Playing Catch Up

Seems this is all I am doing lately, catching up from one thing or another.  Just a busy time of year both work-wise and family-wise.  So, I apologize for the lack of posts lately and want to leave you with a little spring sunshine....at least it was when I drew this, but this morning, we woke up to SNOW again 😆.  Sheesh.

Anyone want to send a little spring my way, feel free 😁💟🌳

How are your goals going?

Does this look familiar? 😁

I am really hoping not to play that game again!

The difference this year is that my husband has joined me in a health journey and we are taking it slow and steady with a lot more planning instead of just winging it LOL.   

I think the biggest thing is that over the last year I have realized a lot of patterns, or should I say acknowledged a lot of patterns that are more defeating than helping.  I even listed them out with some plausible and positive ways to change as it keeps them more in the forefront of my mind so I notice when I start falling back.  Don't get me wrong...there is a LOT of falling back; you can't change YEARS of habits in one month (boy, do I wish I could!) but I am trying to focus on the fact that I do actually catch myself and it is this recognition and mindfulness of learning that is moving me forward one step at a time. 

Walking into 2019

I hope everyone had a good start to their new year!

I have been "filling the well" as they say and taking a bit of time off after a pretty gung-ho end of last year.  But I am slowly putting things together and will have the regular Writing Wednesdays tips and topics starting up again shortly, as well as working on the Demystifying Deeper POV ebook to have ready as one of my main goals this year.


Speaking of goals, here is another BIG one!

Okay, let's be honest for a minute, I am not actually, physically walking across Canada LOL. But I have made this journal spread so I can keep track of my steps to see how long it would take me and as intensive to move more every day.  I will share my progress province to province on some of the Sunday Funday posts 😁

What are your hopes/goals for this year?  Remember, big or little, something to focus toward helps pave the path to follow your dreams.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I am going to be taking the next several weeks off for the holidays and fill-the-well time and will resume blogging and other endeavors by the end of January.

In the meantime, if you haven't already, check out my Demystifying Deeper POV series, which gives a different take on figuring out Telling versus Showing.  I have been so happy with the wonderful response from both new and established authors!

I wish each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas and joyous New Year and hope your holidays are....

©bystacydawn

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Wow, it's December already?!?

Will be busy this month trying to get all the editing on my desk done and in between preparing for the holidays and doing some lettering gifts like the one above.  I was actually quite tickled how this one came out!

My goal is to be able to take some time off over the Christmas break this year.  Just sit in my pjs for a day or two 😄.  Sounds heavenly!  How about you?

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Mission accepted!

Next year marks a milestone birthday for me, so I have decided to take the reins and give myself a mission...a weight loss goal equal to my age 😲.  As I just celebrated my birthday late last month, that gives me a full year to complete.

In reality, it is very manageable, I just have to find some discipline and a bit more willpower where sweets are concerned 😍.  But I have been making small changes over the last couple months, which is why I am encouraged that I can do this!

Oh, and pop back for Writing Wednesday because I will have a fun hint to the blog series I will be starting at the end of the month to help a LOT of writers.


©bystacydawn

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☮ I'd love to have you visit me on social media and at my website! Links on the side ➹💟

I'm trying to be...

This has been one of those weeks when life throws you a couple road blocks...like boulders tumbling down the mountain so you have to veer off the road to go around them.  

That doesn't always lead to tranquil days...BUT, I've been proud of myself because I chose to take a more positive outlook while dealing with the issues, and I really think I managed and came out better overall.  And today, I do feel more like Gertie above.

Gertie is my theme for Inktober over on my Instagram.  This is my first year participating, and though I'm keeping it simple because of my work schedule, I'm taking my own fun approach and thoroughly enjoying myself.  Feel free to pop over and see what Gertie gets up to this month! 

©bystacydawn

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☮ I'd love to have you visit me on social media and at my website! Links on the side ➹💟

Trust your crazy ideas

Maybe they will work or maybe they won't, but you will never know until you try.  Passion itself is a great superpower, so if you have passion for something don't let doubts and fears get in the way.  There is no failure, only lessons learned to help you keep moving forward!!

©bystacydawn

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☮ I'd love to have you visit me on social media and at my website! Links on the side ➹💟

Black and White

I prefer to live my life in colour, but sometimes it is simply black and white...do or don't, yes or no, black letters on a white manuscript page after page after page. 

Even so, there is ALWAYS positives, even in the monotonous...like feeling accomplished when an edit is complete and I can send an excited author her manuscript back to work on, to fine tune, to really bring her characters to life and her story to completion.

