Christmas Art Journal Page

Hi everyone!

Happy New Year and welcome to 2017! Although the New Year is upon us, and I have many exciting things to share in posts to come, I just wanted to share one last minute Christmas project. Christmas is my favourite time of year and I was very blessed to have 2016 be my first Christmas as a married woman. While the season was dampened by an illness I came down with, I was inspired in the days before Christmas to create an art journaling page.

While I've always loved the idea of art journaling, I've never actually sat down and done a page.... until now! I've had this gorgeous leather bound journal that a friend gave me tucked away for  special occasion. The pages are nice and thick so I figured it would hold up with mixed media techniques.

I started with a layer of gesso before adding different shades of red acrylic paint on top. To finish off the background I used some texture paste with a tape measure stencil. I used the "25" section to symbolise Christmas day and stamped a script background using archival ink.

For the left page I used different green washi tapes to create a Christmas tree. Isn't it cute?! I punched a star out of some yellow card stock for the topper and added some kindy glitz to make it sparkle.


I then die cut the word 'joy' using a kaisercraft die. This particular die is actually a tag, but instead of using it as is, I cut around the featured word in a circle. Draw on some string and add some fussy cut snow flakes and I had some pretty baubles hanging near my tree!

For the right page I used some old sizzix dies to cut out the phrase 'Joy to the World'. This is one of my favourite Christmas carols, and I think it's pretty fitting as we celebrate Christmas.


I also die cut a nutcracker using a Kaisercraft die - there's something about him that just makes me smile!

I placed the nutcracker on some Christmas presents that I made. These are so simple to make but look really cute! Just cut out some squares from Christmas (or any occasion) paper and add some bows using thin washi tape.

Finally I added some kindy glitz to the nutcracker and the word 'joy' because I'm in love with sparkles! I also used a felt tip pen to draw around each of the letters and major elements, such as the nutcracker and presents, to highlight the images. This helped them to stand out from the background.






Overall I love how this turned out! I had so much fun layering paint, stencils and die cuts all together, and I look forward to creating many more art journaling layouts.

I hope you've enjoyed this Christmas project. I wish everyone a Happy New Year and look forward to sharing more crafting adventures with you in 2017!

Much love,

- Sarah -

12 Tags of 2015 March

Hi all!

So this year I decided to join in the fun with Tim Holtz's 12 Tags of 2015

For those who aren't aware of this phenomenon, Tim posts a tutorial for a tag each month on his blog, and invited fellow crafters to give it a go. Some people follow the tutorial exactly, others make a tag inspired by his - either way it's lots of fun!

This project really was a challenge for me! I don't have a lot of Tim Holtz or Ranger products, and I haven't tried many of the techniques that Tim uses. However, this means its a great opportunity to expand my crafting knowledge and skills! Without further ado, here is my March tag:

Boy, did I have fun! The only stencil I had on hand was a polka dot pattern. Some of the circles 'squished' when I heat set the embossing powder, but I think it make it a bit more abstract! I also used distress inks over paints, as I didn't have any.

I went for an ostrich over a butterfly - a little more unique, and I just love this stamp!

Again, short on supplies. I didn't realise how little metal embellishments I have. I decided to go with these cute bronze dragonflies and the cello below to match the musical washi.

This was so much fun to make. It's an unusual style for me, but I love learning new skills. Maybe I haven't mastered them yet, but I'm on my way!

Let me know what you think in the comments below. If you've made a tag yourself, send me a link! If you haven't - give it a try for April.

- Sarah -