A selfie for my final art journal page

Last year I started making Moments and mixed media pages for Jane's Journal. I really enjoy this and I have learnt so much about mixed media in that time. I love getting lost in my creative moments and making memories to keep forever in an art form.
One of my journals is a small Dylusions and I had just one last page to create before it was full. Below is a little collage of my previously completed pages, I have shared them all here. I do stick some spare pages together otherwise the inks and paints seep through and mess up the previous page...I found this to my cost very early on. Whenever I look at my pages I can be transported back to one of my "Moments" last year...it's better than a photo album... I can smell, hear and sometimes even taste how I felt at the time. Some are of specific  occasions, others are just thoughts I had at the time.  All are very personal.

This is it now...very bulging

 I turned to that final page and had a think about what it would be.

There is a new challenge which took on from when Scrap across the world closed at the end of December. It is called More than Words. Their first challenge is to use a photo of yourself...I don't often do this but I thought it would make a fun last page. It is also to create something showing your personality.
One of my favourite places to relax is on Rhodes where my Hb and I holiday most Septembers. I decided to use this photo of me.......hmmm I don't think we ever like sharing selfies but here goes.

 I cut myself out and no it was not too painful ;0) and chose some beachy sunshine distress inks to create my background. I blended out several to represent the sea and the sunshine we so enjoy there.

I added some stencilling and stamping. The stamps; sentiment and birds are from the fabulous Free you imagination set  by Visible Image, the water drops are Design by Ryn.

I added some acryllic paints bubbles too using bottle tops. (These photos are quite dark as they were taken down in my studio)

and then placed my photo to come up with these finished pages.

A fitting final page I think.....

I would like to enter my pages into the following challenges;

More than words personality and selfie

 My pages show me in my element, on holiday in the sunshine. They use my favourite colours, blue and yellow. I think they show my personality well, I have a positive attitude, a love of life and nature. I try to smile even in the face of aversity. The stamped quotes are 2 of my favourites. I am quite a mindful person and I really do try to live in the moment and I love freeing my imagination to create art whenever and wherever I can. If you remember last year on Rhodes I even created a Moment on my balcony using a cardboard box!
Noor anything goes
Country View crafts Be inspired by Bottles mine is a sneaky twist, I was inspired to make the white circles using empty bottle lids and using stamps to create lots of lovely bubbles!
Simon Says stamp Monday stencil it
Crafty Boots something old something new the old is my journal the new is my VI free your imagination stamp set.
Crafting from the heart anything goes
Pile it on Use your first initial mine of course is J and this is J for journal pages.
The Artistic Stamper anything goes
Our creative corner mood board I was inspired by the blues and deep yellow colours and the clock. I also added some clock stencilling to my piece as it suggests a memory in time to me.
Penny Black and More 2/3 one for the girls
Open minded crafting 2/3 something new my free your imagination stamp set is new.
Crafty catz  word art
Designs by Rynn  January customer creations I have used her brilliant bubble stamp

And so my first journal is complete and far from being an ending...it's a new beginning as Father Christmas in the guise of my Mum and Dad bought me this new big boy on the left.

I took a photo of it with my full journal. It's quite a leap in size which means even more space for creativity. I do plan a cover for my old journal when I get the time, another thing for my list of things to do.

I am working on the very first page of my new journal right now.....there is nothing like something new and unused is there? It reminds me of school when you were given a new work book having filled up the old one...do you remember that? There's even that smell of new pages....mmm

We are looking forward to a little family party at the weekend, early celebrations for my Hb's birthday next Wednesday. Enjoy yours and I will see you next week. Thanks for visiting,

Bye for now,

Jane x