art junk girl

Art Junk Serenity Prayer~

God grant me the serenity
to accept the fact that I can't make every room in this house a craft room:
Give me courage to clean the studio I have;
and wisdom to know the difference.
Love, Artjunkgirl

You don't have time to NOT be creative....

Huh? What am I talking about? This is something I hear over and over:

"I want to do creative things too, but I don't have time."

Well, guess what I say? You don't have time to NOT be creative. Creativity is all around you. You CAN fit it in. You can live a creative life as much or as little as you want to. No one is stopping you but yourself. Being creative has So many physical, mental and emotional benefits that you don't have time NOT to do it! Here are some suggestions for fitting in creativity with a busy schedule.

1. I take pics with my cell phone when I can't lug my camera with me. What do I take pictures of? WEll, it's all about how you think. When you think of life as a creative experience, everything ordinary becomes interesting all of the sudden! Try it, you'll see. Some of you know what I'm talking about! Don't worry about taking "bad" photos. Sometimes they turn out blurry, but so what? Even that can help you see things in a whole new way. I have blurry car photos...like the following...

On that note, you can do a picture a day with your cellphone. There are many 365 photo projects online, as well as flickr groups where you can share these. It's fun to do a mosaic of the month's events as well.

2. Always have something to read in the car. I always carry a great magazine in the car for some quick inspiration/eye candy. My favorites are Cloth, Paper, Scissors and the Somerset Studio's Gallery Magazines. It's like your own little art gallery in the car! If you don't want to spend money on the magazines, there are tons of great mixed-media, art, collage, photography books at your library. I use the library ALOT. It's a great "re-treat" for me to dash into the library and get some new books to soak in while waiting in the car!


3. Go outside. That's it. Walk around the block. Look at the clouds. Look at things you don't normally notice. A great book for those of you that would like to learn how to see the extraordinary in the ordinary is, "How to be an Explorer of the World" by Keri Smith. This is a great book for children as well. My daughters have both done the "field research" suggested in the book.

4. Keep a little memo book and pencil/pen in your purse/car, etc. You never know when you'll have a moment to sketch. I love sketching! It really get's me to relax and slow down. Here are a few sketches from my "sketch-while-I-wait" notepad I keep in my purse.

Ok, so those are only a few things you can do today! Remember, you don't have time to NOT be creative. Every day is a new opportunity to nurture your creative self. take care friends! ~Lia

inchie chunky book!

Dear Friends~
I'm still on the "chunky book" kick. This little book was made with a portion of a decoupaged chunky book that I had to cut to a specific size. It's about 2x2 inches. I collaged a bunch of my inchie collages inside...just for fun....because, after all...I have that kind of time.....

I am working on another one now. If you haven't altered a chunky book before, and you want to, I really recommend older board books. The newer dollar store books are too shiny and thin. I usually find the older one's at thrift stores as well as library used book sales.

The last chunky book I worked on was decoupaged. Instead of gesso'ing and painting it, I decoupaged it with newspapers and then I painted it.

 I also glued some tissue paper in along with the newspapers. I really love "brush-stroke" modge-podge. Michaels doesn't always have it, but if you have an ACmoore near you, they usually have it.

The thing about "glues" is that everyone likes something different. You have to experiment to see what you like. Just because I like it doesn't mean you will. I tend to like a bit of gloss in my glues. Another fave I use in the chunky books is liquidex glaze medium. I also like apple barrel gloss paints for these books. Geez! I sound like a commercial! Just thought I'd mention because everyone likes to compare notes on such things. I do think that, ultimately, it's a matter of personal preference. Just because a particular glue medium is expensive, doesn't mean you will like it.
Well, that's my "little bit" for today. Have a great weekend friends!!!!!!! xo lia

chunky book cover

chunky book cover, originally uploaded by artjunkgirl.

"bloom where you're planted".

I made this for a swap on art-e-zine. I'll post more pics of how it turned out when they receive it! I really enjoyed making it.
This chunky book was first decoupaged with newspaper & decorative tissue papers. Afterwards I painted over the pages with acrylic's. This is a good way to do a chunky because things stick better and it becomes more sturdy. Finally I used some rub on's on the cover and played with some stencils for the first time. I trimmed the book and made some bookmarks as well. This is a great activity for kids as well.
xo lia

Square Biz~

Dear Friends~
I've been busy organizing my studio and getting ready for a big artjunk summer sale to start June 1, 2009. At least that is the "deadline" I've given myself!

It's time for me to "share" some of my squares and get lots of art I've been hoarding in my studio for the past few years.
Here's a sampling of one of the sheets and a collage of new projects I've been working on below. It's time for this girl to get the show on the road! Thanks for your support and encouragement! xo lia

Inspiring Daily Creativity.

Dear Friends:
I have a busy life. Yes, I do. That is why I neeeed art. Art is my great escape. If I didn't have this outlet, I'd be the girl in the "Car's" Drive video swinging her arm over her head.

No lie.

So, I don't know how people say they don't have time for art or crafting or whatever you like to call it. It's just so freakin' fun to have this magical place to escape to. You can create your own world. I know that's what I do...and I'm stickin' to it! Like. Glue. "No pun intended".

I think I know the "secret" to the creative life. Yes, I do. Are you ready? You must do it every day. Even if you only have a few minutes. It get's you in the swing. It's kind of like exercise. If you need to see more about this concept, or want to challenge yourself in new ways, I encourage you to check some of my favorite links for living a creative life and in some cases, creating the life you want. All of these places encourage finding your own personal voice as well. At least I feel that they exude this in their writings and explorations of creative living.

52 Projects (there is a book as well), this is great for ideas to get your started on a creative routine!
Creative Everyday (with Leah Piken Kolidas), the title says it all!
Angry Chicken(she makes me want to get out my sewing machine and she just plain lives and breathes creativity, everyday!)
Whip Up-more project ideas than Martha Stewart herself...very creative and fun. It's also a great way to find creative blogs.
Sabrina Ward Harrison (Also check books, Brave on the Rocks, Spilling Open). My greatest inspiration!

So, those are a few of the places that always inspire me to live the creative life.

xo lia

my.life.

Dear Friends:

This is my son, Richard, and my oldest child, Maria. They.are.my. LIFE.
I love them more than anything.
I have 2 more too!
They all fill my life with joy and are the "wings beneath my wings".

I know I don't share personal pics much on my blog(s) because I'm a typical "overprotective" parent...but this picture made me so happy I had to share.
xo lia