Soul Journal - Home Sweet Home

I'm glad that the task of the last few days has been based around our home and our family as we have been very family focused here. On Thursday my Princess received an academic achievement award for her work in first semseter and on Friday it was my Dear Heart's birthday so on Thursday night we went out to dinner to celebrate ... love doing that! On Friday, after being dragged to karate where the floor is freezing!, we had cake and opened pressies. There is something beautiful about giving a pressie that means so much to someone you love that they cry. Yesterday we spent the day in Geelong watching a karate tournament ... incredibly amazing and incredibly cold. Today I got to play again. YAY!

After drawing our houses we had to collage over some of the drawing ... hahahaha I just couldn't stop!

Sarah has shown me that I don't have to panic about perfection. I didn't worry about what I put down on the paper because I knew that this was not going to be the finished product. I felt free to try different scraps, covering up one layer with another scrap if I wasn't happy. There was no negative self talk while doing this task just lots of fun.

OMG! Whilst writing this I have received the most tragic news. My beautiful 21 yo nephew Russell took his life today. I have spent the last hour on the phone talking to my mum and brothers and sisters. I will be offline for a while as I will be heading down to be with my family tomorrow.

I can't write anymore so I'll post the pictures of my painted page and my family.

Soul Journal - My House

We revisited our magazine squares or inchies pages and I am so glad we did as I felt it was looking a little naked or undone .... here it is all prettied up:

I also found this postcard at the Princess's school yesterday and thought it related to our soul armour and maybe even our houses we are now working on.

And finally here is my house. It has wonky walls because we had crap builders and it really does have wonky bits to it!

Soul Journal - Cover Up

I didn't want to cover up my tape! However once I started I enjoyed the process ... I do like sanding.

I have to find a flower to press in my journal ... after 10 years of drought and being the middle of winter I have no flowers in my garden and I've peeked into the neighbours gardens and there are none there either ... boo hoo. But looking on the bright side I'm now off to buy a bunch of flowers ... oh beautiful brightness to banish the winter gloom.

Shock, gasp, horror ... I have been doing actual cleaning today in between reading blogs and sanding my tape pages ... hahahaha. Actually I'm really enjoying visiting my fellow Soul Journal bloggers and getting to know them better ... they are a generous, funny, inspirational, creative, amazing people ... I'm glad I am taking this journey with them.

Soul Journal - Having way too much fun

I must say I am having so much fun with this journal and the last two tasks have been relatively easy peasy ... ok I exaggerate ... they were a little provoking. I started going through some magazines and catalogues for the images listed by Sarah but left it too late into the evening when I was tired and the Princess kept taking everything and showing me all the things she wants ... needless to say bed time was enforced on both of us that night. After a good rest picking the images really was easy peasy and here is the result.

Today I had to journal with the prompt "I forgot to tell you ..." I really appreciated this task because it allowed me to deal with an issue that has been bothering me and be honest about it and how I feel and helped clarify what I plan to do about it. Thank you Sarah for this task. The fun part was knowing that it would be completely covered in tape so no one but me will ever know what is under there. Until I did a search of the house I never knew we had so many different types of tape in the house ... Dear Heart had a stash in the garage that I raided ... he is far neater than I so his tapes were easy to find ... what they are used for I'll never know but they have now been appropriated for ART ... YAY! hahahaha

I have always been a little hesitant to journal honestly for fear that someone else may accidently or purposefully read what I have written and use it against me. Through these tasks I am learning that I don't need to be so concerned because I can always alter it into something else. This has been a very liberating lesson to learn!

At the back of my Soul Journal I have created a section called "Thankful". This is something I recall from an Oprah show ... at least I think it was Oprah. Every day I will write down at least 3 things I have been thankful for that day and I will do this even on the worst days ... I suppose it is like looking for the silver lining ... some days it will be easy and other days it will be hard however I think looking for the positive each day will increase my ability to cope with what life throws at me.

And now I am going to go work on some technique pages for the FAT book while I pretend to do housework. Later on I am going to spend some time on all the other Soul Journaler's blogs. I'd recommend you go have a look too.

