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 ...

8 comments:

SeasideKaren said...

Hope you have a wonderful holiday Rosie, full of sunshine and joy. Enjoy yourselves immensely, I look forward to hearing of your travels in your next journal page x

Anonymous said...

What a wonderful page...so well done. And as with many things you journal and share about, I can relate to the brain fog that goes with fibro...forgetting especially. My kids, too, are always saying "I told you that" or "we had this conversation before". They used to ask "don't you remember?" but now they know I just simply don't! Have to write down everything if I want to remember it...and I use Pinterest for visual things I want to recall, like new art journaling techniques, etc. Love your journal style! Peace to your heart

alexa said...

Ouch, you are a little hard on yourself! But it made me smile in recognition too ... I just love that skeleton - I have a soft spot for jesters and he reminds me of one :). Great as always to see the evolution,of a page ... ew England sounds amazing and I hope you have a perfectly splendid time. Are you taking a travelling art journalling kit?

Unknown said...

Love your journal pages! So colored and your lettering is amazing!

Suzy said...

Just love this Rosie - and I love how you have shown all the various stages, I am practising my lettering but Ive a way to go yet to have mine as nice as yours. I am full of good ideas too but they flit in and out so quickly I often forget them and there's no excuse for me lol

Cath Wilson said...

I so love your work and your honesty, Rosie. I too forget things and I don't have fibro, so what's my excuse, other than early senility? (as MY kids are prone to tell me often!)

Gorgeous work x

Cath Wilson said...

More stunning stuff. I would love to sit and doodle with you and maybe learn a little bit about how you do your gorgeous lettering! Hope your holiday is providing the breathing space and rest you need. God's good and will always give us what we need.

Thank you for more inspiration and a mini sermon at the same time - not to mention the step by step, which is so helpful.

Bless you xxx

Anonymous said...

I love how your designs look very youthful! ^_^