Expect Nothing and Appreciate Everything - by Lisa Oxley | Scrappingclearly Curative Collective Team

Hello creative friends!

I’m back to share another page from my art journal, and this one is all about bold colour, expressive layers and letting the page build itself as I work.

I started this spread with plenty of white space and a fabulous focal image, then began working around her with a really vibrant combination of hot pink, orange, black and white. I absolutely love the energy these colours create together. The pink and orange bring warmth and life to the page, while the black gives everything strength and contrast.

Starting with Loose Layers

I began quite freely, applying my colour in loose, rough strokes rather than trying to make anything too neat or controlled.

You can see areas where the paint is heavier and others where it has been scraped, brushed or dragged across the surface. I deliberately left sections of the original white background showing through. I think that white space is really important when working with such strong colours—it gives all those beautiful brights somewhere to breathe.

Black was then introduced through the painted areas, drips, splatters and marks. It immediately changed the feel of the spread and helped anchor those gorgeous pinks and oranges.

Building Up the Texture

Once my main colour was established, I continued building the background with layers of text, stamping, dots, lines and little areas of pattern.

I love adding these details gradually. Some remain quite obvious, while others almost disappear beneath the next layer. That’s one of my favourite things about mixed media—you don’t need to see every single thing you add for it to contribute to the finished page.

The little black dots against the white areas are such a simple element, but they help connect the different sections of the spread beautifully.

Adding Movement with the Birds

The black birds became a really important part of this page.

I scattered them across both sides of the spread rather than keeping them confined to one area. They create movement and lead your eye from the left side of the journal, across the centre and towards my focal image.

I also added little touches of yellow around some of the birds. It’s only a tiny detail, but it gives them another pop against the pink, orange, black and white background.

Creating My Focal Image

My girl is definitely the star of this spread.

I love the contrast between her dark silhouette and the vibrant colour surrounding her. Rather than completely filling the area behind her, I kept plenty of white around her head and face. This allows the image to stand out and gives her a really strong presence on the page.

I then allowed some of my pinks, oranges and darker marks to travel across and around the image so she became part of the artwork rather than feeling separate from the background.

The Finishing Details

As the page developed, I continued adding those little details that I love—scribbled marks, black splatters, text, dots and imperfect painted edges.

I never feel that every area of an art journal page needs to be filled. Sometimes knowing when to leave an area alone is just as important as knowing when to add another layer.

The words I chose to finish this spread say:

“EXPECT NOTHING AND APPRECIATE EVERYTHING.”

I think they work beautifully with the freedom and energy of this page.

For me, that sentiment also fits the way I approach art journaling. I can begin with an idea, but I don’t necessarily expect the finished page to look a particular way. I work intuitively, respond to what is happening in front of me and appreciate all those unexpected little moments that appear along the way.

So pull out your journal, choose a couple of colours that make you happy and start making marks. Paint, scrape, stamp, splatter and layer. Leave some white space. Add something unexpected. Most importantly, enjoy seeing where your creativity takes you.

Happy creating!

Lisa Oxley
Scrapping Clearly Curated Collective Team Designer

What Could You Create If You Didn't Need to Get It Right?

 What would you make if you knew you couldn't get it wrong?

It's an interesting question.

Because somewhere along the way, creativity can become less about exploring and more about getting things right. We look at beautiful projects, carefully constructed pages and perfectly finished pieces and wonder how we could make ours look the same.

But perhaps creativity was never meant to work that way.

Perhaps the magic is in the experimenting.

The unexpected colour combination. The piece of paper that doesn't quite seem to belong. The layer that looked better before you added the next one. The idea that changed completely halfway through.

And sometimes, the things we initially think are mistakes are exactly what make a piece interesting.

Start Without Knowing the Ending

There is something wonderfully freeing about beginning a project without knowing exactly where it will finish.

Choose a few papers >>> Pick a colour  >>> Add an image >>> Make a mark >>> Layer something over it >>> Move it around >>> Take it away >>>  Try again.

You don't need to have the finished project sitting perfectly formed in your head before you begin. You can allow the project to reveal itself as you work.

One decision leads to another.

One layer suggests the next.

A scrap of paper might change the direction completely.

And suddenly, you aren't following a plan anymore — you're responding to what is happening in front of you.

That is creativity too.

Give Yourself Permission to Experiment

Maybe this month is the time to use the supplies you've been saving for the "right" project.

The point isn't to deliberately make something imperfect.

The point is to give yourself enough freedom to discover something you wouldn't have found if you were trying too hard to make everything perfect.

Your Creative Space Doesn't Need to Be Perfect Either

And perhaps this applies to more than the project itself. Your creative space doesn't have to be perfectly organised before you begin. You don't need an empty desk. You don't need every supply neatly put away. You don't even need a completely free afternoon.

Sometimes creativity happens in the fifteen minutes you have before dinner. Sometimes it happens amongst a pile of scraps and half-used papers.

What matters is making a little room for it.  A little room to wonder.   A little room to experiment.