I wish it was a lazy Peace Love Lattes Sunday...and maybe that isn't today, but it will be, just like the picture above will someday get colour, too.  Life is lived one day at a time, sometimes they are black and white, and sometimes they shine with colour, but either way, each one is special, each one is a gift, and each one is yours to make with it anything you can imagine!

©bystacydawn

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🙋Check out my links at the side to visit me on social media and at my website! 💟

And you ARE amazing!

©bystacydawn

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🙋Check out my links at the side to visit me on social media and at my website! 💟

The Changeover

Does anyone else find that the year is broken down into three basic sections....Christmas Season, End of School, and Beginning of School?

And with each one, there seems to be a changeover--sort of "spring cleaning" for the new time period to come.  This time it was the living room, kitchen, and especially my art desk that needed a major makeover...

Ugh, I still cringe at the before picture, only because it sort of denotes how crazy messy life got, too.  I think that is why I like to do the reorganizing as we flow into a changeover.  Gets my head back in place, a feel of control so to speak (delusional, I know, but we have to take what we can get, right? 😁).

At least the clean art desk helped me actually complete three pieces.  Two I will be posting soon to my Instagram account (and maybe here eventually), but the third one I am keeping under wraps as it is the first piece of an exciting special project I am doing.

For now, I will leave you with a Sunday Funday sum up of summer...

Yeah, that pretty much says it all 😊

©bystacydawn

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🙋Check out my links at the side to visit me on social media and at my website! 💟

Sunday Inspiration

Even a few minutes every day working toward your dreams creates progress. 


©bystacydawn

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🙋Check out my links at the side to visit me on social media and at my website! 💟

My Week

'nough said 😁

©bystacydawn

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🙋Check out my links at the side to visit me on social media and at my website! 💟

Recycle more that just paper...

Summer Fun

Thought I'd share a fun little summer piece I recently finished for an artsydoodle challenge on Instagram

Sometime the funnest thing to do during the summer is put your feet in the water...and do nothing at all 😁



©bystacydawn

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🙋Check out my links at the side to visit me on social media and at my website! 💟

Introducing...

I thought it about time I “officially” introduce my original characters I’ve posted on a few occasions here (more on Instagram).

P.J. (Peace Joy) Love is a bit of a throwback hippie and, like most of us, just trying to stay positive in this crazy world. Hartly is her lovable rescue mutt, pretty laid back, and a cuddle hound. They began as part of an art challenge and blossomed from there. Sure, maybe you could say there’s a little bit of me in her...but I like to hope there’s a bit more Peace Joy Love in me ☮️😄💖.

So, what’s in store for the happy hippie and her pup? Watch for a fun collaboration she will be involved in with some amazing ladies, and then I’m thinking a little three part “vacation” series might be fun, too.  I'll post some here on Sunday Fundays so stay tuned!


©bystacydawn

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🙋Don't forget to check out my links at the side to visit me on social media and at my website! 💟

Be a Light

Sometimes the kindness of a simple smile can be a lighthouse to someone else, guiding them through their storm.

Aspire to be a light for someone this week, and see how brighter your own day becomes!

©bystacydawn

Dream Big!

I, for one, know exactly how hard it is to juggle a busy family and two jobs, let alone try to find time to work toward your own goals and dreams that fill your head like an Idea Library where you need one of those cool wheeled ladders to reach some of the places you've stored them for years. 

It's hard...boy, is it hard! 

But, it is not impossible.  Maybe things aren't happening as fast as you want or on a timeline that you think they should, but that doesn't mean those dreams will never come off your inner library shelves.  Progress is progress no matter how fast or how slow.  The important thing is that you never stop trying, and you NEVER stop dreaming.

So, DREAM BIG because there is nothing stopping you! 😉

To Dad and more...

To ALL the men who encourage, support, and influence our lives...

Practice Makes Progress

I have been slowly working in the background practicing and experimenting for a project I've had in mind for a while now.  With a busy family and working two jobs, it will still take time to put it all together, but that's okay, because I am working daily toward that goal even if just five minutes a day...and as with most of my ideas, the end result will of course be with writers in mind.😉  

For now, I thought I would share some of the fun practice pieces.  I'm thinking I might even create them into a final form some day.  

These are from my Scribbles That Matter journal that I fill with doodles and random ideas to play around with lettering and coloring.  It has thicker paper, which works great for various mediums from colored pencils to watercolors.  

Everyone needs a miscellaneous journal or notebook they can do anything in from random notes to doodling or sketching, poetry or writing, but most importantly, to mess up, make mistakes, scratch out, circle furiously what works, and make funny things out of what doesn't.  A place no one else has to see if you don't want them to and where ANYTHING goes.  Because it's the practice and progress that really count.

You learn far more from the mistakes than the finished pieces.😉