My Current Art Travel Kit

This is the box closed and the mat is for scale.

  At left is the box opened as is. At right is said box with cutting mat, waxed paper & bag containing sandpaper, napkin & scraper removed.

Up close of the two sides.

The container is a Vaultz pencil box, approx. 8.25 x 5 x 2.75 inches. It even has a tiny key!

Contents are:

* UHU glue stick-small

* Fiskars fingertip exacto knife

* Small Making Memories cutting mat

* Winsor & Newton Watercolor Bijoux box

* Kuretake wide waterbrush

* Small travel container of Golden's Matte Medium

* Colour Shaper-one end is a brush the other a Colour Shaper tool

* Logan Graphic 4-in-1 Embossing Stylus

* Kuretake small waterbrush filled with black India ink

* 2 Retractable Sharpie markers-fine & ultra fine

* 1 Silver Sharpie marker

* 1 Signo Uniball pen - white

* 1 Galaxy Marker - white

* 1 .5 Mechanical pencil w/extra leads

* 1 Faber-Castell Perfect Pencil

* 1 General's Woodless Graphite pencil

* 1 General's Sketch & Wash

* 1 General's Charcoal pencil 4B

* 1 General's Charcoal pencil - white

* 1 Blending stump

* 1 Kneaded eraser

* 1 Erasing shield

* A small piece of sandpaper, waxed paper & a napkin

With a bit of room to spare for ephemera I might pick up along the path...believe it or not, lol.

The Bijoux box is perfect because of its small size. There is a travel brush in the tin also which is handy. The right photo shows the embossing stylus. It unscrews at the center blue thingy where two more tips are stored. Handy for embossing, debossing, scratching & manipulating/distressing paper. This particular Colour Shaper is sold for use with masking fluid but can be utilized in a number of different ways.

This is called the Perfect Pencil by Faber Castell. The top as you can see on the right comes apart to reveal a sharpener. Having the cap keeps the graphite from getting all over. I have enjoyed this tool.

The Fiskars fingertip razor knife along with a cutting mat is better for me because I have severe numbness in my hands frequently and seem to be able to manage to do the intricate work I prefer easier with this tool than with typical scissors. 

   And lastly, everyone needs one of these. This is a nephew. (Overlook the swollen left eye. Not all models come with this flaw. This particular nephew has older brothers and one of them blackened his eye the night before while wrestling.) Our little Jaime graduated from preschool a couple of days ago and is hanging out with his Aunt Mikey until his regular sitter is also out of school for the summer. We had a grand time taking these photos and discussing in depth what all that "junk in that box" is for. I hope this is helpful.

Love to All!

Catching Up...

      

In one of the Yahoo! groups that I am a member of some of us are participating in a monthly journal swap with a partner. Above you can see some of the entries I have shared in both of our journals. The group is Blissfully Art Journaling and my partners' name is Stacy. This has got to be one of the most delightful groups of people I have ever had the pleasure to be associated with and Stacy is absolutely the best journal partner ever!!! Circumstances have kept me from joining in the discussions on the board recently, but I faithfully read every post and learn so much from the precious souls who are there. It is a caring community of like-minded individuals, (where art journals are concerned at least), who make a concerted effort to lift one another up. I like that. The photos below are from a tip-in swap also done monthly on the same group. I have ceased to participate for the time being due to overwhelming family obligations but plan to get right back at it as soon as possible. The art I have received from others has been fantastic. Out of respect for their privacy I will not share their creations here. You'll have to be satisfied with the schtuff I've come up with, lol.

     

I hope you have enjoyed perusing my blog. It has been my pleasure to share with you a while.

Love to all...

My Unexpected & Most Welcome Visitors

 

Bright and early yesterday morning I was sitting in my studio, checking my email, when a movement to my right made me stop and pay attention. I was absolutely thrilled to realize that I had visitors. Three beautiful deer were contentedly munching grass in our side yard. Thankfully I had my camera close by and got a few photos. I just had to share them. These gorgeous creatures touch my heart with their graceful and elegant movements. I felt so blessed to witness their interaction for just a little while. After a long few moments something spooked the trio and I thought it was me until I realized our 'yard dog', Willa had been sleeping right beneath my window and had just taken notice of the deer. The photos below make clear what became of my nature viewing at that point.

 

It was a most serene moment while it lasted. By the way, Willa is quite harmless, she simply finds pleasure in making a fuss about strangers of any sort. Obviously she did not make much of an impression on my new found friends because two of them showed up again this afternoon. This pair is a momma doe with her fawn. She is quite large for a female and the most amazing thing to watch. I am planning to get them some feed to put out to help them along. We can make sure they are not shot at while here with us but there are no guarantees once they leave our property so I plan to try to keep them close.

Just gorgeous!

I hope you enjoyed them as much as I did. Sending love to y'all.

