Another beginning

Hello my friends.  After not getting any snow until January 1st, we've been 'blessed' with several good snowfalls this month already.  Really, I don't mind it, as long as I don't need to drive anywhere when the roads are slippery.  But once the road crews have done their jobs of clearing all the snow off, it's not so bad.  I grew up in northern Wisconsin and learned to drive on snow covered roads, with snowbanks along side that you couldn't see over.

Anyhow, along with learning to art journal, I decided to join this year's Divine Design Bible Verse challenge, which is a monthly challenge over at splitcoaststampers.  I thought making my monthly challenge in art journal format would be a great place to start with an art journal. 

I started with watercolor paper and coated it with gesso before adding paint, an old book page, some stenciling and stamping.  I even used some bubble wrap with acrylic paint.  It will probably take me awhile to figure out my own style, but I'm having fun in the process.

I bought some new paint brushes with fibers that have some stiffness to them, so it was a little bit easier for me to paint with some control, but there is certainly no perfection there. 

I printed the verse on my computer.  The butterfly from Flores suaves (SU) is colored with sponges and white gel pen and cut out, and the flourish is a Tim Holtz stamp from Stampers Anonymous.

I'm also entering this in the art journal challenge at OWSE yahoo group, which required an old book page as part of the journal page.

Thanks so much for stopping by.  I'd love to know what you think.