Create with Me Art Journaling

Mushroom Journal

November 9, 2026 Leave a Comment

Happy Monday!

I hope your weekend was a nice one. My youngest had a horse show and it was such gorgeous weather and we had a really nice time. I am gearing up for the holidays as I am sure many of you are and I am planning on sharing the handmade gifts I will be making for everyone this year. I spent this week figuring out what I was going to make for everyone and I think I am even being some what realistic. I am still hopeful to finish the Coraline dolls for the kids and that is my plan for the coming week. In fact I couldn’t sleep last night and as I was lying in bed I came up with a really cool idea for a box for the dolls. I will be sure to share the results with you all and how I make out.

I was going to film a video on my setting up my Christmas planner in my bullet journal but the weekend got away from me so I decided to share this video I recorded maybe two weeks ago instead. I was hesitant to share it as I can’t seem to find this journal anymore! I know it’s around and most likely right in front of my face but either way it’s a really fun project and if need be I just may have to make a second one. I also have my fall journal to fill up and then I am hoping to get my Christmas memory journal caught up.

Perhaps I am not being so realistic with my holiday plans after all.

Regardless it’s fun to have to ideas and projects on the go and at the end of the day I am determined to just enjoy the making and I get done what I get done.

Today however I am sharing my little mushroom journal with you.

I made it out of a mini composition notebook that I believe I bought in a big pack off of Amazon but I know you can get these at the Dollar Tree too. I was prepping the pages to make art in them but never really got beyond that. I saw Janet Nash’s mushroom journal and I really loved the idea so I decided to turn this notebook into my own version of a mushroom journal.

I gut out of very simple template leaving a hinge of sorts to keep the journal together. I traced it on the notebook and then cut out the pages a few at a time. I found my scissors worked perfectly for this. I love the idea of maybe adding fabric collage to the cover and then maybe even a combination of hand stitching and paper collage to the inside pages.

I hope you will make one too and maybe we can work in our mushroom journals together.

Until next time…

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante

Junk Journal MashUp

October 26, 2026 Leave a Comment

Happy Monday!

I hope you had a wonderful weekend. The weather here in the North East was absolutely beautiful and we were very excited to celebrate my youngest Baptism on Saturday. It was a small, private ceremony and dear friends acted as godparents. After we went to my daughter’s favorite restaurant. The entire celebration was perfect!

I also was able to get in some more dollhouse time and I am working on a brick wall which should be really fun! I cannot wait to share that update. I may need to sit it aside however since my kids have requested Coraline dolls for Halloween.

If you have been visiting my little corner of the web for a while you may know that I like to make little gifts for my kids on the holidays. I purchased this Coraline-style doll pattern last year thinking I would make them for Christmas but ended up doing other gifts for the. Now that Halloween is only 6 days away it makes sense that I try and tackle 3 fabric dolls between now and then right?

We shall see how they get on and I will even try to film some of it for you. It will however require a massive desk clean as I have been in the midst of 2 projects right now so I think today I will start with a good clean up and then try my hand at making the dolls. I had to order some fabric (it would seem everything I chose to pack up is now required) which came in Friday and I picked up some felt sheets at the craft store for the clothing. I think they will go together pretty quickly so I am happy to get started.

For today however I am sharing a fun little junk journal mash up. As we were going through our attic, basement and barn we found lots of papers and things that were saved. The certificate from when I purchased my love bird back in the late 90’s, some cards and even some items much more recent. I am trying to keep my “junk journal” supplies to one small box and when it starts to overflow that’s when I sit down and do a few pages. It was so much fun. I absolutely love this journal I made and I think the pages are coming out nicely as well.

If you have some crafts to work on, why not hit play below and join me for about 15 minutes of creative time? I would love to hear what you are working on!

Until next time…

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante

Setting up My December Journal: Video

November 28, 2023 2 Comments

Today I am easing my way into the holidays.

The Christmas spirit is just settling into my heart and I thought it would be the perfect time to set up my art journal for December. The idea here is for me to have a creative space to come to and create and relax in during the month of December.

I am using my kit and plan to keep everything in the box so I can carry it around with me and make art in little snippets of time.

It’s not just going to be just for art either. I might make lists of some of my favorite things, books I have read, movies I have watched. The idea is for this to be a creative space for me to rest and recharge in during the holiday season.

I also made a list for you of ideas and prompts for what you may like to do in your own journal. You can download it by clicking on the image below.

