Blog | Linda Matthews

Making Space – a Themed Journal

This week I've been adding some pages to my latest journal which is a themed journal titled Making Space. I'm using one of the vintage journals that I made recently as a sample for the latest Creative Art'n'Soul Journaling video workshop. (If you haven't signed up...

DIY Heavyweight Stabilizer for Stitched Journal Covers and Book Covers

Creative Art'n'Soul Journaling kicked off this week and one of things we're going to be exploring is making stitched mixed media journals. When making these types of journals I like to use a heavyweight stabilizer such as double-sided fusible Peltex. This type of...

Art Journaling for the Soul

Today begins the year-long journey of Creative Art'n'Soul Journaling ... and I am so excited to get started! Over the years I've come to enjoy art journaling, both as a process for creating beautiful stitched art journals, and also as a way to track and record events...

Vintage Style Stitched Mixed Media Journal: Online Video Workshop

In this online workshop, learn how to make a vintage-style journal with a stitched mixed media cover. I designed this particular journal as a way for beginners to get started with stitched journal covers, and although the cover might look complicated, it's a simple...

Join me for a Year of Creative Art’n’Soul Journaling

Let’s play with fabric, thread and paper in a whole new way to make beautiful creative journals that can be used as a place to hold and treasure our personal stories. Journals can be used in lots of different ways. Although I have a lot of different types of journals...

How to Tea-Dye Lace and Thread for a Vintage Look

When making stitched mixed media journals, I love to use lace and thread that have an aged and vintage look. It just seems to complement the other bits and pieces I use to tell my stories. Dyeing lace and thread using tea (or even coffee), is a quick and easy way to...

My Latest Art Journal: Wings

My latest art journal is a contemplative themed journal titled "Wings". Contemplative journals give us a safe space to explore our feelings and emotions in a creative way. I used wings as the theme for this journal. With wings we can fly to new heights. They give us...

Digital Design for Fabric: Repurpose and Reuse

One of the best things about creating your own PhotoArt, fabric designs and other types of digital imagery, is that the images can be reused in many different ways. With digital files, images can be resized larger or smaller and easily changed and manipulated. This...

Vintage Botanicals Printable Journal Kit

New in the CreativeArt'n'Soul online store The Vintage Botanicals Printable Journal Kit is designed in vintage colors with botanical floral images and torn edges. The neutral color makes it perfect for incorporating into other types of vintage journals. Printable...

Vintage Botanicals – New Digital Paper Packs

New in the Creative Art'n'Soul store! These Vintage Botanical Digital Paper Packs are perfect if you enjoy working with printable papers for paper crafting such as scrapbooking, journaling, mixed media, altered art, collage, and printable stationery. The Vintage...

Rambling Rose Printable Planners

If you love to use beautiful planners, you'll love the new Creative Art'n'Soul "Rambling Rose" printable planner collection which is now available here in my Etsy Store. This planner collection is undated so you can use it over and over again. Individual planner pages...

Injured Prints – what they are and what you can do with them

Have you ever printed an image onto fabric and have it turn out a little less than perfect? It happens to me more often than you'd think. But there's no need to throw those prints away - there are lots of creative ways to recycle and reuse them. I have several...

How to Make a “Creative Ideas” Journal

Over the years one of the things that I've learned about being a creative business owner is that if you don't write things down, they are soon forgotten. This is particularly true when creative ideas arrive in a flash of inspiration because they often arrive at the...

Scrappy Garden Fabric Journal Cover

This week I'm sharing a quick and easy fabric journal cover project. I was inspired to print one of the pages from the Scrappy Garden Printable Journal Kit onto fabric, to make a journal cover for a new journal that I'm making. I love the fun floral designs on the...

Scrappy Garden Printable Quote Pages

New in the CreativeArt'n'Soul online store The Scrappy Garden Printable Quote Pages are an add-on for the Scrappy Garden Printable Journal Kit. These printable quote pages are designed in fun floral designs with a grungy texture, and are sized to fit a 4.25″ x 8″...

DIY Tutorial: PhotoArt Zipper Pouch

I just love zippered pouches for so many reasons. They're quick and easy to make and can be made in any size and used for storing and organizing things large and small. Because they're so versatile and useful, zipper pouches are the perfect sewing project to make for...

Scrappy Garden Printable Journal Kit

New in the CreativeArt'n'Soul online store The Scrappy Garden Printable Journal Kit is designed in fun floral designs with a grungy texture. Printable journals kits can be used to make junk journals, or you could incorporate the pages into other journals. This kit can...

Vintage Lace & Roses Printable Journal Kit

New in the CreativeArt'n'Soul online store The Vintage Lace & Roses Printable Journal Kit is designed with pink roses and white lace in soft vintage colors with a touch of grunge. Printable journals kits can be used to make junk journals, or you could incorporate the...

Learn to Create Beautiful PhotoArt

I've been using Photoshop and Photoshop Elements for almost 15 years to create digital art in one form or another, and over the years I've developed my own favorite techniques for creating beautiful PhotoArt. Now you can also learn my favorite techniques for making...

Hand embroidery thread – how to blend custom thread colors

If you do a lot (or even a little) hand embroidery, over time you can accumulate quite a collection of embroidery floss and yarn. But doesn't it always seem that you simply never have the right color hand embroidery thread to finish off a sewing project? The color...

Ancient Earth Mini-Journals – a quick tutorial

I finally completed one of my Ancient Earth Mini-Journals that I started about a week ago. Because the pages are small, it went together very quickly. I named this particular journal "Meditations from the Heart" and attached some small stitched collages to the pages....