Polkadoodles Digi Choosday Project | Mixed Media ATCs for Mom

Hi crafty friends!

This week’s Digi Choosday DT theme is all about Mother’s Day or Mom’s Birthday, and I wanted to do something a little extra and different as I've made cards, door signage, coupons, etc the past weeks for this theme already; something beyond the usual cut, color, and glue. So I created mixed media Artist Trading Cards (ATCs) featuring one of my favorite Polkadoodles characters, Rebel Girl!

There’s just something about Rebel Girl that reminds me of my mom - cute, a little tomboy-ish, and full of personality. So tbh, it made this project feel even more special and personal.

Mixed media has always been therapeutic for me. There’s something so freeing about splashing inks, layering textures, and just going with the flow of how I feel and what I want to put. It's like, do now and think later. Hehe. If you’ve never tried mixed media before, this is your sign to jump in! And if you’re just starting out, I hope this little tutorial helps guide you along the way.

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✂️ Materials Used

• White Cardstock (perfect for scrap busting!)

• Lindy’s Magicals (Victorian Bouquet set - Sweet Violet Purple Teal, Ramblin Rose Pink, Hydrangea Blue)

• Fan Brush

• Water Sprayer

• Silicone Mat

• Heat Gun

• Acrylic Block

• Decorative Stamp (I used Aall & Create Vintage Tickets)

• Stencil

• Structure Paste

• Palette Knife

• Versafine Ink Pad

• Digi Stamps - Polkadoodles Rebel Collection

  • Birthday Cake Rebel Girl

  • Flower Rebel Girl 

  • Shopping Rebel Girl

• Ohuhu Alcohol Markers

• Distress Oxide - Black Soot

• Blending Brush

• Washi Tape (Simple Stories Here + There)

• Motex Label Maker

• Dylusions Ink Spray - White Linen

• ATC Stamp

• Bearly Art Glue

• Foam Tape

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Instructions

1. Prep your base

Cut 3 pieces of white cardstock into 2.5 x 3.5 inches.

2. Add magical color

Choose your Lindy’s Magicals colors. Lightly sprinkle powder onto each card using a fan brush -this helps control how much powder you apply.

3. Activate the magic

Spray water onto the cards and watch the colors bloom beautifully. Let the magic happen, thus, Magicals! haha!

4. Dry time

Use a heat gun to dry each card completely.

5. Add subtle stamping

Using an acrylic block, stamp lightly onto areas of the card. Don’t press too hard as you want a soft, layered look.

6. Texture it up

Apply structure paste through a stencil using a palette knife. Set aside to dry.

7. Color your Rebel girls

While waiting for the paste to dry, print and color your digi stamps using alcohol markers.

8. Ink the edges

Once dry, blend Distress Oxide (Black Soot) around the edges to frame your cards.

9. Add washi details

Tear and place washi tape at the bottom of each card for added texture.

10. Build dimension

Adhere your colored digis using foam tape.

11. Add sentiments

Use your label maker to create sentiments and stick them down. Since mixed media surfaces can be uneven, add a bit of glue for extra hold.

12. Finishing splatter

Add white splatters using Dylusions Ink Spray (White Linen) or white acrylic paint.

13. Back it up

Stamp or design the back of your ATCs, or simply sign them!

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Final Touch

I finished each card with sentiments that celebrate mom energy in different ways:

• Pretty. Powerful. Mom.

• Sweet mom energy

• Power mom purchase

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Mixed media is all about freedom so don’t be afraid to experiment, layer, and play. Just go with the flow and let your creativity lead the way.

And if you haven’t yet, come join the Anything Goes Polkadoodles Digi Choosday challenge, we'd love to see what you create! 

This Week’s Brighter Days Happy Planner Layout + Life Lately

And just like that, it’s already Tuesday! Though I prepared this layout last Sunday and even took photos that day, I only got to sit down and write this now. Time check - 8:00 AM, and I told myself I’d finish this before doing anything else. So here we are.

