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!

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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!

the documented life project- weekly challenge 3

Welcome to Week 3 of The Documented Life Project!

January 12 Challenge - Add an envelope from your mailbox.

I am a collector of mail. I can't part with all of the beautiful mail art that I have been blessed with in the past. This was a perfect challenge for me!

I layered up a few of the most colorful, artsy samples I could find and stitched them to the page, in layers, creating little pockets.

I like being able to see some of my dear friend's handwriting when I open up to this page. It reminds me of happy times. I had a very special postcard that a pal sent to me from overseas that I wanted to incorporate.

I used some washi tape to add it in, so it could fold out- I can read my pretty sentiment this way.

I love the details, the color and the special meaning that this challenge offered. I loved this challenge!

Pretty little details!

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!

recycled tip in pages

Have you read about the crazy fun DOCUMENTED LIFE PROJECT ? Chances are, if you are joining in, you have a planner or journal from last year. This is a great way to upcycle part of that agenda or book and incorporate it into this years project. Here is the planner I used in 2013.

I love the painted covers and did not want to just throw this away. I decided to remove the covers and use them as tip in pages in my planner this year for the THE DOCUMENTED LIFE PROJECT. Just remove the front and back covers and trim to fit your new planne or journal.

I plan on adding these as a tip in page, meaning they will fold out. I use washi tape to attach them to an existing page in my planner.

Because these will fold out, I can use the opposite side for list making, journaling, doodling, painting and more. Yea!

See more ideas and read all the details on this FREE  year long project here and here! Enjoy!

the documented life project- weekly challenge 2

Welcome to Week 2 of The Documented Life Project!

January 5 Challenge - Say Cheese! This week's challenge is to incorporate a selfie into your planner.

This can be done as simply as snapping a photo with your phone, printing it out and adding it to your planner. Dont' want to add your sweet face to your planner? No worries! Consider using words to describe yourself and add those to your planner instead. Not into the selfie scene? Remember! This challenge is totally optional! Feel free to skip right over it and wait for next week's challenge! In addition, if you are participating in One Little Word and would like to share that in your selfie or on your page, then add that in as well.

I am in full "use what I have mode" this year- especially since I am in the middle of big move. I am purging big time and finding that while I don't really WANT to use up this old stuff, it always turns out ok in the end.

Having made up my mind to be faithful to this "green goal" I set for myself, I grabbed some old patterned paper and my sewing machine. I stitched some of that paper to a gelli print that used as a tip-in in my planner.

I listed some of the things I AM on some vintage ledger paper and tacked that to the bottom of my photo. A reminder to myself that I wear a lot of hats and that is a tough job in itself. I need to be kind to myself when I feel I am losing ground. I just layered up from there, adding a painted deli paper monogram and some painted greens from the woods behind my house. And I added my One Little Word for the year. LOVE. My word could have been a million things this year. I wanted to use LET GO. But I chose LOVE instead. I want to LOVE where I am have been. LOVE where I am going and most importantly, I want to LET GO WITH LOVE.

I can choose to be happy. I can choose to embrace the future. I can choose to LOVE what is in front of me. I welcome 2014 with LOVE. 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!

The Documented Life Project- Weekly Challenge 1

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OF YOU FELLOW DOCUMENTERS!

You can read more about THE DOCUMENTED LIFE PROJECT on the ART TO THE 5TH BLOG!

WEEK ONE CHALLENGE - PHOTOGRAPH, SKETCH, PAINT OR INCORPORATE YOUR FRONT DOOR

The time has finally arrived and we can begin our challenges for the year. I am so excited to create, journal, and document alongside all of you! January starts with a bang! It starts with one door closing and a new one opening! For this first challenge we asked that you incorporate your FRONT DOOR into your weekly documentation, using any medium of your choice.

I am a loner by nature. I like to be able to look out, but am not always keen on people looking in. My door was a perfect representation of that part of me. From the road you couldn't see much through the glass- just a faint flicker of light now and then. But I could see it all. I loved that feeling of being a part of the world, but the world not being able to get at me too easily. I am fortunate in that my view has afforded me a peaceful view of the world, something that I will cherish always- will miss when I walk out of this door in the next few weeks...

My front door is a touchy subject right now. After ten years in our home, we are faced with the sad task of moving, something that has me grieving after so much time here. I wanted the the new year to surprise me, gift me with the chance to stay here, but it was not her gift to give. Instead, I find myself facing the reality of closing this door for the last time.

It is scary to start the new year with such a loud and final bang. I am afraid and sad, but I know that a home is not just a house. It is not a address or a number. A house is is just that-  a house- until you choose to make it a HOME.

I know, that with time, I will learn to love the view out of my new front door. I know that it will become a part of who I am and that I will create new memories worth saving in this new place. I get to take all the people who have my heart with me. That should be enough. I am learning as I go. Learning to let go, learning to let others in, and learning that a house really is not a home, because......a HOME IS WHERE YOUR HEART IS!

For my collage I used a photo of my front door, old ledger paper, painted deli paper, acrylic paint, dylusions inks, a permanent marker, paint pens, and humber stamps.I can't wait to see all of the beautiful interpretations of this week's challenge and I look forward to sharing with you each 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!