Tag Archives: Doodles

Nothing Domestic About Her!

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Nothing Domestic About Her

 

Hello friends!

I hope all is good with you, I am fine and well.

I am a bit tired today as I was busy at the local library all day yesterday with an exhibition on local history and talking to people about how they can use archive material for research and also how they can create their own archives using scrapbooks, journals, memory and story boxes.  It was a great day, but I was on my feet all the time and they hurt by the the time we had to pack up and transport almost everything back to where it came from.  We left one big display board up and that will stay at the library until Christmas.  Anyway it was another success for the local history group Ryde Social Heritage Group.  I am so proud to work with such a fun and enthusiastic group of people.

I have started thinking about Christmas and some things that I might make for people who are close to me.   I just hope I have time to complete them all before the deadline. Christmas always has a way of sneaking up on me before I am ready for it.

I got some copies of Amy Johnson’s book Being Human on Friday and my artwork looks good in black and white.  Amy also sent me a Kindle version so I can see what it looks like in full colour (much better).  Either way I am pleased just to be part of this book and I have set up a page so you can see all the images in one place.  It was a great project to work on and I am so grateful to have had this opportunity.  The publication date has also solved a lot of my Christmas present problems for this year, so I need to order some more soon 🙂

The page above is page 7 from my 5th Teesha Moore inspired art journal.  I am not sure where the quote comes from or who to attribute it to, but I think it’s an excellent description of women.

Have a great week

Big love

AJ 🙂

 

© Janette Gregson and ajsartjournal, 2013 unless otherwise stated. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Janette Gregson and ajsartjournal with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

 

 

 

Wild Woman

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Wild Woman

Hello friends!

I hope all is good in your part of the world.

I apologise I went AWOL again for a while mainly because I’ve been feeling a little unwell again.  Nothing too serious, just a bit out of sorts.

So the big storm came and went and thankfully we had no damage here, although other places did not fare so well.  I think I slept through the worst of it anyway.  Despite having hurt my back last time I blogged I decided to do the housework anyway and managed to vacuum most of the house that day.  Movement seems to do it good but it’s taken longer than I expected to recover and I am still getting slight twinges even now.

A week ago today I felt very lethargic and instead of updating my blog I sat and watched television for a couple of hours, that on it’s own should have informed me that all was not well, because I never watch television!  I got through the week and I wasn’t unhappy, just feeling kind of dull.  Then on Saturday I had another massive migraine and spent the whole day in bed trying not to be sick because that just made my head thump even more. On Sunday the pain had gone and I was able to do a couple of hours work with some friends on the next exhibition for the local history group and afterwards I visited my Mum and Dad for a short time.

I think I have finally worked out what is causing the migraines and I just need to figure out how to fix that problem and I’ll be back on track again 🙂  I hate losing whole days like that because I always have far more to do than I can easily cope with and laying in bed for a day means that the ‘stuff to do’ just keeps stacking up.  Fortunately I have managed not to get stressed out about this.  I feel like I’m not being very creative at the moment, but the reality is I am always doodling or painting or cutting and sticking something and really there is no law that says I have to create everyday – it’s just that I feel more complete if I do.

The page above is page 6 of my 5th Teesha Moore inspired journal which I completed a few months ago.  The quote is from Women Who Run With Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes and I dedicate the page to all the wild women I’ve had the pleasure to meet in my life.

Have a great week and I hope to be back again soon.

Big love

AJ 🙂

© Janette Gregson and ajsartjournal, 2013 unless otherwise stated. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Janette Gregson and ajsartjournal with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

True Love

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True Love

 

Hello Friends

Hope your weekend is going well.  We are expecting a BIG storm here tonight, but at the moment the sun is shining and, although it’s blustery, it’s hard to imagine what it will be like tonight. I went out in the garden this morning to move some things I thought might get blown away if there are really strong winds.

One of the things I moved was a ridiculous wicker pig-shaped plant holder, and as I bent down to pick it up I felt a clicking in my back followed by PAIN! So now my back is very sore and I’m using that as an excuse not to do any housework today!

The page above is from my 5th Teesha Moore inspired journal and, as you can see, it’s about True Love. I was fortunate to meet my true love and soul mate when I was 15 years old and we’ve been together ever since (and that’s a really long time)!

Yesterday I took my parents to a party to celebrate someone’s 60th Wedding Anniversary. My Dad was (stand-in) Best Man at that wedding. The real Best Man got delayed with his travel arrangements so Dad was persuaded to step in at the last minute.  The hostess gave a lovely speech yesterday and thanked Dad for being best man, but he’s so deaf he didn’t hear a word of it!

My parents have been married for 63 years and, despite the fact that they bicker frequently, they still adore each other.

