Oh my goodness! You’re here! Welcome to the first edition of the Neon Confetti ‘Zine (mini magazine)! How in the world did we end up here together? I’ve got a story for you!
In the Summer of 2025, Neon Confetti began with local craft classes. By November it was clear that a pivot needed to be made for several reasons. Scheduling classes was a challenge due to the amount of local activities going on. I also quickly discovered that my out of town friends were being left out of being able to participate in learning the creative skills they were wanting to learn, Lastly was my arch nemesis…social media. I always enjoyed creating and hanging out on FB Lives, but FB began to take them down after 30 days. I love creating, not jumping through social media algorithm hoops to even have a post seen. I heard Stefanie Gass, a Christian podcaster, say that having your business seen on social media is like walking into a stadium full of screaming fans and trying to get your voice heard. “Screaming” on social media did not feel good to my soul…so in November 2025, I stopped, cried a little, and prayed….
In one of my morning devotions, I was reading the story of the fisherman in Luke 5 that had fished all night, caught nothing, and were exhausted! (That was me at this point). Jesus told them to go back out and fish on the other side, in the deep waters. As professional fisherman, this made no sense. All fishermen knew that fishing in the shallow water caught fish. They said basically, Okay…but only because you say to. You know the rest of the story! Yep! A miraculous catch! In that moment I knew God wanted me to fish in the deep waters….different from what we have been told is the way to grow a business these days, a pull away from predominantly using social media, to a slow, one heart-connection at a time. My soul craves real relationships, ones like we had in our childhood years, before computers, social media, and phones were connected to our hands. I want to connect with those who love to create, love Jesus, and would love to return to a more simple time. Heart Friends.
In 2002, I started Paint Puddles. To share the classes going on each month, I mailed out a one sheet trifold newsletter. It had a devotion, monthly classes, etc, When the Lord told me to fish in the deep waters, I remembered this newsletter and thought it might be something I could use to promote classes, so I started doing some research. Instead, the ideas came crashing in and became a Deep Waters crazy idea! One different than anyone, anywhere, was doing! One that would answer the problems and frustrations I was currently experiencing! Enter Neon Confetti ‘Zine!
So what is a ‘Zine? Just short for a mini magazine. A magazine is nothing new, but an interactive Neon Confetti ‘Zine IS new! Now you can go to your mailbox each month (yes, snail mail! I told you we were going back!) and get Happy Mail instead of just bills and junk mail! Happy Mail with your monthly ‘Zine and all kinds of freebies and goodies! The ‘Zine is the key to your interactive experience! Fun seasonal craft projects each month with a QR code to scan that will take you to an unlisted video tutorial! A devotion with a QR code for a worship playlist. Printables, freebies, inspiration to live a creative life!
The cherry on top? For the snail mail, Happy Mail subscribers (Heart Friends), you will also get an invite to a private Facebook group where we can hang out and get additional instructions on the monthly projects, tips and tricks, additional craft projects, and direct access through the group for questions, suggestions, etc. Private! Just like-minded friends…creating, laughing, sharing the love of Christ! No more “screaming” on social media! We’re in the deep waters now!
So welcome! Whether you are testing the waters with the email PDF ‘Zine or a Heart Friend from the get-go…I’m so happy you are here! Thank you for joining me in the space where I get to express my creativity and love for sharing creative skills with you! Big hug to you!🤗💖💌