This month's Book Club selection was a suggestion by a viewer: Abstracts in Acrylic & Ink by Jodi Ohl. And, as it turned out, I already owned the book but had never even opened it. This is the exact reason why I started Book Club. I'm tired of collecting books. I want to actually use them! Jodi was a guest on the Adventures in Arting Podcast back in 2015. She's super talented and I really love her work. During Book Club I chat a bit about why this book wasn't a great fit for me and how I learn, but... Read more →

I have made very few visits to museums during these pandemic months. Partially it's the pandemic and partially it's having a small child. But my stepmom and stepsister came over to watch the little guy one morning... ...so Mom, Steve, and I were able to sneak out and visit the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum for a members morning (when the museum is open only to museum members and therefore less crowded). The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is the former home of Isabella Stewart Gardner. The house is theoretically as she left it. In addition, they do have an attached museum... Read more →

I have finally found the perfect ink pad storage system for me! My studio is in an attic with a sloped ceiling. So I can't have any hanging shelves. Instead, I put everything into drawers. For many years I've kept my ink pads in a combination of shoe boxes. It's a totally fine, totally free (upcycled boxes) storage system. But during #CarveDecember this year I was increasingly frustrated by having to rummage through the boxes for what I wanted and things not quite fitting into the drawer. So, half way through December I decided to investigate ink pad storage. This... Read more →

Is it too late to share some Christmas-ish photos?! I hope not, because I'm going to do it anyway. Is this like wearing white after Labor Day? No longer taboo? First up, this is the gingerbread house that my Mom, my son, and I made: Making projects with him I am always yelling at myself in my head: DON'T TRY TO CONTROL THE PROCESS. LET IT BE WHAT IT IS. Most of the time, I manage to roll with whatever he wants to do. And in the end, it's always lots of fun and nothing that I expected. And now... Read more →

It is super easy to cut craft foam with your ScanNCut DX machine. You simply need to remember to properly prep your foam and your machine. So, let's talk about how to do it. The first generation of ScanNCut machines had two blades: a Standard Blade and a Deep Cut Blade. The Deep Cut Blade was the obvious choice for cutting things like craft foam. Deep material. Deep blade. The current generation of ScanNCut DX machines have four blades: a Standard Auto Blade, a Rotary Auto Blade, a Thin Fabric Auto Blade, and a Vinyl Auto Blade. So which one... Read more →

If you're like me, you love to make hand made cards, but you hate that people throw them away. Well, I figured out a solution that makes the card both a card and a gift: In essentials, all I did was cut some slits into the front of my card and slide the artwork in. It's quick and easy. When I posted this video on social media yesterday, I got a few questions about how to cut the slits, so I put together a quick tutorial: What do you think? Is this an idea that you'd try out? Thanks for... Read more →

Did anyone else set art goals for 2022? I did. And I followed the SMARTER method. Have you heard of it? Follow the SMARTER method and you will achieve your goals because they will be well thought out, appropriate for your life, as well as actionable. If one of your goals is to up your art game, I hope you'll check out Design Boot Camp. There are just a few spots left and I'd love for you to join us on the journey! Click HERE for more information. You can watch this short video where I explain how the SMARTER... Read more →

This was a fabulous #CarveDecember with so many people from all over the world participating. You have to check out the amazing work you can see at the #CarveDecember hashtag. Today I am sharing what I made for days 22-31 as well as some samples of the beautiful artwork being posted online. Day 22 - Quiet Here's mine: And two I love (all of the images I love are pulled from instagram - if you're reading this in your email and can't see them, click HERE): Day 23 - Itchy Here's mine: And three I love: Day 24 - Ramble... Read more →

Hello everybody! I'm taking this week off. But I wanted to leave you with something to think about this week! Here are five posts from the archives that I think are worth re-visiting for a variety of reasons. Twenty Questions: September 2009 Go ahead and check out what I was thinking and what I was making eleven years ago. Reading the text, I'm still the same person with the same likes and dislikes, but looking at the photos...time and thoughtful practice make a big difference! (And it's worth clicking through to read the post I wrote about teaching the next... Read more →

Friends, there continues to be so much amazing stamp carving being shared! You have to check out the amazing work you can see at the #CarveDecember hashtag. Today I am sharing what I made for days 16-21 as well as some samples of the beautiful artwork being posted online. Day 16 - Glam Here's mine: And two I love (all of the images I love are pulled from instagram - if you're reading this in your email and can't see them, click HERE): Day 17 - Secret Here's mine: And two I love: Day 18 - Karma Here's mine: And... Read more →