I have this idea to do a cluster scrapbook. As though I don't already have enough on my plate for this year. The thing is I have a ton of gorgeous clusters. Most are from Raspberry Road. She posts a new free one 6 days a week and I always get them. You can too, they are here:  Raspberry Road

I hardly ever actually use them though. I'm not bad at making clusters so I don't normally think of the pre-made ones unless I'm really under the gun timewise. So I have hundreds of these beautiful ones going to waste. I'm thinking of doing a project where I can only use the things in my clusters folder so I can get some of them used up!

In news that would surprise no one who actually knows me I haven't updated in ages. Oh well, that'll make this a long one!

Here are the pages since the last one. The top page is based on the prompt "I Want..." There's a little typo on one of the top tags. Have to fix that. The bottom one was made after I got new I was being referred to a surgeon. The women with the swords are my friends and it's meant to show they have my backagainst the monster. The dragons represent the men in my life who also have my back.
The photo of the women was taken at Patricia's wedding. The men had the swords but the photographer had them switch off and gave the men flowers and the women the swords and this was one of the resulting photos.

As promised I continued the story I started in week three for my week four pages. This art journal thing is a little bit like ripping your heart out and tossing it on the floor. I did a two page spread this time.

I've just about finished the Glamnation project (except for those pesky four pages I skipped!) but I'll keep scrapping Adam, Tommy and Monte. I have a lot of photos to work with! This one is of Tommy of course.

I seem to be falling into the habit of posting at the very last minute before Tangie posts the new itinerary! I posted this one just as she was posting the next one. This is for week 3 also. I'll continue the story in the next page. I think.

I guess this page says it all. My follow up appointment is Monday.

Got a link for you today. On One Software is providing a lot of free downloads of book layouts, backgrounds and page layouts.

On One Software freebies

We're in week three so I suppose I should post my week two! I mulled over the word 'Thrive' for most of the week and kept coming back to the image of vines and flowers. Sort of like pretty kudzu or something. I decided to just work with that and see where it took me. I drew the word on my wacom tablet, leaving the centers of the letters empty for a fill. Then started adding random vines and leaves. Once I had my word how I wanted it I started trying different backgrounds. I think I ended up with three or four papers in the end combined with blending modes and masks. Then I added the long quote and some embellishments. I'm happy with it.

I wanted a pansy for a project I'm playing with so I decided to make one. As long as it's made I decided to share it. I'm a newbie at this so judge accordingly! Included in the zip is a PNG with shadows of the pansy and leaves and also individual PNGs of the flower and each of the two leaves without shadows.

Click here to download.

I struggled with this first week. To be expected I suppose. I'm happy with what I came up with though. Once I started thinking in terms of where and how I learned to appreciate the process of creative work in a way totally exclusive of the result it came much easier. I still need to come up with a word for the year. I have a few I'm mulling over.

Day from Hell already and it's not even 9am! Someone at work screwed up and the phones are ringing off the hook. I was hoping to get some creative stuff done today but that's not looking too likely at the moment.

I can't help but notice my blog posts are more like tweets. Have to work on being more wordy I guess.

Hi. Welcome. Hope this isn't all too boring for you if you've stumbled across it!

I decided to join the Art Journal Caravan at scrapbookgraphics.com (run by the amazing Tangie Baxter) and it seemed like a good idea to blog a bit along the way. Right now I'm pretty much just confused! I have the first assignments and am contemplating. Oh and I have a camel. More on her later.