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.
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!
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:
Realityarts - Creativity Book Shop - Some really great titles for you to dive in
Creative Resources
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.png "Mangos in the Creative Garden")
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