Documented Life Project 2016

Hi! I'm Lois! Welcome to my blog. I am this weeks featured member for the Documented Life Project 2016. I was so excited when Sandi asked me to be a featured member. Of course, then I panicked and tried to think of a way to back out. But I decided to suck it up and just get busy and get my fingers messy!!

I haven't been getting much time in my art room. My mother-in-law had to have two major surgeries in the last three months. It has taken up most of our free time. Thankfully, she is starting to get some strength back and we are hopeful that she will be able to stay by herself in a few months.

So with no time in the art room I was feeling a little rusty. This week all I had to do was a List Ten and a PAC... How hard could it be, right? Harder than I thought!!!!

So after procrastinating as long as possible I finally sat down to work on my project. First, my List Ten:  List Ten things I should have never done... WHAT? Really? Well, I thought of ten (or 20) things I should have never done, but I didn't really want to share it with the world. So, I decided I would figure out a way to cover up my list. Then I had to come up with a PAC for this week. The prompt, Add a Gratitude... Easy Peasy!! NOT!! I must have started that thing 20 times. I wanted it to be my style. So, what is my style? Do I have a style? CRAP!!! NO!! Well I do love to play with my watercolors!! So I finally decided to start there.

I chose a paraphrase of a verse from the Bible that says it all. "He fills my life with Good Things." Psalm 103:5. Yes He does. And I am grateful!! And I probably don't thank Him enough!!!

I decided to attach my PAC to my List Ten. So I had some photo corners that I received from a friend and attached it to the cover that way.

The cover didn't want to stay closed so I decided to add ribbon.

 

I used the ribbon from our kit and dyed it the way Rae taught us in her video the first week. I love the vibrant colors!!

After that I glued on a List Ten logo from our downloads. Finished!! Phew!!!

Thank you Sandi, Rae and Lorraine for this opportunity to step out of my comfort zone and share my art with you all. And thanks to you all for stopping by.
For twenty bucks, I'll let you see my List Ten!!   JUST KIDDING!!! Have fun!!!!

Love & Whimsy

I started a new online workshop today. It's called Saturday Mornings 2, Love & Whimsy. It's taught by Junelle Jacobsen. She paints on wood blocks made from 2 x 4's. If you haven't taken a class by her you are so missing out!!! Her classes are fun and inspirational and full of whimsy. I absolutely love her style. Here are a couple of blocks I did for her first block class, Saturday Mornings.

The best thing about Junelle's classes are her sweet spirit. Not only does she inspire me as an artist but I find I just want to be a better person. I admire her and her walk with the Lord.
If you get a chance, visit her blog, here. Sign up for one of her workshops. You won't regret it!!!!

DLP February 7th Challenge

Hi there! Welcome! I am the guest artist for this weeks Documented Life Project 2015. I am thrilled that you stopped by to see what I have created for this weeks challenge.

 February Theme  

Layers You will Love 

Feb 7

Art challenge

When Not to Stop 

Journal prompt

 Don’t Stop ’Til You Get Enough  

When Sandi gave me the prompt for this week I thought this might be a good week to report myself missing. This isn't a journal prompt, it's an annoying 80's song. (Sorry Michael) But I decided to pull up my big girl bloomers and give it a shot.
The first thing I did was study everything Roben-Marie Smith has done since birth. She has to be the queen of layers, right? I re-watched all the workshops I had taken from her. I even practiced on my baby Dylusions Journal.

Practice in my baby Dylusions Journal

Now I was ready to start on the real thing in my Large Dylusions Journal. I started by collaging the page with old papers.Then went over that lightly with gesso. I used some dylusions spray inks and stencils, then added more gesso. I did some more collaging, added some stamps from Rae's new line of stamps Natural Elements, and some tried and true stamps from Roben-Marie's stamps Mixed Media Essentials #1 and some of my own hand carved ones. Added some acrylic paints, more stamping, some doodling with my Uniball Signo white gel pen and my Uniball Signo Black 207 gel pen.

