Over these last few weeks I have been desperately longing for a time to calm my soul and create quietly without disruption! Have you felt that longing recently? Some times is hard to ignore it.

Carving time out of our packed schedules can be difficult but so necessary. Engaging our creative soul even if it is in small dosis and at your own pace…that matters. Choosing to say yes to explore playfully you creativity is a beautiful gift to give to yourself.

Why not make a commitment that our 2023 will be a year filled with inspiration, learning, and creativity? There’s no better way to do it than by joining the most supportive and explorative community of mixed-media Adventurers on Wanderlust 2023.

This art journaling online course will provide you with a consistent dose of inspiration and knowledge. Weekly lessons from various experienced Teachers can be your guarantee of the best year of art. Join Wanderlust 23 now and you’ll get instant access to a whole bunch of bonuses which will give you a fabulous taste of what 2023 has in store!

This time, I get to be one of your teachers at Wanderlust 2023- so I am really looking forward to have fun with you as you embark on your creative journey!

Please check out my link https://www.everything-art.com/?affcode=113232_spgnfkwe to learn more and sign up!

Hope to see you in the classroom!

– Jannette –

The team of Teachers for Wanderlust 2023 has been announced, and I am thrilled to tell you that I am one of them. Wanderlust 2023 is 55 mixed-media lessons, all downloadable and yours to keep forever. Plus handouts, a creative community, and a whole bunch of bonuses which are available as soon as you sign up. All this for only $89 US (making each lesson only $1.60!). It starts on the 6th of January, but it’s worth signing up now as we have this special price of $89 for the first 2000 adventurers. However, those spots are already sold out! However, Wanderlust has opened 100 more spots for those who needed a little bit more time to decide.

If you’re looking to engage your creative heart in 2023, at your own pace and enjoy fresh ideas and techniques, please check out this link and join us before the early bird price is gone completely.

Here is my link to sign up:

https://www.everything-art.com/courses/wanderlust-2023-mixed-media-course?affcode=113232_spgnfkwe

I hope to see you in the classroom!

xoxo

Jannette

I’ve often thought about the idea being still, as a form of torture, a waste of time. Maybe I am not alone in this. For many of us that are task/goal oriented beings bent towards productivity, being still can feel very foreign and daunting. There is always so much to get done/accomplished or resolved. Why would I want to be still? Yet, creating room in our hearts and bodies to rest, to breathe, to create, to reflect…it can be a life saving choice.

Throughout different seasons in my life when I’ve read the invitation from God, found in Psalm 46: “Be still and know that I am God…” and each time it has challenged me in a different way. Resting, being still can look different to different people and in different seasons. As I created this piece in the midst of processing of all the recent issues (shootings, war, etc) that we face, as well as my own a raging wave of fears, insecurities mixed with sadness, made my heart really heavy and anxious. There it hit me again. How can I be still? How can I find rest in the midst of what feels like a restless world? How can I remained centered?

Well, here’s the reminder for me: I am NOT God. He is. I don’t see the full picture of how things are working out for my good, my growth, my development- all I can see is the raging waves. In it, in the fear, in the worry, in the sadness…I can be still in a proactive way by surrendering my illusion of control, and recognizing that I can only do my part and my best. Personally, I don’t believe God is seeking to control everything in our lives or in the world but rather giving us the freedom to make daily choices in how we live, how we love, and how we respond to other people’s choices. He is with us in the ups and downs as we figure it out together.

That thought of Him being with me in the midst of the raging waves of life while I swim my way through, trusting Him to guide me in wisdom to make choices that are not easy to make but they will bring out the greatest good; that helped me recenter. That helped me be still for a moment and catch my breath. Maybe in this season, being still for me is all about letting go of what I can’t control to focus on what is in my power to do so that my part in the bigger picture can be accomplished joyfully. Through these gorgeous layers of texture and paints I was reminded once again that the waves will calm down, and I will be able to appreciate the beauty of the ocean once again…I can chose to be still.

How is your creative process helping you make room for stillness and rest these days?

– Jannette-

I had a good time creating this mixed media tag. Here a used an Etcetera Tag and the Modern Floristry Dies from @timholtz and @Sizzix. These tags are great surface to work on, holds plenty of mediums and it is perfect for collages and all mixed media endeavors. This set of days is so versatile and easy to assemble, adding such beautiful embellishment to your projects.

