WELCOME BACK ART JOURNALERS!

Did you have fun or did you have fun during MOC? I tried my best but I think I was like 6 behind.... Sometimes, life just gets in the way. Sometimes we just don't have enough boxes to put our things into and organize our lives enough to make it work! Now, that January is over let's open a new door into our AJ (art Journal) journey.

I was inspired by an artist, her name is Tracy W. Hambley (I have linked her name to her blog). She makes mixed media out there in the real world LOL!!! What I mean is that she is NOT a digital artist. Her work is very interactive, it makes you want to go and move and play with her art. She also LOVES boxes (shadow boxes). You can also find her in
Instagram @tracyhambley
Here is some of her work:

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This month, we are going to be working on shadow boxes. We are going to try to make them "interactive", since they are digi and not really interactive... I want you to make them look like if in real life you wanted to touch or play with it. You can make your own shadow box or you can use some of our stuff in the store to help you out. You could even start with a pocket template as your starting point and make it into a shadow box with some creative use of shadows.

UPDATE: Some of you are WAY too fast, so I thought maybe I need to make this a multi-week challenge!

IMPORTANT NOTE: You have till the end of the month to enter all 4 weeks.
WEEK #1: GET Your feet wet with this shadow box mentality and do what ever you want with the theme.
My week #1 Shadow box:


WEEK #2: Make a trinket box with your shadow box. I want you to add as much or as little as you would like to your box. I want you to use items that symbolize something to you. I am thinking of adding hockey pucks and nothing else into my shadow box. It seems like that is all we do lately! You can fill it up with current things or maybe something that reminds you either your childhood or someone's childhood.
NOTE: Trinket box= a box that contains or is full of little items.
NOTE: It doesn't have to be something you WOULD necessarily find in a shadow box. I want to see your shadow and learn something about you, either what it's going on in your life right now or that happened in your life.

WEEK #3: Your box needs to have things you have always dreamed about having or things you would wish you have done different (maybe symbol to represent this). I want to see you put some time into thinking WHAT YOU think you are missing or don't have or you wish you had or you wish it was different. (I know, I know.... a bit down the spiral this month... but there is a reason, so stay with me). It could be as simple of something you always wanted as a little kid too.... anything goes (as long as it follows the first idea).

My week #3:


WEEK #4: This final week of shadow boxes, I want it to be a closure for all of us. We are all going through some good or bad times right now and I want you to take a snap shot of you right now. I want you to understand that what you added to your boxes during the previous weeks mean something and are related to your state of mind right now. I want you to use something from each of the previous weeks boxes into your box for this week (it does not have to be prominent). I want you to make a snap shot of your life right now and I want you to understand that it will be OK even if it doesn't feel like it. I want you to give yourself permission to feel OK, to believe it will be OK, to understand that LIFE will GET better. If you are having a dandy time, I want you to REJOY ON IT! Capture that JOY in your snapshot! I know I am asking maybe a bit more that you might be willing to share, but please do try even if you don't share it with us. I want you to get that out of your head and start working towards seeing a brighter future.

I have uploaded some inspiration in our INSPIRATION & ART JOURNAL Pinterest Board, so go check it out too!

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NOTE: Special, note I will try my best to see if I can figure out an easy way to convert a pocket page into one of these playing with shadows, but I was just called to substitute this week at school. I will be a bit scarce, but I will be logging in and checking you ladies out!
UPDATE: I got a few minutes to play! It is pretty easy to get an EFFECT of a shadow box, it's not as cute and perfect as the products the designers created but if you want to give it a try, here it is. Here are the settings for the effect you will see below. The trick is to play with your "inner shadow" and don't change the "choke", only move distance, size, angle, opacity and blend mode.

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RULES:
1. Layouts must contain at least 50% TLP products. (Templates count as 15%.) Please list all credits and upload to our Art Journal gallery and to this thread!
2. If you can add the following tag to your gallery entry: AJFEB16
3. IMPORTANT NOTE: You have till the end of the month to enter all 4 weeks.

 

I want to play too, of course my Photoshop is not behaving and my eyelids are closing!

 

I just updated a bit of playing I did with the pocket templates and the inner shadows.

 

@carilyne , that's the idea. You see how in real life you would go and move those keys? That would be the interactive part.

 

This is exactly the idea. I love how you made it about you and your story. You ladies rock. Show me more! It's like playing with dollS!

 

stop it, it will be fun!

 

@NancyP , just wanted to make sure you don't miss it this time!