Happy Birthday to Me and a Gift for You

(Coloring contest is now closed!)
Hello friends!  Today is my birthday-WooHoo!  I made it to 41 years! Sometimes that feels like a HUGE accomplishment.  Life can be very, very challenging at times.  I have had depression in varying degrees as long as I can remember.  There were many times when I did not think I'd make it this far-and frankly didn't want to. So, for me, 41 years is a big deal!!  I am happy with my life and myself.  I look back on my 41 years and see a lot of learning and growth, and that's kinda what life is all about I think.  I am proud of the person I am and the way I choose to live and be. It might not look like a very impressive life from the outside, but from where I'm sitting...it's a pretty amazing life. Anyway-I'm looking forward to a quiet day today.  I want to make art and spend the day reflecting on and appreciating the 41 years I've got under my belt. And hopefully take a nap as my good friend "Insomnia" made a visit. But first I have this for you...

I finished my coloring page-yay!  In case you missed it, I am creating a coloring book and have a coloring contest going on.  You can get the details  and your free printable coloring page HERE.  And see the second "kid prize" (which is ridiculously cute) that I am offering HERE.  And I made a printable PDF of my finished mixed media page/painting for you HERE.  Print it out and hang it on your fridge, cut it up into pieces and make a collage, shrink it down and make it into a postcard...use it however you like (just personal use only please).

 How I created my page...
I initially planned to use some regular 'ol crayola crayons and color my page like I did when I was a little kid.  (By the way...I have some fun tips for coloring with crayons and  that I plan to share another time).  When I sat down with my crayons I changed my mind.  I felt pulled to make my page into a painting.  I wanted to challenge myself to take this simple coloring page and get a little more creative with it.  I printed my page onto some lightweight watercolor paper that was not heavily textured (just some cheapie stuff from the Michael's kids art section).  I started with watercolors, adding color to everything but the hand shape (which I painted with gold acrylic paint).  I then deepened some areas of color with colored pencils (I am madly in love with Prismacolor Premier pencils!!)   Initially I thought I would use the circle shapes for written journaling, but ended up simply adding  an "Om" symbol near the bottom of my painting. I added marks around the border with gold and silver markers and outlined some of the shapes with gel pens.  I named it "Hope Grows".   I really love how my painting turned out!!   I hope you enjoy it too whether you print it out or not.  xo

Gratitude Freebie-Yay!

Today I wanted to quickly share a gratitude printable I made.  You can get your copy HERE.  Print as many copies as you want (personal use only please).  I left these black and white so that you can color them as you like.

You can use these in a number of ways.  Use them in pocket letters or other snail mail, use them in your art or written journal, fill one out daily and tape it to your fridge, carry a different card in your pocket every day, or use them in any other way you like.  I'm sure there are loads more ways you could use these...I would love to hear your ideas!! Maybe you can collaborate with a child in your life...he/she does the coloring and you do the writing.  However you end up using these, the main thing is to stay focused on gratitude.  Taking time daily to think about what you are grateful for can really help you to feel happier and more capable of handling the difficulties that so often arise in life.

I hope you have enjoyed this free printable!  I have another in the works, so check back soon!  Wishing you all an abundance of gratitude, happiness, and peace.  Of course these gratitude cards are totally free and you are under no obligation, but...if you feel moved to support me in my art making you can make donations via the donate button to the right.  Any amount is appreciated and useful. Again-donations are totally optional so please enjoy this gift whether whether you contribute or not.  Thank you and best wishes!! xoxo

Art Journaling Freebie

I have some art journaling cards for you today.  I was inspired by my dear friend Angella and some beautiful art journaling cards she has on her blog.  You can see her work here.  Please do check it out, I'm sure you'll be inspired!  Anyway, I made some journaling cards to use in my own journal and am sharing them here with you.

Link to printable PDF is HERE.   Just print and cut out the individual cards and use however you like (personal use only please).  I recommend printing them on card stock and with the highest print quality for best results.

This is a pretty quick project and you might want to make your own.  I simply painted some square-ish and rectangular-ish shapes in watercolor on watercolor paper. When the paint dried I used pens and markers to add borders and other little elements.  It's okay if your shapes and lines are wonky-it just adds to the charm.  Enjoy!  xo