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The Art of Self-Care

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  • SHOP
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  • CLASSES
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Recent Posts

  • 3 Ways to Make Your Mixed Media Pages POP!3 Techniques to Make Your Mixed Media Pages POP!
    In Art Journal, Techniques
  • How to Make Collage Papers for FreeMake Gorgeous Collage Papers for Free
    In Techniques
  • How to Choose an Art Journal You’ll Love
    In Art Journal
  • Restoration During A Holiday
    Artist's Journey

    Restoration During A Holiday

    July 3, 2020 /

    Happy Canada Day and Independence Day to my readers! Since this week is Canada Day and Independence Day, I wanted to share with you what I do to find restoration during a holiday. Even as things are opening up in Alberta, there is still a need for social distancing that is affecting holiday celebrations. With that in mind, I was thinking about how to celebrate Canada Day in a way that would be fun and restorative. Get Out of the House With my husband and I both working from home, we really wanted to get out of the house for Canada Day. We have been staying pretty close to home…

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    Nadine Milton

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    5 Creative Techniques with Watercolor Markers

    5 Creative Techniques with Watercolor Markers

    February 25, 2022
    Mixed media art journal page "Grow"

    Mixed Media Art Journal Project “Grow”

    January 22, 2021
    How to Use Watercolors with Stencils

    How to use Watercolors with Stencils

    August 26, 2022
  • 4 Lessons I Learned From Almost Anxious
    Artist's Journey

    4 Lessons I Learned from Almost Anxious

    June 5, 2020 /

    Today I wanted to share with you the 4 lessons I learned from Almost Anxious. If you have been following my reading list for 2020, this is one of the books that I committed to reading to help my personal mental wellness. Why Almost Anxious? Almost Anxious is a book that was recommended to me by a friend. The premise of this book is how to deal with the “almost anxious” moments in our lives. One of the problems with anxiety is that we are often put into one of two boxes: anxious or not anxious. This criterion is not always helpful. Many of us have anxiety that is above…

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    Nadine Milton

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    Completed Art Journal Project What You Focus on Grows

    Altering Paper on a Journal Page

    January 29, 2021
    Art Journal Page Tutorial with Tim Holtz Distress Glazes

    Art Journal Page Tutorial with Tim Holtz Distress Glazes

    June 26, 2020
    Fall Leaf Card Project

    Fall Leaf Card Project

    November 6, 2020
  • Finding A New Normal
    Artist's Journey

    Finding a New Normal

    May 29, 2020 /

    Have you been thinking about how to find a new normal in the wake of the pandemic? It has been on my mind over the last few weeks. I had an opportunity this past weekend to visit the Calgary Zoo for the first time since the pandemic. It made me think about how we can find our way back to a healthy routine and finding a new normal in our lives.   Being Emotionally Disoriented I have mentioned in other articles the feeling of being emotionally disorientated during the pandemic. There have been many good days, but there are other days where I feel like it is a real struggle.…

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    Nadine Milton

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    Canvas Preparation for the Art Curious

    Canvas Preparation for the Art Curious

    March 4, 2022
    Living in the Moment Art Journal Page Paint Tutorial

    Living in the Moment: An Art Journal Painting Tutorial on Denim

    August 27, 2021
    Snowflake Christmas Card

    Snowflake Christmas Card

    November 20, 2020
  • In Time It's Going to be Okay
    Art Journal

    In Time It’s Going to be Okay

    May 9, 2020 /

    This week I have been reflecting on the changes in life that we all have been experiencing lately. There is so much uncertainty. How do we effectively handle our emotions when things are so unsure? The thought struck me that “In time it’s going to be okay.” Right Now it Does not Feel Okay Right now it does not feel okay. I found that for the first month of social isolation and distancing I was able to stay quite hopeful and focused. The longer this is dragging out, the more I need to force myself to be focused and to practice self-care. It requires more diligence and more focus than…

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    Nadine Milton

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    Art Journal Page Using Gel Textures and Gel Prints

    Creating Art Journal Textures with Gelli Prints

    April 22, 2022
    Art Journal Textured Background Techniques with Acrylic Mediums

    Textured Background Techniques for the Art Journal

    March 11, 2022
    Snowflake Christmas Card

    Snowflake Christmas Card

    November 20, 2020
  • Goal Setting During COVID-19
    Artist's Journey

    Goal Setting During COVID-19

    April 24, 2020 /

    Goal setting during COVID-19 may seem like an odd thing to discuss, but I believe it is now more important than ever. If you have been following my site for a while, you will know that I have already shared some of my personal experience with goal setting. I believe that goal setting is an exercise that we should do at least once a year. It needs to be more than a New Year’s Resolution. Goal setting is a tool to help us find purpose and define the goals that are most important to us. In my original article about goal setting, I provided a free goal setting template. This…

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    Nadine Milton

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    How to Collage with Tissue Paper and Acetate in the art journal

    How to Collage with Tissue Paper and Acetate

    June 16, 2023
    How to fussy cut napkin images for any project

    How to Cut the PERFECT Napkin Image

    July 20, 2024
    Why art journal?

