Playing with Fabric - Having Fun!

 Playing with Fabric and Having Fun

Weekly Material Musings

With September moving fast, things are busy and so exciting  - I am in my fabric element! 

In Fodder School, I’m sharing my fabric lesson as the final teacher for Fodder School 4. All through September, you join me for a month of fabric play and creativity.  We have had so many gorgeous examples of how students have worked on their own fabric - it is wonderful to see how we can have the same instruction and create so many varied outcomes.  You can check them out on my Instagram Highlights

In the first part of the month we dive into ways to work with the fabric.  No experience is needed, just bring your curiosity!  If you’re already comfortable with fabric and mixed media, you’ll have plenty of room to add your own spice to the fodder we make together - in fact it is a must!  we focus on making our fabric fodder and seeing how many different ways we can make marks on the surface with the tools that we have.  I’ll guide you through ways I use my own stamps and stencils on fabric and we make a handmade stamp that you can keep using for future projects.

This month is extra special because I’ve collaborated with Fodder School and ArtFoamies to bring out my very own set of ArtFoamies! I share in a bonus lesson how I use my ArtFoamies on Fabric.   You can also explore my digital stamp sets in my Etsy store if you’d like even more creative tools - I have created a whole series of images that you can use in your creative projects.

ArtFoamies Variations

In the second half of September - which is fast approaching, we’ll take all of the fodder we’ve made and turn them into mini wall hangings, which you can hang as is or put in a frame.  They are also perfect for gifting, or simply adorning your creative space. You will have plenty of extra fabric fodder to keep experimenting in your other projects too - Wendy did a bonus video that shows us how to make a 'Side Kick Journal', which is so calling my name to be made from all of the fabric I have in my stash!  Susanna also shows us how she uses the ArtFoamies she designed in her projects on eco dyed fabric and watercolors.  Some great ideas to play around with.

Sunday Reflections & Material Musings

Sunday Reflections

Sundays are the perfect time to reflect on the week ahead, restore, and refresh your batteries. I’d love for you to join me in Material Musings each week, where I’ll share what fabric projects we’re working on next. It’s a gentle creative space to spark ideas, encourage your own practice, and remind you that making is meant to be joyful and part of your everyday activity.

Wherever you are at in your journey, come and join us and let us stitch, stamp, and play with all that delicious fabric we are sitting on!! 

Digital Art Papers September - Patrons

 

Here are the papers for September's Digital Download on Patreon for the $3 Tier.   If you join us on the $3 Tier you will have access to all the previously posted content which spans 3 years and includes digital and video resources for your creative project.

We have a Free Tier and a set of papers for you to access for the month and a series of exclusive posts and videos on the tier so that you can wet your feet and see how you like it.   

Free Tier Papers 

The aim for the papers are to encourage you to do something creative with what you have and provide you with beautiful imagery that you can play around with.

 

It is very important to find ways in which you can motivate and encourage yourself, especially in those times where you are feeling off or if you want a low energy project or even only have a short time.

The digital downloads are available on Patreon for you to enjoy, why not come and check it out and have a play with the papers.

Find out more HERE

Working with Beads, Felts - Visual Feast

 

Welcome to this weeks Material Musings take out your fabric and beads and lets have some fun on our projects!

I love collecting beads and have done so for many years, so much so that some of the beads would be considered 'Vintage'.  Come and join me and see just a fraction of the collection - a visual feast for the eyes!

Here are some of the collection - all different sizes and colors

I love using the beads on my fabric projects especially the ones with figures.

Before you Go

Material Musings - August Projects

 Welcome to this week's Material Musings

Here are some of the projects that I will be working on over the coming weeks.  I am going to do a larger Kawandi and I will show you my progress in the next episode.  I also have a few creative projects and lessons that I am creating and will share in a few weeks.

I have also stitched more of the encouraging words to go on completed projects, they always come in handy and it is great to be stitching things that will encourage and motivate.

Come and join us next time in Material Musings and bring what you are working on.  I would love to see!

Before you go

Check out the FREE papers for this month in Patreon

Arts and Wellness Cafe - Consistency

 

Welcome to August in the Arts and Wellness Cafe.

