31 Days {Day 1}

It's finally here!! The 31 Days Creativity Challenge. 
WELCOME...I am sooo happy you are here! And just so you remember...here is a bit about the Challenge (in case you forgot or are new here). The most important things to remember are these 3 things!!

*It's okay to take time for yourself even if you think you can't. To be creative you must create!!
*Don't worry about doing every single project in this Challenge. The idea here is to do something creative every day...it's all good if all you have time for is 5 minutes of painting or looking at an idea book before bed...it's OKAY:)
*Have fun! I have thought long and hard about each Challenge. They are designed to give your daily routine a boost of inspiration.One day you may be painting in your Art Journals...the next day "shopping" in your closet. You just never know what's next!

And while each Challenge is uniquely mine, several of them are a result of inspiration I received from a magazine, idea book or blog. I will be sure and give the link to those resources I used.

If you have any questions, concerns or comments please email me at leslieackman@yahoo.com

Also feel free to share your projects and Challenges in your blogs!! I would appreciate if you linked back here to Words of Me:)

And one more thing...there will not be a Word of the Week the entire month of March due to the Challenge.

 Ready, Set , Go!!

Challenge #1

Art Journals will play an important part throughout the next 31 Days. And while not every Challenge involves your journals...you may find yourself wanting to use them daily as the month goes on. My journals are a little bit bigger than an 81/2 x11 book filled with 50 sheets of watercolor paper. You can buy these at Wal-Mart or Target for around $9. Here is a photo of mine with the cover gesso-ed and ready to paint...

And what it looks like inside...

There is nothing I like more than an empty page!!

Remember...you do not need to use this type of journal. Feel free to use cardstock, lined paper, construction paper...anything that you want. A school notebook is perfectly okay, too. Just know that you DO need some kind of journal throughout this Challenge.

Now it's time for the fun part...the creative part...I want you to come up with  one WORD or a PHRASE that describes this Creative Journey you are undertaking. A few examples might be "Because I Need This", "So I Can Create", "Inspire", "Creative Journey", "Bold", "Brave", "To Become the Artist I Am", etc.

Take your idea and begin creating your cover. Use markers, paints, pens, colored pencils, scraps of patterned paper, die-cuts, chipboard, photos, glitter, ribbon...anything your heart desires!! Here is what I came up with...

I knew I wanted my journal to have the  31 Days Challenge on it somewhere along with my favorite three words...first I took some patterned paper scraps and Mod Podged them to the cover...

I took my favorite color of blue and mixed with white to make an acrylic "wash".

I painted sections of the patterned paper then took a damp paper towel and quickly wiped most of the paint away...

If you do this, remember that acrylic paint dries very quickly so work fast!

I really love how it's turning out.

I then decided to add a little razzle dazzle with just a touch of gold glitter paint.

Spread it out {i just use my finger but feel free to use a brush or Q-tip}

Next I stamped my 3 favorite words on the dry paint.

"Write. Create. Be." And while I could have left it this way...I used my fave technique on the letters...outlined them with different colored pens.

Isn't that white just great?

Really makes the letters POP!
Then how cool is this? The paper I used already had a calendar on it with 31 Days!! It was meant to be:)

I stamped the words "Creativity Challenge" and used a chipboard arrow from American Crafts.
For a fun touch I cut various ribbon and tied on the rings of my journal. Here is the finished book!

Remember...do what you want with this!! Make it as simple or as ornamental as you want. It's your Art Journal. Listen to what your heart is telling you then do that. You can even take letter stickers and decorate a notebook. As long as you love it...it doesn't matter what others think!!!

Have fun!! I will see you soon. Can't wait to see what you come up with!! Be sure and share in the comment section here or if you want in your own Blogs:)