Setting up my 2020 journal and more...

It took me a long time to decide what sort of journal to use this year and how to set it up.  Was it just going to be a journal for my word of the year or become an everyday journal.  Of course there was the added issue of deciding to change my word.  Fortunately I had changed my mind before I started on the journal.  I bought this Port Red Leuchtturm with squared paper.

The journal comes with pages labelled Content so I left these to be filled in as the year goes on.  The pages are numbered which helps.

I did this year and next year at-a-glance calendars.

Then two double page spreads of monthly calendars.  The January to June is full of workshops and outings already.  Here's the second half of the year waiting to be filled in.

I did a double page listing on the left the online courses I have in my 'library'.  On the right are the courses I signed for this year (but haven't necessarily looked at!)

I printed out the in-person workshops I have booked.  Mary recommended a pad of Newsprint which is much thinner than printer paper.  I was concerned my printer might not like it but it was fine.  It doesn't bulk up the journal like printer paper does.

Two pages for textile groups I belong to and the work in progress.

A year long Gratitude Log.  I found this layout online.

I moved on to double page spreads for Bible verses and quotes about my word of the year, Walk.


A monthly calendar for January.  I tried out using Gelatos through a stencil.

By this time it was already January 13th so to catch up quickly I drew 12 boxes and wrote in each of them for each day.

This is the record of photographs I am taking for the Head, Heart and Hands daily practice.

In our Facebook group, Valerie is currently posting weekly activities or questions relating to our word.  Her first suggestion was a word study.

On to this current week.  This is part to-do list, part diary.

Hopefully you have noticed that I use washi tape, stickers and coloured pens and pencils in quite a simple way to make my pages look colourful and 'arty'.  You don't have to be good at 'art' to produce pleasing pages.

Thanks for joining me today.
Bernice


My friends Valerie Sjodin and Mary Brack, and I share insights through blog posts for creatively living a word of the year. In our Facebook group, we encourage one another by posting questions and prompts to inspire living out a word focus, keeping a journal etc. It is a safe place to ask for prayer and support. If you would like to connect with others in creative ways about living your word, you can ask to join our Living Your Word of the Year 2020 by clicking on the link below.

Join our Facebook group: Living Your Word of the Year

On social media: #livingyourword2020

To ensure you get updates from Valerie, Mary & I why not subscribe to our blogs.
Mary:  www.foundonbrighton.com
Valerie: www.valeriesjodin.com/blog/
This one: www.newlycreative.com/

Part of my Master Practitioner module is to make samples and to display them in a cohesive way.   I used an A2 sheet of watercolour paper and randomly printed acrylic paint through my gondola prow thermofax screen.  I printed on both sides of the paper.

Then I tore the paper into three equal strips.  I fold two of the strips into thirds.  I folded the cover with a narrow spine to be able to sew the other pages into it.


When I had completed the samples and stuck them into the book I folded the cover with a deep fold echoing the spine so that when it was pulled to the front it holds the book closed.

I made 12 samples. I stuck the samples onto the pages and wrote what I had done for each one.







For two of the paper lamination samples I cut holes in the page so that the sample can be seen from both sides.






I submitted all the photos of my sketchbook and the samples to the tutor and have received very positive feedback.

In my next post I'll tell you about the design brief I submitted with all this work and how I am getting on with developing the finished piece.

Thanks for joining me today
Bernice

I last shared with you the pages of workbook that related to containers and to patterns using a gondola prow shape.

I continued with this pattern, printing out the patterns I had already composed on the computer.  I cut these up and made various paper samples.  The first one is weaving the paper.

Then I tried cutting up several photos in the same way and then mixing up the pieces.

I made collages with torn strips of the photos.

The next task was to find 4 ways to transfer designs to fabric using two‘low tech’ methods and two 'high tech methods'.

For the high tech methods I first chose to print the patterns onto cotton fabric through my inkjet printer.

For the second method I had a thermofax screen made of the gondola prow design and printed randomly with it using acrylic paint.


The first low tech method I used was to make a lino print.  I cut a negative and positive 'tile' in the lino.


