Inspire Your Heart with Art Day!

I'm barely hanging on to the last threads of January, 
but I thought it might be appropriate to complete this challenge on Inspire Your Heart with Art Day.

I started with these supplies:

*Scissors

*Star hole punch

*Pencil

*Round object (I used a $1 coin)

* Envelopes from cards received in years past

* Notebook, purchased for $1 from a closing sale

*Glue

Trace around the edge of the round object on to the envelopes.

Cut out the circles.

Punch star holes in the middle of the circles.

Glue on the notebook. Done!

It's a cutie, huh?   :)

Gratitude Journal

For my January journal challenge, I decided to decorate the cover of my new Gratitude Journal. I began with a simple 6" x 8" brown notebook that I bought for $1.00 at a going out of business sale.

I gently removed the back cover. Because I wasn't going to be able to decorate around the comb binding, I colored the edge with a marker.

Next, I cut a piece of fusible web to size and ironed it onto the cardboard on the outside back cover. Then I cut a piece of fabric about a half inch larger on each side than than the cover. I pressed the edge next to the comb under. Then I fused the fabric to the fusible web.

I flipped the back cover over, then folded the fabric to the back. I used a glue stick to hold the edges in place.

Next, I cut a piece of scrapbook paper to size. I glued the center with a glue stick, and used double-sided tape to make sure the edges were secured. Then I used my roller to make sure everything was adhering well.

I replaced the back cover, removed the front cover, and colored the comb edge as before. Unfortunately, my photos for the next steps didn't come out. What I did was measure the finished stitchery, cut two strips of the red fabric, sewed the strips to the top and bottom of the stitchery, and adhered the stitchery to the front cover in much the same way as how I adhered the fabric to the back cover. 

The piece of scrap paper I had left was about 1/4" too short for the inside cover, so I had to improvise. After adhering the paper to the inside, I covered the edges (inside and outside) of the front cover with some grosgrain ribbon. Once the cover was finished, I put it back on the comb.

The heart is a piece that I stitched in February 2005 called Love and Roses by Just Nan. I really love everything about this little heart - the colors, the bling, the beads, and the pearls. Normally, I wouldn't finish needlework with glue. But since this has been waiting patiently for nine years to see the light of day, I thought I'd rather go for a finished item instead of worrying about it being an heirloom finish (no glue, all acid-free, etc.) 

I'm going to enjoy using this as my new Gratitude Journal for 2014.

New Year, New Art, New Rules

www.berkshirebach.org

It's been a while since our little collective was active, so it's time to start anew. Over the holidays, a couple of the artists got together and mapped out a new plan. Even this is a bit late getting started, but every day is a new chance to jump in, right?

Instead of taking turns posting a challenge, and waiting until all artists have contributed before the next challenge is created, we'll have monthly challenges. If we have the time and the energy and the creativity to do a project, we'll post. If not, no harm, no foul ... no waiting.

Here are the year's challenges:

• January: Journal covers
• February: birch bark
• March: clothes pins
• April: artist trading cards
• May: vase/candle holder
• June: shrink plastic 
• July: origami/paper art
• August: paint chip art
• September: buttons
• October: beading
• November: dough art (salt, play dough, polymer clay, pastry, bread)
• December: wreaths 

I've created some boards on my Pinterest account that are filled with ideas for each art medium. Scroll down to the bottom of that page to find the boards marked "AuralArtists." Ideas from Pinterest can be used if you wish, but mostly the boards are jumping off points for inspiration.

For January, I plan to make a cover for a new Gratitude Journal. How 'bout you? 

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