Fun Free Stuff for January

Happy New Year or New Year's Eve to those in the northern hemisphere! I said I wouldn't be posting here again until mid-month, but I just wanted to share some awesome inspiration which will be useful for me to find all in one place. These are all cool things for you to explore this year. Some are January-focused but could easily be done later. 

Caylee Grey of Get Messy has a Release & Return workbook. This was shared through her newsletter so make sure you do that too - sign up at the bottom of this page. 

Focusing on your creativity, reflect on 2023, release that which no longer serves you, and return to your true self as you prepare for 2024. Make a plan for bringing things into your life that your heart wants. This was in my pre-Christmas December review post but I didn't manage to do this in December. Thought I might print and take it on holiday with me.

In the past I've also done Susannah Conway's "Unravel your year" and "Find your word" offerings. Grab the link to get these sent to your email HERE. 

Rae Missigman has released a new stencil line and her tutorials on how to make these gorgeous tags might get you creative for an afternoon. 

See her video on YouTube and stills from that on the Stencil Girl Blog. I'm not buying new stencils, but I will be trying her techniques out on tags. Even if you're not into the floral work, I recommend watching her video for ideas of how to use the gelli plate. She is a wonderful teacher.

Erin Bishop of E B Mixed Media has released a class that is called Fabulous Florals. Free for a limited time HERE (no ideas when the limited time ends). Make beautiful floral fodder and stash for future projects. 

You might also like to check her demos out on Youtube and I am always inspired by her Instagram account.

Also shared previously but useful to have gathered in this post : Junk Journal January. This is a collaboration and hosted by megjournals in collaboration with Get Messy (from above)

This is the same concept as when I did Junk Journal July last year. Each day throughout the month, watch a new video from 30 different creators on YouTube. Some fabulous artists to watch. 

Thousands of artists also participate in The 100 Day project every year. 

It's happening again in 2024 - starts Feb 18, and Roben-Marie has shared her intentions and a free workbook and tracker for 2024 HERE - her 8th year of doing this!

It always seems a bit overwhelming to me, but you could maybe try working on a small substrate like a tag or mini-journal - you could start with the Junk Journal January prompts. I've also seen people complete this as a weekly challenge - be fun to make a master sheet on the weekend and then use that for the week ahead...So many possibilities.

Note to self : You can do ANYTHING, but you can't do EVERYTHING!

Wishing you a happy and creative year ahead. 

September fun

I finished my September journal cover and I'm so loving it I had to share in case you missed that I added it to my August journal post. The fabrics were dyed by me inspired by a recent fodder school lesson - it's Spring in New Zealand 💜

I get overwhelmed by the sheer number of gorgeous online art courses that are available, but I do love sharing all the free things with you. 

Kristi Nazzaro and Kristin Peterson have done another collaboration (see their first one HERE) - this time it's called Trading Papers and you can check it out HERE.

I shared some videos of Kirstin and Kristi sharing some trading papers HERE which I expect sparked this sharing of the latest collaboration. Just looking at what they sent each other sparks ideas, and if you watch the project directly after you can see how you might incorporate papers into a similar project of your own. 

Also there's another 2 weeks of free Taster lessons to launch Tam's collaborative Life Book 2023. Sign up HERE. 

The Life Book Taster Sessions will begin on 26th of September and will run until 9th October 2022. 

And this is something new to me, A Year in Colour. You can have access to a free sampler from September 23-30, 2022

Check out all the details and sign up HERE.

Do you know Kirsten Varga's work? She appears regularly on the Stencil Girl blog, often creating gorgeous handmade books. I am so inspired by what she does - check her out on Instagram and YouTube. Her video instructions are clear and colourful. This is the first book on my must try list : Buttonhole Stitch Book 

Wishing you a Joy-filled week.

