Tuesday 18 June 2013

GOOD IDEAS?

 
This page began with the light bulb picture which I cut out of a magazine - it just sparked something on the subject of ideas generally really.  I always keep interesting bits and pieces like this picture - I may not always use them, but fundamentally they are free, and a rummage through the box in search of inspiration can be very fruitful!

The other thing I sometimes do (when I'm feeling lazy anyway) is use a piece of scrapbook paper as a background.  This page is a case in point - although as you can see I've added some green and yellow/brown crayon around the edges too.  My light bulb was stuck on with glue and it went a bit bubbly at first, but what the heck, and anyway it settled down when the page dried properly.
So my jumping off point was to write about my good ideas on the light bulb in white pen, but I didn't know until I started to do it that I'd also write about forgetting most of them.  This is a bittersweet truth in my life because memory and concentration are affected by Fibromyalgia, and I could win prizes for forgetting stuff.  I have to laugh about it a lot of the time, though it makes my children crazy (but mum I told you) not to mention my Dearly Beloved, but I can't help it honestly. I used to be quite clever actually - I have to tell you that or you'd never suspect!

Once again this gives you a mini tutorial on how I write in quite simple letters and then go back and embellish/thicken them.  As you can see I vary the size of the lettering, and include both capitals and lower case - just practice, you'll soon get the hang of it.
Anyway, what was I talking about?  Oh yes, forgetting stuff.  I do write lists obviously, but then I lose the lists, or forget where I've put them.  Also, even when I do remember them, some of my best ideas don't look so great the next day .... but that's life innit?  The other light bulb is a hand-carved rubber stamp I bought on Etsy, I absolutely LOVE it and was waiting for a chance to use it.  This face stamp is one I use a lot, generally to represent me, particularly in my more "duh" slightly blank moments.
I added the teal green stamp shapes after the writing, as you can see, but by masking areas I wanted to protect it worked out OK.  The skeleton stamp is just fun ... but also has meaning for me in terms of the joke that life often is, particularly in relation to my loss of brain power.  Well I geddit...
I rather like the muted shades on this page, which I probably wouldn't have done without the background paper.  Notice that I haven't done nearly as much doodling as I sometimes do!  This is the sort of reflecting about life, the universe and everything that I really like to include in my journal, just because it makes me smile when I read back ....

That's it from me for a couple of weeks as we are off to New England to sit daydreaming by a river, which will be very good for our souls which are much in need of rest and refreshment.  Hopefully some warmth might be good for my poorly shoulder as well?  Back in early July when the jet lag has worn off ...

Tuesday 11 June 2013

 
Journalling is a brilliant way to work through something which has got right on your nerves .... it will be obvious that somebody had once you've read the words on this, but it was a couple of months back and I'm over it now!!

In our organisation there is somebody who, more than once, has spoken a quiet word in the ear of somebody I'm close to, in the certain knowledge that this will then be relayed to me.  I can't be alone in finding this pretty infantile ... if you have something to say, come find me and we'll talk about it.  Nuff said anyway - that's exactly what this person isn't grown up enough to do, so even though I could force the issue by confronting them ... in the interests of peace between us all I won't.  Doesn't mean it didn't get right up my nose though.

So there I was with a ready made (Neocolour Crayons) background and a set of letter stamps and this is what happened ...
And before I knew it I'd got stuff off my chest and onto the page, all the while rehearsing the pithy things I would have to say on the subject.  Of course none of them were actually said, but thinking about it and composing a fine speech took the wind out of my sails and (most of) the irritation out of my heart soon enough.
And once that had happened I was free to doodle away - you know how much I enjoy that.  Touches of zentangle about this too - a technique I admire and don't use as often as I might.
The doodly bits were a visual representation of creeping rumours, and whispers in the dark, and all that stuff I hate so much because I'm a dead straight and up front sort of gal.  I work hard at responding like an adult and get frustrated when the inner child of others is clearly in control.  This kind of passive/aggressive behaviour lights my blue touch paper ...
Did I say I was over it?  Hmmmm apparently not, obviously more prayer necessary not to mention forgiveness on my part.  Hard isn't it?