art junk girl

Monthly Mosaic & May Giveaway...

I got a little sidetracked with announcing my giveaway this month! I decided that I am going to enter everyone who commented in the month of MAY. I will use the random number selector and announce the winner tomorrow, Ok! If you'd like to be included, just leave your comment on this post and check back tomorrow. I simply cannot believe that it will be JUNE tomorrow. This year is flying by. Wow. I love doing these "monthly mosaics" so I can reflect back on what I made and the highlights of places I went in each month. I take way too many pictures...probably why my Mac crashed...well, lessons learned.

Oh, yeah, the giveway...see how I get sidetracked?! The giveaway will be a copy of my very first mini-zine. "Art Junk". I will also include an original Artist Trading Card, signed and dated on the back. I made this little mini-zine last year but haven't shared it yet. I found it buried in my studio during a dig out. I found alot of junk buried in there. I'll share some more of it on here soon.

Talk soon friends. Especially my Mark Harmon compadres... lol.... hee....you all crack me up!!!

p.s. Here are the titles to the individual photos in the monthly mosaic from my flickr album~ You can go to the links directly by clicking here.
1. new collages 4 x 4, 2. new collages, 3. gluebook journal~, 4. self-portrait, 5. National Harbor Resort, 6. anniversary journal page~, 7. fridays.finds.art books, etc., 8. moleskine journal page, 9. journal page, 10. ~dorothy box made by JJ!, 11. little "wedding" shelf, 12. walkin' into kids school, 13. itty bitty book club wip, 14. "very soon" inchie~, 15. 1 x 1 inch square collage, 16. we picked up cha today!!!, 17. journal page in my new moleskine~, 18. inchie closeup (this last batch), 19. first page, moleskine no. 5, 20. In memory of 34, 21. new inchie~, 22. friday's finds, 23. Follow Your Bliss Designs~, 24. moleskine 4, 25. "more" journal page (at an angle).. (picnik version), 26. you saw it here first..., 27. journal page, recent, 28. poster at usna, 29. workin' on some new pieces~, 30. Show and Tell Sunday Post~, 31. for Show and Tell Sundays~, 32. queen pin collection, 33. Front yard view~, 34. my vintage card collection~, 35. outsiders inchie, 36. for scrappy jessi's favorite childhood toy party~

10 things....

self-portrait, originally uploaded by artjunkgirl.

10 things you should know about me...

1. I'm not the best emailer in the world. That doesn't mean I don't care, it just means I like to respond in longer prose, and I usually don't have time to do so, so I wait. When you do get an email from me, it will usually be long. You know this if you've gotten one from me, right?

2. I worry alot about my weight. I think about it too much. "Am I fat"? "I'm fat." " I'm going to be fat." I know I shouldn't, but I do. We all have our "tissues", that's one of mine. It's just one of things that's never left me alone.

3. I am generally a happy-go-lucky person. I smile at people I don't know. I sing in the grocery store. I look people in the eye when I talk to them. I really, really, don't like when people are mean. I take it personally. It makes me angry. I don't like being angry. That's another thing you should know.

4. I think children are the most magnificant beings on the planet and that we should do everything we can to protect, nuture, love and support them as much as is humanly possible. Children have everything to teach us. Just talk to one today. They will teach you something. I promise. Tell them they are awesome. They will remember it forever. I promise.

5. I think I talk too much sometimes and it's gotten me in "trouble" before. It's taught me alot about people and life though. It's also taught me that sometimes it's a good idea to be quiet. There is a time to speak up and a time to be quiet. That's why I like doing art, I can talk there all I want and no one get's mad at me....at least not yet...

6. I like to drink coffee, tea, and CrystalLite lemonade. More than I should.

7. I eat icecream. Late at night.

8. I watch Nancy Grace.

9. I think Mark Harmon is Hot, but I can't watch NCIS anymore because of all the graphic violence that really freaks me out and the guy with the accent get's on my 9th nerve.

10. I am not very good at math. Not at all.

~LK

a long weekend post...

Dear Friends~
Hope you are having a nice holiday weekend! I'm hoping to get some much needed R & R! Things have been kind of crazy with fric and frac back at home from "collegio". I've managed to work on my art journal in fits and starts over the last week. I think they reflect how I feel lately. A bit overwhelmed. The pages are so much more crowded. When I start out a page, I don't really start with an idea of what I'm going to "say". I start grabbing papers and pasting them around and then an image or word will take me in a certain direction. Do I like the way the way all my pages turn out? Heck no. But that's not why I journal. I journal as a way of releasing stress, working things out, and using images to speak that which I cannot always put into words. It's actually a very cathartic experience for me. Sure I have my, "I just want to make a pretty page" days, but that again is satisfying a need...a need to escape into a pretty little world for a while. That's what I love about art journalling and art in general. You just never know. The possibilities are endless.

