Watercolor Supplies to Pack and Play

Are we talking about Christmas?! And other Summer thoughts

Jun 10, 2026

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You know whats so weird? As I’m here searching for the perfect bathing suit online (utterly impossible we all know I need to try it on) and navigating the world of summer camp schedule as a working parent (we’re getting better at it), the licensing world is dreaming up artwork for Christmas… Christmas 2027.

I understand no one is ready to hear about decorating gingerbread houses and their love/hate relationship with gift guides… so apologies for even mentioning the ordeal.

But it’s something to think about ~ if even just for the amount of time it takes to read this sentence.

Retailers are planning what they are hoping you buy at least a year in advance. Artists are working on artwork that will go on said products over a year before they make it to your cart.

It’s a big wheel we’re on, you and me. You use your hard earned money to show the world what you would like to see more of (and what you don’t)… and its in their best interest to adjust for next year.

Its a little reminder of your power… even if it’s just to say you want to see more blush and less mauve.

Here’s some places I put my money recently ~ not all altruistic, some just for fun, some for feeling a certain way, all as a way to connect (to myself and others).

“Money itself isn’t the problem. Money itself isn’t bad or good. Money itself doesn’t have power or not have power. It is our interpretation of money, our interaction with it, where the real mischief is and where we find the real opportunity for self-discovery and personal transformation.”
― Lynne Twist,
The Soul of Money: Transforming Your Relationship with Money and Life

Packable Art Supplies

I have one trip this summer (me and the kids are heading back to the Hudson Valley to visit family and our annual pilgrimage to the Jersey Shore ~ any LBI fans here?). Last year we went for double the time and I packed waaaaayyyyyy too many art supplies. I hardly cracked open my sketchbook…

Sometimes when you make art for work, it can be difficult to do it on vacation… But I was encouraged to play more with my ~~work~~ art… (more on that next post)… and vacation might be the best time to shake up my usual production mode.

Here are some new supplies I’m excited about experimenting with.

Like these mini matte gold travel brushes that nest in on themselves. Unscrew the top portion from the bottom (right at the black band) and turn the point of the bristles in to sit within the handle.

You can pack them super tiny… but they also come in ‘large’ … which is still at least half the size of a normal brush.

The One and Only Travel Easel You Will Ever Need… if you are a plein air painter fahgettaboudit

This has been a recommendation from my student that I could not wait to share.

It is this easy to travel with easle that holds your watercolor sketchbook, palette, watercup and brushes all on this magnetic board (so you metal palette won’t fall). See below…

If you prefer to have your paper off of your lap, I’ve heard great things about this one as well.

A Super Fun Side Project I’m So Excited About

Case For Making (a handmade paint maker based in San Francisco) also came out with these letterpressed Tarot cards I am *apparently ridiculously excited to paint. This is the perfect thing to do with my daughter and nieces at the beach.

I can’t see leaving my full Case For Making Palette at home… I take it everywhere with me anyway, might as well come on the plane.

But I’m also going to try this swatch card. If you’re ready to invest in some gorgeous and non-toxic earth pigments (watercolor made by real natural material instead of synthetic and sometimes heavy metals like cobalt or cadmium) I would invest in this one.

A Watercolor Supply I’ve Never Seen

I’m sorry, wtf is this?! Have y’all been experimenting with watercolor markers and no one told me? Are they any good?!

A Few Fun Summer Pieces to Wear

I’m noticing I’m using the word ‘fun’ a bunch. I guess writing a Substack can be self discovery too…

But I am ready for it… Fun. I’m ready to not take everything soooo seriously. I’m looking forward to bringing some of that playfulness into my art and into what I’m wearing this summer. Let’s all give a big exhale.

I’m not going to spend too much time since its fashion and, well, I’m an art teacher. But I find that my students have the best recommendations, and when we’re in class together we share all the good stuff in many facets of our lives. So here’s some recs and my own wish list :)

To see the full list of all the things art and closet, go here.