Visiting Italy is one of life’s greatest pleasures. Imagine spending a week at Lake Como in the springtime—making art, creating connection, and seeing the beautiful sights of this special part of northern Italy! This is your chance to awaken your senses, embrace the unexpected, and create lasting memories.

Join me for a week of creativity in Italy inspired by the beautiful Lake Como, back roads and serene lifestyle, creating a gorgeous travel diary that you’ll treasure always.

You don’t need much to begin a travel journal—just a few simple tools and a willingness to notice. This guide shares what to pack in a travel art kit and how to create meaningfully on the go.

In our fast-paced world, finding moments of calm can feel like a luxury. Mindfulness, the practice of being fully present in the moment, offers a way to navigate the chaos with clarity and peace. While meditation and yoga are often associated with mindfulness, art can also be a powerful and accessible avenue for cultivating this state of presence. Whether you’re painting, drawing, or simply observing, engaging with art invites you to slow down and connect with the here and now.

As I reflect on my journey, I’ve come to realize how deeply I feel called to support women stepping into what I lovingly call the “elder sage era.”

Feeling a little frazzled? Yeah, same. But guess what? You don’t need a fancy spa day (though I certainly wouldn’t turn down a massage). Nope, all you need is a blank page, some colors, and permission to make a glorious, messy, unfiltered masterpiece—just for you. Permission granted - welcome to the world of creative self-care, where art journaling takes center stage.

As I walked home, now in the pouring rain, I stopped in my tracks to look around for the boulangerie that just had to be right in front of me.  No patisserie or boulangerie in sight, I said aloud to the empty street, “the air smells like butter”.  I shook my head and took up my walk again, thinking, “oh Paris, you are a wonder.” 

All of the women in my family are makers.  In the seventies, my mother whipped up gauze-y caftans while my little sister and I made troll clothes out of the fabric scraps scattered about the floor.  We hand stitched purses and pillows.  We strung tiny seed beads into necklaces. To this day, I’m happiest in my studio, channeling the women who came before me and remembering those summer days at my mother’s feet chattering nonstop with her and my sis.

After a much anticipated trip to Paris in April 2022, I realized, at the age of 59, that I am happiest in Paris. Haha! I mean, who wouldn’t be? Everything is just better in Paris. I was more creative in Paris than I’d been in ages. I loved wandering the Paris arrondissements and really exploring them with an intense focus. I was giddy. So happy and in my element. Oh, Paris.