Meet Patty Radish

 “To be creative means to be in love with life. You can be creative only if you love life enough that you want to enhance its beauty, you want to bring a little more music to it, a little more poetry to it, a little more dance to it.” 

― Osho

It's Week Two of "Art Journaling Love" and time to meet our FIRST

Spotlight Artist.

This is Patty Radish....

I first "found" Patty in my favorite magazine...Art Journal Magazine from Stampington. (she has been published numerous times)

I was drawn to her use of Retro Images and collage style

I loved her style so much I found her on Facebook to tell her and to see more of her work!

Thank you so much Patty for taking time out of your schedule to share with us today!!!

Patty says she first fell in love with Art Journaling back in 2006. She started making her OWN journals by altering books. She soon realized that wasn't the format for her...so she took them apart and rebinded them. Patty says her latest obsession has been Travelers Notebook style art journals. 

So where does she go

 for inspiration??

*Instagram

*YouTube

*Art Journaling Magazine

*Mid-Century art/artists

"My favorite things to do

 is play with color and composition.

 I use a lot of mid century images,

 but love images from the natural world too."

Every art journaler has their

 MUST HAVE supplies
 and Patty is no exception!

*Paper

*Matte Medium

*Sharp Scissors

*Paint

*Glue Stick

*Pen

*Pencil

With 11 years of journaling under her belt and several published journals Patty has several EXCELLENT tips for us!!

*Look everywhere for inspiration,

 the mall, the outdoors,

 your favorite fashion designer
>      *If you feel frustrated or anxious, 

take a deep breath, 

it could be a breakthrough
>      *Read biographies and

 get to know your

 favorite artists

> 5)  "My best advice to other art journalers is: 

Don’t worry if you work looks

 like someone else’s work because

 you admire them or took a class, 

if you work at it long enough, 

your own unique style will shine through. 

Trust and honor that!"

I LOVE that advice, Patty and agree!! I am a HUGE Dina Wakley fan and at first it seemed my pages were "like" hers. But as I went MY style starting shining through!! Thanks for such WONDERFUL advice!!

Most journalers I know

 have a favorite quote (I have a lot!!)

Here is Patty's...

    "Arrange whatever pieces come your way.”
>                                                                    ~Virginia Woolf

Oh I love that and plan on using in a page very soon! Thank you so much Patty!!!!! 

********************************************************************

Be sure and stop by tomorrow...We are talking all things gesso and I will show you my FAVORITE way to add words to my journals!!

All you need to know about "Art Journaling Love" can be found here.

Join us on FB at Mind.Body.Soul Art Journaling.

Week Two: Art Journaling Love....What's on Deck this Week

“One ought, every day at least, to hear a little song, read a good poem, see a fine picture, and, if it were possible, to speak a few reasonable words.” 
― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship

It's the second week of our "Art Journaling Love" class

...so happy you found me!!

If you would like to be a part of our class

 you can go here to learn more about it. 

It's 100% free!!

I also post tips and other inspiration in my FB group...Mind.Body.Soul Art Journaling.

We have SO much to cover that I am already thinking we need a SECOND class later in the Spring!!

Ok...here is what THIS week looks like...

Tuesday: Patty Radish will be on the blog sharing her LOVE of art journaling 

and sharing 3 pages with us.

Be sure and stop by!

Wednesday: We talk Gesso and using Alphabet stencils

Stamps and gesso equal lots of texture!!

Black gesso and alphabet stencils make your pages POP!

Thursday: We meet my friend Leanne Wargowsky and talk all things Art Journaling!!

Friday: Catch my video on making your OWN painted paper embellishments and my winged Angel Girls!!

WHEW!! We have a TON going on!! A FULL week of ARTSY inspiration!!

Here are our Words for the week to inspire you to create in your journals this week...

*Noise

*Free

*Complet

*Genuine

*Victorious

Affirmations help us reach our goals when we consistently see and say them. Here are five of them for use in your journals, your planners or make a deck of cards!

*I choose Love and Kindness today

*Today I will use my Time wisely

*Now is the Time to Dream Big

*I am successful

*Peace is with me today.

Your shapes to inspire your journal pages this week are....

*Triangles

*Dashes/Lines

 

**I also post daily art journaling inspiration in our FB group so be sure and check in often. 

**Go to our FILES section in our group to find our Weekly Words and Affirmations

Enjoy this week's lessons and again THANK YOU for being here!!!

 “It's the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.” 

― Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

Fitness Fridays: My Loss is Your Gain

It's Fitness Fridays...a place for me to be accountable to MYSELF

as well as share with you my struggles and victories.

Last week I decided to post my weight. 

It's a number I hate.

