Filling My Well...

Well, kind of....

Nothing like a new watercolor palette and colors...right???
I hope that each of you had the most wonderful Christmas, and that you are as filled with excitement as I am about new beginnings.  This time of year always gets me excited....thankfully, with another week off from work, I get to spend some much needed quiet time....where I can reflect on the past year, what I want for the new year, and come up with my word for the year.  This year, I have having a bit of trouble nailing down that one little word...not sure of why...but I am.

This space in my journal is reserved for that word....I keep thinking that I have one, but then another word comes to mind...so I let that simmer for a while only to have several more crowd in....  Hopefully it will find me soon.

I'm still working---feverishly in my journal to wrap it up.....

Just some journaling left to do....

This one as well...

And this one...

Luckily, for my birthday I received a Starbuck gift card....  I'm thinking of making myself a date there tonight with my pens and markers....table for 1 please.

I hope that you all enjoy your Monday.

Until next time,

Ophelia











Documenting my Day...

Happy Friday!  I hope that you all had the most wonderful Christmas!  Here at the Staton house, we sure did!!!  We usually travel to my parents for the holiday, but this year, my husband was on call, so we did not have to pack the car and hit the road in the crazy holiday traffic, and that was a gift in itself!!

Christmas Eve is my birthday, and well, it was just awesome!!  Spending time with the kids--planning our dinner menu (serious confession:  I can NOT cook!)

A glorious Christmas day--just us, and the kids really enjoyed the presents!  Whew!

 

Now, to the studio....just a few more days in 2014, and I have about 8 more pages to go....yes, I have been splashing, painting, spraying, and glueing like mad to get this journal done....

 I realized after doing this page....its no wonder that I am always running around like crazy....because...I'm ALWAYS running around!!
I hope that you all have the greatest day ever.....  I'm going to head back to the studio to get the rest of this journal DONE!!
Until next time,
Ophelia



One More Day at 43!!

Happy Christmas Eve--Eve....

Tomorrow is my big, big day...44!!!!!

I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am!!!  I always feel since my birthday is Christmas Eve, it just makes it so much better!!!  

More...lots more pages completed!!!  I think I actually may make my goal.  

Whats great is that I have been working like crazy in my studio...

Using lots and lots of things that would usially just sit around collecting dust.

Whats quite cool is that when I'm in the zone, I really don't care about anything... So in the above picture, I just smooshed the leftover paint off of my palette, and that was that!!!

So...lots and lots done over here!!!  

Up early on this rainy Monday morning, and I guess I'd better get in some last minute shopping...ummm, START and finish!  Somehow, I just ran out of time.

Anywho....enjoy your day!

Until next time,

Ophelia

Finally Friday!

Lots more pages to go in this journalToday at exactly 12:40 pm, I begin Christmas Break.  Thank Goodness as this week has truly been rough!  Blame it on a full moon or something, but my students have just been all over the place!!!

I have been creating like mad this week!

Lots more pages to go in this journal...

And luckily my mojo is back as I need this outlet!!

Still recording in my day to day journal...

As this one also needs to be completed by the end of the year!

And, my "workhorse" journal which travels with me everywhere I go.

It keeps me from going insane during meetings.

And I get to test out all of my new toys here.

I hope you guys enjoy this glorious Friday!  I plan to....

Until next time,

Ophelia

Lots and Lots of Work to Do..

But...it can be done!!

I set a goal that I wanted to finish my current journal by the end of the year.  Seems this journal has been around for a while, and I am ready to retire it!!

I originally thought that I had 28 empty pages left to conplete...this morning, I realized its 48...oh, that nasty sinking feeling...but you know what...I'm at least going to give it a shot!!!

On yesterday, I spent the day at Jerrys...yes, the entire day!  I demoed from 1-3...then had a play night from 6-9.

It doesn't take long for me to quickly consume a space!

Here's how my night started...

And how quickly it changed!

And another...

So...thats 2...I'd.better get busy!!

Enjoy your week.

Until next time,

Ophelia

A Day of Reckoning...

Good Thursday morning to all of you here in Blog Land!  Hope your day is off to a great start!

I have come to realize that it usually takes about a year or so to complete a journal. I use a plain sketchbook, with 100 pages, so it takes just over a year to get to the end.  With that being said, I REALLY want to finish this journal that I am working in before the end of this year!!

Because I work in about three journals at once...my day to day journal, an all around work horse journal (I will share more on that one), and my art journal, I have a lot of pages that are just backgrounds that I started in a demo and have just nevwr gotten back to.  

I realized that I have about 50 journals that are on my shelf unused and ready for my marks---remember my last post from Jerrys with all the eye candy...I tell you, I have quite the collection of stuff...  

For this page, I pulled out my rubber stamps, embossing powder, and my Distress Ink Pads--those were quite dusty!!

Not sure of why I feel that my pages have to be perfect and likeable these days.  I started art journaling because it was so freeing, yet, it seems that I have put myself in a box of needing approval.  Crazy, huh??

I will keep at it... Because, I have at least 50 plus years of journals that need my marks, thoughts, and color.

Until next time,

Ophelia

Demo Day...

Twice monthly, I demo over at Jerrysartarama in Raleigh.

When I pull into the parking lot, I just feel better.  Somehow, all of my troubles and worries just vanish for the time I am there...maybe its because I get to lose myself in the simple act of creating.

There is one problem though...

The View!!!

I get to look at all of this goodness...

I realize that my studio is packed and over flowing...

And this is why!!!

There is something new every single time it seems!!

And, My best intentions of bot getting one thing...well

Again...my studio over flows with toys...

Sigh...

Today, I tried to journal a bit differently.

Simple...  Now it is just a beginning, but I really want to just keep it simple.

I want to leave some space for more thoughts and let those thoughts be the center of my page...

I will keep you posted.

I hope that you all are enjoying your day.

Until mext time,

Ophelia

The Day to Day...

Seems this week has just been crazy busy...working late, practices, Art Club, and Jerry's...I have been getting home later and later each night this week.

I have some of my day to day journal pages to share as it seems this journal helps me to keep my sanity!

Just being able to just spill on a page does something magical.

I can cometely feel a difference when I don't get a chance to have my quiet time and spend time in my journal in the morni ng before I head out for work...

My scanner is on the fritz again, so I apologize for all of the ugly ohotos lately.

And, here is a journal page where I pulled out some of my collage sheets, washi tape, and rubber stamps.  Wonder how long it will take me to make a dent in my supplies by using what I have and actually running out of something before needing to get more...hmmm...

I did finally managed to pull out the new stamp sheet that I got from Roben Marie Smith a while ago and mount it!

Oh, how I LOVE this stMp set and can't wait to actually cut it out and getting it all inked up!!

Well guys, if you have actually read this far, I really appreciate you hanging with me through the awful photos and rambling!!  Thanks so much for visiting my crazy little corner here in blogland.

I really appreciate it.

Until next time,

Ophelia

Happy Sunday

Hope that you all had the most amazing holiday ever!!

Wanted to share some creations done in my quest to use things here in my studio!  Today, I pulled out my Gelli Plate.  I forgot just how much fun I have playing with it!

I also pulled a bunch of stencils and ledger paper...and just had a blast!

I realized somehow...Im not even sure of how, but I feel like I am back in my groove after what seems like forever where my muse and mojo had checked out!

Thanks oh thanks for your return dear friends!!

Enjoy your day everyone, I have to get packed for my demo today at Jerry's!

Until next time,

Ophelia