For this week’s layout, I reached again for Traci Reed’s Brighter Days stickers same as last week. I’m really trying to use everything up (stickers included!) instead of hoarding them for “someday.” I finally used the umbrella stickers I skipped last time, which turned out perfect since it’s been raining here the past few days. I paired everything with pink and yellow washi tapes from Bearly Art’s Macaron Mix set and basically just had fun sticking down all the leftover pieces. 

 

At the top, I added “So very happy” because that’s exactly how last weekend felt. It was a nice little vacation, and honestly, the good vibes just carried right into this week.

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Drawer Refresh (Before & After!)

Before anything else, sharing as promised: my drawer transformation after adding an organizer we got from Ikea two weekends ago!

It has five compartments, and I sorted them like this:

• keepsakes/junk for future junk journaling (that I really hope I get to soon)

• extra printed photos (especially the small or collage prints)

• notepads, mini notebooks, and personalized cards

• random bits (fountain pen, cartridges, clips)

• small items for future use (button pins, eyeglass holder, ring adjusters—yes, those little silicone things!)

Yessss I know it could still be neater - but compared to before, this is already a big win. haha!

Also, that little panda? It’s a mini vacuum my mom gifted me two years ago! It’s surprisingly useful for cleaning tiny paper bits on my desk and doesn’t need charging often.

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Lucky Updates 

We did a super quick Easter mini photoshoot with Lucky, and by “mini,” I mean probably under a minute because he was not in the mood. Never naman eh! Hehe! The chocolates in the photos are Nestlé Quality Street, I was influenced by a reel showing those fill-your-own tins in London, and when I spotted them at Lulu, I had to try!

Verdict? Cute packaging, fun idea… but taste-wise, just okay. A bit too sweet for me for some variants.

Lately, Lucky has also been fond with sleeping beside my husband’s pillows whether we’re in bed or not. So now, we always leave him a little one-foot space when we fix the bed. Naturally, I thought: why not make him his own pillows?

So I did. 

I used fabric from a laundry bag, stuffed them with cotton, and made pillowcases from an old pillowcase and a cloth pouch. Sustainable and cute. He doesn’t exactly use them as pillows but he does lie on them, so I’m counting that as a win. 

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Reading This Month 

I’ve finished 4 books so far and currently on my 5th. A bit slower than I hoped, but still reading daily and that’s what matters.

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Projects This Week 

It’s been a full, creative week!

• I made my second art journal for Monday’s Art Journal Challenge, and I’m really enjoying the freedom of mixed media through Mintay’s prompts.

• For my first Safari Collection by Miqueka Scrap, I paired it with Kendra’s Card Challenge #22 sketches and it was such a fun combo! With KCC, you get to create 15 cards from just six 6x6 papers (yes, really!).

• For Polkadoodles, this week’s Digi Choosday prompt was graduation, so I made two cards (sharing soon - April 29!). But here are the digis I colored!

For Traci Reed, some previously finished projects went live last week:

• 1 Mini Album + 3 Stash-Busting Micro Minis

• Stay Wild, Flower Child! feature

• Bi-fold Folio Tutorial (a special one since it’s inspired by something I learned when I first started crafting)

I’ve also shared flip-through videos for the mini albums if you prefer seeing them in action!

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A Quick Bahrain Note

We also went to Bahrain over the weekend but that deserves its own full blog (coming right after this!).

Short version: it was exactly what we needed.

After weeks of not going because of what's been happening, we finally felt safe enough to go back to Bahrain, and it turned out to be such a peaceful, refreshing trip. Quiet roads, a relaxing hotel stay, good food, watercoloring, and just resting.

And as you can see, I even alotted a dedicated TN insert for short trips and decorated the cover using ephemera from Traci Reed’s Our Story Matters collection. It's nice to capture memories right away instead of letting them sit in a pile for months. Hehe!

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Wrapping Up

This week feels like a nice blend of everything I love planning, creating, organizing, documenting, trips, and just living through the little everyday moments.

I’m now learning to let go of the pressure of making everything “perfect,” whether it’s in scrapbooking or memory keeping. Sometimes, sticking down leftover stickers, sewing tiny pillows for your cat, or writing things down as they happen, that’s already more than enough.

Here’s to more Brighter Days, both in our planners and in real life.