Happy 2014!

Flourish and bunny stamps by Crafty Individuals

Alphabet stamps by Amy Tangerine

Woohoo! 2014! Happy new year everyone, may 2014 be a fabulous year for us all :-)

So, a new year, a new beginning ... you know what this means? Oh yes, it's the launch of the art calendar challenge 2014. Come and join us! The challenge is now entering its fifth year, which is pretty unbelievable as the time seems to have whizzed by. I have completed most months now for the last four years, although I must admit life gets the better of me sometimes and I just don't get round to it. Going back to complete a month can be soul destroying so I just move on and get ready for the next month.

January can be a fairly bleak month here in the northern hemisphere as it barely gets light before it gets dark again so I decided to add as much colour as I could to my January page to compensate for the lack of light and colour around me. The cute little bunny stamps are by Alice Palace for Crafty Individuals (although in this case I prefer to think of them as arctic hares!) Aren't they adorable?

Here's a few snippets of my 2013.....

So, if you are already taking part in the challenge, welcome to 2104! But if you are not already taking part then what are you waiting for?! This is a great way to journal every day, and capture life's moments. There are NO rules ... just make a calendar every month, decorate however you wish, and write a little every day. Simples!

In answer to some frequently asked questions:

Q What size journal do you work in?

A Personally I work in a large 12x8" (A4) journal. Either a Moleskine Folio Sketchbook, 

   or a Dylusions journal, and make a double page spread every month.

Q What size are the daily squares?

A I use 1 1/2" squares for each day. But who says they have to be squares?! Remember - no rules.

Q Do you work in a journal or on loose pages that you  bind at the end of the year?

A I work in a bound journal which also includes my regular art journal pages, but some people prefer to work on loose pages and then bind them. Anything goes!

Q Where do I post my pages when they are completed?

A You can post your pages on the link here on my blog, the inspirational group page on flickr, or the very large, active and inspirational group on facebook.

Q Not many people seem to link on the blog any more. Will the link still continue every month?

A Yes, many people have moved from the blog link to facebook (almost 1,000 members on facebook) but to keep this challenge all inclusive, then the link will continue here each month.

Got any more questions? Fire away! 

Happy new year everyone! May 2014 be a joyful and art filled year for you all.