It’s the most wonderful and chaotic time of the year! I know how stressful shopping during the holiday season can be, and trust me, I get it. If you’re shopping for an artist in your life or want to send this gift guide to someone who needs ideas shopping for you, this gift guide is the perfect place to start.

It’s been a few years since I first launched my most popular watercolor class, Watercolors Made Simple. Since then, I have had the pleasure of being a part of thousands of fellow artists in their creative journey.

When I first started my art journey, I wanted to be able to take my supplies and paint anywhere. I love being in nature so being able to take a bike ride or a walk and still creating while doing so was very important to me. Here are my tips and trips on how to travel with your art supplies and still have everything you need to create a masterpiece.

Have you ever wanted to learn watercolor painting but aren’t the greatest at sketching or drawing? I get this comment a lot! People tell me they don’t know how to sketch anything; therefore, they can’t paint anything that feels “finished” or “polished,” so I started creating my Trace and Paint books.

I recently asked my students inside our student-only Facebook group to share some of their artwork from a class they had taken with me, and the results are AMAZING. I always enjoy scrolling through our feed and seeing the beautiful artwork created, and the amount of TALENT everyone has. The passion for creating art really does shine through their work.

he back-to-school season should be a holiday! Some are excited about this time because it means getting the kids out of the house for 6 hours a day, while others are excited to start the new school year. Whether you’re attending school or sending kids back or both, this time of the year is perfect for shopping!

I’m happy to be able to share that I am a guest instructor for Wanderlust 2024 and to celebrate, you’re invited to join me for a LIVE painting session where we’ll be painting mini abstracts in our sketchbooks! Sign up and download a fun freebie here!

Wanting to start a new skill is daunting. It's overwhelming with all of the free and even costly online tutorials, courses, and blog posts.

Explore sketching for watercolor and discover how it sets the foundation of your paintings.

Being an artist takes courage. It requires embracing vulnerability, diving into the unknown, and expressing yourself authentically. You are embarking on a remarkable journey of self-discovery, and I’m here to cheer you on every step of the way.

Understanding the various types of watercolour paint and how to use them can open you up to a world of infinite possibilities. In this blog post, we will explore the different types of watercolour paint available and provide tips on how to make the most of each one. 

It’s the most wonderful and chaotic time of the year! I know how stressful shopping during the holiday season can be, and trust me, I get it. If you’re shopping for an artist in your life or want to send this gift guide to someone who needs ideas shopping for you, this gift guide is the perfect place to start.

It’s been a few years since I first launched my most popular watercolor class, Watercolors Made Simple. Since then, I have had the pleasure of being a part of thousands of fellow artists in their creative journey.

When I first started my art journey, I wanted to be able to take my supplies and paint anywhere. I love being in nature so being able to take a bike ride or a walk and still creating while doing so was very important to me. Here are my tips and trips on how to travel with your art supplies and still have everything you need to create a masterpiece.

Have you ever wanted to learn watercolor painting but aren’t the greatest at sketching or drawing? I get this comment a lot! People tell me they don’t know how to sketch anything; therefore, they can’t paint anything that feels “finished” or “polished,” so I started creating my Trace and Paint books.

he back-to-school season should be a holiday! Some are excited about this time because it means getting the kids out of the house for 6 hours a day, while others are excited to start the new school year. Whether you’re attending school or sending kids back or both, this time of the year is perfect for shopping!

I’m happy to be able to share that I am a guest instructor for Wanderlust 2024 and to celebrate, you’re invited to join me for a LIVE painting session where we’ll be painting mini abstracts in our sketchbooks! Sign up and download a fun freebie here!

Wanting to start a new skill is daunting. It's overwhelming with all of the free and even costly online tutorials, courses, and blog posts.

Explore sketching for watercolor and discover how it sets the foundation of your paintings.

Understanding the various types of watercolour paint and how to use them can open you up to a world of infinite possibilities. In this blog post, we will explore the different types of watercolour paint available and provide tips on how to make the most of each one. 

Art classes provide aspiring artists valuable opportunities to refine their skills, unleash their creativity and connect with like-minded individuals. In today’s age, artists are offered classes in two main ways. This blog post aims to outline the pros of both in-person and online classes, helping you to determine what best suits your needs.

Being a creative is all about finding inspiration and bringing new ideas to life, but sometimes that creative spark can be elusive. When you're feeling stuck, it can be frustrating and demotivating. In this article, we'll explore six ways for creatives to get unstuck and to break through those blocks while finding new inspiration. From changing your environment to trying a new medium, these tips will help you get back on track and create with renewed energy and enthusiasm.

Mother’s Day is around the corner. I like to make my Mother’s Day gifts personal and add a mix of valuable and personalized items. Here are a few of my favorites:

I am so excited to share that I have written a brand NEW book! In the past, I’ve created two Trace and Paint books to help you skip the sketching and pressure and get straight to practicing watercolors. This new book goes above and beyond those two with techniques and step-by-step painting projects, and I am so excited to share it with you!