Me and T are never going to have a 60th, 50th or even 30th Wedding Anniversary because we had already been together for 37 years before we decided to get married in 2007. Even then I was only persuaded because we were on a tropical island paradise on the other side of the world.  We had a great wedding, there were only 6 of us there including the minister. We were on top of Mount Dillon overlooking Castara Bay in beautiful, sunny Tobago, the sun was going down and there was a rainbow in the sky. We didn’t have to make any ridiculous vows or promises either just affirm our love for each other.  It was touching, emotional and magical.

Have a great week everyone and I’ll see you soon. I have decided that if the wind is as strong as they say it’s going to be tonight, I am going to sleep downstairs.  One of the disadvantages of living on top of a hill is that there’s not much to protect us from the wind and it will be safer on the ground floor.

Be safe

Big love

AJ 🙂

 

 

© Janette Gregson and ajsartjournal, 2013 unless otherwise stated. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Janette Gregson and ajsartjournal with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

She Made Up A Story…

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She made up a storyHello friends!

It’s mid week and I am feeling better.  We had a fantastic storm here last night, lots of lightning and thunder followed by heavy rain and today by lunchtime, when I went out for my walk, the sun was shining 🙂

Above is the last page I made to illustrate Dr Amy Johnson‘s book Being Human, which should be available by the end of November, and hopefully we will be able to get it on Amazon UK – I’ll let you know as soon as I know.  This page has Amy’s daughter Willow, her son Miller, their pet dog and my own photographs making up the rest of the collage elements.  The section of the book it illustrates is about how we tell ourselves stories and then after a while if we are not careful we start believing them.

I told myself that I was going to get in to trouble at work because I was too sick to phone up on Friday to say I was too sick to go to work.  I was quite anxious on Monday morning when I phoned my manager (who works in a different location to me) to tell him, but he was cool.  He asked if I was OK and said I was not to worry about it.

Today I volunteered to attend some training on how to give presentations to schools and groups about the industry I work for.  Apart from anything else it will mean that sometimes I get to do something other than sitting at a computer all day inputting data 🙂  I already give presentations for my local history group so talking in front of people is not a problem for me and who knows I may pick up some new tips and ideas.

Have a great rest of the week and I’ll see you soon.

Big love

AJ 🙂

© Janette Gregson and ajsartjournal, 2013 unless otherwise stated. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Janette Gregson and ajsartjournal with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Revel in the Experience of Being Alive

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Revel in the experience of being alive

 

Hello friends!

It’s mid week and I’ve had a very strange day, well not entirely but a couple of weird things happened.  I think the appropriate term for them is ‘Senior Moments’!

I was running a bit late this morning and rushed out of the house only to realised that I had locked myself out and my house and car keys were still inside.  It was raining and cold. Still never mind, I thought, T is home, still in bed, and he spoke to me just before I left so he’s not in deep sleep, I just need to wake him up.  It was almost an hour before he finally came down stairs in a daze and asked me what I was doing on the door-step.  In all that time I had been banging on the door and phoning the house phone constantly.  Fortunately the porch is covered so I was able to keep out of the rain and I had a cat for company most of the time.

So I was late for work, not a good start to the day!  The day at work went OK and I managed to get all my work done.  My job means that I just sit at a computer all day long so at lunch time I always try and get out for a walk.  As I was putting my coat on at lunchtime one of my colleagues told me I was mad as it was pouring with rain, but I said ‘It’s only water and besides I need to stretch my legs”.  By the time I got to the door the sun had come out and I had an enjoyable break.

This evening after work we went to get the weekly shopping, on the way we had to pick up Mum and Dad as they wanted to shop too, and also collect a parcel from the depot (because it wouldn’t fit through the letterbox).  We got to the store, parked the car and then I realised I didn’t have my handbag.  So while they went in and did the shopping I drove home again and collected my bag which I had left in the kitchen.

Sometimes I just have to accept the fact that I am a complete idiot and that’s OK because I’m not an idiot all the time in fact sometimes I am pretty smart (just not today) 😉

The image above is number 7 of 8 illustrations I did for Dr Amy Johnson‘s new book Being Human. Due out in November. The page is reproduced here with Amy’s permission.  It features Miller, Amy’s son, from a photograph Amy sent me, the collage elements are mainly my own photographs and the Buddha body is from an image that is in the public domain.  Then everything was altered with various pens.

I hope you have a great week and I’ll see you soon.

Big love

AJ 🙂

 

 

© Janette Gregson and ajsartjournal, 2013 unless otherwise stated. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Janette Gregson and ajsartjournal with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Paint your Future

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Paint your Future

 

Hello friends!

I’m back after a busy week and what a difference!  Last Sunday the weather was glorious, sunny and warm, today it’s been wet and cold.  Still that’s UK weather for you and it hasn’t dampened my spirits and in reality, at this time of year, is only to be expected.

