Debasree Dey, Author at Debasree Dey Art

How to Store Fabric Scraps

If you’re wondering how to store fabric scraps without feeling overwhelmed, you’re not alone.

For years, I struggled with fabric scrap storage. I would collect beautiful bits of lace, dyed cotton, burlap, gauze, stitched leftovers — and then… pile them somewhere. I tried baskets. Zip pouches. Folding systems. Color-coded stacks.

Some worked for a while. None lasted.

After 3–4 years of experimenting with different fabric scrap organization methods, I finally found something that works beautifully — and stays working.

Today I want to share exactly how I organize my scraps using drawer organizers and tray systems, and why this simple solution has transformed my creative flow.

Before we begin, tell me in the comments later —
Do your scraps inspire you… or stress you out?

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20 Fabric Collage Ideas: Small Textile Works Built from Scraps, Stitches & Intuition

ALL BLOGS, Mixed Media Paintings

When we think of leftover fabrics, we often think waste.

But in truth, those small fragments carry texture, memory, softness, and history. This is where fabric collage ideas begin — not in perfection, but in pieces.

Textile collage art allows you to build surfaces slowly, intuitively, and without rules. You layer, stitch, overlap, and respond to what feels right.

It’s not about symmetry. It’s about presence.

Whether you are new to collage art or already exploring mixed media fabric collage, this process invites you to trust your hands & intuition.

So instead of discarding scraps, what if you saw them as beginnings?

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Slow Stitching on Fabric Scraps – 20+ Inspiring Ideas for Meditative & Mixed Media Art

ALL BLOGS, Collage Fodders, Mark Making Play

Have you ever picked up a needle and thread with no plan — just to feel the quiet rhythm of stitching?

That simple act is the heart of slow stitching on fabric scraps.

Not a project. Not embroidery perfection.
Just thread moving slowly through cloth.

For creative beginners and intuitive artists, this practice becomes more than stitching. It becomes meditative stitching, a calming ritual that gently builds into something beautiful and useful for future artwork.

In this post, I’ll share how to begin your own hand stitching practice, along with 20+ slow stitching ideas you can explore right away.

Before we begin — have you ever stitched just for the feeling of it, without trying to “finish” something? Let me know in the comments.

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My Mixed Media Artist Book for the 100 Day Project 2026

ALL BLOGS, Art Journal / featured

On 22nd February, we begin this year’s 100 day project.

But this time, I’m not chasing 100 finished pieces.

Instead, I’m creating a mixed media artist book — a space dedicated entirely to exploration, layering, and showing up daily without the pressure to perform.

If you’ve ever considered a 100 day art journal challenge but felt intimidated by perfectionism, this approach may feel softer. More sustainable. More honest.

Let me share how I’m doing it.

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How to Create a Mixed Media Heart Collage: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners

ALL BLOGS, Mixed Media Paintings

Have you ever felt like your heart was in pieces?

Not broken in one dramatic moment.
But slowly — fragmented.

Creating this mixed media heart collage felt like gathering those fragments and gently bringing them back together.

Today, I want to walk you through this simple but powerful process — especially if you’re a beginner exploring mixed media collage art and intuitive creativity.

And at the end, I’ll show you how this connects deeply to my Mixed Media Art Journaling Class – The Heart’s Journey.

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Learning to Feel Alive When You Were Taught Not To

ALL BLOGS, Creative mindset

There’s this teaching by Nicholas Wilton I deeply resonate with — the idea that vibrant, authentic art doesn’t come from working harder or mastering more techniques. It comes from feeling more alive.

That truth feels beautiful to me.

And complicated.

Because what happens when you were trained, for most of your life, not to feel what you like?

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Coffee Dye Tissue Paper: Creating Vintage Marks & Aged Texture with Coffee

ALL BLOGS, Collage Fodders

After playing with plain coffee dyeing for a while, I found myself longing for more color, but without losing the raw, vintage textures that make coffee‑stained papers so magical. Boiling onion skins for that beautiful reddish tone was lovely—but not always practical. That’s when I thought: What if I just mix a tiny bit of acrylic into the coffee solution itself?And that opened the door to a whole world of earthy, muted, moody shades.

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Heart Art Journaling Prompts: 30 Questions to Understand Your Emotions & Heal Through Art

ALL BLOGS, Art Journal, Art Prompts / featured

Have you ever opened your art journal…
and not known what to write?

You feel something.
But you don’t know how to begin.

That’s exactly why I love using heart art journaling prompts.

They gently guide you inward — without pressure, without perfection — and help you practice emotional healing through art in a safe and creative way.

If you’re new to journaling, or exploring art journaling for beginners, this list will help you start with clarity and confidence.

And at the end, I’ll show you how these prompts connect deeply to my Mixed Media Art Journaling Class – The Heart’s Journey.

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15 Gentle Art Journaling Ideas for Mixed Media Artists

ALL BLOGS, Art Journal, Art Prompts

Art journaling is often misunderstood as something that needs a theme, a clear idea, or a finished look. In reality, an art journal works best when it becomes a place to respond rather than plan. It’s a space where you meet the page as it is — with curiosity instead of expectation.

For many mixed media artists and creative beginners, the hardest part is knowing what to do next. Not because there’s a lack of ideas, but because there’s too much pressure to do it right. This is where gentle art journaling ideas help. They give you a way to begin without locking you into an outcome.

This blog brings together practical, intuitive art journaling ideas you can return to again and again. There is no sequence you need to follow. Each idea stands on its own and can be adapted to your own materials, mood, and pace.

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From Scraps to Collage Clusters: Use Up Leftover Pieces After Any Project

ALL BLOGS, Collage Fodders

Every mixed-media project leaves something behind.

A corner of painted paper.
A torn book page you couldn’t throw away.
Whisper-thin tissue that felt too beautiful to waste.

If you’ve ever ended a session with a pile of leftovers and no clear plan, this post is for you. Today, we’re turning those forgotten fragments into Collage Clusters—small, ready-to-use compositions that bring depth, texture, and meaning to your future work.

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