Hi Guys!

So much has happened since the last time I’ve updated this blog. To start, I moved to Oregon and fulfilled my greatest dream… I live walking distance to the beach! I also discovered that I had been deceived and, even though the need for an artistic outlet was vital, I was completely dry.

It’s been a year since I rid myself of the liars/manipulators/users and meth-heads. While in Illinois training with my Service Dog for six weeks, I returned to find my home had been vandalized, everything of value stolen (including my diplomas and USMC materials), my bank account emptied, and my two old Border Collies abandoned to die. I lost Princess and Diamond went completely blind.

Yes, there’s a special place in the afterlife for people like my ex and the meth-head roommate. But I have to believe that God never gives us more than we can handle. I’m now happily divorced and free from the leech that was my husband (who, I discovered, had been married FIVE times and used women to support him even though we were the, uh, wrong gender?). My best friend now lives with us and every day is an adventure. It’s because of her that I started repurposing furniture for donation to our favorite charities.

As I get caught up with life, I’ll start to add tutorials for the pieces I’m working on- many, of which, are dollar store and/or free!

Loves to all of you!

Bree

Thanks for joining me down this path to calmness. The purpose of this blog is two-fold: it will allow me to share my own path to wellness and hopefully encourage others. It will also provide an outlet for all of our art while learning to love ourselves, no matter how twisted we believe we can be.

Just an FYI- being ‘normal’ is over-rated. And boring.

I don’t consider myself a professional artist- my training’s been informal (no art degree), nor am I exceptional in my craft. What I do have is passion, desire and a genuine love for people. Am I qualified to teach art therapy? I have an MA in psychology and use art to calm my life. It works for me, so I pray it will helps others as well.

Art comes in many forms. Until recently, my art’s been focused on the written word. After publishing over sixty-five best selling novels, I realized my muse was ‘drying out’ and needed different stimulation. My Uncle Richard stepped in, taught me how to make book covers, and then challenged me to start painting. His work is breathtaking- in fact, this painting he did for me celebrated my favorite series (The Generals’ Daughter©) and served as a catalyst to explore my artistic potential.

Go check out his work! He’s also an awesome publisher and the nicest, most honest guy you’ll ever know 🙂

So, what are we going to do? We’ll have projects, experiments, discussions– the blog will be available to anyone who wants to be involved. I’ll protect the readers/participants from trolls (there’s always a few out there) and do what I can to help you guys and encourage the helping of one another.

Basic rules:

1. Be respectful, courteous, and encouraging.
2. This is a ‘family’ site, so please keep images/discussions family friendly. (I’ll put a PW page up if any of you submit you own mature artwork to share).
3. This is a safe place to showcase your work! You don’t have to even give your real name, okay? This place is a safe harbor for all of us.
4. HAVE FUN! I give you permission to paint outside the lines, make mistakes, and throw away paper. (I wanted to give you permission to buy stuff, too, but John said I can’t. Pout.)

Questions? Don’t be afraid to ask, okay?

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton