A lot has happened since my last blog post!

Last summer I registered for two art business courses, which I’m still working my way through in between freelance work and, you know, life. I can’t wait to finish organizing my portfolio and start selling some fun products! While it’s not yet an officially registered business, I decided to call the illustration side of my freelance work Buttercup Design Studio. Here’s my prototype logo. Isn’t it cute?
My Whimsy & Wisdom weekly e-newsletter is still going strong and is about to celebrate its first anniversary. Well over 200 people get a dose of “serious joy” in their inboxes every Monday morning, and you can, too, by signing up here. (That link also brings up the archive of the last few months, if you want to check out samples.)
I’ve updated my website to highlight my latest projects and showcase some of my illustration work. I’m also offering coaching for writers as well as creative workshops for small groups.

You can now buy my books and colouring pages directly from me online, through my Whimsy & Wisdom shop here.
Last fall, I had the privilege of having my profile of Master Penman Jake Weidmann published in Inspire magazine. (Flip to page 86 of the magazine. Sorry, there’s no way for me to link to a specific page, but if you enter Full Screen mode, you can move the scroll bar at the bottom to the right page.)

I’m currently finishing up illustrations for another multi-artist colouring book being published by Ink & Willow this fall. My contribution will be eight pages, and this is the fifth such book I’ve been asked to collaborate on. Last fall I contributed to this one.
Another Ink & Willow book I collaborated on last year was Resilience, a lovely one-year journal that helps readers let go of worry. I was asked to write the text for it, the second such book I’ve worked on for them.
I’ve had several opportunities to create custom colouring pages and designed a set of Christmas illustrations for a local boutique (available through my online shop as well).
I conducted an experiment last summer and moved my office, art studio, and sewing room upstairs into the apartment above my home when my tenant there left. It was fun for the first five or six months but I eventually realized I missed living in my creative space (or creating in my living space!) so I rearranged things at home and moved back downstairs. Previously, I was trying to use my dining room for my art projects and that just wasn’t practical. Now I simply have a desk in a corner of my living room for my writing and my old office, which was much bigger than it needed to be, is now a dedicated art room. I couldn’t be happier!
I hope you enjoy all these links and find some great new resources for yourself or to give as gifts. Please comment below if you discovered something you particularly like!