Setúbal wraps around you slowly, like linen in a breeze. Mornings began with a walk to the waterfront, past fishing boats bobbing lazily in the harbor and market stalls bursting with color—plump oranges, wildflowers, hand-painted tiles. The air was laced with salt and sunshine, and the pace of life invited us to breathe a little deeper, move a little slower.

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.

This is your invitation to join us in an immersive 10-day all-inclusive creative journey in collaboration with Perigord Retreats. We will be staying in the Dordogne and Lot regions of southwestern France, a place full of exquisite beauty, fascinating history & endless inspiration!

There’s something deeply satisfying about the act of gathering—the hunt, the discovery, the thrill of finding just the right piece. In vintage art journaling, this process isn’t just a preliminary step; it’s a foundational ritual, a practice that invites inspiration before you even put pen, paint, or collage to paper.

Color is more than just paint on a page—it’s emotion, memory, and storytelling wrapped into one. When creating a vintage art journal, the colors you choose become an extension of your creative voice. They set the mood, evoke nostalgia, and guide the visual rhythm of your pages. But where do you begin? Should you embrace the soft elegance of a monochrome palette, the harmony of a limited selection, or the exuberance of all the colors?

Torn, Stitched, and Layered

Vintage art journaling is a sensory experience—one that invites you to build layers of history, emotion, and artistry onto each page. By incorporating texture through torn papers, stitched fabrics, and layered elements, you create depth and dimension that make your pages feel alive.

Art journaling is more than just an exercise in creativity; it is a visual form of storytelling. Every torn page, every brushstroke, every carefully placed piece of ephemera whispers a fragment of your personal narrative. In vintage art journaling, storytelling is deeply intertwined with composition—how you arrange elements on a page determines the mood, meaning, and magic of your piece.

In the world of art journaling, there’s a quiet kind of magic in the marks we make—those personal gestures that dance across a page, whispering fragments of our stories without ever needing words. Whether it's a splatter of ink, a scratch of pencil, or the gentle press of a handmade stamp, these marks are more than decoration. They’re the beginnings of a visual language—one as unique as your fingerprint.

Embracing Wabi-Sabi in Art Journaling

In a world that often celebrates perfection, symmetry, and polish, there’s a quiet philosophy that whispers something far more liberating: wabi-sabi.

Rooted in Japanese aesthetics, wabi-sabi is the art of finding beauty in imperfection, impermanence, and the natural flow of things. It honors the weathered, the worn, the cracked edges, and the quiet grace of things as they are. A chipped teacup, a faded photograph, a torn page—each tells a story not in spite of its flaws, but because of them.

Unlocking the Magic of Everyday Art Journal Supplies - in a world filled with endless art supplies, it’s easy to get caught up in the idea that we need the latest tools, fancy paints, or specialized papers to create something beautiful.

Want to know what art supplies I take along with me when I travel? It’s all in this video and you’ll be shocked how compact it packs down.

Sometimes the flame just goes out. My creative fire just dies, nothing left but embers. I go to my art toolbox, and there’s nothing in it but wet matches.

Maybe you’ve experienced this, too. No. Creative. Mojo. Period.

Now what?

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.

Through art journaling, guided self-reflection, and meaningful connections with like-minded women, you’ll explore themes of wisdom, joy, self-care, and legacy. Each retreat is an invitation to rekindle your creative spark, nurture your inner sage, and design your next chapter with intention. Come as you are and leave with renewed clarity, purpose, and a beautiful keepsake of your journey. 

Are you ready to release the grip of your inner critic and let your creative spirit shine? Grab your favorite art journal or sketchbook, a splash of color, and open your heart—let’s explore the perfectly imperfect world of art journaling.

I’m delighted to introduce you to my new 30-page guide, Creative Bliss Unleashed: Your Guide to Artful Journaling with Heart & Soul.  I designed this guide to help you discover, or rediscover, the joy of creativity without the burden of needing to “get it right.” It’s about embracing the messiness, finding the magic within, and nurturing your spirit as you create.

Immerse yourself in the beauty, culture, and history of Paris, while creating your own one-of-a-kind vintage travel journal. In this hands-on workshop, we’ll journey through picturesque Paris arrondissements, open air markets, and historic sites and museums, gathering inspiration and unique vintage materials along the way. Using vintage books, antique papers, ephemera, and found objects, you’ll craft a bespoke journal that captures the essence of your travels.

The new year brings a unique opportunity to embrace your own personal renaissance. This is a time for fresh starts and bold steps - a time to dream about what’s next and imagine all that’s possible.

Have you noticed how life has a way of unfolding in chapters, each with its own unique beauty and challenges?

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.”

In our busy, hyper-connected lives, carving out time for self-care often feels like a luxury rather than a necessity. But what if there was a way to practice self-care that also helped us connect deeply with ourselves, experience calm, and find personal empowerment?