Today: Get Messy Thursdays | Serenity, Week 6

This week’s pages are sort of wacky.  In a rare moment of organization and clearheadedness, synced with a sleeping child, I prepped a few surfaces ahead of time.  And then I realized this was the week (the last of this season/theme) we were to use our materials from the Get Messy swap (those who participated sent and received materials to and from fellow Get Messy members).  

Jessica sent me the most wonderful package (from Australia!) of beautiful blue papers, some of which she hand painted, a water color map, white doilies and more.  The package arrived a couple of weeks ago, and I’d been holding onto each item, trying to figure out how to best use them.  One piece of hand painted paper in particular felt too precious to use– instead, I’ve been starring at it.  Not very productive, but certainly inspiring.  Two of the pages below incorporate materials from Jess, the other two were prepped in advance but, per usual, came together at the last possible second.

Get Messy Thursdays | Serenity, Week 6

Materials used: Hand painted paper from Jess,  paper doily  white acrylic paint, washi tape, vinyl mailbox letters, white gel pen.

I usually try to save my favorite page for last, but the others are sort of weird… so I am starting with the one I like most.  How gorgeous is that shade of blue Jess used for the paper?  I used one of the doilies she sent as a stencil of sorts with white acrylic paint.  I love how that turned out.  The quote from Lao Tzu is about letting things flow in order to be serene.  I realized I was short on B’s and Y’s once I had already started laying down the mailbox stickers… but I let it flow.  Or whatever.

Materials used: Map from Jess, white gesso, Micron pen (black 01), magazine cut outs, washi tape, clear stamps (thank you, Kelly!) and black archival ink.

This is my tribute of sorts to the Get Messy community.  I really am just crazy about these talented, supportive, creative, wonderful women.  I only wish I had happened upon the group sooner.  The beautiful map background is from Jess; I love that members are (quite literally) scattered across the globe, but connected by our art making community.  If you’re considering joining, I couldn’t recommend the program more.  You can learn all about it here.

And yes, that’s a badly drawn moose.

Materials used: Magazine cut out, washi tape, Micron pen (black 01), smudges of gold ink from the neighboring page.

Simple and to the point: I can’t be serene if the bed is not made.  I can survive among a troubling amount of clutter and stuff and heaps of laundry (something I am working on!), but if the bed is not made… Lord, help me.

Materials used: Black Strathmore artist squares (adhered with a regular old glue stick), magazine cut outs, random metallic birds from a Martha Stewart decoupage set, gold ink, white gel pen. 

How perfect is this quote?

“We are not going to change the whole world, but we can change ourselves and feel free as birds.  We can be serene even in the midst of calamities and, by our serenity, make others more tranquil.  Serenity is contagious.  If we smile at someone, he or she will smile back.  And a smile costs nothing.  We should plague everyone with joy.  If we are to die in a minute, why not die happily, laughing?” –Swami Satchidananda

A couple weeks ago at the beach, a seagull literally LANDED ON MY HEAD and tried to steal my lunch from my hands.  It was traumatizing.  And it kind of hurt.  Like, a lot.  I’ve been weary of anything with wings since.  This page may have been a subconscious peace-making with the bird community.  

On that note, I’m off to go plague some people with joy.

Also On Tap for Today:

• Visiting my sister and brother-in-law in their new house! Yayayay!
• 7 tricks to boost your creativity via Blog Clarity
• Frantically cleaning before the cleaners arrive (ya feel me?)

What’s your relationship with the birds like these days?