The First Day of 2010

Happy 2010 Everyone,

Here it is the end of the First Day of 2010. I trust you all had a safe and happy New Years Eve. I spent mine at home with my Mr. and my online friends. We had Pizza and Chicken Wings and a few glasses of Strawberry White Zinfandel. I even managed a game of Scrabble online with one of my brothers. It was quiet around here and just what I needed. We almost forgot to watch the ball drop. A relaxed and calm late night after a day of stressed work was just what I needed to end a long year that had many happenings. I was given more gray hairs with the thought of losing my oldest daughter to a brain tumor and have a wonderful blessing of the tumor being removed and non cancerous. She is doing well. I gained a step father this year too. Henry is a sweet, sweet man and makes my mom so happy. Many things I worried about and many things made me happy and joyful. I woke this morning feeling great. No headache, no achy back or knees. It was a good day, a good start to a new year. I even ran into mom and Henry at the grocery store and had a call from the youngest daughter today.

I read on Misty Mawn's blog that she is going to do another January Journaling event. For the first week of January she has suggested altering a photo we took in our journal. I have decided to play along. I even got out a sheet of heavy watercolor paper and used Teesha Moore's 16 page Journal instructions to create a new journal. I did it from memory of the first one I made and I used the heavier weight Fabriano paper and my new Reeves water color set to paint the cover background. Tomorrow I will add a photo and some lettering to create my 2010 New Year journal. It is just a bit smaller than Teesha's and only 12 pages but I think I will be able to make a wonderful January 2010 Journal with it by working in it a bit everyday or every other day. And with 12 pages I will be able to use each prompt on a few pages every week.

How was your first day of the New Year?

May you find many blessings this new year. Continue to follow your dreams, create your bliss and list them with your favorite pen during 2010. (Hey that rhymed, I love it!!)

Be Happy, Be Healthy, and most of all ~ Be Yourself,

Tess

My Teesha Journal

Happy Friday everybody,

These are images from my Teesha Moore journal. I am having so much fun with this. I'm not so sure about the pan pastels. I'll need a lot of practice with those. I think the shading on the cover is too dark so I tried to lighten it with the white. I've done step 1, paint; step 2 collage and I've started step 3, penwork. Except I admit not all pages are collaged yet and some have no shading yet. I was so anxious to try every step so I got several pages done with each step and then moved to the next. I am thinking I may journal with white or silver on the cover since I think it's too dark. That will lighten it up a bit. I love how my bird girl has turned out. She is somewhat of a curiosity, or maybe she is a curious type. Oh and her hair is from a cat. I loved that idea. She scalped a cat (Oh my I hope my cat babies don't read this.). Can you tell she loves the great outdoors?

I tried taking a pic of the journal with my new camera but it didn't work out too good so I used my scanner instead for the rest.

This little monkey is thinking of sunshine, can you tell? She's also headed to the library to look at books about warmer climates. I tried to convince her she liked Kansas but she insisted a warmer climate would be much more to her liking. I love her mismatched shoes, they remind me of my granddaughter.

This rollerskating princess loves to dance to her favorite tunes. She knows that laughter is the best medicine so I think she's listening to funny songs. Hey, is she winking at you?

I'm not sure what her story is yet. I know she needs altered a lot more as she's too obvious. I will add more altering to her and the rollerskating princess after lunch. I'm off to visit Billie today and buy more tape. The Prismatic markers seem to be working fine but no white. I'm going to get white also.

Have a great Friday and a fun, creative weekend.

Tess

Doing Lots and Lots To Do!!

Hi all, I've been so busy I forgot to post here. So sorry!

I have always loved Teesha Moore's artwork and through Facebook came across her 16 page journal tutorial. I watched and then watched another and another and decided I just had to make one. Last Saturday I went looking for supplies. I finally found 90 lb paper and the pan pastels at Varney's Book Store in Aggieville. I know she said to use 140 lb. paper but it wasn't in my budget. This book store is right near Kansas State University. I'll go back for the heavier paper next time around. I made the entire journal in one setting. Oh and I did not have the type of thread she used and when I mentioned it to hubby he told me about how when he used to be a sail maker they waxed their thread with bees wax. I just happened to have a beeswax candle and so he showed me how to wax my thread. I used regular embroidery thread. It seemed to work just fine and besides it's just experimenting and just for me. So far I've painted all of my pages and have started collaging the cover. I'll take pictures later in the week, I scheduled a few days off from work to play. (I've already decided I want the 140 lb. paper for Christmas.)

I took the new camera out for a spin again today and caught these images. The weather here has been unreal, it's been way too warm for November and I am loving it.

I decided I liked the imperfect and rusted look of these silo's and the shadow of the tree that looks to be another tree but isn't.

These hay bales look like giant dirty marshmallows to me.

I also added a few more pictures to imagekind this weekend.

Hope you all had a good Sunday and will have a wonderful week ahead.

What creative activity have you been up to?

Tess