If first impressions mean anything, this page spread has thrift store written all over it! Maybe it’s the funky little Ernst tag I picked off of a long ago find, or the thrifted collection of yellow vases…

I guess it stands to reason since I get at least half of my art journaling supplies from thrift stores, but that isn’t why I’m writing this post. I wanted to share a technique I use once in a while.

This is a selection of brick-a-brack I pulled out of my junk box, along with some pics I wanted to use for a kind of memory page.

Tip: Take a photo of the arrangement you’re finally pleased with to refer back to before glueing elements down.

Here’s the deal, I still have so much to do to get our house and lives together in our new home, and because I’m not able to spend any amount of uninterrupted time at my art desk, and the chances of being able to remember what the plan was is virtually nil, I do this a lot more often now. This is a great way to consider what’s working and what is not. Some of the smaller elements usually get changed, but it’s nice to have the structure down.

This page spread is a combination of memory keeping and stash busting.

Gardening is one of my true loves, and I’m happy to say that I’ve been able to start a small garden this year. There were a few plants I couldn’t let go of, we’ve had this rose bush for about 12 years. We bought it for my daughter on her birthday, it loves eastern Washington! Maybe it will make it to her garden some day.

Gardening, cleaning, decorating, downsizing, it doesn’t seem to end…but it’s a labor of love! I picked up some paint chips on one of our many trips to the hardware store. Awesome pops of color in a huge range of options…and free!

I found that old teal playing card when dismantling a lower shelf in my new sewing room. I’m pretty sure that it was lost back in the 60’s by one of the original homeowners. I added the lil’ peanut butter girl, something my grandson is addicted to right now, every time he comes over he goes through a half a jar!

The photo is of the the top of a shelf on my sewing table. Turning our extra room from storage to useable space is one of my latest projects, it’s slow going, but I’m making progress.

This daisy looks a bit moth eaten, but in her defense, she’s over 20 years old! My husband and daughter planted these daisies from seed, and I managed to keep this one all these years.

It’s been a wonderful experience to start a new life in a new town surrounded by keepsakes and memories. That’s why the organizing and decluttering project has been taking so long, we’re filled to the rafters with memories, and I would prefer to take my time making decisions on what goes or stays.

This page spread links the past with the present in a very meaningful way for me. As you can see, I’m not a huge fan of journaling on my pages. I like the idea of getting a different impression or memory each time I look at my pages, words tend to anchor a particular meaning to the page, I prefer seeing something different each time I look at it. I definitely like my “non-pen” journals the best!

I put the supplies list at the bottom of this post. I would be more than happy to do this more often if it’s helpful. Please let me know in the comments if this is something you’d like to see 🙂

Well, I hope that was a helpful tip.

If not, I hope you enjoyed the ramblings!

As always,

Thank you so much for your precious time,

Talk to you soon,

~Patty

Supplies: Photos on matte paper, vintage playing card, vintage magazine and book images, paint, ink stamp, postage stamps, washi tape, paint chips, word strips, carnival ticket, die cuts, vintage wallpaper piece, scrapbook paper pieces, #8 graphite drawing pencil