I used red acrylic paint inside a hand made heart stencil. I went around the heart with a black oil pastel to make it pop.

I had found this quote about never getting enough love and never giving enough love. I knew when I saw it what I wanted to do with my page. 

On the left hand page I wrote out our journal prompt. But after I found my quote I had one change to make.

After that I added some finishing touches. I thought it needed more black on the page so I added some scallop borders. I also added a few more doodles and splattered some black and white paint all over. I have no idea exactly how many layers there are on this page. I just kept adding and adding until I liked it. 

 

I hope you enjoyed my pages for this weeks DLP challenge. I sure did enjoyed making them.

I would like to say a special thank you to Miranda Banks for helping me with my blog. It is still a baby but she took the time to help me give it a little boost. You can find Miranda's blog Clare Plantation here. Hers is awesome!!

And of course, a big thank you to the Art to the 5th gang for inviting me to be a guest artist!! You all are the best!!! Thanks for everything!!

loislane

Laughter is the best medicine

How would you like to meet some of my family? They are some of my favorite people!! And one thing we all have in common is we love to laugh. When we are together, we are laughing. That isn't always a good thing if we are in church!!

Here are some of my favorite pics of me and some of my family members being...ourselves!!

Here's me with my sisters and nieces for girls night out. We were practicing our selfie pose! Oh yeah, one little boy, that's my new nephew I am holding. Sooooo sweet!!!

This is my mom and dad. My mom didn't say much but she loved to laugh. My dad has since gone on to heaven. I miss his dry sense of humor.

My oldest brother being goofy on Christmas Eve. Good times!!

Me and my sister in law enjoying licking the beaters!!! 

Not a great picture but a great memory. Celebrating my other brother's birthday!!

My daughter's beautiful smile!!!

Me and my baby sister doing what we do best. No not eating!! Laughing!!!

Me and my baby boy at his graduation party at church.

Playing a game on Christmas Eve. Just about peed my pants on this one.

And one more. My favorite!! This is me, my husband and my two darling children!! Our Family Christmas photo.

Awkward!!!! We won the Awkward Family Photo Contest that year!!!

Hope you got a little chuckle at our expense. :)

loislane

Addicted

Yes, I am addicted to....Art supplies!! Every chance I get, every extra penny goes to my addiction. I can't help it. There is nothing like walking into a craft store/art supply store and going down every isle searching for that one item that you can't live without (and that you hopefully have enough money for).

I know I'm not alone. I know that many of you suffer from this same disease. I am sorry to say that there is no cure. But don't lose hope. We can stand together and support each other. We can send it out in happy mail!!! Let me know if you want my address!!
Have a happy day. Don't forget to create something beautiful.
Loislane

Catching up

And...to get you caught up, here are weeks 1, 2 and 3.

January theme: The blank page and how to face it.
Week 1: Art challenge: Book paper, Journal prompt: Be your own goalkeeper.

 Weeek 2: Art challenge: Gesso  Journal prompt: "The beginning is always today. " -Mary Shelley

 Week 3: Art Challenge: The color wheel. Journal prompt: "I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn't say any other way..." -Georgia O'Keeffe

Documented Life Week 4

I am participating in the Documented Life Project again this year. Last year was so much fun. This year is even more fun if that is possible. Every week I impatiently wait for Saturday to find out what the week's challenge will be. This year is a little different. There is a monthly theme, an art challenge and a journal prompt. This makes it a little more challenging and I have to get a little more creative, which is very good for me!!

Here is week 4. The theme for January is "The blank page and how to face it. The art challenge was writing and the journal prompt was Words with Friends. I really like how my page turned out. The background was done with inktense pencils and baby wipes. Then I drew my girl (doesn't she look so sad?) I then went around the outside of her with gesso to tone it down a little bit. Then I journaled with a Uniball signo white gel pen. I didn't want the writing to take over the page.
I struggled with the journaling. The subject was painful for me. But it was something I needed to do so when I was finished, it felt good. The best pages come from strong emotions. Don't you think?