Anyway, I'm sharing with you this time my first ever hand-stitched brown paper bag art journal. Wait .... did I say BROWN PAPER BAG!?!?! Yes, you and I got it right. Brown paper shopping bags! I made an art journal out of brown paper bags from National Bookstore, a popular chain of bookshop and school supplies store here in the Philippines. I guess it's not surprising that I have lots of these bags. It's just hard to walk out of that store without any purchase. I mean, admittedly, I really am a heavy stationery/office/school/art supplies consumer. And so are my little girls. NBS is our favorite store and we make it a point to visit a branch every time we go to a mall. So, yes, I do get these brown paper bags every so often. I realize it's not enough that I just use them as mats when I paint; I thought it's time I glorify them with some upcycling movement.
Thanks to Cristina of CreativeMag.ro for the lovely idea. I made my own brown paper bag journal in less than a hour. Seriously. I cut up the brown paper into small sheets without following exact measurements but made sure that they would all end up in approximately similar sizes. I trimmed a few uneven edges before I stitched everything pamphlet-style. Then I secured the binding with wide washi tapes. I've gessoed a few pages in this journal for mixed-media artwork and have done a portrait study. I'll share with you my progress in the next few days ... or weeks!
Blogging resumes in January 2016. Today is going to be a busy day 'cause we're all preparing for New Year's Eve. Happy New Year to all of you! May you always find the Beautiful and the Sacred in the Ordinary.
Hey you there! It's nice to see I got you inspired with that paper bag handmade journal! It's really easy to make and fun to paint on it, you never know what you get. Yours seems to have heavy pages, mine has very thin pages I somehow manage to paint over especially if I use less water, apply acrylic paint for the background or gesso first.
ReplyDeletePlease show us what you've made so far ...have you painted already? How does it feel?
In 2016 I'll have to make more room for art, and I'll have to stick with a very well done schedule. I took my new diary/planner and intend to make a plan for at least the first 3 months in advance with the posts and works that will go live on the blog, otherwise I'll get my head over too much when the baby comes to say ''hi" :) I will probably get them ready in advance and schedule each entry so that everything will flow smoothly. Bottom line, I'll still have to share each entry on social media, as I don't have an automatic tool to do so. And even if I had one, I like to customize each share and adjust the description.
Happy New Year, dear Connie! And let's hope for an amazing 2016 that already started and already showing it's beautiful face! It's freezing in here after having spring temperatures during Christmas, but life is beautiful no matter what, right? You just have to see it from the right perspective.
hugs
xox
Cristina
Yes, I have done two paintings in this journal so far. I'll write about them here soon. I love drawing and painting on the brown paper -- it's like working on toned paper. And, yes, I happen to have thick sheets with a lighter kind of brown. I usually apply gesso when I'm using acrylics.
DeleteI wish you lots of meaningful art in 2016! I'm glad you're taking the time to plan your art-making schedule before and after the baby comes. All the best to you and hubby!!
Can't wait to see your creations into this journal pages, Connie! <3
ReplyDelete