The highest I have ever been (not pregnant).

174.2

ugh.

Fridays are my weigh-in days and this morning I KNEW I had lost...

and I was right!

Current weight is 171.2!!

YIPEE!!!

How did I do it?

First of all I have been a member of Weight Watchers on-line for nearly a year.

But...I never, ever would stick with it for more than a few days at a time.

THIS week was different.

I logged EVERYTHING I ate.

And guess what?

I lost!

I ate mostly lean meats...chicken, lean beef and salmon...paired with veggies.

A TON of veggies!

Salads, peas, red peppers and cucumber slices are my favorite.

I also ate canteloupe, strawberries and bananas.

This week I found the MOST delicious cure for my sugar cravings...

fruit smoothies made with coconut almond milk.

Just TWO points for the WHOLE thing.

Oh my goodness was that good!!!

I didn't work out like I had planned...logged just two workouts this week.

I am hoping with this nicer weather I can walk outside...my step goal has been 8,000 steps a day

but I know 10,000 a day would be ideal.

I feel like I CAN do this.

If you ask me what's different this time all I can say is I am TIRED of being TIRED.

I have also cut out ALL dairy and ALL wheat/bread/pasta.

I did this more than a month ago and I feel FANTASTIC. 

My energy levels have improved from me wanting to sit on the couch because I was exhausted to me bouncing out of bed and going ALL day with energy to spare!!

If you have any questions about Weight Watchers or foods I eat or anything related to my post just 

leave in the comment section and I will get back with you!!!

On a totally different note...

I am SO GRATEFUL for those of you playing along in my 

"Art Journaling Love" class.

The support you have shown me with my first videos and YouTube Channel have made my WEEK!!

THANK YOU!!

If YOU would like to join us go to my FB group and learn more. It's FREE!!

Here is the link to my YouTube video and channel.

Have a GREAT week!!!

My First Video and YouTube Channel

“It always seems impossible until it's done.” 
― Nelson Mandela

I have wanted to create a video of my process for YEARS. But I was always to scared.

Convinced myself I could not do it.

Today I did it.

Oh I have been working on this for WEEKS.

But today I actually got it DONE.

This little video took me nearly 12 HOURS to do.

But you know what??

I 

feel 

great!

I created this for our FREE class over at Mind.Body.Soul Facebook Group.

It's called "Art Journaling Love".

I hope you join us!

It's never too late to jump right in!

Art Journaling Love:Getting to Know Me

 “Journal writing is a voyage to the interior.” 

― Christina Baldwin

This was my first Art Journal Cover.

 I created for my very first on-line class I had ever taken..."Soul Restoration" with Melody Ross. 

I was SUPER excited to not only learn how to restore my soul but to create an ART JOURNAL!! I had kept a written journal since the age of 9...writing is a HUGE love of mine...but this whole Art Journal thing was a completely new concept!

It's been fun looking back at my first journal...my love of writing really shows!!

This page was created on January 11th, 2011

 As you can see I was ALL about the Words. Writing what was in my Heart. 

I had a few swipes of paint and two word strips and I was done.

The second page in my Brave Girl Journal.

Created on January11th, 2011

 I was a bit more adventurous with this one...adding an image and using a Heart stamp.

(I love how my use of Hearts showed up right away in my pages!)

My third page....

paint, butterflies and lots of journaling. 

Another page from my Brave Girl's Journal

 Again...so cool to see another image I use in my pages often come out so early in my journaling...butterflies.

I like how I tried being a bit more creative here with my handwriting, placement of images and even creating a little side-bar for journaling.  

Page created January 31st, 2011


The thing I remember the most about my first art journal was how it made me FEEL.
I still get emotional when I think about it.
This was a very dark time in my life.
We were in financial chaos, our kids were making poor choices,
I was in deep depression and
 my husband was in panic mode
trying to keep us afloat.

My Heart and Soul were completely drained
 and I honestly didn't see any light at the end of any tunnel.
In fact my sweet Mama bought me this class and my journal for Christmas.
 It was the BEST gift she ever gave me.
I needed it so much!! 

As my love for Art Journaling grew I got a bit more courageous.

I visited several blogs and found the first issue of Stampinton's 

Art Journaling Magazine.

I had no idea until reading through that magazine there were so many mixed media artists in this world!! It was eye-opening and life changing for me.

An early page from my second journal. I use birds often in my work.

 Art Journaling came into my life JUST when I needed it!

And as I ventured into mixed-media my AMAZING and GENEROUS Mom 

gifted me more classes so I could learn new techniques from two of my favorites...

One of my FIRST hand-drawn images in my journals. I LOVE drawing sweet little birds!!!!

