderful history lesson, reminding us what is possible when we remember our common humanity instead of focusing only on our differences. With all the culture wars over what to call these holidays, wouldn't it be nice if we could have another Christmas Truce? And what if we let it last? Now that would be something to celebrate!

Two Kinds of People Who Live in Las Vegas

One of our local Altered Divas posted a link to her friend's blog, that led me to thinking there are two kinds of people who live in Las Vegas -- those who think it's really cool and want everyone to know and those who, while they love living here, keep it on the down-low rather than deal with all the stereotypes about living in Las Vegas. One thing I do love about living here is that, contrary to popular belief, there's always something artsy going on.  I really am planning to get to the Da Vinci exhibit before it closes in March and just across campus there is a printmaking exhibit I'd like to see.

This spread uses a couple of my favorite techniques and materials.  The background is Golden acrylic applied with a credit card over gesso applied with a credit card, a technique I learned in a class with Paper Artsy proprietess Leandra. The rubberstamps are from Lost Coast Designs and Stamp Camp .