Happy New Year 2023 Friends!

It’s a bit sad now with the lights and decorations taken down but this week still feels like holiday time at least and so I am spending a lot of time reading and watching stuff on my streaming trials before they end, and being unplugged from social media!  I thought I would start off the New Year with something different and so I have started a calendar art journal.  There’s a story behind it though so read on…

Today’s Art . . .

Today’s art is my January calendar page, which is also inspired by this month’s challenge over on Art Journal Journey where Mia’s theme is “add a photo”.  As you can see I have two photos here of the kittens when they were very small.


Miss Lily above and Mr G below.
I’ve always admired those calendar journal pages that I have seen from a lot of other blogging friends and also Kate Crane’s from some years ago, but never got around to doing one myself… until yesterday!  Sooooo…. in my tidying up over Christmas, I came across this A4 Leuchtturm1917 dot grid journal that I bought in 2016.  At the time I was getting into Bullet Journalling in the A5 versions and I bought this A4 version to use for monthly calendar overviews.  All of this is written out by hand, and I point this out because after copying out twelve months of monthly calendars, each month getting four whole pages, I NEVER used it, not once.

Here’s a look at the July 2016 page where under monthly goals I had written “yeah that didn’t happen”.  LOL  I still keep a daily journal but it’s not a bullet journal, I don’t think my brain works that way so it was doomed from the start.  Coincidentally July 2016 happens to be when the kittens were born but I didn’t know that at the time.  I found these photos of them when they were just a few months old, and thought I would use them for this page, just wondering where to put them.

I ended up painting over the top of what was written on there (or not lol) with Slate and Koala Fresco paint, then adding some acrylic inks on top.    Due to covering everything in paint I thought it would be quicker/easier to add my calendar squares on top, so I cut out 31 x 4cm squares and glued them down.

I also added in some washi tapes including one of my favourites, these little blue cats.

Let me know what you think in the comments.   As always, thanks for reading!

Ingredients

A4 Leuchtturm1917, Fresco paint – Slate, Koala, acrylic inks, photos, washi tape, white pen, mixed media card, black soot DI, poscas,

Challenges

Art Journal Journey Use a Photo

5 Awesome Comments (btw comment moderation is on)
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pearshapedchris
January 9, 2023 9:28 pm

I really hope this works for you Elle, it looks great! I have my calendar in which I record daily events but I also have a planner for planning meals, outings, recording birthdays and upcoming events – I also draw in it and very rarely show it to anyone. I love the kitten pics. Its a great entry for Mia’s AJJ theme, hugs, Chrisx

Bleubeard and Elizabeth
January 8, 2023 1:29 pm

I can’t believe you went to all that trouble to create those calendar pages for TWO years, then never used it. This modified calendar for January, 2023 is brilliant and most impressive. Thanks for sharing it with us at Art Journal Journey using Mia’s theme. You have put mine to shame!!

Peppylady (Dora)
January 8, 2023 2:10 am

Look like your getting ready for 2023.
Coffee is on and stay safe

Erika N
January 8, 2023 12:02 am

This is a good story Elle. I have plenty of good intentioned projects that don’t go anywhere. I’m glad you are able to salvage the 2016 calendar and make it something new. And I hope you use it too. Bullet journaling never worked for me either, so I keep a journal that’s probably way more messy (at least with my handwriting) but it works for me. Plus I get to draw/doodle in it too. Happy rest of the weekend, and thanks for joining Mia’s challenge at AJJ too. I hope you finish your shows and enjoy your books. hugs-Erika

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