Are you like me with a bunch of scrap papers left over from scrapbook pages, and extra pre-cut pocket cards just waiting to be used? I'll admit, in the past I've thrown out perfectly good scraps and given away pocket-cards I knew I was never going to get around to using...because really how many “best day ever” cards can a girl have and use? But now I've decided to stop buying cut back on the amount of artsy stuff I'm buying an make do with what I already have...hello, I can paint over those best day cards or even just use them to practice new techniques on!

So in order to use up the stuff I have I started cutting down white textured cardstock scraps  to 3" x 4", which is the perfect size for pocket cards. Now originally I used these papers for testing out some  fun products for Faber-Castell and wound up having a bunch of them with the same stencil pattern gesso'd onto them. So today I'm sharing with you what I did with two of those cards...you can check out this short video below to see the process of how I created them.

As I said, I started by using a stencil and applying gesso over it. After I removed the stencil I let the gesso dry.

 Next, I rubbed some Gelatos® from the Bright collection over the gesso and activated it with a wet paint brush.  I love how easily the color spreads and how well the colors blend together.

Easy peasy! Now I have a great background to work with in my pocket page scrapbooking.

Next up is another white cardstock card that had the same stencil & gesso technique done to it. Once it was dry I just used my handy-dandy fine point Sharpie pen to outline the raised portion of the gesso.

Notice it's NOT perfect! Perfection is over rated.  ;)

Once I finished outlining the sectioned I just made quick hash marks down each of the "aisles".

It's not even or straight...which makes it perfect in my book. While you probably can't see it in this photo, the gesso texture is really cool in real life.  It would be fun to mix in some colored paint or Gelatos in the gesso too to give it another look.

How are you stretching your supplies and making authentically YOU art to use in your projects? I'd love to hear your ideas so comment below.

Disclosure: Erin is a paid consultant for Faber-Castell and has received  products from them to evaluate. However, the opinions expressed are entirely her own and based on her use of the products.

This post contains affiliate links. If you buy from these links it won't cost you a penny more but Erin will make a little bit of money (not enough for a pony). 

Phew! I'm back home and recuperated from a FUN, FUN, FUN weekend away with my girlfriends at Ready, Set, Create.  

photo credit: Stephanie Mehlem

I have a lot of projects to share with you and I figured the easiest and quickest way to do it is to whip up a video, so here you go:

 If As I finish up projects I'll post them here on my blog.  :)

disclaimer: I was in NO WAY compensated for writing this article, opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Here's the rest of the pages I did this past week.  These are also for the set of Circle Journals my girlfriends and I are doing. 

For these pages we had to answer the following questions:

• What's your favorite color?
• What is your favorite animal?
• What is your favorite body of water?
• If you were in a white room with NO windows and NO doors how would your feel?

We had to answer each of these describing at least 3 feelings.

I ended up answering the questions in a little matchbook and inserted it in the page protector. I just used my craft knife to add slits to the plastic so I could pull the cover and page inserts through.

Inside the matchbook...

This was fun to do.  I've been doing so many pocket pages when I scrapbook that it was fun to do full pages.  

I actually scrapbooked this week! Woo-hoo! 

Now, I will be the first to admit that these are not super guilty pleasures...they are more like some of my favorite things.  I mean, how can tacos be wrong?!

This pages are for the continuing set of Circle Journals my girlfriends and I are doing.  I added an extra page...I have a lot of "pleasures"!

Here's the front...my pups!

And here's the back...just some of my favorite arts and crafts.

And here's the final page...my favorite scrapbooking snack: peanut butter filled pretzels and mini M&Ms....Lappert's Mango Sorbet (I get it whenever I'm in Hawaii)...Coffee, of course...and Hugo's Tacos!  

And I love traveling...whether by foot, by air, or by boat!

Also, in this Circle Journal there's a check-in page...so here's what I made for it.

disclaimer: this post contains links to places I love, I'm NOT being paid to tell you about them!  :)

Mark it down....I actually scrapbooked!

I'm apart of a circle journal group and because we all work and are super busy it's taking us forever for our books to make their way around the group...but that's ok.  ;)

Here's the pages I made...