If you're new to Art Journal Every Day, there is a short introduction here. All of the previous posts can be found archived here. Remember, it's just ten minutes of nourishing your creative self every day! No need to finish anything or even like it. If you've done some art journaling this week, use the hashtag #artjournaleveryday so that we can all take a peek. Even if you're not on social media, you can see everything (from twitter, pinterest, instagram, and facebook) that uses that hashtag here. As I mentioned last week, January 1 is a date when we all... Read more →

Hello out there! Here's a little bit about life right now: This is me right now: My current art obsession is: Body Kun! This is not an action figure. Well, it could be, but it's a model for creating realistic action poses for drawing practice! My current life obsession is: homemade guacamole. It's so much better than store bought and incredibly easy to make. I'm not normally a huge guacamole fan, but I am eating this stuff three times a day with great joy. All you need is fresh avocados, tomatoes, and a little bit of onion and lime! I'm... Read more →

I'm delighted to bring you more inspiration from Quilt Festival! I wish there were more hours in the day to spend poring over each quilt and thinking about the methods and ideas and design and all of that. Isn't it amazing to see what people are capable of doing?! Mind. Blown. And there are so many more quilts to share! Can you believe it?! Thanks for stopping by! Read more →

I'm happy to share more of my #CarveDecember stamps with you. I've created a few more "illustrative" stamps than usual, and I love them! The patterns are still my favorite, but I'm making an effort to kick myself out of my comfort zone and do some things that are new to me/uncomfortable. After all, I think that's the only way you grow as an artist! Check it out: I wanted to share the tutorial video I created for this awesome little crow print. You'll see how easy it is to create finished art with a hand carved stamp (press play... Read more →

Merry Christmas! In today's podcast Mom and I chat about the year gone by and set some art goals for 2018! If you do not see the podcast player above, please click on this link. You can listen to a podcast anywhere and at any time. It is a recording that is available to you whenever you'd like to listen. If you'd like to download it to your iTunes library, click here. You can also pause and rewind or fast forward as you desire. I like to listen to podcasts while I'm making art. It's a little like hanging out... Read more →

If you're new to Art Journal Every Day, there is a short introduction here. All of the previous posts can be found archived here. Remember, it's just ten minutes of nourishing your creative self every day! No need to finish anything or even like it. If you've done some art journaling this week, use the hashtag #artjournaleveryday so that we can all take a peek. Even if you're not on social media, you can see everything (from twitter, pinterest, instagram, and facebook) that uses that hashtag here. January 1 is always a date that looms large in most people's lives.... Read more →

How about some more #CarveDecember stamps?! I got a little bit obsessed with hexagons for a while.... I took the colored ink pad I made for the stamp above and used it with some of my other hexagon stamps: Pretty cool how color can change everything, isn't it? Not to mention, how cool is the hexagon as a shape?! For me, the easiest way to make hexagon stamps is by tracing a stencil. That way there's no measuring involved. :) Don't forget that you can see the process videos for the carving and printing of these stamps and read lots... Read more →

In the mess of everything that was happening for me personally, I wasn't sure if I could/would do #CarveDecember. I was leaning towards "no way" and then there were so many posts on instagram from people talking about how excited they were to start #CarveDecember.... I read and re-read the enthusiasm and excitement in those posts. I decided that I would do it, but take it verrrrry easy with super simple stamps. I also decided that I wanted to do some extra giving while I was hurting. It seemed like doing something nice for others was a way to make... Read more →

Perfect for those last minute Christmas cards, here's a beautiful intricate lacy pop-up card created with a Tattered Lace cut file: In case you're not familiar with the Tattered Lace brand, they're known for their intricate, lacy, feminine designs. They've been available for the ScanNCut in the UK for a while, and now they have finally come to the USA! Hooray!! Here's the video on how to create the pop-up card. It's a technique that would work for any design, by the way, not just a Tattered Lace cut file. In fact, I have made dozens of pop-up cards over... Read more →

I've been trying to think about how to describe Quilt Festival. Words seem inadequate to describe the vast scope, scale, and impressive artistic skills on display. This is the first of several looooong photo-heavy posts for you to enjoy. I took photos of maybe 1/2 the quilts on display? Maybe. Maybe less than that. Quilt Festival is divided into three parts: The Vendor Fair (where I always work in the ScanNCut booth), the Quilt Show (quilts on display), and the Classrooms (amazing classes for all levels). The Quilt Show is made up of different "exhibits." Where possible, I've tried to... Read more →