Material Musings - Nurture and Self Care

 

Join us in the studio for creative reflection and self-care for Material Musings.

Before You Go:

Check out the papers on Patreon

Sculptural Loom Art - Material Musings

 

Come and join us on Material Musings where we look at a selection of Sculptural Looms and woven projects.

We also look at some alternative ways to create the structures with recycled materials, different yarn and ways that I have been able to embellish with jewelry and beading.

We will also look at a variety of projects, and DIY looms for beginners to get started.  Do let me know how you get on this week.

Before You to check out the free resources on:

Adding More Jewelry to Fabric - Material Musings

Today we look at some of the jewelry and beaded pieces and how we are going to attach them to fabric.

These are pieces that you can do ahead of time, look through your supplies and see what pieces can go together. The more time you spend in you supplies and materials, you will begin to get more and more familiar with what you have and which pieces might work together.

Do not worry about changing your mind either if you don't like where you have placed an item, you can take stitching out and reposition the beads or change the colors it is up to you!

That is experimenting is about an you have to give yourself space and time to do so.

Enjoy!

Digital Art Papers - Special Offer

You don't have to wait until valentine to show your love and my Be My.....' digital art papers are available at a special price on my Patreon until the 21st February

GET A COPY OF YOUR PAPERS HERE

Here is some of the selection, there are 9 pages of gorgeous watercolor hears, flowers, and shapes for you to make use of.  I will be sharing some ideas on my FREE patreon and the full video on my $3 Tier, but you can also make the most of the 7 Day FREE Trial

Come and join us!

Get a copy of the FREE papers for February before the end of the month

 

Attaching Jewelry and Beading - Material Musings

Join us in this weeks Material Musings where we look at the beads and the scrap jewelry that we may have that we can add to our projects. 

In the video I share some of the projects that I have added jewelry and beading to and how I have attached them to projects.  We also include some handmade elements that you can make out of recycled materials and some practical tips for attaching them as well.

 

We end the video with lots of eye candy that will be included in future projects.

Come and join us and let us see what you are creating.

Build - Art Journal Page - #firstsaturdayart

 

Join us for #firstsaturdayart and mixed media art journal page 'Build' I used a minimum amount of supplies to work on the page.  

You can see the full video on my Patreon platform HERE

Creative Papers - Digital Art Flip Through

 

Come and check out some of the digital art papers released this month on my Patreon this month.

Using your Fabric to Uplift - Material Musings

 

In Material Musings I look at some of the ways that I use my fabrics and projects both finished and unfinished to lift my spirits or encourage myself.  We know that art heals and encourages and enables you to express yourself when you do not have the words.  I find that even if you are not able to do a creative project then even sitting with your supplies can help.

What are the things that you do when you need to give yourself a lift?

Free Digital Art Papers - Patreon FREE Tier

This month’s free digital papers on my Patreon are inspired by maps, layers, and quiet storytelling. You’re welcome to use them however you like, in an art journal, as collage elements, or simply to just enjoy working with them in your creative activities.

There’s no right or wrong way to use them and you don't need to have completed a project, you can just enjoy seeing how you like working with them, and spend some time playing.

• As an idea for a starting point, you might like to try:choosing one image and use it as a background
• cut out a circle and use it as a focal point on the page
• layer a small section into a journal page in a collage

CHECK OUT THE FREE TIER HERE

If you enjoy working with these papers, my other Patreon Tiers have Digital Art papers available this month as well. You can check out the 7 Day FREE trial and explore the $3 tier for monthly creative invitations, or the check out the $10 tier for guided mixed-media activities.

$3 Tier Paper Kit

Listening to Your Creativity: A Gentle Question - Month 1

Creativity doesn’t always arrive loudly. Often, it whispers. It nudges. It waits patiently for us to listen. 

I am beginning a new monthly series across my patron tiers - do you want to be part of the adventure?

We can often assume that our creativity should arrive with excitement and/or urgency, but many of us are in seasons where our creativity speaks softly, sometimes in a voice barely audible.  It might show up as a feeling, an urge rather than a plan or a piece of art, it might also show up as a series of small glimpses of ideas rather than a big goal.  You might sense a feeling of being ‘off’, and what is required is honesty and acceptance.

