Burning Heart

I got inspired by Pave Maijanen's song "Palava sydän" (burning heart). I used sewing machine and handmade papers for this. This is also available as print in DeviantArt, I've added few of my photos and collages there too.

This was the first time I used my sewing machine after moving to the new home in December. I think that even if I sewed paper I am heading towards textiles. I have some new ideas and they relate to fabric.

Burning heart - that's what I really have nowadays. My heart is burning for creativity, it is so wonderful to see art and make art. It makes my life worth living. I hope that you feel the same way too!

Treasure Box

I needed a new, larger box for my handmade papers. First I went shopping to the shopping centre trying to find a suitable cardboard box. Did not like anything I saw. Then I went online to find a pretty tin container. Could not find one either. The world is full of boxes but nothing pleased me.

Finally I noticed a box on my shelf that I have got with a present and had not thrown it away because of its sturdiness. Well it only took a couple of hours to make the collage on the top!

Now when I open it, it is full of my little treasures. Pieces of papers that I have doodled on!

Painted Pottery

It all started with the two flower pots that I found at the antique flea market. I found them so inspiring! Then it continued with the few drops of wood stain that were left in the jar after some home renovation. I made some patterned papers by combining the stain with the watercolor pencils. Then I had to scan them just to see how they looked like at the computer. And then it all got out of hand ...

I made a digital scrapbooking page about the pots.

But before that I made my own kit.

It is available for you for free. Just remember: just for personal pages, no commercial use, no alterations.

Painted Pottery Digital Scrapbooking Kit (large zip file, over 17 MB)

Art Journaling With Bad Taste

I have many strict rules. Let's just say my mother was strict and I inherited the personality. However, there is a little rebel inside me. Today, I got this stupid idea of cutting letters from magazines and incorporate them to my art journal. I tried to get rid of the thought of ruining all my handmade papers by glueing cheap lettering on them.

If you have read art journaling literature you recognize that I had a conversation with my "Inner Critic". I strongly believe in inner criticism and I am actually pretty fond of my Inner Critic. She always knows what's best for me and the life with her is very simple: toss toss toss away... No second thoughts.

But today I had the day off from work and my Inner Critic was feeling lazy too. So I did it, grabbed the scissors and chose carelessly the words "Talo" (house) and "Valo" (light). It sounded like a small poem and suited to my mood as I was enjoying our new home and all the light that comes through its huge windows.

Needless to say the page did not really satisfy my Inner Critic. But as it was made to a Moleskine journal and it was difficult to tear the page off without breaking up the journal, she decided that the page would be treated as an evidence of bad taste that anybody can have in their weak moments.

Sales Table

I am going to a small crafts event tomorrow and here's the most of my sales table. Fabrics, cards and decorated papers. It has been fun to gather them all together and it will be fun to attend the event, sales or no sales!

Colorful Music

This art journal page is called "This is how I see the music". It is inspired by my favorite artist Tracy Chapman. For me, music is a very visual experience. I see lines, shapes and colors when I listen to it.

Speaking of Tracy Chapman, I made a scrapbooking layout last summer about me listening to her music. This was my very first digi layout, the template is by Cathy Zielske.