December Daily® 2023 | Paint + Play with Jill 04

Welcome back to Paint + Play with Jill! This week I am sharing a bunch of foundation pages I made using the mixed media supplies! I have finally decided on my album for this year and that has freed me up to actually get started in it. 

After seeing both the red Good Tidings 10x8 and the white Star 6x8 next to my previous albums, I have decided to go with the 6x8 stars album because it looks way better next to last year's album (the FALALA 6x8 from the 2021 collection). Something about having two text based albums next to each other wasn't working for me. I'm glad to finally have found a way to decide because I love both the red and the white star equally! 

One thing I noticed when looking back at my 2022 6x8 album was that I had included so many pockets for my journaling that I either put on transparencies or patterned papers. And because I'm still loving pockets, and Ali has created even more pocket options for us this year, I am leaning into that and creating a handful of foundation pages with pocket journaling. 

But first, I wanted to make a bunch of monochrome papers using the stencils and stamps for my projects. I love having a bunch of more subtle patterned papers in my stash because they allow my embellishments and photos to really shine! 

Here is a photo of all of the patterns I created plus close ups of my two favorites! You can also check out my intro video for more of my thoughts and a closer look at the patterns. But be sure to keep scrolling to see what I created with them!

For my first two foundation pages, I used white on white patterns to allow the stitched pockets from this year's collection to pop on my page. 

Stitched Tag Pockets

I attached the stitched pocket tags to the vellum sheet with white snowflakes that I created in week one. I will either attach more tags to the back side or attach the vellum to a white cardstock base for the white on white look. My intention is to create a "4 things I'm loving in December" page inspired by the text on two of the tags, with inserts created from labels from this year's label pack.

Ornament Stitched Pockets

For this second white on white page, I used white texture paste on top of white paper to create a really fun page that is both subtle and also allows the pattern to really pop. It may be just me, but this background gives me an old fashioned wallpaper vibe that pairs great with the old fashioned ornaments! On top of each ornament I attached a white felt star to go with the star background, and to create more texture while staying subtle. For the inserts in the pockets, you can either trace the ornament and cut an extra 1/8 inch or so off the edge, or you can use the stencil which is already a bit smaller than these pockets. 

Reason Why Joy Page

While I created this page with the intention of it being my opening "reason why" page, it could also easily be a journaling spot later in my album if I change my mind! I really loved the circle pocket "reason why" I did last year (inspired by Ali) and also love this Joy vellum from the main kit, so I was excited when I realized I could combine them! This bright green striped circle pocket is from the Hobbies story kit, which is still available at the time this blog post goes live. The circle insert I used is from the die cut bundle. To add even more interest (and use my mixed media supplies!), I stenciled some white snowflakes right on top of the vellum on the pocket. Check out the video to see how I did that. 

Tree Pocket Page

I decided to make my stamped tree paper into a pocket page with a transparency on top so that I could still see the whole pattern. My inspiration for this page was the pocket I made last year to hold a giant tag with a long story about my fake Christmas tree. I plan for this year's pocket to simply be a space for one or more tags to hold a longer story that is not necessarily about my tree. For the transparency on top, I chose the gold dot from the specialty paper pack because it allowed the pattern beneath to be seen. I cut the original 10x8 transparency down to an outside the page protector 6x8 size to use another time and the leftover scrap was the perfect size for my pocket! I will sew the transparency on later so that I have the flexibility for whether it is the front or back side of a page.  

Black & White Tag Pocket Page

I was inspired by my black silk screened tag to lean into a black and white color scheme with pops of red and gold. I could have done a lot of fun things with this tag, but I like to have some simple pocket pages sprinkled into my album so I went that direction instead. I pulled a white felt star, red ribbon from the trim pack, the LOVE card from the Paislee Press kit, the gold foil "moments" 4x6 transparency, and a red plastic number.  Then, I finished the page with a line of red stitching along the top of the 3x4 card to create a visual triangle of red. I love the simple colors in this one... especially with a black and white photo!

Transparency Wreath Page

My last foundation page is a double sided transparency with another circle pocket from the Hobbies story kit on one side and a large wreath die cut on the other side with a circle journaling spot in the centy. I wanted to use some of my tone on tone papers and also have a see through element. So I hand cut my papers to create a circular frame to do around my center journal spots and chose a transparency from the 6x8 pack. I liked this one because I could use the gold foil circle to frame my circle pocket. To adhere my papers to the transparency, I stitched the white side directly on with white thread. For the red side, I stitched them before putting them onto my page for a faux stitched look before adhering them with red line tape. I did it this way because I wasn't sure if my sewing machine could handle two thick cardstocks and a transparency page. Then I attached the wreath and circle pocket with washi tape to give me flexibility later. If you watch the video of me putting these pages together, you will notice that I switched out the green striped circle pocket for the blue one because it thought it worked better with the snowflake vibe my white paper was giving. I'm thinking I may need to add some silver stars or something like that to this page to give it an extra something. But I like it as a foundation for a future story. 

I hope my projects this week inspired you to go create some of your own papers and then make a few simple foundation pages! I am not much of a foundation page person but I do appreciate having these 6 flexible journaling spots to work with when December comes! 

Let me know if you have any questions and be sure to follow me on Instagram if you would like to see my album progress in December! You can find me on Instagram as @jill.drangsholt

SUPPLIES

• Stitched Tag Pockets
• Die Cut Labels
• White Felt Stars
• A Very Merry Christmas Silkscreen Pack
• Holiday Stencil Pack
• Paint Pack
• Trees 6x8 Stamp Set
• Specialty 10x8 Paper Pack
• Black Stazon Ink
• 2.75" Round Acrylic Stamp Block
• 2022 Stories of Christmas Pasts Kit (black tags)
• Paislee Press Mini Kit (3x4 love card)
• Specialty Journal Card Set
• Red Small Plastic Numbers
• Red & White Trim Pack
• Main Kit (ornament stitched pockets, joy vellum paper, wreath)
• Holiday Variety Die Cut Bundle (circle journal cards)
• Hobbies Story Kit (stitched circle pocket)
• December Joys 
• 6x8 Transparency Pack
• Star 6x8 Chipboard Album