Digi Choosday Project | Ocean-Inspired with a Twist: Shell Mini Album & Starfish Mixed Media with Polkadoodles

This week’s Polkadoodles theme was Ocean—but with a twist: the project had to be in an unusual shape and no mermaids allowed! I won’t lie, the word “unusual” immediately sent me into overthink mode, just like how "unique" does. I really wanted to make something different… but also, what even counts as “unusual”?! Pressure was high! and so was overthinking.

After a few rounds crafty brainstorming, I finally decided on two projects:

🐚 A shell-shaped mini album

⭐ And a starfish-shaped mixed media piece

Both projects feature the Coral Mermaid Printable Paper Set, which I absolutely love. Aside from the dreamy but colorful prints, and ocean vibe, some of the designs are fussy-cut-friendly—so you basically get coordinating die cuts built right into the paper. Just check out the starfish piece—those layered cut-outs add so much dimension and charm!

I especially loved making the mixed media piece. Once I let go of the overthinking, the process just flowed. With mixed media, I feel like I can just let my hands do the work—no plan, just layering and playing and watching it all come together. It’s messy in the best way. I don't always get into that zone of just free-crafting but when I do, I really really enjoy it. But then again, overthinking is always there, thus, rare times being on the free-crafting, letting go mood for mixed media. After finishing the starfish, I loved the outcome so much that I immediately made another one—this time, a shell-shaped piece (just like my mini album) for my Bee Happy Weeklies project!

Cute story: I was already pretty proud of the shell mini album when I first submitted it… but a few days later, I kept thinking of new ways I could’ve made it even prettier! That’s when I realized I should probably give my projects a little “sit and stare” time before officially sending them off. Now I leave them on my craft table for a day or two to see if any last-minute sparks of inspiration show up—and more often than not, they do!

If you’d like to recreate the shell album, you can check it out on my Design Space here! I’d love to see your take on it if you try it!

Thanks so much for stopping by! Let me know—are you team mini album or team mixed media this week? And don’t forget to check out Digi Choosday for more weekly prompts, challenges, and crafty fun!

Happy crafting (and overthinking),

Ana 🐚