This Time of Year

journal page, collage papers, image of my mother's wooden paddle

My Ishibashi grandparents lived with us in East Los Angeles when I was a child.  Grandma Ishibashi  busied herself the week before the new year by cleaning out the whole house, inside and out.  She sewed a new outfit to wear on the first day of the year.  Festive symbolic Japanese delicacies were prepared 

by Iwataki and Ishibashi grandmothers from their magical kitchens.

journal page, acrylic paint, stencil, scrapbook paper, photo of my great grandfather

We visited our relatives all day on January 1, driving from home to home, 

eating the special food that they prepared, playing with cousins,

listening to stories told by wise grandparents.

I have never missed a New Year Celebration with my family.

journal page, acrylic paint, magazine images, rub on

I have become the proud bearer of the family tradition, 

cleaning and chopping

before each new year.

Happy New Year 

to you

and yours.

I am grateful for your visit

these first six months of my blog.

xxo

About Journaling

I have journaled over the course of many years.  

There have been travel journals,

daily pages, poetry musings, scrapbook journaling, 

family journals with joint entries, photo journals.

A recorded life in the form of 

photos, words, images torn, cut and pasted.

I encourage friends to journal. 

Do it, I say.  Start now.

I don't think of my life as interesting, they say.

Start from your heart.

What pulls at your heart?  

Start there.  Write a word, make a mark,

start with a color. 

Sart.

A Peek at a Few Journal Pages

This week I had reindeer

on my mind.

Oh, I know,  these are deer 

but they are sweet too.  Aren't they?

And a few other collage journal pages I wanted to show you.

I hope your holidays are all that you want them to be.

XXO

During this busy season. . . .

journal page, magazine images, rub ons, acrylic paint, scrapbook paper

Inspiring Words

Where do you start?

journal page, magazine collage, acrylic paint

Start by starting.

journal page, collage, acrylic paint

How do you start?

journal page, collage

Touch your supplies.  

Words from Juliana Coles.

This unfinished page

has a new look.

More Doodling

Experimenting

with a

monochromatic color scheme.

Ready for journaling.

Journal Doodles

I never was a doodler

but while in the hospital waiting room

I took my journal 

and pen and made some marks.

Then later filled in with Pentel Color Pen Markers 

that I hadn't touched in fifteen years.  I found 

a fun way to pass the time and create with  minimal supplies. 

Thank you for stopping by today.