​Here is the first addition of digital artwork to my Etsy store! I have been working and praying over this project for some time. As time permits I want add more artwork that can be used in personal crafting of handmade cards or prints for your walls. Visit my store to purchase this digital artwork!

This first Dinosaur with balloons was created for a Birthday Card! Here's the how-to directions:

• ​Print out the image on cardstock.  You can use Word to size the image down to the size of your card. I was making a 1/4 page folder card so I made my image around 5 inches wide.
• After printing it out, I sketched out his name above the dinosaur. I outlined it with my 05 black pen and then colored it in with my Colored Pencils. Lastly, I used the Color Pencil Blender to soften the pencil marks and give it an almost watercolor feel.
• Lastly I trimmed it and layered it on my card with a blue mat sandwiched in the middle.

Music City Mayhem is the second cover I have created for author Pam Harris in her Mandi Mystery series. It is always a challenge to put together a cover for a preteen book, but I think this one pulls off the energy and color that attracts younger readers. The background skyline of Nashville TN sets the backdrop for the fun and adventure Mandi will jump into in this mystery.

Mandi Ferguson is not impressed by fame. She and her twin sister Kassi, along with her father and great-aunt, are staying on the estate of a famous county music singer, but Mandi is not in awe. Instead, she is intrigued by the faceless woman who appears outside of her bedroom each evening, a woman whose identity no one seems to know. She is also more than curious about who is sending anonymous threats to their hostess Felicity, whom her father has been hired to protect while the police investigate the case. Mandi likes the singer, but she suspects that Felicity and her father may be interested in dating each other—something she definitely doesn’t like.
 
Add a shoplifter, a missing child, and a car accident on a dark highway to the mix, and Mandi has all she can manage in the few days they have left in Tennessee. Knowing they will have to say good-bye once more to their father when their visit ends and realizing that she and her sister are growing farther apart, Mandi is reluctant to accept the many changes in her life. As she unravels the secrets around her, however, she learns that change, whether good or bad, is not always what it first seems to be.

Music City Mayhem will be available from Mantle Rock Publishing in January, 2016. Until then, check out her first book in the series, The Ghost of Graceland.

September is my favorite month of the year. My birthday is in September which is probably the main reason that I have always loved this month. But it also hearkens the autumn season and lets summer play out before us in nature. Fall is my favorite season of the year. I'm drawn to the vivid colors of the trees and the musty scents that fill the air. As a kid, it encompassed the first few weeks of school and the joys of renewing friendships that had lapsed over summer break. For me, school was always wonderful. I loved the challenge and the adventure of learning new subjects. I don't remember mom or dad having to force me to do my homework, but I'm sure they did. I do remember loving to sit at my "school desk" in my bedroom and doing the worksheets or reading my textbooks. Yes, I was a nerd! But my daughter is, in this area, the opposite of me. She finds schoolwork stressful and at times, just overwhelming. This week for her, has been just that. I admit, I'm a fixer, by nature. I want to just find the solution to any problem and fix it. I learned early on, when she was in elementary school that in this area, I have to be a supporter and not a fixer. I have learned to become an encouragement and hopefully, a source of peace. So this week, I created some art for her. She and I both love calligraphy and typography. I've been hoarding Pinterest links to chalkboard fonts and this week I created a "blackboard style" piece for her. Blue is her favorite color and these words are from one of her favorite worship songs, Mighty to Save by Hillsong United. I hope that this will be a reminder that no one or no project is more powerful than her God and His love for her...but mom does come a close second. :)