Check out the Rest of the post HERE on my FREE Patreon

Arts and Wellness Cafe - Tending to Your Dreams

Welcome to the Arts and Wellness Cafe!

In this episode we look at the importance of tending to your dreams and how the arts and your creative activities can have a positive effect on your health and wellbeing.

What about those Fabric Scraps? Material Musings

 

Welcome to Material Musings, in this episode we are talking about the scraps we often amass in our fabric or paper stash.

I also touch on the broader issues of fast fashion and waste management and the impact on developing countries that deal with the fabric waste of so called 'developed countries' and what impact can we make on a local level.

I share a lot of the projects that used a lot of these scraps and I am looking at many of the ways in which I can make the most of the supplies I currently have. There are time stamps in the description of the video for reference.

Before You Go

Creative Vision Retreat Summit

Art Journals for your Visions and Goals

My lesson airs today for 24 hours

Sign Up HERE

Shopping in your Stash - Material Musings and Creative Retreats

 

Time to go shopping but this time in your own supplies for Material Musings and look at the projects that you have made that might spark your interest again.

Before You Go

The Creative Vision Summit Starts on Tuesday 20th January and is Free to sign up

We have quite a packed 3 days of sessions.  If you can't make it to all of them and would like to go through each of the sessions at a slower calmer pace then consider buying the VIP All Access Pass and you will have all of the summit sessions and bonus resources by each Speaker

Here is a selection of the VIP All Access Pass resources

My VIP Resource is my new course Creative Self Care Kit which is a full course valued at $67 and has over 30 lessons.  It is also a standalone course currently available at the Early Bird Price of $47!

Buy purchasing the VIP Pass you will receive my course and other Speaker resources and additional resources valued at over $1,000 so come and join us and shape 2026 the way you want.

Click her to Register for the Summit for FREE

If you Want to keep the workshops forever? After you register, check out the VIP All-Access Pass — lifetime replays + $688+ in creative bonuses. Use code CREATIVE for 30% off

Walking in your Gifts - Art Journal Page

 

Welcome to the Art Journal page for #secondsaturdayart, I am using some of the elements from our digital downloads (Patreon) along with a photo of Dr Martin Luther King, it is celebrating Martin Luther King day which is later this month.

You can also check out some of the other artists in the blog hop, and while you are there you can take a look at the previous Second Saturday Art that I created which is done is a similar style.

Creative Vision Summit - Coming Soon!! 20th - 22nd January 2026

 

Excited to share that I will be one of the speakers at the Creative Vision Summit

January can sometimes arrive with a lot of pressure - with new habits to form, unfinished goals from the previous year and lots of hastily made promises of tomorrow and the next day - I have done it many a time!

For some people, they enjoy the fast-paced energy. As a creative it can create pressure and cause you to stumble before you have even caught your breath or warmed your muscles up.

But calm isn't "falling behind."  It's often a great place to start, because it is where you can actually think clearly, and at a reasonable pace. 

FREE Creative Vision Summit

Join us and take part in The Creative Vision Summit which coming in January 2026 for 3 days 20th - 22nd January 2026 and is FREE, so you can sign up and enjoy a fresh perspective for 2026. I will be one of the presenters

That's what the HobbyScool Creative Vision Retreat Summit offers - a free, online fresh start that feels steady, grounded, and spacious.

Instead of rushing you into decisions, the summit invites you to:

• Ease into reflection without pressure
• Reconnect with what you want this season to feel like
• Create a vision that unfolds gently, one intentional step at a time

​Choose the kind of year that you want to have and start putting things in place🤩

I'll be teaching Art Journal for Vision and Goals - it is about providing yourself with spaces where you can combine creativity and goal setting and make it more meaningful and I'd love for you to join us.

Creative spaces for our Goals

There are a range of other wonderful sessions for you to check out as well and it is all FREE for the duration of the summit

If your schedule is full, the VIP All-Access Pass is worth a look! There will be lifetime replays + $688+ in bonuses. Use code CREATIVE30 for 30% off. Check it out HERE​

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Learn More about the Summit

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Free Monthly Digital Art Downloads January 2026

The digital downloads are now available for January - available until the end of the month. You can now join us on Patreon as a FREE member with early release and member exclusive posts, behind-the-scenes videos, hints and tips and more, this is a great way to spend some time on yourself and do something creative. You can join us HERE   

Download January’s digital papers for FREE today and the rest of the month on my FREE Patron Tier and use them in your creative projects and art journals. January 2026 papers will be available until the 31st January.

