Hi everyone, all of us on the AJ team here, Lisa, Barbara, Dalis and myself, would like to let you know that there will not be any muse challenges this month. As you can imagine life has been a bit hectic in the backroom during January and there other things we are working on as well. Each of us also have a lot things happening in real life at the moment so we just need to pause and take some time out. Please accept our apologies, and thank you for your patience, we will definitely be back in March for sure!!
Thank you so much for understanding! Excited to say though we are in the planning stages for what would be good Monthly Muses! that being said any suggestions on what you think would be a fun Monthly Muse? Maybe its something we have never considered!
Thanks for letting us know, Ona. This past month has been a rough one! It's been a good one (MOC) but rough on other levels. Some of us just need to breathe right now. Sending hugs to all and we'll be ready to roll again after this month.
I definitely want to stay in the know with this group (now that I realize how much I could possibly fit in here...) But a break is good. I put some other crafting things on hold during MOC - and they *must* be attended to (one is a commission). Looking forward to March!
Hi, Barbara -I'm Michele and I'm beyond bicraftual - my other hobbies are spinning, weaving, and quilting (with some knitting thrown in, though I've burnt out a bit on that). So the commission is a spinning project - about 4 pounds of an alpaca/merino blend that a lady had made from the shearing of her adult daughter's prize-winning alpaca. She's actually got 14 pounds of it but I've only agreed to spin enough for her to crochet a blanket. There are very few mills that will spin small quantities (and 14 pounds is small to them), so it has to be handspun. I offered to teach her to spin, but she's a bit... unteachable? Yup, that's the word. Anyway, I agreed to the spin late in 2020, but it took until late last summer for her to get me the fiber. Then my 94yo mother had to go into memory care and we had to empty and sell the family house before the holidays and going away for the winter. After MOC, I needed to get back to this spin (which I haven't touched since September...*facepalm*) I want it DONE. There's a reason I don't spin a lot of natural colored fibers, but at least this is a lovely chocolate brown. And I'm learning that I don't love commission work either - I never want to make what I'm asked to make because there are MANY more ideas in the pipeline that are more interesting! I'm looking forward to scraplifting your gallery this month, btw!
Thanks for the update. Actually I am a bit relieved. I love the AJ challenges and will love them even more next month. I appreciate all that the team does.
wow! How fascinating Michele, spinning wool! Sounds like it would be a lengthy process? having no idea what is involved. So happy that you will come back to join next month, I will however need to remember to only use one 'l' in your name though! lol! My daughter is a Michelle, with two 'll's.
Thanks Marilyn and everyone for being so understanding, and glad to hear that some of you also need some time out!
Maybe a Muse on the theme of pauses one day. A few years ago that was my OLW so I have a whole Pinterest board of quotes, lol!
Ohhh Ona @wombat , a bit sad, but DEFINITELY understand!!! A break is very important to revive creativity. Hope each of you can manage some truly alone and Quiet time!!! @Mingo08 MICHELE!!!!! I am a fiber/textile artist! I have been trying to get the nang of my Turkish drop spindle, an it aint happen'! HA! Meanwhile my hubster is building a spinning wheel. I have a BIG box of beautiful bats that need done. I don't want to order other people's stuff, I'm a bit of a purist kind of artist. And I used to do watercolor/acrylic commission work, I agree with you- it can drain the wonder out fo creating to do what someone else wants. I am excited to hear about your artisan craft!!
If I think of anything, I will edit the post!!! 1. Choose 2 art journal pages made previously and combine them into one. 2. Complimentary color challenge- learn about color wheel. 3. Principles of ART: Balance, Contrast, Emphasis, Pattern, Rhythm, Unity, Movement. 4. Doodles! Your own and those in your stash- tell a story with them. 5, Use a 3 colored background and other accents/elements of only ONE color. 6. Make a page about a secret! 7. Journal a page ( visually) about a weird dream you have had. 8. What song makes you dance? Make a page! 9. Little Things--- miniature photos, elements, details...
Thanks for letting us now.... If anyone is desperate, just turn one or two of the normal challenges in to an Aj one !
@AJK Thanks Amanda! xx and thank you and everyone else that have made some suggestions for future muse challenges!! Always nice to know what challenges you guys would like to see!
Oh Michele that sounds like fun, doing those crafts! I’ve only completed a couple quilts. I love picking out the fabrics lol Weaving is up my interest ally! How exciting is that! I do mostly digital but love getting my fingers dirty too. I make cards. My children love getting them in the mail. excited to see what layout you lift!
I'm still just dabbling in AJ so I don't know what has been done, and of course wouldn't mind repeats of what has been done before. Even the seasoned Art Journalists maybe would like repeats because we can always follow a prompt a slightly different way . . . ? I have gotten into a near habit of at least reading the AJ posts every month. Sometimes I'm baffled by them and don't have the gumption and time to figure out what to do but I am very attracted to scrapping a different way now that I don't take a lot of photos anymore. So thanks everyone for adding to the wealth of scrappy inspiration here! I like Vivi's suggestion of turning a monthly challenge into an AJ. I think I might be kind of doing that sometimes already. At least, I definitely have been more interested in scrapping with mixed media stuff like paints and scatters than neatly aligning photos with captions and titles nowadays.