Creative Ways to Enhance Your Concertina Art Journal

I’ve been having a bit of fun and working in my concertina art journal also known as an accordion journal. The next four pages burst with layered whimsy and creative reuse. I started with collaged butterflies—each one crafted from stash papers I had previously made. Their wings are full of bright colors and lively movement, bringing a sense of flight across the spread.

To add a bit more charm, I included collaged pieces from an old book page and sketched in snippets of musical notes. They bring just the right touch of vintage whimsy. I also added gold pen accents that catch the light in such a lovely way, tying everything together with a gentle shimmer. One page has a leafy collage that helps ground the butterflies and adds a sweet little nod to nature.

On the far right page, I included a small pocket—just big enough to hold a hand drawn woven paper and a cut-down strip from a loose watercolor painting. It’s a little surprise tucked into the page, inviting interaction and a closer look.

This spread is all about play, texture, and transformation—breathing new life into forgotten bits and well-loved papers. I had so much fun watching it all come together, layer by layer.

I hope you enjoyed this little peek into my latest concertina journal pages! Do you have favorite treasures hiding in your stash that always inspire you? I’d love to hear what you’ve been making—feel free to share in the comments.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you have a wonderfully creative weekend ahead!

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Creative Inchies: Transforming Small Art into Big Inspiration

“Inchies” may be small, but they sure pack a big creative punch! Over time, I’ve built up quite a collection of these little abstracts. Recently, I made some leaf impressions with watercolors but wasn’t sure what to do with them—until inspiration struck!

I realized they were the perfect size for my 6×6 inch Bee Paper Mixed Media Journal. So, I dug into my inchie stash, picked out some favorites, cut them out and turned them into vibrant collaged abstracts. I love how dynamic they look!

I’m also thinking these could be part of a larger piece—what do you think? 🌿💚

Hope this sparks a little creativity for you! Wishing you a cheerful and inspired weekend!

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Gratitude Art Journaling

I thought I’d share with you a fun art journal layout I made a while ago. I love the fall colors in this one and cupcakes are always fun!

It was a pretty simply layout that I started with collaged pieces of printed tissue paper by Tim Holtz for the background. I lightly painted over them with pink and orange acrylic paint making sure you could still the collaged papers peeking through.

I have a large cupcake stamp that I used to create the stacked cupcakes. I added a few designs to the background using white acrylic paint and then printed the quote from my computer and added it to the page:

“The more you thank life, the more life gives you to be thankful for!”

It’s fun to see where your art ends up because when I made this I started with my cupcake stamp and it grew into a stack. There wasn’t a lot of planning involved but rather going with the flow. So when you’re journaling and leery of the blank page, just start even if you only add a few scribbles. The important thing is to start and let your creative muse take over and have fun!!

Hope this inspires you to create today, thanks for stopping by!!

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In art she found herself Mixed Media Canvas

Thought I’d share with you a mixed media canvas I made a while ago titled “In art she found herself.” I created this on a 9×12 inch canvas using cut pieces of patterned paper, acrylic paint, lace, ephemera and pretty much anything else I could think of.

The little bows on the kite were the hardest. They’re very small and made from crepe paper that was painstakingly folded and tied off with a thread. Then I had to carefully glue them to the canvas. The style at the time was basically a face without any detailing. But I always look at it and feel it isn’t done. What do you think?

✨🎉Wishing you a New Year filled with Much Happiness, Good Health and Great Success🎉✨

Thanks for stopping by!!

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Poppies Mixed Media Art

I thought I’d share with you today one of my older pieces of art I created a while ago from a tutorial in Zendoodle Magazine which sadly isn’t published anymore. It was a beautiful publication with eye catching designs and tutorials I really enjoyed.

This mixed media art was made using collaged tissue paper which is a medium that’s such fun to use. To this day this is still one of my favorite pieces of art for many reasons. I love the bright colors, texture, doodles and overall design. What do you think?

Thanks for stopping by!!

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“Flowers are like friends, they bring color to your world.” ~Gerard De Nerval

Summer’s Simple Pleasures Art Journal Pages

I really liked these images I found in an old Romantic Homes magazine and thought they’d make an interesting summer journal layout. I painted the background with acrylic paint and added pieces of a paper doily, punched butterflies, glitter, doodles and whatever else came to mind.

It’s a great way to have to some and relax. Journaling is a wonderful stress reliever because there are no rules and anything goes. You simply create what you feel.

Hope this inspires you in some way today. Thanks for stopping by!!!

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Echoes of Mercy Angel Journal Pages

I bought these embossed angel images on Etsy from a shop called Scrapaplenty. They’re made in Germany and are quite beautiful. I fell in love with them because they remind me of the vintage images used in cards from long ago.

I created this layout in my Strathmore 5.5″ x 8″ Mixed Media Journal. The background is painted using leftover paints from one of my canvases. As I looked at this color combination, it seemed to be a perfect fit for the angels. I used a stencil to create the clouds and added the quote “Angels descending bring from above, echoes of mercy, whispers of Love.”

Hope this inspires you today 😊

Thanks for stopping by!!

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Impossible to Fail Journal Pages

I had some leftover paint from one of my paintings and didn’t want to waste it so I used it in my Strathmore 5.5″ x 8″ Mixed Media Journal. I tried a new face stencil by Jane Davenport and loved it! I added a quote by Dorothea Brandt that reads “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams, Act as though it were impossible to fail.”

What would you do differently if it were impossible to fail?

Hope this inspires you today 😊

Thanks for stopping by!!

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Make a New Ending Journal Pages

I was playing with my paints and wanted to try a new color combination. I loved how the background turned out so I started working on 2 canvases. Stay tuned for those.

I just got some new artsy ephemera in the other day and thought I’d use it for this layout. I found this quote by Maria Robinson that resonated with me “Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.”

Hope this inspires you today😊

Thanks for stopping by!!

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Art Journaling

When I was a kid and the teacher would bring out the scissors, paper and glue I knew it was going to be an awesome day because we would create some type of art. Sometimes it’s fun to go back to the basics and cut out pictures and simply glue them in a journal.

I’m not a textile artist but I look in awe at the quilts others make. I came across these photos in Quilting Arts magazine and decided to make journal pages from them. These were images of quilts created and designed by Jean Impey. They were simply stunning!

I onced used a hand wipe to clean inks from my studio table and it looked pretty cool at the time so I kept the wipe and let dry so I could use it for my art. It ended up finding a home in my journal 😊 The leaves and the heart were made using the recycled wipe. I thought they went well with the images and background color.

Hope this quote and happy journal layout inspire you in way today.

Thanks for stopping by!!

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