Home Page: written down

Ah, my favorite place to be and I’m going there the beginning of next week! The plaque at the beach house sits on the sand and reads:

IF YOU’RE LUCKY ENOUGH TO BE AT THE BEACH,
YOU’RE LUCKY ENOUGH.

I always have a brand new journal for each summer at the beach. I’ve included a poem on this page that I wrote in my journal last year. This is an excerpt.

WAVES ROLL AND HISS
never pausing
CRESTING AND SPILLING
HYPNOTIZING; MESMERIZING
MONOTONOUS
yet soothing in their sound
AND RESTLESSNESS.

I AM NOT THE FIRST
TO DANCE HERE
But today these
insects and flowers
among the dune grass
ARE MINE.

Jane Swanson

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This is for the weekend spark about our favorite places to be. I layered a bunch of patterned papers as well as a page from an old dictionary with the word “comfort” defined—and highlighted by being the only part that isn’t painted over. Then glued down the photograph—and and everything else with matte medium. I dry brushed white and gold paint over everything. Then I brushed gel medium back over everything so that I’d have a smooth surface to write on.

It was a little bumpy to write on—so my handwriting doesn’t really look as much like “mine” as I would like—but you can still read it, and the story is there, which is the important part to me.

The journaling just talks about how I remember my dad having his favorite chair when I was growing up. I couldn’t ever really understand his attachment to that thing—until I grew up and got my own “comfy chair.” Now it’s all crystal clear to me. This is my place of refuge. The place where I read, relax, journal—or sometimes just close my eyes and doze. It is most definitely my favorite place to be when I need a little time to decompress!

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funny thing – I was on a retreat this weekend and I took this pic of my feet as I read and watched the water – then I got the weekend spark! too cool! the pic is printed on a transparancy and the words are stickers and writing done on the paper under the pic

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what could be more freeing than a set of wheels to give a girl her independance?

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Travel has been a big part of my life. This page shows bullet points about why. The facing page is prepared with the same background for some more in depth journalling when the fancy takes me. My ideas for this revolve around the idea of the journey being more than the destination (train wheels, car wheels, plane wheels).

The page was prepared with gesso (it is just a regular notebook, so the paper is quite flimsy). Then I applied tissue paper with a mixture of yellow acrylic paint and Elmer’s glue, in the middle of the page, used a similar mixture with brown paint to create the frame. Over the top, I used reddish brown acrylic on bubble wrap to print all the little circles. I brushed over it all with diluted gold to tone down the yellow, and straight gold acrylic to create spaces for journalling. I used MM small Heidi rub-ons for ‘my’ MM Rummage rub-ons for ‘Travels’, my own handwriting for the other writing except for the alphabet stamped countries. Then there are circles and spirals drawn on with gold outliner for glass paints. I was inspired by the circles in the art of many countries.

It is probably my most ‘art’ page yet. Thanks for looking.

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I am a bit behind with posting – scanner problems so here is the book spark from a few weeks ago
the left side is a half page – the hole reveals a word from another page. the book diary is from a library book journal they gave out a few years ago – I love books and was surprised at how much the three books revealed about who I am right now
inside the book diary is a tag with other books I am currently reading

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Initially I couldn’t get my head round this at all, but then I thought about my love-hate relationship with my bike! This is my first attempt at drawing, so please be kind! I’m afraid the bike is rather stylised, but I based it on the pattern of the circles in the paper. Each little piece of journaling tells of the different times in my life I have used a bike: from when I first started to ride a two wheeler to now when I travel to school most days by bike. Thanks for taking the time to look.

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I wasn’t sure where to start with this one. Not usually a risk-taker, so I decided to begin with bleaching a favorite photo of my husband and daughter just after she was born. Journalled “snipits” about how my husband and kids are in many ways my “anti-risk”—a safe place to risk and be adventurous. Added some words & phrases I associate with risk, like “trust” and “to sing outloud”... I’m not crazy about the feel of this entry—so many layers and bits and pieces held together by glue and matte medium. The whole thing feels dark and kind of “out there”—so I suppose posting feels like a risk as well.

Thanks for looking.

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For this entry I used some KI Memories paper, white gesso, acrylic paint, Sharpies, part of Shimelles pdf prompt, MoBe stamps, and some John Mayer lyrics.

I find the cylcles in life to be amazing.

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I’m slowly getting caught up with the assignments. This is for the spark about what did I never think I would have in my house. I have a collection of teapots, but this is really out of the norm.

I think the journaling is readable – it talks about how my friend gave me this one year for my birthday. It always makes me smile when I look at it.

TFL

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