Use It Up Fill It Up 2: Days 1-15

Mixed media art journaling is such a freeing, creative muscle stretch. It doesn't have to take a lot of time or materials.

DAY 1

My friend Tiffany of Southern Gals Designs on YouTube and Instagram issued a fun art journaling challenge to start the new year. She calls it the "Use It Up, Fill It Up" challenge, and the point is to take 15 minutes and any unused art materials and journals and use them up and fill them up over the course of 30 days. Simple, right? 

DAY 2

This is the second time she's issued the challenge on Instagram, and she's hashtagged it as #UseItUpFillItUp2. It runs until January 30th, so there's still a few days to play along if you want. Of course, you can use the idea far past that date. I'm positive she wouldn't mind.

DAY 3

I've really enjoyed beginning my days (if possible) with this exercise to warm me up for other creative endeavors. And, I've made a point of taking lots of pictures of what I've made along with recording my process.  

DAY 4

While Tiffany encouraged those playing along to work on filling up an art journal, I found that I had a small stash of the backs/insides of Christmas cards. These were leftover from using the fronts to make Paper Christmas Ornaments. I decided to take these backs and "Use Them Up." 

DAY 5

I've tried to make this 15 minutes of art a part of my morning routine, but some days have been so crazy that I have fallen behind a few times. However, because I do love this creative kick-start to my day, I've made the effort to get caught back up each time. 

DAY 6

Before the challenge started, I gathered a few other supplies that needed to be used up. For one, I had a smattering of scraps of stamped paper that were used during  #CarveDecember. As well, there was/is a container of metallic acrylic paints that I've had for more years than I can even remember.

DAY 7

As the challenge has progressed, I've unearthed other art supplies and scraps that need a good using-up: magazine and book cut-outs, a collection of acrylic paints, and more paper scraps. 

DAY 8

I'm loving that the daily art is making me use my stockpiles of art materials and discover them once again. 

DAY 9

In addition, I'm finding what works for me, what I like to create, and that 15 minutes is plenty of time to create something beautiful. 

DAY 10

As the days go by, I'm liking what I'm creating more and more. Of course, there have been some real disasters (days 4 & 12 in particular), but I feel it's important to even share those with you.

DAY 11

While I've shared pictures of these here in the Peek at My Week posts, I thought it would be nice to give you a better look at each of the cards. 

DAY 12

Like I said above, this has been a great way to get my creative juices flowing for the day and get my mind in an inspired space. 

DAY 13

And, if I don't have time for other creative pursuits, this is a wonderful way to eke in a bit of creativity each day. Fifteen minutes is worth it!

DAY 14

I'm so thankful for Tiffany being an inspiration in so many ways: for sharing her art, her love for the process, and her fun-loving approach to both people and creativity. 

DAY 15

Like I mentioned above, I recorded my process for all of these cards, them grouped them into videos that included three cards at a time. Here are links to the videos if you're interested in watching the process as well. If you have any questions about any of this, please don't hesitate to ask! These are just the first half of the cards, I do plan on sharing the other half sometime next month once the 30 days are done.

UseItUpFillItUp2 Cards 1-3

UseItUpFillItUp2 Cards 4-6

UseItUpFillItUp2 Cards 7-9

UseItUpFillItUp2 Cards 10-12

UseItUpFillItUp2 Cards 13-15

I hope that my sharing inspires you to go make something beautiful too. 

I've linked this post up at the following link parties: Beautifully Made.