The second method was to use compressed sponge to make a 'stamp' of the shape.


I started working on samples for the next task.  I had been on a Leah Higgins' workshop and used breakdown printing in my Venetian colours.  I cut up some of the fabric to make the samples and used the set patterns on my machine to add texture.


I also tried out paper lamination.  I did a workshop with Christine Chester several years ago but have never done anything with it.

I moved onto painting Lutradur and distressing it with the heat gun.

I hand stitched and/or machine stitched on the samples and put them all into a hand-made book.   I'll show you the results in my next post.

Thank you for joining me today.
Bernice

Do you get those feelings?  You know, those feelings when you think something is about to change, but you don't know what!  A sort of unsettled feeling - not quite like the butterflies you get when you're waiting for an interview - but a gut feeling!   No, not indigestion!!!

There's something lurking at the back of my mind about change.  It can't be a change of job because I'm retired.

It could be a change of direction in my creative work.  As I mentioned I'm working through the Head, Heart and Hands workbook and that's throwing up some questions.

I haven't been able to start a journal yet this year for my word of the year.  If you remember I said that my word for 2020 was Be Resilient.  And as a start towards that I began re-reading Brene Brown's 'Rising Strong'.

On January 3rd Nicky Gumbel published Talk As You Walk and straight away I felt drawn to the word Walk.

I wonder sometimes whether my inability to complete the goals I set myself for the year, especially those related to my chosen word, is due to setting too many goals. So, picking up from Nicky's post I'm going to have two goals:

1. To walk for health
2. To walk with God

These probably need breaking down into bitesize pieces and currently are not particularly SMART.   (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-based goals).


So would I be better to set an intention which leads to a goal?  It certainly sounds more proactive somehow.

In 2012 I determined to take one long walk each week - long being over 4 miles.  We actually did 62 because when we were on holiday we took walks on several days not just one per week.  The key word here is 'determined'.  I made up my mind to do something and carried it out. 

So while I continue to ponder on my word I still haven't started a journal.  So I thought I'd invite you to look back at some pages Valerie and I did back in 2014 when Walk was a word in a Practising Gratitude  art journaling challenge I set.   The challenge.   Valerie's guest post.  My journal.

 Thanks for joining me today.
 Bernice



Valerie Sjodin, Mary Brack, and I share insights through blog posts for creatively living a word of the year. In our Facebook group, we encourage one another by posting questions and prompts to inspire living out a word focus, keeping a journal etc. It is a safe place to ask for prayer and support. If you would like to connect with others in creative ways about living your word, you can ask to join our Living Your Word of the Year 2020 by clicking on the link below.

Join our Facebook group: Living Your Word of the Year

On social media: #livingyourword2020

To ensure you get updates from Valerie, Mary & I why not subscribe to our blogs.
Mary:  www.foundonbrighton.com
Valerie: www.valeriesjodin.com/blog/
This one: www.newlycreative.com/

Thank you so much for reading this blog, making comments both here and on Facebook and generally staying with me throughout 2019.  I really do appreciate you.


I have posted twice a week throughout the year - on Tuesdays and Saturdays.  I hope that wasn't too much for you.

That said, I write my blog for me and only me.  So if you find things of interest here, it's a bonus.  I don't usually look at the Stats but for the benefit of this post I thought I would.

My most popular post of all time was this one Playing which to my astonishment has had over 11,000 views.  Most of this is down to the fact that someone shared it on Pinterest.

The most popular post in 2019 was Further work in my workbook which received 567 views.   It is astounding to me that so many people are interested in what I do.  Especially, as I've said, I do this for me.

So thank you again to those who find me by chance, those of  you that follow by email or by blog readers or my Facebook page.  I appreciate each and every one of you.

So what is to come in 2020?

More of the same really. 

Photo tutorials.
Recording my creative journey.
The occasional post on mental health.
Photos of my travels - currently only Australia planned for this year.
Living Your Word of the Year

Sometimes I wonder if I should change it up a bit.  But if it isn't broken - why fix it?

If there are things you would like to see on my blog, please let me know in the comments below.

Thank you again for sticking with me
Bernice