This is the home gratitude page layout. I have started buying one stencil each time I go to Michael’s or to an art supply store. I’m so happy with this flower stencil I recently purchased. This page layout is strongly influenced by the large mandalas that I’m working on. The first one is almost done. I’m trying to decide if I want to add gold to it using gold leaf or gold paint. You can see my experiment in the places where the mandala shapes come together. The gold leaf is kind of messy and I’m not very good at it yet, but the color and texture is so much more rich. I may keep practicing. I just talked to the gallery manager where it is going to be shown and they have extended the deadline to the end of August. I’m happy to have more time to figure it out. I also started another big mandala to go along with this one. If they don’t sell they will go in my living room. I’m really happy with them so far.

This gratitude journal entry is from my recent trip to Nashville to spend time with one of my favorite people. We had so much fun playing with art supplies and talking about art and doing show and tell. I used modeling paste with one of the new stencils of gears and that was a new technique for her. She introduced me to a few new kinds of gold paint that was super helpful for my current mandala project. I had brought a stencil for her that I knew she would love and it was just what she needed to finish one of her projects. Sharing art and friendship is one of the greatest joys in life for me. What are you grateful for this week? How did beauty touch your life today?