She's Crafty | Art Journaling

Remember a while back, at the beginning of this year, I wrote about my crafty New Year's Resolutions? And one of my resolutions concerned art journals? Remember that? If you don't, read it here.

To tell you the truth, I almost forgot that I planned to revisit the topic. But revisit it I shall, in this very blog post.

During the last week of 2013 I went on a hunt for my first and oh-so-perfect art journal. I went to book stores and used book sales to find the "one" that I would spend some time with, exploring art and craft creation. Meet my journal, Red, a used book I finally found at the Friends of the Ripon Memorial Library book sale.

Red reminds me of a super hero!

You can find more information about all of our Friends of the Library book sales by clicking here.

Instead of a store-bought journal I decided to go with a used book and prep it for art journaling. This prep work involved ripping every tenth page out to make some extra room for paint textures and the bulk of added collage papers.

Pages removed.

Journaling in a used book offers the choice to work with text already on the page or to cover it up to various degrees and use the text as more decorative background. I have even used some of the ripped out pages (since I saved each and every one) to collage with random text blocks.

Re-purposing removed pages

On the night of New Years Eve I set aside a tiny chunk of time to create my first page.

Da-da-da-daaa...2014!

And it was a lovely experience! A tiny project with complete creative freedom. A chance to make a tiny mess and focus on making something meaningful on my own terms. I didn't have to worry about the outcome too much. I rarely give myself the chance to be so loose with art. It's something I strive for in all that I create and think art journaling will help me expand that freedom.

Along with finding a bit of stillness in the chaos of life as journals are so great at doing.

If you're interested in starting you own art journal, we have plenty of books to get you started. Find one with a style you like and with projects that inspire you, that way your journey through art journals will be an inspiring and exciting adventure!

Here are the hands-on craft books that will show you all the wonderful things you can create in an art journal:

Journal Revolution: Rise up and Create!
Altered Art Circus!
The Art Journal Workshop
Creative Wildfire: an Introduction to Art Journaling
Raw Art Journaling
True Vision: Authentic Art Journaling
The Art of Vintage Journaling and Collage
The Journal Junkies Workshop
Journal Spilling
The Elemental Journal
Adventures in Mixed Media

We even have a book in our digital library showcasing the art journals of a few artists, illustrators, and designers.

An Illustrated Journey
Click here to borrow it from Overdrive.



So, let's talk about art journaling! Tell us in the comments whether you art journal, are thinking of starting an art journal, have any tips for beginners, have a favorite art journal craft book to gush about, or if you just want to say, "hello!"

Malia & Kaye

She's Crafty | He's Crafty

We're all crafty!

So, funny story:

At work one day I was straightening the NEW book shelf when I came across, Made by Dad: 67 Blueprints for Making Cool Stuff by Scott Bedford. I thought, "Duct tape on the spine, it's gotta be cool. Annnd, it'll make a nice blog!" But I left it for another time. Later that very day my mother excitedly presented me with Made by Dad and said, "We gotta blog about this one!"

It was meant to be.

We know plenty of crafty dudes and I'm sure some of you out there know a few too. They're everywhere!

Check out, Men Who Knit. A website devoted to promoting and supporting men who knit. And Mark Montano's Make Your Mark! videos on YouTube are my absolute favorites to watch. We also carry some of his books at our library. He has one of the most fun and fertile imaginations out there.

Of course I know a few male crafters personally too. My dad taught me everything I know and love about knots, which has helped me in many crafting areas. Dad also taught me the craft of splicing wires and got me hooked on the art of collage.

When I first spied Made by Dad I thought of a friend of mine. Dustin's one of the craftiest people I know. He's a blacksmith, does some great embroidery and he sews out of necessity and fun - in fact he's the one who taught me how to turn a pair of normal pants into bell bottoms! And he loves to get crafty with his daughters. He is definitely the perfect target audience for this book.

But so am I. And anyone else who loves to build fun, sometimes gross, but always kooky stuff.

Like this...pair?...of Rock, Paper, Scissors dice I made to quickly end disputes of where to eat out or who gets the last cookie. Users just choose a color and the dice do all the work.

Scissors cut paper. That cookie is MINE!

The projects in the book are leveled from Easy to Tricky. Zen Napkins is probably the easiest. Create simple circles and lines around coffee-shop treat crumbs much like a Zen garden and you're done.

Kaye is getting fancy with her garden in the background.

The Tricky projects are definitely harder but between the detailed blueprints with awesome illustrations and the step-by-step instructions even the Tricky projects seem extremely do-able.

With your brain box and these blueprints, nothing
will stand in your way.

Overall, I love this book. It is crammed full of practical jokes, games, and handmade gifts. I found the instructions easy to follow and the blueprints to be the most helpful guides in a crafting book I've ever come across. So, Dads (or uncles, grandpas, cousins, big brothers, mothers, aunts...), grab your rulers and glue and your nearest kid (or fly solo) and get crafting.

Before I go, I wanted to mention that we will be taking a little trip to the East Bay Mini Maker Faire later this month. On October 20th, Park Day School in Oakland will be hosting a celebration of creativity and learning with hands-on and hand-made fun. I'm sure it will be a blast and can't wait to share our first Mini Maker adventure with you.

Until then, stay crafty!
~Malia