ATTENTION MEMBERS: Mini Art Journal Kits

I just finished putting the art kits together. These kits are just very basics, but pretty much what you need to get started.

They include:

1. More than 80 pieces of collage fodder (vintage book pages, music sheets, game pieces, paper doilies, vintage photos, etc). All these pieces are of various sizes and textures.
2. Two 6 inch pieces of punchinella (sequin waste). 2 different size holes.
3. A bundle of tissue sewing pattern paper.
4. One watercolor artist pad. 5x7 inches. 15 papers.
5. One glue stick - Collage Glue Stick from Inkssentials.
6. Two glitter glue tubes.
7. Five Prismacolor coloring pencils - Black, White, Crimson Red, Orange, and Aquamarine.

This kit will cost $30 once it get into the store. That's included shipping in the US. If any of you in here are interested I will sell it for $25 (inlcuded shipping in the US). Just let me know. Once it goes into the store it will be $30. I will wait a couple days before it goes into the store. I only have 4 of these kits, so hurry while they last. You can email me at  - - - imsoto2 @ gmail . com (remove the spaces) to let me know you are interested.

To get the most out of your hands-on art journaling experience you will need a journal, some colors, writing tools, and maybe some homemade stamping/texturing tools.

You can read about what I would add to a beginner art journal kit HERE and if interested in making your own stamp and texture tools, check out this article HERE

To keep it really simple go to your local cheap store (Walmart, KMart, Dollar store, etc) pick up a journal or spiral bound watercolor pad (heavier paper), some crayons, coloring pencils, makers, small watercolor set,  and if there is anything else that catches your eye. This is all you need. You don't even need to buy all that, maybe just the journal and one of the coloring tools. You can always add on later.

OFFER EXPIRED
Please check the store for new art journal kits available.

ATTENTION MEMBERS: Challenges pt. 2

If some of you are still interested in doing hands-on journal challenges I could do some for minimalistic art journaling. I think what keeps a lot of people who are used to doing digital away from doing hands-on is the amount of supplies. I am working on some kits right now that are so small that they can fit in a large envelope. Only thing the person have to add themselves is a pack of crayons, coloring pencils, a small watercolor set, and the journal. I will probably sell these kits for about $25-$30 + shipping, but they will have everything for a beginner. Lots of fun stuff.
We will be on the road more or less all winter, so I will be working out of my travel kit. So doing some fun minimalistic journal challenges might work for all of us. This is of course in addition to the digital (word) challenges.

Let me know if someone is interested in some minimalistic art journaling (no you dont have to buy my kit to participate).

ATTENTION MEMBERS: Challenges

I have been thinking a great deal about the challenges. I dont know how many of you actually enjoy them. Or which kind you enjoy, digital or hands-on.
I would love to do challenges that you all will enjoy, so I ask that you please leave a comment to let me know what you prefer. If I dont hear from you I will assume you don't do the challenge and will go by what others want. So please leave me a little note letting me know. If you have suggestions for other types of challenges please let me know. I am open to suggestions and I do really like challenges myself, but I want you to be happy here so I want to share something you will actually do.

Let me know please :)

Let Go - Mid-month reminder

Remember you are welcome to substitute words. As long as you do one word each day. I dont know how many of you are doing this with me this month, so I would love to hear from you if you are participating.

And if you havent already, come join our Flickr gallery HERE You are not required to post your art, but it would be nice if you did :)

You can read more about this challenge here: Challenge - Week 10 - Let Go

Let Go - August 16th

TODAY'S WORD: DO
Write the word, do a drawing, make a doodle, write a poem, or something else you come to think of when you hear the word 'DO'.

Let Go and Enjoy!

