Guess what came in the mail today…

My proof book arrived yesterday. I noticed the small package inside my front door after returning home from work. The housecleaning service set it inside. My heart did a jump up heel click while I opened the cardboard package. What a rush to finally hold an actual book. READ THE ENTIRE POST...

Refrain from the Identical Book Proof Copy Complete

The proof copy of my book is complete, and I will soon hold Refrain from the Identical: Insight and Inspiration for Creative Eclectics in my hand. What a rush to see years of hard work culminate in 208-pages bound in a book. READ ENTIRE POST...

Meet Apple Farm Inn Display Designer Peggy McCarthy

I'm honored to have the following post from Peggy McCarthy, the Apple Farm Inn display designer. My sister, sister-in-law, and I visited the Apple Farm in July of this year, and I met Peggy while curled up in one of her window nooks. You can read my recollections of this glorious weekend in the post …

The Anomaly of Artistic Expression

Artistic desire inks the human spirit’s fingers, and we leave unique expressions whenever we touch canvas, clay, or camera. Yet unlike the patterns on the tips of our fingers that permanently identify us, an artist’s experience is ever-evolving. Whether darkness or light resides within, we glimpse what troubles or delights the soul through what an artist …

Check out our Zazzle Store

I spent last weekend designing products for a Zazzle store. My sister, Gina, and I created artwork years ago that we envisioned one day putting on cards, mugs, and canvases. Here are the first of our products. I will be creating a Zazzle store for Gina so she can share her amazing sketches and paintings. …

Refrain Book Update: Creativity is about Consistency

Nothing challenges the consistency of my creativity more than a day job, and I’ve had plenty of those over the years. I’m back to work as a middle school literacy teacher so my days, once again, fill with lessons and meetings and drives across town. Gone are those summer sessions of writing until noon. Then …

What do you love to do the most?

I watched my grown son and two-year-old great-nephew run around in circles with blanket and  dish towel capes tied around their necks. Little Stephen Michael squealed, “I’m flying, I’m Superman,” while Josiah pranced like an Arabian horse. I videoed the scene thinking, this is priceless. I’ve got to capture this candid moment before it passes! This morning …

Elya’s Travel Collage

I'm up to my eyeballs in boxes as I try to put my house back together after the painters finished. So what did I do? Took a break and created a post that features my daughter's amazing travel collage. Enjoy... I wish I had the amount of creativity that my daughter has in her little …