Material Musings - Beads and Wearable Art

Welcome to today's Material Musings, where check out several different projects - including fabric jewelry, beads and art journal bags.

Here is an example of the crochet necklace and the beaded wrist cuff - I think more accessories might be to come.

Art of Expression kicks off TODAY!! Come and join us for FREE

 

Have you got your ticket yet. The Art of Expression Summit starts today Tuesday 19th May to Thursday 21st May 2026

This is a FREE online event that brings together 30 expert presenters sharing expressive creative strategies for:

• Creating meaningful art from whatever materials you already have
• Building a consistent, joyful creative routine
• Expressing yourself through painting, lettering, journaling, and more
• Simplifying your creative practice so it actually sticks
• Keeping your creative momentum long-term 

as well as:

• Focused sessions covering expressive arts, creative journaling, mixed media, color therapy, art for healing, visual storytelling, and more.
• Each session is short, practical, and designed to give you new skills and ideas you can put to work immediately.
• All sessions are pre-recorded and released daily during the summit.
• Each day's content is free for 24 hours.
• 
  

Get your FREE Ticket HERE

If you would like Lifetime access, then you can go for the VIP Pass.  What's inside the VIP pass:

 

Every workshop from all the three days of the Art of Expression Summit, available on demand 48 hours after the event ends. No expiry date.

Watch at your own pace, on your own schedule, as many times as you like.

I have my selection art journals ready to go!

The Art of Expression VIP All-Access Pass —
Valued at $1,991+

Get lifetime access to 30 expert-led workshops and 22 premium resources

Get My Pass + 22 Premium Resources

Instant access. No expiration. Yours for life.

Material Musings - Leather Projects - Wearable Art

Creating Wearable Leather Art

Come and join us in this week's Material Musings where we look at mark making on leather to create some gorgeous wearable art.

I share with you how you can make multiple uses from your tools to get different effects.

If you have leather scraps, don't throw them away!!  These pieces can also be used in miniature projects and there is no stopping you once you have identified some projects to use them for.

I have also used them in stitched projects and as miniature journals for my growing miniature interior collection.

Before You Go!

Last Day to get your VIP Pass for Mastering Mixed Media Art Expo 2026

Learn More HERE and save on the price of the VIP Ticket

Starts Tomorrow - Art of Expression (FREE)

Learn More HERE - GET YOUR FREE TICKET

Realityarts Creative Archive - May 2026

This month sees the papers for my Realityarts Creative Archive, a monthly collectable set of digital art papers. Each month a new set of papers are released across 4 tiers - Sampler, Studio, Collector, and Atelier.

This month's Sampler Edition for May 2026 available for FREE until 31st May

 

Realityarts Creative Archive - Sampler Edition, Heritage & Time - May  Papers

The papers in the Sampler Edition are Free to access for the month of May and gives you the opportunity to use sample and use the papers in your art journals or creative projects. To access the papers you need to join my FREE Tier on Patreon. 

I also share projects that you can do with the papers in your art journals and creative projects each month.

As a FREE member you get access to the monthly digital papers, and see early release posts and member exclusive posts, see some of the 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

Here are the other papers across the tiers for this month, these are available for purchase, or you can join the Tier and receive the monthly resources that come with that tier and also access over 900 videos, digital art and posts:

Realityarts Creative Archive, Atelier Edition, Pattern & Structure

Realityarts Collectors Edition, Island & Nature - May 2026

Realityarts Creative Archive - Studio Edition, Women & Memory - May 2026

Creative Archive - Mixed Media Digital Art Papers - April

This month sees the launch of my Realityarts Creative Archive, a monthly collectable set of digital art papers. Each month a new set of papers are released across 4 tiers - Sampler, Studio, Collector, and Atelier.

This month's Sampler Edition for April 2026 available for FREE until 30th April.

Heritage & Time - April Papers

The papers in the Sampler Edition are Free to access for the month of April and gives you the opportunity to use sample and use the papers in your art journals or creative projects. To access the papers you need to join my FREE Tier on Patreon. 

I also share projects that you can do with the papers in your art journals and creative projects each month.

As a FREE member you get access to the monthly digital papers, and see early release posts and member exclusive posts, see some of the 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

Here are the other papers across the tiers for this month, these are available for purchase, or you can join the Tier and receive the monthly resources that come with that tier and also access over 900 videos, digital art and posts:

Island & Nature - April Papers

Women & Memory - April Papers

Pattern & Structure - April Papers

Come and join us and enjoy using them in your creative projects. 

Stay Blessed and be a blessing.

Sketchbook Revival Challenge - April 11th - 21st FREE to Join!

 

Welcome to the Sketchbook Revival Challenge!
April 11–21, 2026

11 Days. 30+ Hands-On Sessions. One Revitalizing Creative Experience.

I have been invited to be one of the Teachers on Sketchbook Revival Challenge, and I am really excited to share my lesson with you over the coming weeks.

This is the 9th year of Sketchbook Revival.  For eleven inspiring days, you’ll be guided by an incredible group of 30+ practicing fellow artists, sharing some of their favorite ways to explore their creativity in a sketchbook.

What makes this challenge different

This isn’t about keeping up, It is about showing up, with encouraging guides and a welcoming community, to help you focus and follow through, and creative permission to make this experience work for you.

