Art Smash Junk Journaling Workshops

WORKSHOP REGISTRATION FORM

Location: Laurel, Maryland in Prince George’s County

Since recently teaching publishing workshops I remembered how much I enjoy teaching classes. Crafting was once a big part of my life before publishing became my main focus. With only so much time between my paycheck job and my creative passion jobs (which I hope someday will be my full-time paycheck jobs) and divorce, house selling, house buying, marriage, deaths, pandemic and all of the things that keep us busy, I hadn’t really considered getting back into crafting workshops. Plus, I didn’t really have anywhere to teach them. HOWEVER! I have now found a place and have settled on Art/Smash/Junk Journaling as what I would like to teach.

I have leaned on journaling my whole adult life to find a place to lay my worries, remember the good things, and work on all of the parts of me that needed to rage and heal. Being a perpetually lemonade out of lemons kinda girl I thought it would be fun to lead workshops to teach others how to use mixed-media art techniques to save little treasures, favorite scraps, thoughts, and memories into a personal-sized scrapbook of sorts.

I like to think of art journals as a way to create compositions that save a feeling, or help you work through one. They are more free-flowing and informal than a scrapbook, but sometimes serve a similar function. Maybe you saved a really pretty label off of a bottle of wine from a special event, or have an orphaned earring you just can’t get rid of because you wore the pair to your graduation. Or maybe you have tickets, receipts, and candy wrappers because it holds a memory and you like the graphics. These are all things that fit well into a junk/smash journal, but maybe aren’t always ideal for a scrapbook. Also, art journals tend to be smaller and more portable than scrapbooks.

You do not have to be particularly artsy to do this sort of art. You just have to be open to being creative and curious. Even if you’ve never laid watercolor to a page before, there is nothing to worry about! This is a relaxed no-judgment zone for creativity and exploration with plenty of guidance from me.

I am excited to have space for up to 15 students for the following workshops, each 3 hours long and $55 plus the supplies you’ll need to pick up.

PLEASE VISIT THIS LINK TO GET MORE DETAILS AND REGISTER. Registration for each class will close a couple of days before the class.

SEPTEMBER
Art/Smash Journaling for Beginners – Tues Sept. 24, 6-9pm

OCTOBER
Art/Smash Journaling – Healing from Divorce – Tues. Oct. 8, 6-9pm
Art/Smash Journaling – Manifesting Your Best Life – Weds. Oct. 16, 6-9pm
Art/Smash Journaling – Self-Love for Women – Tues. Oct. 29, 6-9pm

NOVEMBER
Art/Smash Journaling for Soothing Grief – Tues. Nov. 12, 6-9pm
Art/Smash Journaling for the Holidays – Sun. Nov. 17, 5-8pm
Art/Smash Grimoire for Beginner Solitary Witches – Tues. Nov. 26, 6-9pm

Important Note: I am not a therapist or mental health professional. I am simply a woman who has a lot of crafty skills and loves journaling and sharing those skills with others! I definitely recommend therapy if you are struggling.

I Miss Crafting

I used to work at a major craft retailer as a craft designer and workshop teacher. I’ve really been missing that connection with art materials and expression in colors and various mediums. Here are a few of the crafts I did that I really enjoyed creating. Maybe at some point I can get more into crafting again when I can find that ever elusive and possibly mythical life balance.

Often there were art supplies I might never have used before, so I might have a first and second attempt. The pale colored doll was my first attempt. The doll in darker colors was a second attempt and came out much better.

Do you find yourself not having as much time for crafting? Do you miss it? What do you miss most? What type of crafting do you enjoy doing?

Cereal Box Aquarium Craft for Kids

Hi all! Here is the result of the Cereal Box Aquarium Craft.

I’m trying to produce videos for crafts that use materials you might already have around the house. You can see the fish are hanging by string, and yarn. They are made from various papers as an example of the creativity you can explore with whatever materials you have around you.

Initially I was going to post it on my new YouTube channel, but they wouldn’t let me livecast just yet. Newer accounts have to wait a little bit for security and safety reasons, which I think is for the best. So, I went ahead and livestreamed it from my public Facebook page. But first visit the original post about the Cereal Box Aquarium Monday Crafternoon to see what supplies you’ll need, then go watch the video.

Safety first. Be careful with scissors and other art supplies!

And check this out! These are completed aquariums from a friend’s children/grandchildren after watching the video. Thank you Meradithe and Archer, you did an amazing job! ❤

 

 

Art for the Apocalypse

JOIN ME FOR A LIVESTREAM ADULT CRAFT TIME ON MY FACEBOOK PAGE
SUNDAY, MARCH 29TH
8:30-9:30 PM
FREE

https://www.facebook.com/hlbrookswrites

Visual Journaling, Art Journaling, Smash Journaling, Mixed-Media Journaling – whatever you want to call it, it’s more than just writing down words.

