Building Art Boxes

My love-affair with cardboard of all kinds has continued to grow over time. Finding new ways to use it is a delight. Adding painted papers to it, is even better. 

These boxes I've started making didn't come to me in a dream or anything magical but I was fortunate enough to see something on YouTube by a few creative souls who have done something similar.

Here's box number one of what may end up being many hundreds by the time I've moved on to something new.

Don't worry if you're making waves just by being yourself. The Moon does it all the time. ~Scott Stabile

Measures 6 x 4-1/2 inches

Here's the top, bottom and sides using a new "stitch" ink stamp added to the scrap papers. I've never been able to sew stitches on my cards and journals successfully and I don't have a sewing machine. Finding these stamps is the next best thing except there's no strings which I'm still trying to figure out how to add to make me happy but that's for another day and another blog post.

I've just finished a second box and this one was a bit of a challenge because it is smaller.

 

The papers used for this box has a little history to it. These are some scrap painted papers glued to black card stock paper and doodles added. When I'm uninspired to work in my journal or create a collage, I often grab a lot of the scraps I have laying around, especially the ones used on watercolor paper (it's thicker than other paper) and create these sheets. This scrap sheet was perfect for a small box! 

"Shine like the whole universe is yours" has an earring hanging inside and a beautiful butterfly on top

"Live Simply" on the back of the butterfly

"be your beautiful self"

Measures 3-3/4 x 3 inches

I have to cut the next box a bit to make it suitable. I will share the way it looks once completed no doubt on social media and here.

Measuring the next box using the 2nd one as a guide.

 

Enjoy your week!

Cindy,  EarthMotherMosaics - Mixed Media Art

Instagram: @artbyearthmothermosaics 

Stay Peaceful and Enjoy the Journey 

Finishing Up 2025 Art Junk Journals

I wasn't sure I'd still be working on completing my journals from 2025 in March of 2026, but here we are. Part of the whole journey with these journals is the ebb and flow that comes with creativity. I can't do a page every day, even when I want to. Sometimes my left eye (the problem child) doesn't want to cooperate enough to stay focused long enough to do any kind of work at all. So I take it all as it comes.

Having said that, here are quite a few photos of each of the two art junk journals for 2025 so very close to being finished. Creative Chaos has 2 pages plus back cover to be done and the back cover to be worked on is all that's left to Let The Journey Begin. However, just because each page has something on it, doesn't mean they're completed and ready for the shelf.

Some examples of the pages that still need some art added are shown below along with a few finished pages that I like.

Creative Chaos:

Cover

First "layer" but more will be added

 

A work-in-progress page

Let The Journey Begin:

Cover

I used my self portrait quite a bit - that side is finished but the other side has a lot of work to be done

Last 2 pages - left side needs a little more added

 

I have to say, all-in-all, I really do enjoy creating these books. There's so much you can do with them. I'll have to share Creative Chaos once it's entirely finished because it's thick and bulky and can no longer be closed. I LOVE that - many do not when they create junk journals and often complain about it. I say the more junk you put into it, along with all the glue and thicknesses in paper, it's not a big deal if it is thick and bulky. 

Enjoy your week!

Cindy,  EarthMotherMosaics - Mixed Media Art

Instagram: @artbyearthmothermosaics 

Stay Peaceful and Enjoy the Journey 

It's That Time Once More...

 I haven't written a blog post since November! I'm slowly finding my way back to things I like to do. Writing in my blog is one of them.

First off, let me say I'm healing fairly well but slowly from eye surgeries. Glaucoma is under control at the moment and I'm very grateful to the doctor that made that happen. I go back in June for a checkup.

Meanwhile I'm making use of that time with normal painted paper making, collage creating, substrate making (like small journals and books made using brown envelopes from Amazon) and plans for a rather extensive reorganization of the Purple Palace.

I should also mention I no longer have a website. I'm transitioning slowly and haven't had much to sell over the past few years. Sales dwindled and eventually stopped and so I retired to pursue painted papers and collage. I do not regret it. Below is an example of one of my practice books using my painted papers. Celestial designs have made their way into my collage art!

