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. Hello! I'm sharing some art journal pages from the end of September 2018... Read more →

Hello, friends! Here's a little bit about life right now: What are you wearing? When I'm not wearing a dress, my uniform is: maternity jeans, tank top, cute coat or top over it, and sandals: Most of my maternity clothes have come from Kohl's. They're one of the few stores that carry maternity clothes in plus sizes (up to size 18) in the store -- so you can actually try stuff on! The coat is from my favorite clothing store in the world. It's called W.O.W. and they carry artist-made clothing in sizes extra small through 3X -- so you... Read more →

This month, the Cambridge Modern Quilt Guild's lottery block is an interesting one: The block is an Improv Block in Kona White, Kona Black, and one accent print or solid fabric used lightly (not more than 20% of the block). ​The unfinished block size is 11 inches (10.5 inches finished). Please use whatever improv style you like. In case you're not a quilter, some explanations: Lottery Blocks are something that many quilt guilds do. In essentials, there is a "block of the month." Everyone in the guild who wants to, makes 1 (or more) copies of that block. Entrants receive... Read more →

I figured that it might be time for a home renovation update! Here is a video walk through I put together: I filmed this video a week ago. So much more has already gone on at the house and I wanted to share a few photos! Renovating a house means getting excited about boring things no one else cares about, like towel rings and hooks going up in the bathroom: We changed out the tile on this fireplace. Here's a before and after. (The before is a photo taken by the realtor, clearly designed to make the wood look much... Read more →

The two quilts I shared this week both contain one of my favorite classic quilting patterns: flying geese. Flying geese are super easy to make, especially using the classic no-waste technique of four geese at a time. Consult this chart to see what size to cut your fabric and then here's the how to: And once you have a pile of these rectangle blocks, you can stitch them together to create magic! It's an easy technique, even for a beginning sewer! I hope you'll give it a try! Thanks for stopping by! Read more →

I hope you're still in a quilting mood because I am delighted to share my finished Improv Tree Quilt: Instead of doing an overall pattern, I quilted each section of the quilt with its own pattern of lines. I really love how this quilt turned out. Originally I had thought about selling it, but I'm not sure if I can part with it. This was a super gratifying quilting project because I enjoyed the process sooooo much and I love how it turned out. That's the best, isn't it? Thanks for stopping by! Read more →

I made a quilt for some friends who are also expecting a baby boy! I wanted to create something that was in their style, which is a lot more minimalistic than mine. They definitely have an urban, modern, sleek vibe and I hope that this quilt reflects that: Some of the quilting on this quilt looks great and some looks...less great. But I am continuing to practice and get better. And the most important part is that it's done, didn't fall apart in the wash, and did I mention that it's done? Also, the recipients love it (which is really... Read more →

This month I've got two very useful ScanNCut technique tutorials for you! First up, I often get asked about the "Direct Connection" method. As you know, the ScanNCut is a stand-alone machine. It requires no computer or internet to operate. However, you can use it with either a computer or the internet, if you wish. If you have a PC, you can directly connect your ScanNCut to your PC and skip the internet entirely. It's easy to do. All you need is a USB AB cable (i.e. a printer cable). Watch the video for the how-to: This method will only... Read more →

A few days ago, I posted these blocks on instagram and facebook: And here is the caption I wrote: "Yesterday, I stitched together a bunch of tree blocks in varying sizes. Today, I’m trying to figure out how they should go together to form a quilt? I know I need sashing. But how fancy or how simple? And what color? I’m going to sit here and stare at them until they tell me!" I got a lot of advice from people on how they would put the quilt together. A small sampling of that advice: "Narrow sashing in the orange... Read more →

Every month I host a livestream for YouTube channel members. I do an hour of art demos and answering viewer's questions. The thing that's so interesting to me about it, is the kinds of questions that I get. Each month it's different. This last month, there were a lot of questions about using various products on your gelatin plate -- like ink pads (which do work, btw): I really enjoy the livestreams because they're a chance for me to chat with other like-minded artists and to get a sense of what kinds of things people are making. If you're feeling... Read more →