Digital Art Journaling Hit Me!

It really hit me hard: digital art journaling! I have enjoyed digital scrapbooking for quite a while but now I have tried digital art journaling. Oh, I love it!

Part of the enjoyment has been Tangie Baxter's Art Journal Caravan which I joined few days ago. She organizes challenges that really challenge both intellectual and creative sides of the brain.

I know that there are digital art journaling elements for sale as digital scrapbooking supplies but I have a huge strorage of my own stuff so these are all my own copyright. 

The challenge: Impervious. My interpretation: Impervious to sadness.

The challenge: Game of Life. My interpretation: The checkers game with the logical and the intuitive parts of me. 

The challenge: Apolaustic. My interpretation deals with the controversal issues of the word.

A Nature Inspired Pattern

This is my second pattern on the pattern design course.

We were given instructions to take certain kind of photos on one day. Then on the other day we picked one favorite photo and started sketching based on that.

The instructions for making various kind of sketches were pretty good. Here's my photo where the inspiration for the pattern came from. I think the similarity is quite noticeable.

The process was very fast for me. I haven't been feeling fell and had a flu, so I just did barely what was asked. I really feel that the pattern design is something where I want to develop though! I try to put more energy into the next assignments.

Starting with Simple Things

Here's my first exercise for the Pattern Design Course: die cut circles on a painted background. This is terrible simple for me, it felt awful to leave it like this!

Ornaments All Over The Place

The Rise of Ornaments

I have been making this collage piece by piece and it's finally finished. What can I say, I am hooked in ornaments of all kinds and new ones burst from my mind every day.

My next goal is to design a new line of fabrics. I have prepared for it by signing up Rachael Taylor's pattern design course. I hope that the course will keep me motivated to do the task! Not that it's unpleasant one, but even if I love designing patterns, it is also hard work and requires a lot of thinking.

I have got a lot of new visitors this month. Thank you! It means a lot to me to share all this with you!

How I Survived a Scrapbooking Marathon

In September I attended a scrapbooking marathon, organized by Big Picture Classes with Lain Ehmann as an instructor. The marathon lasted 26 days and you were supposed to make 26 layouts, one each day.

I was busy with a craft fair for the first two weeks so I started 14 days later than the others, determined to make all 26 layouts. My advice: don't do like I did if you ever attend this kind of challenge, start in time - no start ahead if you can! I had to make 2 to 3 layouts each day. Sounds impossible for someone who has a day job and who usually makes one layout in 4 to 6 hours!

But I did it! I accomplished 26 layouts in 12 days! How did I do it?

1) Scrapped in digi. I scrapped 23 digital layouts and only 3 on paper. Digital scrapbooking is so much faster!

2) Found photos easily. My photos are pretty organized. I star them using Stacy Julian's method: I give 3 stars for those that I want to scrap, and 2 start for those I might scrap. I also use a limited number of keywords to tag them and have created plenty of smart albums (albums with predefined rules) in iPhoto.

3) Made some smaller sized layouts. 5 of the layouts were in 8 by 8 size. I usually scrap in 12 by 12 inches but I discovered a new concept with 8 by 8 size. I use only one photo on the page. The subject of the page is "Today". The photo is taken on the same day that I scrap it. I write about miscellaneous stuff connected with that day. This concept suits so well with my life! I might take an odd photo with iPhone, then just go to my computer and scrap the page. I have made plenty of these after the marathon and it is one of the greatest discovery for me provided by the challenge.

Here are a couple of the layouts I am particularly proud of.

I am a terrible cook but as everyone in scrapbooking is crazy over cupcakes and there are so many designs to got with cupcake photos, I baked some! And the cherries on top are from the cherry tree in our garden! The digital elements are from Mary Pop's kit I heart Sweets.

The guidance for the last day was to let go and do something wild and break the rules of scrapbooking. I decided to use my own elements only, few photos, a poem written by myself many years ago and some doodling. It all came so easy, knowing then that I am passing the finish line!

