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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Exploring the Magic of Accordion Art Journals

There’s something uniquely delightful about working in a handmade journal and letting creativity spill across the pages. Lately, I’ve been diving into my very own and first, accordion-concertina art journal, that is part of the Art Sparks online course by the ever-inspiring Joanne Sharpe (@joannesharpe). If you’ve ever taken one of her classes, you already know how her imaginative approach fuels fresh ideas and brings your creative energy to life. If not, I can’t recommend her courses enough—every lesson feels like a personal invitation to play.

My first few journal pages are coming to life with vibrant layers of color, cut-out flowers, and collaged whimsical shapes—all brought together with two delightful little pockets tucked into the left and right sides. While I might go back and add a few more details here and there, I’m giving myself the gift of time—letting the ideas simmer, evolve, and grow organically. This slow, joyful approach is a beautiful reminder that art doesn’t always need to be rushed. It’s not about the finish line; it’s about what we learn along the way.

What’s stood out to me in this process is how art journaling builds a daily habit of learning. Each time I sit down, I discover something new—about color, composition, or even my own creative moods. Sometimes it’s a technical insight, like balancing a busy page; other times, it’s simply about letting go and enjoying the moment. Art journaling invites constant exploration, and the accordion format makes it all the more playful and satisfying as it unfolds.

If you’ve never tried working in an accordion-concertina journal, I highly recommend giving it a go. The continuous flow of the pages invites new perspectives and ideas that just don’t happen in a traditional book layout. There’s something magical about seeing your artwork stretch and connect across folds—it feels alive.

Have you ever experimented with this kind of journal? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. Let’s chat!

Wishing you a wonderfully creative weekend, thanks for stopping by!

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Smash Book

With the holidays fast approaching I wanted to share with you a fun and beautiful handmade gift idea. A smash book is like a scrapbook combined with an art journal. It’s a place to keep all of your memories of everything and anything that matters to you without much concern for neatness. It’s a place to keep postcards, movie and concert tickets, favorite quotes, photos or anything else you can think of. You can add doodles, thoughts or just memorabilia but it’s up to you.

The base of this was a chipboard book to which I adhered decorative papers from Paris themed paper stack. You can add fun pockets, envelopes, create index cards, tags and all kinds of fun things, just use your imagination. They’re so much fun to make and the best part is you can customize the book for the recipient making it the perfect gift that will be treasured for years to come!

Hope this inspires you to create a handmade gift this year, thanks for stopping by!!!

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Botanicals Handmade Art Journal

I created a few more pages in my handmade botanicals journal and thought I’d share them with you. These latest ones are flowers. I’ve been practicing painting loosely which can be quite a challenge for me at times. But I must say it’s been pretty fun!

What do you do to loosen up so you can create?

Have a wonderful weekend, thanks for stopping by!!

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“Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were. But without it we go nowhere.” ~Carl Sagan

Botanicals Handmade Art Journal

I’ve been having some fun creating loose paintings in my handmade botanicals journal. I love being able to create in this journal when I need a break or if I don’t have a lot of time.

The pages are fairly small (4.5 x 5 inches) and fill up pretty quickly. So you don’t have to overthink anything, it’s pretty intuitive and spontaneous. Just go with whatever comes to mind. Plus it’s satisfying to be able to finish something in a small amount of time.

There’s quite a few slides but my favorite is #10 with the blue and green leaves and red berries. My next favorite is #13 which is the one above and then of course all the flower ones. Some I’m not that crazy about but it was a learning experience trying new brushes and paints. Which one is your favorite?

✨Also, don’t forget the 50% Off, Christmas in July Sale going on in my Etsy Shop ends Sunday night at midnight. So make sure you don’t miss out✨

Hope you have a wonderful weekend planned, thanks for stopping by!!

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“Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine, and at last, you create what you will.” ~George Bernard Shaw

Botanicals Handmade Art Journal

I recently created a handmade journal in an online workshop hosted by Amy Maricle of Mindful Art Studios and Ali Manning of the Vintage Page Designs. Lately I’ve been immersing myself in creating botanical designs in the journal.

I’m trying out different things like using my brushes in new ways, mark making and just having plain old fashioned fun. What I love is that it keeps you in the creative zone even if you only have a small amount of time to spare.

It’s not about making an elaborate painting or drawing unless that’s what you’re aiming for. But instead I make my marks, don’t always like them and then use my creative imagination to save it 😂 But that’s where the fun is because you never know where it will end up 😊

Hope this inspires you to get out your supplies and starting playing! Thanks for stopping by!!

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“Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine, and at last, you create what you will.” ~George Bernard Shaw

Handmade Art Journal

I love books and creating my own journals, it’s wonderful. When I heard that Amy Maricle of Mindful Art Studios and Ali Manning of the Vintage Page Designs were hosting a free online workshop called Botanical Books on how to make a beautiful handmade journal I was thrilled and couldn’t wait for the day to come.

Well, yesterday was the big day and I loved every minute of it! Ali did a wonderful job teaching how to create the journal itself and Amy taught how to fill it with botanical designs. I was able to create my the first two paintings in the journal and I’m looking forward to filling it up 😊

For the covers I used a watercolor paper design from my stash which I always like to have on hand. This one had a botanical design from a handmade leaf stamp I made so I thought it would be perfect for this journal. Plus it was really popping with color.

Definitely check out both of their websites as they’re packed full of fun courses, ideas and lots of inspiration. You can also find them on Instagram @AmyMaricle and @VintagePageDesigns.

Also, Amy is hosting a challenge next week The Power of Starting Simple. Just hop on over to find out more details about the challenge and join in on the fun!

Hope you’re having a fabulous weekend, thanks for stopping by!!

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“Art has the power to transform, to illuminate, to educate, inspire and motivate.” ~Unknown

Photo by Clay Kraze on Pexels.com