Hi Everyone...It's funny how time can just get away from us...I am not quite sure where the month of May went...and then suddenly it is the last day of the month...I certainly didn't get all of the challenges completed that I set out to do this month , but I did complete the Template Challenge , the Scraplift Challenge , 2 Designer Challenges for May...plus I did one scrapbook page challenge during iNSD...So , all in all, not too bad...
A very good friend of mine was kind enough to gift me a beautiful! Art Journal for Christmas, that she created herself!...with real scrapbooking papers, lace doilies etc...What a Wonderful! Meaningful , unexpected gift she gave me!...I was completely shocked!!!...I hadn't done any "real" paper journal scrapping in many years...But she knows me well enough , to know , that I wanted to start , but wasn't sure how or when...So,I have been art journaling in the journal she gave me...and the photo that I showcased here , in this layout, is the actual cover of the journal in question...It is still a work in progress, but it is coming along , in the only original way , that I know how to do...My Art Journal book may not look like some of the more "traditional" types you might see...but I am learning as I go...It is more like bits of classic styles, mixed with a more modern flair, that suits my own personality or personal experiences , plus a lot of art journal experimentation , along the way...Kind of like a personal adventure / journey of creative self-discovery...This is something that makes my scrapping muse smile with delight...I hadn't realized how much I missed the sensation of touch and feel, and the joy of picking out each piece and attaching it by hand , to suit my own unique , art journal whimsy , style...LOL!...I liken it to , reading and holding an actual book, feeling the pages in your hand , as you read along on that book story , journey of discovery , which in some ways , can feel more real & peraonal...as opposed to a digital one...There is a certain feeling of reality meets art , meets scrapbooking , meets life's journey , all wrapped into one...I have already decided that the next Art Journal book I do , will be different from the current one I am working on now...Perhaps, I will post more of my completed pages in other layouts that I post here at The Lilypad...
I also would like to note...that I did use the template given for this challenge...but I did my full page type of design...I moved the "frame" ...more to the middle and scrapped around that...I even used multiple pieces of the original template and intertwined them into my layout ...The small "doodles" and the large "flower" stamp , as named in the original template design...A special thanks! to everyone who has read this far...
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*Credits Include :
Shift Mixed Media Project by Rachel Jefferies & Lynn Grieveson
* May 2026 Challenge Template : kindly provided , by Pixel Giraffe Designs [ Thank You! Maaike! ]
