THRIVE- a FREE Progressive Art Journal Workshop for Artists, Journalers, Faith seekers and Families

I am excited to start this art journaling journey with all of you, some of you old friends and some new. This year I am going at things a little differently than I did the last time we did this free Progressive Art Journaling workshop (#PAJWLH). 

This time I have to really watch myself and make sure that I give myself as much grace as I can. As I mentioned in the announcement post in November, I will be posting more organically, not scheduled like I did last time. I have found it to be just too difficult for me to do so right now, so what I am hoping for is to post at least once a month, so that we can still have some sort of continuity yet still keep me stress free :). I will post at least once a month to help keep things going. In addition we will be doing art inspiration, written prompts, faith/inspirational prompts and childrens prompts. This will help to extend the opportunity for friends and family to work together on these prompts. My kids started this last year and have loved having prompts to go off of, and its an easy way to encourage family engagement.

A lot has changed since the last time I ran this progressive art journaling workshop, I’ve done a lot of contract work, my husband has switched careers and my kids have grown, almost so much that they are so much more independent than I ever thought they would be at this age.  In addition, during this time I dealt with some health issues that have taken my travel, teaching and blog posting down to a minimum and kept me pretty much home bound for a majority of the year.

This is what has brought me to this point right now.

I guess it’s true that you never know what you have until it’s gone. I fully understand that now that I have had to deal with chronic illness and redefine what my world is now with limited energy. It’s not a reason to feel sorry for me but just to understand that what I CAN do now. I now know my limits whereas before I didn’t realize just how little I had, physically.

That’s where my word for the year THRIVE comes in… and I hope you will join me as we dig in deep… you ready?

THRIVE.

For me, this word means more than survive, or succeed. This word (for me) describes being able to flourish in the position you are in. This word really speaks to my heart of being content with where I am right now and moving forward and pressing into what I want out of this life of mine.

When I was at my healthiest, I had so much energy. I was athletic, busy, active, able to eat a meal without having pain… didn’t have to take any sort of medication. I was healthy. Yet with all of that health and vitality… I still kept my dreams at bay. I still wasn’t exactly sure of what I wanted my future to be. I didn’t make any weighty decisions or press forward into some solid career planning. Although I had an idea of what I wanted… I really didn’t feel the need to press into it so quickly. I HAD TIME. I had so many options in life, yet I didn’t set my eyes on one goal, I still felt I could do it all… and by doing it all… it really meant I did a whole lot of things each for portions of time rather than pursuing my purpose 100% of the time.

In my current position, I see now how I took my time and good health for granted, but also how I hesitated from pursuing my passion or my dreams because I just didn’t feel I had to at that time. I was holding my own self back and I didn’t even know it. How many years did I take being healthy as a regular part of life? I truly did not understand the full value of what I had, when I had it. But most of all... I didn't take risks. my time was occupied with keeping busy, but taking steps forward into passion was a risk that never crossed my mind.

And that’s ok.

I could spend days, months, YEARS beating myself up over what I could have done, or what I should have done. I could pick a part all of the things I shouldn’t have done and how I should have studied more, worked harder, ate healthier… but it would have zero effect on my current status, and would not help me one bit… so why do it?

Instead, I’m moving past what I should have done and just going to be grateful for what has gotten me to this point, illness and all. I mean, what good is it for me to worry myself sick? (ha ha, I’m already there… well minus the worry )

So now, I take THRIVE to heart. I have made it my own personal word for the year and hold it close as a reminder of where I am now and STILL all that I can achieve. I am ready to press forward into my purpose, grab hold of those lofty dreams and slowly make my way towards them. My energy may be low, but my ambition will not be swayed. Even little steps forward... are steps forward. And THAT is always a good thing ♥

I hope to share more on this as we grow through this art journaling series. And I hope to hear from all of you on how this and other prompts may speak to you… I love, love, LOVE hearing all of your stories as I know I am not alone (know you are not alone either!). I can’t be a natural support for many, but a kind word to offer... that I can do :)

My promise to myself is to press on. Step into the role that I have been dreaming of and as gracefully as I can, take and appreciate the steps that get me there. It may take me a while (or not), but it will be worth it and it is never too long or too hard to accomplish. I mean that’s what possessing a passion is all about right? It’s meant to be life long, steering you, always a part of your life…. So if the journey takes a bit… It’s should be ok since you are on that path anyways… right? Why hurry?

So I hope that this post finds you in a place that you can press on, step into that passion and peacefully find the steps towards getting you to the place you want to be in this one precious life.

