Would you happen to know...

I have been delighted at discovering things about myself through blogland.  Identifying the good stuff and then tackling changes on the not so good makes for a happier and more productive art gal.   Keeping it simple, limiting my choices and sticking with a theme have been huge helps.   But an important key is alluding me.

I get that life is busy and while the viewing seems to be pretty consistent, comments are fewer.  That's okay.  I'm doing less commenting myself.  But I was wondering if any of my 'regular' visitors are seeing something that I am missing.  You know, the elephant in the room that no one talks about!  ;^)

The  grand kids were here for a short visit.   We talked about their books and making them simpler.  Then I spent a good ten days working on their school journals and their personal journals.  Absolutely enjoying myself and making big messes.

Josh just turned 8.  He is a techy/detail kind of guy and has a world view.  His travel method of choice is boats at this point.  Here he is making cabin doors.  :) H is more into pen drawings, cutting and gluing.  I'm keeping the list of ten for favourites.  (and their handwriting)

I hope his planner/journal reflects all that he likes. There will be less photos and more art. The circle punches, maps, and green will tie his binder together.

Eliana is 6 and is a girly girl who is comfortable with rough competitive sports.  She documents her interests with free wheeling art techniques.  She is no planner- 'let me at it'! LOL

Her drawing of a house helped confirm that houses could be her theme.  She likes turquoise, dimensional embellishments and all the messy art supplies.   .

I have concluded her art journal will fill with pages all too quickly so I gessoed all the pages of a zippered  thrift shop binder for her extras.  I hope she can release her creativity in her books.

Jolina's fourth birthday is coming up.  She likes pictures and stories.   She is also a quick study and is already grasping the concepts that I have been teaching her brother and sister in art 101.  She'll be ready to do her own thing in the near future.

I have a great theme/plan for her binder.  A nursery rhyme scrapbook packet.  I'll supplement with some colouring pages and she can make stories about all her favourite animals. 

I have solid colours, the theme papers and lots of animal stickers.   I can always add blank pages.

I, myself, am not doing the unplanner  but I will use the weekly videos and tutorials for ideas.  Once a month we will learn a technique to use in these art journals though.

I LUVED doing all the sorting, planning, gluing.  I felt like I was in the creative zone and didn't want to stop.   So why can I not translate that momentum, that commitment, that  joy into my own finished products???  I try to do as good work in these binders as I do in my own.   Is mine work and theirs fun? :\

oh, dear.  If you can see the elephant that I am dancing around please do tell! 

Stirring music

It was a musical field trip on Monday as we joined throngs of kids for some musical movements at the concert hall.  Stirring performances from the junior and then the intermediate orchestras.  The senior youth orchestra was scheduled for the evening.

That meant a bit more updating on the smash books which are really chronicling the school year.
I do enjoy prepping these for the kids.  These  have more of my handiwork as I layout and glue in the pages, keeping in mind we need to end up on the last page at the end of year celebration.  I do leave sticker room and some blank pages for them.

Because I want them to journal on their own,  I gave Joshua a planner for himself which morphed into a fancy binder .   What can I say; it was the perfect cover for him!   Well, now the sisters need planners.  :O   But there were no more 3 ring binders like their brother's anywhere.  Not online but  I did look high and low. 

It finally dawned on me that keeping up their three journals doesn't leave a lot of incentive for my own which had just happened to come  with TWO three ring binders.  So what is a grand Gramelle to do???  lol

I spent another whole day and a half dividing up my 'stuff' and organizing everything.  What fun!  The Rooster had to drag me off to bed where I lay for a bit shuffling stickers in my mind instead of sheep.  awk!  Reality check.  They are gonna do these.  Not me! So today I focused.  Josh likes charts, details and the travel theme.   I even found some vintage plan pages! 

 Eliana is NO planner and wants to show case her art.   So she will have one calendar page for each month and LOTS of white mixed media paper. The binders for the unplanner project aren't quite as wide but they work.  The covers are heavy  craft coloured cardboard for personalizing.  I have two stencils to differentiate between the girls.  They can 'art' them up themselves now.

 Jolina, I suspect just wants story pages and pictures.  I found a pad of nursery rhyme papers from her aunt's stash!  She is all about dollies and animals but really likes drawing and colouring.  I have a colouring book I can photocopy come to think about it!   'scuse me while I add that to the pile. ;^) 

 Now today I need to march to the beat of their music! 

They are coming tomorrow and are bringing their stuff.  We shall upgrade and I'll send them each home with a package of papers and stickers and stuff.  I'm deciding about holding back the coming months and just giving them out as each month begins.   Might be less overwhelming and I can oogle what they have done. 

What did I get out of this?  A great cymbal  smash!   I hardly stopped for breaks.  So much fun.  Now how can I translate this happy sorting,  planning,  and making into my own art/collage works?

hmmm:

There is no waiting for stuff to dry, possible because I am working on three.  Series work?

 There is the challenge of unity and variety as I pull from the materials at hand.  Challenge baskets?

There is a purpose, a flow.   Story telling?

All I know is I'm mojoing right along.  A few coughs but they are last gasps.  I slipped out to do the chickens in my light sweater.  :)  The sun is Shining!   April showers are forecast but...

I do believe it is pretty much brass band marches that I'm a hearing and marching with.  Three cheers for SPRING!

Bing. Bang.  BOOM!!!