Mixed Media Tote Bag

 I am having so much fun taking a blank canvas bag and turning it into something bright and new. Fabric stamping, acrylic paint with fabric medium, stencils and free motion stitch are my mediums of choice right now. This was one of my favorites so I gifted it to someone special - I hope it inspires her!

The back side is basic with antique letter stamping. I just love a "travel journal" vibe.

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Stitched Paper Gift Bag

 Here's an easy, fun way to turn a plain paper bag into a personalized gift tote.

1. Stamp the entire bag.

2. Spritz the entire bag with glimmer mist to add additional color and sparkle.

3. While that is drying, trim a separate paper sack with decorative scissors; cut to size of front side of gift bag.

4. Stamp paper and spritz paper lightly with glimmer mist, let dry (this should only take a couple minutes).

5. Cut bright fabric scraps into circles for flowers.

6. Enable free motion stitching on sewing machine and attach flowers with varying stitch designs. Then add stems and leaves. I like bright thread and live by the motto "the messier the better."

7. If you want to free motion a word or message I suggest lightly writing it in pencil, then following along with stitching.

8. Have fun, get creative, try anything!

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Art Journal Expression

I have never been comfortable with drawing or painting - not my forte to say the least. But forcing myself to ignore my inner sensor and just play, without concern for the end result, is a big, big step. I've been finding that letting go of a "plan" and letting my creative mind wander allows for other ideas to flow. Often I will stop and write them down on a notepad nearby to keep things going without stressing over remembering those great ideas. I am a mom and my post-its have post-its, but that's how I roll!

This journal spread was put together with book pages, fabric scraps, images torn out of magazines and newspapers that caught my eye for one reason or another and whatever color I was feeling at the moment.

There is no "right" way to art journal and I do it strictly for myself as the mood strikes me. The first time I picked up a paint brush it felt foreign and wrong in my hand but I'm glad I worked past that block. I hope you will try something new, maybe something that scares you a bit or feels foreign - its how we grow!

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Mixed Media Journal

MY INSPIRATION JOURNAL...


Mixed media art is everywhere and my addiction is growing! My friend Renea' is an awesome paper artist and after months of oogling and wishing, we took the plunge and decided to give mixed media journals a whirl. With her support and a few supplies I bravely stepped away from my sewing machine to try out our new craft.

But where to begin??

There are tons of amazing project examples on the internet and in magazines but I was still lost and not even sure if I had what I needed to get going. (I didn't even know that Gesso existed, or how to pronounce it for that matter.) Fortunately for me I came across Ashley at lilblueboo.com during my search. If you wanna be completely, overly, stupendously amazed at the crafting ability of a single human being I highly suggest you check out her site. And, again, I say WOW!

We chose her "composition book art journal" example to get us going and took it from there! Renea' dove in like a mad woman while I took a slower approach. (I'm still afflicted with flashbacks from grade school art class where it was painfully obvious a master painter I did not make!).

Some tools of the trade.



Doodle artist Traci Bautista's brand of mod podge.


So, half a glass of wine and a few loose directions later, I let myself be seduced by the no-rules approach to slapping on mod podge, colored paper, paint and whatever else tickled my fancy. I've kept a written journal for years and decided I wanted to make an Inspiration Journal; a place where I can put favorite quotes or images that inspire me and insights I want to remember and look back on later. These journals take time so instead of powering through I decided this will be a great project-in-progress. No pressure and I can apply different techniques to new inspirational ideas as they come along. I figured since it's for me and me alone I could let go of worrying about whether it actually looks like a first grader made it (besides, some of those kids are crazy good!!).

Here are some humble beginnings and I will be sure to share new pages and fun things to try as they come along. I'm excited to see how my journal grows. Hope you like it and maybe decide to try one of your own!




My first flower doodle. The ladies were printed from Stampington's inspirational quote of the week email and the big flower was outlined and painted from craft paper. I love how the typed lettering torn from a vintage dictionary and my writing add a layered look from under the paint.



This tag was soaked in coffee to age it, painted and covered in glossy mod podge. I love the loose texture of the ribbon.



The page as a whole.

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