My Life List

Do you have a life list? Or a bucket list?



At work, we have this huge white board and from time to time someone posts a question. It’s entertaining to read it as I walk by and see new comments or answers. I try to guess which of my clever coworkers have responded.

A recent question was “what is on your bucket list?” and some of the answers were things like…

• I need to buy a bucket first
• Climb the ancient ruins
• Australia
• Save Lindsay Lohan

In my bloghopping I’ve noticed quite a few people posting about their life lists.

Karen Walrond  posted on her blog, Chookooloonks, about creating a life list. Thoughts on how to go about putting a list of 100 +/- things that you want to do in your lifetime. Maybe they are simple things, maybe they are crazy, out-of-this-world things. Maybe you’ll cross some things off your list tomorrow, maybe some will never be crossed off.



What about stuff that you’ve already done that should have been on your life list but you hadn’t created your life list yet, can you put it on and immediately check it off? Or maybe that could be the “I did it” list, a prequel to the life list?



I don’t think I can create my life list in an afternoon. Of course, I would add to my list as I discover new things to do over time. But what I mean is that I think it will take me days and days to think about all the possibilities and dreams and desires that I would want on my list.



My life list needed a place, so I created these pages in My Living Canvas book. First, I sprayed the canvas pages with different shades of blue. I ModPodged on scraps of paper next. I used stencils and paint to add a little texture. Stamped the title, then started adding my life list. I also have an area for stuff I’ve achieved so far.



If you’ve made a list and posted it, I would love it if you would include a link. I think it would be fun and a great way to get even more ideas about the possibilities out there.

Lots to ponder….
Desiree

My living canvas–week 2

Week two is all about finding balance between the six main areas of your life: family, friends, faith, fun, fitness, and finances.

Three of them I am great at; the other three, not so much…

For me, balancing life is like juggling, only there are way too many balls in the air and I don’t juggle well! Another aspect is that I think it’s easy to get in a rut and focus on the parts of my life that I enjoy or, at least, are easy to manage and let the other aspects languish.

When I was creating this layout in my journal, I really wanted to have a simple “action plan” that I could rely on now, next month, or even next year.



I don’t super love the overall color of this page. I’m not really a yellow person so why did I pick that color as a base??? Hmmm, weird. Anyway, the technique that Christy taught was fun: layering a stencil over a stencil and spraying with a mist. You can really see it best here… I cut different sized circles out of a manila folder and layered that with different pattern stencils. Then I started spraying!

I pulled out a stamp set called Circle Circus – perfect!!! – and used black archival ink. The white circles were made by dipping the end of a toilet paper roll in paint. I finger-painted the purple circles and I couldn’t resist dabbing a little blue through some punchinella.

My action items for each subject area are printed on a transparency. I dabbed a little Picket Fence distress stain on the backside and then adhered them to the page. I didn’t want to print on paper because I wanted to see through them a bit.

I am really enjoying the process of just creating and letting the page evolve. Learning techniques and experimenting is really cool!

Do you have some favorite techniques that you use often?

Thanks for visiting!
Desiree

My living canvas

Last spring, I signed up for a Christy Tomlinson/Art McCracken workshop called Your Living Canvas. It’s taken me quite some time to get started on this class but I am loving it! Luckily I have till late May to finish it. Basically the class is about creating the life you want to live.



So when I decided to jump in, I realized that I didn’t have a journal to use for the art journaling portion of the class. What I did have was a pad of canvas sheets. So I took apart the entire pad. I cut one piece down to use as a spine, and folding the other sheets in half, I sewed them to the “spine”. Cutting the chipboard backing in half worked well for the front and back covers. I slathered it all in gesso and I was good to go!



I was worried that I would be the only person posting in the class Facebook group, the last little soul to participate… I was pleasantly surprised to find that I am not alone!

This first week Christy shared a technique for making embellishments out of modeling paste. I made several but my favorite was a butterfly. I had added a pinkish paint to the modeling paste. After the butterfly was dry, I went over it by spraying other colors through a stencil. I didn’t hold back and finally ended up with a fairly ugly butterfly.

I set the monstrosity aside and went to work on the front inside cover. It was looking good with a strong pattern and bold colors. And it needed a strong focal element. I glanced at that pinkish/purpleish/weirdly colored butterfly…. and whipped out some black paint! What did I have to lose, right? I also gave it a very light silver spray that settled into the crevices which added a little interest. Perfect for the page.



A butterfly is such a great symbol of growth. It surprises me that at 49 (egads, 49????) that I still have a lot of growing to do. Over the next several weeks I will continue to share layouts in My Living Canvas.

Do you do mixed media artwork?

Happy crafting!
Desiree