Look at these chickens! This lovely 1916 Gustav Klimt painting, Garden Path with Chickens, always makes me smile. Klimt is famous for many works, including The Kiss, which I had in my living room in my late twenties. Klimt obviously loved women due to how generously and soulfully he painted them. However, I think he […]

“My idea of a great day is to work on a project, have something good to eat, and maybe do a little thrift shopping too,” said my aunt who was the queen of creativity. She loved to try new recipes, create with her hands, and find the beauty within the ordinary. She taught me the […]

Do you feel you must wait for inspiration to strike before you can write? It’s time to let that go. When you allow yourself to just write for the pleasure of it and not weigh yourself down with lofty expectations? Writing becomes a hell of a lot more fun. And the best way to start? […]

Recently I asked my mom if she had any fabric scraps that I could have. She’s an amazing seamstress and her sewing studio is filled with fabrics and notions. A friend of mine loves to make unusual cards, and I thought a bag of small fabric scraps for her would be just the ticket for […]

It’s easy to get stuck in a rut. To eat the same food. Watch the same television shows. Read the same books and magazines. YAWN. All writers have been there. But it will affect the quality of your writing. Why? Because you’re not living in the world of curiosity. There’s an unusual writing resource you […]

Let me know if this has ever happened to you. You have a writing idea simmering in your mind.  Perhaps you overheard something interesting at the grocery store. (Yes – all writers eavesdrop! I’m shameless.)  Or maybe you had an unexpected and thoughtful conversation with a stranger and you just can’t stop thinking about it. […]

Years ago, a friend of mine found this print of The Skating Minister in a thrift store. I was green with envy. I almost challenged her to a snowball fight for it. However, common sense prevailed and I secretly grumbled to myself. All is fair in love, war and thrifting. So why do I love […]

What you’re looking at is where I’d be living if I had a dollar for every person who said this phrase to me: “I don’t know what to write about.” Maybe you can relate. You have probably always had the desire to write and maybe you’ve dabbled in writing over the years. But more often […]

It’s so easy to be distracted at home. You have the best intentions to work on your writing (or in your most recent Scribbly issue,) buuuttttttttttt then all sorts of things start to call to you: kids/partners wanting to know what’s for supper; the latest Netflix show; social media notifications; the pile of laundry; and […]

Oh life, you can be a little trickster at times. You plant this desire in me to write. It brings my soul such joy! But you also plant the idea that I have to do other things too. Life tasks like keeping my husband, dog, garden, and, relationships alive. Listen. I have the best intentions. […]

A few years ago, The New York Times ran a short story about a company that branded their dried potato dish: Funeral Potatoes. The name had caused a bit of a ruckus. People were offended by it. Shocked right down to their little tater tots. Because I guess we aren’t supposed to say the words […]

One of my long-dead boyfriends, Vincent Van Gogh, said this about my favorite time of the year: As long as autumn lasts, I shall not have hands, canvas and colors enough to paint the beautiful things I see. Oh, Vincent – you nailed it. There’s so much happening in the Fall/Autumn that I have to […]

We’ve been immersed in wickedly hot weather the past three weeks. Fry an egg on the pavement kind of heat. Some people love these long, steaming hot days. Not me. I enjoy the beauty of summer, but you can bring on Fall, thank you very much. I’m a woman with a big head of curly […]

It has been blistering hot this past month. (Yes – even in Canada!) A few weeks ago, my husband and I were going to be out of town, so I asked my garden-loving parents to water my garden. This wasn’t a small request. They had to drive 30-minutes each way. But they quickly said YES […]

At last! You have the time and quiet space to write and you sit down with a notebook and pen in a cozy spot. A cup of water/tea/coffee sits close by and you wait for the magical words to start flowing. The first few lines stumble onto the page and thennnnn….crickets. You scribble down a […]

Today I want you to write in the wild. My childhood was spent in a peapod hamlet on the prairies. I was the kid with her nose in a book – maybe you can relate. The summers were long and my mom wouldn’t listen to me complain about being bored. “Go outside and get some […]

During the short gardening season where I live in Canada, you’ll often find me outside. I enjoy gardening, although I’m not an expert by any stretch of the imagination. Why do I love it? Writing is like gardening. You have to be willing to pull what isn’t working. And you only get better by getting […]

This is a writing prompt that looks into your future. Don’t fret – you still only need to sit still for fifteen minutes or so. (And you also get to write about the type of senior you will be.) First, let’s look at the present day. This shouldn’t be too difficult for you. I want […]

I love when children read their books to me. They admire the pictures, add their opinions, and point at what stands out on the page for them. If they stumble over a word – they either take a stab at it or ask for help. And then on one sad day, kids stop reading out […]

Writing can be a real bugger. Sometimes you have no idea what you’d like to write about. You want your writing to be profound and meaningful but your brain only comes up with the sound of crickets. This is a writing prompt about a time you needed to loosen up. You?? Yes. You. I’m a […]

I can’t help it. And if you enjoy writing – you can’t help it either. Eavesdropping. While you wait in line at the grocery store, airport or concert – conversation swirls around you like pieces of paper in the wind . Some of it you block out and ignore. Other conversations? You just can’t stop […]