Calendar Journal and Stuff

This is my buddy, Bolt.

He hangs out at the end of a branch pencil and watches me do stuff at my desk.  He’s the quiet type.  Just watches.  Even though I talk to him all the time.

I have a new “stimulus” camera to play with.

Do you play the piano?.....no?

Apparently no one at this house does either.  It looks like it’s almost on its last leg.  

A postcard I made for Postcrossing.  Just to show I’m not sitting here doing completely nothing...sometimes I do a thing.

April has come and gone.  Since it was my first full month of Sundays, I should have labeled everyday “Sunday”.  Ha!

April is my birthday month so I documented that it was “my COVID-19 Birthday”. You know, not everyone gets a COVID-19 Birthday...at least I hope not anyway.

So now I’m going about my May days and wondering if it will be another month of Sundays.  Fine by mine me, I love it.

Calendar Journal

This is quite an interesting and terrifying historic time to be documenting my daily existence.  It’s mind-boggling that the entire world is experiencing a pandemic of COVID-19.

I’m still loving my inks and pens that use them.  I am now a new fountain pen addict.  I found these TWSBI ECO fountain pens.  I am a fountain pen dummy and I’m sure they made these TWSBIs just for me.  How kind of them.  Especially love that I can get them with an extra fine nib.

I’ve used my glass dip pen and my fountain pen for journaling during March.

I’m not one of many who are going stir crazy at home.  I LOVE staying at home.  Right now it’s a trial run for retirement.  I may not return to work I’m loving it so much.

I’ve plenty of time for getting some months ahead ready for journaling.  I thought June turned out especially bright and happy looking.

I love that postage stamp of those happy ladies.  Thank you Sheila for sending that with so many others...so long ago.  I love pawing through those stamps.

It feels a little strange for a perfectionist to embrace some sloppiness.  Hey wait!...that’s not sloppy, it’s artistic!  Oh, so that’s how I’m okay with it.  Yay!

Not all the months turn out so pleasing to me.  Once they are written all over they always seem to look a little better.  In any case, I love this simple calendar journaling within a 1-1/8 inch or so space.

I wish the world safety.

Alchemy

The challenge theme at the SPA blog this week is Alchemy.

I haven’t played along in a long time.  But this theme spoke to me and I had to create a postcard!

If your Alchemist is questionable, then your life could be too.

It seemed like a good postcard to document the current state of the world.

A warning that could be fatal if not taken seriously.

These Spooky postage stamps also glow in the right light.

The postal designs are really taking a turn for fun and creative!

To all:  Be SAFE and take care!

Shimmering Postcard

I’ve had another morning of play with my writing inks for another postcard.

They aren’t really just writing inks.  People paint with them also and that’s what I’ve sort of been testing.  I let the inks do the painting for me.

This time you can see the shimmering gold how it settles to the bottom of the bottle 

This purple ink really shows the gold shimmer very well.  It even comes through the rubber stamping ink.

These fish postage stamps are not all that new anymore, but they glow as well.

The rubber stamps I’ve been using are the

Tim Holtz collection, Theories CMS329

Writing Inks In Art

I’m experimenting with my writing inks and adding them to an art postcard.

I first made a full sheet masterboard on a mixed media paper just sprayed with Ranger Distress Oxide Spray (mustard seed).  When that was dry I cut a postcard size from the master board.  I put some orange ink on an acrylic platform, spritzed it with water and set the postcard face down on top of the inked acrylic.  Ran my fingers over it then removed it and let it dry.

This ink has gold shimmery something in it.  It settles to the bottom.  I tried showing that here, but I couldn’t find a good way to catch it on camera.

You can see it best near the left side and the bottom edge on the postcard.

I stamped the images with Black Soot Archival Ink and added some washi tapes around the edges.

On the address side, I added torn strips of washi tape.  I have a roll that really just wants to stick to itself.  So it tears off kind of artsy all by itself.

I always glue down the ends of my washi tapes so that they don’t get caught in the postal servicing system.

If you haven’t seen the new T-Rex postage stamps, let me share one here.

They are a lenticular image (I think).

When the stamp is looked at from another angle it changes to the skeletal version.  Pretty fun, huh!

I’m looking forward to more art with my writing inks.