This week's moodboard is a little different. I came across this brightly colored parrot on Pinterest and started playing with his colors in Photoshop. After a little experimenting, I landed on this soft mint green and blush pink palette and immediately thought, "Now that's interesting." Next, I adjusted the leaves to match the same vibe, then searched Pinterest for a few more images that fit the palette. Before long, this entire moodboard came together. One thing I love doing is shifting the colors of existing images in Photoshop or Canva. It can completely change the mood of a photo and spark color combinations you probably wouldn't have considered otherwise. It's a great creative exercise when you're feeling stuck. Now tell me... why does this moodboard make me crave a Cosmopolitan and mint chocolate chip ice cream at the same time? 😂 One of my favorite Pinterest features right now is Collages. You can pull elements from different Pins, arrange them into your own moodboard, and even share it as a post. It's a fun way to experiment with color, texture, and style without needing any fancy design skills. Just one warning... set aside a little extra time before you start. Pinterest has a funny way of turning a five-minute idea into an hour-long creative rabbit hole. How would you use this color combination? Would you lean into a retro diner vibe with black and white? Maybe a coastal cottage, a glam bedroom, or a painted furniture piece? I'd love to hear where this palette takes you. 💚🩷

Simply wanted to pop in and say hello. I hope everyone’s summer has gotten off to a great start and it has been filled with family, friends, and creativity. A couple of months ago I exited due to received some devastating news. My mother-in-law, who has been like a second mum to me, was diagnosed with stage 3 multiple myeloma and as a result she is now in stage 4 kidney failure. My husband, me, and our sons, have taken on the roles of caregivers and it has been difficult, and heart wrenching. As with all things there is a natural balance. Shortly after receiving the diagnosis, our oldest and his wife found out they are expecting their second child in October. I truly believe this is the sole reason my mother-in-law is holding on so fiercely. She wants to meet her new great grandchild. Creating has always been my therapy. It has gotten me through events in my life that I otherwise would not have survived. Recently that was not an option due to caring for mum. She asked me a couple of weeks ago why I was not painting and I simply answered, “I have more important things to do.” And I smiled while secretly trying not to cry. Apparently that was the wrong answer and she lectured me in her half English, half Baltic voice I so love. “Help me make something for our new sweet maza.” I had bought fabric already to make a new quilt for my grand baby, but had not started it yet. Mum suggested I create a piece of furniture to match. I went on line to show her the fabric I had ordered and she took it from there. She told me what she wanted and I searched. We ended up buying the cabinet off FBMP, paint and all related supplies that day. It’s still a work in progress but I hope to have in completed in the next week or so. I want her stamp of approval. All of us are supposed to be taking care of her, yet she knew what I needed to get through this - and gave it to me. I can’t express how much I love this woman and how fortunate I feel to have had the amazing in-laws I gained when I married my husband.

This coming weekend marks America's 250th anniversary, and it got me thinking... Inspiration doesn't always arrive as a finished idea. Sometimes it arrives as a feeling. The deep navy of an old flag. The warm cream of weathered wood. The faded red of a vintage quilt. The sparkle of fireworks against a summer night sky. The woven texture of a picnic basket. The stories tucked inside heirlooms that have been passed from one generation to the next. None of those things are artwork. But together... they become a color story. One of my favorite ways to begin creating is with a moodboard. It slows me down and lets me collect pieces of an idea before I ever decide what I'm going to make. Maybe it becomes a painted dresser. Maybe a quilt. Maybe jewelry, pottery, floral arrangements, furniture, or a mixed media canvas. The point isn't to copy what you see. It's to let the feeling guide your creativity. As artists, we can find inspiration almost anywhere if we're paying attention. Holidays. Nature. Music. Architecture. A favorite restaurant. A flea market. Even the colors of a celebration can become the beginning of your next masterpiece. So here's my challenge for you... What's happening around you right now that could become your next moodboard? I'd love to see what inspires you.

Remember in school when Show & Tell was like… “Here’s my rock.” And somehow another kid rolled in with a live turtle, a haunted porcelain doll, and a story about their uncle finding treasure in a ditch? Yeah. This is the grown-up creative version of that. 😏 I want to see what your brain has been cooking up lately. Finished. Half-finished. Slightly unhinged. Covered in glitter. Held together with caffeine and blind confidence. Show us: 🎨 art 🧵 projects 📸 photos 🛠 experiments 📚 ideas 💡 sketches 🔥 happy accidents 👀 something you almost didn’t share because your inner critic was being dramatic again And because this is Creative AF… bonus points if there’s a weird/funny/backstory behind it. Drop your latest creation in the comments and tell us: 👉 What inspired it? 👉 What almost made you quit it? 👉 Or what weird little detail are you secretly obsessed with? Tiny reminder from the creative gremlins in the ceiling: You do not need permission to share your work before it’s “perfect.”

I am so glad to be here amongst creatives! I found skool via wanting to learn to do YT. I love to create, I am just starting creating with paint, after a long hiatus! I need to hang with other creatives and this skool group is filling that need! I have two YT channels, a faith based channel I post weekly on and a channel I started to post art related videos on. I found I am not a tutorial creator, so that channel has not been given much attention. However, this week I pulled out the paints, cut up some cardboard and filmed in time-lapse some critters I painted! I may have discovered a new way to film and it has given me a new desire to get creative with paint! Here is a time-lapse of me painting on cardboard. I made these little magnets to give away to fellow campers at the camp ground we are staying at!