Zendala #89

Happy Weekend peeeeeppppssss!

The weather here in Doha is warming up! wooohooo!!!!! So I'm happy. My brain seems to shut down when the temps go below 70 degrees. My body doesn't function well either. So I'm looking forward to February to take advantage of the outdoor activities.

Here's my interpretation to this weeks challenge. I did not like the template. It was hard to figure out what tangles to us. But in the end I figured it out and finally came to appreciate it. Erin always gives us these great challenges to stretch our abilities.

Have a great weekend all. Thanks for visiting.

Journal 52 - You make me smile

The prompt for Week 3 of JOURNAL 52 is "You Make Me Smile".

Lots of things make me smile, like my lunatic naughty dog when he gets into mischief, hearing good news, sunny days, gentle breezes, and the list goes on and on.

But what is it about a giant yellow chicken that make people happy? At our near by mall, a new McDonalds opened this weekend. I guess to celebrate its launch, there were balloons and all the fluff that goes on with store openings. Then enters this giant yellow chicken. It was interesting to just sit and watch the reactions of the people.

Little kids were confused, mothers giggled, and this goofy chicken just made a spectacle of itself. It greeted everyone, and even went to sit with people eating their lunch. All of a sudden everyone got up from the table, and got into a group to take pictures with this giant chicken. HUH?? It was nice to see people happy even if the joy came from a chicken.

 

YOU MAKE ME SMILE

Diva Challenge #151 - Moebius String

Last year  became aware of Moebius Syndrome from the Diva who's son was born with this rare nerve disorder. The Diva has two adorable sons, and often shares stories about their adventures. Although Artoo, her son has this disorder, it doesn't seem that way he is just like every other fun loving little boy.

As part of Moebius Syndrome awareness day which was January 24 (yes I know I am late), we were asked to use the logo/symbol as the string.

For this String I used Sandswirl and something that looks like ribbon and beads at the ends.
The color to represent Moebius syndrome is purple.

Diva Challenge #152 - Aquafleur

A new tangle pattern has been developed by Rick and Maria, and offered to us to try. This is the subject of our challenge this week from the Diva. Looking at the step-outs, it seems easy enough, but when you start working with it you will see that it is something that does need to be practiced to get a result you are looking for. There is so much possibility with this tangle, and is definitely one to try a few more times. As usual, I tried to keep it simple.

Aquafleur and Zinger

I hope everyone is having a productive week. Thanks for checking in.

Documented Life Project - week 3 - An Envelope

For week 3 we had to add an envelope which we recieved in the mail. Since I don't get mail very often, I had to dig up something from the past. Luckily I keep everything.

The sender of this envelope decorated it so nicely with stamps there not much left for me to do. I attached it with washi tape and made a blue background to symbolize the sea. "Across The Sea".

Zendala Dare #88

A simple Zendala this week. I used Hollibraugh and Angel Fish.

Somewhere; A Simple Place

As part of the Journal52 weekly challenges, our week two prompt was "SOMEWHERE, A SIMPLE PLACE."

My Simple place is always in a cozy chair near a window. I am missing home these days so my window is looking out towards the sea.

Documented Life Project Week 2 - A Selfie

For week two of he Documented Life Project, our task was to add a selfie. I tried the selfie thing taking a picture with my phone but I always seem to have an extra big head in each picture. Weird. So when I had to go get new passport pictures, I thought problem solved. At least in the passport photo the size of my head seemed more normal.

I didn't want to do a normal picture so I did my own thing.

I traced the picture on to a sheet of tracing paper, used carbon paper to transfer the image on to water color paper, then a light wash of gesso, Let dry.

Here I used caren d'ache watercolor crayons to lightly scribble color on, the smudged it all together.
Note about these crayons. They don't adhere well to the gesso. They spread very well but you would have to be careful of white spots. Next time I will use clear gesso. Let dry.

I gave myself some blue hair, and added some shadows with prisma colors. To add the black lines I used an ink waterproof pen. I tried to leave it alone until it all dried. The ink takes a while to dry especially since it is not being absorbed into the paper.

After cutting the image out, I stuck it onto scrapbook paper. By now I am thinking the picture does not look like me. But whatever, I'm having fun. Among my stash of "stuff" I found some old rub on's, and a 3D butterfly. Some gesso in a few spots will allow me to make a writing or doodling surface.