A Happy Organizer

I am attending two great online courses at the moment, both in the area of scrapbooking. They are produced by Big Picture Classes. The first course is Stacy Julian's Library of Memories. It is about how to keep up with photos and stories. I have managed to organize my scrapbook pages plus 4500 digital photos within few weeks!

Another great course that has put me organize my stuff is Lain Ehmann's Mother LOAD. It prepares for 26 days scrapbooking marathon. I made this layout about my scrapbooking space as the first week's assignment. I think it's pretty cozy but actually it's only temporary as we have been renovating the library room at our house and once my table arrives, I will move my scrapbooking stuff there. The real library of memories and the place to scrapbook, I am so happy about it!!

Last week's theme at Lain's course was putting all the scrapbooking stuff in good order. I am pretty organized in that sector but after going through my die cuts and odd alphabets I got this idea. I put them all together in separate divisions of one plastic container. I love this arrangement, it's so practical! If you have problems with handling the small stuff, try this!

Here's my layout for week 2 of Lain's course. It's about how my dog Cosmo makes my life happy. I think both of these layouts really show the happiness. Well, on summer holiday, it's so easy to be content and happy!

More ATCs, made in the middle of summer nights. I love to stay up late and play with paints and doodles.

During the days, I have been dyeing yarn and wool! Here's some tussah silk and bluefaced leicester wool blend. Happy colors here too.

Back to Colorful and Complicated

This is my last assignment for the Composition for Collage course. It's a collage, mostly built around one small picture. The colors here can be a bit overwhelming but after those black and white ones I have made lately, I could not resist using really vivid colors.

There's so much going on in this work. It's like my head at the moment. Ideas after ideas. What I really want to do next is something pretty graphic. Like this one, maybe you recognize that I have used pieces of this in the collage.

This is an old background where I have changed the colors with Photoshop. And it looks very much like Marimekko, so Finnish, I think. My intention is not really imitate anything. I just want to play and doodle and encourage others do the same. Have fun and see what the result will be.

Before my designer studies I always questioned what I created. I thought that studying will teach me question even more. However I work now much more intuitively and freely. And especially recently I have really started to leave behind my inner critic. Life is so full of things, there's room for everybody. Why not draw what comes naturally, and enjoy the process!

My final thought's about the collage course: I really loved it's clear structure (one type of composition each week) and especially the teacher's comments. The teacher, Claudine Hellmuth, commented each work uploaded in the gallery. I think that's exceptional and very educational too!

Creative Dreams

Here's my third completed assignment for the course Composition for Collage. I have decided to call this "Generation Gap".

I love doodling and playing with inks and could not help it here, it almost got out of hand. When my summer vacation starts within a week, I promise, it will totally get loose. I will be doodling and splashing ink all day and night!

I have ordered a new book of collage: Collage Couture. I am so looking forward having this! Based on the reviews and sample pages it will be a good addition to my collection of inspirational books.

Your Style Is My Style

Another home assignment for Composition for Collage course. The idea of trying to use the downloads provided, felt terrible at first. Not my style, period. That's too mildly put. I actually hate most of the pictures I have downloaded. And the recommendations of using the white space - those are the worst.

Last week was pure agony. This week my thoughts have began to change. I actually enjoyed making this collage, with white space and all.

We people truly are quite flexible beings once we get out of the personal fixations. There's so much we can be and so many different things we can create. It would be silly just to draw similar lines or circles day after day. And it is not too adventurous to leave that white space. Sometimes, at least!

Out of The Comfort Zone

I am attending Claudine Hellmuth's online course called Composition for Collage. Here's the first exercise, the theme was asymmetry. I used the images that where downloadable from the classroom.

I am so out of my comfort zone here! Not because of the idea of composition but because of these type of collages are not me at all. But in the end this is exactly why I attend courses once in a while. It is good to get forced to make something different. Hopefully after the weeks of homework I can find something new to add to my own style.