A little room to say, I wonder what would happen if I tried this?

So, What Could You Create?

This September, as we embrace A Season of Possibility, perhaps the invitation is a simple one:

Don't begin with the question, How do I make this right?

Begin with:

What could happen if I just started?

• Pull something from your stash.
• Choose something you love.
• Choose something you're not sure about.
• Make a mark.
• Try a layer.
• Change your mind.
• Follow the idea wherever it leads.

Because creativity isn't always about knowing exactly what you're doing.

Sometimes it is about being curious enough to find out.

Seize the Truth - Lisa Oxley Scrappingclearly Curative Collective Team

Hello creative friends!

Today I’m sharing one of my latest mixed media art journal pages with you. This one is all about layers, bold colour, expressive marks and allowing the page to develop organically as I create.

For this piece, I worked with a beautiful palette of turquoise, teal, aqua, deep blue, black and white. I love how these cooler colours work together, particularly when you introduce strong areas of black and leave glimpses of white showing through.

Building the Background

I began by building up the background with lots of loose, imperfect layers.

Rather than trying to create a smooth or perfectly blended surface, I wanted to keep the brushstrokes visible. I layered different shades of blue and turquoise, adding areas of white and darker tones to create contrast and depth.

You’ll notice plenty of scraped paint, blocks, stripes and irregular shapes throughout the background. I love allowing previous layers to peek through rather than completely covering them.

For me, that is part of the magic of mixed media. Every layer leaves a little piece of itself behind.

Making My Marks

Once I had the colour established, I started adding my mark-making.

The loose black scribbles and lines were deliberately kept very free. I didn’t want them to look perfect or planned. I also added the black and white striped details and scattered white dots around the page.

These little repeated elements help connect one area of the page to another.

I especially love the white dots against the dark blues and black. They add another level of contrast and give the background a little extra energy without taking attention away from my focal image.

Creating the Focal Point

Of course, the girl is the main focus of this page.

Her beautiful golden eyes immediately draw you in, while the cracked details across her face give her such an interesting and slightly haunting quality.

I worked my background right around her so that she became part of the page rather than looking like an image that had simply been placed on top.

I also love the typography across her clothing. I’ve allowed the words to become another textural element within the artwork. Sometimes text doesn’t need to be perfectly readable. It can simply become part of the pattern and visual story.

Letting the Page Evolve

I think one of my favourite things about creating mixed media is not having to know exactly where a page is going when I begin.

I can add some paint, make a mark, stand back and look at it, then decide what it needs next.

Sometimes it needs another layer.

Sometimes it needs more black.

Sometimes it needs a splash of white.

And sometimes it needs absolutely nothing!

For this page, I kept returning to the same colours and marks until everything began to feel connected. The rough edges, scribbles, paint strokes, dots and imperfect areas are all part of what gives the finished piece its personality.

The final words “SEIZE TRUTH.” felt like the perfect way to finish it.

There is something about those two simple words that really connects with the expression of the girl and the rawness of the page.

I hope this piece inspires you to pull out your art journal, choose a few colours you love and just start creating.

Don’t worry about making every mark perfect. 

Layer it, paint over it, scribble on it, add something unexpected and see where the page takes you.

Happy creating!

Lisa Oxley
Scrapping Clearly Curated Collective Team Designer

Layers of Country: A Mixed Media Journey Down Under With 13@rts - Pj

This piece came together as a bit of a love letter to the Australian landscape, built almost entirely with the 13@rts Down Under paper pack and its matching product range — including the gorgeous Australia stencil that ended up becoming the heart of the composition.

Setting the Foundation

I started by staining my wooden canvas around the border with Tiger Eye Colour Glow mixed with water, letting that warm, earthy tone soak into the wood before anything else went down. While that was drying, I cut my papers to size, distressing the edges for a bit of age and texture, then sealed everything down with the 13@rts multi-purpose medium — it really does double duty as both glue and sealer, which makes life easier.

For my fussy cutting, I've picked up a trick that's become a total game changer: working on a glass Imat. The blade glides so much more smoothly and doesn't catch the way it can on other surfaces.

Building the Texture

To add depth to the background, I used a dry paintbrush to pick up powder from several of my Colour Glows — Carnelian, Labradorite, Fire Opal and Golden Calcite among them — and sprinkled it across the canvas, then misted it with water so the colours could bleed and blend into one another. Once I was happy with the base blend, I went back in with the brush to build up the intensity in places where I wanted more punch.

Finding the Landscape

This is where the piece really started to take shape. I wanted a sense of landform, so I sliced up a styrofoam ball and used my heat gun to soften the edges — just enough to lose that too-perfect craft-store look. Sand paste filled in the gaps around these pieces and helped tie them into the surface, and I mixed dry pigments into acrylic with liquid medium in browns, reds and greens to bring that landscape palette through.

Composition and Detail

Once the base was working, I turned my attention to composition — finding a stick that felt right for the piece and running it across the canvas to naturally split the scene into two levels. From there I figured out where the stencilling and fussy-cut elements should sit. For the stencilling, I mixed up a stencil paste using the 13@rts multi-purpose medium and Olivin Colour Glow, then worked it through the Australia stencil to bring in the leaf details once I'd settled on the layout.

