little update on life atm...art and the new filofax.

I've been a little bit MIA lately! and all for good reason, I've been working on commissions and playing in my art journal, plus I got the filofax bug so I was on a crazed hunt for one. When I fall for something, I fall hard, and devour videos and blogs devoted to them, so I fell down a filofax hole lol.
currently on my easel is one of a set of three of a commission for the one client.

 and with each layer, i fall a little more in love...even though I know I have to add in things I wouldn't normally add...I will be taking shots of sections that I want to preserve just for me.

I'm in a mail art group over on Artgeeks and I also put a call out for penpals over on facebook, I miss writing letters and getting little bits of love in my mailbox so I've been sitting making little index cards into postcards to fly across the skies to their new owners.

with my word for this year being organized, I did end up getting myself a filofax...after a much appreciated mermaid circus angel, offered to buy one in her state and post it to me..saving me a lot of cash. My life atm looks like this

 my beautiful leather malden personal filofax, my writing brain dump book and my art journal these three books contain my life and I love them.

I thought I'd lost my muse the other day, my mojo was gone and I was desperately trying to find it...but as a lovely woman said...my mojo was being poured into my filo creating instead of my artjournal, and its true...I got my filo on Monday, and started making it fully mine with customized items and little 'courtney' touches.

I started by replacing the cream dividers because...as much as I like cream...comon...lol do you know me! lol

so I used some of my scrappy journal pages I started months ago to turn into a journal and made dividers.

I also made sure I added a little of myself into my weekily pages...this is where I am atm..but I know I have done a few things since this image, mainly add more colour...because I am a visual girl and wherever I go..there has to be colour.

then I knew something was missing...photos! my world is kept in photographs and I needed my filo to hold the people that ment the world to me, so i started to DIY some little photo holders out of trading card protectors I had lying around. I printed my photos to the protector size, and added washi tape boarder to punch holes in...and before I knew it, I had my family happily at the front of my filo.

 

so that is where I am at...making art...making art snail mail...and getting my life orgaizned and personalized. I want the filo to help me flesh out the ideas for the future of little raven ink...I am in the process of making repeatable patterns to make fabric...featuring the nook dwellers..so look out for that.

have a wonderful Wednesday..yes I didnt cook...but you got art and filo love! 

xx Courtney

My Days are cluttered with colour!

I know I know, I've had emails and messages..where am I! I've been off making notes and pulling myself together before a huge blog overhaul. A little revamp is always needed before spring. A more creative lifestyle is my intended goal...

whilst working out my layouts..I've started making notes for daily posts, what would you like to see on the blog? Reader input is very highly valued over here in the nook, so if there is something you want to see covered..or talked about daily...do tell. There will be a few tweaks to the nook..a little plus size fashion, some DIY home stuff, more art than you can poke a stick at, and more videos.

stayed tuned.

I have a dear friend who just had a birthday, and whist I went shopping several times to buy her a bunch of cute one of a kind things that I thought she would love..I came up short...very short. So I started making her a journal, we are both avid journal keepers, me more the messy kind lol, but lovers to the full of the paper collecting experience...so I started putting the pages together for a journal that will be nothing like what she has in her collection...a real one of a kind book for her to carry around. I sewed...

and I created artworks to be scattered through out the journal...and much more..I can't show too much as she reads my blog! (or at least I think she does lol) 

While I was on the journal making kick, I also started one for myself, just to get the practice in, trying out different ways of binding, different types of signatures, this one is an old book I've had for a while, starting to collage things to the cover, a photograph I love, a post it note from a letter, stickers...small parts of my life. I also used a cute fabric from my quilting stash to wrap the spine in, to give it a little colour pop. I have one signature left to put into the book, and then she will be finished...underneath the book is me practicing my smiles in the new addition Ink week to Supplies Me workshop with Jane, It's been a while since I'd opened my art journal, so I let jane put me to work in it again...

another colour love of mine at the moment..is bright coloured tights!!! I went on a search for tights for big girls, being an artist, I like to dress with a certain BOOM of colour...and these tights well they certainly make a girl feel happy. Over at We Love Colors they have a big girls tight range in a rainbow of colours... I have the teal and the BRIGHT yellow..I cant get enough of them, I hope to purchase many more colours in the future.