Free creative online inspiration

There are some fabulous free offerings happening June-July. I joined Tam's Kaleidoscope course in 2020, and while I haven't completed all the lessons, I recommend this course. She explores colour in such an accessible way and it's another collaborative course with many wonderful teachers. Each year she creates a new version and there's a new free taster week to launch it. This year it starts 27 June. Register HERE.

These are the lessons from Tam for the Taster and I'm particularly excited to see the Klimt inspired piece : 

Looking towards July, The Free Fodder Challenge will run July 5th-13th (9 days of short, fun fodder lessons from our new Fodder School 2 teachers). 

Sign up for Willa Wanders newsletter HERE to make sure you don't miss out plus you'll get the Surrender Pocket instructions and her mixed media tags online class as a free gift 💜

In the middle of that, I'm very lucky that this free creative weekend falls at the beginning of my next school holidays.

Register HERE. From past experience, this one can feel more pressured because you only have 24 hours to watch the content, but you mustn't feel like you have to see it all. Best strategy is to choose a few favourite teachers and enjoy them as free inspiration and time for you.

And remember when I made this tag book?

It was inspired by a workshop called Tagged, Sewn, Connected with Kristi Nazzaro from Soul Positive and Kristen Peterson of Altered States Studio. They have recently done another fun collaborative project where they traded papers and then made a project from them. So inspired by all of this. Just looking at what they sent each other sparks ideas, and if you watch the project directly after you can see how you might incorporate papers into a similar project of your own.

Kristi's unboxing of the papers Kristen sent here

Kristi's project made from the papers here

Kristen's unboxing of the papers Kristi sent here 

Kristen's project made from the papers here

Wishing you creative joy. 

Spring Reset and Free class links

In my part of New Zealand we are down to Alert Level 2. That means continued mask wearing in public spaces but the ability to see family and friends again. After a stormy end to the week, we have been blessed with sunshine again and yesterday was a trip to the Kapiti coast with a beach walk

Today we've been celebrating my nephew's 14th birthday. I am very grateful for having my immediate family so close.

With Spring in the air it's a time of new beginnings and I've been spending the rest of my weekend thinking about what's making me happy creatively. More and more I'm feeling like I'm doing some of the lessons in my art journals just because I bought the course for the year and I’m determined to finish. While I enjoy working in them once I start, I procrastinate about which lesson I want to try and I think it’s because I would rather stitch. I have no problem doing my weekly tag challenge. I've had the intention to include more stitch for the last few years, but it keeps getting lost. So what am I waiting for? 

I hereby give myself permission to not finish my current art journals. I can still watch the lessons for learning, but I will not work in my art journal unless I'm truly inspired and excited. My time to create is precious and I really want it to be time that is making me feel fulfilled and is heart led. From now on I hope to be sharing art projects that include more stitch and book making. With that in mind, I've made some new purchases that I'm very excited about : 

Wendy Solganik's Wonky Bits Class. I'm waiting for some supplies to arrive but I've watched all the lessons and have been inspired in all sorts of ways to include stitched bits in my work, although this is not what she demonstrates! 💜

I love Klimt and am so inspired by his art. When I saw these 10 stencils for sale as a bundle through Joggles I just had to have them. Even though I had to pay postage and convert to NZ dollars it makes the stencils only about NZ$12 each. 

Again, I have to wait a while for these to arrive but I have school holidays in 3 more weeks so should be perfect timing - fingers crossed. 

If you're seeking some new inspiration, I've found out about a couple of new Free offerings this month. Rae Missigman announced 5 videos across 5 days with 5 Superstars through StencilGirl beginning 13th September.

Videos coming from Carolyn Dube, Seth Apter, Rae Missigman, Lucie Duclos, and Traci Bautista only available to watch for a limited time. Sign up to the Stencil Girl newsletter The Scoop! - the link's on the blog HERE. Or if, like me, you're already a subscriber, go to your Stencil Girl Studio dashboard and click on All Courses to find the link to this Free offering. 

