Too Early?

Nope. Bring it on!

Print available HERE

Happy fall-ing friends!

Choosing Slow

Things are moving at a slower pace at our house these days.

It was an intentional change, but not one without a fair share of anxiety, fear, and a few tears. 

My husband quit his job on August 5th.

And on August 6th we began a whole new way of living as a family of four. 

(On my 39th birthday...what wonderful timing!)

It is, for lack of a much better word, wonderful.

This isn't our first time with him staying home with the boys. Back when they were babies, he quit his job to stay home with them from about 16 months until they started kindergarten.

And that was wonderful.

But a TOTALLY different kind of wonderful. A much more tired version.

*one of the more tired days (twins + IKEA)

We had two babies, our income was quite a bit lower, we had just moved into a new house, and we were both navigating what it meant to be parents. Me a working mom, and him a stay-at-home dad, which isn't something our culture encourages or celebrates nearly enough. 

Even though he was home, he was much busier keeping up with the demands of young twins. I was figuring out how to deal with the guilt of not being home with the boys, and how to keep up with my day job while mom brain was in full effect. Those days were tired. Wonderful, but oh so tired.

But this time, the decision for him to quit his job wasn't out of the same necessity as 8 years ago. The need was different, but equally important.

To be honest, our mental health was at stake. His mental health especially. His job had turned into a horrible mess. My husband wasn't himself at all. We were bickering, short tempered, and tired. The house wasn't being taken care of, we weren't eating well...the list goes on and on. 

And it changed in the matter of a few weeks. His job went from bearable to inducing panic attacks. It felt like one of the hardest and yet easiest decisions ever to say JUST QUIT.

JUST QUIT.

This life we are given is worth more than countless hours spent working hard for a company that doesn't respect your work ethic or your family. To make money to spend on more stuff you don't have time to enjoy. 

Oh it felt SO good to make this decision as a family. I honestly haven't felt closer to him than I have the past few weeks as we made this intentional decision to find a new way of living. We've been together since he was 19 and I was 21, and I am amazed to see how we have grown together. And I am so very thankful that growth has brought us together, and not pulled us apart. Because oh there were times I worried it would. 

I've wanted to share this with you all since it happened, but needed to wait until the words came. And today they came.

And I want to encourage you, if your way of living right now doesn't feel like it is working. If you are exhausted and cranky and not enjoying your family or the things you feel like you should be, it is ok to start over. It is so much more than ok to find a way of living that doesn't look like the way anyone else is doing it. And don't worry about what others think or say...all that matters is that it works for your family.

And the peace we feel in our house these past few weeks. Man I wish I could bottle it up, because everything about it is so very good.

And speaking of remaking your life, this Super Soul Sunday talk from one of my absolute favorite authors Shauna Niequist is all about slowing down and it is really wonderful. 

Thanks for taking the time to read this, and I hope it resonates with you in some way!

XO,

Join me for a new class!

Hello friends! Happy Wednesday!

I hope your week is going well so far. 

I have some BIG news to share with you! If you follow me on social media, you may have already seen this yesterday, but if not...

My new class, Doodling Nature, is up on the Big Picture Classes website! Woot! 

This is my first class with them, and in October my second class, focused on lettering (!!!), will launch.

I would love to have you join me for this class! We'll be doodling all of my favorite nature shapes, adding fun details to them, and even creating a full page art piece. It is going to be fun, friends!

Back in May, their videographer, Joe, came to our house and filmed both of the classes, as well as this really wonderful intro video, which made my eyes water a bit...

A few months back, a sweet and super talented guy named Joe (@joe_gomez) showed up at my doorstep with fancy camera equipment, and filmed two drawing classes I'll be teaching online with @bigpictureclasses. The whole experience so far has been so encouraging and exciting. My first class, Doodling Nature, is up on their website, along with what might be one of my favorite things that's happened so far in my art career, this short intro video he put together. I'll admit it made me cry a little. Feeling thankful today. ❤️ I would love to have you join me for this class - the link to check it out is in my profile! My second class, focused on handlettering, will launch in October!

A post shared by Mandy Ford Art & Illustration (@mandyfordart) on Aug 22, 2017 at 3:11pm PDT

This has been such a fun process and I can't wait to dive in with my students! 

Sending happy Wednesday vibes to you,

New Illustrated Faith Printable!

Hello friends! Happy Tuesday!

I'm home on a day off of work today, and I finally have time to say hello! 

So hello! 

How are things? How has your August been so far?

Around here we have kids back in school, lots of fun art projects (and deadlines!), and I'm catching up today on all of the things that help me rest and find my breath.

And speaking of rest, I'm so happy to share my newest printable set with Illustrated Faith, Return to Rest.



I was a bit nervous that this set wouldn't come together, as it was due during the busiest week of my entire year so far, but I couldn't be happier with the sweet and encouraging images I was able to create. 


I even snuck a coffee mug in this time! 


And that floral print just makes my heart sing. I hope it does for you too. 

The thing I really love about these printables is that they aren't created solely for bible journaling. You can use them in an art journal, scrapbooking, in your planner, or for paper crafting.

And you can print them on white or clear sticker paper which makes them into instant stickers. I really love that. 

Grab the kit here! You can also see all of my available monthly printable sets here. 

Hugs and happy August vibes to you!