by Maddie

In honor of Independence Day, we’re going to be reading a freedom-focused excerpt from Mari’s story :   Mari knew they wanted her to be like that swallow, the bird that wasn’t chained to fear but free to live boldly and confidently and believe that she was loved and lovable. Even her bright and bold flower-of-a-name pointed her to that conclusion. And the mantra Cresida taught her was helping… unchain… her, as it was teaching her how to look at things less fearfully and mor

What’s the thing you really want… but are yet to have?   And I’m not talking about really wanting a certain item from the store, or craving your favorite meal, or your dream vacation. I’m talking about a big thing; a desire that aches within you. The thing you’ve prayed about a thousand times… only to still be lacking an affirmative answer.   What’s  that  thing?   For me, it’s progress. To move forward with my life—meet a guy, get married, have kids—instead of going through

Did you know that Jesus is actually a part of the Old Testament? Even though the New Testament is comprised of His life and ministry, mentionings of the Messiah are certainly not limited to this latter half of the Bible. In fact…   Way back in Genesis 3, after Adam and Eve sin, God curses the Satanic serpent. He declares, “I will put enmity [between] you and the woman, [and] between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, [and] you shall bruise His heel” (Gen 3:15)

When I think of summer, I don’t think of Easter. Maybe that’s just me, but, ya know, Easter’s for springtime and bunnies and lambs and chicks, right?   Well, come to find out…   Easter season actually lasts for over a month (forty to fifty days, according to my online sleuthing). You see, there’s this handy dandy thing called a church calendar because, as it so happens, we celebrate a lot more than Christ’s birth, death, and resurrection. In fact, there are specific times ass

I wanna tell you a little story. A couple years ago, in a season where lies felt more potent than the Truth, I went to my parents and asked the most vulnerable, soul-bearing question I could think of: Why do they love me? When I asked this, I was expecting something along the lines of, Maddie, we love you because you’re smart. We love you because you follow Jesus. Are kind, creative, etc. Instead, my typically-stoic dad gave an answer that stopped me in my fear-believing trac

We're going to do something a little different today. What is it, you may ask? I've come to the mind-altering conclusion that not everyone is going to read my books. And I get it; fantasy isn't everyone's cup of tea, and I'm sure that a devotional on anxiety won't be either. However, there are pieces of Christ embedded in all of my creative endeavors; thus, I want to start sharing exerts from my written works... not just my visual ones. And so, I give you a piece from my unpu

This afternoon, I was sitting outside and pondering God’s lovely summer creations (my fancy way of saying  Maddie was taking a break from writing to eat a snack and get some sun ) when a tiny, spirited bird soared across my yard.   Now, I wouldn’t be able to tell you what kind of songbird it was, nor even the colors—it was that fast—but I do know that it was making a ruckus while hopping around in our bushes.   And it got me thinking: although I couldn’t see it, I knew it wa

In honor of the beginning of summer, I want to talk about flowers. Or, more specifically the limited lifespan of a single bloom.   Some flowers —like crocuses and snow bells—only last a few days. Maybe three or four before their delicate petals wither away. Others—sunflowers and zinnias—seem to flourish for weeks, enduring the late-summer heat without problem.   But most of them, I’d say, bloom for no more than a week…   Tulips can’t hold themselves tall. Peonies bloom around

In full disclosure, I’ve been in a funk for the past few weeks. Thinking about all the things God  hasn’t  done—like give me a husband, book sales, or a steady stream of income—I’ve lost sight of all that He  has .   But then, as I was hunting through my files to find a picture of today’s print , I found a little document called  high school testimonials  (fun fact: I actually painted that building for one of my teachers). Inside, I discovered various affirmations from teac

Once upon a time, there was a little girl who wanted to write stories about mermaids and princesses. And of course, since no one else could get the details  just right , she had to draw them too. Thus began her writing career. It was slow, at first, just little manuscripts crafted with marker and crayon. But gradually, her ideas shifted—magical tree houses and friends’ adventures and puppies galore—and then shifted again—essays and analytics and studying, studying, studying—a

