You Are a Miracle Art Journal Project Tutorial

Ever since I was a child, I’ve kept a journal. They were one of my first creative spaces, totally private and devoid of criticism. Although I wrote down all my hopes and dreams, I also added stickers, drawings, and stamps. When I found a flower I liked, I’d press it between the pages of my journal. I saved movie tickets, flight itineraries, and every other little thing that held special meaning to me. Now I have boxes and boxes of old journals, and I can’t bring myself to let them go because each one shows not only my thoughts, but also my creative ability.

Imagine my delight, years later, when I discovered the world of art journals. It’s made me revisit my old journals and start planning future projects as well. Now that I’ve seen how layering, lettering, and sewing can be incorporated into the pages of journals, there is so much I want to try.

One project that showcases some of these interesting techniques is the You Are a Miracle Art Journal project. The methods used to create this project are easy to replicate and they will add depth and interest to any journal. One particularly interesting aspect of this project is the repurposing of old calendars, which is a great way to upcycle something that would otherwise be thrown out! We used an old Papaya Art Calendar, but if you don’t have one you can get something similar, along with other crafting essentials, at a great discounted price in our warehouse sale. With bright colors, stunning pieces of ephemera, and handwritten affirmations, this project is one you’re going to want to replicate many times over.

 

Materials for the You Are a Miracle Art Journal Project:

–PanPastels

–Papaya Art Calendar Pages

–Journal

-Sponge

–Patterned Paper

–Kraft Tissue Paper

–Adhesive

–Washi Tape

–Gel Pen

 

Instructions for the You Are a Miracle Art Journal Project:

Step 1 — Start by using various colors from the panpastels set and rubbing them onto the pages of a Moleskine journal using a large sponge. For this project, we used the red and blue panpastels from the Donna Downey No.1 Set.

 

Step 2 — Dig up some old calendar pages (we used a 2012 Papaya Art Calendar) and tear out some of your favorite images. To give your journal a distinct look, tear some of the edges off the images.

Step 3 — Find some coordinating patterned paper and kraft tissue paper and glue down layers onto the pages of the journal. If you’re using a liquid adhesive, allow ample time for the glue to dry before moving on.

 

Step 4 — Add random strips of various washi tapes as accents. They’ll also add depth to your art journal.

 

Step 5 — Write various words or quotes using a black gel pen, or a gel pen of your choice. To keep with the “miracle” theme, we pasted a cut-out of the word in the journal.

 

 

Want to Recreate the You Are a Miracle Art Journal Project?

Many of the items we used to make this wonderful art journal project can be found in our warehouse sale. We add new items monthly so be sure to come back often to get some of your favorite crafting essentials at greatly reduced prices!