Here are some more artsy links to keep you creating this week:

Barbara Brackman Designs Obama Fabric You Can Print from Quilting & Patchwork.

Artist Profile: Andy Stern from Layers Upon Layers.
Recycle Runway from Tangled Thread.
Valentine’s Day Projects from The Artful Crafter.
Wild and Woolie Spool knitted doll from Tottie Talks Crafts.
Win Printing by Hand from Junk Creation.
And I’ve shared the Background Pages Tutorial by Zura.
Heather
Photo used with permission from Pixelperfectdigital

There is an interesting TV show I don’t mind watching called The Collectors. They talk about different kinds of things people collect and often show the collections their viewers have at home. I’d like to learn if any of them keep a diary to log their collection as they make finds. In my mind this would be a really practical diary to create. It could be as simple as making an entry for each new item as it was acquired. Perhaps detailing the story of hunting it down as well as the obvious price and date of purchase; perhaps some …read more

There’s been a lot of talk about getting in shape for the approaching summer, not only in the media, but at our house. So, when I came across the article Personal trainers see benefit in keeping workout journal I simply had to read. There seems to be a lot of good sense in the idea. I’ve seen how writing down the food I eat makes a difference to my weight loss plans, so why wouldn’t noting down the details of your workout be just as effective?
Not that I have anything much of a workout going, but it might just …read more

I’ve been keeping a reading journal for several years now. Not only is it handy for finding the title of a book you’ve read, or the author’s name, but reading through can give you insight into yourself. Last year I decided to reread through the lists of books I’ve read in my reading journal. I hadn’t read with the intention of seeing a pattern, but after only a short time, I did. Most of the books I’ve really enjoyed have been coming of age type stories. This helped me understand why the stories I’ve written often include this element.
Of …read more

I’ve yet to see the film Into the Wild, but it comes recommended to me by my brother and sister-in-law. They both saw the film recently and were impressed by the sad tale. The true story is based on the short life of Chris McCandless. Apparently he kept a diary of his travels, which included photos, in particular of his time in the wilderness. Later he gave this journal away.
My reason for mentioning this film is because it fits into the movies about journal writing or that include journal writing, but also because the film sounds like one not …read more

My daughter has been keeping a different kind of journal just lately. Since passing the second phase of her learner’s permit she has to log 25 hours of driving time, pass another test on a computer, so she can move onto her probationary permit. Not only does she need to log the time driven, but make note of the speedometer reading, list the traffic conditions, the types of roads used, weather conditions and have it all signed by an experienced driver. It’s been an interesting exercise, especially when hubby volunteered to drive with her down south to make up some …read more

While reading Inside Motherhood today I came across the entry, written by Heather, When Do You Start? Her question is on when do you start shopping and/or planning for Christmas. With only 140 days left I suppose it would be a good idea to start planning now if you haven’t already begun.
A small notebook or pretty journal would be good for your planning. You can list and check off presents and all those little tasks you need to get around to. You can have a financial planning section so you don’t get in over your head with debt. Why …read more

While reading and researching online I came across an interesting article on keeping a diabetes journal. The ideas are simple and known to many who keep a regular journal, but would be a great benefit to those with diabetes. The idea links in with keeping a food journal.
It seems the very act of writing down what you’ve eaten makes you feel more accountable. But for those suffering with diabetes the ability to look for patterns of behaviour is most useful, especially if you are monitoring your blood sugar levels throughout the day. You can check for the foods, situations …read more

In today’s mail I received a lovely fat envelope which turned out to be a packet of postcards from my cousin. She’s been on one of those whirlwind world tours and has sent a postcard from every major city she visited, then put them into one envelope and posted them off at one time. It was like a rushed, excited letter, reading them one after the other. She had numbered them so I would read them in the correct order.
It struck me as good way to keep a journal of your visits, especially if you wanted only to make …read more

Yesterday I mentioned how I was throwing out some morning pages and night journals. Just in case anyone wanted to know what exactly makes up a night journal, I thought I’d write an entry about the topic. I’m pretty sure I got the idea from another of Julia Cameron’s books, but I can’t recall which one now. The idea was to spend a short time, perhaps only writing one page, to recap the day. I tend to list achievements and any significant event. I also jot down ideas for visual journal pages, jewellery I’m designing or anything else creative. Often …read more