These days we must do whatever it takes to cultivate a hopeful heart, a grateful heart, a forgiving heart…a compassionate heart. Art has a way of connecting me to those attitudes and those choices. Recognizing the beauty around me, taking the time to express that gratitude and being intentional to participate in my creative process, is a great way to remind myself to keep dreaming and keep hoping.

Hi Friends,

I am super excited to be a part of the Gratitude Junk Journal 2021 and I can not wait to share in that space with you as you explore your own creative process and practice gratitude together.

The expression of gratitude is such a healing and liberating element for our hearts. So many little joys and gifts can go unnoticed at times because, of course, even if we don’t want to… life can be very busy. Therefore setting aside time to pause engaging our creative hearts and practicing gratitude while we play is a great way to notice those tiny moments, joys and reasons to be grateful for, in the first place.

I would love for you to join us in this course! The Gratitude Junk Journal 2021 has a wonderful group of instructors ready to share ideas, inspiration and techniques in a fun and creative way. and the registration opens TODAY!!!

Early Bird price 20% off good through October 31st. But…wait! It gets better! We have an extra early, Early Bird prize for those who sign up before October 17th- you will receive The Gratitude Junk Journal 2017 class FREE!!!!

Do not wait too long and take advantage of this Early Bird discount and Prize!

Please click on this link https://embrace-your-art.teachable.com/courses/gratitude-junk-journal-2021/?affcode=128383_pbcbc5ko to register.

Use code: JOY2021 for early bird registration discount.

I look forward to being with you in class!

Much Love,

Jannette Simmons

Tonic Studios July 2021 Blog Hop: Patterns & Prints

“Others have seen what is and asked why. I have seen what could be and asked why not. ” –Pablo Picasso–

Growing up, my mom was a huge inspiration to me. Her creativity was relentless and I often wondered how she did so much with so little! Anything from a craft project to setting up a dinner table-she made it all look delicate and beautiful. Whenever she worked on a project, she always had that look on her face that said: what if…? or why not…?

It didn’t take long for me to realize that a creative mind finds possibilities everywhere, often in places that others had overlooked. This understanding shaped me in such a way that it transferred into my personal and creative life, even today. It isn’t always about the quantity but rather about the willingness to look beyond and find creative ways to use what you already have!

When I got these Stamps and Dies from Tonic Studios, inspired by Maria Willis (@cardbomb) – I was very excited. This 6×8 stamp and die bundle it’s perfect for my mixed media world. It coordinates with the Background & Borders bundle for increased versatility.

I started the process initially on a cradle wood panel, with a completely different design… (there is a reel on my feed showing the initial stages of the panel). However, somewhere in the process I felt stuck with the composition and ended up covering those amazing patterns that I had already created with the dies. Frustrated, I thought to myself: Why not try something different?

Therefore, I decided to try again and work on a smaller Canson Mixed Media board and explored with maximizing the use of the stamps and dies as much as I could on the board… and what a delightful surprise! It was like creating two pieces in one.

In the first 2-3 pictures here, you see that I focused on creating a design that highlighted the bundle by creating a colourful and contrasting background with multiple textures (collaging with paper, adding gesso, gel medium, molding paste, watercolor, some acrylics, rub-ons and scribbling with ink) allowing some of these textures to peek through in the lighter areas. I added pearls on both sides to keep things cohesive, and a flower design from Open Journey.

While in the last three pictures, you see how I turned the same piece into a slightly different by adding a few more stamps. I even switched the colors removing a bit of the warmth and adding more of the blue. In this process I added more texture mixing some of the text stamp and the dots. I was really happy with the look.

I removed the pearls from the left side, and instead added another piece of die cut with a completely different shape from the bundle to contrast and complement the flower, adding some more layers with the bigger splatty circle stamp. It was so much fun. I also added couple of words from the Big Chat Ideology to complement the theme and narrow the focal point.

I am glad that I was able to move past the initial frustration and found other possibilities by pushing myself out of my comfort zone to create a dual project that allowed me to try multiple stamps and dies on the same surface! This was a really fun process and I can’t wait to explore with the rest of them.