Art Prompt

Take your word and create it into your daily life as to be a reminder to you all year long. 

You can see here, I have it on my daily planner. But look specifically for places to add your art and word for the year. This will act as a wonderful reminder of who you are all year long.. even if you forget (which we all do!).

And here I made it into a tote with some extra duck cloth, structure lining, paint pens and a sewing machine. These paint pens are SOMETHING I LOVE and use all the time. They are water based acrylic paint markers that paint smoothly, dry quickly and allow you to not only layer colors when each layer is dry... but also mix colors when they are wet too. For this I used the Marvy Uchida DecoPaint pens and the Posca Paint pens.

If you are thinking this looks like it would be tough, it’s not. Super easy just take two pieces of fabric (same side, for the front and back panel) and take a long strip and sew the strip between the two panels so the raw edges are facing out. Add a bottom support if you’d like, or not your choice J The key is to not get hung up on it being pretty… just make it, flaws and all.

Written Prompt

If you could be, do or feel any way you wanted… what would that feel like? If you could clear the way to get you there, what would it take? What is one small step towards your goal? Do you fear your goal? How does the thought of accomplishing it make you feel? Is that something you want? I know sometimes physical limitations or strict limitations are a factor, pressing into your dream may not always be as easy… do you feel your dream is worth taking small steps towards?

Faith Prompt (used as written prompt or with art prompt)

Jeremiah 1:5New International Version (NIV)

⁵ “Before I formed you in the womb I knew^[a] you,
    before you were born I set you apart;
    I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

Though life offers different options than what our expectations are… how does this factor in with the fact that God knew all of this about us yet still set us each apart for a very special purpose. When you read “prophet” to the nations, how does this make you feel? Do you see how even in small things, God has his sights on us and is ok with our little steps towards victory, in fact, He thinks they are pretty awesome. The word “prophet” doesn’t have to be this daunting role with huge shoes to fill… It is simply stepping into our purpose and doing it with all our might. This is God’s vision for us.

Children’s Journal prompt

In your child’s journal, write the words:

Today I ______________________ and it made me feel _______________________________

All the kids to fill in these blanks and add a picture or more text if they’d like. Here is my son's journal. Of course it talks about video games because if he had it his way he would play video games and it would make him feel happy. This is a great way to connect with your kids and have a way of communicating with them too.

My daughter and I use this journal to write back and forth to each other, anything from daily highlights, to frustrations to goals for ourselves and our family. It is a great way to communicate with your kids and not have them feel like they are on the spot. You can use a notebook like this one below to work with your family or kids. It has a place to write and draw and is around $3.

The whole point of this post is in hopes that we can all take a hard look at our expectations in life… and how maybe adding a little reality doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Looking at things with truth might just give us the tools to move forward passed “what might have been”… into “what could be”.  And “what could be” may just be where you are supposed to be :) We are so easy to give grace to those around us, friends loved ones, even strangers… why is it that we are so quick to hold our dreams hostage with doubt? Doubt not only ourselves but also our ability to move forward into our purpose. We should be KIND to ourselves…First and foremost. Not everyone will be so why not be the first? Be gracious… start with YOU.

I am so grateful to be able to start this progressive art journal project again.

~Liz 

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To find more art journal prompts click here: PAJWLH (add the hashtag #pajwlh for others to see your work too!)

Join the fun on Facebook too. Lots of fun inspiration on there from me and my friends. Search Liz Hicks Studios for the fun.


This post is a part of a webring of Designers sharing their crafty passion with the world. For more beautiful craft inspiration, take a  look below. You won't be sorry!

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Quick and easy last minute costume- The Doughnut

If you have a pre-teen chances are you may be waking up on today... Halloween with a frantic scramble of trying to make some sort of costume quickly for them. Even as an adult I oftern struggle with the dilema of "To dress up or not to dress up" for Halloween.

This pre-teen age is a bridge between child and adult and can sometimes be tough for kids to be decisive in their desire to participate in Halloween. For our son, the results of massive amounts of candy always seem to steer him towards donning a costume and reaping the rewards.

Which this year resulted in...

The Doughnut

What you will need:

(2) 3x3 foot panels of brown fabric- I used Oly Fun by Fairfield Processing which is a lightweight non fraying (NO HEMS!!!) non-woven material. perfect for this project.

(1) 3x3 foot pink panel-to be cut slightly smaller and act as the frosting

(4) colors of the same fabric in 3x36 inch pieces (or rough cut around there)- This will be used as 1x3inch piece rectangle sprinkles.