It also happens to be my birthday month and I have been leaning into one word 'consistency'. It’s been showing up in how I am viewing my art, my health and the way I show up as a creative.   

Check out the August papers for FREE HERE

I’ve shared new digital art papers on Patreon (free and paid tiers) which are now available on my Patreon, starting at the FREE papers.  I enjoyed the Filling The Creative Well” challenge and I will be adding it to the course platform so you can dip into it when you have a moment and there will be other additions to help support your creative journey.  

My collaboration with Fodder School and Art Foamies brought six beautiful female-figure foam stamps to life, and I popped up on a podcast too!

Beacon - set of 2 ArtFoamies  Check out the Full Sets HERE

        

This weeks nuggets:

• Break big dreams into small daily steps.
• Use free resources and keep growing.
• Look after your body - rest when needed.
• Let your art inspire and support others.

Let me know some of the ways you will be showing up for yourself this week

Stay blessed and be a blessing!

Listen to the Page - Filling the Creative Well - Blog Series

 

Sometimes we approach a blank page with all our ideas already formed or sometimes we look at a blank page and nothing comes to us. But what if the page itself had something to say?

Today is an invitation to slow down and listen.

 

What is it that you want to say about your creative journey.  Visually these moments can be meditative as we practice being still and listening.  When we listen, the page becomes more than a canvas, it becomes a companion. A mirror. A witness. And sometimes, that is where the real magic happens.

What you can try

• Start without a plan. Choose one color, one tool, and one word or shape. Add, pause, listen. Let the page guide your next steps.
• Instead of forcing an idea or trying to make something beautiful, begin your page with gentle observation. Start with a color that feels right. Let your hand make marks without a goal. Pause. What’s emerging? What does the page need? A little space? A layer of texture? A word?
• Treat your page like a living thing. Let it guide you. Try responding instead of directing. This type of intuitive creation opens the door to new discoveries it’s less about control and more about connection.

Takeaway Nuggets:

• Intuition deepens when we slow down and respond to the process.
• The page becomes a mirror when we truly listen.

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Check out some of the free and paid resources below to enhance your creative journey 

Course Platform - there are a variety of FREE courses and resources for you to use in your creative practice.

FREE Tier - Patreon - I have a Free Tier on Patreon that has a selection of early release posts and monthly Digital Download Papers for you to use in your creative projects - Learn More Here

YouTube - Weekly Videos to encourage your creative practice, Slow stitching, art journaling and Artists chats - Learn More Here

Check out Filling the Creative Well which helps you establish your creative practice. In the course Filling the Creative Well, your journal is also a place to answer questions, encourage and motivate you, some days you need a reminder and so filling it with encouraging words so that you can come back to it, especially in those days where you are in a valley is really important. .

Layer and Let Go - Filling the Creative Well - Blog Series

 

Layering can be a freeing technique in mixed media, and every layer tells part of the story, and sometimes, we must let go to make space for something new.

When I am creating, I find sometimes walking away and coming back with fresh eyes helps inform the direction a piece might take.  When I come back the whole piece might change and that’s alright.  You come with new information and experience that will add an interesting perspective to the piece.

 

What you can try

Start with an existing art piece or a journal page.  You might even want to try an abandoned artwork. Add something to it: paint, collage, marks, fabric. Then add more. And then cover part of it up or walk away and work on something else.

It may feel risky to paint over something you like or are not sure of. But in doing so, you practice trust. You can always take a photo of the work before you cover it up. You learn that your creativity isn’t limited. There’s always more to uncover.

Building the layers

Layering builds depth and often what was once buried peeks through unexpectedly and you begin to see the layers. Each addition becomes part of the whole, even if it disappears from view.

Don’t be afraid to cover, to sand back, to glue down. Let this page be about transformation.

Takeaway Nuggets:

1. Creative layering is an invitation to trust the process.
2. Letting go of parts you love can lead to unexpected beauty.

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Check out some of the free and paid resources below to enhance your creative journey 

Course Platform - there are a variety of FREE courses and resources for you to use in your creative practice.

