Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Watercolor Pencil Bible Art Journal Tutorial

Hello friends! Today I want to share a tutorial for an art journal page, using watercolor pencil. I used a bible journal, but if you're not into bible journaling, but love altered books, scrapbooking, mixed media, or altered art, you can apply these techniques there, too.


If you don't already have a set of watercolor pencils, I would encourage you to pick up a set -- decent sets can be found for just a few dollars.

Tuesday, July 7, 2015

What to Put in Your Smash Journal

I recently shared a tutorial on how to put together a smash journal, using items from the dollar store as well as "found" items you may already have around the house. The post was getting pretty long, so I decided to break it out into a tutorial, and a flip through that included ideas for what to include in your own smash journal.


Basically, if you can figure out a way to bind it, and it fits (more or less), then you can use it in your journal! Don't feel limited to paper, either -- you may find cool pieces of plastic from packaging or old report covers that can be re-purposed.

Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Make a Fun Smash Journal From Dollar Store Supplies!

Hello friends! You may have noticed that I've decreased the frequency of my posts in the last couple of weeks. Don't worry, I'm still here and I'm still making stuff. I just decided to slow down the pace for a few weeks over the summer, to make more time to hang out with friends and family.


One of the fun things I made recently is a smash journal, using Dollar Store supplies!


I am IN LOVE with the smash journal concept. If you have drawers and boxes full of vintage ephemera, or if you've simply collected an abundance of pretty paper over the years, this is a project you might love, as well! This is a project inspired by a Heidi Swapp video. Heidi made a scrapbook for her daughter using a plastic 12x12 paper holder.


I started by grabbing a few items from the local Dollar Tree, including a plastic document file, some pretty note paper, and a package of  binder dividers. All you really need, however, is a plastic file, and a drawer full of random paper.


Begin by cutting off both fused ends of the file and discarding. You can even up your cuts with a paper cutter afterward, if you need to.


Next, go through your papers and dividers and cut them down to a size that will fit inside your smash journal. I used the plastic divider sheets from the document file as a guide. Get creative here. Fold some pages over, create pockets -- anything goes! As long as your items fit in your book, they do not have to be the same size.


I cut down the pocket divider from the Dollar Store set that I bought. Assemble your pages and bind together. I have an O-ring binder, but if you don't have one, you can take your stack of pages to a printer and they can bind it for you -- or you can punch holes and add rings or cord. I bound my plastic file right into the journal by folding it back on itself and and adding it to the back of the stack before inserting the O-rings.


I LOVE IT! This smash journal was made as a gift, to encourage a friend, but you can be sure I will be making more very soon.


The book is full of pretty things, vintage book pages, hand drawn doodles, pockets, and note pages.


I was planning to do a "flip through" in this post, but it was getting so long, I decided to save it for another post.


Have lots of fun decorating the cover of your smash journal. Since the cover is translucent, I made sure the top page was something pretty, then I added a tiny banner, made from tiny scraps and embroidery floss. The elastic closure was dressed up with fun foam flowers. The recipient's name was added in glittered foam letters.


If you have a stash of fun papers, you'll definitely want to try a version of this project!

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Thanks so much for stopping by!