🎨 Mixed Media Boot Collage: A Little Art Therapy & a Lotta Paper Scraps
Hey there, creative soul—
It’s Teresa from Teresa’s Spot for Art, and I’ve got a fun little mixed media moment to share with you today—straight from my art table (and yep, possibly still in my comfy clothes with iced coffee nearby).
Let’s talk about art therapy, shall we?
Because this week? Whew. Life threw me one of those “I need to scream into a pillow or paint something immediately” kind of days. So, I chose paint. And scraps. And a cute little boot that ended up blossoming into a bouquet of color, texture, and a whole lot of joy. Enter: my latest mixed media collage project.
🖌️ What I Created: A Boot Full of Blooms
This piece started with a traced boot shape, a few favorite shades of beachy teal and peacock blue (if you know me, you know I’m obsessed), and a whole bunch of scrap papers, including vintage music sheets and some handmade collage paper I created from… wait for it… a shopping bag I loved so much I photocopied it. #NoShame
Using a Carson mixed media pad, some Mod Podge, a glue stick, and my trusty silicone mat (seriously—where has that been all my life?), I got to work layering paper bits, gluing petals, and free-handing some flower stems and leaves.
The result? A textured, quirky, joy-sparking piece that made me forget about my tech fails and copy machine drama earlier that day.
🧠 Real Talk: This Is Why I Create
I’ve said it before and I’ll keep shouting it from the rooftop (or at least my studio chair)—art is not about perfection.
It’s about breathing.
About calming the chaos.
About feeling better after a day that knocked you around.
After losing my sister in 2016 to a rare brain disease, CJD, (Learn more at The CJD Foudation) art literally saved me. I started painting again, dove into creativity, and eventually built this little corner of the internet to help others find their own creative calm.
So if you’ve ever thought, “I’m not an artist,” or “I don’t know where to start,”—listen to me: just start. Rip up a napkin, smear some paint, doodle a flower. There are no art police. No one’s checking your glue lines. Mixed media is the playground of “whatever works.”
💡 Want to Try This Project?
Here’s a little breakdown so you can create your own:
Supplies I Used:
-
Mixed media paper or canvas
-
Acrylic paints (peacock blue, teal, white, black)
-
Paper scraps in coordinating tones
-
Glue stick or Mod Podge
-
Scissors and a pencil
-
Optional: homemade collage papers, old book pages, music sheets
Steps:
-
Paint your background in your favorite shades. Don’t overthink it. Just go with the flow.
-
Cut out a large shape (like a boot, vase, heart, etc.)
-
Layer your collage scraps over the shape—rip, tear, and glue until you love it.
-
Cut the shape out and glue it to your background.
-
Create and add flowers, leaves, or any elements that make your heart happy.
-
Add detail with paint pens or a fine brush.
🌼 The Takeaway?
Art doesn’t have to be gallery-worthy. It just has to feel good.
Whether you’re sipping tea, hiding in your craft room, or joining one of my lives in your fuzzy slippers—just know you’re not alone in your mess, your glue-covered fingers, or your need to make something that soothes your soul.
Until next time—keep creating, keep breathing, and don’t forget: your joy matters.
💛
Teresa
P.S. Wanna catch the replay of this project? It’s up on my YouTube channel now (just don’t judge me for the tech drama at the beginning 😂). And if you haven’t yet—come join the party in the Junk Journal Hive! We’re all about encouraging, inspiring, and letting loose with some good ol’ paper, paint, and purpose.