The finished product. Or is it? There is still enough space left to add more doodles or words or thoughts.

"A BEAUTIFUL JOURNEY". That is what I think I could describe my life to be so far. Many ups and downs and twists and turns but I don't think I would change a thing.

Zendala Dare #87

It's been a while since I have posted one of these Zendala Challenges; so here goes.

Not fancy but I particularly like the middle, and I think birds on a wire fit so well in the spaces.

Diva Challenge #150 - One Little Word

In various places abound the Internet I have seen people choosing a word that they would like to practice throughout the year. I've been pondering a few words and thinking about which one I would choose. Within the first week of the new year, I chose a word and did a little doodling with it, then wasn't sure that I wanted to use it. Thought perhaps it needed to be more spiritual, or more meaningful or "deep". I meant to create a blog post with it but didn't. I was supposed to do more with the doodles but I didn't. When the Diva gave us the challenge this week to use our "one little word" in a ZIA or a tile, I realized that procrastination was fast becoming my not so "little" word.

My word for this year is ACTION yes I need to stop procrastinating and dreaming and start putting things into action. Start making dreams become a reality.
ACTION is such a proactive word. It sounds busy. It sounds like things are getting done.

 "Talk Is not a substitute for ACTION."

Thanks for checking in......

Happy 2014

Yeahhhhh! The Diva is back with the weekly challenges. I didn't realize I would miss them this much until they were no longer there. Okay it was only for two weeks, but the weekly challenges are something I look forward to.

As it is the new year, our challenge was to incorporate 2014. Here's mine:

This was done on black paper with a white pen. Inspired by the "diva's" submission to use her uniball signo gold pen, I used a silver pen from sakura, the tiara line. I also used white prisma colored pencil for bits of shading.

Happy 2014 all, I hope you get some good art created, and continue to learn and grow as artists no matter what your media may be.

Thanks for checking in.

Documented Life Week 1 - My Font Door

The first prompts for the Documented Life Project was to Journal about "My Front Door". A fitting start to the New Year and a New project. Instead of painting or drawing, I simply took a picture, stuck it in my book and journaled around it. Simple, simple.

Funny enough, the people who own our compound ordered all doors to be re-painted the week before. All 20 something villas. So our door is now looking fresh and new.

There's a giant Arabic tea pot outside my front door. Don't as me why. It's just because I like it. It's about 100 pounds heavy - made of solid concrete. It collects a lot of dust during sandstorm season, and changes color when it accumulates too much dust. But still I love it. Two giant lizards also guard the entrance. Why lizards? I miss them. Lizards are every where in the Caribbean. They run around freely in all of the gardens. Although I don't like them much, I miss them. I have never seen a lizard here in Doha, I guess it's because I don't have a garden

The journaling reads:

This door represents a portal to my sanctuary

My place of comfort

My place a rest

My place to hide from the rest of the world

The Documented Life Project - The Planner

HAPPY NEW YEAR ALL......
At the time of writing this, it's my New Year but others are yet to begin the celebrations. There is alot to look forward to this year, and I'm ready to see how it all goes down. In my last post I wrote about "The Documented Life Project" It's January 1st and the project begins today.

My planner/art journal is ready for the first prompts. Here's a peak.

This is my planner. It looks like a moleskine, and the pages are the same color and feel like a moleskine. They are not thick but rather thin so I will have to alter those. But it has that nice elastic band to hold it together and a nice pocket in the back.

You can also see the tabs that I made for each month of the year.

I've glued in a month at a glance for each month, and those pages will eventually be doodled and decorated on as time goes by.

At the beginning of the book there is a year at a glance for 2014 as well as a year at a glance for 2015.

Since the pages were blank, I drew in my own boxes to be used for each day. Yes that was a pain staking task. It took a whole afternoon. Because I want the over all look to be doodles and handwritten, there are no straight lines here.

At the end of each week there are blank spaces and pages for reflections, and art journal prompts which will be given. there are also spaces left for quotes and gratitude notes.








So for now that's how my journal looks. I chose to keep the cover black just because I like it that way.

Stay tuned for another update.

Thanks for stopping by...................................