As a reminder, my next original art sale is tomorrow, Friday, January 16, 2026, at 1:00 EST.  You can see a sale preview HERE. This week has been a busy one for me!  I came home from helping my parents on Sunday afternoon, so I had to hit the ground running Monday morning to catch up on things I couldn’t do last week away from my studio.  I’ve been catching up on photography, painting, and other things that require more gear than I could take with me.  It’s been a good busy, though.  There are exciting things happening and a lot to look forward to. Here are my four things for the week: Fishing for Elephants, Drops of God, creative stakes, and a manuscript review…     what I’m reading Fishing for Elephants: Insights and Exercises to Inspire Authentic Creativity by Larry Moore. I read this book a few years

I’m at my parents’ house for a few days to help them as my mom recovers from surgery to repair her broken wrist, so my work has been a little different for a couple of days.  That’s also why this blog post is coming out a day late, but hopefully you’re too busy with life and your own creative work to notice.  I did bring along things to do, though, as I continue to plan for 2026 and prepare to launch some new things. So, I’m doing this and that between doling out doses, rotating ice packs, helping around the house, and confiscating expired medication (seriously, one pack of Tylenol Cold my dad had in his med stash was over 24 years old).  We had a good laugh about that, and I bought some new cold medicine that will certainly be more effective. Here are my four things for the

Well, this has been the Monday-est Tuesday I can remember!  I spent almost my entire morning on the phone with tech support because of a Carbonite (backup) glitch that put a 4.2 terabyte log on my hard drive, taking up over half of my enormous hard drive and choking my computer.  Anyway, I’m relieved it was a simple problem, but it’s thrown my day off schedule.  Anyway, such is life.  I wanted to share a few of the gifts I received for Christmas since some of you might enjoy them as well…   Manet & Morisot – I was so excited to receive this book on Édouard Manet and Berthe Morisot.  After reading Paris in Ruins a few weeks ago, I was more interested in seeing the “conversation” the pair had in their paintings.  This book shows them side by side and covers their professional and personal relationship in more detail. 

I cannot believe we are a week away from Christmas!  When I was a kid, I felt like December would last forever.  It was torturously long.  As a middle-aged adult, it flies by.  I blinked, and over half of it is gone.  Such is life, though.  The hours are long and the years are short.  I’m looking forward to the quiet, slow days between Christmas and New Year’s, though.  I think that might be my favorite week of the year. Here are my four things for the week: Manet & Morisot, Band of Brothers, doing instead of consuming, and things that make me smile as a business owner.     what I’m reading I finished Paris in Ruins, and it was so good!  If you love history, impressionism, and a good story, do yourself a favor and read this book.  If I could wish a new period miniseries into existence, it

It’s been a cold week here in Maryland, and even as I write this, flurries are gently falling.  We’re not having any sticking snow, but it’s been nice to watch little flakes flutter out of my studio window this morning.  I wish we had more snow!  When we moved here from Minnesota, everyone commented on how happy we must be to leave those winters behind.  In truth, I mourn Minnesota winters.  I loved having snow on the ground all winter, and I miss it.  So, I’m over here rooting for at least one big snow event this winter.  That is not happening today, though, or anytime in the current forecast. What we did have today, though, was sunshine!  It was the first time the sun had come out in days.  I do so much of my work in natural light – painting and photography specifically – that it starts to

Between Thanksgiving break spent with family and trying to get my gift guides posted, I didn’t share my four things last week!  It’s that time of year when I start feeling a little crunched to post everything in a timely manner.  But I really love writing this post each week.  It gives me a catch-all place to share bits and pieces of my work and life. Here are my four things for the week: Art & Fear, Dickensian, “they call it art”, and more pet portraits.     what I’m reading Art & Fear by David Bayles and Ted Orland.  Oh my goodness, this book blew my socks off, and I plowed through it in two days, taking copious amounts of notes.  This book was first published in 1994, when I was in high school, but it still felt so relevant.  There were some clues that the book was older,

As a small business owner myself, I love supporting other small business owners.  It takes a lot of work to turn a vision into a reality and a lot of faith to take that big scary step.  While I’m not a huge fan of the post Thanksgiving gauntlet of sales (although it is admittedly  good time to start your Christmas shopping), I love that there is a day to celebrate and encourage support for small businesses, so I thought I would highlight some of my favorites.  Some are personal friends, and all of them I’ve shopped from for years. I have been collecting Linen Bee dresses and tunics for almost 10 years.  All of their clothes are custom made to my measurements, so they fit just how I like them.  Their fabrics wash well and their designs are timeless.  They are my go-to pieces for travel, church, outings, and antique markets. 

The Christmas shopping season is among us, and Black Friday (which seems to last over a month now) Sales are already happening.  As I have in the past, I’ve put together a few gift guides, mostly consisting of things I own and love that might be good for someone on your list.  While I love bargains and good deals, I’ve never been one to shop for or buy something simply because it’s on sale.  Instead, I hope the things I want are included in a sale; if not, I’ll wait for them to go on sale.  So, some of these things are included in Black Friday sales, and some aren’t. Here are my gift guides, of things I curated for cooks, makers, gardeners, Jane Austen fans, writers, readers, and a few guides that include tech accessories. things that are just fun, and some of my favorites from 2025.