Courage is Accumulative

I believe that courage is accumulative. The more we make decisions to overcome our fears and do what we know is right, the more our minds and spirits increase in strength and resolve.  Small courageous steps take us a little bit further down the path of our destiny. Yet although they are necessary, they are …

The Longing

Have you ever longed for something so intensely that your heart hurts? What's worse is when the longing creeps into you, and you don't know what you're longing for but just feel this emptiness inside. Call me crazy or maybe it's what my mother explains when I tell her I'm out of sorts: "Us artists …

Pressed Flower Mixed Media Collage

This is a great mixed media project for beginners that need a little help with creating a background. Begin with a frame. You can see how to crackle a frame by accessing this post: Mixed Media Collage Recycling Project. For the background, I used “Pure Joy” Art-to-Borrow by Rachel Emilie Jackson that was included in theSomerset …

Pretend Until you Are

One of the Twelve-Step recovery slogans that empowers me to become the person and artist I dream of being is... “Act as if!” Simply put, emotional health often results when you practice a particular character trait you want to possess. Even if you feel quite the opposite, shaking in your shoes, you “act as if” …

Mixed Media Collage Recycling Project

This post features a mixed media project that I created using a recycled picture frame, a jewelry heart piece, and scrapbook scraps. I've had a desire to create more mixed media artwork using supplies I've already had around the house. The suggested supplies are listed below: A picture frameA thin canvasAcrylic paintGolden Gel MediumAn assortment …

“Oh Little Sparrow” Mixed Media Collage

Whenever I feel afraid, I remember the little sparrows in Matthew 10:29: “Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.” This scripture reminds me of the intimate care our Heavenly Father provides for us. So in order to help process my grief over …

Fun and Easy Salt Dough Art Projects

Salt dough sculpture is a fun and easy art activity for people of all ages. I've made a series of free YouTube videos that demonstrate the entire process and are easy to follow. The Salt Dough Garden Bunny video features the bunny in the photo above, using a technique where you mix the paint and …

Masquerade Mask: Journey into the Artistic Soul

If eyes are the window to the soul, then a masquerade mask frames these portals. Eyes transform into mystical moorings when peering out through a mask. We find this inexplicable desire to venture inside the mind of the masked artist to discover why she creates. The artistic person frames her soul’s windows with various art …

Leaning into Seclusion

I plucked flowers from my garden, this month of January, and formed a bouquet with the blooms. Warm temperatures had fooled the foliage into blossoming although the plants should have shut down for the winter. What delight the bouquet brought to a few family members who graced our backyard for outside visits. What delight the …