The shop was a jumble of art, jewelry and funky secondhand furniture. Although the town’s population was tiny, it was crowded with people attending the local art festival. I browsed, more curious about what was for sale than because I wanted to purchase anything.

Today’s Sips of Inspiration conversation is with my long-time blogging friend Karen Lowry Reed.

I’ve been wanting to show you around my studio but instead of giving a full tour, today I’m sharing one corner where I’ve collected art from other artists.

Today marks the half-year point for Sips of Inspiration, but instead of going ahead with my next interview, I wanted to do two things.

First I want to revisit my WHY. And second I want to check in with you, my dear readers.

I am so grateful you are here!

In our interview last week, Laura Ashton mentioned being inspired by the books of Edith Holden. Today I wanted to share some of the books that have inspired me on my creative journey.

How are you holding up? What a week it’s been over here. You, too?

My feelings are up and down. My energy is up and down. I’m giving myself leeway and taking things one day (sometimes one moment) at a time. It’s all we can do, I think.

Escaping into the world of a book always seems to help.

A few weeks ago I wrote about how much I was enjoying playing with acrylic craft paint and mentioned there were other art supplies I wanted to share. I find it so hard to resist the pull of new art supplies. It’s probably a good thing that there isn’t an art supply store nearby!

Reviewing a whole year is a hard thing. Once you sit down to do it you realize how slippery a year can be. How difficult to contain with words or even photos.

When I sit down to write to you it’s usually with a plan that I’ve been thinking about for a while. I usually start writing about a week before I’m planning on posting. I have lists of topics. I have a schedule. But sometimes things don’t go as planned.

Starting this new blog has been so energizing. Although a fresh start wasn't my intention when I moved to blogging on my website, it's been a surprising consequence. The thought of having a fresh space to craft into whatever I want has filled me with ideas. I'm excited to share some new posts with you. But first I wanted to talk a bit about blogs and blogging.