 

And so, the decision to utilize the space available has changed slightly. The plan so far is to turn the Purple Palace into a double-duty work station and supply area. The garage still has a lot of dish tiles and bottles that will need sorting through eventually. It's on the "to-do" list and I believe when I start in on that area, my Grandson will be helping me which means it won't take long at all. But for now, I'm just in the planning stages; not quite ready for the heavy lifting of stuff and things in the Purple Palace or garage.

Last year I dedicated this time to putting in a work table for creating mosaics. It worked well, except there's no outlets in this area and lighting has always been a challenge for me. I still want to make mosaics but I'm not willing to only do them. I like paper as much as I do glass. And there's room in my heart for both. Mostly mosaics will still be made in the Purple Palace and collage and painted papers will be done at the black table by my computer desk in the main area. I have a lot of things I like to collect and use and they are what's taking over that space. I decided it's time to use the Purple Palace to hold the things I use for all my crafting.

So ... major redo ... and might take many months before it's set up to my liking mostly due to financial restraints but also because my energy isn't "full steam ahead". I'm okay with that. It's important to have the areas utilized as best as I can. There's space for everything and room for more. I just need to get it organized.

You may recall, last year I mentioned I was going to open a dedicated shop to selling dish tiles that have taken over a lot of my space. I am not following through with that but may eventually use the Facebook Marketplace to put things for free if I get that organized. That's not the first thing to do, however, in the Palace.

It has become overrun with empty boxes, packing material, glass vessels, etc. since I used it last, when I made the 5 paneled mosaic for a family friend. Photo below of one of the panels.

one of five mosaic panels using pieces from a broken vase

 

My fussiness about this reorganization is that I have NO shelves in there along the walls but am hoping to get a few that will fit and hold what I have in a more organized way.

A lot of time goes into figuring out what will work in all areas I use when creativity strikes. Especially when energy isn't high or there's a lot of other things going on in daily life. What works for me is to make plans slowly. And that's what I'm doing.

In any case, as time progresses I will add more posts here sharing what I'm doing and how I'm doing it. I hope a few of you will read and follow along.

Enjoy your week!

Cindy,  EarthMotherMosaics - Mixed Media Art

Instagram: @artbyearthmothermosaics 

Stay Peaceful and Enjoy the Journey

 

Wednesday - Art Table Fun

I've been slowing up a lot this week ... hibernation has begun!

I am creating something every day but I'm doing a lot of starting and not so much finishing. I have made some collage cards but I like to put a collage on both sides now so I do one side, then put it aside.

When I look at one side and feel it might be finished enough to flip it over, that's what I'll do with these.

 I also did a few things in my art journals. I know I'm slowing up because I'll add a bit or piece of something and then move onto something else. I usually try to stay focused on one page at a time within the books I'm working with. I have 7-8 art journals at the moment but don't work on all of them each week.

I'm enjoying the slower pace of creating art right now. It suits me.

I'm taking lots of naps and drinking herbal teas and just thinking about the last few months of the year. It's been an amazing one!

I've been giving my eyes a bit of a break from long intensive sessions with doodling in the evening and finding new things to do. Sorting the magazines and cutouts from cards and boxes has been good for me. I've gotten almost the 2nd box empty which leaves 1 more box to go. Once it's all sorted I can pull from it to make cards and journal entries which is really exciting. Plus I can scan and print whatever pages I find when I want to now that I have them all glued onto computer paper. That's even MORE exciting!

I recently found an old free coloring page I had folded and put away within the 2nd box mentioned above. I pulled it out and using alcohol ink markers colored it in. It's so beautiful. I love it when I allow the muse to play. I opened the markers and just closed my eyes, said a little prayer and got busy.

