Hello New Year, Nice to Meet You...

2014, you have started off so well!

For some reason, I've had the biggest sense of optimism and hope for 2014.  This is not like me.  Usually, a year is just another year, a man-made way of marking time.  They generally go by without too much attention from me.  I don't think in terms of such long spaces of time...I get from day to day, hour to hour, minute to minute...years encompass too much for my tiny brain to comprehend.

The thought of 2014 has been different for me.  Maybe because of all the changes 2013 held, who knows...  But I've gotten the strangest feeling that this year is going to be epic...that HUGE positive things are going to happen.  What those things are, how they're going to come about, I have no clue...I just know I feel this optimism so strongly that it's a little eerie.  I joked at work on Monday that either good things were going to happen or I was going to get hit by a bus on the way home...because irony and morbid humor is how I roll...and since I didn't get hit by a bus so far, I guess we'll see how it all pans out...

I do know that it's already started off pretty well...so one day down, three hundred and sixty-four to go.  I got my Morning Pages (these are a suggestion from The Sound of Paper by Julia Cameron) done first thing this morning.  A friend I met through KIOS blog-a-thon (Hi Kara!) mentioned a 30 day challenge she was participating in called Root: A 30 Day Journal Project (which you can learn more about HERE), and I jumped on the bandwagon.  As far as I can tell from Day 1, it seems like more of a writing project.  Which is totally cool with me, because the thought of doing Morning Pages on days when nothing particular is going on makes me think Morning Pages will become tedious...and then I will quit doing them.  So I figure for January I'll have the Root prompts to get me into Morning Pages and then I'll have developed the habit of writing again and will figure it out for myself...or at least will have till February to find more prompts.  I used the Root prompts today and got my Morning Pages done pretty quickly and probably could have kept going.

Today was also the first day of the Documented Life Project (you can read more about DL HERE), which I have been waiting ever so impatiently for.  I jumped on the ball and did the first of the weekly challenges today...I told you I was impatiently waiting!

The first DL challenge is "photograph, sketch, paint, or incorporate your front door".

I cheated a little bit.  I did take a picture of my door, but technically my house doesn't have a front door...both outside doors are on the sides of the house...so I just took a picture the door I use.  Here it is in all it's dirty, anti-climactic glory:

This picture made me realize I need to clean...I'll wait for a warmer day...  (that day is probably called never, but theoretically  it does seem like something to keep in mind for spring...)

I cheated a little bit more when it came to putting the prompt to use in my DL book, because of what the blurb underneath the main prompt (on the website I linked above) said:

"Through the artistic medium of your choice, show us a bit of where you live in the symbol of your door, entryway or porch.  Think a bit about how you can use your door to express your personality, your life, what you value."

And when I thought about it in those terms, I realized that my actual front door didn't symbolize anything about me...other than my lack of desire to clean.  So I started thinking about it in terms of what a front door as a symbol meant to me, which led me to think about a home, and what a home symbolizes to me.  And here's what I came up with:

The first spread in my Documented Life book...YAY!

In the end, the front door (although not MY front door...egads, that might be a little more telling than I realized at first...some kind of psychological slip...well that'll be over-analyzed later...) was a warm and welcoming thing...a symbol of the place where I belong.

"A place where I belong"

I added all these little bits (most of them from care packages sent by dear artistic friends) to the page today, and they  fit in quite nicely with the idea the prompt brought about.  The sticker in the top right corner says 'Create a life you love.'  and I thought that was a fitting sentiment for starting off the new year...  I also love the sticker on the bottom that says 'homemade', because it is in a homemade (ok, home-altered) journal, with the door on the page (symbolizing home), and in connection with creating a life you love, I read it as Home. Made...meaning that 'place where I belong' is something I have to put forth effort to find or make if I can't find what I'm looking for...

