What's in Your Stash?

I was watching an old Donna Downey "Inspiration Wednesday" where she drew an image of her studio.  It inspired me to draw an image of my home.  I've been wanting to document this home for a while, but didn't really know how.

Moving around a lot, my kids have never had a permanent home.  While I know that eventually I will be moving out of this home, I want to remember it.  This is the first home we've had that feels like a home.  We've lived here for 3 years now and we all love it.

So, taking the lead from Donna, I decided to draw it.  She also tries new things all the time or goes through her stash and uses stuff just because she has it and has been hording it.  Well, in doing that, I found my set of pastels.  I bought them 2 years ago with good intentions, but never used them.  I also have a ton of Hambly rub-ons that have been waiting for just that perfect thing.  So, I just decided to use them both today, because I can.  

So I started with a fresh white gessoed surface.  I drew a sketch of my home, complete with gardens.  Then I started playing with my pastels.  So much fun!  I haven't done pastel work since high school.  The blending with your fingers, OH, I'm such a mess.  But it made me happy.  

Then I went in with watercolor pencils and a white charcoal pencil to define some areas.  I just kept building layers of color and lines.  Then, choosing this fabulous wood grain rub-on by Hambly, I decided to just use it.  I've had it forever, so why not?  I sprayed some acrylic paint for some splatter effect, and then started adding some stickers.  More supplies un-earthed.  I drew on some accent circles with my black India ink, did a little journaling, and went in with a fine tip sharpie to add more accents to certain parts of the house.

After all this, it still didn't feel done.  I went back into my stash, found some great collage fodder (by Miss Tangie Baxter!) and glued them down to create some flowers.  The stems are ribbon.  More accents drawn with my sharpie paint pens, and the piece was complete!

This was a long painful piece (2 hours!), but I didn't give up.  I just kept on going till I achieved a page that I love.

{title} This Home. | mixed media

Oh!  Guess what?  So the cover of my journal was done at the beginning of the month.  I have to look at it every day and I HATE it.  So, I gessoed over the whole thing!  Yep.  I did it.  I worked on a new cover that I absolutely LOVE.  It fits my word "breathe" so much better.  The old cover was so cluttered and confusing.  This one is clear and simple.

I used a canvas grid and spray painted over it.  Using Tim Holtz's distress ink, I was able to pick up all the great texture and shapes of the previous design.  The letters are felt letters by K&Co.