    Demystifying Art Journaling: How to Start & Why It Matters

    February 13, 2026
  • 3 Lessons I Learned from Daring Greatly
    Artist's Journey

    3 Lessons I Learned from Daring Greatly

    April 10, 2020 /

    My book review this month is 3 Lessons I Learned from Daring Greatly by Brene Brown. This is a fabulous book about having the courage to be vulnerable and how it can transform our lives. For anyone who wants to greatly improve their self-care and mental health, this book is a must read. I wanted to share with you the 3 lessons that I learned personally from Daring Greatly. I am Uncomfortable with Vulnerability My first lesson from this book was realizing that I am uncomfortable with vulnerability. Brene Brown writes about what she has learned as a shame and vulnerability researcher. She speaks about her interviews with her research…

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    Nadine Milton

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    Detail of Heart Focal Image from Valentine's Day Slimline Card

    Valentine’s Day Slimline Card

    February 12, 2021
    Art Tags with Black Paper Backgrounds created with stencils, stamps, inks and paint pen

    How to Use Black Paper Backgrounds with Inks and Pens

    November 5, 2021
    Beautiful Smudge Free Pan Pastel Christmas Cards

    Beautiful Smudge Free Pan Pastel Christmas Cards

    December 2, 2022
  • How to Find Rest During COVID-19
    Artist's Journey

    How to Find Rest During COVID-19

    March 27, 2020 /

    As I have been connecting with friends online this week, it has made me think about how to find rest during COVID-19. It is easy to say that since many of us are not working now that we are having a period of rest. I do not believe that is necessarily the case. Being a driven person, I have found that finding actual restorative time and learning how to rest is easier said than done. Busy for the Sake of Busyness It is easy to fall into being busy for the sake of busyness. The habit of always doing something and going somewhere is not an easy one to break.…

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    Nadine Milton

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    Art Journal Page Using Distress Embossing Glazes and Pastes

    Art Journal Page Using Distress Embossing Glazes

    June 12, 2020
    Mixed Media Fall Greeting Card Using Distress Crayons, Archival Ink and Wild Whisper Designs Paper and Stamps

    Mixed Media Fall Greeting Card

    October 8, 2021
    Alcohol Ink Christmas Ornaments

    Fun and Easy Alcohol Ink Christmas Ornaments

    December 10, 2021
  • How to Live Fearlessly During COVID-19
    Artist's Journey

    How to Live Fearlessly During COVID-19

    March 20, 2020 /

    As many of us are dealing with the recent pandemic it has made me consider how to live fearlessly during COVID-19. I believe that we do need be concerned about the coronavirus. We definitely need to take precautions, but how do we live fearlessly instead of letting fear and worry steal our joy? Fear Based Living It’s easy to fall into fear based living. There was a period in my life where it felt like fear was an all-consuming reality. I was fearful of so many things, including interacting with others. When we are living in fear it is easy to fall into victimhood. Instead of seeing the world as…

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    Nadine Milton

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    Everything is Figure-outable Art Journaling Page with Fluid Acrylics

    Using Fluid Acrylics in the Art Journal

    July 22, 2022
    How to Paint Flowers with a Toilet Paper Roll

    How to Paint Flowers with a Toilet Paper Roll

    August 4, 2023
    Misconceptions Surrounding Mental Illness

    Misconceptions Surrounding Mental Illness

    October 7, 2020
  • 4 lessons from start with why
    Artist's Journey

    4 Lessons from Start With Why

    March 6, 2020 /

    This week I wanted to share with you 4 lessons from “Start with Why” by Simon Sinek. This book is part of my 2020 reading challenge, where I have chosen 12 books to read in 2020. I believe an important aspect to self-care is learning and seeing things from a new perspective. This book in particular has been very helpful for understanding my why, not just for this website but in my personal life. Why I Chose “Start with Why” Start with Why was a book recommended to me several years ago by a friend. It was also part of the recommended reading from my husband’s company. I had also…

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    Nadine Milton

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    Best Acrylic Paint Pens Paint Marker Comparison Hop-A-Long Studio

    The Best Acrylic Paint Pens: A Paint Marker Comparison

    July 9, 2021
    12 books to read in 2020

    12 Books to Read in 2020

    January 7, 2020
    Paint Your Season's Greetings: Simple Watercolor Christmas Card Designs

    Paint Your Season’s Greetings with Simple Watercolor Christmas Cards

    December 1, 2023
  • 3 Ways to use Tombow Markers
    Projects,  Techniques

    3 Ways To Use Tombow Markers

    February 28, 2020 /

    As I was thinking about which art technique I would like to share with you this week as part of my Creative Foundation Series, 3 ways to Tombow markers in an unconventional way came to mind.   What are Tombow Dual Brush Pens? If you are unfamiliar with Tombow Dual Brush pens, they are a great tool to use in art and papercrafts. They come in 108 colors and are useful for coloring, illustration, sketching and brush lettering. I often use them for these purposes, but also use them in some more unconventional ways. This week I will be sharing 3 ways that I use these markers in a more…

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    Nadine Milton

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    Must have mixed media supplies for the art journal including art journal, acrylic paint, gesso, matte and gel mediums, watercolor paint, acrylic and watercolor brushes, paint pens, pigment pens, stamps and stencils

    Must Have Mixed Media Supplies for the Art Journal

    November 12, 2021
    4 Things I Learned From Failing Forward

    4 Things I Learned from Failing Forward

    February 7, 2020
    Art Journal Project Using Watercolor Paint and Distress Stains

    Art Journal Project Using Watercolor Paint and Distress Stains

    June 19, 2020
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Nadine Milton

Visual Storyteller & Mixed Media Artist

Welcome to Hop-A-Long Studio! I would love for you to join me in the journey of self-care through artistic expression.

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Recent Posts

  • 3 Ways to Make Your Mixed Media Pages POP!3 Techniques to Make Your Mixed Media Pages POP!
    In Art Journal, Techniques
  • How to Make Collage Papers for FreeMake Gorgeous Collage Papers for Free
    In Techniques
  • How to Choose an Art Journal You’ll Love
    In Art Journal
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