In this bundle you will find: 15 total stamps in a mixed media style that is perfect for creating beautifully textured backgrounds and projects and 14 total dies. Includes bold word dies that be rearranged to create new sentiments. Use in combination with the bold word dies from Backgrounds & Borders to increase your sentiment options! Includes four sentiment dies in a fun cursive font that have both the text and shadow dies. Includes two large stand-alone dies that can be used to create backgrounds, accent pieces or used as stencils to add texture to your projects.

https://www.tonic-studios.com/products/stamp-club-patterns-prints-stamp-die-set-sc11

Maria Willis, thank you for inviting me to be a part of this Blog Hop (my first time ever, so now you, my wonderful readers, can be gracious with me if this blog looks different than the rest. lol)

I loved your designs and I can’t wait to continue to play and explore many more possibilities with them.

And to you, wonderful reader, thank you for coming by and checking out this blog. I hope you were inspired to play and explore your own and unique creative process.

Don’t forget to check out the bloggers participating in this :

Maria Willis	https://www.cardbomb.com/2021/07/video-tonic-studios-patterns-prints.html
Ilda Dias	https://www.ilovedoingallthingscrafty.com/2021/07/patterns-prints-friendship-mixed-media.html
Jen Kray	https://jenkraydesign.blogspot.com/2021/07/stamp-club-patterns-prints-blog-hop.html
Debi Adams	https://debi-adams.com/?p=7444
Kulbir Kirkland	https://luv2papercraft.com/?p=1517
Amber Rain Davis	https://notableink.com/?p=15447
Erica Andersson Burke	https://cacacraftblog.wordpress.com/?p=5810
Channin Pelletier	https://channin.wordpress.com/2021/07/30/tonic-studios-patterns-and-prints-blog-hop/
Sandi MacIver	https://sandimaciver.com/tonic-studios-patterns-and-prints/

And remember, there is a GIVEAWAY:

GIVEAWAY #1:

One lucky winner will win a £50/$50 Gift Card to Tonic Studios and the Patterns & Prints bundle! To enter comment on every blog in the hop by 11:59pm PST on August 4, 2021/ 7:59am GST on August 5, 2021

Winner will be announced on August 6th, 2021 on IG and FB so make sure you’re following all of the Tonic Studios social media accounts!

GIVEAWAY #2:

-Every purchase of the Patterns & Prints Bundle will also receive a free gift from Tonic Studios automatically included in their purchase.

-Free gift is the small Happy Birthday stamp set. There is a graphic for this stamp set in the graphics folder.

With love,

-Jannette Simmons–

“Clipped wings, I was a broken thing, had a voice but I could not sing; you would wind me down, I struggled on the ground… I struggle to fly now” -Sia- Bird Set Free

I have loved this song from the moment I heard it for the first time. I related so much to these lyrics. It’s amazing how someone else’s experience would give them a creative expression that could touch many in places they didn’t know they needed to be touched, or reminded. I love that about the creative process!

Recently, I was interviewed by LaQuisha Hall (@confidentcanvas) as she was honoring the month of Domestic Violence awareness. It was my first time talking a little bit about my mom’s story and my own on social media. As you can imagine, many emotions, but for sure lot’s of gratitude for God’s redemption in our story and for the power of community.

I remember sharing about that day…the day when I had to make the tough choice of running away for my life while leaving my mom behind because she didn’t feel ready to escape with me. I bursted into tears as I shared about how I felt as if my wings were broken and began to heal that day…it’s almost as if a new pair of wings were being birth in me again. It was for sure going to take a long time for the healing process and for me to learn how to fly again…but I eventually did.

As Sia’s lyrics said: “you held me down but I fought back loud”… I had to fight my way out. I gathered a few scars in the process…but it was worth it. I am well aware that not all can scape or fight for their lives. It’s never easy, there is not a formula. However when we do…something beautiful begins to happen…your wings begin to heal. Part of my healing was found by helping other women and young girls that were struggling in similar areas. Your journey can serve as a healing to others as well.

There are many pieces of our stories that have caused our wings to be clipped. At times it’s hard to look at our wings and not feel scared. But we will fly again!

Don’t look at your broken wings with shame- look at them with compassion and love. Remember they’ve been through a lot…but they will be restored. They will feel like a brand new pair of wings when you heal.

For me, it began with realizing that I was made for more. Followed by the decision to scape, and being supported by my faith and my church community.