Coming later this month - 2 weeks of Free taster sessions for Life Book 2022! Sign up for them HERE. 

I hope that the sun is shining wherever you are and that you have time to create with joy.

Free Online art classes

I decided that it would be useful to give my list of Free online art classes (originally posted in 2013) a complete overhaul for our use in 2021. I'll continue to update it if you let me know of resources I've missed and you can always get here by clicking on the top right link below my profile. I'll also share any new inspirations via new blog posts. See the latest free offerings by clicking HERE.

Alisa Burke : Finding your Muse. Seeking inspiration off the computer and in your world.

Holiday Play. A class to get you inspired to get you creative in all kinds of ways in the holiday season.

Alisa is giving discounts on many classes during the pandemic and you can get lots for only US$15. Check out all her offerings HERE. 

Brandi Dayton : 2 free workshops offered after her son's death. 

6 free lessons by Brandi : The birds and the bees

18 lessons : Brandi and a variety of other artists. The below image is from Toni Burt's lesson. A thing called love.

Carolyn Dube : Permission to Play : This is a 5 lesson workshop with each new video lesson coming out every 3 days. 

Daisy Yellow (Tam) : Prompt 60 Index HERE.

Draw your words : A hand-lettering workshop - no charge but you can add to her Tip Jar {minimum $5} and also gain access to the private FB group with extra content, discussion, Q&A and tips. 

Documented Life Project - documenting daily with weekly prompts - blog HERE, FB group HERE. This continues in 2021 and links remain the same. You can also scroll back through previous years' prompts.

Effy Wild : a full art journal lesson - Go HERE.

Join Effy's FB group The Wilderhood and have access to free lives and lots of sharing of other free art offerings.

Everthing Art : I've done a few free offerings with Kasia Avery but they are often only available for a limited time. See all the current courses including free options HERE, plus sign up to their newsletter HERE to keep up with new resources and offerings as they happen. 

Ivy Newport : A number of free tutorials combining mixed media and encaustic techniques HERE.

Also get her free Art Journal Box Lesson HERE - used to decorate this journal cover : 

Jeanne Oliver : Free online class links HERE

Jenny Grant : Free inspiration HERE.

Kara Bullock : Free art tutorials HERE - like below and also using charcoal

Katrina Koltes : free tutorials HERE.

Laly Mille : free 5-day workshop about supplies HERE

Laura Horn Art : Free resources HERE.

Marieke Blokland : Art journal school 

Marit Barentsen : Quirky Dutch Summer Ten weeks during the Summer, ten blog posts that are like the Dutch Summer itself: quirky! There is only one general theme: inspiration! The posts can focus on a certain technique, handle a certain topic but you will also find fully elaborated tutorials! You can basically just see the series as a free – 10 week – ‘summer art school’. The link will take you to posts from 2019 and previous years.

Melanie Rivers : Free Resources Including mixed media lessons with emphasis on faces, curated Unsplash images for portrait inspiration, and self-compassion resources.

Roben-Marie Smith : Urban Journal Remix

and Transitions Journal

Strathmore Workshops 2021. All the information HERE. 

First one starts March and they are available for the year until December 31. You can check out their video lessons from previous years via their YouTube.

Susannah Conway : workbook to help you Unravel Your Year

and a lovely 5-day email course to Find Your Word for 2021

Terri Kahrs : I Have a Secret journal workshop - all 10 videos available on YouTube.

The entire workshop from 21 Secrets 2013 - all of the original class PDF's, templates and images so you can make your own journal.

Tiare Smith : 

Sign up for her free tutorials HERE. 
Toni Burt : free Face lessons on her site HERE. Latest uploaded March : 

Tracy Verdugo : Abstract Approaches

Stories of a She-Tribe

Willowing : Tam has created a page with links to free resources while staying at home HERE.  

It's worth signing up to her newsletter on this page for lovely free offers and general inspiration.

With warm wishes for a creative 2021 💜