Andy (my husband) and I went to IHOP for dinner tonight, which was a nice surprise...we rarely go out to eat (drive-thru happens a lot, but sit down eating not so much), we even more rarely go to IHOP, and in the few instances where we do eat in the restaurant, we usually end up talking about it for weeks before it actually happens.  (We're weird...)  But today, Andy surprised me, and that was really awesome!  It may not seem like much, but after ten years of being married, silly things that don't usually happen somehow become bigger and more special.  Andy is a creature of habit more than anyone else I've ever met, so for him to be spontaneous...it was a big thing.  

On the way home, we stopped at Walmart, which I usually hate beyond hate, but I got myself some new Washi tape (8 rolls!  WooHoo!  It was on clearance...she said by way of justification...).  The purchase of said Washi, combined with Walmart not being jammed with people (for once!) made this particular trip...not horrible!  It also made me wonder if they have Walmart in other countries...I'm sure they do, but I wonder if they are the same as Walmart is here...and do people in other countries hate Walmart as much as I do?  Any thoughts on this are appreciated...

And then we came home and I started writing this, the first blog post of 2014!  So all in all, the new year has been pretty positive so far...maybe my completely irrational optimism isn't misplaced after all...

What about you?  Did you do anything special today?  Do you have your own irrational feelings about what 2014 is going to be like?  Or is it just another day and another year?  Do you hate Walmart too?  (If you don't hate Walmart, please explain why in detail...I need to be convinced...and it would take A LOT to convince me...)  Any fun new purchases you naughty things?

Sweet's Year in Review

January 21, 2013...That's the day I started this blog.  A whole year of posts have happened since then.  I stuck with this blog.  I needed it more than I knew when I posted those first pages of art, and it's been amazing what these past twelve months have encompassed for me.

I thought I'd take a minute to look back at 2013 and honor what's happened this year.


JANUARY

"For the girl with the wild hair and the thirsty heart."
Using watercolors and the crayon resist technique.

I started the blog...it's funny how much has changed since then...there were very few words in my posts that first month.  I didn't really know what to say...or else I was nervous to say it.  Mostly there were pictures of my beginning art stuff.

This is the first face I ever posted on the blog, a work in progress...

I remember being giddy over this face, because it was the best thing I had done art-wise so far.  I was so proud of her!  I remember feeling like I had learned so much already, because before I started taking art stuff seriously, I could hardly draw a stick figure with a smiley face.  Then I started watching videos and pouring over every single piece of information I could find about art journaling...this girl was the beginning of my face obsession, because I saw the first glimmer of improvement in her.

FEBRUARY

There were a lot of firsts in February:

The first time I ever used prompts to help me along in my art.

The first collage I ever made...

The first mail art I ever received (from my darling friend Cheryl)....

The first time I attempted Zentangles/doodling...

And the first time I was ever close to being happy with the hair I'd done...  I still love this girl for the emotion I can see in her...

MARCH

In March, I started to get a little more wordy...the true Sweets was starting to emerge...I was also gaining more confidence in artistic things...

I sent mail art for the first time...check out that envelope!  I remember being REALLY worried about what to send...I was so scared she wouldn't like it!  I still get nervous sending people my stuff, but not nearly as much as I was the first time!

March was also a month for experimenting for me...this page was the first glimmer of hope that I could get better at lettering...  I'm still happy with it!  ...of course, I plan on practicing more in the new year...

March was also the month I started buying art supplies...or should I say the month the obsession really took off?  I bought every single color of Dylusions spray inks...and descended into art supply madness even further since then...

APRIL

April was when I really started to understand the journal part of art journal...and when I started to let my personality and feelings show...and let you know what was going on in my mind that prompted the pages.

This is still one of my favorite pages...I love the memory it holds...

April was also a month I got some very good advice from a very dear friend.  She made me think about things in a different way, and I still think about her advice when I'm feeling blue.

April also saw my first attempt at making my own art journal...this little calendar book was fun to make and ended up being pretty cute!  I need to dig it out and work in it some more!

April was also the first time I attempted a realistic drawing (a self-portrait)...while I mostly now see the glaring flaws on this page (dear goodness, I made a space alien version of Sweets! ...scary!), I also see the improvements.  That right cheek is awesome, look how round and dimensional it looks!  And the neck is pretty good too!

