Thanks to Alexa for the template!
One of my goals for choosing to do my monthly recaps in an art journal was to try new techniques and materials as well as using some of the art supplies that have been lanquishing in my closet for years. This month I decided to try some patterned paper collage and brought out some Gel Medium that I purchased this summer in anticipation of this project.
I wrote my journaling first, and that determined the theme for the pages. My first project was to create the five photos for the page. I decided to change two of them to a dark brown, and desaturated the colors in the other three photos. I used a Papertrey Ink Framed Out die and sized my photos to fit.
The next step was to choose some papers from a variety of 6X6 paper pads. The colors originated with the paper I'd chosen for the frames.
Next I randomly cut up the papers in strips and rectangles and started assembling them on the pages, using gel medium to adhere the papers as well as coating the tops of the pages.
Arranging the elements onto the pages turned out to be a relatively easy.
I used my vellum envelope to hold the journaling and typed up the quote using the American Typewriter font. (Wish I had an old typewriter to use!) Once I decided to use the Studio Calico Wood Veneer letters, I thought another piece of Wood Veneer on the first page would provide some balance. Aside from the collaged pages, it's a pretty clean and simple layout.
A closer look:
These pages weren't as spontaneous as last month's, but I'm quite happy with the way they turned out. Here's the monthly recap in words:
March turned out to be family month---always a pleasure. Matt was home to visit for a long weekend the first of March, and to celebrate his 30th birthday. Then we spent the second half of the month in Ashland, OR with Sarah, Adam, and Caleb. It couldn't have been nicer. The first ten days we were invited to stay in the home of one of the members of Adam's congregation. It's a stunning Arts & Crafts home, and we loved every minute of our stay there. The weather was terrific. While Rochester was still buried in snow and experiencing winter temperatures, Ashland was in full bloom. Pear and other fruit trees were in flower and daffodils, hyacinths, and other spring bulbs were up all over town. The last weekend we were there the temperatures were in the 70's and 80's, and we took advantage of the warm weather with visits to North Mountain Park, the ice cream parlor, and a day trip to Crater Lake.
Caleb is in day care four mornings a week, and loves it so we didn't want to break his routine. That gave me lots of time to read and finish the "Bloom Your Blog" course with Jessica Sprague. I finished reading Istanbul: The Collected Traveler---a fabulous book filled with so much information and our April book group book---The Given Day by Dennis Lehane. As part of the course, I redesigned the blog, and before we left, made nine cards.
Before we left for Oregon, we finalized the plans for our biggest adventure yet. In May, we're off to Istanbul to visit a friend and her husband for five days, then to Athens for two days, and finally a few days on Santorini---long on our bucket list. This is a BIG birthday year for both of us, and our 40th wedding anniversary, so it seemed like the perfect way to celebrate.
Two home improvement projects were finished this month. We had pull-out shelves made for two cupboards in the kitchen and new lights were installed in my studio and studio closet. What a difference both projects make on an every day basis!
We spent a day in Niagara-on-the-Lake with Karen and Mike, played duplicate at the O'Briens, and had Rick and Marcy to dinner (who shared lots of good information about our upcoming trip.) Mary and I heard Frank Delaney speak at Arts & Lectures, and I participated in an interview process for the youth delegate to Synod at Presbytery. All in all, a busy, fun, and productive month!
