Documented Life: December

December Theme
Storytelling with the Written Word

This is my final post for the Documented Life Project 2015. I didn't finish the previous year, so I'm extremely happy that this time, I managed to do all the prompts, week by week, and I created something I'm really proud of.


Week 49
Art Challenge: Words Front & Center
Journal Prompt: Life is a book. We fill the pages.

I use words frequently, so this one was a piece of cake.

I started with a collage of various deli-papers with printed or stamped text. Then I added some paint and some stencilled words in gold embossing paint on the top. I really love this colour combination.

Week 50
Art Challenge: Using Quotes & Lyrics as Storytelling
Journal Prompt: "One of the hardest things in life is having words in your heart that you can't utter." -James Earl Jones

I didn't really know where this was going but I like where it ended.

I wrote the lyrics of one of my current favourite songs - Echoes in Rain by Enya - over a piece of gelli-printed deli-paper. Then I added more paint and some stamping before adding a flower in white pen and a quote (also from the song).

Week 51
Art Challenge: Hidden Journaling
Journal Prompt: The greatest gift I can give myself...

I struggled with this one. I didn't really like the journalling so I was glad that I was actually supposed to HIDE it this month.

I started with a collage, then I added my journalling in a water-soluble pencil which I then sprayed with water. At this point it looked awful so I decided to stencil some more paint to hide the mess.

Week 52
Art Challenge: Storytelling
Journal Prompt: Storytelling as an underlying fabric

I didn't really follow the prompt in my penultimate journal entry - not that it didn't happen (many times) before... ;-)

As ever, I started with a tissue paper - this one was gifted to me by my friend Eileen so I don't know who makes it but it had a newsprint text on it - and added some cream-coloured paints.
I was cutting hole reinforcers for the Documented Life 2016 - I printed some of my backgrounds on several sticker sheets and used my Silhouette to cut the circles. One of my bad habits is that I like to remove the negative space from sticker sheets, so I was left with these colourful shapes that I simply couldn't throw away. So I collaged them on the page and then added more paint.

Week 53

There was no challenge for this week but I had to finish my "calendar", so I made a final page. It is a simple gelli printed background with a handwritten quote.

I'm giving myself a pat on the shoulder for finishing this journal in time, in 2015. There are still several unfinished pages at the beginning of the journal where I painted some backgrounds before the project started. I plan to add some "table of contents" with all the prompts. I also filmed a flip-through video I will post on YouTube soon.

I signed up for the Documented Life unPlanner 2016 - I'll see where that takes me...