A Week of Creative Paths and Hidden Trails

This week in the studio has been full of motion — new artwork, fresh listings, and the joyful arrival of Marty, the adventurous July puppy from Evergreen Valley. His story card captures a moment of discovery as he races down a hidden forest trail, reminding me that creativity often unfolds in unexpected places. As the valley continues to open, so does the work behind the scenes, shaping both the art and the stories that will soon be shared.

What’s up? I hope you had a great week. It’s hard to believe we’re already marching into the last week of July. It seems like yesterday that I was chatting with you about the 250th Fourth of July. They say time only moves in one direction, so I’m going to move forward and share a little of what has been happening in the studio this past week.

The studio has been quite busy. I continue to work on hand‑drawn and hand‑painted images that are becoming part of my products. One day, I would love to create everything entirely by hand, but that takes time — something I don’t have a lot of on a daily basis. Then again, who does? What I can’t craft by hand in a timely fashion, I craft with my words using a quality AI generator. The prompts are written carefully, which means it is my creative words that bring the image to life. There are a few things I’d like to share with you about how I use an AI generator.

Without my words, the generator would have no clue what I’m trying to create. For me, AI is a tool — much like a paintbrush, a camera, or a research assistant. I don’t settle for anything less than what my heart and creative brain wish to reveal. Sometimes it takes multiple attempts and many rewrites of my prompts to get as close as possible to the image my heart and mind have already formed. It is a useful tool for a small creative studio such as my own. I find it both amusing and frustrating to deal with the ever‑changing attitudes and rules surrounding so‑called transparency.

If you’ve ever worked in Canva, you’ve had at your fingertips countless graphics you can alter or combine to create your own distinctive artwork for a card front, invitation, or even wall art. Your hands did not create those graphics. Your mind did not create those graphics. You used your sense of style and design to put pieces together, change colors, or add words to make something new — and you call it your own design.

Nowhere are you required to track down the name of the person who originally created the graphic and disclose that in your Etsy listings or anywhere else. You don’t even have to say “graphics obtained from my Canva account.” Many people purchase stock photos, buy PLR packages, or use resell‑rights graphics without ever having to acknowledge where they came from. I think we need to keep an open mind when it comes to using AI as a tool.

With that in mind, I have no problem with full disclosure regarding my artwork. All of it has been created by me — either by word or by hand. Sometimes I use an AI generator; other times I use my own hand‑created artwork or my personal photography. My goal is to put out an excellent, well‑made product. I use all the tools available to me with integrity and attention to detail.

This brings me to the exciting world of Evergreen Valley.

To date, I have used a combination of my hand‑created artwork and AI‑generated images. Every puppy from this valley begins with a detailed profile that I create: their likes, dislikes, personality, breed, name, the month they represent, their favorite saying, what they enjoy doing, and so much more. Each puppy is more than a generated image — they are more than my hands can create right now. My heart and my words bring life to each of these puppies, as well as Uncle Bernie and the elders you will meet in the future.

It brings me great pleasure to introduce to you this week an extremely adventurous and fun‑loving puppy. His name is Marty, and he represents the strong independence and sun‑loving fun that July carries so well. It took a lot of encouragement for Uncle Bernie to guide Marty out from the hidden trails he loves to explore and bring him here to meet you today.

Working in the valley is only one of my creative endeavors. This week I also worked on hand‑drawn and hand‑painted graphics that I’ve released in two different formats. I’m excited to share these products with you now. One is a set of Texas‑themed graphics prepared in four different sizes to help crafters design their projects efficiently without having to enlarge or reduce in most cases. I’ve also chosen a few of those graphics to create a set of four A2 card fronts, each complete with an encouraging or humorous expression. This paragraph contains links should you decide you’d like to see the products in my Etsy shop.

I’ve already sketched out another project and begun painting it. I work in Sketchbook, which is a digital format for drawing and painting. To anyone who enjoys drawing or painting, I highly recommend this app. I use it on my iPad, and because I enjoy it so much, I upgraded for lifetime access to new brushes — as well as future brushes — for the purchase price of $2.99. I find it well worth the cost.

This week, I also began experimenting with some other design software. One program had the ability to make me become bald — it was that frustrating. The one benefit is that it encouraged me to download the free version of Affinity. I look forward to experimenting with it during this coming week, as I believe it will be useful for a specific project I’d like to create and make available for year‑round use — as well as in the designing of many new product ideas.

I have so many projects and designs outlined on my whiteboard. They include the further development of Evergreen Valley, more hand‑painted pieces, and ideas about how to use them. I’m also looking to the seasons ahead to provide, in a timely fashion, designs and projects that are both beautiful and useful.

What have you been doing? Have you created a card or craft of some sort using one of my products? If you have, I would love to see it. You’re welcome to send it my way so that I can feature it in the gallery — it’s always a joy to see how your creativity brings these pieces together.

Once again, your new puzzle piece featuring Marty the Jack Russell terrier is just a click away. I hope you have your puzzle grid that was designed just for you and is waiting in the Secret Garden along with all the other puzzle pieces revealed to date. Build the valley with me — one piece at a time — and watch the magic unfold. Your new story card is also available. Without a doubt, it captures the spirit of Marty and the valley. Won’t you join us there?

By signing up to receive my weekly newsletter, if you so choose, you will be given the password that opens Your Secret Garden. You can always access the garden by clicking on the golden key at the bottom of this post. Within that garden, you will find every gift that has been given since the inception of this blog. Nothing ever leaves — it is ready when you are.

Speaking of the garden, with Marty making his way into your world this weekend, his coloring page is now available there. As always, you have a choice of two versions. I create both an elementary version and a standard version so that it is appropriate for every pair of hands. You also have the option of a coloring sheet that provides guidance with a small colored image in the bottom corner for those who might have difficulty deciding which colors they would like to use. Something for everyone — joy for every day.

Do you have a need for a special product that you cannot find anywhere? My studio awaits your request! You can always send me an email at: paula@evergreenyuletide.com

Gently tapping the below images brings you to your treasure chest and magical book. The newest button takes you to Inspiration Gallery—a great place to view the work of your Creative Kindred Spirits. Don’t forget, you can always email me a photograph of something you’ve created with one of my products. I would love to feature it in the gallery.

As July winds down, I’m grateful for the creative moments this month has brought — and for the chance to share them with you. Thank you for spending a little time in the studio with me today. I hope the week ahead brings you something bright, something peaceful, and maybe even a little surprise from Evergreen Valley.

I look forward to seeing you again next week. Until then. . .