the documented life project - weekly challenge 10

Welcome to Week 10 of The Documented Life Project!

March 1 - Make a List of What Makes You YOU!

This challenge was another favorite of mine, so far. I LOVE making lists. I intended to create just that - a hand written roll of who I am. As I worked on my draft I received a phone call. Naturally, I began to doodle, and by the time I hung the phone up, I knew my LIST had gone from that registry of words to a series of words and images.

I have been faithful to my self imposed spending halt and am using LOTS of things I usually use for my Project Life Pages. I love the combination of letter squares, rub-on's and decorative stamps. As my idea morphed from just words to more, I saw the need for more space and took a cue from a past challenge- adding a flap to a flap.

As my flaps unfolded I could add more things that make me ME to the back side as well. I prettied up the edges with colorful washi tape.

 I loved seeing all those odd bits of "old" stuff transformed into something beautiful as they came together.

I used the lined journal page to add even more text - a running list of I LOVE....

Want to know what makes me ME? photographs. counting. collecting. family. recycling. vision trouble. faith. writing. creating. being a mom. cats. birds. art. light and windows. my children. home. travel.

I can't wait to fill in the calendar side of my planner this week! Look for a peek soon!

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-------> Art to the 5th Blog - Our Story

-------> List of Weekly Archived Challenges

-------> Facebook

------> Flickr

-------> Instagram - #documentedlife

-------> Our Blogs

            Rae

            Lorraine

            Sandi

            Barbara

            Roben-Marie

newsworthy: JOT MAGAZINE

The Documented Life Project is catching on! We had the lovliest of features here at JOT MAGAZINE-

Read all about it in ISSUE 4 of this amazing online paper crafting magazine! It is packed full of ideas for all of us memory keepers!

The Documented Life Project has participants from all corners of the globe. Each of these daily documentors has their own unique way of creating. From mixed media to scrapbookers we are coming together as a community.

This mention at myscrapbookart.com highlights the project among those that offer challenges!

We are thrilled to be reaching so many people. Having fellow artists around the world create our weekly challenges alongside of us is turning out to be an amazing journey. Interested in joining in? It's not too late - we work on our schedule, at our own pace. Create a challenge this week, skip it the next if it doesn't speak to who you are.

------>Read all about this FREE and rewarding project here!

------>See a list of archived challenges here!

------>Learn more about Art to the 5th here!

-------> Facebook

------> Flickr

-------> Instagram - #documentedlife

-------> Our Blogs

            Rae

            Lorraine

            Sandi

            Barbara

            Roben-Marie

the documented life project - weekly challenge 8

Welcome to Week 8 of The Documented Life Project!

February 15- Add a flap to your flap.

This was my favorite challenge so far! I was going to use a full size tip in page, and add a small flap to that, but then I stumbled upon this wonderful postcard! It had the perfect quote on it and I liked how I could see the colorful planner page behind it.

I spruced up my postcard with some washi tape and then added a smaller flap that I cut from a catalog flyer. I loved the bold black and white stripes. I added a little painted paper circle for a pop of color and some more washi tape.

A note to myself was written on the back of my postcard and I used one of my digital downloads on the reverse side of my mini flap to create a list of things I am doing this week. A pretty painted washi tape arrow and funky stamp add nice bits of bold color.

I love how I can fold my mini flap and postcard tip ins back on themselves. All the doodles, stripes and color mixed make me so happy!

When I first started this project, I wondered what I would do with the lined planner pages that fall between the calendar and tip ins. As it turns out, this page has been my favorite to work on each week. It is a place to write lists, doodle, practice my sketches and leave notes and reminders to myself. I really loved this challenge and will definitely be adding more of these flap on flaps into my planner in the future!

I am looking forward to seeing your interpretations of this week's challenge and I can't wait to meet you back here next week!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------> Art to the 5th Blog - Our Story

-------> List of Weekly Archived Challenges

-------> Facebook

------> Flickr

-------> Instagram - #documentedlife

-------> Our Blogs

            Rae

            Lorraine

            Sandi

            Barbara

            Roben-Marie

Premier Ensemble- Digital Art Kit

You asked- We answered! We are celebrating the Grand Opening of the Art to the 5th Store!

