I love the ocean and enjoy spending lots of time on the beach. I lounge on the shore completely immersing my mind, body and soul in the ebb and flow of the waves. It’s a reset for me.
This was a fun little journal spread I made using lots of different things and techniques like collaged papers, stickers, stamped images, stencils, distressing, painting and coloring with markers. I added my quote “This life is Amazing, treasure it!”
I hope you’re able to find and see the amazing things in your life✨
Have a beautiful weekend. Thanks for stopping by!!!
More exciting news, now available in my Etsy Shop, set of 3 Beach notecards with envelopes. These are also blank inside making them perfect to send warm wishes to someone special. Whether they’re well wishes, birthday or uplifting words of encouragement, these notecards are ideal. Professionally printed from my original photographs on heavy cardstock. Each card measures 4.25×5.5 inches and is blank inside for your inspiring sentiments.
The other week I posted Page 1 of this journal spread. For my focal point on the second page I used a tag that I made a while ago and stashed away for later use. I love this tag because it was embossed with a stamp that reads “My heart is at home by the Sea” which really resonates with me.
I made the little turtles using the same stamp as in the tag, colored them, cut them out and glued them into the journal. I wanted a little texture for the turtle shells so I used Inkssentials Glossy Accents.
I had a lot of fun creating this journal layout and hope you will too!
Supplies
9″ x 12″ Journal
Torn pieces of tissue paper or pages from a book
Gesso
Mod Podge or Gel Matte Medium
Acrylic Paint: Aqua and Royal Blue
Fiber Paste
Wave Stencil
Palette Knife
Assorted ocean themed stamps
Staz On Black Ink
Inkssentials Glossy Accents
Assorted ephemera and embellishments
Ranger Distress Ink – Black Soot
Glue
Scissors
Instructions
Paint your pages with gesso. Let dry.
Tear small pieces of paper and glue them to the journal pages with Mod Podge or Gel Matte Medium. Let dry.
Paint your background in your favorite acrylic paint. Allow the torn pieces of paper to show through the paint a little. Let dry.
Mix fiber paste with a darker contrasting acrylic paint and apply using a palette knife and wave stencil. Let dry.
Stamp sea life images to the pages with the Staz On Ink and add ephemera you have that will go with the ocean theme. You can also stamp or draw images, color them with paint, cut them out and glue them to the pages like I did with the little turtles. I also added a little Glossy Accents for more texture.
Distress the edges with Ranger Black Soot.
Add your quote.
Add any shading and highlights where needed. Add a little sparkly glitter and that’s it!
Sometimes I save pieces of ephemera from things I buy or places I’ve visited. I recently bought a Simply Southern t-shirt which are super comfortable and it had a sticker on it “Save our oceans and turtles.” I kept it not knowing what to do with it but when I was creating another piece of art, I came across yet another piece of ephemera I saved, the canvas seashell tag. So I set the two pieces aside and decided I had to make them work and this is what I came up with.
I gave myself a challenge to create a journal page in 90 minutes or less and this is what I ended up with. I started with a quick pencil sketch in my Strathmore 9″ x 12″ Visual Journal. Next I used watercolor pencils to paint the page and let it dry. I added detailing and shading with colored pencils, Sakura Micron Pen 005 and a white Posca Pen. For a little texture, I filled in the bubbles with Inkssentials Glossy Accents. And of course, lets not forget the bling with Stickles.
Give yourself a challenge and see what you can come up with. You’ll be surprised!
Earth Day started April 22, 1970, as a way to bring awareness to environmental issues and changing the public’s outlook. We are all interconnected on this planet. Every action causes an equal reaction whether it be good or bad.
Everyone chooses their battles to fight. Some battle to reduce air pollution while others battle for the forests. My battle is for the oceans because they are one of the biggest sources of life on this planet. It’s heartbreaking to see the islands of plastic that have formed as a result of dumping garbage into the oceans. Some of the plastic breaks down, pollutes the waters and eventually settles on the ocean floors. Marine animals mistake plastics for food causing them to get sick or even die.
As humans we consume tons of fish, crabs, lobsters and shrimp from the oceans every year. With the amount of plastics, garbage and toxins that have been dumped into the oceans the marine life has become toxic for humans to eat. Yet it still is a very large food source for us, so what does that say about the state of our health?
This is just one small part of a much larger problem in the oceans and I could go on and on about the issues at hand, but I think you get the gist of it. Everyday we wake up we need to be mindful of the role we play on this planet and be proactive in taking care of Mother Earth so we will have a beautiful tomorrow.
What are some of the things you do to help make a better tomorrow?
Thanks for stopping by!
“We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.” ~Unknown
All photos above in the slide presentation were taken by Maria Vidaurre, Bahamas.
Flowing Waters Art 