Documented Life Project 2015 // Week 1

The new Documented Life Project has started. Last year I found out about this amazing art group a little late. I still tried to keep up with the weekly prompts but I felt weird starting so late. Eventually I just stopped. This year though, I am going to try to finish - something I am not very good at. 

 Each new month DLP has a theme that their weekly prompts are based around. January's theme is Facing the Blank Page, which I find perfect for the start of a new year. So many beginnger are scared to do anything on that white page so these prompts are to help get over that fear. Within the weekly theme they give an art prompt, a material to use in your art, and a journaling prompt, an idea to give direction. Week One was released January 1st, giving an extra three days to work. The art prompt was to use "Book Paper", anything from a book/newletter/ect and the journal prompt was "Be your own Goal Keeper". Below is my idea for the challenge. 

The card reads "I will be my own GOAL KEEPER by...allowing myself change,growth and healing; I will explore and take on challenges; I will not set limits, call myself beautiful and most of all LOVE with all I have. -Cody Doll"

 I started this page pulling out one of the book pages I have saved from a not very good book. I then lightly brushed on some black paint so the word would blend in a little. Then I cut into uneven strips. I wanted them uneven to give them a grudge look. I arranged them the way I thought looked best and glued them down with regular glue stick (Elmer's Xtreme).  The I just used my felt tip pen (Sharpie) to write my marta/reminder of the year.

 Check out my Flickr for larger pictures. I plan on updating you guys once a week but we will see how that goes.

Are you in DLP? Are you doing any art? Share with me. I love fellow artists. If you aren't creating, give it a try. This has no "drawing" in and I've seen lots of doodlers. Good luck to all fellow DLPers.


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Brown Bag Pocket Pages "Tutorial"

A new year and new opportunities. It's a time to think about goals, future and what we would like to do with 365 blank days. I am going to create art. Not sure if I will everyday but I do know that there are alot of art journaling groups out there and I want to be apart of most of them. The downside to all this is that it's hard to track the prompts from each group, if they have a monthly theme or devotionals every week. I had to come up with a way to tracking all of it. What I decided was a double pocket page for each group each month.

I started with small plain brown paper bags. I picked up a pack from Wal-Mart in the lunch baggie section. They came in a pack of 50 for $1. Then I cut two inches off the top because I wanted them to be 5x7, the size of my album. Leaving the bags flat, I cut and pasted sketchbook paper over top the tall baggie section and what would be the bottom of the bag. Then I used my wonderful washi tape to seal the now front side of the bag. I only used washi on the edge. This is a little hard to explain so bare with me. First I did the top edge of the baggie, folding inside the bag so I could still use the big baggie part and then the bottom edge of the bag. Then I did the edge of the top part of the bottom of the bag. I did not stick the washi to the paper but folded over so I could use the bottom as a pocket. Lastly, I taped the sides, going over the both the bottom and the baggie and folding over on that edge only so I created a pocket. The last bag in the photo is the completed process before I added information. For more help, see other photos for details because pictures probably explain better...

Here you can see the two pockets. The top is the smaller pocket made from the bottom of the bag and then the lager pocket from the baggie itself. That is why I only taped one edge so I could still kinda expand the pocket. 

Being in five art journaling groups this month and six in February, I had to keep up with the prompts for each week plus the monthly theme. After I made my pocket pages, I titled/headed each page with the group name, in this photo it's Documented Life. Then under that I listed the month. On the small pocket page I wrote the monthly theme out. Not all groups have a monthly theme but some do. This way I can keep up with if there is one or isn't one.

I also cut some of the sketchbook paper into 3x3 squares. On the top of the squares I listed the week in big letters. I also added the abbreviated group name to the side of the week, in this photo that would be DLP. I did this so in case all my squared fell out I would know which group the prompt belonged to. Later on I added the groups color to the squares titles, so purple for DLP. I did this just so I could tell on color and not read but really it doesn't matter.

For groups that are Faith filled, I did the main verse for the week where the prompt would go. On the back of the card I will write or print out that verse. If there is a devotion for the group, I plan on printing that on 5x7 size and putting into the bigger pocket. 

Here is all the groups that I am in and all the monthly themes. I hope that all makes sense. If you have any questions, please ask. Come back tomorrow, or later this week to see the art I have created for Week One Prompts. 

Are you art journaling? Are you in art groups? Why or why not? If your in more then one how do you keep up? Let me know below. 

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December Daily // Paint Samples Album

I have been hearing a lot about December Daily ablums/books since November. At first, I dismissed the idea since I am not a scrap booker or a project lifer. However, as Thanksgiving got closer I realized that I didn’t have to do DD in that way. I could do my own take on it. And since I am a Get Messy Girl and already in the art grove, it seemed like a great idea to try my hand at the mixed media approach to DD.

That is until I received my book, a red Leuchtturm1917 journal. I was really excited to start working on it and I already had several events I wanted to include. Then as I worked and then worked some more, I realized that this book was not the book I had thought. In fact, it wasn’t for me at all. The pages just didn’t react the way I felt comfortable.

That meant that on December 2^nd, I had to come up with an entire new idea for my December Daily album. I had several ways I thought I could do it. At first I was thinking that I would join the rest and buy myself a Sn@p binder. I was thinking it would be a neat test run for the New Year and if I would really enjoy project life. Nevertheless, there was another idea that had me thinking about something completely different.

I kept thinking about the stack of long Behr paint samples in Christmas colors I had been hoarding. They were sitting right in front of me just whispering to me all the goodness they could hold. So I picked them up and messed with them. Somehow in the ten minute I had been playing with them, an idea sprung. I could stick them together long ways and leave a pocket area, perfect for 3x5 index cards for journaling or extra pictures from the day. I could than bind them together with binder rings.

So far I see some great advances to using these:

1. They are FREE, so pretty much that means a very very cheap project. My kinda deal.
2. They are already colored. That was a draw back in my journal because I would have to color or cut paper for every single background. This would be very time consuming and I want every sec I can to enjoy this season.  
3. The weight is perfect for mix media. I can gesso over it and go to town with whatever I choose.
4. The size is great. Granted a little small but during the busy month, small works best because then I am not overwhelmed with having to fill a page.
5. I can glue them together so I have a pocket. Having a pocket gives me TONS more room to play with. For days that I am out and about taking a lot of photos, I just print them out and slip them into the pocket. Or if I have a lot to write about that day I can write back and front of a cheap index card. Plus slipping my journaling into the pocket makes it kinda private.

The reason you don’t see them already hole-punched and on binder rings is because I don’t have one of those fancy small hole-punches. I only have the regular binder one so I will be going out soon to buy one. However, I am not sure how well this will work so next week I might have something completely different. Haha.

Are you doing a December Daily album? If so, how are you doing yours? Link it below. If not, why not?  

Get Messy is becoming a full-fledged art journaling extravaganza and you're invited to the party! We listened to your emails and comments and the Get Messy that you know and love is growing and evolving into an art journaling program. It is for anyone who is a curious beginner or a seasoned artist. There will be prompts, linkups, tutorials, accountability, and resources. And our glorious GM community. Hop over to Lauren or Caylee's blog for more information and make sure you sign up for the Get Messy Newsletter to be the first to know when the program launches and to receive free prompts to work on through the holidays. 

Get excited. Because we're about to Get Messy.

[[NOTE: MAKE SURE TO ADD LINK ON SOCIAL MEDIA!!!]]


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