I managed to progress my Story Box, but it’s still not finished.  The Story Box is about The Theatre Royal that used to stand in the town, it burnt down in 1961.  I used an ordinary office box file and put a picture of the theatre on the front, then I found lots of vintage theatre posters to cover the rest of the outside of the box.  I lined the inside  with movie posters because in it’s last years the theatre was turned into a cinema.  I finished my little book of pieces found in various publications about the theatre, found images of people who had performed at the theatre and printed them out and also printed out display sheets and information the group has used previously about the theatre.  I am intending to get another small book to put in the box for people to write any memories they might have of the theatre.

Story Box

It was finished enough to take to the Ryde Social Heritage Group meeting yesterday morning, several other people also took story boxes and it was interesting to see all the different styles and contents.  This is going to be a great project 🙂  The meeting was excellent, I really enjoyed it.  Afterwards 8 of us went out for lunch so the fun continued.

The page at the top of this post is the 6th of the 8 pages I did for Dr Amy Johnson‘s book Being Human which will be published next month.  The page is reproduced here with Amy’s permission and it features Willow, her daughter. The chapter is called The Importance of an Empty Future and is about how we don’t have to let things that have happened in the past influence our future.

I have just finished reading Amy’s first book Modern Enlightenment (which I bought on Amazon.UK) I think it’s a great book, really easy to read and jam-packed with wisdom.  It’s like Amy gives you the seed of an idea and does not labour the point, it’s up to you what you do with it.  I have incorporated many of her recommendations into my life and, for me, they work.  It’s a very cool book and has made me even more excited about the new book Being Human.

Have a good week and I’ll see you soon.

Big love

AJ 🙂

 

 

© Janette Gregson and ajsartjournal, 2013 unless otherwise stated. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Janette Gregson and ajsartjournal with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

 

Breathe, Calm, Connect

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Breathe, Calm, Connect

 

Hello friends

We have had fantastic weather in my part of the UK this weekend and I’ve been busy.  I hope your weekend has been great too.

Yesterday I go up early and prepared for some voluntary work in the cemetery then did two hours work.  I was clearing grass and weeds away from the stones and carrying the waste to a bin nearby and my two friends were writing down the inscriptions from the memorials so we could add the information to our website.  I think I must have jarred my neck in doing the work because it’s been feeling a bit uncomfortable ever since then.

In the afternoon I did some work on my Story Box.  I have to have a story box completed by next Saturday, several of us are making them to show as examples of how people can use archives to tell a story.  My box is about a theatre that stood in the town from 1813 until 1961 when it burnt down.  One of the things I am putting in the box is a small book containing all the newspaper items that we have found.  I think there must be hundreds of them, it seems like that anyway.  I have typed them all out using a Old Newspaper style font, printed them, aged the paper by soaking it in tea and now I am tearing around the edges of the typed items, distressing the edges of the paper and sticking them in the book. This is just to give the ‘feel’ of ageing, I’m not trying to pass anything off as antique.

The ageing with tea took all yesterday afternoon!  Fortunately the weather was good so I was able to do most of it outside and didn’t drip tea all over the kitchen, that would have driven my husband crazy.  I worked on the tearing, distressing and sticking all evening but didn’t complete the job.

I started today by doing some updates to the RSHG website.  Then we drove over to the Garlic Farm to pick up some garlic bulbs for T to plant in the garden and to the big hardware store to picked up some items he needs for a project he is working on.

As it was such a beautiful day today I thought I would take Mum and Dad out for a drive and a walk this afternoon. Dad however said he would rather stay at home and watch the football on tv so must Mum and me went. We went to the village where I grew up and found the grave of my paternal great-grandparents in the church graveyard then we went for tea in, what I always thought was, a posh hotel. Surprisingly the service as abysmal and Mum complained about it!

This evening I’ve been doing more tearing, distressing and sticking and I’m still not finished!  As well as the book I have loads of stuff to print out to add to the Story Box which has to be completed by Saturday morning and I’ve got to presentation to prepare too.  I’m feeling just slightly under pressure right now.

Anyway, enough of the trivia of my exciting life.  The image above is a mixed media spread in my altered book.  I was just having fun with paint, papers, inks, printed tissue paper, collage and penwork.  I was going to say that I wasn’t sure what the words meant, they came to me out of nowhere, but now I realise I know exactly what they mean 🙂

I may not have time to post again until next weekend, so, in the meantime, I hope you have a great week.

Big love

AJ 🙂

 

© Janette Gregson and ajsartjournal, 2013 unless otherwise stated. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Janette Gregson and ajsartjournal with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Bouncing Back

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You're Always Bounced Back

 

Hello friends!