Right now the number one thing you should be doing is journaling. Writers and artists, anybody who has feelings or frustrations, beautiful or sad thoughts. This time, though scary, is also very different than anything any of us have ever experienced before.

I’m going to convince you to take that notebook you have been saving for you don’t know what and we’re going to make that shit into an art journal! Pick something that could use some decoration on the outside cover. Something you won’t be afraid to paint, or glue to.

This journal won’t necessarily just be coronavirus themed. It could be just your regular journal that you want to keep thoughts and scraps of things you like in, or it could be a purging log of all the stuff you’re experiencing. So the first thing you have to do before we even start the class is for you to decide what aesthetic and theme you want to go with. Then choose your supplies accordingly.

So if you want to go with sunny and positivity, maybe get some yellow gift wrap paper you have tucked in the craft room, and some bright colored pencils and paints.

Maybe you want to go with gothy and keep your dark thoughts, then maybe some lacy looking scrapbook paper and some dark markers and paints, some metallic pens?

Maybe you want a journal you can keep all of the things you learned during this ordeal, cooking, sewing, how to fix a bicycle chain, maybe you planted a garden. Save the seed envelope. Make a recipe card. Cut out a picture of herbs.

It’s up to you!

This will be the first class of I don’t know how many at this point. But let’s say maybe three.

SUPPLIES:

A notebook – the best ones will take water color or can get damp and not wrinkle all up, but if all you have is a composition notebook, then that’s what you have and just don’t use wet mediums on it.

Any of these items will help: colored pencils, pencils, markers, colored pens, metallic pens, craft paints, paintbrushes, q-tips

Some kind of paper you like such as: scrap paper from presents, old bits of wallpaper, scraps of wrapping paper you’ve been holding on to because you like them, labels from cans or jars that you like, stickers, tissue paper, cut outs from magazines that fit your theme

White glue or Mod Podge

Scotch tape and/or double stick tape

And at least a couple of things you’ve saved recently because you liked them but ended up putting them in the kitchen junk drawer – a little ribbon from a candy box? That chocolate bar wrapper with the heart? A sweet lunch note your honey left you? Maybe a scrap of lace that ripped off of something but you couldn’t part with it. Bits and bobs I like to call them. We’re going to do something with them.

Let’s get through this and then we can figure out what to do from there!

Cereal Box Aquarium – KID’S CRAFT

UPDATE – My YouTube channel is too new to do live casts – so this is being moved to my author Facebook page for this episode.

2PM! See you then!

https://www.facebook.com/hlbrookswrites/

JOIN ME AT MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL FOR A LIVE MONDAY CRAFTERNOON FOR KIDS
MARCH 30
2-2:45PM
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7IjxJxbCbzpctI836ODelQ

Hello! While we are all practicing social distancing I wanted to get back to my craft roots so I’m dusting off this blog and offering up some crafty classes. I set up a new YouTube channel and this will be my first class on there, so fingers crossed it goes ok!

My aim for these classes is to use items you might already have in your home since we really want to upcycle and reuse what we already have and we don’t want to be venturing out for craft supplies.

Please supervise your child and always make sure safety is first.
You will need:

A cereal box (you may want to cut the front out for the child, depending on their age) See example below.

Child safe scissors – if you don’t have any, just do all the cutting for the child

Some construction paper, or printer paper, or cardstock – a variety of colors is nice and also some white paper

Scotch type tape and if you have it, double stick tape

Glue stick or white glue

Tissue paper if you have it

String or thread

Crayons and/or markers and or/colored pencils

That’s it!

*************

Gently score the cereal box where you’re going to cut, don’t press too hard and for heaven’s sake be careful, NOBODY wants to be going to a hospital right now.

Cut at the corner at an angle and cut along the score.

You will later tape that corner so don’t worry about it.

 

 

Mixed Media Jewelry

This is a mixed media necklace I made out of a variety of found objects.  I had some bottles left over from the fairy wish necklaces I used to make and of course some of these bits are purchased scrapbooking or jewelry findings.  This gift was for my friend Grey, so that is what is written on the scrap of paper in the bottle.  I think next time I make a necklace like this I will do a tutorial.  I started work on something similar last night.  So, perhaps next necklace will be a DIY for you jewelry types.

Check out that old lock from a long lost vintage diary.  And the little scroll with words is a paper bead.  You can make those too!

I’m not really sure what types of tutorials folks will want, so I will just jump right in next time and take images of my steps.