To applaud this occasion we have created our first product-------->The Premiere Ensemble Digital & Printable Downloads. It is available in our Etsy store HERE. This kit is a "collaboration of elegant, painterly downloads made with your Planner and Mail Art in mind. From art journal ready faces and hand drawn labels & banners to colorful strips begging to be torn, punched & stitched, this collection is ready for creative play. We’ve even included a bonus set of painted numbers perfect for documenting and journaling as a celebration of our premiere!"

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You get 16 individual files (1 png and 15 jpgs).  In addition, we created four jpg printable sheets, combining several of the smaller images for use on your own printer. And a BONUS set of numbers includes 10 additional png files. 

----------> Wondering how to use your digital goodies once you've printed them? Here is what I did.

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-------> Read more about it here on the Art To The 5th Blog

-------> Purchase  the New Premier Ensemble Digital Art Kit

-------> To see Ideas  & Inspiration visit our Sample Gallery

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-----------> Inspirational samples created by my fellow team members <----------

Look for our next challenge in a few days! Can't wait to see what you create! Enjoy!

the documented life project: weekly challenge 7

Welcome to Week 7 of The Documented Life Project!

February 8 - Draw one Shape. Repeat. Add Color. 

I knew I would love this week's challenge! Any project that is repetitive in nature calms me. I can draw the same thing over and over again and feel myself de-stress. It is silly, but true. 

Circles are my favorite. To create my shape I took one of my homemade palettes, a paper plate, and cut several different sizes of my shape out. I stitched them to a piece of patterned cardstock that had white circles printed on it and filled them in with two bold colors.

I chose to make my tip in much smaller for this week. I wanted my circle shapes to hang off of the edges so I could see more of my planner page peeking from behind. I love the way that this challenge turned out. It is bright and colorful and the paper plate circles have a lot of yummy texture. The mix of paint, gesso, ink and thread all create a painterly look- just what I wanted!

Want to stitch something to your page? You can see a quick little video here----->  STITCHING ON PAPER.

I am looking forward to seeing your interpretations of this week's challenge and I can't wait to meet you back here next week!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------> Art to the 5th Blog - Our Story

-------> List of Weekly Archived Challenges

-------> Facebook

------> Flickr

-------> Instagram - #documentedlife

-------> Our Blogs

            Rae

            Lorraine

            Sandi

            Barbara

            Roben-Marie

the documented life project: weekly challenge 6

Welcome to Week 6 of The Documented Life Project!

February 1 - Open Your/A  Pinterest Board and Be Inspired!

At first I wasn't sure about this challenge. Pinterest is a tad bit overwhelming on a good day - to open a board and be inspired could easily lead to hours of surfing beautiful pages and boards. To simplify things and keep my "surfing time" to a minimum, I chose to open one of my own boards - Tutorials. This is what I found!

I loved sharing how to make this mini canvas and everything about the way it turned out- the colors, the texture and the interesting look the paint took on. I took the challenge one step further and only allowed myself to use watercolors. Watercolors are a fairly new medium for me and I am much more comfortable using acrylic paints. I thought this would push me to use the watercolors, experiment with them a little more...

I used a piece of watercolor paper that was already collaged on the reverse side for my tip-in page this week. I chose a pretty, bright palette and following the lines of my pinterest inspiration I began painting.

As it turned out, I taped my tip-in backwards (NOT the first time) and so I had to create my challenge on the back of my collaged paper. I could have removed the tape and started over, but I chose to leave it as is. Now I have TWO pretty pages this week.

I quickly and loosely applied a bright "frame" like border to my page, followed by several large circles of color. Next I added some swathes of color to the bottom edges of the page. I applied several colors of the paint to my hand-carved feather stamp and then stamped my page. I love it! 

Once all the paint had been applied and dried, I added little pops of white using my favorite white pen of all time. You can see that I have a lot to learn about moving and thinning color, but overall I enjoyed the challenge. Watercolor paints leave such a beautiful fluid look to your page when applied correctly. I look forward to giving this technique some more practice!

