New Year, New Journal

   Hi everyone. Happy Friday. We're wrapping up the first partial week of 2025, and the first weekend of the new year is about here too. I need to work on taking down the holiday decorations and then I have some cleaning to do too, like my art space which is one giant disaster zone. I am  too embarrassed to share how it looks though. 😏

   However, the start of the new year means the start of a new daily journal. My journal is a combo of writing, doodling, lists, new words I've discovered, appointments, lists of books I've read and many other things. I like keeping a paper journal because if I ever need to go back and look for something, like say a paint color, the info would be recorded in my journal.

    By the end of the year my journal is pretty full. Here's my front and back covers and then the inner covers too from my now finished 2024 book.

                      

     You might have noticed that I used a Hobonichi journal. They're a bit on the expensive side, but since I only need to buy one a year, I splurge. I've tried many other journals, but they either don't have paper that holds up very well or strangely, when I used Moleskins for a couple of years, during the summer humidity the paper seemed to suddenly become transparent to both sides, like the ink leaked through without actually leaking through. There was a ghostly pinkish outline from my black pen on the opposite sides of each page, and since I use both sides, it became hard to read. I've been happy with how the Hobonichi holds up so for the past couple of years and the see through quality isn't  bad for such thin paper so that's what I used in 2024 and will use again in 2025.

    It''s Friday Face Off over at Nicole's blog and it's Friday's Lunch Break over at Gillena's blog so I thought this week since I'm writing about my journal I'd share a few faces I drew in it from 2024. 

 

      Let me first explain that I don't really have the patience or time to spend hours each day drawing something, so all of these are fast sketches mostly to remind me about something that happened on that day. Sometimes they come out great, and sometimes not so much. They are what they are, and I definitely learn from my mistakes. I've also learned to accept my drawing ability as it is. My journal is A5 size (about 5x8 inches or 148 x 210 mm) so all of these drawings are small, which can be more difficult sometimes. And yes, I have messy penmanship too. 😏

And finally, since it is now 2025, it's time for a fresh new journal. It's always exciting to start a new journal.

Have a great first weekend of 2025.

A 2024 Look Back

     Hi everyone Happy January 2.  It is time for Second on the Second over at Bleubeard's and Elizabeth's blog. Since it is the start of the new year and I've been doing some looking back before I move forward, I thought for this Second on the Second I would share some of my most favorite pieces I made in 2024.

     And let me apologize in advance for this long post and that blogger wasn't being the most cooperative when I went to center my photos. 😒

January was a toss up between these 2 for my It's On the Calendar AJJ challenge.

                    

For February I have a page I made for Vicky's Keeping it Light challenge at AJJ, a page (although I could have shared a lot more) from my Harry Potter World travel book after a little trip to Universal Studios Florida in late January, as well as a card I made for a Try It On Tuesday spotlight challenge that I really struggled with but like the result a lot.

                  

In March I was off for 10 days in Greece, but I still managed to make 3 favorites. There was a stencil piece for Try It On Tuesday, a pup piece for Chris' On 4 Legs challenge at AJJ, and then a spring piece that I used for both of these challenges and which I salvaged a page I didn't really like at all.

                  

In April there were a lot of Greece travel journal pages  and then this fun kite page for Valerie's Geometry challenge at AJJ.   I stayed up in the air with this balloon page for a Try It on Tuesday challenge. April was a busy month between going to Vermont to see the total solar Eclipse and spending Patriots Day with my daughter there too, as well as the start to garden season.

               

    In May, Valerie and I shared Poetry as an AJJ theme. My left hand piece was a page for both that challenge and one at Try It On Tuesday.  The 3 ATCs were for a Try It On Tuesday Small Things challenge.  

   

In June there were more Greece travel journal pages that also worked for Matilde's What Makes You Happy AJJ challenge. There was also a tag for Tag Tuesday and some pages for Try It On Tuesday.

   

                   

                         

      

        

               

July and August were busy between working 2 mornings at the lake, boating with my husband, and time at his Mom's house on  that lake. There's art for both Halle's Sewing challenge and Jo's Wonderfully Wild challenges at AJJ, some seashore tags, a finished Greece travel journal, some leaf Gelli prints and a little tiny summer book.

           

                     

                   

         

          

In September it was time to work on an autumn harvest book, join into Aimeslee's Anything Goes challenge at AJJ, and make a colorful page for Try It On Tuesday. It was also a busy month with apple picking, a trip to Gaspe in Canada, an artist lead art sculpture walk plus getting together with some friends.

       

        

October is a favorite month, and my autumn journal book pages were perfect for Alison's Autumn Colors challenge at AJJ. I also like this penguin tag for Tag Tuesday. Plus there were northern lights and a comet last scene in the time of the Neanderthals. 

                

November meant more walking including getting back to the beach. The beach was also the theme for some of my art for Wendy's On, By or Near the Sea challenge at AJJ. I also finished up my Quebec travel journal and made a fun tag. I liked my Sparkle All the Way challenge piece for Try It On Tuesday. And in life, my greenhouse was put up. Hurrah.

             

           

           

And finally we can wrap up December with some holiday outings. Art wise there were some tags foe a Traditional Christmas challenge at TIOT and also another set of these ornament tags for Tag Tuesday. I was (for the second time this year) a guest designer at Creative Artiste Mixed Media Blog, and I really enjoyed making Snow pages for Sharon's theme at AJJ. Plus I made a holiday/winter themed book filled with lots of greenery, which I shared a couple of pages to on my blog.

         

               

              

It was a rich and fulfilling  year for me. I'm excited to play and to do some art exploring in 2025. 

I hope your 2025 is filled with whatever activities you love.