MAY

In May, I turned 30 and got a TON of awesome mail art!  I also did the countdown to 30, which was fun for me.  And I made some art for my two moms...birth mom, Marian,  and work mom, Miss Lettie.

This simple and cute gal made me very happy...and even better, Miss Lettie really liked her as well.

I was also really happy with this painting on canvas that I made for my Mom...and she liked it too!  It's always a good thing when the recipient of the gift likes it!  She has it hanging on the wall in her house, which makes me pretty proud!

And this art journal page remains one of my favorites:

I was so happy with the emotion in this page and the shading...I think this is one of the first times I felt like all my effort was paying off!

JUNE

June saw ICAD, or Index Card a Day, which I started but ended up not sticking with...but there were some fun cards that happened before I quit:

Like this one, inspired by the talented and hilarious Tracey Fletcher King, who you can check out HERE...

and this one:

I didn't like this one at first, but she grew on me over time...I'm don't know if that pun was intended or not...but it's out there now, isn't it?  

June was also the month I shared what my drawings looked like before I started practicing art at all:

No, this was not made by a five year old...I shared this to show that everybody can get better with a little practice.  Personally, I still have a hard time believing how much my work has improved in a little less than a year!.

June also had some really awesome art journal pages, the beginning of Inner Excavations, and this painting on canvas:

I was so proud of that bird outline!  Everybody thought I used a stencil, but NO!  I drew it by hand from a picture reference...it still makes me happy to look at it!

JULY

July was a lean month on the blog, not a lot of posting happened, but the posts I did write were SUPER long!   Inner Excavations continued to happen:

His shirt is a tip it!  I'm still proud of that stroke of genius!

I made an ugly piece of scrapbook paper go from this:

Ew.

To this (sharing all the steps along the way):

Ah...much better!

And Book of Days (an Effy Wild workshop) was started:

This spread was squeal worthy...

AUGUST

In August, I attempted my first month long Blog-a-thon, subsequently failed, but ended up with some really good art in the process:

I showed you this page, from start to finish.

Continued with Book of Days (I love this page...it's even better in person)...

...and Inner Excavations.

I introduced you to my beloved Gregg...

...and showed you what the future held for Gregg and I.

SEPTEMBER

September saw the 29 Faces challenge, and my personal (hip hip hooray) 30 posts in 30 days accomplishment:

So many...

...different faces...

...were drawn daily...

...in September!

OCTOBER

October was another lean month blog-wise, probably due to exhaustion from daily posting in September...and in part due to the surprise of Fusco, the drop off wonder dog, being left at my house:

Best.Drop.Off.Ever.  He really is great and wonderful, and I still don't know why anybody would just leave such a good dog!  ...BUT, I'm happy they did, because this guy is awesome, and I can't imagine life without him now!

Inner Excavations was also finished off with a collage BANG!

NOVEMBER

November was the month I bought Jane Davenport's "Whimsical Faces"class from Cloth Paper Scissors...and the learning commenced!

Gregg continued to be loved and adored and filled with art...

This page was made...it makes me squeal with delight every time I look at it! 

You met Strega Nona...

...and her grandson, The Swedish Chef.

And the quest to finish my two art journals (the ones with the less-than-desirable paper in them) began in earnest.

DECEMBER

December was a big month for me.  Kickin' It Old School Blog-a-thon was attempted and half-way finished.

There was a lot of mental work happening in December.

Looking to the past with love:

...letting go of some things...

...continuing to learn and grow as an artist, and as a human being...

....making plans for continued growth...

...and putting those plans in motion.

It's been a busy but wonderful year for me...looking back was certainly fun.  I'm proud of how far I've come, happy for all the progress that's happened, and, most of all, glad for all the friends I've made.  I hope in 2014 the path I'm walking will prove to be just as much of a growing experience as 2013 and that even more new friends will be found along the way.

That about you?  What did 2013 hold that is special to you?  When you look back on the year, what do you remember the most?  What do you hope 2014 will hold for you?