Whether you join every day or even for a few, the challenge will meet you where you are so it’s easy and exciting to sit down, get started, and keep going.

What you’ll explore

There will be a mix of styles, materials and subjects you’ll have full permission to experiment, practice and play with, both materials, techniques, subjects and styles. So bring what you have and let it work for you.

When you join using my link and purchase the VIP Pass, I will also be giving you the Sketchbook Revival Bonus Bundle, the link for the resources will be sent to your email address: 

This is a fantastic resource that you can use before, during and after the challenge has finished.

What to expect during the challenge

• Participate for FREE in the Sketchbook Revival and access all the content and step into the challenge without spending any money!

• Meet & learn from inspiring artists: Create alongside 30+ practicing artists excited to share their favorite sketchbook ideas and tips with you.

• Private Facebook Group: Post your sketchbook pages, get inspired by what others are creating, and tap into the collective creative energy of our welcoming community

• Free gifts from the artists: Grab generous freebies from the artists for even more creative practice inspiration to take with you

• Optional VIP upgrade: Purchase ongoing access to all of the content + a bundle of creative bonuses, if you’d like to return to the Challenge anytime you’d like, and get my Bonus Bundle as well.

Reserve Your Spot HERE

Before You Go - Looking for a Fresh Start?

Check out the Eco-Creative Summit, turn what you have in your 'collections' into Treasure.  The Summit is on - Tuesday 21st April - 22nd April 2026

You don't need to overhaul your entire creative practice, just a fresh start. The Eco-Creative Summit is a free online event designed to help you craft sustainably, upcycle with confidence, and build eco-friendly creative habits with practical, real-life techniques.

Get Your FREE Ticket Today

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:

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

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​

​

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.:

​

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.

​

Wishing you lots of peace, grace, and endless inspiration

​

Amanda xxx

​

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:

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

Seasons of Change - Junk Journal Art

 

Check out my previous video for Second Saturday Art! 

This mixed media art journal page is all about fall and the seasons of change. Using recycled paper and various painting techniques.

I bought out my neo colors to add color to the page and applied it loosely

I'm creating an autumn scene in my junk journal and some fun journaling techniques. There are a few artists in the blog hop each month and we take one of the prompts and use it as inspiration for our art that we share.

We will be back for another video for November which will be released on Saturday 8th Nov.  Come and check out The Gathering art journal page. at 11.30 am Saturday.

Would love to know what you are creating in your Art Journal - leave a comment 

Creative Reflecting - Arts and Wellness Cafe

 

Today’s Arts and Wellness Café we take a mindful pit stop to ground ourselves and reflect on our current progress especially around nurturing our creativity and well-being.

What have been your 'words for the year'? And how have you kept them in your focus for the things that you have on your schedule - all the things that we seem to find on our plate or 'to-do' lists.

Continuous learning is important to me and making sure that I keep up-to-date with the latest technology or mixed media technique is something that I include in my 'learning schedule' for the year.

What are the ways in which you reflect on how you have done for the past 10 months and what things are you going to put in place as we bring the year to a close? Join us in the Arts and Wellness Cafe where we can look at how to make the most of the time we have, enrich our lives and be an inspiration to others.

LEARN MORE HERE

Making Zen - Get Your FREE Ticket 27th - 31st November 2025

 

 

What to Do with All Those Scraps? Join Me at Making Zen Online Retreat!

Do you have piles of scrap fabric, loose beads, and leftover threads that you just can’t bring yourself to throw away? You’re not alone! The good news is, I’ll be showing you a fun way to recycle them into something truly magical, a gorgeous stitched creature on canvas - An owl to be exact.

And here’s the best part: this project will be part of the Making Zen Online Retreat, happening 27th–31st October 2025.

LEARN MORE

If you’ve never joined before, Making Zen is a textile/arts focused retreat that brings together nearly 30 talented artists, each offering a unique workshop over five creative filled days. The workshops are free to watch for 24 hours, and is plenty of time to dive in, experiment, and connect with other creatives around the world.

If you don't have your ticket yet, don't worry, it is completely free to sign up on the Making Zen website!  My session will be live for 24 hours, and you’ll also have access to a whole lineup workshops. If you’d like extended access, there’s a VIP Pass available too.

While we’re on the topic, here are just a few reasons why textile activities are so beneficial: 

• Boosts mindfulness – Focusing on textures and stitches calms the mind and reduces stress.
• Enhances creativity – Textiles let you play with colors, patterns, and layers in new and exciting ways.
• Improves fine motor skills – Repetitive actions like stitching and weaving strengthen hand-eye coordination.

So gather up those scraps, save the date, and come stitch with me! I can’t wait to share this beautiful process with you at the retreat.

Sign up for you spot for FREE HERE

Free Digital Art Papers on Patreon - Creative September!

Have you got your Digital Art Papers Yet?

When you join on the FREE tier of my Patreon, you get access to a set of monthly Digital Art Papers.  Here is the current one for the month that you can use in your creative project.  We release the October papers on the 1st October. 

Make sure that you sign up to our FREE Patreon to access the next set of papers and to check the September ones out.

You can access your papers HERE!