The Sea Art Journaling

I’m excited to share my latest artwork with you for the Scrappy8Challenge on Instagram! This month’s theme is “Salt,” and after tossing around a few ideas, the sea 🌊 kept calling to me—it’s salty in the best way! To add a bit of interest and fun, I even sprinkled some coarse sea salt onto the background.

This ocean-themed piece found its home in my cherished 4.5×5″ handmade watercolor journal—a thoughtful gift from my sister on a past birthday. I love working in this journal; the size is just right, and the colorful thread binding adds such a special touch that I made sure to paint around it. To make it even more interesting, I drew a boat and some sea life, then stamped the quote, “My heart is at home by the Sea,” and secured it with some washi tape. I even found a delightful mermaid washi tape by Jane Davenport in my stash, which I thought was the perfect finishing touch. I’m pretty pleased with how it turned out—it’s cute and captures that salty sea vibe!

I have to admit, I’m a little behind on this challenge, so I’ll be catching up on the other two designs over the next week or so. My studio projects have been keeping me busy, but taking this creative detour was a refreshing break.

Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope you have a fantastic weekend ahead. 🌟

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Finding Peace Through Angel Art: A Watercolor Journey

As many of you know, I love painting angels. It’s where I find peace and solace through the artistic process. I started this watercolor painting in my art journal a while ago, but I wasn’t thrilled with the overpowering, bold colors.

Eventually, I decided to move forward and finish her. Surprisingly, once I changed my mindset, the colors started to grow on me, and new ideas emerged on how to complete this painting. Sometimes, we need to take a step back and let things settle before new inspiration comes to us. It’s a reminder that patience and a fresh perspective can transform our work in unexpected ways.

I hope this inspires you in some way today. Thanks for stopping by!!⠀

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“Faith and Fear both demand you believe in something you cannot see. You choose!” ~Bob Proctor

Unleashing Creativity: Transforming Brushstrokes into Abstract Art

I’ve been practicing brushstrokes in my journal with the new watercolor brushes I recently bought, and I’m amazed at how each one is completely unique. They differ in how much water they hold, their bounce, and how well they maintain their shape. These new brushes are a significant upgrade from my old ones, but they definitely take some getting used to.

Instead of leaving this as a boring practice page I thought it would be more fun to keep the creativity going and turn this into an abstract design. So I used my pens to add lines and dots.

What started as simple brushstroke practice turned into a fun and creative abstract design. Art is all about exploration and finding joy in the unexpected. Have you had similar experiences with your own practice or art projects? I’d love to hear your stories and see your creations. Share your journey in the comments below, and let’s inspire each other.

Thanks for joining me on this creative adventure!

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2024 Inchie Challenge Handmade Journal

I had a wonderful time participating in the 2024 Inchie Challenge hosted by Amy Maricle at Mindful Art Studio. The challenge featured 12 prompts, and I created a small 3.5×3.5 inch journal from watercolor paper to showcase each tile.

To add a final touch of whimsy, I finished it off with a bit of glitter and ribbon.

Check out this short video of my journal—I hope it inspires you to create something fun this weekend!

Thanks for stopping by!!

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Sea Girl Portrait Art Journaling

I can’t believe how long it took me to complete this art journal portrait! I began with the sketch in December, and after several layers of watercolors, she’s finally finished. 👏👏 The sketch itself was time-consuming, as I wanted to get it just right. Then, I meticulously added layer upon layer of watercolors, with a few enhancements using colored pencils—though not too much. It was truly a labor of love, and I poured so much time and effort into each detail. This video shows how it all came together 😊

I hope this inspires you in some way. Have a great weekend! ⠀

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Butterfly Art Journaling

This artwork is for the Scrappy8Challenge on Instagram, and this month’s theme is “Don’t label me!” Coming up with this design was quite the journey! I played around with watercolors, pen, stencils, some cool stamps, collage and a bit of glitter. For this theme I added a few empowering phrases that speak volumes:

“STOP comparing”
“labels are limiting”
be YOU-nique!”

I created this design in my 4.5×5″ handmade watercolor journal that was gifted to me by my sister from ArtsiRosi Etsy Shop. I’ve been using this journal for the challenge and it has quickly become one of my favorite journals!

I hope this piece sparks your creativity and inspires you to break out your art supplies for some weekend fun! Wishing you a safe and Happy Memorial Day!!

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Growth Art Journal

I love to create in my journal in between studio projects, it’s a creative sanctuary for me. I found this image of flowers in an old Romantic Homes magazine and couldn’t resist creating a journal spread around it. I fell in love with the vibrant springtime vibe it had.

Beginning with the blank canvas in one of my favorite Strathmore watercolor journals (7.75×9.75″), I let my thoughts flow onto the page. Layer by layer, I added pieces of decoupaged tissue papers and snippets from old books, creating an interesting textured background. I used everything in my studio from watercolors to acrylic paints, pens, colored pencils, and even a sprinkle of glitter, to add depth and dimension to the design.

I finished it off with a quote by Steven McCanie:

“The master has failed more times than the beginner has even tried.”

May this glimpse into my creative journey inspire you today. Thanks for stopping by!!

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Puppy Art Journaling

I’m playing catch-up with the Scrappy8Challenge on Instagram. Only one prompt a month, and I still managed to fall behind! 😂 For March, the prompt was “Collaged Animal.”

So I’m sharing one of my all-time favorite photos of my pup, Chanel. That bashful look gets me every time! She’s an absolute sweetheart, and her resilience is truly inspiring. Despite losing her sight at 3 years old, she wakes up every morning with boundless joy and still plays fetch! She’s got a lot of determination and a great attitude💖

This was created in my 4.5×5″ handmade watercolor journal, using watercolor paints and pens. I added a felt heart and a sprinkle of rhinestone hearts, along with the collaged image of my little girl.

Hope Chanel’s story brings a smile to your face today. Wishing you a fantastic day ahead!

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Fun with Inchies

I’ve been enjoying exploring some new ideas and creating these 3×3 inch mini works of art also known as inchies. Each design uses the same color palette and features simple yet interesting artwork. These designs, or variations of them, will be incorporated into a larger piece I’m working on, so stay tuned for that.

Once my larger piece is done, I’ll add these inchies to my stash to use in my art journal at a later date. But the process of creating these mini works of art is simply calming and so fulfilling. They’re a joy to make! What do you do to create moments of joy in your day?

Hope this sparks your creativity for a weekend art project! Thanks for stopping by!!

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Easter Bunny Inchie Tiles for Art Journaling

I really enjoy creating with these playful scribbles. With Easter Sunday tomorrow, I couldn’t resist making a few bunny tiles. Since I like working in 3’s these are my designs. I added splashes of watercolor paint to the scribbles and a little glitter to the tails for extra sparkle.

I’m going to add these to my stash for future use in my journaling. Hope this inspires you in some way today, thanks for stopping by!!

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“Live out of your imagination instead of your memory.” ~Les Brown