 While doing the sorting of the cards and cutouts and stickers too I thought about all the small odds and ends pieces of painted papers I've accumulated over the 11 months I've been making collage. Most I try to keep and use for the layered collages I like to make but a few times I'll look at the colors used on these papers and even though they're cut up or small I keep thinking they're just too pretty to cover up with another layer. And so I pulled them out Monday night and started gluing them down on a piece of computer paper.

Abstract and colorful with some geometric designs = awesome!
 

I'll be taking next week off from the blog so I want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy your day however it may be celebrated.

Sending much love out to you all and into the Universe.

 

Enjoy the journey.

Cindy aka EarthMotherMosaics

If you'd like to support the artist go to BuyMeACoffee and buy me a cuppa. It's always greatly appreciated. Thank you so much. 👄💝 

https://artbyearthmothermosaics.com

 

Wednesday - A Little Art Table Fun

There's only a few photos to share this week and there won't be a post on Friday at all. I'm winding down.

Soon I won't be sharing much of any kind of art I do because I'll be thinking about Christmas and what I want to make my family and friends. That's happening now, actually.

As I figure it out, I'll be able to share the journal entries and collage cards when I do those. There might be less posts as we get into the winter months in any case. I tend to hibernate a bit and stay away from the art table for a few months while just focusing on gifts and family time between Thanksgiving and New Year's Eve. And then cleaning up and getting some fresh ideas for the year ahead always takes a little thought.

What I really like to do is to organize and get ready for the next wave for the first 3 months of the new year. I look forward to it. If anyone reads these posts at all here in my blog, you know I have mentioned this for the past few years. Taking time away means, as far as the blog goes, it'll be hit or miss each week.

However, this week was a mixed bag of hit or miss because I finished the mosaic panels and shared them on FB and Insta and I'll share them in a post on Monday. I'm ready for a mosaic making break and just ready for a break -- period.

I always manage to make a few things and this week was no exception. There's always fun to be had.

Fun with celery and a Gelli plate and acrylic paint! 

 

I made a lot of papers using the bottom of a celery stalk. It's so much fun to do.

I managed to make a great entry in my Creative Chaos Art Journal on Monday.

 And a daily collage card surprised me by it's dark and brooding look (almost witchy, huh?!) but delightful at the same time because it says "be fearless". Yes that doodle DOES look like a scythe (it didn't start out that way but here we are). Love it.

 

 

I make cards every day but rarely share them now. But I like this one above so much, I made a video reel about the moon I used. It came from an old Christmas card that resurfaced from a box of old cards shoved under my bed. I cut a lot of circles out in different sizes so I can use them in my collage. Feeling better about the choice to do that because now at least some of these beautiful cards will be seen in a new way forever and not as a cluster of old dusty cards found some day under my bed. I honor them more this way and I'm so grateful and appreciative to be on this mixed media collage painted papers journey.

Here, the first photo shows an art journal page in progress. Still not sure where I was headed with this and it took on a life of it's own and it became too dark. Not where I wanted it but I didn't want to cover it entirely and start over. I'm not sure where it's going yet but it's in the book waiting for the right time to be embellished or altered in some way.

Also there's a bookmark I made and I'm still working on that. This was a piece of art I cut to fit into a frame a few years ago. This was leftover and resurfaced as I was looking through the stickers I'm adding to computer paper (the ongoing project at the moment). The back might get embellishments or some cool words or something. Time will tell.

 

Enjoy the journey.

Cindy aka EarthMotherMosaics

If you'd like to support the artist go to BuyMeACoffee and buy me a cuppa. It's always greatly appreciated. Thank you so much. 👄💝 

https://artbyearthmothermosaics.com

Mosaic Monday

I couldn't find one special mosaic to share and so I'm sharing a few screenshots from my website. Head on over and look through each one, if you see something you like and remember you can purchase them directly on the website using PayPal.

Thanks for looking! 

Enjoy the journey.

Cindy aka EarthMotherMosaics

If you'd like to support the artist go to BuyMeACoffee and buy me a cuppa. It's always greatly appreciated. Thank you so much. 👄💝 

https://artbyearthmothermosaics.com