Collage Journaling

Necklaces by Trendovy:  “Blue Mist” and “Pink Mist”

Well hello beautiful ladies!  Beautiful is the theme for today!  Yesterday I made a handmade journal using Strathmore Watercolor Paper.  It’s the perfect size and I am in love.  I want to see how it holds up during the collage process though.  I think it should hold up pretty well because I threaded it with waxed linen and covered the thread with duct tape–I don’t like collaging over thread.

To make this page I went through my magazine clippings and chose a focal image first.  Then chose colors I thought looked good with the image.

Before I glued anything down I experimented with the arrangement of the background.  Changing this or that if something didn’t look right.  Once I liked the layout I glued the magazine clippings to the page using a glue stick.

I glued a cute, orange flower die-cut behind my focal image.  I thought it added a little extra oomph to the page.

I added another orange flower on the left-hand side to pull the whole page together.

I store my ephemera in these cute little portable plastic cases that are contained in a larger portable container.  There are 16 individual cases in this scrapbook storage bin to hold all my goodies.  It works great especially for journaling on the go.  I grab a case filled with my bits and bobs and I am good to go!

“A rose can never be a sunflower, and a sunflower can never be a rose.  All flowers are beautiful in their own way, and that’s like women too. I want to encourage women to embrace their own uniqueness.” –Miranda Kerr

When I looked at this page I felt inspired by the word “Beautiful”.  I found quotes online that resonated with me and represented the word beautiful.  I wrote the quotes using white and pink Sharpy Paint Markers.

Make sure not to press too hard when using Paint Markers because you will get a big puddle of paint on your page.  It happened to me. Luckily, I was able to wipe it off right away without it staining.  I doodled around the edge of the page and on the flowers.  I used gel pens and colored pencils to doodle on the flowers.  The one thing I don’t like about this page is the word “I AM”, I wish I would of used two different font styles instead of the block font.  Oh well.  It’s all about the process.

Necklaces by Trendovy: “Blue Mist” and “Pink Mist”

I hope you feel inspired to create something beautiful!  Please share your journal pages with me! I always love seeing other people’s work!  How would you create a beautiful themed journal spread?

Creative Journaling Tutorial

Necklace: Boho Gypsy by Trendovy

Materials:

• Notebook (I use the Piccadilly Essential Large Notebook)
• Black Pen (I use the Rolling Ball Precise V5)
• Glue Stick
• Old Magazines
• Paint Chip Sample (or colored card stock)
• Colorful Envelope
• Washi Tape
• Colored Pencils, Markers, and/or Gel Pens
• Black Permanent Marker

It’s creative journaling time! Get ready to set goals and write affirmations! If you didn’t read my previous journaling tutorial be sure to check it out!  The style is similar and I go through the journaling process step-by-step.

Are you ready?  Gather your supplies and lets begin!

1.  Number your pages.  Add the date.  I always write the day, month, and year.  Play with fonts!  If you need help writing different font styles, check out DaFont.com (you can browse different fonts and type the words you want to preview), it’s pretty cool.  Add a little doodle border around the date.  I doodled curly q’s but you can doodle whatever your heart desires.  Maybe dashes, mini triangles, or a bold straight line?

I like the fun colors and messy artist backdrop in this image.

2.  Next,  look through old magazines.  If you have a pile of magazine clippings start there! Find an appealing focal image.  Once you pick your image, glue it down with a glue stick and cut the excess paper.

One of the great rewards of creative journaling is discovering a style that’s authentic and uniquely yours!  You’ll slowly discover patterns and themes that reveal significant clues about your personality. I adore flowers, anything artistic, bold bright colors, females with blonde hair (probably because I am blonde), and sexy/edgy advertisements.

3.  Add some Washi Tape along the edge of your image. I cut my image a little crooked and covered it with Washi Tape.  🙂

I’m OBSESSED with Washi Tape!  It’s so versatile and easy to use.

