DLP - Artsy Planner WIP

Whoo! So the Documented Life Project is at it again this year... sort of combining the last two years into an artsy filled planner. It's only a $12 commitment for the entire year and you get to be part of a great community sharing projects, being inspired, reading prompts, and more.

Now I may not be following everything to a T -- but I am proud to say that I'm still pulling through with some artsy planner styled bits! This is such a great marry of listing, planning, and art. It's exactly what I needed and I'm stoked to be able to write down the things I need to, plan for the future, inspire myself, and also have a place to paint, doodle, sketch, stamp, stencil and more. Today I'd like to share my planner to date :)

First -- you may have seen this picture on my instagram. It's missing a few small additions but this is the gist of my planner outside. Everything is a work in progress... but that's what makes it super fun! The cover has been painted with Liquitex gesso and Dina Wakley / Ranger Ink heavy body paints. There's also some mark making with a jar lid and Golden's Fluid Acrylic in Carbon Black. 

After the paint and marks were dry, I used a fine liner to write around the marks. Definitely one of my favorite techniques! I just write out what I'm thinking/feeling around the marks I've made.. it creates a really great unique piece in my mixed media work. There's also a bit of stamping with some things I've designed for Viva Las VegaStamps! : Numbers Set, Writing Triangles, Measuring Tape and French Writing Background. The dots come from a roller stamp. All stamps have been stamped in Archival Black ink by Ranger Ink. The scallops and dots on the right are drawing with Posca Paint Pens. 

The back has mostly the same products with the addition of a Bubble Wrap Texture stamp from VLVS! and one of my stencils from UmWowStudio : Fish Eyes. Not only did I stamp in black, but I also watered down some of those gorgeous Dina Wakley heavy bodies and stamped in those with the same stamps. There's a bit o' splattering in the Liquitex gesso, Golden fluid, and colored paints, too. I don't know if it's quite done... there's a bit o' nice white space if I want to work on it some more :) 

Yay for personalized monthly dividers! I worked up a file to cut with my laser cutter and just changed out each month and the placement of the tab. SWEET. I strategically placed the word at the bottom so that I might have some space to art. For January I gessoed an area and got to some stamping. I designed the Writing Triangles and She was a Dreamer stamps for VLVS!. The Dancing Lady is also a VLVS! stamp by another artist.. it's one of my favorites EVER!

There's also an Art Card that swings back and forth in my planner. It uses the same products as mentioned before, but utilizes the stamp Her Wings Were Made of from my designs for VLVS!. This stamp really speaks to my soul! The whole card is a beauty and I'm glad I get to look at it daily :) 

I also wanted to give you a peek at my next page --- I've taken some gelli prints and cut them into strips, punched shapes into them and other things... then run them through a Xyron sticker maker. They make GREAT additions to my planner.. keeping everything color coded and or just highlighting important things. The titles for all of these pages are made from Tim Holtz alpha stickers. The binding of my pages are reinforced with old book text, painted hole reinforcements and some stitching with my sewing machine. I won't bore you with my weekly pages... they're pretty straight forward with lists of stuff I need to remember and do. 

And that brings us to February! I'm really enjoying the open space to work on with these monthly pages. I gessoed similar to the January's and stamped a really great VLVS! Piece of rubber called Whimsical Lettered Man, a drawing by Mary Vogel Lozinak. The script is hand done using an ultra fine tip Posca Paint pen and the leafy pattern is from an UmWowStudio stencil : Wheat.

Well.. I think that's officially all I have for you! :) Are you doing DLP this year??