Through the years I’ve felt myself making a shift from scrapbooking to art journaling. The change mostly had to do with my desire to chronicle my thoughts and feeling through words, more so than picture. But a really big part of it was an urge to use found paper elements- scraps of paper from random sources, words clipped from magazines, and sketchy-painterly elements that came straight from my brain- not from a scrapbook manufacturer’s mass produced patterned paper. Not that manufactured=bad, but seeing no-rules work from the likes of Julie Kirk just confirms my thinking that there’s something special about eclectic paper crafting from the heart.

If you like Julie‘s style, you’d probably love to get your hands on her vintage paper packs and stencil kits available at her Etsy shop. Just want to be inspired? Check out her interview below!

Q: In your own paper crafting adventures, are there any techniques or processes that you find yourself using over and over?

A: The majority of my recent work – from my art journaling, to my scrapbooking, collage and art journaling too involves words and images which I’ve collected from either vintage books and magazines or modern catalogues and junk mail.

I love the thrill of scouring all these pages, which may otherwise have been thrown away or left languishing on a dusty shelf somewhere and suddenly spotting a phrase or image which really speaks to me. Then I take my scissors to it!

I know there are people who treat art journaling as a way to express the feelings they’re currently experiencing by writing out their emotions, in their own words, on to their pages. However, I like to start with words and phrases which I randomly findand then construct a narrative from them. I believe that, even though they’re not my original words … the fact that they spoke to me, at a particular time, means they reflect something I’m feeling right then. There’s a lovely serendipity in finding and combining phrases from many sources, to tell one story.

Q: I love that your kits have an eclectic mix of unexpected elements. Makes for fun art journals! What are some unusual elements you have used on pages in your own art journals?

A: If it’s interesting enough, eye-catching enough and flat enough … I’ll consider it for a journal page! Nothing is safe.

I’ll often use elements from food packaging on my pages (as  Ishared in this post) because [a] it’s a bi-product of everyday life and therefore it’s almost free! and [b] having been designed to catch our eye on the supermarket shelves  they often feature great images, prints and colours. Plus there’s some great fonts to be found in packaging too … and who doesn’t love a good font?!

My other big favourite is vintage illustrated children’s books … the tortoise-lady here is a hybrid of an encyclopedia illustration and some old gift wrap and then the remainder of the page features an aperture leftover from using a die-cutting machine, a laundry label and wording from a catalogue. I like to think that keeping a magpie-like eye open for these interesting elements is quite a creative act in itself long before it ever ends up on a page. So I save … and savor images and text from many many sources to use on my projects.

Q: Do you have any advice to someone who is interested in art journaling, but has never made one before and doesn’t know where to begin?

A: I sometimes wonder if it’s the term ‘art journaling’ itself which intimidates people before they even begin.

I know that when I first began, I went to an art journaling class and, until I started messing around with the paint and paper, I’d felt like a complete fraud. As if I was supposed to know all about it before I got started. But it wasn’t the teacher who made me feel like that, it was what I was telling myself: ‘How can you masquerade as an ‘art-journaler’ when you don’t really know what that is?”!

And really, what I’ve come to realise is that, despite its grand title, art journaling, at its most basic is that thing we all did as children curled up on the floor with a pair of scissors, an old magazine and a big sugar paper ‘scrapbook’. It’s ‘cutting and sticking’. It’s collage. It’s mixed media messiness. It’s a way to turn down the noise of the world and tune into colours, words, imagery which you like. It’s fun.

I really believe that all it takes to become a so-called art-journaler … is a change of attitude. You’re probably one already. You just don’t use that term. And really, it doesn’t matter what you call it, as long as you enjoy the time spent being creative with scissors, paper and yourself.

To demystify the process of ‘art journaling’ even further I shared a few step-by-steps of pages in progress on my blog which seemed to help novices along the road to journaling with confidence … you’re welcome to see if they work for you too.

Q: Who are your favorite paper crafters you admire and are inspired by?

A: I’ve been admiring the style and enthusiasm of such wonderfully creative ladies such as Katie Licht, Dina Wakley, Michelle Clement and a certain ‘candiMandi’ … for a long time now, and am always excited to see a new, inspiring blog post of theirs appear in my reader.

