I definitely can feel that I'm in the home stretch with this project. Some thoughts at the moment: It's actually AMAZING what you can get done in just 15 minutes. For many years I've been an advocate of dedicating 10 minutes a day to your art journal. I am often met by skepticism. How much can you do in 10 measly minutes?! But, the answer is a lot! I'm really glad that I pushed through my desire to quit (and thank you to all of you who encouraged me to continue). I don't have a problem with quitting. If something... Read more →

Suzanne (Julie's assistant) here again to share another tutorial with you fine folks. The internet is full of all sorts of paper flower tutorials and projects. Julie recently shared a fabulous one using her ScanNCut to make Rolled Paper Flowers. But today I'm sharing one that features everyday art materials; cardstock, paint, ArtFoamies, TCW Stencils, and a string of led lights. First I layered pastel colored hues of ArtFoamies and stencils randomly on a few sheets of cardstock. Not overlooking that you will see both sides of the paper, so flip the pages as they dry. Cut a spiral out... Read more →

My Dad has collected magic lanterns and optical toys my whole life. You can see some of his beautiful collection on his website. Many years ago he wrote a book on peepshows. Not the seedy kind you're thinking of. Here's a bit of a review of the book he wrote: Peep show connotes cheap, coarse, illicit entertainment, but Balzer points out that a peep show is just "a closed, or semi-closed, box having at least one viewing hole." Originally a medium of itinerant exhibitors, the peep show was popular at fairs and on city streets, where vendors would sing and... Read more →

Hello out there! Here's a little bit about life right now: This is me right now: My current art obsession is: This Julie's Word's stencil: I've been using it all over my faces and paintings and throughout my art journal. My current life obsession is: Sleep Stylers. My Mom saw them on Shark Tank and ordered them for me. Essentially, they're soft rollers you put in your hair at night and then you wake up with pretty curls. I have curls, but if I sleep on wet hair, my hair is usually a hot mess. Therefore I've always been a... Read more →

If you're new to Art Journal Every Day, there is a short introduction here. All of the previous posts can be found archived here. Remember, it's just ten minutes of nourishing your creative self every day! No need to finish anything or even like it. If you've done some art journaling this week, use the hashtag #artjournaleveryday so that we can all take a peek. Even if you're not on social media, you can see everything (from twitter, pinterest, instagram, and facebook) that uses that hashtag here. As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I have fallen in love with... Read more →

This beautiful rolled paper flower is easier to make than you might think! All you need is a few minutes, your ScanNCut, some wire, a few beads, and some adhesive. You can even download the .fcm cutting file for free right HERE. A paper flower is a quick way to dress up any package for gift giving. You could even use the flowers as napkin ring toppers or glue them to a barrette or headband for a pretty hair ornament. I'm even thinking a garland or Christmas ornaments? Really, the only limitation is your imagination! Watch the video for the... Read more →

I recently completed a multi-week acrylic painting class at the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) here in Boston led by artist/instructor Ria Brodell. It wasn't exactly what I wanted it to be, but I'm still glad I took it. My reading of the course description was that we would be using inspiration from the museum's collection to create art in the expressionist style. The first day of class, we did poke around the museum and look at some expressionist work and pre-expressionism inspiration. But, we never did again. This was sad to me. Class was long enough (10:15 am -... Read more →

I recently attended the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) Summer Party. It's a black tie affair. I went shopping for a not black dress. I was literally looking for anything formal that wasn't black. And you know what, not a lot of choices -- especially in my size. So, I did what any artist would do: I painted my own! My dress started as a purple and white floral dress from TJ Maxx. Because I went bargain hunting at TJ Maxx, the dress wasn't completely right. So, I took it to a tailor to have the lace removed from the... Read more →

Who knew that 100 days was so long?! Some thoughts at the moment: This project is killing me. I have seriously thought about quitting it every single day for the past week. I've come so far and yet 100 days is still so far far away. My reasons for wanting to quit have nothing to do with creating a face every single day. Rather, it has to do with the performative aspects of posting a face every single day. Posting so much unfinished and not necessarily "good" art has been tough. Tougher than I would have thought it would be.... Read more →

Today's podcast features a wide ranging conversation with gallerist Abigail Ogilvy about running a gallery, choosing art, and the fine differences between galleries and museums. If you do not see the podcast player above, please click on this link. You can listen to a podcast anywhere and at any time. It is a recording that is available to you whenever you'd like to listen. If you'd like to download it to your iTunes library, click here. You can also pause and rewind or fast forward as you desire. I like to listen to podcasts while I'm making art. It's a... Read more →