It’s been an odd sort of week so far, can’t quite put my finger on how or why though, so I’ll just have to keep going with the flow and see what transpires.

This is number 5 of the 8 illustrations (well actually 9 if you count the cover image) I did for Dr Amy Johnson‘s book Being Human (which is getting closer and closer to publication all the time and I am sooooo excited).  The page is reproduced here with Amy’s permission.

Amy asked me to include some images of her children in the collage elements but I did half the pages before I could pluck up the courage to start messing about with her two charming children. I am not sure why I was so reticent as Amy has been so easy to work for and so accepting of how I interpreted her words with my art, but I knew that inevitably I was going to make her children look ‘strange’ in my artwork and was worried that she, or they, wouldn’t like it.  Anyway half way through the project I realised that I had to take a deep breath and start including the kids.  So this page features Amy’s daughter and son – Willow and Miller – and their little dog.  There are also some other elements from photos Amy sent me.

The children were perfect for this illustration for the section Bouncing Back.  It’s about how, like children, we can all bounce back to our natural well-being when we perceive, or imagine, that things have gone wrong in our lives, as soon as we stop dwelling on the problems.

I have learnt such a lot from doing this project I can’t even begin to tell you how beneficial it has been for me.

Have a great rest of the week.

Big love

AJ 🙂

 

© Janette Gregson and ajsartjournal, 2013 unless otherwise stated. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Janette Gregson and ajsartjournal with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Life Works Like Nature

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Life Works Like Nature

Hello friends

I hope you had a great weekend, mine has been quite productive and I’m happy with that. Still got a ‘To Do’ list as long as my arm, but that’s always going to be the case and I am happy that I have achieved some things in my two days off work.

T has also been very productive, his garden has produced a fantastic crop this year and he has been busy making jam, dehydrating things, freezing stuff, making chutneys and preserving other produce in Kilner jars.   We will have a good stock of goodies to call on over the next few weeks and months.  I am so fortunate that my husband is a great gardener and a great cook, particularly as I am total rubbish at both 😉

Above is another illustration I did for Dr Amy Johnson‘s new book Being Human (which will be available before Christmas this year), and has been reproduced here with Amy’s permission.  I really like this page all the collage elements are from my own photographs, the flowers were growing in T’s garden this summer.  I love the quote and the message it gives.  

This section of the book is about Big Mind, Little Mind.  Big Mind is like the universal mind and it’s where we get our intuition, creativity, dreams and passion from.  Little Mind is our thoughts, the ones that rationalise everything, point out all the risks and reasons why we shouldn’t do things and, very often, talks us out of doing what we really want to do.  The truth is though that if we paid more attention to Big Mind and less to Little Mind everything would work out just as it’s meant to.  It sounds good to me 🙂

I’ll leave you to ponder on that thought and I’ll see you soon.

Big Love

AJ 🙂

 

 

© Janette Gregson and ajsartjournal, 2013 unless otherwise stated. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Janette Gregson and ajsartjournal with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

No One is Truly Mean

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No One is Truly Mean

Hello friends!

I hope you have had a great weekend, mine has been busy and interesting.

On Friday evening T and I went to see Alexi Sayle at the local art centre.  Normally Alexi is a stand up comedian, but for this event he was doing a book reading.  He was still funny and we both enjoyed the event.

Yesterday I did some voluntary work in the cemetery, I was cutting turf from around the kerbs of graves so my friend could record the inscriptions.  We did that for a couple of hours and it was a pleasant way to spend the morning.  Then I had a short walk into town to do some shopping and spent the rest of the afternoon working with a couple of friends in the Learning Centre in the Cemetery on Ryde Social Heritage Group‘s next project.  As soon as one thing ends we have to start work on another. 🙂

Yesterday evening T and I spent a lovely time together, we had a nice meal and then sat up late watching films and talking.  Unusually for me I stayed up very late and as a consequence today has been a bit of a wash-out.  We both slept in late and have had a slow day.  I did manage to get out to visit my parents this afternoon as it is their 63rd wedding anniversary today.  Heard some good news, that my brother who lives in France will be visiting for a short time in October.  That will be lovely for Mum and Dad.

The page above is the third illustration I did for Dr Amy Johnson‘s book Being Human.  I am working really hard to try and absorb this message, which in my heart of hearts I know is true. There are two people in my life who I find to be really mean and obnoxious and occasionally I have to deal with them face to face.  I find it difficult and up until now I don’t think I have handled the situation well. I am working on being kinder, more compassionate and more understanding of them and of myself.

Have a great week

Big love

AJ 🙂

COPYRIGHT

© Janette Gregson and ajsartjournal, 2013, unless otherwise stated. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Janette Gregson and ajsartjournal with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.