In this blog post I am going to share five fun creative ideas for you to try out on your own journal pages.
1. Coffee Dyed Journal Pages
If you don't mind getting a bit mesy, why not try using coffee to dye some paper and glue it in your journals. If you've not done this method before, I found a great tutorial on YouTube to help get you started. Ever since I first tried this it's become something of a weekend obsession. I use the cheapest coffee granules I can find and play around with different quantities to either lighten or darken the effect. For the paper itself I just use regular printer paper.
To create these journal pages I used a compass to draw a circle which I then cut out and glued on the opposite page. It's really easy to do and gives such a fun effect.
2. Using Watercolour Paint through a Stencil
Have you tried using watercolour through a stencil before? It's a new one on me, but it worked surprisingly well on these journal pages. I made sure that my mix wasn't too wet and held the stencil down really firmly, to try and minimise paint seeping underneath.
Fortunately the leaves on this stencil are purposefully wobbly, so that hid any minor seeping really well. I then outlines everything in black pen. It's definitely worth a go for creating a fun border on your journal pages.
3. Patterned Tissue Paper for Decoration
Do you have any patterned tissue paper in your stash? If so, I can highly recommend using it as a really quick and attractive addition to your journal pages. This sheet was sent to me in some happy mail, so I love knowing that it was then repurposed for decorating a journal page.
I started off by using some Distress Oxide ink through a stencil as a background all over my page. I then tore the tissue paper in a diagonal direction and glued it over the top. I finished off with a little doodling on top of my stencil pattern before adding my journal writing.
4. Mixed Media Collage
These pages were so fun to create! I got out my stamps, Stabilo Woody pencils, acrylic paint and simply covered a piece of paper with random marks and colours. I then cut these up into individual leaf shapes and glued them onto the edges of my journal pages.
It takes a little patience with all the cutting and glueing, but I found it really relaxing to do.
5. Leafy Wreath Journal Pages
For these pages, I cut out a circle from the centre of a blank piece of paper and used the two pieces as a template. I then used watercolour to create this seasonal wreath. You could of course add flowers or change the colours to represent the season you are in. These were a lot of fun to create and I'm really happy with how they turned out.
I really hope this blog post has given you some fun ideas for your own journal pages.
If you are looking for more ideas for your journal, I would love you to take a look at my latest book which you can find here.
I've included loads of different layout ideas, along with creative and writing prompts to really help you along your own journaling journey.
It covers everything from creative journals, bullet journals, junk journals and art journals so I hope you find lots of fun new techniques to try out.
Finally, if you would like to see more pages from inside my creative journal, then you can watch a full flip through below. I hope you enjoy it, Helen x