We also have papers released on the paid tiers each month you can check out as well and also see all the benefits that they receive on the different tiers.:

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Creatively Treasured Tier Papers 

Creative Gifts Tier

Creative Talent Tier

I am look forward to creating and connecting with you. Take time to explore what you like doing in your creative journey and begin to make room for yourself. Whatever stage you are at there's always something new to discover and create.

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Wishing you lots of peace, grace, and endless inspiration

​

Amanda xxx

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Come and be Creative and see in the New Year!

 

Come and join us again to see this year out and the New Year in with Artsy Meet-up Marathon.  

20+ hours of creativity, it is a fantastic way to bring in the New Year!

This is the fourth year that Kiala has invited us to have fun together creating and just hanging out, and this is my 4th year as one of the teachers and creating art. This is one of the best ways that I know to celebrate 2026.

It starts at 10AM Central Time Dec. 31st. We will create Live until 9:30am Central on January 1, 2026. Every hour or so we will have a new lesson, tutorial, or demo. Everything is recorded and will be available to you for the first 6 months of 2026. There will also be replays, a private group on Mighty Network, plus select replays from previous Marathons, not to forget a number of bookbinding tutorials already there to get your creative juices flowing.

You don’t have to be there for the entire time, you can just show up when you can & create. The schedule is live - so you can check out who is teaching when. The line up is below.

For schedules and more information, click HERE

Reconnect - What Nourishes You? Arts and Wellness Cafe

Welcome to the Arts and Wellness Cafe - Come stay a while and enjoy. The word for the week is reconnect and this word can take a variety of forms which can be explored. 

I have been tempted to eat all the things that I wouldn't normally - like cake.  It always begins with something simple and then there is a slippery slope of indulgence and the consequences that are waiting on the other side.

As we move through different seasons of life, the things we once enjoyed without a second thought can start to affect us differently - we are getting older. 

Our bodies speak more clearly now and the words 'if you can't hear you must feel' whispers, and when we pause long enough to listen, they offer gentle guidance of the consequences of having 'just one more slice'.

There was comfort food, too, bread pudding, cake, and the memories they carry. These foods weren’t just about taste; they were about longing for a time when life was slower, less stress on our then child size shoulders - without a care in the world it seemed.  Food has a way of holding memory, and sometimes we reach for it not out of hunger, but out of a desire to feel held.

But our bodies remember everything - A restless night became a reminder that reconnection isn’t about denial it’s about awareness. About choosing what supports our health and well-being now, not what used to work years ago.

That sense of reconnection continued in the garden. Standing among the trees, listening to birds call and watching plants grow - it is one of my favorite places and brings calm.  I have watched it develop and grow over the years, the garden doesn’t rush, it responds to being tended - daily, gently, consistently. It reflects what happens when we show up for ourselves in small ways over time.

Creativity can be found in these moments too, in the color and shape of leaves, textures waiting to be stitched, or painted. Nature becomes both our inspiration and space of calm

This is your invitation to reconnect creatively - in your mind, body and the spaces that bring you peace, come and join me in the Arts and Wellness Cafe!

Blessings for Christmas and the New Year

Courageous in your Creativity - Get Messy Art Interview

 

I recently did an interview with Claudette from Get Messy Art about my work, creativity, showing up and the messy middle.  Come and join us and join in the conversation!

Before you go - Check out my Free Digital Art papers for December:

Art Journal Joy - Celebration, Nobel Peace Prize

 

In my art journal for #secondsaturdayart I created an image of using Dr Martin Luther King. He was given the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964.

Check out the video, if you would like to see the full video you can do so on my Patreon HERE

Material Musings - Finishing Projects

What creative projects do you have left to complete in your creative space, we think about some of the fabric projects that are crying out to be completed or taken a bit further in their journey.

I share with you some of the things that I am currently working on, and some of the ideas that still need some tender care before they can go out into the world.

For the rest of the month, we shall be focusing on moving the projects on and see where we are at the other end - no pressure!!

Before you go

The FREE papers are now available on my Patreon, You can use them in your art journals and creative projects, along with the digital art papers for the other tiers, check them out HERE