Focus on Life - Week 4

Hello... I'm late getting to the party but after looking at many blogs and the wonderful heartwarming pictures and messages - I just had to get in on this event.  What a wonderful idea and thanks to Sally Russick for encouraging us to stop and focus on life.  Her prompt for this week was Create Art and I'm happy to say, that is right up my alley.  

Blown glass fruit and star fish light catchers to inspire me in my studio each day 

I am taking a little break from bead work and signed up for six online art journal classes which I am enjoying to the max.  My reason for getting into art in the first place was a result of a tragic event in our family.  Last summer my daughter's boyfriend was killed in a plane crash and the life was literally sucked out of her and us as her support system.  We all went through the grief process with her but for me, my creative muse just up and left and I felt like I had nothing inside anymore when all my life I have been artistic and creative.  I heard about the healing aspects of art journaling so thought I'd give it a try.  WOW is all I can say!  It has been a life saver and really..... I feel like I am overflowing with art and beauty again.  One of my online instructors has a favorite saying - Beautimous which means beautiful and fabulous at the same time.  That is how I feel about creating art - It is a beautimous thing!

Part of the reason I am inspired these days is my new art studio.  It is upstairs in a 74 year old house and the window faces south so it is full of natural light. This space makes me smile - a BIG smile every time I go up there. 

 Yesterday I started with these items:  cotton canvas duck, gesso, water color paper, cord, sari silk, stencils and stamps and of course lots of paint - which I didn't photograph!  

 And today I ended up with this bound journal in which I hand stitched four signatures into a decorated canvas cover and tied with sari silk.  Ta da!

It is hard to believe that the ugly patterned canvas when covered with gesso and many layers of paint can become a beautiful cover for your own hand bound journal.  This is the second journal I have made and I absolutely love them!

This is an art journal page I made and yes, I did draw the girl.  I am taking a Fabulous Faces course with Tammy Laporte and she is absolutely the best!  I have most of my art journal pages on my flickr page so check them out if you wish.  The link is on the side of my blog.  

Thank you for stopping by.  I love comments and do my best to answer each one.  Now head over to Sally's blog to see who is participating.