Melody Ross and Christy Tomlison

I learned how to draw a few simple things (like that cute bird above!)

and really stepped out of my comfort zone.

I used my journals to work through my Fear and Anxiety by creating pages 

as reminders to myself that it WOULD get better.

This page has so much meaning to me!!

When it comes to journaling I have supplies that I use nearly every single time.

My love of Hearts shows up often in my journals.

Almost every page begins with acrylic or watercolor paint.

I use the cheap stuff from Wal-Mart, Hobby Lobby and Michaels.

I have used the nicer stuff (Golden and Liquitex) 

but I just can't bring myself to spend 

that much!! 

The minute I found Dylusions Spray Inks from Ranger I bought a basket full!!

I LOVE how messy they make my pages look!!!!

One of my FAVE pages ever!!

Let's talk gesso for a minute...lol. I had heard a lot about this stuff in my early days of journaling
and just didn't know what all the fuss was about...until I bought some and tried it.
OH HOW I LOVE MY GESSO!
And I will be sharing all things Gesso with you soon!

Along with paint and sprays and gesso I LOVE stencils!

In the early days you won't see one stencil but as I grew in my Art my supplies grew, too!

Stencils are EVERYWHERE...big box stores, Hobby Lobby, Michaels, Etsy,

Amazon, Stencil Girl, Dina Wakley, the list is endless. 

We will be talking stencils later in the class.

Other things I use often in my pages are washi tape and die-cuts.

A recent page using magazine images.

The more I journal the more I LOVE using photo's of ME.

It just adds so much more depth and meaning to my pages.

A small journal I created for "I Am" statements.


Back in my early days of creating I remember promising myself to make time to create.
In fact I would leave little notes for myself to remind me that my Heart NEEDS that time.
Now....six years later I don't need any reminders.
Creating has become who I am.
It's just a part of ME.
My daily life.
Time spent with myself in my studio means time spent with others will be better.
I need that time to think.
To pray.
To
just
Be.

I invite YOU to join me on this journey of "Art Journaling Love".
It doesn't matter one bit if you have created a thing in your life.
Grab a journal or notebook, swipe a bit of paint on the pages and just START.

If you haven't been here before please stop by my FB group...Mind.Body.Soul Art Journaling. 
We are a group of AMAZING, creative women sharing what's in our Hearts.

You can read my first "Art Journaling Love" post here.

You can go to our Files Section Here for the list Words, Mantras and Shapes for the Week.

Thanks for being here!!

Please these hashtags when posting work...

#artjournalinglove

#wordsofmeproject

Art Journaling Love: Week One...In the Beginning

 “And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.” 

― Sylvia Plath, The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath

 Welcome to my Four Week art journaling class.."Art Journaling Love".

I am sooooo Happy you are HERE!

Over the next four weeks I hope you will be inspired to start

 your OWN art journal or keep up with the one you have.

Join me along with five other artists as we share with YOU our pages, favorite techniques, the reasons WHY we journal and more.

I am so proud to introduce these AMAZING ladies to you...

Jen Morris is a creative Life Coach, writer and journal artist from New Zealand.

You can find out more about Jen and see some of her work on her Facebook Page. 

So happy you will be joining us Jen!!!

Meet Leanne Wargowsky!! I hope she doesn't kill me for using this photo...but I LOVE it!! 

It showcases her absolutely FUN and CREATIVE Spirit!!

Here is her Creative Wing's FB page

Patty Radish is one of my FAVORITE art journalers. Her use of retro images is divine!!

You can see a sample of her work on her FB page.

Rae Missigman....oh my goodness still pinching myself that she will be sharing her AMAZING creativity with us!!

Be sure and check out her VERY Inspiring work and blog!!

And last but not least my friend Sherry Canino.

Sherry and I met a year and a half ago at Art Beach and connected INSTANTLY!!

 The minute I saw her at work in her journal I KNEW she was going places!! 

Join her on Tuesdays for her Stencil Crush Tuesdays video's. They are GREAT!

We will be hearing from each of these artists in the next four weeks!

Here's how Art Journaling Love is going to work....

*Each week I will be posting a minimum of THREE posts. 

*One with our Artist

*One with techniques from me

*One with various ideas, studio tour, random art journal pages, etc. 

*Each Monday I will post FIVE Words and FIVE Mantras/Affirmations to use as a starting point for your pages...These will also be in our FILES SECTION on our Mind.Body.Soul Facebook Group page so you will have them all together once the course ends.

*We will also have TWO shapes of the week...(i.e. starts, triangles, etc) to inspire your pages.

*If everything goes as planned I will have video's sprinkled throughout our four weeks showing you how I go from a blank to finished page.

