Minimalist Style With M3

I’ve been a fan of the Mixed Media Monthly products since the inception of this monthly release in 2014. Back then, my minimalist, clean style may not have, at first thought, seemed like a good fit for the M3 products but suprisingly, it was. Over the years, I then started to dabble in art journaling, experimenting with brushes, overlays, transfers and textures and my love for M3 grew even more as my style grew to often include more brushwork and texture. So what I’ve discovered is that, no matter what your style, you can have fun with the M3 products, using what you are comfortable with and maybe experimenting with other products.

You can find all the M3 products in The Lilypad store HERE.

What originally drew me to M3 products was the patterns and colors. Each month there is a theme with a cohesive collection of products from the designers.  Each monthly release was so different than the previous, yet no less enticing and fun to play with. I stayed within my comfort zone, using papers, some of the elements and word art. I admit, I stayed away from playing with the brushes, overlays, transfers and textures for quite awhile, not feeling confident enough to know when or how to use them. Eventually, I decided to play with all of the products and discovered how easy it was to incorporate them into my layout design. Now, my page design almost always includes brushes/overlays, etc.

If you love word art, you’ll find plenty to choose from. Sometimes, a page idea comes from looking at the word art.

So my point is, although my style has changed over the years, my love for M3 products hasn’t waned and I have always found them an integral  part of my page design. Let me show you some of the April 2017 M3 releases that I used for this minimalist layout I created. First, I chose the main kit with the theme of Journey/Adventurous/Crossroads.

I also used one of the April 2017 add-ons. This one by Paula Kesselring immediately gave me an idea for a layout.

I started with a lightly patterned paper, then chose another paper, masking and brushing part of it overtop of the base layer, in the upper portion of the page. I then added a few transfers from Paul’s add-on and then finished off the page by adding a few elements and word art from the April M3 kit, completing it with my journaling. It was a fast and easy page to put together.

So, if you haven’t used any M3 products before, I urge you to give them a try and I bet you’ll end up loving them as much as I do. The designers do an amazing job each month, releasing a new kit and add-ons on the third Friday of each month. I hope to see your pages created with M3 products in the M3 GALLERY soon!