This Was June

For 2015, I’ve been writing a “looking back” post at the end of each month. It has been a nice practice to sit down, think back over the month, and share what I’ve been learning, reading, and experiencing. I’m also realizing this is also a good practice to do if you’re looking for ways to be more grateful for the life you’ve been given. Sometimes the days and months can flit by so fast it is difficult to “live in the moment” but stopping and writing down even a small list is so worth it.

Drawing – At the beginning of June, I finally signed up for a Creativebug class. I have looked through that site so many times I could tell you pretty much exactly what they have to offer, but I kept on procrastinating trying it out. When I saw they offered two weeks for free, I signed up. My first class was a line drawing class by Lisa Congdon (see my review here.)  Then I took the Drawing and Illustration basics class by Heather Ross. Taking both of those classes made me so happy and taught me some skills and techniques that were new to me. For Father’s Day, I used the techniques I learned in Heather’s class to make a mini painting for my husband of our daughter.

Writing – As some of you might know, I have been writing a workbook called The Creative Retreat. It has been a labor of love for me to create this resource for you as taking mini-retreats has been so incredibly life-giving to me. The workbook is 114 pages of ideas of how to create your own personal retreats, writing and creative prompts, goal-setting, and lots of spaces to dream and plan. (It’s available NOW on Amazon! Eeek!)

Reading: Firefly July: A Year of Very Short Poems is a collection of short poems for children, but I want it for myself. 🙂 The poems are so incredibly vivid and beautiful, I’m finding that I want to letter and stitch and paint the words everywhere. I’ve also been going through a study by Priscilla Shirer called, He Speaks to Me: Preparing to Hear From God. If you’ve ever wondered if God really speaks to us or how to hear his voice, I think you would like this book. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve read exactly what I needed to hear for that day while doing this study.

I also came across a fun book called The Paintbrush Playbook. The tagline says, “44 Exercises for Swooshing, Dancing, and Making Dazzling Art With Your Brush.” Doesn’t that sound like fun? I love how the author shares such easy techniques. You don’t have to have any experience with painting to use this book–it is all about experimenting with strokes and playing. 🙂

Planning: I received my first Erin Condren planner in the mail this month, and oh my goodness, I nearly cried as I flipped through the pages. It is 17 months of wonderfulness. I gulped when I realized my daughter will be 4 years old when that calendar comes to an end. My new planner starts in July, and I cannot wait to start using it.  I love how there are encouraging quotes interspersed through the pages and a small box on each week’s spread to write what you’re thankful for—what a great idea. 🙂

Making: 2030make. Okay, you guys. Seriously? You were amazing (and continue to be so!) during the 2030make challenge. I loved seeing your posts on Instagram and chatting with some of you on Twitter and via email. You all are so talented—good grief! I think 2030make is going to be an ongoing goal in my life.

I finished so many mini projects (like making a free summer scrapbook printable for you) and was able to start some really big ones (organizing our office/creative space—eek!) and purposefully setting aside that 20 minutes each day made me just do the thing. There were times when I would kind of groan to myself, “I don’t want to do this today,” but once I got started, it was difficult to stop!

Ah, June! I’m not quite ready to let you go. But on to July it is!

How was your June?

Hope you all have a lovely {and creative} day!