*I HIGHLY encourage YOU to share your pages with us in our GROUP. If you are not a member of our group yet be sure and go here and send me a request! 

Ok....I think that's all the information out of the way!! Now let's BEGIN!

This was my VERY FIRST Art journal page...

 

  When I see this I cringe. I mean it's NOTHING like I would do today.

But that's the beauty of keeping a journal...to see our growth. Not only in our art but in ourselves.

This is in that same journal...look at the FEAR I had!! 

 Again this looks so kid-like to me...

but it's been interesting going back. 

This was my first journal...

a book I found on clearance at Barnes and Noble I think.

 Not really an art journal but rather a blank notebook. Back then I wasn't into using gesso, paints, scraping tools, modeling paste, etc so my pages could take it! HA!

If you are new to keeping a journal you may be wondering...

"What the heck kind of journal do I use anyway?? What size, what kind of pages?" 

There are hundreds more products now then there was six years. But really all you need are a few basic things to begin.

Obviously you need a journal. Here are just a few of MY journals.

 Through the years I have used spiral bound...

 Book bound

 

 Little ones like this Dylusions 5x7 journal from Ranger...

 or my preferred size...

 Just a bit bigger than 81/2x11.

I really like the spiral bound journals like these, too. The best part they are CHEAP and you can find them at Wal-Mart and other Big Box stores for around ten bucks. Be sure and get the ones that say MIXED MEDIA so your pages can withstand lots of layers!! 

We will be talking layers later in the week!

If you really don't want to spend a ton of money on your journals...

it is possible to use a plain old, one dollar composition book.

That's what this one is and honestly it's one of my all-time favorite journals!

The best way to use a notebook is to cover each page in gesso to create a sturdy page for paint, glue and anything else you want to add to your page. We will talking gesso this week!

Here is a page from my notebook'...

 A few more early pages....

  Oh my! I was trying here!!

And LOOK! My attempt at "mark-making"...lol. All those circles!!

 Enough of my early pages (for today anyway...HA!)

Along with a journal or notebook there are a few things you will want to gather this week...

*Your favorite pens (i use InkJoy)

*magazine image (especially images of women and words)

*a paintbrush or two

*scissors

*old scrapbooking supplies (die-cuts, pattern paper, stickers)

*acrylic paint (you can buy these at Wal-Mart for 50 cents a bottle)

*alphabet stamps

Again, as the weeks go on I will be sharing my favorites as well as where I purchase them.

Our Words for the Week...

*Whole

*Intuitive

*Joyous

*Go

*Able

Our Five mantras/affirmations...

*Today I will act out of Love

*Yes You Can

*I allow myself time to create 

*I will make choices that demonstrate the care I have for my body

*Today I am enough

Our TWO shapes to use in our journals this week are...

*Stars

and 

*circles

***Let these Words, Mantras and Shapes be inspiration for your journals this week!! Be sure and post your pages, comments, questions in our FB group.

Be sure and join me TOMORROW for my interview with myself.

I will be sharing my art journaling story along with how putting paint and pen to paper

 I was able to HEAL my Broken Heart.

Fitness Fridays...Keeping it REAL

It's Fitness Friday.

And honestly I have REALLY fallen off the wagon.

Very little exercise and not caring at all what I eat.

I promised myself that I take each Friday and hold myself accountable.

So here I am with no progress for the week except this....

I 

am

Starting

Today.

Day One.

Last year I joined Weight Watchers on-line.

I LOVE the program...

but quit.

It's a pattern with me. I start something, start seeing results then quit.

It's frustrating.

I am still paying for WW (sad right I am not using it??!) and when I had set up my account I had put Fridays as my weigh-in day....

so TODAY is Friday...

So today I am weighing in and STARTING FRESH.

I bought Oprah's new book...have you seen it?? OH MY.

It 

is 

WONDERFUL.

I am going to read it and try out the recipes. Each recipe has the points value which will be so helpful!!

I woke up early today and walked with Leslie Sansone. I enjoy these videos so much and they are all on You tube!!

Try this one!! It will get you motivated!!

I really don't want to put my weight out there...

but I am. I want to have a record of my progress.

So here goes...

It's the highest I have ever weighed and I am wearing the largest size I ever have.

174.2

Size 14/16 jean

My goal is to lose 30 pounds this year.

My Word for 2017 is Perseverance.

I really love that Word...Steadfastness.

This is difficult. I love food and I am out of shape. But despite difficulty I WILL Persevere!!

If you are on your WON journey I would LOVE to hear about it!!

What kinds of things are helping you stay motivated??

***One more thing...one of my FAVORITE artists Rae Missigman is having a Birthday and giving her readers a chance to WIN!! You can go here to enter!!