The Whimsical Musings of a Menopausal Miss: February 2013

As I have moved blog sites I have combined all the blogs about this course into one entry!

I did this course in 2012 and have gone on to take other courses that Joanne has given and so I wanted to have a record of them all in one place.

The rainy season is upon us and the perfect time to undertake an online course. I have been playing around with my sketchbook for the last few months and really enjoying the process. I have also been attempting some water colours, but with limited success. Having decided that it was time to keep a journal on the process I thought I'd make one of my own to keep my ramblings in. There are so many amazing sites that tell you how to make a journal and it was while I was trawling these sites that I stumbled onto Joanne Sharpe's Whimspirations and just fell in love with her beautiful ideas. I thought it looked like so much fun and couldn't resist the temptation to have a go at her lettering class - so I signed up and have become totally addicted.

I think my blog is the perfect place to share my new found addiction, and the journey I am undertaking into the world of journaling.

Lesson five was to make a Whimsey gird and was such fun - this was my final version.

Whimsy Grid

It really is a wonderful course called Letter Love 101- there are 29 lesson - and it’s so inexpensive for all the amazing things she teaches. Joanne gives fantastic step by step instructions, so she makes it really easy for even the total novice (which I certainly am) to achieve something pleasing.

After we complete a guided assignment we are encouraged to play with the idea and I couldn't wait to have another go, so this was my next one!

It really is an inspirational course and its keeping me up at night. I spend hours working on an assignment and then lie in bed thinking of what else I can do with the techniques I am learning. I have now made a journal just to keep the inspirational ideas in lol!

Lesson 9 was really fun. It was called letters in the round - problem was that when I did that one I didn't have a compass and you really need one to do the assignment. The concept was so great and I just couldn't wait to have a go - so I gave my circle corners and came up with a triangle in the round lol! It worked really well I think and the quote just seemed to with the triangle format;

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed

by the things you didn't do than the ones you did.

So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour.

Catch the trade winds in your sails.

Explore. Dream. Discover.

(Mark Twain)

So, now it’s time to go back to my artful life and do another class.

THIS IS FUN!

Another Lesson;

One of the lessons in Letter Love is using black paper and funky glitter pens and I have really enjoyed this one! I have so much to learn, and so much practice to do - but I had such fun doing these pics!

This was my first practice piece and sadly the really fun sparkle doesn't show as well in the photo as it looks in reality. It is a 'bling' piccie!

I did this one just using three different gold pens and I really like the effect.

I have just had a weeks vacation and I'm sad it’s almost over! Its back to work on Monday...

I have had a great vacation though and had oodles of time to play with my pens and pencils. I have completed my Letter Love course and I am definitely going to do the next one, but I want to spend a little time on the 'practice' part of Letter Love 101 first. It’s been such an inspirational course and so much fun.

I love Whimsy Grids and this one was inspired by my little Lady Fleur! I decided to try adding a little Korean in honour of my time here and I hope I got it all right!

South Korea is a land of apartments and Gerald Raftery's Filing Cabinets poem sems to have been written about life here and spired this one ...

It has been a very hot week, and humidity here is a killer, so it was a week designed for staying close to the air-con. So I have had a ball playing and have a stack of backgrounds needing words...