Category Archives: Journaling

Thoughtful Thursday Draw Yourself Calm Book Review

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Last year I had the pleasure of participating in Amy Maricle’s Inchie Challenge which was a lots of fun. I had so much fun that I bought her book, “Draw Yourself Calm.”

It’s a wonderful book that is well written and teaches you to simply slow down. The best part is you only need minimal supplies to get started. I find the practice of creating these mini works of art very calming and relaxing, a good way to destress. It’s also a good warm up for me to get the creative energy flowing.

In this video you an see the inchies I made for Amy’s 2022 Challenge that I put into a handmade book I created. I hope you’ll hop over to her site, Mindfulartstudio.com and learn more about Amy and her work. Highly recommended!

Stay inspired and create some art!

Thanks for stopping by!!

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“Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.” ~Edgar Degas


Stand out in the Crowd Watercolor Painting

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I wanted to share with you a fun watercolor painting I created a while ago. This is one of my favorite happy color combinations. For this piece I actually made 2 paintings. One was used for the background and the other was used to create the birds which I traced from a stencil, cut out and adhered to the background painting.

One thing I love about watercolor is that you can lift the paint off using various techniques. For the birds I used a stencil and a Wet Ones hand wipe to lift the paint off the paper. When using this technique, you want to make sure you have a fairly dark background so you can see the color variations where the paint was lifted.

To make the blue bird at the top even more different from the others I painted it with clear glitter paint. I also used a stamp with white embossing powder to add more interest. The quote in the bottom right was getting lost so I added a border to give it more pop.

You only need a few basic inexpensive supplies to create art and have fun. So what are you waiting for? Start creating some happy now 😊

Hope this inspires you in some way, thanks for stopping by!!!

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Angel Journal Covers

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Many of you followed me on my art adventure as I filled this journal with angel paintings. I love painting them because they give me a sense of peace, an inner harmony. With as crazy as the world has become, when I sit down to paint one of these angels, my outer world simply disappears and I drift into a place of complete joy.

I was happy and sad when I filled the journal because I knew it was time to start something new. I wanted the covers to reflect the love and magic these paintings exude. It took a little bit of time but I was finally able to create some pretty cool covers for the journal.

Now for the hard part of sending this journal off to Stampington in the hopes that it will be published in their Art Journaling Magazine, wish me luck 🤞

I hope you’re having a wonderful weekend and thanks for stopping by!!!

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“Every great move forward in your life begins with a leap of faith, a step into the unknown.” ~Brian Tracy

I am… Mini Mixed Media Art Journal

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I finally finished my handmade 3″ x 4.5″ mini watercolor, mixed media art journal. I filled it with uplifting and powerful “I am…” quotes so I affectionately titled this journal, “I am…”

My favorite pages are the Frida Kahlo quote “I am my own muse…” I love the bright colors 😊 What are your favorites?

I hope you enjoying your weekend, thanks for stopping by!!

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I knew the kind of woman I wanted to be… Mini Art Journal

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These are the last 2 pages in my mini 3″ x 4.5″ watercolor mixed media art journal. I added a great quote by Diane Von Furstenberg:

“I did not know what I wanted to do but I knew the kind of woman I wanted to be.”

Have an amazing weekend and thanks for stopping by!!!

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I am what I am Mini Art Journal

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I hope your weekend is off to a good start! I’ve been working in my mini 3″ x 4.5″ journal. I have 2 more pages to go and then it will be finished. I found this inspiring quote by Eleanor Roosevelt and thought it was a good fit for this journal:

“I am what I am today because of the choices I made yesterday.”

Have a wonderful weekend and thanks for stopping by!!!

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Inchie Challenge Journal

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I had lots of fun creating the inchies for Amy Maricle’s 2022 Inchie Challenge and now they needed a home. I came across this 2.25″ x 3″ mini journal I started a while ago. I had set it aside because I wasn’t sure what I wanted to fill it with but the inchies seemed to be the perfect fit. So I assembled the journal, painted it and added my inchies.

Thought the video turned out kinda cute. What do you think?

Thanks for stopping by!!

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“Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.” ~Edgar Degas

Starry Night Journal

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I hope your weekend is off to a great start! This was a painting I started before my studio reno got underway and now I was able to finish it. I was experimenting with different types of paint and shades of blue and purple. Originally this painting didn’t have any clouds but it looked like it was missing something so I added them in. What do you think?

Thanks for stopping by!!

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“I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of stars makes me dream.” ~Vincent Van Gogh

Make your own Magic – She Blooms in Ink

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I finished another segment in Tamara Laporte’s online course, “She Blooms in Ink.” This was my first dark skin girl and she was ever so challenging. Her skin kept coming out blotchy and the more I tried to fix it, the worse it got. So I cleaned it up the best I could and called it a day.

After everything was done, I thought she turned out pretty cool, even with her blotchy skin. I loved the color combination on this one, the green gave it that extra pop. I added the quote using a stencil which I just got on amazon. It’s part of a 20 pc set of inspirational quotes and was very reasonably priced. The stencils are perfect for journaling.

If you’re interested in learning more about the online courses offered by Tamara Laporte, please visit her at Willowing.org.

Thanks for stopping by!!

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Stay on the Sunny side of Life! Art Journaling

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I’m almost done packing up the studio and I had a lot more supplies than I thought. So in the midst of the chaos I thought it would be fun to share one of my older journaling pages with you.

I created this fun whimsical design using Derwent Inktense pencils. I love how bright and bold they are. I like that I can create and finish a journal page in a short period of time. It’s satisfying to complete a piece of art that makes you smile 😊

I’ll do my best to get back on track with my blogging now that the packing is basically done 😅 I’m very excited to get the new floor in!

Hope this inspires you in some way today.

Have a great weekend and thanks for stopping by!!!

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