Behind the Art with Melissa

Hi everyone!

I saved my favorite journaling page for last, with all of you!

This page is all about the future. When I think about Direction, I think about the journey to come and it makes me excited. All the possibilities. All the new opportunities. Who will I meet? What will I do? What will I learn? And really, it can only make me a better person.

I cut the strips of pattern paper into pennants and banners. A simple way to showcase movement and direction. Lots of arrows going different directions. I really do believe the world is our oyster. So many possibilities! 

I love the metal geo tag clip. The rings help to symbolize freedom but it still is something to mark where I've been and that I loved it. It's a memory to put in my memory bank.

And now for my favorite part of this layout. This is more design than it is symbolism. Even though the arrows and compass like shape of the mask definitely symbolizes direction, I just LOVE the look of this blue paint and modeling past on the white cardstock. I was so excited when I lifted the mask! Haha! It was super easy to mix up the paint and modeling paste. Then I spread it over the mask with a craft knife. After lifting it, I flipped it over and did the print on the bottom right of the page. 

Thank you for swinging by today! I can't believe July is right around the corner!

Behind the Art with Jen Matott

It's a hot and steamy night here in Central New York. I just ran my first 3.5 mile race and it was awesome! I'm a hurting unit right now but nothing a little rest won't fix!  But I came home and wanted to write this blog post detailing one of my favorite pages from this kit!

 

I had a blast using the little stencil from Crafter's Workshop with some Faber-Castell Design Memory Craft Textural Accents Whipped Spackle!  I just laid the stencil down and used a palette knife to smooth some over and around the stencil. When I pulled it off, it left a raised texture!  It's always magic to me!  I had so much fun with that! Here's a detail so you can see the dimension.

 I watered down the distress paint a bit and brushed it over the modeling paste and also splattered paint around. I loved the look of this!

 This page is about exploring your surroundings. While in Italy a few summers ago, my husband and I walked along and came to an unexpected sight.  This tree lined path was not only gorgeous but it symbolized to me that unexpected discoveries can make you stop and reflect.  I walked down this path and felt hugged by those trees.  It was beautiful with the sunlight twinkling through.  I felt like it was a chance to follow it until the end and see where it leads.  A metaphor for life in the sense that you stubble into situations or pathways and you have a choice to follow it along to see where it goes or bypass and miss out on the opportunities.

 What discoveries or directions have taken you to wonderful things?  

Behind the Art with Melissa

Happy Tuesday!

Today I'm sharing a page that documents my past, when it comes to Direction.

Life is a journey and each step we take is a choice. We're presented with opportunities everyday and it's definitely like following a map, of sorts. Which direction will we choose? What choice will we make? Will I go with chocolate or vanilla? Take the high road or the low road? Caffiene or decaf? Move or stay put? 

So many choices.

As I look back and ponder different crossroads in my life, I have no regrets. 

I haven't always felt that way, though. What changed was, the perspective that each choice has helped shape me into the person I am today. And I like who I am! 

I used a lot of embellishments from the kit this month. Arrows and chevrons showcase movement and a constant flow of life. We're never stopping. Every day is an opportunity or decision. (Will I hit snooze again or not? Haha!)  

I used plenty of the travel icons, such as the globes and geo tags. I've done lots of moving and traveling. Part of me wonders what it would have been like to stay put but, that's just not my personality. I get bored. I need a change of scenery. So no regrets there.

To me, the globe and suitcase also symbolize the journey in my life. I don't think I've every, truly, felt settled. There is always an underlying feeling of unrest. Not in a negative way. I just never feel like I'm going to be in the same place for very long. 

I placed the title at the top to make it firm - there are NO regrets. I love the font and texture of these alphas. They are weathered, rough and still bold. Such a strong statement to how I feel!

There are still a few Direction kits left. Grab yours here!

Behind the Art with Jen Matott

 Travel is one of my favorite ways to be inspired!  I love to see different vistas and areas of the world.  My husband and I went to Italy a couple summers ago and it was a trip of a lifetime!  He won an award through his company for all his hard work and we both got to go to Sienna and Florence, Italy for a week!  It was amazing!  I knew I wanted to use this vellum and gold paper of the world for this page... it's gorgeous!

 I colored the plane with the paint and added it so it looks like it's flying from NY to Italy where the little heart marker is.

 This photo is from one of the vineyards in Tuscany... Gorgeous!  Now I know why the Masters of the Fine Arts always came to Italy to paint.  It was inspiring! 

 The little globe accent was perfect and I also added a hashtag with the title to make it more modern. I loved this trip and now I can check this off my bucketlist!  What's on your travel bucketlist?

Behind the Art with Melissa

Hi everyone,

I love this quote by Katrina Kaif:

Going by my past journey, I am not certain where life will take me, what turns and twists will happen; nobody knows where they will end up. As life changes direction, I'll flow with it.

The journey of life sure is an adventure, isn't it? 

I'm at another crossroads in life and I'm hoping I'm making the right choice when it comes to choosing a direction. I don't think there is a such thing as the "wrong" direction. I think that there are easier ways to get somewhere. I think there are more scenic paths and sometimes we go the way we didn't want to go... but, there are always valuable lessons to be learned. Which, to me, means it's never wrong. 

This page is all about documenting my new crossroads. Two years ago I moved to Chicago because I felt the pull. I loved the city and I was looking forward to the new adventure. I knew there would be challenges and joys along the way. One can never predict exactly what will happen. In fact, we are usually wrong, right??? Or a little off. 

Life is good and I am moving on! I read a quote on a greeting card not too long ago that said, "Sometimes right where you started from, is right where you belong."

I'm going to be honest here, Chicago has kind of lost it's "home" feeling for me. After a visit in December to my hometown, I knew it was time to go back. And lately, Chicago has not been my friend. So, making the move back has gotten to be a very easy choice - for which I'm thankful! 

Regardless of not digging the life here right now, I will say that Chicago will forever hold a special place in my heart. I will defend it. I will still LOVE this city. I will feel part of it. It just won't be my home anymore. I pulled the gold vellum sheet because I love the sentiment of gold. It's valuable. It holds its worth. It shines. It's desirable. And I wanted to symbolize all those things when it came to thinking about my time here.

Geotags are an obvious symbolic icon, I think. They mark where you are or the location you are inquiring about. I used it to mark where I'm at and placed it next to the airplane to showcase my future move.

I had to sneak in a smiley face to showcase my feelings on this upcoming move. It's good. I'm happy. I can't wait to be near my family again!

Other elements of the kit I pulled was the striped paper and the arrow. All exude movement. And the vertical design gives off the feeling of moving up and out. All good things heading my way! 

I love how the kit themes come at the perfect time! Journaling and designing this page was so great to work through and dig deep into what is truly happening in my heart, in regards to this move.