Art Journaling: A Creative Outlet for Everyone

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I’ve been art journaling for many years, but unlike traditional scrapbooking, my approach is a little different. My art journaling happens right in my daily journal—the same place where I keep my weekly calendar, to-do lists, work notes, and personal reflections. Instead of keeping a separate book just for art, I let creativity spill into my everyday pages, making my journal a mix of planning, expression, and memory-keeping.

I wouldn’t call myself an artist in the traditional sense. I can’t paint or draw in a way that feels natural, but I’ve found a way to bring beauty into my journaling. I collect images, graphics, and snippets from magazines, newspapers, and anything else that catches my eye. When something speaks to me—whether it’s a color, a feeling, or a memory—I save it for just the right page. These pieces often hold meaning, and I love pairing them with words, thoughts, and reflections.

Over the years, I’ve realized that art journaling nurtures my creativity. It gives me the freedom to create without pressure. I use mixed media, washi tape, layered textures, and found objects to build pages that feel visually engaging and personal. Funny enough, this is also how I design stationery. Whether I’m creating a journal spread or a greeting card, I approach both in the same way—layering elements, playing with composition, and telling a story through design.

Getting Started with Art Journaling

If you’ve ever felt drawn to creativity but weren’t sure where to start, art journaling might be the perfect outlet. You don’t need to be a painter or a skilled illustrator—just someone who enjoys collecting, arranging, and expressing yourself through images, words, and mixed media. Start small: save a magazine clipping that inspires you, add a swatch of washi tape, or write a short reflection next to a photo you love. Over time, you’ll build pages that feel uniquely yours.

One of the most beautiful things about art journaling is that there are no rules. It’s a space for self-expression, for capturing moments and emotions, and for letting your creativity unfold naturally. Whether you keep it simple or layer elements like I do, your journal becomes a reflection of you.

Have you ever tried art journaling? Or do you have another creative practice that helps you unwind? I’d love to hear about it!

We're Focusing on Intention This Quarter

The team at Be Amazing Paper Company is focusing on Intention during the second quarter and we're starting with listing ways that we can be more intentional in our day to day life.

Here's a little journal download to help you get started if you're interested in joining us.

Click Here to Download!

Finding a Good Pencil - Blackwing Checks Off All the Boxes!

Some of our favorite brands that we're proud to find and to stock in the shop are ones created with the mission of using time intentionally in order to slow down and give our minds a rest from fast-paced technology. 

One of our favorites has to be Blackwing, a pencil company that produces different pencils and leads created with a specific use in mind. The leads of each pencil vary in hardness and finish. 

Plus, my personal favorite feature, their erasers are refillable. Read on to learn which of the four pencils are good for the mindfulness habit that fits your routine. We have all 4 Blackwing pencils in stock, Matte, Pearl, 602, & Natural, and we wanted to go through the differences and what each pencil is best used for. 

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THE MATTE PENCIL

The Blackwing Matte has the softest and darkest graphite but holds a point well. It's the top choice for artists and doing sketches. 

It's ideal for: 

-Rekindling a sketching or drawing hobby to let yourself unwind 

-Starting a daily sketch journal 

THE PEARL PENCIL

The Blackwing Pearl has a graphite that is not too soft nor too hard which makes it very adaptable for both drawing and writing. 

In fact, this is the choice pencil for one of our favorite local artists, Adam Trest. 

This is your pencil if you: 

-Prefer to draw instead of sketch 

-Bullet journal or like to draw and write as you journal 

-Want to elevate your doodle game when you're in meetings or on the phone 

THE 602 PENCIL

The Blackwing 602 has a firm graphite but is still very smooth. 

We think it's best used: 

-Keeping score while playing cards or a board game 

-Jotting down notes

-Start a daily journaling habit to manage stress and process emotions 

THE NATURAL PENCIL

The Blackwing Natural has extra firm graphite and requires the least amount of sharpening. It's preferred by writers and is best when you want to be very precise and detailed. 

With that in mind, these are best for: 

-Detailed drawings 

-Crossword puzzles in the newspaper  

-Writing a letter

FYI - It's the one I prefer to use in the shop when marking and measuring prints.

We hope we gave you some ideas of new mindfulness hobbies to try out or at least a better pencil for you to continue doing what you love. It makes our day when we find a brand like Blackwing that supports mindfulness and creativity during any stage of life. 

With the best tools in your pencil pouch, you get to focus on your thoughts, art, or new habit of clearing your mind and managing stress. 

Stop by the shop and pick your own box of Blackwing Pencils or purchase them online - Click here to view them online!

Celebrate National Sticker Day!

It's National Sticker Day! Did you know that the first stickers began as tax and postage stamps in the 1800s? They have come a long way since then and there are a variety of uses and styles today.

We love seeing folks come into the paper shop and sift through our bowl of stickers!

