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Are you looking for a fun, intuitive way to create mixed media art while also making something beautiful and useful?

In this tutorial, we’ll dive into the joy of abstract mark making, layering paints, pastels, and coffee to create a unique textured page. Then, we’ll transform that abstract artwork into handmade gift tags, perfect for adding a personal touch to your gifts.

Plus, there’s a bonus! Before cutting your page into tags, you can take photos of small sections and turn them into printable collage papers—a fantastic addition to your mixed media stash!

Lately, I’ve been fascinated by the magic of stitch markers in my art journal pages. There’s something about the texture and dimension that stitches bring, transforming a flat surface into something tactile and full of life. Naturally, I couldn’t resist—I had to buy a sewing kit and dive into this new world of stitching in my art.

You could say I’m really inspired by florals lately, and with my Impasto Blooms class just released, I’m more excited than ever to draw and paint flowers. With the current drawing theme of wanderlust, I found myself doodling flowers and having a blast sketching them. Just so you know, a year ago, I believed I couldn’t draw—that was the story I told myself for 42 years. But everything changed in the past few months when I gave myself permission to try new things.

When I first came across the idea of paper dolls on Megan Quinlan’s page , I was immediately inspired to try it out. Megan creates her dolls using stencils and stamps that she designs herself (her shop is definitely worth a visit). Since I didn’t have access to those tools, I decided to hand-draw the dolls, make multiple copies, and color them in.

What I really loved about this project was how easy it was to give each doll its own unique emotion or expression with just a little pencil work. Coloring them felt almost like working on adult coloring pages—it was so calming and meditative. I had a lot of fun with this project and definitely plan to create more dolls. These dolls are meant to be used in art journaling, something I’m still learning from Megan. I can’t wait to share my art journal once I’ve added the dolls to it!