An 8x12 inch black oval in the same fabric- The doughnut hole :)

Sewing machine or hot glue gun- (at this point... the hot glue gun may be your best bet but if you are looking to make this last, use a sewing machine... I used my Brother Innovis 950D machine for this, but you can use a simple machine as we are only using a straight stitch.)


Directions:

1) Cut the brown fabric into a 3x3 foot circle and your pink fabric just a bit smaller than your brown fabric.

3) Sew (or glue) your two brown panels together leaving a 1/4 inch seam allowance. Follow diagram below on where to sew and where not to sew. NOTE: If you are going to sew the entire costume, sew on all elements before binding the two brown panels together. Make sure to turn your costume inside out so that your seams are hidden inside.

3) Glue your pieces (If you did not sew them) onto your doughnut front. TIP... This is a great thing for your child to do, although I must warn you that the center of your doughnut may end up askew if a 12 year old boy puts it together (not that I would know by experience or anything ♥).

This costume is as easy as CUT SEW GLUE. You can pick up this or any other non-fray fabric at your local craft store today and have a costume within an hour (tops).

Until the next pre-teen moment we share ☺

~Liz Hicks ♥

*Please note that although this is NOT a sponsored post, some products have been provided for demonstration. Links provided are NOT affiliate links and in no way provide income or compensation to this blog. They are provided for educational purposes and to showcase what types of products were used for this tutorial.

Lucky All Year Long...

As fun of a holiday St. Patrick's Day is... there really isn't a time other than today that you see shamrocks, green beverages and people dressed in green.

I like this fun little holiday because well, it breaks up the monotony of the year and like today... makes a Monday a whole lot more fun.

I like many other busy crafty moms... like to make the most of these one time events or items required for these types of events... so I took the theme and gave it a twist in this greeting card.

Lucky Me Card

Supplies: Brother ScanNCut, Bazzill Cardstock, American Crafts Glittered Cardstock, Sakura Micron pen, Roc-lon multi-purposed cloth and various embellisments.

With this card, I wanted to make sure that I could use it beyond St. Patrick's Day yet still tie in a bit of ye' ol sentiment. I cut the same shape out of matte cardstock and glittered cardstock to create a monochromatic base.

I then added a simple title using the Roc-Lon MPC, it is similar to canvas and cuts beautifully.

And last, I added a sweet sentiment to change the feel of the card from St. Patty's to a sweet love note.

I like being about to take items that may only be used once a year and make other uses for them... I am sure I am not the only one, what are your thoughts on re-purposing holiday themes for other occasions?

For this and more projects check out my PINTEREST Boards

Thanks for stopping by today... hopefully you do not get pinched too much today!


~Liz ♥

Birthday wishes from afar

Sometimes living 1500 miles away from family is a little tough, like on Birthdays. The kids are a bit young to realize how hard it is on our hearts to not be around our family. Most of the time they miss their cousins and grandparents but I don't think they truly realize how hard it is on the birthdays of our loved ones, and how both James and I wish that we could be there to share in the moments.

It is one of the hardest parts of living in Colorado. Family. We miss our family a lot, and although we have built a life here in Colorado, it truly is never complete without family.

This year, I had an idea to send a special birthday wish to James's dad. Today is his birthday and well, I knew he would be at work today... I asked a special friend that works in his office to help with a birthday surprise.

ScanNCut Birthday Letters

One thing that I loved about ScanNCut is the ease of use and that my kids could use it. I know it seems like an expensive item to let kids use, but with supervision I have enjoyed allowing my kids explore their creative sides and being able to create art along side with them.

Because of ScanNCut's built in 300 DPI Scanner and ease of use, this birthday project was super easy and took just a few minutes for the kids to create.

To Begin I had the kids each write a little note from the heart.

Next, they loaded their messages onto the low tack mat and into the machine.

 Hit Scan.

 Scan to USB.

 And Start.

 And that's it...

ScanNCut saved the images as JPG's to my USB. I then used the computer to crop them down and sent them to my friend at my father in laws office to print and leave on his desk through out the day...

The kids and their creations :)

 And of course this lead to a mini photo shoot.... Here you will see the kids posing "normal"

 And here, well posing like models...

 And here... like gorillas...

 And here... like our daughter is their boss...

It only took a few minutes to create this fun birthday wish. I love having these moments with the kids and pray that it stays with their hearts as their grow up and have their own families.

Of course.. we can't have a birthday post without wishing a BIG HICKS BIRTHDAY to the big guy himself...

