Journaling on Chronic Pain Information

I picked up some new watercolors and went to work on two new journal pages. I was originally looking for a watercolor brush that had water in it and ended up instead buying some watercolor paints. I experimented with the backgrounds and then simply drew lines over top and flowers then journaled the pages in. I tried to use a technique I saw in the book "Journal Spilling" of using gel pens and watercolor resist but it didn't really show up. So I went over those lines with black (as my usual seems to be)...

My hubby found this wonderful video series on dealing with chronic pain, as most of you know I have fibromyalgia and have been experiencing chronic pain for awhile now. I can't remember having a pain free day in a long time (well actually Arizona was pretty painfree laying in the sun). Anyway, this time I'm not talking about Arizona (my favorite place of all time)...! This series is put on by the Calgary Health Region and explains in detail how our bodies process pain and send out pain signals from our brains... it is very informative and helpful if you have been experiencing Chronic Pain. I was rather pleased with the information I was able to extract from it and have already used many of their helpful hints to alleve some pain.

Maybe you too can find it helpful. Click on Calgary Health Region for further information.

I hope you all have a fabulous week. Happy Creating Everyone!

Fridays With Kelly - Take 3

Sharing our awesome finds!

Well, since last week I have had a special delivery and wow have I enjoyed it, so much so that I must share with you what I received.

I placed an order for two books: The first is called: Journal Spilling by Diana Trout. It is packed full of ideas and techniques that help to inspire and spark your creativity. I spent last weekend mulling over the entire book from cover to cover. A funny little coincidence occurred right before I received the book... my son asked me how people tie-dye t-shirts and guess what one technique she showed? Not tie-dying t-shirts but fold-dying paper... however, this helped me to show Ben how this whole tie-dying thing happens. Boy did this technique wet my appetite for creating beautiful dyed papers! Now I just have to find the time to do it! Click here to find her book. It is definitely a great one for ideas.

The second book: 1000 Artist Journal Pages by Dawn DeVries Sokol
I have heard of this book many times before and I was very intrigued wanting to get my hands on a copy. Finally I sat down and ordered it! From the moment I opened it I was captivated by all the talent, all the many artist's pages that spoke to me in color and words and thoughts and feelings... it was lovely! You know that feeling when you get a brand new art journal, all the pages are white and clean and you just can't wait to begin spilling your art onto the pages... well, this is the feeling I got when I opened this book, but in this case I couldn't wait to dive into other artist's pages and explore their talents like a kid in a candy store! I have shown only a snippet of a few pages I fell in love with... I don't want to spoil it for anyone - YOU MUST HAVE THIS BOOK! I used masking tape to mark the pages that I ABSOLUTELY love, though as I continue to read through I think I may have to put tape on every page! You will love it! I am so inspired to get started... though... once again... I need to find the time to do so! lol.

So this weekend I will continue my drooling expedition as I make my way through these books yet again. Do you have certain books that have inspired you in your art? Please share them with me as I am always looking for new inspiration. In fact, I think I spend more time getting inspired than actually creating! Hmmmmm... that's not good, but let me know regardless! LOL. I am a book fanatic!!!!

I will post some of my art later on... for now... I'm off to the art store to find some pan-pastels! Sounds like fun to me!!!!

Happy Creating everyone!