If you feel up to it you are ALWAYS welcome to upload your pages to our Flickr Gallery

Challenge - Tolerance

TOLERANCE - What are you thinking? It is such a loaded subject. I wont ask you to make a page about politics, religion, etc. That's not what this is about. What I would like you to do is make a page about the very first thing that comes to mind. If that is political, religious, or what ever, then that is fine. But it could also be tolerance to pain, stress, certain foods, or maybe something entirely different. That depends on who YOU are.
Tolerance [link to wikipedia]

Art - definitions:

1: capacity to endure pain or hardship

2

a : sympathy or indulgence for beliefs or practices differing from or conflicting with one's own

b : the act of allowing something : toleration

3: the allowable deviation from a standard; especially : the range of variation permitted in maintaining a specified dimension in machining a piece

4

a (1) : the capacity of the body to endure or become less responsive to a substance (as a drug) or a physiological insult especially with repeated use or exposure <developed a tolerance to painkillers>; also : the immunological state marked by unresponsiveness to a specific antigen (2) : relative capacity of an organism to grow or thrive when subjected to an unfavorable environmental factor

b : the maximum amount of a pesticide residue that may lawfully remain on or in food

Titles, Quotes and Poetry:

I haven't added any quotes, titles, or poetry this time because all I could find was politically or religiously motivated. I don't want to make this challenge about politics or religion. So try to think outside the box, and maybe you have something else to say about "tolerance". You can use words and/or images.

I know that for some this is going to be a hard challenge, but that is why we call it a challenge :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I hope you have fun doing this challenge.

REMEMBER: Art Journaling is not about the beginning or the end. It is all about the process. The Journey!

And if you feel up to it, please share pictures of your art journal pages at our Flickr gallery HERE

ATTENTION MEMBERS: Moving Out

I thought I would let you know what's happening here. For the last couple of years we have wanted to leave our home here in the White Mountains of AZ to find greener grass elsewhere. My health is not good here at the high altitude and it has gotten a lot worse the last year or so, so it is time we leave. We want to move to WA state, but since my husband havent found a job there yet, we have been more or less force to just stay here. But not any more. If everything goes by the plan, my husband will be quitting his job in about 2 weeks. Then he has to work another 2 weeks. Then we have to wait up to 6 weeks for our funds to be available so we can buy an RV. Then we will be packing and hopefully on the road by November 1st. Crazy huh?

Yes, crazy, but it will be such an adventure. And those of you who have known us for a long time knows that we like crazy adventures.

So because we will be living in an RV we can of course not bring everything. So it is either sell it or toss it. So for the next few weeks I will be adding arts and craft supplies to my store. Both to give those supplies a new home, but also to supplement our funds.

I already have some collage fodder in the store. Only have a few packs left. Some of these supplies are packs that I put together and sold at markets, and craft fairs, so they are just what was left over.

I have made a coupon so you can get supplies a little cheaper then others. Right now this coupon will only work on non-digital products.

SAVE 33% on NON-DIGITAL products by using DISCOUNT coupon code: moveadventure2012

~ Non-Digital Products

Check out some of my other sales:
~ Retiring Soon
~ Specials

Art Journaling for Less will continue the way it is now. 2 FREE downloads per week and challenges, etc. I just wanted to let you know so you know what is going on here in White Mountains, AZ.

Let Go - August 12

TODAY'S WORD: CHANGE
Write the word, do a drawing, make a doodle, write a poem, or something else you come to think of when you hear the word 'CHANGE'.

Let Go and Enjoy!

If you feel up to it you are ALWAYS welcome to upload your pages to our Flickr Gallery

ATTENTION MEMBERS: Sales and Specials

I just added a couple new categories at my shop. One for products that will retire soon and one for specials. Everything in those 2 folders are 50% OFF. And don't forget that those of you who haven't used the coupons that was included with your membership purchase can use those coupons for discounted products. Making the product almost free.

You can check out those new categories here:

~ Retiring Soon
~ Specials

If you have any questions about your discount coupons or anything else, please feel free to ask :)

Let Go - August 8th

TODAY'S WORD: HOPE

Write the word, do a drawing, make a doodle, write a poem, or something else you come to think of when you hear the word 'HOPE'.