If you’ve been around for a while, you know I’ve created my Trace and Paint books to help you practice your watercolor technique without the stress of drawing or sketching before you paint. I get asked how to use these books or why they’re helpful in your art practice.

Watercolor supplies that I am currently enjoying and recommend.

Have you ever wanted to learn watercolor painting but aren’t the greatest at sketching or drawing? I get this comment a lot! People tell me they don’t know how to sketch anything; therefore, they can’t paint anything that feels “finished” or “polished,” so I started creating my Trace and Paint books.

We are excited to announce new private lessons and coaching sessions offered at life i design. Come check out what we have been cooking up!

For the first time ever, I am pulling back the curtain on how to design, create, digitize and sell greeting cards! I’m super excited about this live workshop because, well, it’s live and I miss teaching in-person workshops,

Starting and growing your modern calligraphy business from home can be scary, I've been there! I've designed a course and special bonuses to help you get started, create a solid plan, understand how you are going to make both passive and active income, and get your first paid clients.

Working from home as a calligrapher is something that I’ve done since 2012. Over the years, I’ve offered a huge variety of services and products to my clients. In this post, I’ve compiled 5 of my favorite calligraphy projects that I recommend you consider selling too!

A few years ago I was working a lot! I was designing for my clients, printing orders from my shops, creating my first few online classes and teaching workshops all over town. Seven days a week was the norm for me, and my husband also travelled a lot for work, which meant I was the kid’s numero uno.

I kept that pace for about a year and then started to feel burnt out!

Offering calligraphy as a service and on products was what I was becoming known for. Past customers were referring me, current clients kept coming back for more custom designs and my home based print shop was hopping!

A brand new startup is one that is taking a significant risk. You’re heading out into the big bad business world, and you need it to be a success; after all, you’ve poured your everything into this venture! Experience is going to teach you a lot, and owning your own business is going to be the biggest lesson you will ever learn in your life. You are about to embark on something amazing, challenging, and life-changing, so it stands to reason that there will be wise words to hear before you get started!

Years ago I was busy lettering, digitizing, designing, printing, selling & shipping, greeting cards as part of my online shop! It was a very busy few years in my business that required a lot of time and effort from me but I did enjoy creating some fun and sassy greeting cards that quickly became popular in my shop!

Greeting cards are a great way to share a personal message with a friend, say thank you to a client or if you are a calligraphy or letterer, to create a gratifying income stream or two in your business!

I read recently that Megan Markle, as in Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Sussex Megan Markle, had a little calligraphy side hustle going. Before HRH got her big break working on the show Suits, she worked for a paper company and offered calligraphy for celebrity weddings and even taught a workshop! How cool is that?! She prides her self on being very disciplined as she learned and practiced the art of calligraphy!

Everyone’s journey is always so different and inspiring. I thought I’d share this lengthy post about how I got started with lettering and calligraphy as a hobby and a love for writing, and how I turned it into a home based business. Sit back, pour yourself your favorite bevvie and allow me to share with you my journey along with some practical advice!

Back to falling into routine and getting ready to learn!

It’s the perfect time to offer you 50% off all of my online classes!

Now is the perfect time to learn a new creative skill or take an entrepreneurial leap with classes ranging from…

Teaching others how to start a home-based creative business has been something that I’ve wanted to do for years. I feel very fortunate to have been able to work from home while my kids were growing up. Working from home allowed me to have independence, to keep a part of who I was, and it gave me a break from being a Mom along with all the other jobs that go along with staying home.

If you are a fellow creative entrepreneur and are struggling to grow your business, then read on!

What I’ve learned most over these last few years of being a creative and building my online business is; how to focus on important tasks, managing my time so I’m not working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and lastly how to rely on those around me for support and advice!

In reality, the business path can be both rewarding and challenging. When you’re keen to engage with your creative ideas and let the inspiration flow through your mind and body, the last thing you want to be doing is to manage a business.

Who says business management is all about responsibilities, administrative tasks, and plenty of documentation. It’s fair to say that as a creative entrepreneur, you want to lose yourself in the artistic process of giving life to your ideas.

At any point in starting, growing and running a business, I feel like we need inspiration, information, a fresh perspective, and motivation to push through when we need a little boost. Podcasts for me serve all of those purposes and more. So I thought I’d share with you Podcasts that have helped me in my creative business.

If you’ve been following me for any length of time, you’ll know that I balance being a creative and being an entrepreneur, wearing many hats in-between. Becoming a creative entrepreneur can be an interesting clash of two worlds. On the one hand, you have a creative skill that you want to market, whether it's decorating people's homes, producing music or making jewelry. On the other hand, you need to put your business hat on, and get to work promoting your creative skills or products. Growing a business while also carrying on with your creative work can be tough, and require a lot of work. So how can you balance your creativity with your need to grow your business? Take a look at some of these tips.

In a very random but powerful aha moment, I knew that I wanted to create art, share art, and inspire others to surround themselves by art. I knew that I wanted to continue to work from home, on my terms and with freedom to choose, when I worked and how I worked {My kids were still young, but didn’t need me as much}. I knew I wanted to maintain my independence while earning my own money and still be able to contribute to the family budget. I knew I was happiest when I painted, blogged and created.

