Summer into Autumn

Hello all!  In a bid to get back into the blogging habit (before I really dive in with - hopefully - weekly posts in 2027 following my Wanderlust journey), I'm here with a little post celebrating the autumn equinox - the midway point between the longest day and the shortest day.

I mean, I'm a couple of days late, but what's a couple of days between friends?!

The colour transition from summer to autumn is under way on the craft table, though the foliage in the countryside where we are is still mostly green.  (We sit in a bit of a micro-climate. Even just up the road in our nearest town, the trees are visibly further into autumn!)

But I've definitely been heading into the green golds and burnished oranges with these leafy prints prints, created with my PaperArtsy PS522 Foliage stencil...

You can watch the full process on the Words and Pictures YouTube channel. Just click below.

Summer into Autumn Leaf Prints

And you can also watch how I used a simple tab binding to join them into a small journal, still to be completed.

Tab Binding for Decorated Papers

Click the link just above if you'd like to watch the book-binding process over on YouTube.

There's a touch of autumnal melancholy to some of the lavender paintings here...

 

You won't believe how simple it is to paint these stems. I share the trick in this YouTube episode.

Shadow Painting Lavender Stems

The paints I used for most of the lavender are by Fuumuui - a gorgeous palette of Muted colours (which I bought for myself a while back) and a glowing Warm Terracotta set (which they kindly sent me as a gift after they saw what I did with the Muted ones!).

Watch some swatching and doodling with the Muted colours here.

Watch some swatching and doodling with the Warm Terracotta colours here.

If those look tempting to you, you can get 20% off your whole purchase at Fuumuui if you use my discount code "Alison" at checkout. (And I get a small percentage bonus - at no extra cost to you.)

And it simply wouldn't be Words and Pictures without some rusty blue and brown tags, now would it? I had a glorious time creating this triptych... and I hope you love them too. 

Again, the full process is over on YouTube if you're interested... first the backgrounds and then the tags themselves.

Watch the lifted and layered background process here.

Watch the tag trio being made here.

There you go... a little bit of a catch-up post to get me started on catching up! I do hope you are all surviving this apparently increasingly difficult world.  Creative delight seems to me to be an excellent counter-balance to all the dark nonsense of daily life at present... so I'm sticking with it.

Take care out there, and happy crafting, all!

Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars and see yourself running with them.

Marcus Aurelius

I wish I could show you, when you are lonely or in darkness, the astonishing light of your own being.

Hafez

It's a great time to book for Wanderlust!

I’m so looking forward to sharing my class in Wanderlust 2027 next year. This twisted, tangled, layered fungi page spread is full of techniques and visual poetry, all shared with you in the session.

And then there are 40 other teachers all sharing their amazing mixed media art journal projects over the year-long journey… what a joy!

 

If you’re still debating whether to join, this weekend is a brilliant time to do it. Right now, you get lifetime access to the full year for $129 US (payment plans available), whereas in January it goes up to the full $299 price.

Book here!

Plus if you book your place by 19th September, you will still qualify for the early-bird bonus pack (studio tours, printable and workbooks) which will drop into your inbox on 20th September, offering lots of delight to get your creative juices flowing before the classes start in January.

Book with my affiliate link, and I’ll get a percentage bonus (at no extra cost to you, of course). I’m always one of the teachers on Wanderlust Plus - an optional add-on which you’ll find at check-out.

It’s going to be an extraordinary journey, and I’m so thrilled to be part of it. Click the link to find lots more details about it all… and I hope I’ll see you in the classroom!

Mushrooms are a gateway to understanding the complexity and interconnectedness of nature. Paul Stamets

I'm teaching on Wanderlust 2027!

Hello all, long time no see!  My apologies... there's just too much going on in the world, in my world, and my online world, but giving my blog some more attention is one of my (early) resolutions for 2027.  It will go perfectly with the news I'm sharing today... I'm thrilled to announce that I am a teacher for Wanderlust 2027 - the Seasons Edition, a year long mixed media journalling adventure like no other. 

With forty teachers, a new class every week, plus lots of bonus content, there is almost endless inspiration to take you on a truly thrilling creative journey through the year.

