The Story Begins and Dream Deferred - Mini Moleskin Journal Pages

I thought I'd share with you a couple of art journal spreads that I completed in my mini Moleskin journal the last couple of months.  The mini Moleskin's dimensions are 3.5 x 5.5 inches, making a two-page spread 7 x 5 inches.

"The Story Begins"

This spread features a copy of a photograph from an old postcard, a map from the early 1900s (pulled from a small datebook about the same size as my mini Moleskin), a real cigar band, and some washi tape that looks like a cigar band.  The text came from one of those 1970s "Time-Life" history books and I thought it fit these two guys, who look like Trouble with a capital T.

"Dream Deferred"

This spread started with the poem by Langston Hughes and largely consists of newer papers.  The book text, sheet music, and red-border playing card are vintage.  I have not been lucky enough to find any vintage photos of African-Americans in the antique shops where I live, so I used this reproduction photo booth image by Tim Holtz.  1964 refers to the year that the Civil Rights Act was passed.

Thanks for dropping by.  Have a great day!

March to the "Beet" of Your Own Drum - Mini Moleskin Journal Page

The best thing to do after a long hiatus is to simply jump in with gusto, so without further ado I will share with you the collage I created at last week's Art Journal Junkies Hangout at our local library.

This collage is in a mini (3.5 x 5.5 inch) Moleskin and features vintage book text and sheet music, an illustration from a "Big Dollar Stamps" book, and some S&H green stamps.  The beet was cut from a 1970s gardening book, and I selected the postage stamps to color coordinate with the beet.  The only non-vintage item on this two-page spread is the dark ocher washi tape.  I decided not to add any wet media, so this collage is what I call glue-book style.

I'll be honest; I've struggled to find my niche when it comes to art journaling.  But I think I've had a revelation.  Spending five weeks at another person's house this summer with limited art supplies taught me that I don't need to have my entire stash of ephemera, rubber stamps, inks, paints, stencils, pens, whatever.  I don't need (or desire) a ginormous art journal in which to experiment with the newest product or to practice the latest technique flooding the internet.  And finally, I don't want to write any deep thoughts on my art journal pages!  That is just not me.  This mini Moleskin, my beloved vintage ephemera, and some simple adhesives are all I really need to express myself and, more importantly, enjoy myself.  I'm just going to march to the beat of my own drum and see how things go.

Whew!  It feels so good to get this first blog post out of the way.  In time, I'll work backward and get caught up on sharing the things I created this summer while I was away from home.

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a fabulous day.