4.  Add more Washi Tape!  Layer different colors, widths, and patterns on top of each other.  It will add depth and richness to your page.  Washi Tape is transparent (so, if you layer yellow and blue together, you’ll get a cool green!)

4.  Grab a colorful envelope and paint chip sample (you can find these at Walmart, Home Depot, Lowes, etc. in the painting section–they are free! YaY!) that fits inside the envelope.  If you don’t have any paint chip samples, use scrapbook paper or colored card stock and cut to size.  The cute little orange envelope I used is a couple years old and it’s from an old ephemera stash–I believe it’s from the Dollar Tree.  Use what you have or make your own decorative envelopes!

5.  Add Washi Tape to your paint chip card.  I chose orange Washi Tape to cover the paint name and layered the decorative feather Washi Tape on top.  Next, glue your envelope down to your page using a glue stick.  Add Washi Tape around the edges of the envelope.

I wrote five goals I’d like to accomplish in the month of May.

6.  Let’s start this page off right and jot down some goals.  Who doesn’t love goal-setting and daydreaming of their future?  On the paint chip sample, use a permanent marker to write your goals.

Maybe you’re eager to work out but haven’t started?  Or you want to learn a new skill but don’t know how to start?  Or you want to eat healthy but keep eating Doritos?  Try listing your weekly, monthly, or yearly goals on separate cards instead.  Whatever it is.  Get it down on paper!  Be specific and add details.  You can focus on one major goal too.  Perhaps, write it on the front and the action steps on the back of the card?

7.  Write an affirmation on an area of your life you’d like to focus on and improve.  Maybe an affirmation to help with one of your goals?  If affirmations aren’t your thing than write a gratitude list or your favorite quote.  Have fun with it!  Get creative with markers or gel pens.

I read “Creative Visualization” by Shakti Gawain to help write better affirmations–it’s one of my favorite books on visualizing your goals and positive thinking.  The affirmation that I wrote is aimed towards my business and blog.  It’s the same one I’ve used over the past month or two.  I love this affirmation and will continue to use it until I move onto something else.

My Creative Affirmation:  “I am now an open channel for creative energy.  Creative ideas & inspiration are coming to me every day.  This or something better now manifest for me in totally satisfying and harmonious ways for the highest good of all concerned.  And so it is!”

I’ve noticed changes in the last few months after writing this affirmation over and over.  I believe it’s really helping me get things done and have clarity.  A lot of things that were difficult before seem so much more easier now.  I’m actually blogging regularly and writing blog posts with ease! YaY! That was a huge challenge before–all these ideas, not knowing where to begin, and feeling scattered. Ugh.  Maybe you can relate?

8.  Fill your page with all your hopes and dreams!  Add a little color and pizzazz. I added a little more Washi Tape, doodled and used colored pencils to finish the date.

Necklace: Boho Gypsy by Trendovy

Enjoy the process and don’t worry about creating a master piece.  Creative journaling is a rich journey of discovery, wonder, adventure, and excitement.

I hope you enjoy this tutorial and feel a creative spark inside.  Please share your beautiful pages with me!

Creative Journaling Tutorial

Necklace: Jasmine by Trendovy

Materials:

• Notebook (I use the Piccadilly Essential Large Notebook)
• Black Pen (I use the Rolling Ball Precise V5)
• Glue stick
• Old Magazines
• Washi Tape or Colorful Duct Tape
• Colored Pencils, Markers, and/or Gel Pens

Here is my go-to method for fast and easy, creative journaling. Grab a cup of coffee or your favorite tea, some old magazines and start looking through them. Rip out anything that catches your eye–keep this pile handy for future use.  Do not spend too much time looking through the magazines, 5-10 minutes max.  Open your notebook/ journal to a blank page.

1. Number your pages.  I usually pre-number 15-25 pages ahead of time and pre-number more pages as I go along.  Next, write the date–start with the day, month, and year.  I like writing the date in different font styles.  Don’t spend too much time agonizing over the fonts though. Have fun with it. Next, doodle around the date.