I am looking forward to seeing your interpretations of this week's challenge and I can't wait to meet you back here next week!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------> Art to the 5th Blog - Our Story

-------> List of Weekly Archived Challenges

-------> Facebook

------> Flickr

-------> Instagram - #documentedlife

-------> Our Blogs

            Rae

            Lorraine

            Sandi

            Barbara

            Roben-Marie

zipper pouch for my planner

Ever since the big announcement about THE DOCUMENTED LIFE PROJECT people all over the world have been posting photos of their cool planners and journals. I love all of the sharing and communicating that has come from being a part of this project.

I have had quite a few fellow documenters ask about the zipper pouch that I have attached to my planner, so I thought I would give you the scoop. I bought this pouch as part of a two pack in the Dollar Section of Target. I think I paid $3 for this and a smaller one like this.

I left the ring that attached both pouches on the felt tab but removed the smaller pouch. I use a binder clip to hold the pouch in place- this way I can remove it easily when replenishing supplies and what not. I found that by positioning it a little off center the book closes nicely.

Most days I keep several colored ink pens and a small roll of washi tape on hand. I also keep a sleeve of stamps and a few miscellaneous papers on hand. This way I can make notes on pretty scraps, doodle them up and tape them in- all on the go. I think I will keep my eyes open for a special charm to add to that ring!

I dyed some seam binding using DYLUSIONS INKS for a pop of color, and attached them to a pretty bobby pin I found in the Dollar Bin at Micheals. I can use it to attach an uplifting word or note to the front of my journal.

When I am finished documenting for the moment, I zip up the pouch and flatten out the supplies. The planner closes just fine. I am sure that as my planner gets chunkier I will have to add a longer elastic band to hold my book closed. Maybe I will dye some elastic in a bright color. I am working on adding a prettier, longer, wider place marker ribbon as well. Will post some photos when that is complete!

READ HERE -----> to learn how to add a pretty Sari Ribbon Place Marker to your Planner!

I hope this answered some questions. I can't wait to see what you guys come up with for your planners over the next few months. I have seen so many awesome adaptations here and here already and I am loving every one of them! Want to learn more?  More Details here ----->

You can find us:

• Facebook:
  

  https://www.facebook.com/groups/thedocumentedlifeproject/

• Flickr:
  

  http://www.flickr.com/groups/thedocumentedlifeproject/

• Instagram: #documentedlife 
  

*Our Blogs

• Roben-Marie Smith
• Lorraine Bell
• Rae Missigman
• Sandi Keene
• And our Life Photographer: Barbara Moore

the documented life project- weekly challenge 5

Welcome to Week 5 of the THE DOCUMENTED LIFE PROJECT.

January 25 - Add a Doodle Border to your page.

This week I chose a piece of vintage ledger paper as my tip in. I added large swipes of translucent watercolor and two large colorful collaged circles.

I doodled a large feather as my border, then decided it needed more.  I added lots of scallops and circles with a permanent pen. Then I began to fill in with color. I even added another piece of bright washi tape. I added some doodled circles and dots to my collage shapes.

Doodling is so fun, but truthfully it is not the easiest thing for me. I am better with a more sketchy approach and so my doodling always apprears a little shaky when I try to make it pretty and symmetrical. I try to compensate for this with color.

I filled in my scallops with dylusions inks. I knew the colors would bleed out on the old paper but wanted them to appear more fluid like and less like zentangle.  I love how the bright hues all popped together. Once the inks were dry I added little dots of white to make the bold colors stand out even more.

It is very difficult for me to confine a layout to one layer. This week was the perfect challenge for me for that reason. All of  the doodles helped make my tip in appear as if it were more than one dimension, so I was happy with my page in the end.

Looking forward to seeing your interpretations of this week's challenge and I can't wait to meet you back here next week for some more exciting fun!

Find out more about Art to the 5th and see a list of archived challenges here ----->

You can find us:

• Facebook:
  

  https://www.facebook.com/groups/thedocumentedlifeproject/

• Flickr:
  

  http://www.flickr.com/groups/thedocumentedlifeproject/

• Instagram: #documentedlife
• For a list of the archived challenges visit our Art to the 5th Blog 
  

*Our Blogs

• Roben-Marie Smith
• Lorraine Bell
• Rae Missigman
• Sandi Keene
• And our Life Photographer: Barbara Moore
  

Post your challenge response to your favorite social media and upload it to our Flickr group or Facebook group to share in the community of Life Documentors.

sari ribbon place marker

If you are participating in The Documented Life Project and are anything like me, you may be having a hard time leaving your planner or journal alone!

