It's Not Who You Are Art Journal Page

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Being truly happy depends upon living close to the pattern woven in the soul.  - Michael Meade
Uncovering the pattern that is woven in my soul.  That is my true journey.  When I make art I feel very close to that pattern - even if I haven't fully uncovered what that pattern is.  Or it's quite possible I have uncovered the pattern...if I'm being honest with myself.  I know what the pattern is.  I know creativity is woven into that pattern - expression, art, sharing.  Yet I find myself afraid to live that pattern.  So maybe the true journey is to allow myself to continue to live closer to the pattern I know is woven in my soul.
Today I am sharing an art journal page I created for Paper Crafter's Library.  I had a ton of fun creating the background!  To see the full step-by-step videos on how I created this page, head on over to Paper Crafter's Library using the badge in the upper right-hand corner of my blog and consider becoming a member.  I would love to have you follow my art journal journey with me!

All Is Calm Desk Accessories Gift Set by Julie Beltramo

Get ready for the New Year by organizing your desk in fashion with this All Is Calm Desk Accessories Gift Set by Julie Beltramo!  This compact and practical Calendar Easel sits atop a secret pull out drawer to store your note cards. Plus it folds flat if you needed to stow it away. The coordinating Pen Cup is an easy up-cycling project that is super fun to make! And when you buy the tutorial, you’ll see the super sweet and simple card that will make this the perfect gift set to give!  Get all the details and step-by-step instructions by subscribing to the month of December over at Craft Project Central.

Mini-Collage #15

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Create Your Art.  It Will Inspire.
I was on the plane last month.  Coming home from a family visit to Atlanta.  In my zippered bag were my usual supplies, but I also had a map and a hang tag from the rental car.  I began by cutting the map into different sized circles.  I made some cuts into the circles and glued them all together.  I added a touch of water in my hand and did a bit of crumpling.  As it dried it reminded me of a bird's nest.  So I cut out the bird from the hang tag and made some blue eggs with some washi tape.  I cut out the message from the map - a message I would not have noticed had I not gone looking for it :)  I then glued the whole thing down to my 2" x 2" piece of watercolor paper as part of my 2" x 2" mini-collage challenge.  This was the first time I took my challenge to a 3-D level!  Who knows where this new advancement will take me next!
Then I realized the only way to transport my mini-collage safely when I landed in Denver was to carry it in my hand to the car.  As I boarded the train to the main terminal I was standing next to a woman who immediately asked me what was in my hand!  I shared the collage with her and she asked, "Are you and artist?"  To which I proudly responded, "Yes!"  She said that she felt she was missing the cells for creativity and I told her that I felt she had creativity inside of her - she just needed to be willing to risk making some ugly things and her creativity would find its way out!  Another woman overheard us talking and she looked at my mini-collage too.  She said that I had just inspired her to use her extra time in a new way.  She used to draw and this tiny collage inspired her to commit to begin drawing again!  Create your art.  It will inspire.  It will inspire someone, somewhere - in ways you may not even realize!

Mini-Collage Challenge #14

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Out of limitation comes limitlessness!
I travel with a little zippered bag filled with a variety of pens, a blunt-end scissor, a glue stick, some 2" x 2" watercolor paper squares and some rolls of washi tape.  It's a limited mix of supplies and I tend to supplement with bits of paper ephemera I pick up during my trips (ticket stubs, receipts, wrappers).  I have had the same few rolls of washi tape in the bag for about a month now and I was just thinking about switching out  the colors - which I might very well do...and, at the same time, limiting myself to the supplies I currently have in my little zippered pouch is allowing me to realize how limitless having limitations can be!  Even though I keep working with the same supplies, those same supplies continue to lead me in different directions!  This collage has quite a few built up layers - tape on tape on tape.  Doodles on doodles on doodles.  Quite different from the small landscape I made with the same supplies just a few days ago.  Yes, out of limitation comes limitless.  Maybe that will be my next challenge...to limit myself to a few supplies and see what I can do with just those supplies in a week...a month...or possibly longer!

Monthly Memories Album by Regina Andari

Let’s face it . . . not every stamper is a scrapbooker, but we all have dates, events, activities, milestones, etc. that we’d like to record and remember.  This Monthly Memories Album by Regina Andari, which can stand on its own, is comprised of pockets—one for each month—with at least one card in each pocket to record (with journaling and/or photos) special events.  Of course, photos and mementos can be included or attached to the front (and/or back) of each pocket.  The whole family can be involved recording a memory about something special for each month!  The handy gift bag features a really neat way to make sure the card doesn’t get lost or separated from the gift and, of course, there’s a gift box for the album!  This is an especially perfect gift for a New Year’s party hostess, or host your own party and give this ensemble to each of your guests!
See the full project and get the step-by-step instructions by heading over to Craft Project Central and subscribing to the month of December!

Gift Bow Christmas Creations - November Bonus Project by Christy Fulk

These Gift Bow Christmas Creations are the November Bonus Project for Craft Project Central and were created by Christy Fulk.  It’s time to create all of those cute Christmas projects you need to make! Be sure to add these three projects to your list! All three are made using the Gift Bow Bigz L Die. The cute snowman makes a great decoration for any room, the angel ornament is perfect for any tree, and everyone would love to get a treat in this cute Santa box. These projects can be made quickly, so you can make them for all of your friends and family. Don’t forget to make one for yourself, too! This would also make a great Christmas, product-based class.

Craft Project Central Bonus projects can be obtained by subscribing to two or more months in a row, putting the Craft Project Central badge on your blog, or by referring a friend and when they subscribe, letting Craft Project Central know.  Head on over to Craft Project Central for more details!