FREE Tier - Patreon - I have a Free Tier on Patreon that has a selection of early release posts and monthly Digital Download Papers for you to use in your creative projects - Learn More Here

YouTube - Weekly Videos to encourage your creative practice, Slow stitching, art journaling and Artists chats - Learn More Here

Check out Filling the Creative Well which helps you establish your creative practice. In the course Filling the Creative Well, your journal is also a place to answer questions, encourage and motivate you, some days you need a reminder and so filling it with encouraging words so that you can come back to it, especially in those days where you are in a valley is really important. .

Keep Going - Filling the Creative Well - Blog Series

There are days when creativity feels easy, and days when it doesn’t. On those in-between days, the best thing you can do is simply keep going, maybe even shifting your focus.  It is better to do something than nothing at all. That’s today’s encouragement, show up, even if it’s just for five minutes.

Art is not always about inspiration. Often, it’s about persistence, showing up because your creative self deserves it. Consistency is where the magic lives in quiet, steady effort. 

What you can Try 

• You might not feel like making anything today. That’s okay. Keep your practice light and low-pressure. Pick up your journal and scribble a thought. Smear a color across the page. Rip paper and glue it down. Take one small creative action. 

• When you keep going, you send a message to your inner artist: “I’m here for you.” That kind of trust and nurturing is how practices grow.

• Keep a journal for those small actions, a “just-for-today” notebook. These practices honor the peaks and the valleys of creative life.

• Your creativity doesn’t need to be perfect or productive, it just needs you to be present.

Takeaway Nuggets:

1. Creative practice is built on showing up, not perfection.
2. Five minutes of art counts remember you are filling the creative well.

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Check out some of the free and paid resources below to enhance your creative journey 

Course Platform - there are a variety of FREE courses and resources for you to use in your creative practice.

FREE Tier - Patreon - I have a Free Tier on Patreon that has a selection of early release posts and monthly Digital Download Papers for you to use in your creative projects - Learn More Here

YouTube - Weekly Videos to encourage your creative practice, Slow stitching, art journaling and Artists chats - Learn More Here

Check out Filling the Creative Well which helps you establish your creative practice. In the course Filling the Creative Well, your journal is also a place to answer questions, encourage and motivate you, some days you need a reminder and so filling it with encouraging words so that you can come back to it, especially in those days where you are in a valley is really important. .

Just One Tool - Filling the Creative Well - Blog Series

 

Limiting your tools or supplies can be one of the most liberating creative decisions. Today’s challenge is to use just one tool, medium, or material and explore everything it can do. I find it is a great way to really understand all the uses of that tool or supply, and it gives you more flexibility and variation in your work.

Check out the Video - if you find limiting yourself to just one to begin with difficult, just reduce the amount you would normally use.  In this video I use some paints and stencils to work on the page.

What you can try

• Pick one: a watercolor palette, a black marker, a needle and thread, a gel pen, a single color of paint. What happens when you stretch its use across the whole page or several? 

• With fewer choices, you are able to explore further. Try making different types of marks. Experiment with layering. Use the tool in unexpected ways maybe your pen mimics another supply, or your watercolor develops unusual texture when layered thickly. 

• This kind of exploration sharpens your understanding of your materials and deepens your relationship to them. You become more resourceful and imaginative. 

• You might also notice that limiting your choices frees your brain. Instead of worrying about all the variations of color in your acrylic set which can sometimes be 50+, you get to focus on how many different shades and variations you can get from one color.

Bonus idea: use the same tool each day for a week. Observe how your comfort grows. This practice helps you slow down and appreciate simplicity.

Takeaway Nuggets: 

1. Limiting tools can unlock deeper creativity.
2. Mastery comes from exploration

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Check out some of the free and paid resources below to enhance your creative journey 

Course Platform - there are a variety of FREE courses and resources for you to use in your creative practice.

FREE Tier - Patreon - I have a Free Tier on Patreon that has a selection of early release posts and monthly Digital Download Papers for you to use in your creative projects - Learn More Here

YouTube - Weekly Videos to encourage your creative practice, Slow stitching, art journaling and Artists chats - Learn More Here

Check out Filling the Creative Well which helps you establish your creative practice. In the course Filling the Creative Well, your journal is also a place to answer questions, encourage and motivate you, some days you need a reminder and so filling it with encouraging words so that you can come back to it, especially in those days where you are in a valley is really important. .