My Armour has chinks

Last night I was so excited by my soul armour that I couldn't wait to have "show & tell" with my Dear Heart and he was appropriately impressed! Gleaming with pride and feeling light as a feather until he piped up with "you know you've made a spelling mistake ..."

POP ... deflated, hurt and resentful.

We had a bit of a tiff.

While trying to go to sleep I mulled over this issue and know that it is not what Dear Heart said but my reaction to it that is the problem. My self confidence is a fragile thing and any time I perceive a threat to it a monster rears its ugly head and attacks ... it is horrible and does nothing to increase my confidence or improve my relationship.

I now all the theory about changing the negative talk that goes on in my head ... replacing it with positive affirmations etc., but in practice I never seem to actually achieve this. I make a start but quickly fall back into bad habits and it is so easy to blame outside influences for the regression rather than admit that I have become too comfortable with these negative thoughts and feelings ... too afraid to let them go.

What am I afraid of !?! Why, when I know what must be done, can I not leap ahead and value myself?

Ahhhh ... so this is what my armour is for? To make me look honestly at the things that keep me following a path that traps me in self destruction. To help me recognise those things that I already have and what I may need to set me on the path to attain self confidence and freedom to be me without fear. To protect me from myself as well as from others.

The first step is the hardest and the journey has begun.

Soul Armour

Today's task was to create our Soul Armour. This was lots of fun and the Princess kept coming to look at it and give me great big kisses and telling me how wonderful it was and how special I am. She is such a caring little thing and I love her like crazy!

Before you ask ... no I'm not the little girl used for the head ... the image is from an old photo of my Aunt Margaret.

Butterflies

Completed my butterfly ATC's for the July challenge on ArtTechniquesATCs. Here they are:

Soul Journal - Staking my claim

Day 2 of the Soul Journal adventure ....

This is the book I am altering to use as this journal - hopefully it will stand up to the test.

Below is todays excercise ... to name our journals as our own. You'd be surprised how difficult I found it to write my name over and over again ... as though I was being selfish or self centered ... but I got there in the end. Silly I know!

I used rub-ons, textas (thanks Princess), watercolour pencils, black sharpie and white gel pen.

I'm looking forward to the next task.

Soul Journal

Sarah Whitmire is posting on her blog http://sarahwhitmire.blogspot.com/ step by step details on how to create a mixed media journal and will be providing daily prompts to keep you going. I've wanted to alter a book for a long time and anything that helps me on my creative journey with baby steps is a bonus. Thanks Sarah! Here is part of my day one efforts ...

I think I need another holiday ...

I have just had the most hectic few weeks with my Princess due to the school holidays. During the first week we stayed at home and had lots of play dates with her friends. I had an art date with Holly, Julianne and Megan that was a lot of fun ... gossip, paint and a wonderful butter banana cake ... yum! During this date I finished some Jumbo Playing Cards for a swap. This one is called "6 Degrees of Seperation"

I have also been trying to do dry needle felting and failing due to the lack of having wool felt only the crappy synthetic stuff. After discussing my frustrations with those wiser than me I have taken the plunge and ordered some 100% wool felt off ebay so that I can give it another try.

Another swap I am playing in at the moment has been a Mini Album and I have been trying out a variety of techniques ... some more successfully than others and again those wiser than me have helped me to learn where I may have gone wrong. Here are the pictures of my front cover and one of the pages I have created to swap out.

During the second week the Princess and I travelled down to Melbourne to visit family (which was ace!) and also to spend some time at The Castle creating with My Queen, Princess Moo and the fabulous Lucy. I enjoyed meeting Lucy in person for the first time! They taught me a Misty Mawn technique. I found this interesting even though I'm not 100% happy with the outcome which means I'll just have to keep practicing (hahahaha). Here is my first effort ...

Princess Moo taught me how to create a background (above) using paints and Windex ... now that was fun. Lastly I had a try at using beeswax ... smells wonderful and I like the translucent quality it gives the images. These two ATC's are called "Be Original" and "Visitors Permit".

And finally the ATC below is called "Lizzie Loves to Bowl" and was created for a Postage Stamp People swap. Her legs slide back up inside the ATC. I had a lot of fun making her. Princess Ruby enjoyed making her dance.

Now I think I need another holiday