How To Create A Quick And Easy Mixed Media Background Page For Scrapbooking

When you are learning new skills and techniques, you need to just keep practicing them.  I’ve been looking for opportunities to create mixed media backgrounds pages and use them in meaningful ways.

Today, I have a video to share with you to show you how I made the background for this mixed media scrapbook layout using the Scrap Our Stash August 202o Sketch Challenge.  The sketch has an extra challenge that includes using striped paper and paint or ink on your layout.

I’ve used a tiny bit of striped paper, but a TON of ink!

I had a few goals when making this page:

• practice some of the mixed media techniques that I’ve been learning from Vicki Boutin’s Live and Seth Apter’s class.
• play with some new stencils and stamps that I bought especially for creating mixed media backgrounds
• add my own hand drawn details
• follow the Scrap Our Stash layout
• create a 6 x 8″ layout to add to my One Little Word® album that I’ve been working on with Ali Edwards for 2020
• document a day in my life
• try out Distress Inks on a gesso background
• create as close to a single layer layout as possible

Here is the sketch that I started with from Scrap Our Stash for August 2020:

This is a nice layout because it doesn’t have a ton of layers and there is white space.  I feel like a lot of the sketches I’ve been playing along with lately just have so many details and layers in the sketches that the page ends up way more cluttered that I would ever do without the sketch.  This one is just right.   As soon as I saw it, I knew that I was going to draw those circle in and do some doodling or stenciling inside them.

The base of my page is a piece of 110# Neenah cardstock that I added gesso to the night before so that it had time to dry.  I actually added gesso to about a dozen pieces of cardstock.  I’m playing with some techniques and I want to practice, practice, practice!

The page is cut to 6 x 8″ for my 2020 album.  This is the first time that I’ve created a 6 x 8″ album.  I have shelves full of 12 x 12″ and 8-1/2 x 11″ albums that I’ve created over the years.  They are all very conventional.  This album is not at all conventional. It is a hybrid between a Project Life album with traditional pages like this one using mixed media.

In the photo above, you get a glimpse of the mixed media details that I used.  I used Distress Inks on the gesso.  The gesso has resist properties, so the inks sit on top of the gesso until they dry.  When you add a second ink, it pushes the first one out of the way instead of blending with it.  I added all my inks and then used my lightest ink to blend out the lines and edges.  When I added the gesso, I made a huge effort to leave lots of ridges and spaces without gesso.  I wanted texture on this page!

You can also see that I did some ink lifting with water spritzing.  I added some stencil details with a new Stencil Girl stencil.  I outlined the stencil details with a white gel pen to highlight them.  I also hand drew 3 circular lines around the stenciled detail with my journaling pen to get the circle feature from the sketch.  Additionally, I added some splatters with gold ink spray and I stamped the new Taylored Expressions Rough Grid Background from the Field Notes Kit in metallic gold ink.

You can see that I used some striped paper to create the banner inside the circle.  This is Catherine Pooler’s Cabana Prints.  I specifically used the piece with the pink to help create my visual triangle of pink.  I knew that I wanted to use this sentiment from the Simple Stories I Am sticker book.

The distress ink colors include: Iced Spruce, Peacock Feathers, Pine Needles and Evergreen Bough.  These are analogous colors next to each other on the color wheel so I knew they would blend well together without making mud.  I also love them for the water photos.

The metal title detail is from a Tim Holtz Idea-ology set and it says Live in the Moment.   I love the sentiments on this page. My word of the year is Journey and I think this page helps tell the story of my journey this year.  It shows where I am right now with my mixed media skills and it shows what it is like where I live right now.  I walk and ride my bike to this beach every single day so it is appropriate that it is featured in some photos!

Here is the video to show you how I created that background:

 

For my photos, I used my old Canon Selphy CP900.  I’ve had this for about 15 years and until a couple of weeks ago, I only printed 4 x 6″ photos with it.  I had no idea that I could add a couple of apps to my phone and create photos of different sizes to fit on smaller pages.  I also had no idea that I could print directly from my phone!!! Now I’m creating all different sizes of photos and my layouts and albums are much more interesting to look at.  I’m also documenting more of what’s going on in my daily life which is a fun thing to do.  My photos are getting printed and mounted in my traveler’s notebook, my current album, and my journal.

I’m enjoying it immensely!

Supply List:

Are you interested in the products I used?  To make them easier for you to find, I have linked them below. (Affiliate disclosure ) Your purchases help keep my blog running at no additional cost to you and I thank you for the support!

 

Thank you so much for joining me today!  I hope you enjoy the video and the layout!!!  I’m loving the mixed media and I am enjoying adding new layers as I learn new techniques!  I’m off to take a live mixed media class!!

Happy creating!