All the animal imagery — the kangaroo, the koalas, the crocodile — came from the fussy cutting sheet included in the 13@rts Down Under paper pack, so it all sat together beautifully once it was in place. With the branch dividing the piece, I had two little worlds to fill. Up top, the kangaroo and the pair of koalas found their spot among the eucalyptus leaves, and below, the crocodile settled into the warmer, more textured ground. I tucked in some vintage-style touches too — an Air Mail tag and an old Australian postage stamp — to give the whole thing a slightly nostalgic, travelled feel.

To soften the joins between all these elements, I brought in a mix of natural and textural extras: muslin, gold wire mesh string, paper bark, and some brown packing material for added texture. And because I wanted the piece to feel genuinely tied to country, I finished with a scattering of dried gum nuts along the branches.

The Result

What started as a stained wooden canvas became a layered, textural landscape — built up slowly through staining, stencilling, fussy cutting and a whole lot of natural elements that gave it that unmistakable Australian feel. Two little scenes, one above and one below, each with their own character, but tied together by that branch running straight through the middle. 

 

13@rts Down Under paper pack

13@rts Australia stencil

13@rts Color Glow — Tiger Eye, Olivin, Carnelian, Labradorite, Fire Opal, Golden Calcite

13@rts Multi-Purpose Medium

Sand Paste

dry pigments

Good for the soul by Tracey B

Hi everyone and happy crafting Tuesday.

Here's another layout inspired by the moth's earthy moodboard

Products I've used include

Cadence Metal Relief paste (Silver)

Distress ink - Rusty Hinge

49 & Market assorted ticket Essentials

13 @rts rusty powder

49 & Market rubons

TFL

cheers

Trace

SEPTEMBER inspiration

 Welcome to our SEPTEMBER 2026 Inspiration!

September is here! Please join in our challenges! We love to see you create!

SEPTEMBER CHALLENGES

Our SEPTEMBER Moodboard: Earthbound

This visual mood board - be inspired by these colours, vibes and techniques. "A grounding palette"

ALL Papercraft projects are welcomed: Scrapbooking, to art journalling, to tags and cards. We wanna see it all! :)

Colours: Use shades of terracotta. clay, eucalyptus, granite

Vibe: Grounded, organic, Australian bush

Technique: Botanical prints, natural textures

SEPTEMBER - Book of Me

Our "Book of me" continues with this month's prompts. Use it to document memories, record reflections, and express yourself creatively. This month we focus on Change & Transition: release, renewal

Weekly Inspo Prompts : Mini-works of art

Every Monday, we will release a unique inspo prompt. Create your very own....Mini works of art
You create ATC or Index size cards created for your enjoyment, not to be swapped or traded. By the end of 2026, you will have your own collection of 52 cards that incorporated the weekly colour, quote, theme or technique.

Check out this {link}, to see the current list of weekly inspo prompts.

SUBMISSION PROCESS

Participants must upload their completed projects into the SEPTEMBER Albums in the Scrapping Clearly Share and Inspire Facebook Group.

Please load your entries to the albums by the end of the month. Please note: Please edit your photo caption in Facebook to give us information about your project and inspiration.

Prize boxes and gift vouchers will be up for grabs at different times during the year, but mostly we hope you are here for inspiration not the prizes!

And for all your Mixed Media and Paper Craft needs, make sure you head to our website at: https://scrappingclearly.com.au/

Thank you,

Amanda

On behalf of the Scrapping Clearly team

The Great Indoors - Australian - Inspired Mixed-Media Scrapbook Layout

 Hi everyone and happy crafting Tuesday

Another month (where is this year going?) and another colour 

Hello creative friends! Today I’m sharing “The Great Indoors,” a humorous mixed-media scrapbook layout inspired by the colours and textures of the Australian bush. I used eucalyptus green, natural stone, copper and rusty finishes to complement the wildlife photograph and create plenty of earthy texture.

Here's a layout inspired by the great outdoors - just wish the wildlife would stay out there!

I began with the gum leaf stencil and Bundled Sage and Pumice Stone Distress Inks to establish the soft botanical background. Limestone Stone Effects Paste added raised texture, while 13@rts Rusty Powder and Simon Hurley Lunar Paste introduced the aged copper details.

 Products I've used include:

Gum leaf stencil with Distress ink (Bundled Sage & Pumice Stone)

Stone Effects paste (Limestone) and stencil

13 @rts rusty powder

Lunar Paste - Refined copper and brick stencil

Tim Holtz film strip

Heidi Swapp Oh What Fun chipboard

Heidi Swapp bow

Heidi Swapp Jumbo tag

Film strip, chipboard, a jumbo tag and a fabric bow completed the layered design. The combination of natural colours, metallic highlights and playful embellishments makes this a fun interpretation of an Australian-inspired scrapbook page.

TFL

cheers

Trace