As you know, as an artist, my work is hugely influenced by the seasonal changes around me - colour palette, imagery, words - it all shifts with the seasons, so this 2027 Wanderlust theme is very close to my heart.

My aim is to be here on the Words and Pictures blog weekly, sharing my take on each class as we move through the seasons.  I'm looking forward to it so much.

Early Bird Booking is now open... 

There are just 2000 Early Bird spots at $119 (US dollars), the lowest price there will ever be for the course.  With 47 weekly classes, plus bonus content (not to mention the brilliantly supportive online community adding their own personal tips and advice), that's barely $2.50 per class.

And it's not just about the price... there are special Early Bird gifts available (little creative worms, if you like!) - intimate studio tours, plus gorgeous printable packs of ephemera,

backgrounds and workbooks to play with while you wait for January. They're only for early birds, and they disappear on 20 September... so grab your place while you can.

Just click any of the links in this post, and you'll go straight to the Wanderlust 27 booking page via my own personal affiliate link.  (When you book through my link, I get a small affiliate bonus... at no extra cost to you, of course.)

If you need some temptation, let me share a couple of sneak peeks of what I'll be offering up during the year...

In autumn, we'll be diving into the fabulous world of fungi... creating intricate background layers and sketching and painting our fungal focal points.

In a special bonus piece, I'll also be sharing some of my favourite ways to play with one of my craft room staples - gesso.

And there's more...

I'm hugely honoured to be one of the teachers also taking part in Wanderlust Plus - a bonus add-on package which you'll see as an optional extra at check out...

For that, I've got a delicate, melancholy project for you - a wabi-sabi inspired accordion journal celebrating fragility, decay and ephemerality.

I hope that gives you some idea of the kinds of things in store for you if you join the Wanderlust journey, but it's far from the full picture...

With more than 40 teachers, the joy is that there really is something for everyone - and that includes classes which might invite you outside your comfort zone.  In my experience, the ones where you think, "oh, that's not for me!" are often the ones in which you end up discovering the most!!

If you've been an Adventurer before, I know I don't need to sell you on the idea of joining Wanderlust 27... it's a truly magical creative journey.  And of course you get lifetime access (except to the Early Bird gifts), so you can work entirely at your own pace, knowing that all that inspiration will always be waiting for you, whenever you are ready.

Come and join us for what I know will be an extraordinary year on Wanderlust 27 - Seasons Edition (and maybe even for Wanderlust Plus too)... I hope to see you there!

Click here to join Wanderlust 27 - Seasons Edition

Happy crafting, all!

A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions.

Oliver Wendell Holmes

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.
H. Jackson Brown Jr.

Last chance for early bird pricing for Flowers Magic Art Fest 2026

It's almost time... the Flowers Magic Art Fest begins on 12th July, and it's going to be a fabulous feast of mixed media botanical inspiration.  I'm one of the ten teachers who will be sharing projects filled with ideas and techniques celebrating the beauty of nature and the joy of flowers.

If you book by 11th July, you will get the Early Bird Price of $57 for lifetime access to the classes, plus for the three weeks of the festival there are bonuses and an online community sharing even more inspiration.  (Wait until the 12th and the price goes up to $77.)

There's a glimpse in this YouTube reel of what I'll be sharing in my class for Flowers Magic Art Fest 2026.

My class is Taking Root, Taking Flight, a grid of tiny layered paintings built with inks, stamps and a few other ingredients, repetition and variation turning into something that feels like visual poetry. By the end you’re somewhere underground, in the tangle of roots and stems, looking up to where the petals turn into butterflies and take off.

Click any of the links in this post to find all the details and grab your place. They'll take you via my affiliate link, so that I get a small percentage, with no change in the cost to you, of course.  I hope you'll come and play.

Happy weekend all!

The earth laughs in flowers. 
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Butterflies are self-propelled flowers.
Robert A. Heinlein

Brand New PaperArtsy Designs - and a special announcement

I'm thrilled to have three new PaperArtsy stamp sets and three new stencils to share with you, and equally excited to announce that I am now officially a PaperArtsy Signature Designer.

This summer, I'm embracing the power of flowers with these new designs. From the garden, there are delicately-hued hydrangeas and romantic roses, inviting you to play with all the colours of the rainbow as you tint them.  

