I've decided to try Art Journaling and get back into Mixed Media

I have just started getting into mixed media, actually getting back into it.  I did mixed media 10-15 years ago but got distracted by the card making craze.  I have to say I don't know why I ever stopped, I am having so much fun.  Best part is my muse who has been missing for way too long is back and my passion to create has returned.  It was the first thing I thought of when I woke up this morning and the reason I jumped up out of bed.   I needed to check on something I started late last night, what a great feeling!

So far I've not done much with art journaling, only created one page and a few mono-print background but it's a start.  I also pulled background papers I'd previously created with inks directly on paper and never used.  I am putting all my backgrounds together in a folder then when I'm ready to create something my backgrounds are together and ready for the next layer, all I have to do is pick one.  My plan is to make individual journal pages and then when I have enough I will bind them all together, time to dust off that BIA that I've hardly used.  This way I can use a variety of surfaces and tailor their use to the medium I'm in the mood for that day.  I hope you follow along with me on this newest creative adventure.

Here are a few of pictures of what I've done so far, like I said I'm a beginner so not much to show yet.

This is an ink and stencil background, if you look closely you
will see larger yellow squares as well as the little ones.

These mono-prints I did with acrylics on a Plexiglas surface.  I used cheap
craft paint that I already had on hand and I think they came out great
considering the paints were not only cheap but ancient old.

Here is the first page of my journal and except for the background page and a few stamps
was created entirely from things already out on my desk.

The above started with a background from my stash that I had added inks and acrylics in splashes directly to the paper.  I decided to glue bits of tissue paper that had been painted with H2O's here and there then I stamped a large script stamp to cover the whole page.  Next I stamped a corner stamp in opposing corners and my Live, Love, Laugh stamps randomly all over then just started gluing stuff onto the page.  The smile image is a left over from a swap several years ago that I almost used on a card recently but didn't.  The glitter was at the bottom of the dish I had my tissue pieces in, as well as some tiny die cut leftovers.  You know those bit you get when you cut a larger die and think, I should save those I might be able to use them on something.  Can't believe I finally used some of them.

There isn't any actual journaling on this page but it will be the introductory page anyway so that was okay with me.  I'm hoping the "live, love, laugh" stamps I picked will inspire me to do just that when I'm creating pages and remind again to do so once it's been bound into a book so I did sort of have a journal thought on the page.

Hope you enjoyed seeing my first steps into art journaling and come back often to see what I'm creating.  In case you are wondering, there will still be plenty of stamping; the "thing" I jumped out of bed to look at this morning was a stamped image I watercolored very late last night.  Wonder if it will end up on a card or journal page, hmmmm.