Essential Oils to Help You Relax/Sleep

I love how certain scents can take you away to another place or time because of how they make you feel when you smell them. There are many aromatherapy diffusers on the market but you don’t need to spend money on these to enjoy the healing benefits of essential oils. The easiest way is to simply put a few drops (a little goes a long way) on a tissue and slip it inside your pillowcase. This is a sure way to relax and drift off into a blissful night of sleep.

I have to say that Lavender is my all time favorite with Chamomile as a second runner up. However, you may find these scents don’t necessarily appeal to you. I would suggest going to a health food store and test a few scents to see which ones you like best. You can also create blends, but for starters I would recommend going with 1 or 2 oils and see how they make you feel.

Oils that help you relax/sleep:

  • Bergamot
  • Cedarwood
  • Chamomile
  • Clary Sage
  • Eucalyptus
  • Geranium
  • Lavender
  • Lemongrass
  • Marjoram
  • Mandarin
  • Orange
  • Rose
  • Rosemary
  • Sandalwood
  • Ylang Ylang
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

i believe in magic – Mixed Media

I created this piece from an online class called Paper Pretty Girls, by Cathy Michaels. The class had been hosted on Creative Workshops which unfortunately has been closed down. So I’m working on getting the last of my classes done while I still have access. 

Cathy Michaels is a very talented artist in Montreal Canada. I’ve taken a few of her online classes over years and have always enjoyed them immensely. She’s awesome! I encourage you to hop over and check out her site at: https://www.cathymichaels.online/.

Thanks for stopping by!

Attitude Journal Pages

I am a collector of quotes and really love this one. As with a lot of things these days, your attitude is everything. How you choose to deal with and handle a situation is entirely up to you.

I created these pages in my Strathmore Mixed Media 5.5″ x 8.0″ Visual Journal. I like the pages because they are fairly thick and can handle the paints and pastes well. I started by coating each page with white gesso. Once dry, I lightly painted the background with the Jane Davenport Mermaid Ink Pens and distressed the edges.

Next, I used a wave stencil and applied Golden Fiber Paste. While the paste was drying, I traced and cut a sand dollar using a wooden stencil I found in the craft store. The paper for the sand dollar was made from a piece of background paper I created a few weeks ago and kept in my stash. I glued a piece of vellum to the back of the sand dollar to cover all of the openings in the center. I added detailing to the sand dollar using a white Posca Pen (these are by far, the best white pens I found).

After the paste dried, I used more of the Mermaid Ink Pens to paint the waves but I made the colors bolder on this layer. I couldn’t resist adding Star Dust Stickles to a few of the waves for a little bling.

Last I printed my quote on the computer and glued it to the page. I drew a few birds on the other page, glued my sand dollar in the journal and that was it. These pages are bright and fun and full of texture!

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you enjoy creating your journal pages!!

I am what I choose to be

I’ve been collecting inspiring quotes for some time now. I needed to find a use for them so I thought it would be fun to create journal pages with them. I made these two pages in my 8.5″ x 11″ Strathmore Mixed Media Visual Journal

To start, prep your pages with a coat of white gesso and let it dry.  Pick 3-4 colors of acrylic paint and paint your pages. I painted the background first. Once it was dry I distressed the edges. Next I used a few of the lighter colors of paint to add some fun shapes to background using a bottle cap and a pencil with an eraser. 

When this layer was dry, I used a white Posca pen to draw a few organic doodles. I’ve gone through a lot of white pens trying to find one that worked on various surfaces. Needless to say, the vast majority didn’t work well or just stopped working altogether. The white Posca pen has become my favorite. I’ve had this one for a little over a year and it’s still working great!

The next step in creating these pages was to choose a quote. I chose this quote by Carl Jung, “I am not what has happened to me. I am what I choose to be.” It resonated with me so I printed it on the computer and glued it into the journal. I then outlined each part of the quote with a dark marker. The last step was to add dark green Stickles for a little bling and that was it!

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you have lots of fun creating your journal pages!!