Be Kind

The Documented Life Project 2015 is coming to a close. This is week 49 already, only another 3 challenges to go and my Dylusions Journal is nearing completion too. There will be a Documented Life Project 2016 but in a different form. I have signed up for it and this one won't be free but not to worry. It will cost a mere $12 so won't break the bank.  But I have caught the bug of working regularly in an art journal (2016 will be different in that respect) and for me that is the major benefit of this year's Project, as well as all those spreads I've made with much pleasure.

Our theme (set last Saturday) is still the November one of Stencils, Stamps & Masks, and the art challenge was to use all three. I must admit up front that I didn't use any masks. I had a flower one at the ready but when I had made most of the spread it simply didn't need anything else so I left it out! The journalling prompt was the quotation by Henry  James about the three things in human life that are important: Be kind, be kind and be kind.  Again I gave it my own interpretation which is to: Be Kind to Yourself.  This is sometimes so easy to forget but specially in this month of December it's very important not to lose sight of looking after yourself.

The background was made using acrylic paints and the large stencil from the August 2015 Stencilgirl Club. Then I used an image that has long been in my box of cuttings and magazine/book imagery. I have no idea where she originally came from but it looks like she could do with being kind to herself.

I added the flower image (from a 17th Century Dutch flower painting) and the owl. They are reputed to be wise creatures and I wrote the following words around him and the flowers:

"The only thing you need to do today is breathe. Everything else is optional".

This was taken from The Little Book of Daily Sunshine, by Clare Josa. I love opening it at random and taking a bite-sized inspiration for the day, specially when that day is very grey and soaking wet. 

I added rubber stamping in the shape of a text stamp designed by France Papillon for Stampotique. The letters for the title were cut from magazines. I dripped some acrylic inks down the page and at that stage the page looked complete. No need for flower masks or postage stamps this time. It's hard to explain why I come to such decisions. There is simply an inner voice that says: STOP. It's done. There is a feeling of completeness like the spread was always meant to look like this.