I wrote the words for this Motivational Mini a while ago, and honestly, this encouragement has been a poignant reminder for me today. You see, the past few weeks have been wrought with horrible anxiety attacks, brought on for a variety of reasons.  Most days start out fine, but as the hours and tasks drag on, I get overwhelmed. Stressed. Anxious. Somehow, I don’t think I’m alone in this. Somehow, I think many of us can relate to feeling okay one moment… then broken and breaki

I have no idea what to write about for this week. Part of that is because I don’t have a grand sermon to go with this sticker (it’s simply based off of a doodle I thought was cute), and the other part is due to being tired. This introvert has had a people-packed few days and boy, am I feeling the effects now.   That being said, I’ve done a little research about the lotus flower . As most of us know, it is depicted heavily in Buddhism and Hinduism—representing everything fro

God can be pretty funny. You know how I know this? Because I design my products weeks, if not months, in advance of posting them. And I post them randomly, no pattern of print, sticker, cards, sticker, or something like that. Plus, the day I write about them (which is here, in this blog, btw), is usually a week after I post them on my website. And yet, all of this to be said, the design I created months ago, posted last week, and am writing about today… Is comprised of a holy

As I’ve mentioned before, I love being outside. Last spring, I  especially  loved it because a cardinal family made a nest in our yard. In fact, this cardinal couple didn’t just choose our yard, but my spot… Where I sit in my Adirondack chair.  Where I rest in the shade provided by flowering bushes and a tiny tree.  Where I talk to God, pondering the wonders of His Creation.  It was there, right above me, that the birds’ nest lied.   As you can probably imagine, I was elated

Pretty little blue bird In a little branch, Has life got you down?   Pretty little blue bird, Don’t fret or flare, God will keep you Safe and sound.   I wrote this poem on the back of this painting, and truly, I don’t remember why I did. What issue I was fretting over or what stressor I was enduring.   Isn’t it odd how the circumstances that inspired this piece are forgotten to me?   Isn’t it odd how we fret and flare and fear… when in all likelihood, the source of our terror

Hope . Those four letters hold a profound impact, don’t they? Various dictionaries define this word in various, somewhat vague ways:   To cherish a desire with anticipation . To  want  something to  happen  or to be  true , and usually have a good reason  to  think  that it might. To look forward to with desire and reasonable confidence . Desire   accompanied   by expectation. Someone (or something) on which expectations are centered . What’s most interesting, however, is the

Now that I’m officially single and “on the market” again, things have been weird. Have you ever been there? Thinking you have your life all figured out... until the floor collapses from underneath you? And there you are, falling, too stunned to figure out how you got yourself into this situation, let alone how you’ll get out of it. Perhaps it's in these rock-bottom, falling-because-the -foundation-you-were-standing-on-gives-out moments… that we need to stop talking and liste

Once upon a time, there was a girl named Maddie. Now, this Maddie girl was seven months into a bizarre "break" with a guy, and well, she wasn't handling it well. But truth be told, her struggles had started lonnngggg before that guy was even in the picture; the past year had been rough, made her mental health not-so healthy. However, things had started to get better... thanks to God permeating her life with so much Scripture, that she began to fall in love. Not with a boy, bu

I'm gonna be honest - this is not a new product. To be blunt, this week's been a little busy, as I'm celebrating my 24th birthday. So... An oldie but a goodie! What started as a tiny, little doodle in my sketchbook has become one of the most profound reminders for me (so much so, that I have it stuck on the very laptop I'm currently writing with). You see, my 23rd year did not go as I expected it to. I'm not going to go into the details now (my next print certainly will thoug

I have a hard time with the snow (and yes, while I know this sticker has zero mention of this white, chilly substance, I'm gonna connect them together; I promise). On one hand, I absolutely adore snow because it is yet another aspect of God's magnificent creation. I mean, what's more beautiful than seeing a blanket of white as far as the eye can see? It's like His puffy, pure, and purifying love is floating down on us, calling us to slow down and bask in His presence. Althoug