by Maddie

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

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,