Today: Get Messy Thursdays | Serenity, Week 2

This season, the Get Messy group (join the challenge here!) is focusing on serenity.  I couldn’t help but laugh as I sat down tonight (eleventh hour, for life) to start another round of pages for this week’s Get Messy Thursdays post.  This week has me craving some serenity.  But hey.  So life goes.

This photo was taken before the sun set… the others, not so much.  In fact, if I get my act together, I’ll replace them tomorrow with ones less likely to give you a migraine.

Get Messy Thursdays | Serenity, Week 2

Materials used: Tissue paper (pale purple and black + white striped), alphabet stamps, black archival ink, Mod Podge (applied with an old gift card), black + white striped washi tape, white gel pen, super old magazine clipping.

Today was sort of the ultimate Throwback Thursday.  I spent the morning helping my mom clean out my childhood bedroom and Lord, have mercy, did I have a lot to toss.  There were a few things worth saving (I can’t wait until Grace fits into my kindergarten and grammar school sweatshirts), a few things I understood why I kept at the time (there was a whole box dedicated to things I thought I needed when applying for my first job), a few things I am glad I kept (a paper from a philosophy class I took with like, the worst professor ever…  His comment below the grade was, “but as you know, I disagree with you.” Hahahahaha. Yep.).  And there were things I thought I threw out (literally and emotionally) years ago. Stuff has such a way of bringing up… well, stuff.

I saved a few things that seemed perfect for art journaling, including a few magazine tear outs (including the one used above), photo prints from years ago, and drawings from a studio art class I took during my senior year at BC.  I did not, however, save a piece I drew and titled “4 cups of water: a study.”  More like, 4 pieces of crap.

I love how these first pages came out.  The tissue paper was really fun to play with — I am looking forward to adding a few more colors and layers to future pages.  The white stripes sort of disappeared into the white background, making the black stripes perfect for writing on with white pen.  I quickly listed a few reasons why I am not feeling so serene (a lovely, but teething child…) and a few ways to bring some serenity into my day.

Materials used: The sérénité page from an old French dictionary, an Instax photo taken at Castle Island in Southie, a photo I took years ago of the Brewster flats at low tide, liquid acrylic paint, white gesso, Sakura watercolors, Faber Castel PITT artist pens (sizes XS and 1.5), gold ink, white gel pen, good ol’ glue stick

This turned out a little more scrapbook-y and collage-y than intended, but I think you get the gist: I feel most serene by the ocean.  It must be the mermaid pisces in me.  Also: I just realized I don’t know how to draw a fish.

Materials used: Black gesso (applied with a palette knife), white acrylic paint (applied with a small round brush), white gel pen, magazine clipping, grey paper, vinyl mailbox letters, plastic moon overlay (from a Studio Calico kit, I think), glue stick

I like this quick, little page, but after I finished, I was like… um, gazing at the moon for hours sounds both lovely and… kind of weird.  I do love the moon, though.  I am always excited to see it hanging up there.

Also On Tap for Today:

• The things everyone should clean every day via Apartment Theory
• Looking forward to Lauren’s next round of Creative Captures
• Gazing at the moon for three hours (just kidding… or am I?)

What’s the most wonderful thing you’ve held onto since childhood?