by Maddie

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

I'm gonna be honest with you guys - I don't know when or why I wrote this mini's quote. All I know is that it proves true for what I'm going through right now. What do you do when you don't know where God's leading you? For me, that's a question pertaining to my books... specifically, how to publish them. For the last year, I've relied upon self-publishing to share my works; however, I can count on one hand the number of copies I've sold. A couple weeks ago, I was able to get

I'm not gonna lie, Christmas is not my favorite season. And it's not because of the barren winter weather, or the lack of sunlight, or even the gingerbread houses and trees and traditions. Simply put, I just don't like the rush - the hustle and bustle from one party to the next, feeling exhausted by December 9th because Christmas prep starts as soon as Halloween ends. This year I've had the odd experience of being in the 'business owner' world, so for me, I was designing Chri

This blog is going to be short and sweet because, honestly, there's not much to explain with this piece! Like all of the Motivational Minis , the words and artwork are both mine, and in this case, come in the form of a poem! A couple weeks ago, I was partaking in my nightly routine of doodling (great way to reflect and refocus on the Lord, by the way), and depending on my mood, my sketchbook may be filled with cartoons, prayers, random scribblings, or legit art pieces. In thi

There's a lot of bad stuff happening in our world (I don't think I need to list any examples because I'm sure you can come up with them yourself). And this bad. evil, sin, darkness ? Oh, how potent it can be. Recently, I've been noticing all the dark things. I mean, the sun is setting earlier, the leaves are darkening and crumbling, the garden that has become such a respite for me... is withering away before my very eyes. And yet, there are still a few resilient blooms. New c

Introducing a new product! Motivational Minis! Friends, I’ve had this one on my heart for a while. Unlike my other art products, these don’t have one purpose. They are not just prints, or stickers with cute quotes, or encouraging cards. No, these minis are everything and something entirely new… These are my quotes, my words—inspired by God, of course—that are interwoven with my also-God-inspired artwork. This is the only product that combines both the written and visual sides

This week I wanna talk about interruptions. Surprises. Shockers. Stressors. None of which I am very fond of (and I don't think I'm alone in this). Now, as I explained in last week’s post, I was shocked by my sudden lack of employment, and boy, have I been stressed about it. But the Lord has told me to stay the course and persevere in faith, so that’s what I will do.   But thanks to a handy dandy devotional by Max Lucado, the Lord has shown me another perspective on interrupt

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 about 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 m

Hi friends, I'm going to start talking about my artwork a lot more. After all, as anyone who knows me can attest, Maddie and art go together as perfectly as peanut butter and jelly, salt and pepper. Creating - either visually or though my written work - has always been a huge part of my life. I'm sure having an artistic dad plays into that. Or reading story... after story... after story (I really liked reading; still do) with my mom every night. With no siblings to play with,

Today is going to be different. Today is less about words and more about visuals. And if you know anything about me, you may see where this is heading… Artwork.   Truth be told, I have no idea when or why my passion for art began. Was it a particularly rousing preschool craft? Or a fun day doodling with my dad? No clue.  All I know is that God made me to make, created me to create. And as I was thinking about it, this blog only shows the written creations that God’s inspired…

Update: I am still in Ireland. And you, my faithful readers, are still going to have something to read today. Way before many of you knew me, or this website, I was writing. And painting. And explaining my paintings through writing. So I've selected one of my first blogs (go easy on my writing style and how I break up the paragraphs; a lot's changed in three years), sharing the story behind my artwork. I hope you enjoy Cherish and relate to the story before you... Once upon a

I want to rest. Desperately. I’m craving it. So, I thought I would talk about it today. A few months ago, I painted this little watercolor bouquet and adorned it with the name "Enough.” Why would I choose such a word? Because I need that reminder every single day. I need to remember the fact that God has gifted me with His love and nothing I do can change that. He will never love me more and He will never love me less. And the same is true for you. Oftentimes, we are busy. Bu

If you're new here, I'll let you in on a little secret: I like to paint... And this week's post is a bit different. Here's a watercolor painting of the kids that I have been babysitting! With a 3 year old and one year old twins, they have kept me busy, but I love being with them. As I have spent time with them, God has given me a glimpse of what love really is. Unconditional love is something that I have a hard time fathoming. How can I just BE loved? Don't I have to EARN lov

I painted this a while ago (like 7 years ago , a while) and did not speak the language I penned. It was Hebrew, a mysterious language, with letters so elegant and painterly... that I just had to use them. Now, why am I going down this Memory Lane trip? Because this painting (which, fun fact, I accidently dropped in the grass... instant texture! ), is one that I can now read. You see, when I was in college, I studied Hebrew because I wanted to understand the language of the O

Once upon a time, there was a girl, who met a boy. Their story felt like a fairytale, complete with sweet sayings and a handsome prince. They clicked instantly, agreed that God had drawn them together. The girl felt beautiful, cherished, seen, in a way that she never had before. It was amazing. Until he went away. At first she was sure he would come back, but days turned into weeks. Her heart hurt; tears flowed endlessly. She was trying to understand, couldn't understand. Why

You may not know this about me, but I love cardinals. Regardless of the season, you can catch me scanning the treetops, searching for their bright presence. And to me, they’re not just pretty red birds. God and I have a special thing going on with cardinals: for me, cardinals are like Jesus. In fact, whenever I see or hear one, I can’t help but smile and whisper “hi Jesus”. Now, before you call me crazy, let me explain. It all started when I went to college. I was having a ve

Do you ever do something that you regret? Or maybe you don’t do something and you regret it. We’ve all been there, right? Well let me share a little story from my week; let’s call this story... The Time I Messed Up and God Loved Me Anyway. Okay, let’s set the scene: Maddie is sitting on the couch, bundled in her fuzzy pink blanket. Her laptop is on her lap, its blue glare reflecting on her blue-light blocking glasses. This is hour six on the computer, as she muddles her way t