Arting My Heart Out!

I have been keeping myself busy trying to catch up on a couple projects I have taken on. Yesterday was a particularly bad day that put me in a real low place, since I have been trying to stay away from drama of any and all sorts. I have taken my muses advice and spent more time disconnected from the awesomeness of the interwebz and cell phones.

What have I done with my time you ask? Well lemme tell you!

I took on the ICAD (index card a day) challenge for myself and I decided that I would make my official start date the 1st of July. That means I need 8 cards as of tomorrow! From there I will do one a day, unless I fall behind or something, which would never happen. Riiight.

These are what I have so far...

Tangles used in the double Zendala on ICAD #2 are Echoism, Cracked, Trentwith, Bales, Nipa, Strircles, and Eke.

Cracked & Strircles being some of my very favorites. First attempts at Trentwith & Nipa.
This is not my first try at Eke, but it isn't one of my favorites, it never looks right to me.

MDS in a Day Planner?

I haven't finished my Book of Days, volume 1 yet. It's actually sitting in the kitchen about 1/3 filled. But I kept missing weeks so I decided to try something a little different  and I have moved on, for now. I have moved my Book of Days, my main Art Journal into a daily planner. I did this because I have gotten pretty good at keeping a daily journal, even if it's just a word to describe my day. But I am BAD at keeping up with my book of days. I really don't know why this is, and I really don't have time to sit down and figure it out. Wisest advise my Muse imparted to me is - Just to do what feels right and good! And so, I did!

Below are the pictures of the evolution of my Multi Day Spread (MDS) for this week, week 1 in a day planner!

 I started with the idea to just do something everyday and also keep up with my normal daily journaling.

 No sparks, no ideas, no plans. I just do what I feel like when I feel like it.

At this point in the week I am not sure this "do what you feel like when you feel like it" is going to work as this page just looks like I bled all over it. : /

And this is week 1 finished. Now, I wouldn't say I have a theme, or that it represents anything. It's just what I felt like. I am not... pleased... No, my inner critic is not pleased with this page. Inner critic says it is a hot mess! But my muse says "It is what it is meant to be. Moving on!"

Ah, and P.S. the "lonely" on the neck of the girl on the right, doesn't really pertain to me actually being lonely. The daily entry reads something like (without quoting) - Hubby is going back to work and I have become used to his presence around the house on a daily basis and his help with the baby, so I expect there is going to be a little lonliness showing up in the future.

So, that's last week. I started this weeks MDS yesterday and normally I wouldn't share as I like to save it for a cohesive blog post once it's finished, but hey! I enjoyed creating this page so much yesterday, the act of laying down the bright colors of paint and coming across the girl in my magazine clippings was just pure therapy, joy, and peace!

So here is what this weeks spread started out like!

Soothing the Soul

Yesterday I worked on something that completely soothes my soul when I do work on it, but something that I don't work on nearly enough!

My Gratitude Journal.

I have not worked in the Gratitude Journal for some time, since April, in fact! I haven't even added to my list since around that time! You can see the last time I worked in my Gratitude Journal here, in my old blog.

Wow! That was a while ago. I always spend a few moments a day thinking of my blessings and what I am thankful for and I always think to myself that I should write some of this down. I don't, of course. I always say I will remember it later, I never do. But there is never a shortage of things I am grateful for, so I guess I had better get to work!

So this is what I completed yesterday...

Lukas' page. I used layers of red and blue acrylic paints and masking tape. This was a really fun background to do work on. Cut the letters from a magazine and used Opaque markers for the lettering. The red bleed a little into the sun and it doesn't want to cover very well but that's ok.

Lukas is my middle child, but he is my sunshine. He is the sweetest and most well behaved boy I know, always an angel. He was born 8 weeks early after a particularly rough pregnancy and didn't get to come home to me for 2 weeks. I am blessed to have him in my life.

 Arianna's page. The baby of the family and totally the trouble child. At 18 months she is my mischief maker. Always into everything she shouldn't be in, but I love her. The purple paper in the bottom left with scribbles on it is her "art". She loves to have her own paper and pens when I am sketching or painting and after writing all over herself she usually gets to the paper eventually! If there is going to be an actual artist in the family, my money is on her!

And lastly, I plopped down with my sketchbook last night while watching TV and this came out. I am particularly proud of it because I am really working on shading and I think it is a pretty good attempt. Maybe I will paint it tomorrow. Maybe not. I may leave it like it is and just do something fun with hair, I have a couple good ideas.