Mark Making - Filling the Creative Well Blog Series

 

Today we are going to look at ‘mark making’ – It is slightly similar to doodling but you are using additional tools, lids, bottle tops or any other recycled or natural materials. It is a good idea to experiment with some of your tools to see what kind of marks you can get. There’s a special kind of freedom in intuitive mark making, you don’t have the pressure of making “art.” It is creative play and expression.

Check out my journal above to see how I create in my journal.

You can also check out this 'Mark making Tools video HERE where I share some of the tools that I use.

What You can Try

We are not thinking about drawing something specific, but we are going to make marks.  Choose a tool: a lid, a stick dipped in ink, a brush, a crayon, a piece of string – whatever you have and start to make marks on the paper. Try other things like using your non-dominant hand or put on music and respond to it with marks on the surface.

These marks don’t need to “be” anything. They can be scribbles, slashes, scratches, dots, or loops. Fill a page - or several.

 

Intuitive mark making is like your voice before you have the words. It side steps the need to be perfect and you just have fun.  You learn to value the moment and express what you have no words for.  You can do it anytime and with any supply.

Once you have a moment you can add to your marks, color them in, cut them up and use in collage, or build a library of patterns and textures that you can return to.

Takeaway Nuggets:

• Intuitive marks are expressions of energy, not outcome.

• The body often knows what the mind hasn’t said yet, let it speak.

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Check out some of the free and paid resources below to enhance your creative journey 

Course Platform - there are a variety of FREE courses and resources for you to use in your creative practice.

FREE Tier - Patreon - I have a Free Tier on Patreon that has a selection of early release posts and monthly Digital Download Papers for you to use in your creative projects - Learn More Here

YouTube - Weekly Videos to encourage your creative practice, Slow stitching, art journaling and Artists chats - Learn More Here

Check out Filling the Creative Well which helps you establish your creative practice. In the course Filling the Creative Well, your journal is also a place to answer questions, encourage and motivate you, some days you need a reminder and so filling it with encouraging words so that you can come back to it, especially in those days where you are in a valley is really important.

Handmade Backgrounds - Filling The Creative Well - Blog Series

Handmade Backgrounds

A blank page can be intimidating whether in a journal or a canvas and can often put a stop to your creative flow. There are many ways in which you can set up your surface to avoid feeling fearful and jump straight into enjoying your creative process.

I prepare my pages beforehand and the way I do that is by using up excess paint that I am using in a project on these journal pages.  Over time you build up these layers without even thinking about it as you are only using up excess paint.  There is no judgement of these pages as they are just the foundation.  When you are then ready to work on the surface you already have a stepping stone to work from gorgeous layers of paint or collage, inviting you to play.

Check out the video of my process for creating backgrounds.  If you put 'backgrounds in the search, it will also pull up some of the other videos I have created.

What can you try?

Next time you are working on a piece do not discard your excess paint, but find another canvas or papers, or art journal that you can apply the excess to the surface.

If you want to create a background from scratch you can also start by gathering your favorite materials: paints, old papers, tissue, glue, stamps, and stencils. Consider using unusual tools—cardboard, a sponge, or the edge of a credit card. There are no rules here, just layers.

Creating Backgrounds 

• Begin with paint washes or collage pieces. Let the layers dry between steps so you can keep building. Add text, stamps, or rub-on transfers. Try using a braye in the paint, scratching into wet layers, or applying gesso to tone things down and then reintroducing bold marks.
• There’s something meditative about creating backgrounds. You’re not trying to “finish” a piece—you’re setting a mood. This frees you up to experiment.
• Keep a stack of these pages ready. They’ll become the foundations for journaling, focal images, affirmations, or quotes. Think of them as planted seeds—creative soil waiting to bloom.
• Sometimes, backgrounds become the main event. If you love how a page looks, leave it, you could also photocopy the page for further use.
• Let go of needing each page to become something right away. Let the joy of creating be enough.

Takeaway Nuggets:

1. Backgrounds create momentum and break creative blocks.
2. Every layer you add is a whisper of your voice.

 

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Check out some of the free and paid resources below to enhance your creative journey 

Course Platform - there are a variety of FREE courses and resources for you to use in your creative practice.