Let Go and Enjoy!

If you feel up to it you are ALWAYS welcome to upload your pages to our Flickr Gallery

Let Go - August 7th

TODAY'S WORD: TRUST
(you can use the word in any form you like: Trust, trusting, etc.)

Write the word, do a drawing, make a doodle, write a poem, or something else you come to think of when you hear the word 'TRUST'.

Let Go and Enjoy!

If you feel up to it you are ALWAYS welcome to upload your pages to our Flickr Gallery

Let Go - August 6th

TODAY'S WORD: FLY
(you can use the word in any form you like: Fly, Flew, etc.)

Write the word, do a drawing, make a doodle, write a poem, or something else you come to think of when you hear the word 'FLY'.

Let Go and Enjoy!

If you feel up to it you are ALWAYS welcome to upload your pages to our Flickr Gallery

ATTENTION MEMBERS: Week 11 Member Downloads

You Week 11 Member Downloads will not be ready until Tuesday this week.
I am working hard on getting them ready for you, but have run into some difficulties (lack of sleep due to farm animal noises).
I will have them ready for you by tomorrow afternoon.
Thank you for your patience!

Let Go - August 5th

TODAY'S WORD: HATE
(you can use the word in any form you like: Hate, hatred, etc.)

Write the word, do a drawing, make a doodle, write a poem, or something else you come to think of when you hear the word 'HATE'.

Let Go and Enjoy!

If you feel up to it you are ALWAYS welcome to upload your pages to our Flickr Gallery

Let Go - August 4th

TODAY'S WORD: Shine
(you can use the word in any form you like: Shine Shining, etc.)

Write the word, do a drawing, make a doodle, write a poem, or something else you come to think of when you hear the word 'SHINE'.

Let Go and Enjoy!

If you feel up to it you are ALWAYS welcome to upload your pages to our Flickr Gallery

I used a bunch of yellow, orange, and red crayons and coloring pencils here. Then used a little plastic thingy (used for plastic canvas projects) as a stamp to add a little texture. And last I wrote the word SHINE using Sharpie poster pens and Sakura Glaze pens.

ATTENTION MEMBERS: Renewed Memberships

Hi Friends
I just wanted to let you all know that I have extended the membership for all of you who have taken advantage of the 50% OFF sale. So no need to email me your info.
Please be sure to tell your friends about this 50% off sale. I am sure I can think of some kind of rewards for any you for any referrals you bring me. Just tell your friends about the 50% OFF sale, give them the coupon code, and tell them to mention your name when they purchase the 1 year membership.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Let Go - August 3rd

TODAY'S WORD: Fear
(you can use the word in any form you like: Fear, Fearing, Fearful, etc.)

Write the word, do a drawing, make a doodle, write a poem, or something else you come to think of when you hear the word 'FEAR'.

Let Go and Enjoy!

If you feel up to it you are ALWAYS welcome to upload your pages to our Flickr Gallery

Let Go - August 2nd

TODAY'S WORD: Love
(you can use the word in any form you like: Love, Loving, etc.)

Write the word, do a drawing, make a doodle, write a poem, or something else you come to think of when you hear the word 'LOVE'.

Let Go and Enjoy!

If you feel up to it you are ALWAYS welcome to upload your pages to our Flickr Gallery

Challenge - Week 10 - Let Go

This CHALLENGE will run through the entire month of August.

I know that most of you are digital art journalers, and this challenge is not digital. However, it is something you can do even if you have never done any hands on art journaling before. And I really suggest you try. I think it is something that will help you become a better art journaler (even digital art journaler). Please just humor me for this one month.

During the month of August, you will be working on a Mini 'Let Go' Art Journal. We are taking Art Journaling back to it's basics. Let's doodle, scribble, draw, write. You will not need any fancy art supplies for this one.