And there are some new wild grasses too, rippling in the meadow breezes and perfect for layering.  As always, there are ephemera elements and poetry fragments to complement the imagery. 

Coordinating stencils allow you to build botanical and textural backgrounds, with lots of leafy loveliness in the mix, and also work as stand-alone design elements.

You can explore the new release over on the PaperArtsy blog from 8pm European time today - Monday 22nd June - and watch the launch video in the PaperArtsy People FB Group.

The new designs are available now from PaperArtsy stockists around the world.  (They won't appear on PaperArtsy's own website for several months, so find a stockist near you by clicking here.)

Do join me either live or on catch up to hear more about the inspiration behind these stamps and stencils, and see lots of samples giving you some starter ideas for ways to use them.

I hope you'll love these as much as I do!

Happy crafting all.

I must have flowers, always, and always.
Claude Monet

There are flowers everywhere for those who want to see them.
Henri Matisse

I'm a teacher for Flowers Magic Art Fest this year!

I'm excited to be one of the teachers for this year's Flowers Magic Art Fest, taking place July 12th - 31st.  Join me and a wonderful group of artists as we share projects inspired by the beauty of flowers and the wonder of nature. 

This year's theme is Roots and Wings - which feels very personal to me, as for the last few years that's exactly what I've been doing... putting down new roots and spreading my wings in new directions.

Go via my affiliate link here to discover all the details, and I hope you'll be inspired to join us for this magical creative festival.

I'll be one of ten artists and teachers all coming together to share our love of nature and flowers with you, with project classes full of ideas and techniques.

All those classes, plus bonus content, with lifetime access, plus an online community of fellow nature lovers... so much inspiration for just €57 if you book right now... a saving of €20 compared to the cost once the festival begins.

I hope you'll be inspired to come and join us - just click this link for all the details... and I hope to see you there!

Thanks so much for your company on this creative journey, and happy crafting, all!

For a tree to become tall, it must grow tough roots among the rocks.
Friedrich Nietzsche

I believe that if one always looked at the skies, one would end up with wings.

Gustave Flaubert

So much going on! ArtsyCrafts Retreat and YouTube Update

Hello all, what with one thing and another (CreativeWorld international craft trade fair in Frankfurt, launching new stamps and stencils, filming for online courses, plus another big secret I can't even tell you about yet!), I've been neglecting the blog again. 

Here's just a quick update on the treats available over on the Words and Pictures YouTube channel, in case you've missed them... some of them including some playtime with the newest stamps and stencils released last month. 

Click on any of the links to go and enjoy the fun!

We had a very rusty January - watch some of the episodes in the full Rusty Patina Playtime playlist, and you'll see what I mean.  Here are a couple of highlights.

Rusty Mixed Media Moth

Using tags and ephemera elements created during the season to give the fabulous Tim Holtz moth a place to take off from.

Rusty Playtime 2

Using Grit Paste and various colour mediums to create rusty and coppery patinas on diecuts by Seth Apter and Tim Holtz for Sizzix.

Watercolour Berries

Creating a watercolour effect with Distress Ink stamping of my new PaperArtsy berries from EAB54 Twisted Branches and EAB56 Berry Branches - an addictive technique, this one!

Bubbly Women

These curly-headed women are a new element in the Words and Pictures stamp world, but I've been doodling them for years in the margins of my playscripts. Time to take centre stage...

Winter Sunrise Triptych

There's even been time for a little bit of wintery watercolouring (some of it including my PaperArtsy stamps)...

And there are so so so many more since I last caught up here!  Hop over to the channel and explore - and I hope you'll enjoy all the inspiration.

Oh, and by the way - there are just a few places left on my PaperArtsy ArtsyCrafts retreat this June, in the glorious French countryside. If you're curious, these links will help with anything you need to know.

Listen to Leandra and me discussing the retreat here...

For information packs click here...

For booking details click here... 

For a brief little introduction to the whole thing, click here...

Thanks so much, as ever, for your company on this creative journey - it wouldn't be the same without you.  Have a great weekend, everyone!

It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.
Ursula le Guin

Change is the end result of all true learning.
Leo Bascaglia