I hope I've brought you up to speed with whats been going on..there will be changes coming! I just have to work on the design features of the blog, which takes time while running a family! 

do  comment below if there are things you'd like me to talk about, or ideas for regular post features! I do love hearing what you do and don't want to read from me!

x Courtney

Creative Art journalling!

A starry Thursday to all of you! I've been busily working in my art journal, doing a few things here and there, went to visit my family on the weekend, and am getting over a cold the little ones brought home from school...alas here I am in my green ugg boots and my stripy cardi getting a post together!
so inside the little journal that could are some random odds and ends.

playing with the scanner, old letters and other sketch books of mine to create artworks to rework in my current journal..this girl has won a place in my heart because of her sad little face.

always trying to get my fashion figures sorted out, still tripping over on that task but I still try every few days, this is my current sassy girl

a whimsy long necked girl that was a sketch in my journal for so long, and while I was away at my parents as we caught up and chatted I sat and coloured, listening to the sounds of my family cackle and recount old stories.

I've been getting mail lately, which isnt bills! and as the mail arrives from Miss Sophie.
I glue things into my journal for later use. An old photo and some washii tape never go astray, oh..can you spot my course work for the new class I'm taking at the moment Painted faces with the beautiful Gulfsprite. Printing out her templates and drawing some of my own ready and waiting to get into the painting!

and of course, a random scrappy collage page that I've just started working on, needs some ink and watercolours me thinks...just not sure what to draw..it will come, it always does

so thats my creative space and my journal progress!!
what are you doing in your journals lately?
xx C

mail and and journal art.

not much going on in the little raven house today, I did however start a small arty kinda letter for my sister back in Inverell, some drawings photos that kinda thing, need to get it finished and into the mailbox tomorrow.

and in the art journal, just a quick girl I created while waiting for john to come hom from work.

copics and distress stains to make her. I need to change it up tomorrow with that I draw, keep it fresh, part of the reason why I'm making a inspiration journal, to keep inspired to make new art, instead of drawing the same things over and over again.

that's all from me, take care I'll see you tomorrow
we are taking the teacup humans to see the smurfs tomorrow at the movies...their first movie experience lets see if I come back in one piece!!

Get Your Art On - Day Three

Breezing through the Get Your Art on Month (she says on day three lol) I have done odds and ends art wise today! with my little ones drawing in their colouring in books for most of the day, it gave me a chance to work in my colouring book aka my art journal. Today I did a full page face, which I am slightly in love with, lots of watercolour, inktense and graphite...finishing touch was a skin toneish doily spray over her face to give a bit of a different look.
I also finished a spread in my journal that was once a horrible transfer disaster!! the image I used for the gel transfer wasnt the right ink, so it was just a horrid mess! and the page stayed an abomination for a good few weeks lol, till I re worked over it. Stencil work, outliner, inks, watercolours washii tape and a Digital image from GulfSprite's range of digital downloads found Here

and the last bit of art, was decorating envelops for my mail art penpals, I got a little behind on my letters so Im making a valiant effort to get back on track!! lots of sprays more digital images for Gulfspite, some of my silly doodling and coloured pens to create these two envelopes.
so that's me done for today! Tomorrow I head to my mums house to make a Remains of the Day Journal with my Mumma.

I signed up to the course just this morning, and watched all the vids hungrily! and all I want to do is make beautiful junky journals! the eco artist in me just booms with glee over the idea of these journals.

I'll see you tomorrow with the fruits of my art journal labours!
pop over to traci's blog to see her day three and the links to other artists.

xx Courtney