Be Yourself Journal Pages - Vera Lane Digi Image

Word of the Day: Shenanigator
A person who instigates shenanigans. 

Hey there from Nannyland,

One of my all-time favorite digi artists is the extremely talented Vera Lane, whose charmingly quirky images bring delight to everyone who sees them. They're super fun to color with Copics because the simplicity of the lines makes it possible to personalize them with a few extra strokes of a marker.  I always love adding more detail to the eyes because it gives a little extra personality to the already vivacious characters.

These pages are the first in a journal I have reserved for the more off-beat images in my digi library.  I like placing them in happy scenic settings and enjoy having two pages of space for some fun die cut elements and a message that matches their whimsical mood. Cricut Design Space is a great place to discover lots of options for writing and die cutting. My sentiment was generated with the Cricut writing feature. The layered die cut birds are from the Birds on a Branch collection at Spellbinders.  Of course, I couldn't resist embellishing my little lady's lovely hair with colored gems, as well as the eyes on the birds.  I used a white gel pen to add extra details to the eyes and dress. 

I'm having the best time browsing my die collection and dusting off some very old dies to use on my layouts.  The fancy birdcage on my sentiment page has to be at least fifteen years old.  The bow and the small bird cages also go way back.  What's better than discovering new ways to use ancient supplies! 

How about you?  Is there a story you would like to tell with all those seldom-used treasures you have accumulated and might have forgotten about?  I hope I have inspired you to use your imagination and some long-forgotten art tools to uncover a new story you've been dying to tell.

 

Thanks for visiting Nannyland.

I'll just be here blissfully creating until your next visit.

Nancy (aka Pink Panoply)

                                                                       Playing along with:

Digi Choosday Challenge Wk 8

613 Avenue Create February Challenge

CD Sunday Plus Challenge #127

Gem of a Challenge Wk 4

Crafting Happiness Challenge #163

Sweet Stampin' Challenge - Always Look On The Bright Side of Life

Creative Fingers Challenge #272

A Perfect Time to Craft Challenge #3

Classic Design Challenge #2

Worldwide Crafters and Colorists Challenge #14

My Doodled Scripture Journals

 Focus on the step in front of you, not the whole staircase. 

Hey there from Nannyland,

Before I started my recent art journaling adventure, I discovered another extremely satisfying way to add art to my daily routine.  A few years ago I was thrilled to discover bibles with wide margins for notes and journaling.  What fun real-estate for inspired sketching during my scripture study! I found several interesting blogs and YouTube channels on bible journaling and realized the possibilities are endless.  It's a very personal way to pair two things I love...reading my scriptures and drawing/coloring.  One blogger even mentioned that this combination adds to our understanding of the scriptures because our creativity and our spiritual beliefs are both embedded in our soul. 

So far, I haven't spent enough time doing this, but when I do, it's extremely fulfilling.  I have promised myself not to spend too much time making my sketchy drawings perfect. I have a gazillion stamps which are also fun to use.  I use colored pencils to color the images because markers bleed through the thin paper.  They are definitely not my strong suit, but they're fast and easy to use and I have vowed to finished my art in just the amount of time I reserve for a scripture reading session. After all, they are for my eyes only.  I usually pick a scripture that speaks to me and then I try to reflect it in my art.  I don't like to cover my scriptures with my art, but I mark the scripture that I am focusing my drawing on.  I bookmark my page with washi tape so it's fun to thumb back through my pages and see my favorite scriptures brightly illustrated and easy to find.  

When I found out there were so many cool bibles with wide margins, I went searching for a Book of Mormon with the same format.  Amazingly, they are common also, so I can work out of both sets of scriptures.  These are used for art journaling only and I have separate scriptures for regular study, which are heavily marked. 

I get so much enjoyment from studying my scriptures this way.  It does help me to learn and remember my favorite scriptures much better.  My plan is to do this at least every Sunday, but so far that hasn't happened.  But it's there when I need a lift and some inspiration and I'm thrilled it's on my list of enjoyable pursuits.

I hope I have inspired to you get out your pencils and make your scriptures shine with your lovely doodling.  I think you will love it as much as I do. 

Thanks for visiting Nannyland.

I'll just be here blissfully creating until your next visit. 

Nancy (aka Pink Panoply)

Oh Puhlease Bee My Honey - Spellbinders LDOM Honey Pot

I make art to show my soul that I'm listening. 

Hey there from Nannyland,

I'm not even a little bit disappointed that I joined the Spellbinders Large Die of the Month Club. I've only been a member for a few months, but I have been thrilled with every set that lands in my mailbox each month.  What's not to love about a surprise package of delightfully detailed dies showing up to spark my creativity. 

The January die set is an adorable layered honey pot that comes with a cute detailed bee (with legs, for Pete's sake) and pretty spring flowers.  It's a large size so it fits my usual 5 x 7 card base perfectly with room for a sentiment.  I created my punny sentiment in Cricut Design Space using the writing feature. The curve feature enabled me to match the shape of my honey jar perfectly.  Yeah, I love my Cricut! 

