how to make a mixed media layout background with book pages, gesso, and crayons

Hi guys!

Today I have a short video tutorial up on how I made the background for this page, mac ready. All the little bits and pieces on the page are from my Cocoa Daisy kits, but the background is a super easy DIY mixed media piece made with just a few basic supplies.

This background took all of five minutes to make... so so super easy and I just love the effect of the layered book pages and gesso and the crayon-y goodness. This is a technique I've used on lots of pages because it is so easy, impossible to mess up and looks different every time.

All you need is a piece of cardstock, gesso, book pages, and something to add some colour -- I used Caran d'Ache artist crayons, but gelatos, watercolour paints, watercolour pencils, PanPastels, or mists all work really well too.

The water-soluble Caran d'Ache Neocolor II wax pastels I used: Purple, Salmon, Pink, Carmine.

 (Products used: American Crafts white cardstock; Liquitex gesso; Caran d'Ache Neocolor II crayons 30 pack and 15 pack; Studio Calico Lemon Lush gold dipped die cut leaves; October Afternoon Daily Flash Partly Cloudy cloud chipboard; WRMK gold sentiment sheer metallic vellum; Studio Calico Lemon Lush vellum die cut labels; Teresa Collins We Are Family pink sequins; Panda Eight hello sunshine flair; Cocoa Daisy April 2014 kit Hint of Sunshine.)