Fridays With Kelly - Take 2

Fridays With Kelly - I am really loving this day and I look forward to it throughout the week. A day where I can share with my friends my inspirations throughout the week. My goal is to inspire others into their creativity!
I have been thinking a lot about my niece Destiny and that is what the first page is about. She is a sweet little 9 year old and I am having so much fun communicating back and forth through mail and on facebook. We live one Province away from each other. I am going to have her for one week this summer and I look so forward to have some girlie time.
The next pictures are of some journal time I was able to get in at work while it was slow. I have been prepping pages in the morning and taking them to work to work on.
I prepared a page on my all time favorite verses in the bible PSALM 139. It creates such a clear picture of how God knows us and loves us completely. In the flower I wrote, "God knows that I love to wear flowers in my hair!" because it is a fact about me that God knows. I have so many hair bands with flowers attached to them and that is just me. God instilled the love of flowers in me. He is such a beautiful Creator.
The "Friends" page I had a lot of fun doing, especially the lettering because I had to layer and layer it to make it pop out more. My hubby noticed that my drawings of the girls looked a little different than I usually do... and they do, I was looking through some sites and alot of drawings show girls with long necks and so I gave it a try.
The mail art "God Bless You" I wanted to do some mail art that was feminine and pretty and with a godly message too! I have tried to master drawing women's face and I enjoy doing it.. I don't really know why. I think God's creation is so beautiful and the female face is well... feminine in it's lines and contours of the eyes. It is peaceful to draw. That and I don't know how to draw a male face - lol.
So... this is my inspiration for this Friday... look around you and see if you can capture the feminine around you. Look at the differences between the male and female gender and put it on a page...
When you have done this, send me a link to your post and I would love to see what you come up with.
Hugs to you all.
Happy Creating.
Have a very inspirational day!

FRIDAYS WITH KELLY

Over in my Sketchbook Project Yahoo Group there is a lovely lady named Rita who has a post every Tuesday called "Tuesday's with Rita". I love receiving her posts and I thought to myself... I have an art day all to myself once per week... so why not have "Friday's With Kelly"????
I love my Friday's! I wake up and the house is quiet, outside the birds are chirping and fortunately for me today, the sun is shining brightly. If you follow my blog closely you will know that I thrive in the sunshine, every day that it is shining I thank God for I know it will be a fabulous day! When I moved to Calgary, Alberta just over 8 years ago the skies were bright and clear and I could not get over it! Coming from Coquitlam, British Columbia where it rained the majority of the days... I was in awe of the beautiful bright skies. Even when it was -30 degrees outside, the sky was still bright which made the cold more bareable. However, now I do not know what is happening to our weather patterns here! We have had some crazy, crazy winters where I have had to runaway in the Spring to Arizona for some much needed warm sunny therapy! I LOVE escaping to Arizona but I wish that our winters were still as bright as they once were. I am very much looking forward to summer and have rather high expectations for the weather!
Now on to my FRIDAYS WITH KELLY project...
I am enraptured with the idea of mail art! It has consumed my thinking and my spare time these past few weeks. I do believe that I love to make people smile and therefore love this idea of sending a bit of sunshine to unsuspecting individuals.
These two pieces have yet to be claimed in my mind as to whom I shall be sending them to... I am certain I will think of the perfect individual soon. Who knows... it may be you! If you would like a piece of mail art feel free to send me your address and you just might be the lucky recipient of some mail art from Kelly.
Well, I do hope you have a fabulously creative day. I am off to bask in the sunshine of my back yard!
Happy Creating everyone!

Art Inspired By Boredom

Sorry I have not been able to post for a couple of weeks. Getting back into the swing of things at work and in Calgary (due to the recent annoying snow storms) etc., etc., has been a lot harder than I expected. After having a blissfully warm sunny week in Arizona and then coming back to the cold and snow stormy weather well it has done tuckered me right out! I haven't been able to get warm since I got back! I honestly believe that Calgary does not know it's May! Today however, is the first beautiful sunny day in awhile and I plan to enjoy it, starting off with going to the dentist and getting a cavity filled!!! whoo-hoo! LOL.

I have gotten all caught up at work after my trip and now things have slowed right down... so... I have been extremely bored with nothing to do. I brought some of my art supplies to work and have been creating a bit of 'Mail-Art' which I plan to send out today. I have enjoyed creating these little artworks as I know that when I receive them it always warms my heart and I am certain it will warm the recipients hearts as well.

Also, I have been thinking about my nieces a lot and decided I would doodle their names... I haven't done one for Shanice yet, but here is the doodle I did for Destiny. I hope she likes it. I plan to send it to her soon.

Finally, the Art-house Co-op is having a project called "The Things I Dream About" and the idea is to draw out the things you dream about on a 4x6 sheet of paper, then send it in and they will display it in their library. I just started doodling one day at work but I am not "okay" with this one, it's not "the one" so I will keep trying...

I hope that all your days have been fantastically filled with glorious color and sunshine and a beautiful burst of creativity!
Happy Creating Everyone!