Every time I walk into a store that sells paper goods like handmade cards and art papers, I long to own a paper store. The idea of being surrounded by the colors, patterns, and textures of printed and handmade paper all day simply moves me.

In Mixed Media + Painting Techniques: 4 Free Paper and Fabric Painting Ideas, we bring you mixed media painting techniques you can use in a wide variety of art projects.

Now, this is not a space for news or politics, but it is a space to talk about art. Art heals and soothes. Art is therapeutic. Art is meditative. So that is why I'm in my studio making collage art.

Now, for Week 3 of the GOLDEN Giveaway! To recap: Recently, GOLDEN Artist Colors has introduced some exciting new products, including six grounds you can apply to your substrates to make them suitable for drawing with most dry media, including crayon, pencil, pastel, charcoal, and chalk, as well as wet media such as ink, acrylics, and watercolors.

Several events have happened lately that have made me stop and ask myself where I'm going in my life, among them a birthday and the realization that my children are getting more independent.

My kids revel in April Fool's Day. They spend hours conjuring up devilishly creative ways to "get" their parents. (The best was a fake letter from Olivia's college of choice rescinding her acceptance. Or maybe that was the worst.) We've always told them they can do anything, as long as no one gets hurt and nothing gets damaged. The girls have stuck to that rule and we have had many April firsts full of laughs (and the occasional scream.)

One of the aesthetic pleasures of working with encaustic medium is the smooth, rich surface that seems to make the artwork glow. But that doesn't mean encaustic art has to be flat.

The vestiges of last week's snowstorm still linger in crusted mounds all over our yard. But I can ignore them because of the unmistakable spring sound of birdsong that has been filling the air the last few mornings.