Happy Birthday Jay! Thank you for being an amazing father and grandfather to our family... You are a wonderful example to us all. We are so very blessed and fortunate to have you in our lives. We love you and hope that you have a wonderful day!

So although we are far away, I am grateful for technology, our fun little family and sneaky friends who are always up for the challenge to help (Thanks Lisa!).

I hope this inspires you to give a little shout out to your loved ones today, and maybe use ScanNCut too!

~Liz ♥

ScanNCut GIVEAWAY!

As many of you may know, I have been working with Brother International on the launch of their new innovative electronic cutting machine, ScanNCut. It has been a year (YAY!) that I have been working as a contract consultant with Brother on the launch of this product and I can not express just what a wonderful experience it has been to be able to travel, teach and share this wonderful machine and all that I have learned of it through this last year. Although I am a paid consultant, my opinions of this machine and Brother are my own, I am not compensated for my opinion or public stance.

ScanNCut has been such a success in the arts and crafts industry (and well, every other creative industry for that matter!). It's capability to take a hand drawn image, scan it in and create it into a cut file with in seconds has please so many users and even some of my crafty friends.

Through this year I have been able to work with some of my dear friends as well make new friends on this project. I have had tons of emails from the crafting community on how ScanNCut works, and sometimes even people asking me if there will ever be a giveaway :)

Well I am happy to announce that Brother has just announced that they will be sponsoring a National Craft Month GIVEAWAY of some ScanNCut machines. I have only seen a very few amounts of these machines be offered as a giveaway, so it is not everyday that one of these machines come up for grabs. Let alone 10!

I would love for you to win! Please take a moment to check out the giveaway and if you have time and would like to, enter. I am really hope that one of my friends wins this machine so I will be doing all I can to get the word out to those I know. If you would like to share this, you are more than welcome to.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER THE SCANNCUT GIVEAWAY FROM BROTHER INTERNATIONAL

If you would like a chance to win not just one, but one of 10 that are being given away, ENTER. Even if you are an industry professional, or not as crafty as you would like to be... ENTER. This machine works for so many different types of creative outlets you will be surprised just how many ideas will begin to swirl around in your head.

If you would like to know more about ScanNCut's capabilities, check out Brother's You Tube Channel.







The Youtube Channel has a TON of videos that will give you a good idea of what ScanNCut can do. And if you have any questions, you can just ask here and I would be happy to help you.

So if ScanNCut has been on your radar or wish list, now is your chance to enter for a chance to WIN. Sending the best wishes to all of you that enter!

~Liz ♥

The Wishing tree...

With the new year rounding the corner, I thought it might be fun to take a tutorial that I did for Brother International and give it a different twist. I created a glittering Christmas tree for the holidays using a beautiful assortment of glittered cardstocks and my ScanNCut. I created this tree with my family and used a few other sizes and let the kids make their own trees for the holidays.

With what has been happening in our lives lately, I thought it might be nice to allow this tree to act as a yearly reminder to our family of where our hearts are at the end of each year. So instead of this being the Glittering Christmas Tree that I thought I would share on my blog... this is going to serve as our families Wishing Tree.

We spent the holidays with our family in California this year. Due to my Grandmothers diagnosis we planned a quick impromptu trip to visit our families and see her one last time. It was hard. Hard on all of us as we knew that as we said good bye, this was most likely the last time that we get to see her. As hard as it was, there still was some peace in our family that she would not be in pain for much longer.

After returning home, I got to thinking of our kids and how hard this must be on them seeing not only their great grandmother ill, but also seeing their grandmother and mother saddened. I didn't want this to haunt their holiday so I got the idea to take this Christmas tree and give it a new purpose.

The Wishing Tree

 This tree is decorated with thumb tacks that have designs glued to them. These tacks press nicely into the tree form and allow you to post pictures and cards to your tree.

I thought it would be nice to have the kids take some time and write down wishes and add them to the tree. We can store the tree through the year and when we bring it out the next holiday season, the wishes will be there as a reminder of where their hearts were the year previously. This is a wonderful way for children to see themselves grow and for parents to see growth in character through the years. Have your children date their wishes and you can keep adding to your tree each year.

    

For full directions of this project click here.


I hope this gives you an idea of a fun family craft that can be created easily during the holiday break and perhaps start a new family tradition in your household. It is never to late or to bleak to share hope with your children, I am excited for my kids to open up their wishes next year and see how much they have grown.

Thanks for the great year, wishing you and your family the best this New Year!


~Liz Hicks and Family ♥