How do we use stickers in the shop?

• Brandy uses stickers for just about everything. Journaling, in her planner, on the happy mail she sends out... They adorn her YETI and her laptop. The sticker on her bathroom mirror serves as a reminder of how to carry on every single day.

• Elizabeth loves using stickers in her daily planner and her monthly goal planner, in letters and on envelopes. She also loves sifting through the sticker bowl to find fun ones to mail to her grand babies…

Stickers decorate, make things happy, make things personal... Finding stickers that represent our personality is so fun! People also love to collect stickers when they travel…sharing stickers of our favorite shops, restaurants and coffee shops. Our stickers can tell a story all on their own!

Tell us in the comments what you use stickers for…

When is the Last Time You Danced?

It’s been too long since I danced...

Our life over the past year has been nothing short of a tornado. Coming out of COVID lockdown, scouting out a new place to live, moving from Florida to Mississippi was just the start. My consulting business was becoming overwhelming and I knew in my heart that I couldn’t keep up the pace.

That was over a year ago that I surrendered to that voice that whispered in my ear that said…"this is the place and this is the time…for you to do that thing."

Richard and I love our Alexa in the kitchen. Not for what you might think. Yes we love that we can yell out what we need to add to the grocery list…but more importantly, for us, she plays Pandora music and we love to listen to music when we’re in the kitchen cooking together.

But over the last year Alexa hasn’t played much music…instead she sits quietly in the corner and her biggest job this year has been to give us the weather, when asked.

Music and dance have been missing from our new home and I didn’t even realize it until last week. While cleaning the kitchen I asked Alexa to play my channel as I started cleaning the kitchen…and just like that…it hit me that I hadn’t really played music 🎼 in our new house and I hadn’t danced in too long!

What is whispering in your ear? What do you need to surrender to so that you can dance again?

Another Mother's Day is Upon Us...

No matter how old we are…we never stop needing our mother…

For the past few weeks I have been sharing writing prompts on Friday mornings (I skipped last Friday because it was a crazy day and I completely forgot to do it - Sorry!)

This week I wanted to incorporate a writing prompt in with my blog post. I wanted to create a writing prompt that was in line with something that happened to me this week.

You may or may not know that both of my parents passed in their 60's and there isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about picking up the phone and texting or calling my Mom to tell her about something that has happened during the day; something I know she would love to hear or something that would make her laugh.  (She had the most amazing hearty laugh...ask my Aunt Sandy or Aunt Freda...they loved her laugh as much as I did!) 

So with Mother's Day quickly approaching this event that happened this week felt a bit more sad.

We got some big news that we had won Best in Mississippi 2022 for Best Fine Paper Goods! And although I was stunned when we originally got the news a month or so ago it didn't actually feel real till those Mississippi Magazines were delivered to the shop this week and I saw it in print.

My first response was to text a picture to my hubby to celebrate all the hard work we have put into this sweet little paper shop...but my second response was...I wish Mom were here to see this. She would be so proud and I would send her a copy of the magazine and she would share it with all her friends back home. 

But she's not here...so I let the thought slowly slip from my mind.

The following day while working on some new printing designs...Sonya from The Bookstore in the Window texted me to congratulate me and I responded that it was such a great honor and that I wish my Momma was around to see it. And she responded with "you do good work," and I felt the lump in my throat and the tears start to form in my eyes. 

It was time to head home so I packed up my bag and headed to the car...it was there...sitting in the parking lot in front of the library that the tears came hard quick. Yup...the big ugly cry. Sonya's words echoed what I could have imagined my Mom saying to me and well...that was all she wrote and it hit me hard.

So when I got home I wrote my Mom a letter. For me, it's the best way to talk to her when I need to tell her something important...it's the best way to release the feeling of not being able to tell her something I really want to share with her.

Many of us have lost our parents and as you all know...even after a while of not having them around there are still a few bad days here and there. So I wanted to share this letter with you on this Mother's Day and encourage you to grab your journal if you feel the need to share something important or beautiful with your Mom on this Mother’s Day.

And if you’re blessed to still have your Mom…well send her a letter anyway! Letters are special and from the heart - it would be the perfect Mother’s Day Gift!

Happy Mother's Day to all the Momma's out there! We hope you have a wonderful day!

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Hey Momma!

It's Wednesday, April 29, 2022 and today I received the Mississippi Magazine in the mail and it's now official that we won the Best in Mississippi 2022 Fine Paper Goods! Can you believe that? I feel so blessed to have won against some of the most amazing and fun paper stores in Mississippi. 

I mean...we haven't even been open a full year yet...right? How cool is that? I know I have told you several times over the last year how much I love doing this and how fun and amazing this is for me. You know how much I loved being a business consultant over the years but it was time for something different and I don't think I could have found a more perfect place to land than where I am now. 

