Friday In The Studio – Planning Planning Planning

I really should call this Catching Up In The Studio as it’s now Sunday and I’m only now finding the time to do my catch up. It’s been a busy week as usual and the weather hasn’t helped. We’ve had some snow and having a dog who constantly wants to come in and out the floors are always wet and dirty so I spend my time cleaning up after him.

Anyway, that aside, I’ve prepared my planners and journals for this new year and I thought I’d share that with you seeing as I’ll be using them from time to time in blog posts. The four above are the ones I’ll be using on a regular basis and from the top they are, a Websters Pages Travelers Notebook which holds a sketchbook and journal in at the moment but I have the ability to be able to add other books as I go along. Next is my desk diary which is my daily agenda, always on my desk with my to do lists, money matters and notes etc, then comes my Simple Stories Carpe Diem planner which I started last year and abandoned after January! I’m hoping this year to really use it properly and after making new inserts and dashboards for it I feel it’s really my own style. Finally I’ve a gardening diary which was a gift a couple of years ago and although I’ve started it I don’t feel as if I’ve really got into it yet. I’ve lots of ideas for how I’ll use this one so you may see it from time to time here.

As I said in my travelers notebook I’ve included a sketchbook. I do have a much bigger sketchbook which I’ll continue to use from time to time but for a quick sketch on the go I’ll be using this one.  It’s a Moleskine as I absolutely love the paper even though it’s thin and buckles and warps when I use watercolour paint on it, this is why I like it so much.

A couple of sketches created after walks with the dog.

My planner is a Simple Stories ring binder style and now I’ve made my own dashboards it feels more like me so I’m hoping that will encourage me to keep up with it.

I’d love to know if any of you are using planners or journals this year and what system you’re using?

Hopefully I can inspire you a little bit to get out a pencil and maybe start something new.

See you soon

Jaine x

Friday In The Studio, Sketching Again

It’s been absolutely ages and ages since I did any sketching, that’s not including the little sketches and doodles in my travel journal. No, I mean actual sit down with a pencil and seriously draw type sketching.  I even  had to hunt around for my sketch book it’s been that long.

sketching

Anyway I’m so glad I did and I even decided to document my weekend with a sketch in my journal.

sketching2 sketching3

The colours of Autumn are so inspiring and I can’t get enough of them.

I hope you all have a great weekend. I might try and get out in the garden for a bit more cutting down before the winter.

Have a good one and see you next week.

Jaine x

 

A Week In The Studio – Digi Stamp With Craft Stamper

It’s been another busy weekend chez nous and I’m about pooped. I decided last week I’d start going out on my bike throught the forest as much as possible in a bid to get fitter before holiday and doggy. We live in a valley and every way out is up so the first push is tiring on the legs, however I’m pleased to say it’s getting easier and I can now cycle further up the hill before I have to stop which is my big goal and that’s just after a week. Update, I’ve now managed to go the whole way up without stopping once – I’m so chuffed.  I’ll carry on pushing myself every day especially as I can already feel a difference after only a week, and yes that is a jelly seat there.

my bike

I’ve also been madly making jam. It’s been a while since I made jam, in fact last years fruit harvest wasn’t the best and I only managed to squeeze out a couple of jars but this year I felt the urge to stock pile jam until next year so production has been high.

jam

Tomorrow the latest edition of Craft Stamper magazine comes out and while I’m on the subject of bikes I’m really happy to say I’ve a downloadable digital stamp with this months Craft Stamper magazine. I know digital stamps aren’t everyone’s cup of tea but I thought I’d show you a few different papers I’ve printed out my bike onto.

Firstly, I’ve not used a graphics program to print from just opened the image on my computer and chosen the print options. From left to right I’ve reduced the image, repeated it multiple times and printed it onto an already sprayed piece of water colour paper. Then I’ve used clear sticky label sheet, white card, water colour paper, coloured paper, sticky backed brown kraft paper and again multiple times onto plain printer paper.

bike 5a

I cut out the image from a clear sticky label sheet so I could put it on my journal background. If I hadn’t have been so lazy I’d have cut closer to the image so I wouldn’t have got that horrid line around it.

bike2 bike4a

bikea

Details of how you can download my image can be found on page 38 of the Craft Stamper mag.

Jaine x

Messy Monday Journal Page

This weekend I went down with the cold I’ve been so determined to avoid now for weeks. I tried my best to get on as normal but after spending a couple of hours in the garden on Saturday I was flaked and Sunday I could hardly muster up the energy to get off the sofa. It’s a bit better now but of course the coughing will stay around for a while no doubt.

Yesterday for Messy Monday I did manage to get a journal page together. More collage and Dylusions paints then a simple drawing of Luxembourg city and that was it.

luxembourg

I’m starting to become braver with adding more colour instead of sticking to the usual turquoise and blue colour scheme. The addition of pink a previously unseen colour on my pages is adding loads more interest.

Jaine x