What you will need:
A journal
Pencils
Coloring pencils
Crayons
Ink pens

And no you do not need to go shopping for everything on the list. If all you have are ink pens or regular pencils, then that is perfectly fine.

The Journal:
The smaller the journal the better. The journal I will be using in my examples is a 5.5x3.87 inches, 48 sheet notebook I bought at Walmart a while ago. I think I paid less than $2 for it. I do not plan on using a lot of wet medium in my journal, so the light paper is ok.
You can also choose to do it on index cards. You can get 100 index cards at the Dollar Tree (in the US) for a dollar, and it is not much more at Walmart or office supply stores.
And if you can't get either, maybe cut paper out in trading card sizes and use those.
Anything will work.

You want to keep your journal/index cards at a size so you can fill your page/sheet with colors, doodles, or text in a very short time. No more than 10 minutes. Preferably less than 5 minutes.

Journal Examples:

The largest one of the journals in the photo is a regular size composition notebook. It is 9.75x7.5 inches with 100 sheets of paper. That is actually a little too big for the "Let Go" challenge. The colored journals are 5.5x3.87 inches with 48 sheets of paper and are perfectly sized for this challenge. The smallest ones are 4.5x3.25 inches with 80 sheets of paper. They might actually be just a bit too small. But it is up to you. Maybe you have a small journal somewhere in your house already that you can use.

Index Cards: They do come in various sizes and they all will work well with this challenge. Here I have two recipe card boxes. The one to the left is full of just plain white cards, but the one to the right I have pre-colored all the cards. I just did a slight watercolor wash on all the cards in various natural colors.

These are my recipe card boxes. One is an old antique and the other my husband made for me at Christmas a few years ago. You can get these sorts of boxes everywhere. You can try looking at Goodwill or other second hand store. Craft supply stores also have them plain so you can decorate them yourself. And you can also get index card boxes at office supply store.
Of course you dont need a box. You can punch holes in your cards and tie them together with a ribbon, or use rings.

This CHALLENGE is all about letting go. Go back to the basics.
Each day you will be provided with a word. You can use that word any way you like. You can write the word on your page. Draw or write whatever comes to mind when reading the word. Or maybe you want to do some poetry. Forget what others might think. This is YOUR journal. You dont have to share with anyone.

TODAY'S WORD: Create
(you can use the word in any form you like: Create, creative, creations, etc.)

Use one page in your journal. Draw, doodle, write, whatever you want to do. It does not need to be fancy or museum worthy. Just LET GO and LET'S GET BACK TO BASICS.

EXAMPLES:

Pink coloring pencil to add a little color to the background. Ink pen to write the word. I colored in the letters with Glaze pens from Sakura.
You can add the date to your page.
Less than 5 minutes.

I used Neocolor II watercolor crayons for the black background and a Sharpie poster paint pen for the text.

Less than 5 minutes.

Again I added some color to the background using Neocolor II watercolor crayons. Then I added some scrapbook alpha letters with glue. Then embellished with some glitter glue.

About 10 minutes (due to glitter glue drying time)

This one I actually made watching TV last night. It took probably 1 hour due to using Glaze pens by Sakura and glitter glue. Both requires some drying time.

I used various coloring pencils, crayons, Glaze pens by Sakura, and Elmer's glitter glue.

As you can see you can go from just a simple 5 minute page to a more elaborate page with lots of color. It is up to you.

Try using as few art supplies as possible. LET GO and go BACK TO BASICS.

If you carry a purse or bag with you when you leave your house, take your 'journal' with you. Bring a few different making tools with you too. If you have a few moments while waiting in the Dr's office, at the DMV, etc. pull out and use your journal. Think about the word of the day.

 I will also post reminders every day, and sometimes share my pages.

I really do hope that you all will join me in this challenge/exercise. I know it will be fun, and even if you ever never done any hands-on art before you are all more then qualified to do this little project. Have fun!