Amanda Rose Zampelli | the blog

my art journal // life story in six words

Around this same time last year, I posted a brush script image I created that said "dream job is 2000 miles away." This was when I applied to American Crafts as a designer and they wanted me to move to Utah to do the job. At the time, that was my life story in six words - the most immediate thing going on in my life.

Yesterday morning, with lots going on in my brain, I sat down with a cup of coffee, a few old magazines, a large stinky sharpie marker, my art journal, Modge Podge, and a pair of scissors and had a messy markering, cutting, pasting, paper scrapping therapy session about my current life story in six words:

Broken without him. Can't stop crying.

I got the idea for a six-word memoir in an old Oprah magazine. There was an article that called for people to describe their life using only six words. You can read their submissions HERE. All of them are go great.

Two close runners-up for my [current] six-word memoir can be read below:

I suppose you might be wondering what the story is behind these 'oh-so-uplifting' six-word memoirs or all my talk about crying and sobbing in yesterday's currently list. I'm not quite ready to share it on this space yet, but I'm sure it isn't too hard to figure out. Long story short: I'm going through a rough patch. (<--another 6 word memoir. Ha!)  Getting a bit of that energy in my art journal did help a bit. Art journals are good like that.

see more photos of this art journal page HERE // see all past art journal pages of mine HERE

my art journal // DECOMPRESS

I'm happy to be posting this page in my art journal today and am excited to report that nobody slows my art journal roll. :) Now...let's all take a deeeeeeeep breath, and decompress a little bit.

To decompress means to "relieve of compressing forces; to calm down and relax". AH. MEN. Lord knows I need this word in my life and a big bold reminder of its meaning, soooo...DECOMPRESS is the secret word of the day, boys and girls, just like we're at Pee Wee's Playhouse.

I cut the word out from a brown paper shopping bag, then crumpled it up, stretched it out again, and cut out each individual letter. The process of making this art journal spread was a good way for me to decompress.

AHHHHHHH!

{insert Pee Wee Herman giggle}

my art journal // live in the moment

Here are my latest pages for the Get Messy art journal challenge. *UPDATE: I no longer participate in Get Messy. Look to the comments section in this post for the reason why. :) This week I used some of the sweetest papers & stickers from a me & my BIG ideas album kit. I like that they're floral, yet the colors read very Fall - the darks and the gold.

I decided to do a two-page spread around the whole idea of that "live in the moment" sticker. On the left are common phrases and words that loop in my mind, all based on pining for the past or anxiety for the future... I like that the right page, with that awesome sticker, just silences it all:

I also made one more page journalling some things I'm thankful for, since October's prompt is gratitude.

I took a selfie with a me & my BIG ideas jumbo sticker on the mirror. I paired the printed selfie with papers from the same mambiKIT I used on the first pages, and then doodled some lines and journalled some gratitude in the blank middle area.

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Get Messy is an art journal challenge where a gang of us crafty vixens share art journal pages we have created to practice our skills and push past our creative limits with hopes to inspire. The unofficial 'share your pages' day is Thursday where a new bunch of images are added to the instagram hashtag #getmessyartjournal. You can read more about the challenge HERE.

my art journal // neon paint & paper strips

Here are my latest pages for the Get Messy art journal challenge. *UPDATE: I no longer participate in Get Messy. Look to the comments section in this post for the reason why. :) This week I wanted to use some of my favorite papers from two me & my BIG ideas paper pads (this one and this one) across all of my art journal pages. 

On my first page, I focused on positivity. The second page is probably my favorite, with my little painted succuent.  I was inspired to make this page from this recent pin found in this post.

My final page was meant to test my new little hand-held pocket sewing device or something like that...and as you can see, it didn't work for SH**. 

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my art journal // your autumn adventure start here

Here are three of my latest pages for the Get Messy art journal challenge. *UPDATE: I no longer participate in Get Messy. Look to the comments section in this post for the reason why. :) The seasons changing this week from summer > to > fall around these parts no doubt influenced the content of these pages.

Martha Stewart gold metallic craft paint was used again this week. Also, some watercolors, sharpie markers, magazine cutouts, and that Heidi Swapp date stamp.

To see the September link up of Get Messy art journal pages from around the globe head HERE.

Also consider joining in next month, as there are really no rules to this challenge except create + share. 

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my art journal // painting gold

The theme of my pages for today's Get Messy art journal challenge is GOLD. *UPDATE: I no longer participate in Get Messy. Look to the comments section in this post for the reason why. :) Gold, gold, and more gold.

For this first spread, I used Martha Stewarts gold metallic paint and gold glitter paint. That 'TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS' sticker comes in this mambiKIT.

These photos do absolutely no justice to the shimmer and shine that this paint produces. I left this page open on the window sill this morning, and have been shooting glances at it all day long.

The second spread of today's #getmessyartjournal challenge is made up of the lyrics from Christina Perri's new song Burning Gold (how fitting). I'm pretty obsessed with that song...

...and there's something about writing down the lyrics to a song you adore, right?  Like...

...now that you've tangled them up in your art, they've become yours in an even deeper way.

Do you feel the same way about lyrics in your artwork?

The final page of this week's submission for the Get Messy art journal challenge met the prompt for September of trying a method or material you've never worked with before.

For no reason, I wanted to spray paint a page gold.

I've never spray painted paper before, and spray paint is a very unfamiliar medium to me (although I've been practicing on frames & pumpkins lately).

I then painted some gold glitter on the back of that me & my BIG ideas ClearExpressions transparency card, and stuck the card on top of the gold spray paint with hot pink washi tape.

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my art journal // something for 9/11

This is my first submission for the Get Messy art journal challenge. *UPDATE: I no longer participate in Get Messy. Look to the comments section in this post for the reason why.  With today being September 11th, this is the something I wanted to say. More on that here.

To start this project, I chose two Gold Foil mambiSTICKS stickers that looked like towers and had appropriate sentiments.

I used one of the arrow stickers and cut the arrow head off to make the antenna on top of the North Tower. Then, I added a 'Remember This' half circle sticker.

When my base of mambiSTICKS were in place, I decided to paint with neon and gold. You can see a quick video of the process HERE.

I stamped the date, I journalled the never forget, and in 15 minutes my page was done.

I pray we never forget. I pray nothing like what happened 13 years ago ever happens again. Live for today, for this moment, for the people you love, because you never know when they'll be taken away.

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