Welcome to my first Fountain Pen Friday Post!!!
Don’t you just love the start of something new? I’ve been thinking about this series for several years. I allowed my inner critic to shut me down each time I tried to begin this conversation with you all. My alternative response was to start the Fountain Pen Frenzy challenge twice in 2017 and a third time in February of this year (I'm running it again in November). There are SOOOOOO many people doing fountain pen reviews and blogging about fountain pens that I felt really silly jumping into the pool so late. 

But no more of that. Here I am!! I’ve got a unique voice in the fountain pen community and I have things I’d like to share with those who use fountain pens, those who are thinking about fountain pens, and those who create fountain pens.

It's likely this will span beyond Fridays, but I had to start somewhere. So here we go!!

Hello Beautiful Creative People!!!
Are you starting to see all the planning and preparations for new classes in 2019? It's that time of year, right? Yes!! And here's one that I can't wait to share with you -- WANDERLUST 2019. 
I'm so happy that I get to celebrate my hard work and consistent showing up with all of you, because it's because of all of YOU that I keep showing up. So while it is definitely an honor to be a part of so many amazing programs next year, it is more special because I know I'll get to be in community with so many of you who have kept me encouraged and engaged in this work. 
I have watched Kasia and Jamie create and run this lovely program -- WANDERLUST --  for several years and never, in a million years thought I would be on the roster to share my love of creativity, bookbinding, and art journaling. But alas!!! Here we are!!! And it's not just me -- keep reading so you can check out this list of amazing folks: 

​This is truly a glorious day!! I love when I get to share something that I've been working on behind the scenes. It's hard for me to stay quiet, but I managed to keep this one under wraps for almost a year. Today I can finally share that I've started a workshop series that will potentially bring me to your corner of the world. That means we may actually get to make art together, bind books in person, share a cup of tea and talk fountain pens, but most of all, it means we may get to HUG!!!! WOOHOO!!

I realized that I have some amazing artsy pals all across this planet and I want to feel the energy of community in person from time to time. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE LOVE LOVE my online family, but sometimes a girl just needs a hug in real life -- right? Right. And so Books & Brushes was born. 

Welcome to the StencilGirl® Products & Resketch Earth Day Blog Hop! 

I don't think I have ever officially celebrated Earth Day, so this feels so wonderful to be able to talk about some of the things I do to be mindful of how my art making impacts Mother Earth. So, to celebrate Earth Day, a few of us from the Team StencilGirl® crew are getting creative with Resketch products and StencilGirl® stencils!

Resketch creates unique journals and sketchbooks made of high-quality reclaimed paper. Why use reclaimed paper? Well, the folks over at Resketch say it like this: "We think it's tragic when paper that's otherwise perfectly fine to use is tossed in the garbage, or even the recycling bin. Let's take that paper and create something awesome with it."

I love this!! And I think many of you will too because, if you are like me, you probably have a stash of paper cuts, bits, and scraps that you've been planning to use in future art projects. What a great time to pull them out in celebration of Earth Day. 

Keep reading to see my take on this conversation. You’ll be inspired by all the lovely artwork that came out of this blog hop. AND for every comment you leave on each blog, you’ll earn a chance to win in the GIVEAWAY! YAY! Please be sure to share some feedback with all the artists who worked hard to celebrate the Earth!

Okay, it's official!! I'm in love with the new-to-me Magical Shakers from Lindy's Gang. They have some amazing colors with a hint of shimmer in them. I am thrilled that I got to sample them for this blog hop with the Lindy's Gang and StencilGirl Creative Team.

This is one of our biggest blog hops yet with LOTS of inspiration from both teams. 

Keep reading to see how I used them to as watercolors to make minimalistic art with one of my favorite stencils, and to read how they are going to change the way I make art from now on. Read to the end so you can be entered to win an amazing giveaway (details at the end of this post).