2.  Skim through your magazine clippings and find a focal image you like.  Paste the image down with a glue stick.  Make sure you burnish the image to the page really well to prevent any air bubbles or creases.  Then flip the page over and cut any excess paper that is hanging off the edge.

3.  Find some decorative Washi Tape or Duct Tape that brings out the colors of the focal image.  I choose yellow Duct Tape (I wanted red Duct Tape but mine was old and funky).  Personally,  I like Washi Tape better than Duct Tape, but I use both in my journals.  Duct Tape is really sticky, hard to cut, and gets my scissors all gunky (I use acetone to clean my scissors).

4.  Add even more decorative tape accents.  I put Washi Tape on top of the yellow Duct Tape.

5.  Have fun and doodle!

6.  Begin writing.  You can use prompts (an inspirational quote, song lyrics, etc.) or just free write whatever is on your mind.  I started this page with an affirmation centered on creativity–that’s my area of focus right now. More importantly, writing and developing this blog.  It seems to be working! 🙂 I really enjoy this specific affirmation and I repeat it in other journal entries.

7.  Add more Washi Tape to break up the page.  I layered three different types of Washi Tape on top of each other on the left side.  And I added the orange Washi Tape on top of the Duct Tape.  Get as creative as you want!

8.  Next, fill the entire page with writing.  Journal your thoughts, goals, ideas or take notes from your favorite book. Anything you feel like writing, get it down on paper!

9.  Finish the page by coloring in the date.  I used colored pencils and Sakura Glaze Gel Pens. Use whatever you like–colored pencils, markers, crayons, or gel pens.

Sometimes the hardest part is starting.  I like this method a lot. It only takes 10-15 min and it always looks nice.  The visual elements add a pop of color and make the page fun.  Not all my pages have pictures or color –some are very boring and ugly. When I look through my notebooks I always love these pages best though.

The most important thing is have fun!  Don’t stress about perfection.  Enjoy the process and learn as you go.

 

 

Fun in the Studio

It’s always fun rummaging through my jewelry supplies, finding hidden treasures and creating something new.  Right now I am inspired by the boho look.  I’m loving the look of leather and pyrite together.

Usually when I make a piece of jewelry, I start with an idea of what I want and let it playout during the “creation process”.  I tweak the piece of jewelry as I make it and continue to tweak it until I like it.  This usually includes stringing beads together, taking beads on and off, putting it on and looking in the mirror numerous times.

When I began making the “Charming” necklace I originally thought I wanted to make a beaded lariat necklace with pyrite gemstones, metallic titanium quartz crystals, a purple turquoise nugget and a bone horn pendant.  After I put the purple turquoise nugget on the necklace I didn’t like it.  So I took it apart and grabbed the white howlite turquoise nugget instead.  That I liked!

I strung half of the necklace and debated whether or not to add leather.  I went back and forth on this idea for a few minutes.  Luckily, I had a piece of braided leather laying on my worktable from the previous day to experiment with.  I ran to the mirror and put the braid next to the half strung necklace to see if I liked the combo.  I liked it but thought it needed a little something extra, that’s when I decided to add the antique chain. And there you have it!  The “Charming” necklace!

New Pieces Added to the Shop!

I am loving leather right now and that boho chic look! Here are some new pieces!

Braided leather lariat necklace featuring an oversized turquoise teardrop pendant!  This necklace is called “Dreamer”.  The crystal necklace on braided leather is called “Boho Fringe”.

 

Introducing New Products!

Hey Everyone! I would like to share some new products I made for the Seduire Line.

This necklace is called “G.L.A.M.O.R.O.U.S.” it’s a multi-strand necklace with a blue druzy as the focal point.  Love this necklace.  It’s very edgy and fun!

The next piece is a bracelet called “Cupid”.  Who doesn’t love leather and arrows!  Pair this bracelet with your favorite black bracelet!