Playing With Faces

As mentioned in the January blog post, I am attending Traci Bautista's FASHIONISTA! art course and here's the exercise where we draw the fashionable face with markers.

I try not to take the course very seriously but just enjoy and play with pens and paints. This reminds me of my childhood. When I was a child I used to draw hundreds of faces and give them names and families. It was a bit like playing with paper dolls. I could entertain myself for hours. Well, I still can spend hours and hours drawing this and that, so no change there!

The Beginning of Fashion February

I am slowly recovering moving to a new house and starting creative work by attending Traci Bautista's FASHIONista! workshop. It is about making drawings inspired by fashion. I am celebrating the coming month by naming it Fashion February! You will see my interpretations of fashionistas, join to make a few of your own! I started by watching America's Next Top Model and Dolce & Gabbana's advertising and here's the first one!

Handmade Business Cards

As a participant of Discovering Y.O.U art marketing course I was encourage to try to make my own business card. I was a bit pessimistic first, but making these was so much fun!


It all started with the stamp I had ordered from Vistaprint.

The stamped text box is nothing artistic but the it hit me. I am going to paint and draw the image on the other side. I took an old sheet of blank business cards and started painting. As I also make textiles, especially knits, I wanted to have some of them in the card too. I took few balls of handdyed yarns and made some samples of them. What do you think about the result?

My art journal has got a couple of new pages. These are inspired by interior decoration and gardening magazines.

Dreaming Big and Art Journaling

I am currently attending Traci Bautista's e-course called "Discovering Y.O.U." It is about marketing your art and it includes exercises that are meant to put together into an art journal.

I am pretty organized person and just could not crab some odd pages in different sizes as it was suggested. Instead, I chose an old book from my book shelf, downloaded Altered Books Tutorial from PaperClipping.com (which happened to be for sale just at that time) and started converting the book to the journal.

The book became very overwhelming in patterns and all. But it's so me, so I think it's ok. The papers and decorations are all my designs.

Here's the front cover:

And here's the back cover:

If you haven't seen enough patterning yet, here's the inside back cover. I have to take a deep breath before opening it!

First pages:

The exercises require quite a lot of thinking. Like this one: creating your own artist mission statement.

While making this I am constantly meeting the person I am most familiar with: my inner critic. She can be very discouraging, to be honest. Compared to scrapbooking, art journaling goes much deeper, and I almost hate it! My inner critic wants everything be controlled, black and white, clear-shaped ... bla bla bla.

When she's off, I browse the wildly patterned papers I've made for the book, giggling! How serious art journaling should be - I don't know! I am a total beginner in it!

Using Predefined Colors

Here's a layout I made using the colors given in Scrap Camp pre-class assignment. This is about my dogs and how they have to wait for us to come home, get fed and taken out for a walk. It is heart-breaking to leave them every morning when going to work!

Tein tämän sivun Scrap Camp -kurssin ennakkotehtävänä. Siinä piti skräpätä käyttäen annettuja värejä. Värit oli valittu alla olevasta kuvasta ja annettu väriruutuina.

Here's the given predefined color palette, inspired by the picture.

I have to mention that as I love animals, I love Basic Grey's new line Max & Whiskers. Finally something really appropriate for the layouts about animals. Love, love love it!

Eläinrakkaiden skräppialbumeihin sopii hyvin Basic Greyn uusi Max & Whiskers. Suomessa sitä saa ainakin Paperikierteestä. Aivan ihana minusta! Naiivi, mutta en mahda mitään, että vetoaa minuun ja sopii niin hyvin eläinaiheisiin sivuihin (joita minulla on lukuisia ja joita tulee vielä lukuisia).

Using Cake Paper and Two Languages

As I have both english and finnish speaking readers I have decided to change this blog bilingual. My aim is not to translate every word but include both english and finnish in every post now on. Feel free to leave comment in either of the two languages.


