I've just finished up my September Daily.  You can see previous posts about it here, and here.  And now, I'd like to share the rest.  But, it's a lot of pics, so I'm going to divide it into a few posts over the rest of this week.

A quick note about the September Daily: It's inspired by Ali Edwards' December Daily, which she does every year.  I just find December too crazed a month to do a daily album in.  Everyone does the December Daily differently, but for me, it's an opportunity to (1) create more simply and without a lot of planning; (2) experiment with different techniques or ideas; and (3) record daily life in a totally no pressure way.

And so without any further ado…

9.9.09

You can see the blank "before" page on the left and what I did with it on the right.

9-front

Two things of interest from the page above:  (1) I wrote the name of each person on the photo and then followed the perimeter of the photo to create a box.  I think it helps bring focus into each of the otherwise busy photos.  It' a fun handmade frame.  (2) Masking tape and I are quickly becoming best friends.  I used it at the bottom of the page to create a journaling space for myself.

9-back-blank

Above is the blank backside of the page and below is the finished page.

9-back-sm
I laid down some strips of masking tape and then typed my journaling (using a typewriter) across the masking tape.  The bottom half of the page is a collection of Hambly scraps, both transparencies and patterned paper.  If the page hadn't been double sided, I probably would have taken out the sewing machine to stitch across the tops of the scraps.  But it is, so I just used adhesive.

Above on the right, you can see a Starbucks bag.  I punched holes in the side, added my "visitors badge" from the day and stuck a small page (below) into the bag.

9-insidebag

Daily life is full of so many containers that you can use: bags, envelopes, and wrappers of all kinds.  Doing this daily album has really reminded me of that fact!

9.10.09 

10-front
Above, you can see the before and after for the 10th.  This is pretty straightforward, I created a photo collage with a few handwritten notes.  Two notes: (1) I ink the edges of almost all of my photos with a black StazOn ink pad.  (2) My most used small photo size is 2×3 because it's the same aspect ratio as a 4×6 photo and you can fit 4 of them onto a 4×6 canvas.  I use a PictureMate printer to print all of my photos and it's a 4×6 photo printer, so this works for me.

10-back
I created a grid with my photos for the back of this page.  The journaling was typed on my typewriter.  I also added the label from my Label Tulip kit.  Today is the day it came in the mail!  I was so very glad!  And I have to thank Apple for the invention of the iphone.  Seriously, I don't know what I would do without it.  Virtually every photo in this album was taken with my iphone.

9.11.09

11-front
Once again, gesso absolutely transforms the look of absolutely anything.  I stuck down the title and then washed over it with a coat of watered down gesso.  September 11 and it was a bad day on many levels. 

11-back
I went a little hybrid on the back of the page.  I created a photo grouping and then added text and then printed them out as a single 4×6 photo.  I glued it to the background and I was done!  So simple and easy!  Plus, the beautiful faux collage of the background makes it easy to make a beautiful page.

I also added a little half page.  You can see the front (below left) and the back (below right):

11-addition
The front has a business card on top of some leftover patterned paper.  Note that I included the edge that has the manufacturer name, etc. on it.  I liked the "coordinating pattern on back" and thought it encouraged the viewer to flip the page over.  And as a practical matter, I wouldn't have had enough of that patterned paper if I hadn't used it.  Necessity really is the mother of invention!

9.12.09

12-front
Those numbers aren't cut out of patterned paper.  I cut them out of the page and what you see is the next page through the holes.  Some people (smart people) would have used an exacto knife.  I just hacked in with my scissors. I'm a lazy scrapper.

12-back
I love my white pen.  It's super opaque and makes writing on photos so very easy.  I use the Uniball Signo and I buy them here by the box full.

So, that's it for today.  Lots of simple, lazy pages.  Come back tomorrow for the next few!

Thanks for stopping by!

Julie Fei-Fan Balzer

Based outside of Boston, Julie Fei-Fan Balzer is a painter, printmaker, and collage artist who constructs vibrant compositions. Her artwork investigates the interplay of identity and perception, inviting viewers to take a longer look. Julie works in layers, both physically and metaphorically, exploring what is visible and what is concealed. Passionate about connecting with and inspiring other artists, she shares her expertise through in-person workshops and her online classroom at MyArtPractice.com. Julie's achievements include high-profile clients, multiple publications - including her book, “Carve Stamp Play” - and exhibits in New York City and throughout Massachusetts. She is a graduate of Brown University.

20 thoughts on “My September Daily is Done!

  • Masking tape for journaling…only you could come up with that Julie. Love the use of the Starbucks bag! My soy chai latte is waiting for me;-)

    Reply
  • Masking tape for journaling…only you could come up with that Julie. Love the use of the Starbucks bag! My soy chai latte is waiting for me;-)

    Reply
  • Masking tape for journaling…only you could come up with that Julie. Love the use of the Starbucks bag! My soy chai latte is waiting for me;-)

    Reply
  • Masking tape for journaling…only you could come up with that Julie. Love the use of the Starbucks bag! My soy chai latte is waiting for me;-)

    Reply
  • Love this!!! You have such great style, I especially love the page with all the Hambly squares!

    Reply
  • Love this!!! You have such great style, I especially love the page with all the Hambly squares!

    Reply
  • Love this!!! You have such great style, I especially love the page with all the Hambly squares!

    Reply
  • Love this!!! You have such great style, I especially love the page with all the Hambly squares!

    Reply

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