I don’t know if there are areas in your heart where you feel like you are being held down, and that you’re struggling to get back up…

Let me encourage you today…you were made for more. You matter. You’re worthy. You are loved. We were not created to live in fear, and held down by violence, injustice or abuse of any kind. We were created by love and for love. We were created to fly!

Consider to give your wings a chance to be healed…a chance to be free to fly again. You will not regret it.

This piece was inspired by the story of many survivors that decided to fight for their lives…and in honor to those that are still trying to find their way.

Hugs,

Jannette

Sometimes before I start a new piece, I already have a clear idea of the structure and composition style that I would like to use. Other times, I have no clue- yet I still start working on it and trust my intuition to guide my process.

I’m recently learning that sometimes it’s OK to not know the outcome I want to see in a particular piece. That shouldn’t block me or prevent me from enjoying my creative process. I can still continue working on it and and see which parts I actually like and block out the rest. This is exactly what I had to do here.

This piece is not finished yet but I really love where is going. I had to block out a portion of it and paint over it:) I’m now starting to look at some new possibilities.

Trusting your intuition when creating something new is a great way to find beauty in the middle of the chaos. If you don’t like some of what you see…you can always block it out and keep moving. Before you know it you will find something beautiful and fun to continue to build upon.

-Jannette-

It is always fun for me to see my artwork framed. The frame finishes the piece bringing all the details together for me.

One thing I’m realizing is that my life is also like an art piece. It can be display and even look good without a frame , but sometimes my perspective can be out of place and my focal point in the opposite side of where it should be. Then, I realize that I need to frame my perspective. My views on myself, my choices, my circumstances and my realities.

Once all is framed properly, I can see it clearer and better. I can appreciate the beauty and shift my focal point to where it needs to be.

It sounds simple, but it actually takes practice.

Framing our perspective about ourselves and the life we are living is a regular practice, and it helps us stay the course. Is actually very similar to attuning an instrument. The more you practice the more you need to attune, and in time, before you know it, you find yourself playing a beautiful melody. One, that at certain point you weren’t able to play.

Framing perspective, it’s worth the effort.

What parts of your perspective are you being challenged to frame or reframe today?

I am simply grateful that today I was able to try something new. Something out of my comfort zone.

I have been wanting to use Beeswax for ever, but I don’t have the right tools. I experimented with a medium today and I loved the process and the outcome.

Some times, that’s what is all about. What new technique have you been wanting to try in your creative process?

I am often fascinated by the uniqueness and detailed process that is required to create a piece of Artwork. Any kind.

Process matters.

From writing a piece of poetry to crafting an outfit or designing the architectural structure of a building…it all requires a detailed process.

A process requires patience, it requires diligence and intuitive grace. I can’t rush it, push it or fake it. It has to run its course.

This piece is not finished yet. However, it has taught me already a simple but valuable lesson: though things might end up being different than what I’ve planned, they are not necessarily a mistake. Each layer reminds me of why I love mixed media in the first place. There are no mistakes that holds no value in this form of art.

This is true in life as well.

I don’t always have to know the ending, or be able to predict the outcome…I can choose to trust the process. I can let the process show me where to go and what changes or adjustments to make. I can let it run its course and use the experiences of my life to create new layers, new ground, new expectations.

I indeed needed that reminder today as a mom.

I had a whole different idea of what motherhood was going to be like.

I had an initial plan, a strategy, sort of like a blueprint, an idea of the mom I wanted to be and how I wanted my relationship with my children to be. The problem is that I forgot about the process, and the intuitive grace that is required for this task!

Ahh… how wrong I was.

After all the hard work and all the books read, I still have not figured out. When I think I’ve got a better idea of how to make it work, the process shows me something different. 🙂 I feel most times like I do not know what I am doing. I don’t know what the outcome will be. Things are changing, kids are growing, I’m evolving and I no longer have the same blueprint. Actually, I don’t have one at all.

This I know, I will keep showing up. Even when I can’t guarantee the outcome, even when all I can see is one layer at a time…I know at the end of this process there will be a beautiful masterpiece.

That masterpiece will be a tender reminder that those layers were not in vane, those layers are proof that I’ve been moving through the seasons doing the work. Loving well, to the best of my ability. Not always perfect, but steady.

I can’t rush it, I can’t fake it.

I choose to trust the process. I choose to trust the One who placed me in this role in the first place. I leave the outcome in his hands.

I will be kind to myself in this process.

Jannette