Until next time...

Good Schtuff for Sale

I have been attempting to scale back my crafting 'things' due to the crowded nature of my studio. When my Grandaddy moved in with us last year I gave up the larger space on his behalf and some of this schtuff has just got to find a home with a bit more space. Luckily for some dear soul I am forced to release a number of great items at terrific prices. If you see something you are interested in just email me at jinxiegoforth@yahoo.com. All these items have been lovingly used and treasured.

This item is the Clip It Up! by Simply Renee'.  All the extra clips, tags/dividers and such are included, many were never used. There is also a cover that was never used. This thing holds a huge amount of stuff! Retail is approximately $100.00. I am requesting $25.00 plus actual shipping.

This is the Tag-A-Long by Ellison. I do not recall what we paid but I am requesting $10.00 plus actual shipping.

   

This is the Revolution by Quickutz. It is currently on sale @ our local Hobby Lobby for $99.00. I am asking $40.00 plus actual shipping.

If you have any questions, (or would like to make me an offer, or have something you would like to trade or barter with) - just ask. I have sold numerous items on Ebay with 100% positive feedback. My username is jinxiegoforth. I have simply become disenchanted with all the fees and issues related to Ebay recently.

Say you are short on money right now, and who isn't? I am willing to trade these items for items I can use that have an equivalent value or part cash and part trade. Email me - I bet we can strike up a deal.

Some things I can always use include but are not limited to: Watercolor Paints and Accessories, Journals - Moleskine Large or Pocket w/Lined Paper or Moleskine Large w/Watercolor Paper or Handbound w/Watercolor Paper, Fountain Pens, 140 lb. Cold Press Watercolor Paper, Handmade Items, Your Unique Art, Unique Actual Ephemera and Olde Stuff in general, etc.

Let me know what you think...

Seven Months Ago...

This is one of the major reasons for my obvious lack in the blogging department...I returned to the work force in February of this year and it took quite some time for Wayne and I to adjust. Of course there has been many other things taking place during that time that have demanded my attention but this one has been a "biggie".  Considering the fact that this job should be quite simple, and it technically is, personalities and corporate decisions seem to keep this little place in turmoil. Truly, I enjoy this job but remain confused by how some manage to complicate matters seemingly without cause.

All nonsense aside, I am practically in heaven being surrounded by books all day long and people who appreciate them too. Certainly all employees do not share my passion but some do and many customers are just great. For the most part, when there is not some silliness going on internally, I really enjoy the interaction and atmosphere.

For now I am 'giving it a go' having to cut my hours to a minimum due to the illness of a beloved family member. BUT I thought some of you who make an effort to keep track of my whereabouts might be interested to know where all my free time has gone.

Until next time...

New Family Members

A few weeks ago we were delighted to receive into the Goforth fold six new family members. Just wanted to share a photo of the cuties before they find new homes.

Isn't this just too adorable?!

My favorite

.

On the left is Wayne's pick. The little guy on the right looks like his daddy...

Hail, hail the gang's all here! We've enjoyed these sweeties but will be glad to see them off to happy homes very soon. (Especially before the chewing stage begins, lol!)

Photos for Franny

Not much by way of an introduction here. The lady this is posted for will know what it is all about. The rest of you can just wonder. *smile*

Franny, this plain old binder is about 9 x 5.5 inches, (outside dimensions). It was a cast-off that someone else could not find any use for.  This journal has no completed pages yet. I will also decorate the exterior at some point. I have another similar journal of the same size but it is currently traveling about in a Round Robin so I can't give you photos, sorry.

Here you can see the variety of sizes and shapes my pages wind up in. A lot is determined by the size and shape of the original packaging. I use anything and everything from cereal boxes to macaroni & cheese boxes to ends and pieces of some boxes. I don't mind the odd sizes and shapes, (as a matter of fact it really appeals to me), so uniformity is not an issue. You may feel differently. Some 'pages' I cut freehand and others I use a stencil on the edges. Once I have them cut to shape I apply a thin coat of gesso. My reason for the gesso is that many of the boxes have a slick coating on the outside and this allows my paints and such to stick without a problem. This step is a personal preference and not absolutely necessary. You could probably give the shiny side a good sanding to make sure the paint adheres. It is up to you-it's your journal! Once the gesso is dry I apply anything I would like, usually beginning with a coat or wash of acrylic paint, and voila', instant and interesting journal pages! Practically free too!

Just to give you an idea - this is a page made from a microwave popcorn box that I did not cut apart completely. I simply folded it up and cut out the shape of a castle, unfolded the bottom third and cut it to imitate a draw bridge, (Sorry about the wonky fourth photo). I could journal on the interior and when the finished page is folded shut and inserted into the binder my journaling would remain private. Just put your imagination to work and the world is your oyster.

I hope this helps!

Love.