Quick Journal/Planner

So all the rage seems to be making journals.  A noble and worthy cause IF you have the time.  It would be fun to start from total scratch but when time is of the essence one has to revert to Plan B.  Which is either buy one from someone who has all this crazy time or do what I'm doing.  So follow along......

Step 1-  I purchased at Michaels (on a crazy sale of buy one/get one so total 10 bucks for two!) a journal type of book or planner that allows for adding and replacing paper as you make the journal yours.
These have a nice thick twine style binding.  These particular journals are Recollections brand canvas journals.  The outsides are canvas material with brownish blank paper inside.
Again start with something you can make your own by adding and replacing paper on the inside either with refills you can purchase or your own.

Step 2-  Make some tabs to create separators.  i.e.  goals, reminders, websites, to-do lists
I took a piece of white card stock and put down some paint and dragged it across in a strip.  Cut out the tabs then glued them onto a second back piece of card-stock to give them extra strength.  These are now ready for me to label and attach onto paper edges throughout my journal/planner.  I'm simply stapling mine to attach.

Step 3- I intend to use this as a Planner and semi-organizer/note keeper so I went into Excel on my computer and created a calendar layout.  Generic in nature so I can number and complete each month rather than make 12 separate layouts.
I loosely laid one blank one in the journal to mark where I needed to punch my holes plus cut it down to size. Hand numbered in the dates with the Month on top.  These are now ready to go inside and be used.

Step 4- Inside the front cover I taped an envelope to create a pocket for putting loose things.  Using double stick tape I simply adhered it onto the inside and embellished with a rub-on.  I called my pocket "observations"  as I am forever writing down websites or little things I need to look up or re-look up on the internet on little bits of paper. This would make a great envelope for receipts as well.


With just these few steps you are rockin' with a new journal or planner!  Make it elaborate or simple and this is way less time obviously than creating the entire thing.  Here are a few more pics. 

 



Hello Spring

This is of course a favorite season of mine.  The fresh smells of Spring and all things blooming.  It really is a pretty time of year.  So far though there has been very little sunshine and a lot of rain and dreariness. 
Umbrella Girl

So the umbrella has been close at hand and well used.  The winter and now the wet start to spring has slowed progress down on the rolling studio project.
I had hoped to share some real progress pictures with you by this point. Today it's actually too muddy to get out to it!  But, the interior has been gutted and a serious plan of action has been made and marked out on the walls.  Yeah! 
Stay dry and stop to smell those spring flowers!!


Nothing last forever.....

Especially not so good artwork! It's no secret if you've followed my blog at all that I've had a love/hate relationship with canvas.  I love canvas!  It has not always loved me however.  And I have had to be determined that I was not going to let it get the upper hand.  The canvas that is.
Take this 16 x 20 that I painted back in 2012.  Valiant try but yeah....NO!
So again, if you've followed me I have been periodically grabbing up these bad canvases that have a pile all to themselves and re-working them.  Sometimes it means total covering up or in the case of this canvas it had some elements that were useable. So I covered the "good" parts with masks.
Then I began building an entire new piece of artwork from there.  And here is the finished piece!
Out with the old and bad.  But look what can come from persistence and a couple of years!  Haha!
So don't throw out any of that bad art you have laying around.  Breathe some new life into it.
Have a great weekend!!

p.s. linking to Paint Party Friday