Guest Blogger Bonita Rose On Art Journaling

Bonita Rose, This is me.

I am what you'd like to call a RENAISSANCE WOMAN. I really am. I have a lot of passions. A lot of things I love to play with in my studio. Somedays - it's just hard to choose what I want to create that day. So many things and projects appeal to me.. it's hard to choose! Paper crafting is my first passion. I love paper, plain and simple. I am still a firm believer in sending real mail and real cards in the mail, I love filling writing journals and my art journals with stories of my life, and I am a firm believer in using pretty things to tell your story, to tell my story.

I love to write. I love to write. I'm a writer at heart and it's one reason I have such an active blog. Writing comes easy and I so believe in telling the stories behind the photos. The stories that may not seem so obvious.

I learned to sew this past year, and am getting my toes wet when it comes to my sewing machine.. I love stitching on paper and love the pretty effects just some colored thread can give to a simple card or layout.

I have dabbled in jewelry making as well. I create my own talisman mantra pendants and map pendants for my shop, as well as bloom earrings and rings... always with lots of color!

Mixed media is another passion. I love playing with paints, acrylic inks and stencils in my work.. and using bits of found papers in my art. For me, anything goes!

I have been art journaling and playing more with paints and media for about one year - before that -- it was mostly just paper. Who knew how much I would love it?

I am truly a spontaneous artist. My Studio is jam-packed full of supplies, which reminds me, I seriously need to declutter and destash.. my room is busting at the seams! I usually sit down with a vague idea of what I want to work on for that day, but then, I just choose colors and mediums, and paper spontaneously -- whatever moves me, whatever I reach for at the time. I work better that way.. I honestly don't really plan any of my art.. it just happens!

You can visit my blog here, I blog daily a few times a day, I love blogging!

My etsy shop is here, vintage finds and colorful playful art.. all kinds of art!

Find me on Pinterest here.

My Flickr group of sets is here.

Friend me on Facebook here!

Twitter feed is here.

All About Art Journaling Beginning to play with papers and paint. Art journaling. Altered Art. It's really so much fun playing with color and paint etc.. Let your play-time be really PLAY time!

Here's what I would suggest to get started: -- a large 18x24 pad of newsprint, found at you local Michaels or online at Dick Blick, to cover your work area on your desk. you tear a bunch of pages off and just lay on your desk where you work.. it will protect your surface.. I usually use a painters cloth under that over my entire desk as well... just to be sure nothing splatters etc. -- one bottle of white gesso -- stencils and masks to use with spray inks etc. Make sure to get some Punchanella from my shop here! -- So much fun to use as stencils and masks on your pages! -- get some tumble tie dye inks fr robenmarie.com in her Artgoods shop.. They spray very bright colors and are great spray inks to use, plus they work on fabrics too! -- cheap bottles of acrylic paints -- paint brushes - bristle brushes and foam brushes! -- an empty jar or tin cans for water for your table -- Golden gel medium, matte or modge podge , matte or glossy - decoupage medium.. love it! -- cheap sponges for sponging on acrylic paints onto your pages -- glitter if you like glitter! brush on some modge podge then sprinkle some glitter! -- watercolor paper 90 lb or 140 lb.. 140 lb is thicker and holds more water without buckling, just more sturdy -- you can find paper pads at Michaels. -- a watercolor set of paints or watercolor pencils or crayons, so much fun to play with watercolors! -- thrifted or vintage old books for ephemera to use torn book pages on your pages. -- magazine cuttings, so fun! keep those magazines! -- black rollerball pens for doodling over paints -- if you like sewing, fabric scraps for your pages! You can also add fabric to your pages using modge podge, just brush on the page, put fabric on top, then cover with decoupage medium! -- and don't forget your inkpads and your rubber stamps! So many possibilities!