A Documented Life and One Last Lovely Day

Isn't it amazing how much stuff you can get done when you're trying to avoid doing something you don't really want to do?  Well, maybe you are someone who just jumps in and does the boring thing to get it over with...I thought I was too, but it seems that's not entirely true...

A while back, a friend of mine asked me to sew something for her.  I really didn't want to, but I can't say no to her, so I agreed to do it.  At least a month ago, I got all the stuff to make it...and it sat there for various procrastinating 'reasons'.  But this past week, my glorious vacation week, I commanded myself to get it done before I had to go back to work.

So all week long, I avoided the fifteen minutes of time it took me to sew this thing for my friend by devoting a lot of time to things that also 'needed done'.  

It started out with me realizing I needed to clear my sewing desk (the one legitimate task on this whole list) before I could start sewing.  And I couldn't just dramatically sweep the clutter into the floor (which is my normal cleaning technique)...oh no...it was 'a place for everything and everything in its place'...and of course, some things had no home...so I had to make one for them...by cleaning and organizing the other places in the house...you know, so I could put the sewing desk clutter away.

And then we ran out of clean plates, so the dishes needed done.  And since the kitchen was clean, it was the perfect time to make some of those sugar cookies I've been craving for so long now.  And then my husband asked me to make him some banana bread, and how could I deny that?  (full disclosure: I am never swayed by what he wants...normally I'd tell him to make his own dumb banana bread...but I was procrastinating, so I made it...)  ...and then the kitchen needed cleaned up again...

And then, since I have to wear clothes, the laundry needed done before I have to go back to work...all of it...like summer clothes before I could pack them away...and winter clothes that I just hauled out...and then of course why not just wash everything and have it done with?  And that was the perfect time to see if anything didn't fit anymore (by trying on everything) and make a Goodwill bag...

And then since the studio (which included everything...down to sorting the smallest scraps of my ephemera stuff) and the kitchen and the laundry room were clean, the bathroom was the only one left, so I cleaned that too.  And, if you've been reading the blog for a while now, you know how much I don't clean...or don't like to clean...or don't like to even think about cleaning...so you know I was giving sewing project avoidance my all.

And then there was Morning Pages, and art journal stuff, and hanging some art around the house, and blog posts, and reading, and playing with Fusco the drop-off wonder dog...and...and...and...  The list could go on....and on and on...  Finally, I just had to knuckle down and sew.  And, yeah, it took me fifteen minutes...total...cutting, sewing, stuffing...everything, start to finish.  Quick, somebody yell "Shame on you, Sweets!"  

Nah, you don't need to say it, I already feel ashamed of myself...and snookered.  Like I snookered myself...  I mean, this whole time I could have been doing absolutely nothing of any importance and here I cleaned the house and made food and did responsible adult things everyday this week.  WHAT!?!  That's crap-ola... 

Just kidding about the crap-ola part (mostly).  All the stuff I got done did technically need doing...at some point.  Despite my laziness and general not caring about cleaning, I do like it when the house is in good order.  I'd just rather be doing other things...and I have a problem with cleaning up after grown people...I'm looking at you, husband!   ...but, since I bit the bullet and did it anyway, I do have to admit that I feel a certain amount of relief and comfort when the house is tidy.  And honestly, I think it makes me more creative as well.

I've worked on a lot of art this week, and did get several things done (you've seen some of them in the past couple days) and I've got something else to share with you today.

Have you heard about The Documented Life Project?  I bet you have, especially if you're on Pinterest...it seems like I see it every time I check in there...probably because it looks so AWESOME!  

"One part planner plus one part art journal and one part weekly challenge equals an amazing year of organization, inspiration and community."  That's the tagline.  If you want to find out more, or join in the *free* fun, you can find out more HERE and HERE.