Anyhow, I just started my 5th moleskine journal and this is one of the first pages. I'm having a hard time "breaking" this one in. I've been collaging in it mostly, but I think it's time to paint some pages to "kick it up a notch".
I've also been "simultaneously" working in my "gluebook"/drawing pad journal. Here's a page from that one.
(made mostly from magazine clippings and copies of my inchies)..
Speaking of painting.....there is nothing I'd want to do more right now, but the studio clean up has kind of put that on the back burner. Not for long, though. I am longing to make big paint messes everywhere and I intend to this summer! Would you like a sneak peak into my new studio space in unfinished part of our laundry room (which I prefer to think of as warehouse space I'm renting in new york...lol..). Here's the "frou-frou" side...there is another side I'm working on too. I have a painting area, an altered book project shelf, a sewing area, etc.
BTW, the center piece of art on the shelf is a print I bought from a fave artist, Ali J Art and Illustration. Ok, so, as you can see, this is the longest post ever, so why not make it longer? I appreciate everyone's feedback yesterday. I'm really trying to organize myself and this blog and your opinions and suggestions really mean alot to me. Thank you also for the kind words! I know that a blog should be anything you want it to be, but there are READERs and they are important too. If I have something to offer, I would like to do that as it will make the whole experience more meaningful to me.
Anyhow, I also wanted to share a pic of these cool books I picked up at the local used bookshop. They are having their 50% sale again! I saw the sign when I was out runningaround doing errands with the "son" (a.k.a. ferris). Some real goodies here and I got them for as much as you would pay for one of the new somerset studio magazines..lol...

So, hmmm....I think that's all the happenin's at the art junk camp (for now). I will be announcing a give-away on Tues. (after the long weekend), so stay tuned. If you responded to my last post survery, you are already entered! Thank you for your feedback and support. xoxoox lia

A summer "artjunk" Survey!~I need feedback!

polka-dot artjunk mosaic~, originally uploaded by artjunkgirl.

Have a great day my friends. I'm going to announce a giveaway soon, so stay tuned...still putting it together. I'd like some feedback on what you'd like to see/hear more about this summer as my time will be somewhat limited. You can pick one or two or none. I tend to be all over the place and I need you all to focus me!! Please respond in the comments or email me, [email protected].

1. Art Journals, making, completing, prompts, supplies, etc. (I may be able to work on a few "tip-in" pages if you would like to send me a loose page and collage bits).

2. Inchies. We want to see more inchies. (I have a bunch I haven't posted). I still make them. yeah.

3. Your life. We want to see more about your everyday boring life...not as much art junk.

4. Your junk. We love seein' your junk. Show us more, we know you have a secret stash of goodies. You haven't even shown us your teacups yet...

5. Art Studio-We want to see your art studio already. Are you done yet?

6. Blogtalkradio- we'd like to hear you interview more art peeps.

Ok, I think that's it. Boy did I get a wild hair today! I guess I'm feeling the need for some direction here. If I don't have alot of interest, I may go on a summer respite. Let me know your thoughts. It's hard to know with blogging because sometimes it feels like there is no one out there. Well, that's not completely true. I know you all are out there, but I think some feedback would be helpful from you...I'm just tossing these things around as I'm doing my (late) spring cleaning. I'm almost done cleaning out my clothes closet. I am hanging on to this one pair of skinney jeans. I don't care what oprah says. I'm not getting rid of it. So I digress, as I throw out the rest of the old, it's time to bring in some new. Wow, I've gotten alot of cleaning done since my computer crashed! Another reason to think about focussing my time online...but then I don't want to blog less if there is an interest in my sharing...cause I like to share and inspire others. And the whole polka-dot thing...we can have fun with that.. .maybe even a swap. Ok, I better get back to cleaning. I'm sorry to be so mish-mosh today. Anyhoo...I promise, double promise pics of my studio soon. I still don't have my computer back from the shop, so I've been lazy about loading pictures on the family computer.
talk soon, I hope. xo lia

I love polka-dots, apparently....

moleskine spread, originally uploaded by artjunkgirl.

Dear Friends~
It's official, I now love polka-dots. I know, I know, I still love squares, yes, I do, I do. But, recently I've discovered that it's been all about polka-dots. They are showing up everywhere in my journals, things I buy, my clothes. It's polka-dots and squares and circles, oh my! Now I have a new discovery that will help me avoid alll the things I should be doing! great fun! I want to make a photo mosaic of my polka's, ok. I'll do it soon. Oh, this is so exciting! I love when I discover something new like this. Ok, any other polka-dotters out there? Let's go. xoxoxo Lia