Time to celebrate!

Using an old gift card is a great way to spread paint! It’s fun, fast and stress-free, in addition to using very little paint. Here I chose the Mexican flag colors, but added YELLOW -- because it loves to party! I added scraps of paper from the day including a napkin I obviously didn’t use but saved for my journal instead! I intend to add some personal writing to the page. What memory will you document today?

More inspiration

I love playing with watercolor and watching the magic of colors blend together. Nothing 'beets' the magic of watercolor!

And let's celebrate the uniqueness of you! Start with Distress inks applied with a sponge using a honeycomb stencil. Then use a Pentel brush pen to draw the image. A small stipple brush can be used to color the image with Distress inks. Finally, add your text and scraps of washi tape and stamped rice papers. Use YELLOW, of course, the color of optimism, happiness and celebration!

Inspirational quotes

I am loving my tiny moleskine journal where I document inspirational quotes. Here's the latest one created with layers: 1) start with Distress oxide ink sponged onto page; 2) repeatedly stamp background images; 3) add color-coordinating washi tape; 4) stamp tree image onto dyed coffee filter paper; 5) Glue paper to page. 6) Add torn pieces of paper and accent areas with Inktense pencils. 7) Use tiny alphabet letters to stamp the quote.

For an easy way to make your own stamps, cut the image from foam instead of carving. Here are the materials I used.

Rainy days bring out the blues

It has been raining quite a bit in the Northeast lately and we're getting a little tired of it. I try very hard not to let the weather get me down, but allow it to inspire me when art journaling. I guess the "blues" came out when I started journaling about the rain and then some flowers, and who knows what will come next. I'm never really finished with a page because I see opportunities for more layers. I hope you let the weather inspire you!

Art and music therapy when journaling

Music is a wonderful way to inspire your art journal pages and your state of mind! Turn on a favorite playlist, get out the paint and see what happens! Here's a spread inspired by my  personal moments with the song “The Windmills of Your Mind”. For this spread I started with gesso, added layers of paint, stenciling and paper for dimension, and then wrote lyrics around the “circles that you find”. What song speaks to you today? What message is the song telling you? Grab your art journal and playlist to enjoy both art therapy AND music therapy while journaling!

Baby, it's cold outside!

One of my favorite songs is "Baby, it's cold outside". Sung as a duet, usually during the holidays, this song is now the theme of our cold, January month. My studio doesn't have heat, but I do run a tiny space heater to spend a little time there.  I managed to create a few pages in my journals despite the cold. My favorite so far is the quick sketch of birch trees in my mini moleskine.

This journal doesn't take too much wet media, so I sponged ink and added a light spray of silver acrylic. I used an Inktense black pencil and a dry brush layer of gesso for the trees. I always add scraps of paper that are from my personal painted paper stash. This small journal continues to be my inspirational quote journal.

My husband and I recently watched all the Star Wars movies in chronological order - to see the whole story unfold. It inspired me to create a fun spread dedicated to the Force and our fun time together. I practiced a lotus line drawing and then used Yoda's quote: "Liminous beings are we" for my focus! Stay warm and enjoy some journaling of your January!

Started with line drawing over painted background.

Holiday season inspiration

The holiday season is my favorite time to decorate the house and get inspired by the many possibilities! This year I've chosen white poinsettias through out the house. I prefer the white variety because they add a wonderful lightness around the room, especially when combined with lights!

The poinsettias inspired the cover of my December planner, painted with gesso and acrylics, ready to record holiday memories.

I then painted another version for making prints for my holiday cards while enjoying the different color combinations I could create. Enjoy the season and look for color inspiration wherever you are!