I have to admit that I had a bit of a moment in the car on the way home tonight knowing that I couldn't pick up the phone and talk to you or share this experience with you. But as I always do...I just imagine how excited you used to get whenever I accomplished something big or small. With you it never mattered how big the accomplishment was...you never let it pass without telling me how proud you were of me. 

I wish you were still here and could visit us in Laurel...you would love this sweet little community Mom! 

I love you and miss you terribly!

E-

How Well Do You Know Your Journals?

They say that when you’re journaling that you’re having a relationship with your mind. It’s a way for you to listen to what is going on in your mind.

Journaling helps us gain mental clarity; it can help us release stress, manage our eating habits, track our goals and even solve problems. Journals are one of my biggest sellers in the shop and we sell many different types of journals. However; we still have people come in and ask what is the best type of journal…and the answer to that question is multi-faceted so I wanted to take a minute to share the different types of journals you can purchase and what exactly you can do with a journal.

I hope this quick list helps you make a better decision about what type of journal will fit your need.

Types of Journals

1. Guided Journal - A guided journal is one that offers you prompts and helps you get your thoughts out in writing. For folks who have trouble getting started, a guided journal, as it's name suggests, guides you through journaling each time you pick it up.

2. Bullet Journal - A bullet journal is a journal filled with lines of dots, or bullets. Unlike the lined journal the bullet journal gives you a bit more freedom for laying out your journal and adding sections. If you like to draw or are creative bullet journals are great to work in.

3. Lined Journal - A lined journal is simply a journal with lined paper in it. You use it to write it in like you would a lined piece of paper. Lined journals are used for many different things.

4. The Blank Journal - the blank journal is normally composed of blank pieces of paper and can be used for many different things such as doodling, art, as well as writing. This blank canvas can be used to create many different writing formats.

5. Pocket Journal - the pocket journal is usually a smaller pocket size that will fit in your pocket or purse. These are usually use to capture notes and ideas that come up while on the go. 

The above types of journals is just a quick guideline to help you understand what types of journals are available for purchase. What you use your journal for can range from many different needs. Here are a few that we have seen - but journals can be used for just about anything. The great thing is that you get to decide how and for what you want to use your journal for:

1. Food Journal - many people keep a food journal to help them manage the food they eat. I use a food journal and use it to make my weekly menu's as well as to create my shopping list each week. It helps me stay intentional with my keto eating and only purchase exactly what I need for the week. It helps me create menus much easier as I can copy from past weeks. I also write down new recipes that I create and keep them in my food journal.

2. Project Journal - project journals help you plan out a project and keep track of the steps needed to complete the project. I use my planner for my projects, but a planner journal functions in the same way.

3. Gratitude Journal - many people find that keeping a gratitude journal of all the things that they are grateful for is a way to keep positivity and appreciation in their lives. Focusing on all the good things that happen in a day instead of the bad can improve your overall attitude and keep someone who may be prone to negativity, thinking positively. 

4. Art Journal - you don't have to be an artist to create in an art journal. It's simply a way to release your creativity and ideas. Many people can express their feelings through art instead of words...this is the perfect journal for this type of creativity.

5. Fitness Journal - much like the food journal, the fitness journal helps you keep track of workouts. It's a place to track your weight, food and training information. Keeping it all in one place helps you manage the process of working much easier.

6. Travel Journal - travel journals are used to keep track of places you traveled, what you saw, where you stayed. You can keep track of your packing lists and shopping needs as well as tuck pictures, tickets and other fun artifacts from your trip.

7. Stress Journal - I first heard of a stress journal when working with a business coach. She instructed me to spend 5-10 minutes every morning writing down the things that were stressing me about my business. Getting them out of my head and on paper allowed me to release them in a way that was causing stress and instead allowed me to then work through them in the journal. 

8. Ideas Journal - the idea journal is great for those big picture people who have so many ideas that they can't act on them. Put all your new ideas in a journal so you get them out of your head and on paper. This way you don't lose them and you can act on them when you are in a place to better thing through them.

9. Letter Journal - a letter journal can be used in a few different ways. You can use the letter journal to write letters to your future self...or to others. You don't have to give the letter to the people you write them too...but it allows you to get your thoughts out on paper. Sometimes this can be therapeutic if you are angry or upset...you write the letter to release the anger or sadness. You can decide if you need to anything further with it or leave it as is.

10. Couple Journal - a couple journal can be used a few different ways. If you are apart the journal is a good way to talk to each other and share your thoughts. It's always fun to get the journal back and read several days of letters from your love. You can also use the couple journal as a way to talk to each other if you can't do it face to face. If you struggle with communicating the couple journal is a great way to get your feelings out and shared with each other.

Here are a few different types of journals that we carry in the shop. We have a large selection of different colors and styles and all are available online and in the shop.