BLOG AJ Page - 9 Simple Steps to Inner Peace

Art Journal Page

The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another. – William James

I like this quote because it emphasizes the power of choosing what to think about as a way of managing stress. We do have a say in the matter!

Here’s how I made the art journal page:

• Start with a piece of white card
• Think of a word that for you represents the antidote to stress – calm, peaceful, tranquil, relaxed – whatever resonates with you
• I used a mini blending tool over a lacy stencil to add Memento Summer Sky ink, only just going over the edges of the stencil so that the page corners stayed white
• Then I stamped a branch near the bottom of the page in Distress Ink Ground Espresso
• I stamped a bird in Distress Crushed Olive, then over stamped it in Ground Espresso, offsetting it slightly to give some depth to the focal point
• Next I went in from all the edges with the blending tool and Crushed Olive to give it a border and fill in the corners a little
• Finally I stamped ‘calm’ with VersaMagic Aegean Blue.

Maybe it comes from living in Wytham Woods for 17 years, but watching birds perching on bare winter branches always makes me feel peaceful and calm. What has that effect on you?