Koska blogillani on myös suomenkielisiä lukijoita, kirjoitan vastedes osan merkinnöistäni suomeksi. En käännä sanasta sanaan, vaan kirjoittelen vapaasti. Kommentoida voi molemmilla kielillä.
Here's a layout which I made for this week's Inspiroidu scrapbooking challenge. The challenge was to use any stuff found in kitchen. I immediately knew I had to use this cake paper as I had just read instructions from May Flaum how to use die cut circles for a page. She advised to cut them in two pieces and use the other one for the photo and the other for the journaling. This page is about my african violets!


Osallistun tämän viikon Inspiroidu-haasteeseen tällä sivulla, jossa esittelen saint paulia -innostustani. Sain idean käyttää kakkupapereita May Flaumin ohjeesta, jossa hän neuvoi halkaisemaan ympyrän muotoisen skräppipaperin ja sijoittamaan tekstin toiseen ja kuvan toiseen puoliskoon.


Speaking of May Flaum I will be attending her scrapbooking class called Scrap Camp at Big Picture Scrapbooking. I have very high expectations as I was so pleased with my previous class, Textuality by Amy Sorensen.


Olen ilmoittautunut May Flaumin pitämälle verkkokurssille, jonka nimi on Scrap Camp. Sen järjestää Big Picture Scrapbooking ja odotukset on aika korkealla. Osallistuin keväällä Amy Sorensenin Textuality -kurssille ja se oli aivan huippu. Voin melkein lajitella tekemäni sivut kurssia ennen tehtyihin ja kurssin jälkeisiin.

Doodling at Creative Doodles

I am attending Traci Bautista's online course called Creative Doodles. The picture shows my first weeks exercises. This course is so much fun! Filled with videos and colorful ground material for the exercises.

I have been a big fan of Traci since her book "Collage Unleashed" was published. Her style is something I can really relate to. The book is one of the most inspirational books I have ever seen. If you haven't got it yet, I really recommend it!

Text, Photos and Scrapping

A scrapbook page "April in Pictures".

In April I participated Picture Spring course organized by Big Picture Scrapbooking. I think it was more about stretching the creativity by completing the assignments than really learning about photography. I do not recommend this kind of course for someone who does not know much about how to adjust the camera as the course was merely a daily challenge than anything educational. Luckily I was familiar with all the basic settings of my SLR camera so that was not a big problem for me. And, I got few really nice photos during April and I am pretty pleased with the result. I really put a lot of effort for taking photos and shoot thousands of photos (really!) during April. My daily picks can be found in my Flickr folder.

Now I am taking part of another course, Textuality. It focuses on writing and is just wonderful. Very educational and full of instructions and examples. Here's one of the exercises I have completed, it's about our kitchen and it is filled with text! The photo has been taken in April - I have so much photos now to use on the layouts!

A scrapbook page "Our Kitchen and How We Would Change It"

I especially like the colors of this layout.

I am taking part of this week's Inspiroidu challenge with these two layouts as I also made them to match this week's theme: using a big alpahabet in the beginning of the title.

A scrapbook page "Why I Love Peonies".

Above is the first layout I made for Textuality - and a bit of the mess I make when I scrap! I have always enjoyed writing but have not really realized the opportunities to use a lot of journaling for scrapping. I intend to improve my layouts not only by taking better photos but also by adding more text and meaning for them.

Doodling, sewing and photographing

The front page of the deco "Flower Doodles".


I have been doodling a lot lately. It seems that the more I make drawings at my day job, the more I want to grab the pen on my spare time too.



A Greeting Card.


I have also been really excited about using little pieces of paper for paper patchwork. In this card I have combined both doodling and patchwork. It is so much fun to "sew" with the pen!



A page for the Free Expression deco.


Third thing that I am so into right now is photographing. I am currently attending an online photographing course called Picture Spring. Taking photos each day is a good way to study light and it really has had an impact on my collage work as well. The course lasts the whole April and if you want to follow my shoots, bookmark my Picture Spring folder at Flickr.