As I was creating challenges over the past few weeks, it occurred to me that I needed a longer place marker. Because my book is so chunky I knew my sewing options were limited. Here is what I came up with ----->

I grabbed some beautiful recycled sari ribbon a pal gifted to me, and some colorful thread.

Next I moved the detachable arm piece of my sewing machine out far enough that I could rest my planner on it. I opened my planner to the center and rested it on the arm, stretching the original place marker out as far as I could.

I opened the sari ribbon up and wrapped it around the end of the original place marker, getting as close to the book as possible. I secured it with a straight pin until I had it under the foot of the machine. Once under the foot (it will move a little) I lowered the foot and removed the pin. I stitched back and forth a few times to secure the two markers together. Moving downward from my stitching,  I opened the sari ribbon and wrapped it around the original marker.

Once secured, I stitched the sari ribbon, rotating from horizontal to vertical stitching every few inches.

Lastly, I trimmed the ribbon and threads. I added a pretty bead,  knotting the ribbon just below it a few times until secured. If I need more length as the year goes on, I can undo one or two of the knots and easily make my marker longer.

Now my planner has a pretty place marker that can handle the bulk of my book! I love it!

Want to make your place marker longer or prettier? This was an easy and FREE project. Just dig through your stash and grab a piece of ribbon or colorful twine and stitch away. Don't sew? Use a tacky fabric glue and set aside to dry overnight!

READ HERE -----> to see how I added a removable zipper pouch (in about five minutes) to my planner here!

READ HERE TO LEARN MORE AND JOIN ME IN DOCUMENTING YOUR DAILY LIFE! Enjoy!

the documented life project- weekly challenge 4

Welcome to Week 4 of The Documented Life Project!

January 19 Challenge - Write a Secret Message. Paint over all but one key word.

This was a great challenge for me this week. I have had a lot of feelings running through my head that needed to be written down, but not necessarily rehashed every day. Somehow the process of painting over it all helped put it to rest.

Leaving just one encouraging word peeking through turned a discouraging thought encouraging. My key word for this challenge is STRENGTH. A perfect word to pair up with my One Little Word for the year, LOVE. These two words are a written reminder of where I need my focus to be in the coming months. If I remain strong in all things, and love what I do and who I am with, I will have a wonderful year.

I used a book paper collage I created on a trip with my Art to the 5th pals in Grand Cayman last September as the base of my tip in page for this week's challenge. I have been saving it for something special. Since the whole idea for THE DOCUMENTED LIFE PROJECT began to form on that trip, thanks to the ever talented Lorraine Bell, it seemed fitting to add it into my planner for the year.

I added my secret message to the backside of this tip-in collage, stitching on a stamped message telling you where to look on the front of the page.

The bold colors seemed to go hand in hand with my word STRENGTH. I added lots of deli paper shapes, adding pops of color through black washi tape and paint pens. A wheel shaped stamp is the latest addition to my favorite recycled tools in the studio, and is an empty thread spool!

I plan on doing some extra special stuff to the date side of the page this week. I had a pal tell me today that I needed to celebrate myself, (with a big birthday coming up) and so I think I will paint and doodle and ink and stitch away to my hearts content. Maybe I will make everyday a special day this week!

Looking forward to your interpretations of this week's challenge and can't wait to meet you back here next week!

 

You can find us:

• Facebook:
  

  https://www.facebook.com/groups/thedocumentedlifeproject/

• Flickr:
  

  http://www.flickr.com/groups/thedocumentedlifeproject/

• Instagram: #documentedlife 
  

*Our Blogs

• Roben-Marie Smith
• Lorraine Bell
• Rae Missigman
• Sandi Keene
• And our Life Photographer: Barbara Moore
  

Post your challenge response to your favorite social media and upload it to our Flickr group or Facebook group to share in the community of Life Documentors!