This was actually a right place, right time project for me, because I've been wanting to redo that bill calendar I showed you a couple days ago.  The ladies doing this project/challenge are using/suggesting a Moleskine weekly planner, but since I am trying to use what I've got on hand when possible, I decided to convert a K&Company SmashBook that I've had since FOREVER (as in since they first came out...yeah, that's quite a while...).  I think SmashBooks are cool, but for some reason, I'd not been able to force myself to use the ones I've had (I have two...because they are so cool looking!).  Some people struggle with blank pages, I struggle with the thought of ruining already cool pages...but I powered through, and there's no going back now...

Here it is so far:

Look at those tabs!  Hubba hubba!

I put the monthly tabs in for quick reference.  I made them myself from my sweet stash of scrapbook paper...again, something I have (quite a bit of), but hardly ever use...same reason as above: don't ruin something that's already pretty!  I realized that it's better to just use it...they will make more paper...  To make the tabs, I just cut little squares of paper (about 3"x3"), folded them in half, rounded the corners with a corner punch, and used a tape runner to adhere them to the pages.  I wrote in the month names and used some Tim Holtz Idea-ologly Label Letters next to the handwritten.  I don't know how necessary the tabs are, but they just look cool, don't they?

Here's one of the pages.  It turns out that a smash book has enough pages for about 30 weeks (if you are doing each week like a two page spread), so I ended up adding some more pages with scrapbook paper.  I forgot to take a picture of it, but I found that the best way (for me) to add pages was to use some jewelry wire I had, loop it around the spiral binding, and then masking tape the ends to the paper I wanted to add.  Then, to cover the masking tape, I glued (or taped, really, with double-sided tape) scrapbook paper over top.  It was a little bit of a pain, but it worked really well without adding too much bulk.

Like I said above, I did each week of the year as a two page spread.  I drew in the calendar bits myself.  At first, I was being meticulous, with my ruler and accurate measurements and straight lines, but then that got boring and was taking FOREVER, so I just winged it the rest of the way.

As you can see in the picture, I also added monthly calendar pages as tip-ins on the pages where the first of the month landed.  The two pictures above show a tip-in closed and then an open one.  I used scrapbook paper (again) for those, using various washi tapes to adhere them.

"There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind." - C.S. Lewis

This is the first page in the book.  I (washi) taped in two envelopes (one on either side) to the the little vellum advertising page at the beginning of the SmashBook.  I also left on the protective plastic cover thingie that the book comes in (I just cut off the part that goes over the pen/glue stick combo thingie...maybe it's called a SmashPen?), that way my cover will stay neat and clean...I like to reserve covers for the very last so they don't get messed up as I work in the rest of the book.  The clear plastic cover also gives me two pockets for holding various things (like another envelope...that's the yellow you can see peeking  at the top left of the left page).  

And I think that's it for the book so far...we'll just have to wait for the new year to see how the Documented Life Project will work.  I had fun making my little journal/organizer/whatever-you-want-to-call-it book, and I'm proud to say that I used ONLY what I had on hand to make it; I didn't buy one new thing!  That's an ongoing aspiration for me...to use what I have in my stash...so I can have room to buy more things!  I really need to yarn-it-up, because if I could go through my stash of yarn, I'd have A LOT more room...but I digress...

So today is my last lovely day of vacation...it's been wonderful...*sigh of happiness*  I don't want to go back to work tomorrow...*sigh of sadness*  I've decided that I was meant to be a House Frau... but one who doesn't really cook or clean all that much...so maybe Lady of Leisure fits better...  Yeah, definitely that one...  Unfortunately, art supplies are not free, so (hi-ho, hi-ho) it's back to work I go.  I've heard people say they couldn't stay at home all day, because it would be boring, so they work even when they don't have to.  Can I just slap those people?  I make my own fun...as long as I could afford art supplies, I'd be fine.  So if any of those 'bored' people want to switch places with me, that would be awesome.

What about you?  Are you meant to be a House Frau (like I was)?  Or do you prefer to go to work (and if so, can we switch places)?  What about Documented Life?  Have you heard of it?  Are you going to see what it's all about and attempt it with me?  Or do you have other fun projects planned for the new year?