FREE Tier - Patreon - I have a Free Tier on Patreon that has a selection of early release posts and monthly Digital Download Papers for you to use in your creative projects - Learn More Here

YouTube - Weekly Videos to encourage your creative practice, Slow stitching, art journaling and Artists chats - Learn More Here

Check out Filling the Creative Well which helps you establish your creative practice. In the course Filling the Creative Well, your journal is also a place to answer questions, encourage and motivate you, some days you need a reminder and so filling it with encouraging words so that you can come back to it, especially in those days where you are in a valley is really important. .

Gratitude Pages - Filling The Creative Well - Blog Series

 

Gratitude Pages

Gratitude has the power to change our perspective. When we pause to notice what we’re thankful for, we shift from a lack mindset to one of appreciation and satisfaction.  It is a great idea to start a gratitude journal where you can list and reflect on what you are grateful for.

A few years ago I created a ‘Gratitude and Celebration’ Journal and on a regular basis wrote about the things that I was grateful for and created a journal page with an image.  You can check out the video where I do a flip through.

What can you try?

Create a gratitude page. You might begin with a list, a sketch, a series of symbols or images that reflect what you’re grateful for today. Think of the small things that often go unnoticed -  your morning cup of tea, a bird’s song, a cool breeze and so much more.

Use colors, collage and add textures to express the gratitude, or frame your words with decorative borders, look at what you have and don’t hold back.

Return to your gratitude pages often. Over time, they are great reminders that will take you out of a slump on those rough days.

Takeaway Nuggets:

1. Gratitude nurtures joy and strengthens creativity.
2. Documenting appreciation deepens its impact.

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Check out some of the free and paid resources below to enhance your creative journey 

Course Platform - there are a variety of FREE courses and resources for you to use in your creative practice.

FREE Tier - Patreon - I have a Free Tier on Patreon that has a selection of early release posts and monthly Digital Download Papers for you to use in your creative projects - Learn More Here

YouTube - Weekly Videos to encourage your creative practice, Slow stitching, art journaling and Artists chats - Learn More Here

Check out Filling the Creative Well which helps you establish your creative practice. In the course Filling the Creative Well, your journal is also a place to answer questions, encourage and motivate you, some days you need a reminder and so filling it with encouraging words so that you can come back to it, especially in those days where you are in a valley is really important. .

Found Words - Filling the Creative Well - Blog Series

 

Words are powerful, the ones we say to ourselves, or those we allow in from other sources.  We can also stumble upon them unexpectedly and we can look for ways to find those words that speak to our lives.  We can challenge ourselves to make a poem or journal page using found words and cut them out from magazines, books, or even junk mail.

You can make a start by collecting these words that speak to you. Don’t overthink it, if you are leafing through a magazine and come across a word trust your instinct and put it aside to use it in your journal and that time when you are ready to play.

Check out the video on creating word plaques - you can add these to your art journal pages or creative projects.

What else can you do?

Arrange the words into a sentence or poem. Let the words surprise you. You may find a theme emerging or it might be something that your heart wants to say. You can glue them onto a painted background, write around them, or turn them into mini word plaques.

Found word poetry can also a form of collage, combining meaning and language. It is a great way to incorporate text into your art.  It is another activity that you can do to kickstart a mood or inspire you.

This can also be a way to sidestep writer’s block or deepen your journaling. Found words become journal prompts, and even affirmations. They remind us that language is everywhere—and that meaning can be playful.

Takeaway Nuggets:

1. Found words can give voice to what you didn’t know you needed to say.
2. Poetry lives in the unexpected when you look closely.

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Check out some of the free and paid resources below to enhance your creative journey 

Course Platform - there are a variety of FREE courses and resources for you to use in your creative practice.

FREE Tier - Patreon - I have a Free Tier on Patreon that has a selection of early release posts and monthly Digital Download Papers for you to use in your creative projects - Learn More Here

YouTube - Weekly Videos to encourage your creative practice, Slow stitching, art journaling and Artists chats - Learn More Here

Check out Filling the Creative Well which helps you establish your creative practice. In the course Filling the Creative Well, your journal is also a place to answer questions, encourage and motivate you, some days you need a reminder and so filling it with encouraging words so that you can come back to it, especially in those days where you are in a valley is really important. .