Hi there creative ones. Tammy (aka Tambarambaa) here today to share a journal page with you.

TCW provided me with awesome goodies to play with, but the art and the opinions are mine.

So let’s go through the steps to create this piece…..

For the background, I selected a few paint colors and then applied them to paper using a dry brush. I didn’t clean off in-between, I just went from the lighter colors through to the darker ones.

I generally work in threes – so place each color in 3 areas on the page, and then if you have any gaps, come back and fill these in. This part is just about getting the color on the page. Don’t stress, just enjoy the colors.

I then began with the gorgeous navy color (peacoat), and using a new stencil TCW974 Mermaid Tail. I placed this stencil on top of the sections that had the navy and sponged more navy paint through the stencil, bringing it outwards. For this I used a makeup sponge.

Now it’s time to continue those layers of stencil work, so I repeated this process, using the 4 colors I had selected and using a variety of new stencils with different sized shapes and patterns.

I used TCW972 Petal Splash Stencil with the blush paint (Peachy Keen), TCW986 Striped Triangle Stencil with the aqua (Aqua Duck Egg) and TCW988 Leafy Collage Stencil with the pink (Bubble Gum) and some aqua too.

Notice how I used a mix of stencils – a flower, a stripe, leaves and circles.

Repeat this until you are happy with the background.

I added more of TCW972 Petal Splash as I love that stencil, and using the darker navy color, it really pulled it all together.

Ok, background almost complete.

I always add a touch of white into my projects as it really helps to lift all the colors. For this, part I added some simple mark making and then rubbed some white onto the background where I plan to add my focal point.

For my focal point, I cut out this cool image from a magazine. This gets adhered to the page using a spatula, and some TCW9011 Matte Gel Medium. Make sure you apply the gel medium to the back of the image and also over the top to seal it.

Finally, I added some of the navy paint to the area where I wanted to add some journaling.

To finish off the background, I felt that it needed a ‘pop’ of color. I grabbed a gold paint pen and that gorgeous stencil TCW988 Leafy Collage and traced some of the leaves onto my page.

I then added some shadows to the focal point to help her stand out from the page. I also added extra paint and detail to give her a more painterly look.

Ok, now it’s time to add a title. For this, I selected stencil TCW686 Julie’s Words and selected the ‘say yes’ section, laying this over my background and stamping navy paint through the stencil with a makeup sponge.

I then added some journaling with a white pen.

The final steps, that really finish off the page are filling in any obvious gaps (now that everything is on the page), with a smaller pattern. For this, I decided to use the blush color, as I had almost painted over all of it, and another new stencil TCW975 Random Bubbles.

I then applied some navy ink to the edges of the page using an ink blender, to frame it.

There you have it! I love the colors and the way they combine together.

Thanks so much for joining me today. I hope this page has inspired you to play and create layers and backgrounds with your stencils.

Much love and color,

Tammy Klingner (aka Tambarambaa) – TCW Design Team Member