I believe in taking online courses so much so, that I have taken time away from my art and creative practice, to create courses to help others achieve their personal goals. I’m excited to share everything that I’ve learned over the years in the hopes of inspiring, empowering and saving you time and money! No matter what your goal is. [More about life i design online in another post]

Here are the reasons why I think taking online courses is the way to go! Read to the bottom to see my top online class resources.

Each print is an original watercolor painting that is hand painted and re-printed onto 100 LB, beautifully textured, white cotton paper resembling an original watercolor painting. Read more here!

Whether it’s botanicals, landscapes or even cool looking insects, nature always shows up in my art and is a theme in these new Limited Edition Art Prints I’ve been wanting to create and share for some time now!

New watercolor notebooks and journals to inspire you to embrace every moment of creativity when it hits you!

I hope you’ve enjoyed a little inspiration with adding excitement to your walls with some really great art! Home decor and styling has always been a passion of mine and as someone who works from home, my personal space is really important to me. Being able to break up the boring, everyday, and saying hello exciting, new updates is important to my creativity and frame of mind! Do you agree?!!

I am a huge fan of black on white.  I find simple black and white designs very relaxing, my eye has places to rest and it always looks clean and crisp.  Bold black designs on white feel more timeless to me.  I wear a lot of black or white (add jeans and that's my daily uniform) but I am slowly embracing color.  Maybe not so much in my wardrobe, but in my surroundings at home.  

Last year I took on a really easy project to update our living room / dining room. I bought 2 cans of black chalk board paint and painted a feature wall in the dining room.  Every now and then, we update the wall with doodles, quotes and randomness.  Here are some chalk wall inspiration for you to check out!

4 weeks of banging, sawing, men through my 50+ year old home and dust so thick we began to write messages to one-another on the furniture using nothing but our finger and dust!!

It’s the most wonderful and chaotic time of the year! I know how stressful shopping during the holiday season can be, and trust me, I get it. If you’re shopping for an artist in your life or want to send this gift guide to someone who needs ideas shopping for you, this gift guide is the perfect place to start.

Have you ever wanted to learn watercolor painting but aren’t the greatest at sketching or drawing? I get this comment a lot! People tell me they don’t know how to sketch anything; therefore, they can’t paint anything that feels “finished” or “polished,” so I started creating my Trace and Paint books.

I recently asked my students inside our student-only Facebook group to share some of their artwork from a class they had taken with me, and the results are AMAZING. I always enjoy scrolling through our feed and seeing the beautiful artwork created, and the amount of TALENT everyone has. The passion for creating art really does shine through their work.

he back-to-school season should be a holiday! Some are excited about this time because it means getting the kids out of the house for 6 hours a day, while others are excited to start the new school year. Whether you’re attending school or sending kids back or both, this time of the year is perfect for shopping!

Wanting to start a new skill is daunting. It's overwhelming with all of the free and even costly online tutorials, courses, and blog posts.

Explore sketching for watercolor and discover how it sets the foundation of your paintings.

Being an artist takes courage. It requires embracing vulnerability, diving into the unknown, and expressing yourself authentically. You are embarking on a remarkable journey of self-discovery, and I’m here to cheer you on every step of the way.

Cultivating a sanctuary to create in is one of the key ways to ensure that creativity stays at an all-time high. This looks a lot different for a lot of people, whether you are painting, writing, or photographing your day, but the basics are relatively similar.

When I first started life i design over 10 years ago, I wanted to be a working artist. What does that mean exactly?! It means my goal was to make art, sell my art, and make a living from it! I wanted to demystify the whole “starving artist” persona. I wanted to be a thriving artist!

I am so excited to share that I have written a brand NEW book! In the past, I’ve created two Trace and Paint books to help you skip the sketching and pressure and get straight to practicing watercolors. This new book goes above and beyond those two with techniques and step-by-step painting projects, and I am so excited to share it with you!

Enjoy a few trip highlights as I share my experience in Iceland, Denmark and even Sweden!

Join me during the 100-day project! I’m really bad at being consistent. I start off with such great enthusiasm and then get distracted, busy, bored… you name it! Every year when I get an email about the 100-day project again, I get excited, commit to doing something for 100 days, and get busy planning my goal. Join in on the fun!

This Northern Lights watercolor tutorial is going to be so much fun! On January 17 at 1 PM CT, I’ll be going live with Winsor & Newton to offer this 100% free watercolor class. Join me in this Paint-With-Me style watercolor tutorial session hosted by Winsor & Newton and Michaels Craft stroes, where we’ll explore bright and dark colors for this exciting piece.

Hey Watercolors Made Simple students! I’m going LIVE on January 12th in the Student’s Facebook group! Last month, I asked our students a few questions in a survey I sent out, as I wanted to learn more about how I can best support you in your art journey!

Join me at the Sketchbook Party live online weekend creative retreat! I’ll be teaching a fun watercolor sketchbook spread and showing you what to do for an extra boost of creativity.