And, more recently I’ve admired the work of Susanna Scott, Nichole Snyder and Caroline Rondel. With a vast world of inspiration and pre-curated creativity which Pinterest has opened up to me, I’m discovering and pinning new names all the time.

Have you gotten into the wooden bead trend yet? One of my favorite ways to try out new fashion trends is by making home accessories with the same principles in mind. This project blends both the ombre and wooden bead craze, but instead of a project you can wear around your neck, this one makes your cocktail hour a little bit fancier.

S U P P L I E S :

• bamboo skewers
• small piece of foam core board
• straight pins with small heads
• unfinished wooden beads in desired size
• wiping wood stain in one or two shades (I used one)
• varnish in matte or gloss (I used matte)
• tacky glue
• old rag (you’ll probably end up disposing of this*)

1.) To create a base for your beads to stay secure (those pesky buggers like to roll away!), poke your straight pins into the foam board, and split your bead collection into thirds. 2.) In a well ventilated area, Use an old rag, dip into your stain and lightly wipe two thirds of the beads, using the clean side of your rag to then wipe away most of the stain before setting each bead onto the pins to dry.  After a few minutes, add generous coats of stain to half of those beads. This will give you three tones of wood- one natural, one medium, and one dark.

3.) While you’re waiting for your stain to dry, take the bamboo skewers and barely dip the flat ends into the stain. Don’t dip too much, because the stain will naturally soak into the wood further down the skewer than you want stained. After a couple of dips, lay the skewers on a rag to dry. This skewer-staining step makes sure the ends of your skewers will match the darker beads that are situated there.

4.) When your beads have dried, take the board of beads outside and spray one light coat of varnish. Once this has dried, flip the beads and give them another coat of varnish.

5.) Once your skewers and beads have dried, you can start assembling the skewers. I plopped beads of tacky glue to one end of the bead, and allowed it to seep in a bit while doing the same to the other two beads. Start with the lightest bead, slide onto the skewer, and follow with the medium then dark beads. Some glue will pool in between the beads- this is okay! It helps the beads stay securely together at the end of your skewer.

6.) Lay them flat to dry. You won’t need to worry about the glue dripping off- tacky glue doesn’t drip much, and sets up rather quickly. You’ll know the glue is completely dry when it is clear.

You can use these skewers for kabobs, or trim the ends with scissors and use for drink swizzle sticks. After each use, soak the skewers in vinegar, let them air out- and they’re ready to use again! Enjoy!

*NOTE: Most wood stains produce highly flammable fumes. You may decide to dispose of your rag after staining, but if you do, allow the rag to air out for a few days before closing it up into a bag or trash can. This lessens the chance for spontaneous combustion in a contained space.

Since this little girl growing inside of me is going to be our first child, we wanted to milk the excitement for all its worth! Initially, I had planned on throwing an intimate party for close family and a few friends to announce our baby’s gender, since everyone else seemed as excited as we were to find out. After being sick for almost a month, and still having lots of work to catch up on in our lawn maintenance, Phil and I decided it would still be special and fun to just send out cards, in lieu of a party.

I got a few phone calls last week from family and friends letting us know how excited they were to get the card, and how fun it was discovering our baby’s gender from an interactive card. Since I took the time to hand illustrate and create these cards for just one baby, I thought I would share the digital template and instructions with you, in case you have special baby news to share with your family too! (P.S. If you didn’t catch our “gender reveal” video, you can see it here!)

First, I chose cardstock for the front of the card, and a coordinating cardstock for the inside. Since the cardstock was not already 8.5 by 11 inches, I had to trim the sheets down to print out the digital image for the cover and inside. After they were all printed, I trimmed the front and inside down with a paper cutter, I cut out the arrows with scissors, and then using a utility blade (my Xacto wasn’t handy), I cut out skinny little slits for the arrows to slide into.

Next, I slipped the arrows into the inside portion of the card, flipped it over, and used a glue stick everywhere except where the arrow sat. Then, I stuck down the inside to the inside of the folded cover, making sure the arrow stayed straight and out of the glued area.

That’s all there is to it! I sized my cards to fit inside small envelopes that I had left over from our wedding Thank You cards. (The cards are around 3.5 x 5 inches in size.) If you want to print your own, I thought I would offer the digital download to you for both girl and boy announcement options!

click to download: girl card outside and arrow inserts
click to download: boy card outside and arrow inserts
click to download: card inside