Journal Love

I love art journaling—no surprise to you, I realize!  There’s something so satisfying about the assembling of a page—just having fun—with no idea, most of the time, what it’s ultimate purpose will be…

I love using vintage ladies and antique china dolls to illustrate my thoughts.  I don’t know why—they just make me happy.  I’ll often hold up a page to my daughters and ask, “What does she want to say?”  Sometimes I just already know…

 

Using old book pages is so very wonderful.  The texture, the type, the way the paper absorbs your ink—everything about it is different from modern paper…and I love it.

The using of wise words found in the writings of others that have gone before me makes me happy.  As I look through my completed journals, their words remind me of things that were important to me that particular day—things that I know I need to improve on in my life…

We all need little reminders as we go throughout our days, don’t we?!

Keeping these journals helps me to do just that…

…while enjoying a happy, inky, gluey, painty mess all at the same time!

{luminously beautiful portrait of the young Queen Victoria}

See you soon with something new.

Julie

LiveJournal Tags: art journal,thoughts,improvement,vintage,portraits,china dolls,courage,love,persistance

Being Better

What if you realized you didn’t have become perfect all at once?  With one monumental leap?  Today or tomorrow?

What if we all came to realize that the pathway to being a better person came step by step?  Choice by choice—kind act by kind act?

What if we all realized that the only person we should compete with…is ourselves?  Would that change the way we did things?

Little by little.  Step by step.  Decision by decision.  Until, at last, we realize that we have become—slowly, day by day--more like the person we really want to be. 

Julie

LiveJournal Tags: art journal,improvement,perfection,choices,silhouettes

Grateful

Aahhhh….a beautiful, rainy morning!  I always love those—but especially now.  We haven’t seen many of them in California this year—and we desperately need them.  So grateful…

I’ve been thinking this week of other things I’m grateful for.  The examples of strong, principled people, for one…

They’re there—always present.  Sometimes they’re just quietly doing what they know is right.  They’re not standing on a stage or platform…aren’t speaking into a microphone…but they are standing…

They’re the ones that are quietly, steadily encouraging you to keep moving—to keep going forward—with a positive attitude…with joy in your heart and a sparkle in you eye…

 

They’re the ones that are cheerful and hopeful—even in the world we live in today where so much is hard and discouraging.  They’re the ones telling you to keep a dream in your heart and to never give up…

I’m so grateful for these people—those that have gone before me, those that are here with me now…my own children.  I’m so grateful.

 

SO grateful that my oldest daughter is under our roof once again for the first time in a year and a half {she was sweetly & unselfishly serving a mission for our Church}…

And I’m so very happy that it’s a lovely, rainy day…

Julie

LiveJournal Tags: art journal,character,positive,encouragement,dreams,joy,example,strength