Spring Hat Door Hanger

This is a cute and fun craft for spring.  It also happens to be inexpensive and very easy to make.

I used to design crafts for A.C. Moore and this is one of my designs.  Now and then something of mine would pop up on their Pinterest.  You can see photos of this hat and one I did with blue ribbon here:  http://www.pinterest.com/pin/30962316158292557/

I was really sad to have to choose to stop working there.  I would go back in a heartbeat under the right circumstances.

WHAT YOU NEED

A straw hat

several yards of spring themed ribbon with wired edges

flower or berry picks

hot glue

you MIGHT need floral wire nippers if you need to cut the picks at all.

 

I made the bow based on how big I wanted it to be in comparison to the hat.  We always used the Bowdabra (they have videos on how to make a bow) at the store I worked at because it gave consistent and easy results.  I can’t even guess how many Bowdabras I sold at that store because I was always recommending them.

Anyway, if you decide to pick up a Bowdabra they are worth the investment.  I think they were around $15 when I was working there.  A bow costs 99 cents a yard to have a florist make it for you.  Plus you have to pay for the ribbon.  So by the time you’ve made three, five yard bows, you’re paid for the thing.

The wire ribbon helps the bow keep its shape.  You can also take the tails of the bow and tack them down with a dot of hot glue so they stay in place.

After you make your bow, set it aside and glue on your berry or flower picks.  Then use the piece of floral wire you used to make your bow and poke it through the straw of the hat and twist it on the back side to keep it in place.  Use dots of glue wherever needed to keep the bow looking well placed.

This craft also would be great as a shower favor in miniature magnet form.

 

Fairy Horns

Festival season is coming!  Don’t be caught without horns!  They’re a basic staple of the fantasy cosplayer.

Here is a quick guide to making your own fairy or imp horns.  Or whatever manner of magical creature you might be.

For this project you need:

Sculpy or Premo

Tools for shaping and pressing and scooping

A dish you use only for baking these projects (I got some used glass ovenware at the thrift store)

Thin elastic in dark or light, depending on your hair color

Scissors

A stamp, if you want to make impressions and an inkpad if you want to ink it

 

Divide the dough and roll into equal size balls and shape into a horn.

Gently hollow out the thickest part until no portion of the horn is much thicker than 1/4 inch

Roll the horns on the stamp – if you are using ink, put the ink on the stamp first

Gently press holes through the horns close to the bottom of the horns – use a long tool and go straight across

Your horns will be a little wonky after this, so gently reshape them a little, but be careful not to destroy the impressions from the stamp

Bake according to directions on the package

Allow them to cool and put elastic through the holes.  There are various ways to put the elastic in.  You can do it in two pieces, which prevents the horns from moving much, but they have to stay at the same distance apart and can’t be adjusted.  If you put them on one strand, then you can slide them and adjust how far apart they are.  Don’t forget to measure how much you need and allow for the tension to hold them on tightly.

 

I wore mine to Wicked Faire last year.  Along with some hair falls I made.  You can see directions on how to make hair falls here.

Mailbox Decoration DIY

My friend Christiana brought her metal mailbox over for some painting fun.  She wanted some artsy love on it and so we sat down together and worked on it.  She took one side, I took the other and I think it came out great!

Materials:

Metal mailbox
Primer spray paint (paint it the day before so it’s nice and dry)
Acrylic craft paint in black, gold, teal, purple, white and glitter

After the box has cured for a couple of weeks she will be spraying a clear sealant over top of the artwork.  This should be done a minimum of three times, but allowing a good amount of dry time in between.

Also I would like to note that it was Fat Tuesday, so we broke out some of my Mardi Gras beads and wore them in honor of the day.  I never did get pancakes that day!

And if you have a cuddly cat, I highly recommend after crafting cat cuddles.  Kali doesn’t seem to object.

 

 

John Green – Please Sign My Kindle

Last year my youngest daughter’s favorite author was in DC, which is nearby.  She wanted him to sign her Kindle skin, which is has a print of Van Gogh’s Starry Night on it.  So, what to do?

We used a silver sharpie, because I believed it would show up best on the dark background.  We were careful not to scratch it until it got home.  I let it set for a day and then I taped off the entire thing with blue painters tape, except where the signature was – which I sprayed with a clear art sealant.  I did this three times with allowing at least an hour in between for dry/curing time.  It seems to have held up pretty well – but she does have a cover over it – which I recommend.  It’s kind of like having a little secret.

If you look closely you can see the rectangle around Mr. Green’s signature – which is because that area is slightly shinier than the matte skin which has a slight texture to it.