Wednesday, December 8, 2021

Mini Journal with Stencils - Megan Quinlan

I love making my own journals, even if it's just a small book to hold my lists. Here I made some beautiful pages and botanicals, using this month's StencilClub stencil set by Rae Missigman. Follow along to see how fun it is to create this small journal with your new stencils. 
One of my favorite ways to use stencils, is with watercolors. You can really get some beautiful results. Here I mixed some navy blue and brown through the stencil onto some watercolor paper. 
Next, I decided to do the same wash onto a piece of Kraft paper using the larger stencil. This yielded a more subtle color design. 
Once dry, I used  a Ranger Mini Blending tool and some Dina Wakley Mineral acrylic paint and went over the design again to repeat the pattern. 
I then "fussy" cut out the botanicals. For me this is a relaxing activity, and the results are always amazing. Something happens to an image or design when you cut it out. 
Using a trimmer, I trimmed the Kraft paper and some additional yardstick pages to about 7.5" by 4.5". I used a bone folder to fold everything in half to create pamphlets. 
Finally,  I poked some holes through all of the pages with an awl and used some vintage sari ribbon to bind my book. Here I used a pamphlet stitch, the easiest stitch to bind a small booklet. Finally I glued my flowers to the cover with some gel medium. Another fun variation is to use foam dots to adhere the flowers to your cover for more depth. When you're done, you will have a lovely little book for you or as a small gift!

Join StencilClub by December 15 to receive these three exclusive stencils and accompanying video tutorial with PDF (both downloadable!), and 20% OFF STENCILS EVERY DAY!!

My name is Megan Whisner Quinlan. I have been a mixed media maker and book binder for 20 years. I love to experiment and try as many techniques as possible. Art journaling is my way of unwinding and working out the daily stress of life on the page. Mixed media gives me great comfort, and I try to learn and grow as often as I can while working. I live with my family in New Jersey.  You can find me on Instagram: Megan_Whisner_Quinlan and on Youtube: Megan Whisner Quinlan and as an Instructor for the upcoming Fodder School. I love to see what you make, if I have inspired you today, tag me! 








7 comments:

  1. Your book is beautiful! I am so excited about these stencils. I can hardly wait till they arrive to try this.

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  2. Hi Megan. Love the book. In the instructions you mention yardstick pages? Can you elaborate on what those are? Haven't heard that term previously.
    Thanks!

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  3. How did you get the sari ribbon through your holes? Were your holes quite large?

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  4. I would love to see this video tutorial. Is it still available? I've looked everywhere. I will purchase.
    Thanks!

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  5. Can you please tell me what watercolors you are using? The colors look so bright. thanks

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  6. Thank you! It's beautiful! Never thought to stencil with water color!

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