Most of the flowers here were included in the die set, but I created some variety with a few flowers from other Spellbinders sets. I'm really appreciating the versatility of  Spellbinders flowers because the layers give them dimension, but not so much that they get squished in the mail.

I presented this card to my hubby for Valentines Day and he didn't even flinch at the flowery aesthetic.  Maybe it's because he used to be a florist and knows that colorful flowers are for everyone or maybe it's because he knows a card created by me will probably have some girly zhuzh.  Either way, I give myself permission to glam up my cards, regardless of gender, because I gotta be me. 

Thanks for visiting Nannyland.

I'll just be here blissfully creating until your next visit. 

Nancy (aka Pink Panoply)

                                                                Playing along with:

                                                  

                                            Creative Knockouts Challenge #515

                                                         Sisterhood of Crafters - LOVE

                                              Try it on Tuesday - Hearts and/or Flowers

                                                              A Perfect Time to Craft #2

                                                             Ally's Angels Challenge #79

                                                      Beautiful Blossoms Challenge #1

                                                                Daisy Chain Challenge #82

                                                                Critter Crazy Challenge #83

                                             Die Cut Divas - Non Traditional Valentine Card

                                                           Morgan's ArtWorld Challenge # 73

Jeremiah Ketner Digi Journal Pages - Be Impossible to Forget

The happiness of your life depends on the quality of your thoughts. 

Hey there from Nannyland,

I recently talked to my daughter who lives in Pacific Grove, California where she has been enduring (just barely) a four-day power outage. Yikes!   No offense to Punxsutawney Phil, but it doesn't look like spring is coming anytime soon, with extreme weather swirling around us on all sides.  It's a little soggy here in the desert, so I've been daydreaming of flower buds and warm spring breezes for the past few days.  This blissful reverie has expressed itself in the form of journal pages that look like a candy shop and a flower garden had a baby.  The bright, warm colors make my eyes so happy!  

Jeremiah Keltner's images are always so elegant and serene with their gorgeous Asian flair.  What could be more fanciful than kittens and flowers cascading down luxurious curls. I found just the right page in my dp stash with the perfect colors and quote for my sentiment page.      

I colored my image in warm Copic shades and framed her with a lacy Heartfelt Creations die frame.  A Spellbinders mini sprig of flowers accents the free space at the bottom of my frame.  I added matching  blooms to my sentiment page to tie the pages together.  

Yes, I think I'll keep the spring vibes going with some cheerful Valentine and Easter cards. Last night, as I was trying to go to sleep, I thought of a really cute idea for a Valentine card for my hubby. Stay tuned...I think it's going to be one-of-a-kind.   I get some of my best ideas at night.  How about you? 

Thanks for visiting Nannyland.

I'll just be here blissfully creating until your next visit. 

Nancy (aka Pink Panoply)

Playing along with:

Make Your Mark Challenge #461

Make My Monday Challenge #218
A Perfect Time to Craft Challenge #2
Classic Design Challenge #1
LTSCB #165
Mix it Up Challenge #69
Morgan's ArtWorld Challenge #73
Worldwide Colorists and Crafters Challenge #13
613 Avenue Create February Challenge
We Love 2 Create challenge 1

Ching Chou Kuik Digi Journal Pages - Make Time for Your Art

   In all of living, have much fun and laughter.
Life is to be enjoyed, not just endured.

Gordon B Hinkley

Hey there from Nannyland,

Hmmm. What is it about creating art journal pages that is so satisfying for me?   I think it has something to do with creating for the joy of the process and not feeling like it will be exposed to the scrutiny of anyone else. But that doesn't really make sense because the people I send my cards to are always so complimentary and non-judgmental, so it must be my own eagle eye that intimidates me.  I think that's such a common theme among artists.  We are our own worst critics.  Anyway, I'm having the best time coloring, zhuzhing and using up all the extra space in my two-page journal spreads.

This beautiful digi is by Ching Chou Kuit, one of my absolute favorite artists.  Her amazing images are such a delight to color, with their soulful eyes and gorgeous detail. This image prints out in light grayscale, which can be challenging for me, but I love the gray shading on the flowers.  I used an Elizabeth Crafts border chain die on one side of my image and decorated it with round lavender acrylic rhinestones. The lacy butterfly on the word page is also made from Elizabeth Crafts layered dies that I've had for ages. I think they might be hard to find now.  A page from an old designer paper pad had the perfect sentiment and background to cover up my Dylusions Dyary calendar page. When I bring out some of my older dies and papers, I can't help feeling nostalgic because it's like reconnecting with old friends.  Another reason why I feel blissful when creating art journal pages. Anything goes with my eclectic stash.  

A couple more journal pages for the books!  Way too much fun. 

Thanks for visiting Nannyland.

I'll just be here blissfully creating until your next visit. 

Nancy (aka Pink Panoply)

    Playing along with:

Try it on Tuesday - Add Some Text

Dream Valley Challenge #308

A Perfect Time to Craft #2

Ally's Angels Challenge #78

Classic Design Challenge #1

Crafts Galore Encore Challenge #120

Love to Craft Challenge #78

Morgan's ArtWorld Challenge #73

Worldwide Crafters and Colorists Challenge #13

Birthstone Challenge #7