Art Journaling with Quotes

What we've been doing in the classroom:  One of the CCSS is about finding textual evidence.  I have not been practicing this standard with the boys yet.  Today we finished Mara, Daughter of the Nile.  I read the ending aloud while they followed along in their own copies.  The last two chapters were full of quotes that related to symbol and theme.  I had them go back to the text and write down the important quotes in a creative way.  I wanted them to use color and make it visually appealing.  This combined their love for art with an important standard.  My example is on the top, and their examples are below.

With the next novel, I might have them keep track of important quotes on a separate sheet of paper.  It would be easier to go back and find important passages this way.

Let It Go

What's inspiring me: Some of my favorite quotes from the past few days.  Reading these keeps me going sometimes. :)

From: here, here. and here

What I'm making: This first page is from art journal #1, and it is not finished yet.  I don't exactly know what else to add yet, but I love the heart background.

The second page is from art journal #2.  I got the gray and blue paper from a craft fair, and I have been waiting for the perfect page to use some of it on. 

What I want to make: I saw this idea on Traci Bunkers blog about using fruit as a stamp for pages!  I haven't tried this technique yet, but here are photos and examples.  I need to try this soon.

What I want to decorate with: This blog has 10 wonderful ideas about decorating that I want to try.  My favorite?  Framed wallpaper, and mix-and-matching chairs in the kitchen.  I cannot wait to be living on my own in an apartment in a few years!   

Much love.

Long Days, Short Years

The days are long, but the years are short. -Gretchen Rubin 

It is crazy to think that in just a few days I will be headed back to college!  Packing, saying goodbye...yet the excitement of a fresh year is right around the corner. :)

What I'm creating:  I made one spread in art journal #1 and #2 today, and I love how they both turned out.

Much love.

No Time

What I've been doing:  So in the past week I have literally not been home for more than three hours straight, except for sleeping.  I have been running errands, seeing friends and family, and trying to get ready to head back to school!  I have been messing around with taking photos on my iTouch, so here are some snapshots from the past week. :)

Love the orignial Burgerville sign.  Best milkshakes ever.

I went to the beach with my family this weekend, and my aunt showed me this cute thrifty store at the coast.  One of my favorite parts was all of the hats that were attached to the ceiling.  So cute.  I will post more about that store tomorrow. :)

We saw the train go by at the beach.  I love how I happened to capture the flag waving in the background at just the right moment.  Perfection.

We drove through lots of little towns, and I loved the old lace curtains in the window of a closed store. 

I loved the flower on the back of this truck!  I have been trying to appreciate the little things in life lately.  Like the sign along the road, or a clever license plate on the car in front of me.



What I'm creating:  I made this page when I got back from the beach today.  It is from art journal #1.  I first used part of an old screen as a stencil for the purple paint.  Then I collaged over it.  I used some of the new tissue paper that I dyed.  I found the quote from this blog that I love to read!

I have not had too much time to mess around with crafting projects, but tomorrow I will post my ICADs from the past few days, and I will show you all the amazing stained glass project that I made at the beach.  It turned out perfect!

Much love.

Blank Wall

What's on my wall:  So I have this wall right by my dresser, and all through high school I have had my dance team posters on it.  But this summer I thought I needed more mature wall art.  So I took them down.  But then it was just a blank wall for foreverrrrrrr.  But I finally fixed it up!  My mom found an old level at my Grandpa's house and we added hooks to make it funcional!  I also had a large "H" and some picture frames lying around.  Here is the end result:

I found some other fun wall art ideas, as well.

from: here, here, here, here and here

What I'm reading-blogs I love:  Last night I was up for over two hours looking at all sorts of different blogs.  I follow most of them on blogspot, so you can look at them if you look at my profile.  But I also might make a sidebar and list some of my favorites.  What do you think?  The blog world is so neat and I love reading and being inspired by people all over the United States, and the world!  Such a supportive community.

• My mom emails me blogs she thinks I would like, and she sent me this one.  I loved the quote!  I always find myself comparing to other people.  I wrote this one down in my journal, and on my index card for today. :)
• But right after I closed that site, I realized I forgot to write down who said the quote, so I googled it and ended up finding this blog.  Christine is so inspiring to read, and I loved spending hours looking through her past entries.
• This was another one my mom had sent me (isn't she the best!).  I was reading it at work and I almost started crying after reading this article.  Plus the name is so cute!  Love Three Pixie Lane.

What I'm creating:  The first page was inspired by an image at weheartit.com.  It is simple and pretty.  The second page was made using paint and an old gift card that I used to spread the paint around.  I wanted to use the staples to offset the pretty-ness of the pink and purple paint. 

Much love.

Sequins, Leather, Blazers and Bows

What I'm wearing: I have not posted about my latest purchases so here they are!  These are things I bought at the last Nordstroms sale, and some things I got on our rv trip.  Who knew I could find so many cute things to bring back to school in a few weeks!

Sequins:  I love anything that sparkles and this dress came in pink and black.  It instantly dresses up any outfit!  I am also thinking about wearing it for Halloween and dressing up as the tooth fairy. :)

from: here, here

Leather:  I got this leather jacket, and although it has been too warm to wear it, I am actually excited for the cold weather so I can bust it out.  It has a detachable "faux shearling trim" that I immediately took off.  But if I really wanted to put it back on, I could. 

from: here, here and here

Blazer:  My very favorite purchase, however, is this blazer.  It is black and has cropped sleeves and is perfect!  I have already worn it three times in the four weeks I have had it.  I have been a little scared to try the oxford shoe/menswear trend but this is a subtle way to wear it. 

from: here, and here

From the trip:  We went into a cute little boutique in one of the towns and they had some really cute stuff!  A lot of it was pretty expensive, but I found this tank top with bows on it on the sale rack.  I also got a silver necklace with my inital that looks like a wax seal!  I love things with my inital and so this is a new favorite necklace that I have been wearing.  I also got two leather bracelets.  The simpler one was $4!  The other one was $10, but I thought both those prices were very reasonable!

from: here, here, and here

What I'm creating:  I have been saving cute tags from clothes, and I thought today would be the perfect day to make a page devoted to clothes and fashion!  Plus I found a quote that went along with the theme perfectly. :)

What is your favorite outfit to wear? :)

Much love.

Arrows, Watercolor and Love

What's inspiring me: Arrows are so simple, but they make a wonderful point (literally and figuratively :] ).

from: here, here and here

What I'm creating: Here are my ICADs for the past few days!  I have been using watercolors for the background of my index cards lately.  I want to take a class or something to figure out other ways to use watercolors. 

I made time today to work on some art journal pages, which I have not done in a few days.  Whenever I am just sitting and making things, it is my break from the world.  A few seconds to breathe and put my creativity to the test. :)  The first page is from art journal #1.  I used the same theme of arrows on this page.  The watches were a part of the existing page, and I painted around them.

These next two pages are from art journal #2.  I mostly used paper scraps on these pages.  The only thing I wish I changed was the first page you can see the words from the other side of the page, but other than that, I love how these turned out!

What I'm reading/sites I love: I love reading books and discovering new sites and articles!  I found Womens Health magazine has a great website with tons of workouts and advice.  Here was a quote that I found very interesting.  "Dating success relies on you embracing your life, even if it's not exactly the life you had planned," says Michelle Callahan, Ph.D., a Women's Health contributor and author of Ms. Typed: Stop Sabotaging Your Relationships and Find Dating Success. "Radiating self-assurance makes people want to join you for the ride."

from: here and here

Much love and enjoy Wednesday tomorrow!