Lightly on LaBelle

Sunlight & Blue Shade. Images from Toast Catalog. I drew the man, another five-minute, 'Southpaw' drawing challenge, but wanted to paint him more realistically this time. He flips open for journaling, and so does the stairway image. Mosaic Tea. Two lovely photos from a Toast catalog and watercolor paint. The Landowner's Daughter. Magazine image, clip art senorita, my photo of the trees.

On a LaBelle Wave

Pandora's Box. Doesn't this ROCK?!!! Now let me 'splain why ... I did a creativity exercise to make this -- 5 minutes allowed to draw from an inspiration photo, using my NON DOMINANT (left) hand! FIVE MINUTES!! Then five more minutes to color or paint it, and not allowed to use a 'realistic' palette. Ten minutes and this is what came out of me!!! [[Seriously, I rarely seem to do anything this free, this abstract or cool, with my right hand!]] Ciera Leads the Way My fave picture, ever, of Ciera ... the rest of the background just followed. Vintage postcard (1909!) from my collection, papers, etc. Lots of flaps and hidden inserts for journaling. Bergen. This photo turns up a lot on Cam's blog(s), so I figured it must be one she loves. I copped it, true story, and printed it off to use on a page. Altitude. I made a photo copy of Bergen's photo, then used a Copic marker to transfer it so you see it in reverse. Then I did some paper-piecing to re-colorize his cap, t-shirt, shorts, and the soaring blanket! Fireflies. A long-cherished image from a Focus magazine, shot by Keith Carter, 1992. Papers, vintage wallpaper, decoupage tissue paper. Summer Skin. Photo from a Focus magazine - background paper came in my latest Somerset Studio magazine, deco tape, bird photo by Elliot Porter, image folds back for journaling beneath. She Wanted to Go In. Inspired wholly by Cam's blog post, here. All the 'waves' open for journaling. Nature's Herbal Remedies. Paper scrap I doodled on to create a 'villa', image from Ten Two Studios, a little 'journal' created out of the catalog cover, acrylic paint.

Groovin' on LaBelle

Dreaming to the Moon. A Julification page that Cam liked, with just a few Toni touches. LaBelle Parasol. Paint and rubber stamps. The parasol pulls out for journaling on the back. Ticket to Ride. Cam? Dearest? This is NOT meant to be you, except in escapade and attitude, 'k? & possibly hair color. Meanwhile, hands - eesh! Proportions - blimey! FACES - SHITE!! But you know, I sat down and just straight-up painted this, no sketches first, no erasing of any sort, just did it, looking at a magazine photo. And the 'gist' is there, the feeling. There will be more of these.

LaBelle-icious!

I am SO getting my LaBelle journal background groove on -- last night, I listened to a new (to me) Rickie Lee Jones CD THREE TIMES IN A ROW (it's that good, see bottom of post) and just played & played & played. I wrote in my journal this morning, after eyeballing the pages again -- I must work entirely in my right brain when I'm my zone, because when I look at the pages, later, it's like seeing them for the first time with my cognitive brain. I remember the FEELING of the pages but don't remember all the images used until I see them again -- they're that, um, melded into my creative process. Pier 5. Paint, rubber stamp images, deco tape, vintage postcard from my collection, little paper image. Meep Meep! The LaBelle Love Bug visits Toni in the desert. Can ya dig it? VW is a copy machine transfer with copic marker, then painted. Meep! Gifts From and To The Sea. Inspired by the colors of the shells on the tag. A soothing page, to me. This is on a piece of manila folder, and I've already aged/distressed the other side - can't wait to see what I do with that. I never know 'til I get there and get started. Pears. [ya think?] anyway I was trying to get the colors of bosc and regular pears, with the greens and browny-golds ... the right edge made me think of a garden trellis. Reclining. Vintage wallpaper background, vellum envelopes with wee sooprises inside, old button, velvet ribbon, vintage photo from a collection. I could really see this wallpaper in the room our reclining heroine is in, here! I chose her because her dress looks like a mermaid tail, doesn't it? Designed and Produced. Those words are from a fabric swatch ... various paper bits, little folder. This is one of my Julification backgrounds that had the dark strip up the center. Looks better now. Cat's Eye. Leftover paint from my palette (cool!), swirly stamps, tag, twine, cat's eye circle on a big brad!
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Rickie Lee Jones, Evening of My Best Day
And for anyone who buys used from Amazon, the seller GOHASTINGS rocks my world -- turbo mailing, items are ALWAYS as they describe them, they take care with how they package their stuff ... I always look for them, now, and will pay more for something if they have it.

Gettin' Busy with LaBelle

Love Is a Verb. Magazine image, wallpaper scrap, acrylic paint, rubber stamps. The artist Angela Cartwright does a LOT of painting onto photographs, imprinting rubber stamp images, etc., and I love that technique! Wish Whisper. Images from Mary Mata and Tuscan Rose, scraps, journal stickers, tags. Sheer. Photo by Steve Diet Goedde from a collection I have. Background papers and paints, glass paint on photo. Kind of a dreamy image ... Samurai. Postage stamps, odd papers, rubber stamps. The green/blue vellum sheet opens for journaling, and the bottom strip is actually a pocket for -- whatever! Beautiful. One of my Julification pages which I didn't initially like much. Pink, and all. Add painting and words, though ... what a difference!

LaBelle Journal ... movin' slowly

This is the new journal I'm working on -- slowly, as my Julification class is Priority 1, and now the England trip is only a little over 3 weeks away. Staccato. Flash cards (from Beth) with tags on the backs of those, tucked in the pocket. Patterns. The red patterned piece lifts for journaling beneath. Delta. These were copy machine images transferred with a copic marker. Overlaid a clear sheet on the right for journaling atop ... this is Bobby Gentry on the Tallahatchee Bridge, from the song ... I love the song.

La Belle Journal

I've started the backgrounds for a new journal. This time, I'm working on loose heavy bond sheets, which I'll bind at the END of completing the backgrounds. I want to try wire-binding for easier opening, and access for writing (lay flat!) I've been working on these since I mailed off My Queen, Holly's completed journal. Words. Windblown. Vandalia. Up At the Villa Totally Strong. Timeless Beauty. One of my first 3 Julification attempts, which I despised, and look at it now. Wowza. Summer Sunday. Shabby Chandelier. Moonscape. (one of my Julification pages). Ciera found this brochure/booklet thingie in the neighbor's yard (vacant house), perfectly weathered, splattered, paint smeared ... so I used one of the pages here. (Thanks, Ciera Beara!) Ledger Laundry. June. Hello? Garden. Dragonfly. Creme de Menthe. Candy Wrappers.