exploring we will go

A while back we made the promise to each other to always make time to seek adventure as a family (you can read about it here). Exploring new places and going outside is a big part of our daily lives and once in a while I like to share a little peek into our adventures.

December might just be one of my favorite months here on the Oregon Coast. We have some wild storms and weather systems that pass through by the hour (that are amazing to experience) and when the rain stops everything feels a like magic. The entire world around us is covered in every shade of green you could ever imagine! Yes we are green all year but during the winter all that rain make everything even more green and everything, I mean everything is covered in a layer of moss- sometimes my eyes cannot handle just how bright it is.

When the rain stops on the Oregon Coast you gotta drop everything and head outside because it is likely another storm will be coming. We've had some beautiful and chilly December days outside- soaking up the green forests, hiking through the mud, climbing over fallen trees, wading through rivers and hunting for sunsets. Here is a peek inside our adventures.

wood grain wrapping paper

I love creating handmade wrapping paper and this year I wanted to create some natural wrapping inspired by the outdoors. I decided to carve a large stamp that I could use to create the look of a wood grain.

My favorite supplies for making handmade stamps are craft foam and a wood burning tool. The wood burning tool will actually burn into the surface of the craft foam. It is a fast and easy way to carve stamps that can be used on a variety of surfaces. 

I carved a wood grain inspired pattern into the surface.

NOTE: carving blocks, scratch foam, wood blocks, gelli plate will all work for this project. You pretty much just need a technique that will transfer an impression of your pattern to your paper.

Next, I inked up my stamp and repeated the design on butcher paper and brown paper.

I just love how simple and pretty this pattern is! 

Looking for more wrapping ideas?

1. stitched gift wrap  2. gingerbread present toppers  3. puff paint wrapping  4. wrapping with nature  5.marbleized wrapping  6. holiday wrapping with paper bags  7. using beads in your gift wrapping  8. using book pages in our wrapping 9. black and white wrapping paper 10. gift wrap from the hardware store

fashion friday- what i wore

sweater- Forever 21, beanie- 99 cent store, jeans- Old Navy, Shoes- Ugg

p.s. I am obsessed with Old Navy Rockstar Skinny Jeans- they are affordable, super comfy (stretchy) and make a mid rise fit which means they actually sit at your waist (instead of falling off). I was NOT paid by Old Navy- I'm just excited I finally found some comfy and affordable skinny jeans that work for me!

december at the beach

holiday crafting with a toddler- straw garland

A big part of our family Christmas traditions is crafting (big surprise). As a kid I spent the entire month of December working on creative projects every day and this is something that I have carried into my adult life and now into my life as a mom. In next couple of weeks I thought it would be fun to share some of the kid friendly holiday projects that we have been working on. Some of our projects are made to last while others are simply about getting creative together in the moment!

While Lucy has been creating since the beginning of her little life, age three has brought a lot of interest and passion for creative projects of any kind. The days of me introducing supplies and leading a project have suddenly been replaced with her taking ownership and working independently on her own ideas- it is really amazing to watch!  This year it was really important for me to come up with projects that play to her interests. 

Currently she is obsessed with scissors- she mastered her scissors over the summer and has been crazy about cutting up anything and everything. She also loves stringing beads so I came up with a fun garland project that she could work on from start to finish!

We used a bunch of colorful straws and I let Lucy cut them up. I also let her paint a package of wood beads- she used both of these items to string into colorful garlands for our tree.

While this kid has got some big time creative skills and a great attention span, she is still only three and after about 1-2 hours she always ends up on my lap! 

Is it a stylish or fancy garland? Probably not! But for me it is more important to let Lucy have fun and make a memory than it is to be stylish or fancy with our holiday decor. More than anything I love that she is able to look at the tree and say look at what I made!

a peek inside my art journal

I spent  A LOT of time sketching but I probably spend just as much time working in an art journal. For me there is really a fine line between an art journal and a sketchbook. For my sketching process I limit my supplies- I use all an purpose paper sketchbook, a pen and watercolors. I like to keep my sketching supplies simple so that I can take them on the go.

I use an art journal (that typically has heavy duty paper like watercolor paper) to explore all kinds of mixed media techniques like painting, collage, sewing (with paper), stamping, doodling, drawing and printmaking. My art journal is a small and accessible place for me to practice, explore and brainstorm all kinds of techniques.

There are all kinds of at journaling supplies but these are what I tend to use most-

1. While I am not picky about the sketchbooks that I use, I am particular about my art journals only because I use a lot of paint and wet media which means I need paper that will hold up to all my layers and techniques. I prefer watercolor paper or bristol paper because it is nice and thick and holds up well when using paint. 

2. I really like using matte acrylic paint when I am painting in an art journal because the pages, once closed, won't stick together (sometimes they will when using acrylic paint that has a gloss).

3. I always keep a glue stick around so I can quickly glue collage ephemera or photos to pages of my art journal. 

4. I spend a lot of time drawing and doodling over the top of my painted journal pages so I always have a good collection of permanent pens and markers on hand. 

5. When I am creating painted backgrounds in my art journal I tend to reach for my brayer before a paint brush- I love the look of messy color rolled all over the surface of a page.

6. Paint pens, especially white ones are one of my favorite tools to use when I am drawing or doodling over the top of dark backgrounds. 

7. I will use any kind of tape (washi tape, masking tape, scotch tape, etc) to attached photos and collage ephemera to my pages. Often my art journal becomes a place to store ideas which means a lot of pages have little notes, ideas, pieces of doodles and photos attached to the surface.

8. I use watercolors all the time and even though I use a lot of acrylic paint in my art journal pages, I also like to use watercolors to add color to doodles and drawings.

p.s. I've got another batch of handmade art journals in the shop HERE!