I hope you are having a wonderful start to your week. Much love!

Until next time…

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante

Video: Character Creation: Decorating a Blank Art Wall Episode #1

June 12, 2023 Leave a Comment

Please note this post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links I earn a small commission but it doesn’t cost you and more money.

Hello everyone and a very happy Monday to you! I am writing this in my kitchen while the sun shines outside and the wind blows through the trees. They are calling for a rain storm tonight which my garden very much could use so I welcome it. I was able to spend a few hours in the studio this morning working on my content plans, recording today’s video and the first video in my brand new online class! If you would like to learn more about it you can check it out here.

If I am honest, I was thinking that maybe I shouldn’t share this video. The artist critic was awake and speaking out as I sat down to edit it. I thought, “who am I to share art videos?” I was judging my final piece and thought I could just skip this week’s video.

Then I remembered why I share my work. I don’t share it to teach people how to create fabulous art. I don’t share it as an exposition of my master pieces. Instead, I share my creative work here in the hope that it inspires someone to try something creative today. That it reminds someone of what it is they love about being creative. That someone can look at my art and think, “well I can do that.”

And the truth is-you can! Art is about the process of creation. Sure, you can fine tune and work at it and all that is wonderful but while you are fine tuning and working at things-you play. And after you fine tune things, my hope is-you play. So if you are wondering when the last time you picked up some art materials are maybe get yourself a favorite beverage, a few little supplies and let’s have a creative play date!

I started out trying to sketch a little girl and then realized that I have been loving these sketchy type characters I was creating. The look best in pencil and as I kept trying to make this poor little character something it clearly did not want to be I realized that I needed to just let go. So I did.

I added water-soluable pencils, acrylics and just tried to have fun. I mention in the video that I have a blank wall in my studio that I want to start making pieces for and I admit that I kept judging this piece to see if it was “wall worthy.” Silly right? And when I finally let the judgements go and I looked at my final piece I was absolutely delighted. Not out of artistic perfection. Simply because my little character made me happy.

And I think that’s a pretty awesome gift!

Please do share what you make along side me! I would love to hear!

Resources:

Blank Invitation Cards (Affiliate Link)

Until next time…

Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Music by Angela Predhomme – Unstoppable Me – https://thmatc.co/?l=E65CF842
Music by Angela Predhomme – Hey Mr. Sunshine – https://thmatc.co/?l=A91D246D

Video: Making Focal Images

May 17, 2023 Leave a Comment

Please note this post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links I earn a small commission but it doesn’t cost you and more money.

I am always looking for something new to share with you. When I am working in my journal I tend to start my pages the same way-except in Monday’s video where I changed it up and worked backwards to front. I also find myself searching for focal images. Things I can place front and center of some colorful background.

Magazine images are always fun for this. You can alter them and change them up completely but today I thought it would be fun to make some simple focal images from scratch.

I wanted the images to be interesting on their own but neutral enough that they would work with a lot of pages and also allow for alterations to fit the page I am working on.

I started out with a house. I still draw houses like I did when I was 6. I have tried to change it up but for some reason-this is a house to me. So I just went with it and added some collage for the windows and doors.

Next up was a heart. I love hearts. Whenever I don’t know what to add to a spread-I add a heart and it never goes wrong. I drew out a quick heart and then filled it up with some of the gelli prints I made and some of the pages from one of my digital kits.

Then I sketched out a tree. Did I mention I draw trees the same as I did when I was 6? They used to stand next to the houses. Now I have stopped adding a straight out stick with a swing hanging from it but you know, it just might come back when added to a journal page.

I collaged the trunk with my trusty old dictionary paper and the leaves were using the same digital kit. I attached this all down with gel matte medium (affiliate link to a similar one I used. Mine is a heavy body).

Next up I drew a star and filled it in with collage. I loved the texture and variation the collage added to these very simple images. This star was filled in with a page from this digital kit of mine.

I then went back and added some water to activate the watercolor pencils and the NeoColor II’s (affiliate link) I used on the house. Lastly I sketched out a simple flower using my Stabilo pencil (affiliate link). I filled the flower in with the pink paper from the same kit before I dried everything with my heat gun and cut them out.

I just want to say how much fun these were to make. I am already thinking of other ideas and things I can make in this same style and I have already used one of them in a project. I hope you have fun and give these a try. If you do please let me know!

Until next time…

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Create with Me Art Journaling

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