There are seasons when our creativity feels clear and alive — when we know what we want to say, what we want to make, how we want to show up.

And then there are the other seasons:
The in-between.
The tender.
The uncertain.
The layered.

A Creative Journey Through Artistry & Alchemy

There comes a moment—often quiet, sometimes sudden—when the urge to prove or perfect begins to soften. In its place, something deeper begins to stir: a gentle call to turn inward, to create without urgency, and to honor the wisdom etched into your becoming.

There’s a certain kind of beauty that doesn’t shout.
It gathers slowly. Softly.
It doesn’t demand attention—it invites presence.

Lately, I’ve found myself drawn to that kind of beauty.

We don’t always tell our stories in straight lines.
Sometimes, they emerge through torn paper and soft edges, through marks made slowly, intuitively.
Sometimes, the story needs space to unfold—not in bold declarations, but in quiet gestures and subtle textures.

This is the language of layers.

Have you ever felt drawn to vintage materials—the timeworn pages, the delicate textures, the whispers of forgotten stories? There’s something magical about layering old and new, blending ephemera with paint, ink, and intuition to create something uniquely yours. If you’ve been yearning to infuse your art journaling practice with a deeper sense of meaning and creative play, my new Found & Layered workbook is just what you need.

So much of life passes by without pause. We rush through days, to-do lists, and distractions. But somewhere within you lives the part that notices—the glint of a weathered button, the quiet ache of a forgotten melody, the way light filters through old lace.

Each May, artists around the globe gather—virtually and in studio spaces—to celebrate World Collage Day, a joyful nod to the timeless, tactile magic of cutting, layering, and storytelling through scraps and fragments.

Somewhere along a cobblestone alley in Lisbon, with the scent of blooming wisteria in the air and the hum of Portuguese conversation floating past us, I realized something beautiful: we were all becoming magpies.

There’s something deeply satisfying about the act of gathering—the hunt, the discovery, the thrill of finding just the right piece. In vintage art journaling, this process isn’t just a preliminary step; it’s a foundational ritual, a practice that invites inspiration before you even put pen, paint, or collage to paper.

Color is more than just paint on a page—it’s emotion, memory, and storytelling wrapped into one. When creating a vintage art journal, the colors you choose become an extension of your creative voice. They set the mood, evoke nostalgia, and guide the visual rhythm of your pages. But where do you begin? Should you embrace the soft elegance of a monochrome palette, the harmony of a limited selection, or the exuberance of all the colors?

Torn, Stitched, and Layered

Vintage art journaling is a sensory experience—one that invites you to build layers of history, emotion, and artistry onto each page. By incorporating texture through torn papers, stitched fabrics, and layered elements, you create depth and dimension that make your pages feel alive.

Art journaling is more than just an exercise in creativity; it is a visual form of storytelling. Every torn page, every brushstroke, every carefully placed piece of ephemera whispers a fragment of your personal narrative. In vintage art journaling, storytelling is deeply intertwined with composition—how you arrange elements on a page determines the mood, meaning, and magic of your piece.

In the world of art journaling, there’s a quiet kind of magic in the marks we make—those personal gestures that dance across a page, whispering fragments of our stories without ever needing words. Whether it's a splatter of ink, a scratch of pencil, or the gentle press of a handmade stamp, these marks are more than decoration. They’re the beginnings of a visual language—one as unique as your fingerprint.

Embracing Wabi-Sabi in Art Journaling

In a world that often celebrates perfection, symmetry, and polish, there’s a quiet philosophy that whispers something far more liberating: wabi-sabi.

Rooted in Japanese aesthetics, wabi-sabi is the art of finding beauty in imperfection, impermanence, and the natural flow of things. It honors the weathered, the worn, the cracked edges, and the quiet grace of things as they are. A chipped teacup, a faded photograph, a torn page—each tells a story not in spite of its flaws, but because of them.

Unlocking the Magic of Everyday Art Journal Supplies - in a world filled with endless art supplies, it’s easy to get caught up in the idea that we need the latest tools, fancy paints, or specialized papers to create something beautiful.