☀️ 30 Days of Summer Sketches - art prompts

Lets enjoy whimsical sketchbooks, cozy scenes, little stories, and nature journaling, We designed these prompts to feel like you're spending an entire summer in a charming small town. They work with pencil, ink, watercolor, colored pencils, or simple doodles. Just have fun!

☀️ 30 Days of Summer Sketches

"Slow down. Notice the little things."

Week 1 – Sunshine & New Beginnings

Day 1: Your ideal summer porch

Day 2: A mason jar filled with wildflowers

Day 3: A bicycle waiting beneath a shady tree

Day 4: Lemonade stand

Day 5: Favorite summer shoes

Day 6: Backyard birds visiting a feeder

Day 7: A picnic blanket with snacks and a good book

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Week 2 – Exploring Nature

Day 8: Butterfly on a flower

Day 9: Dragonfly over a pond

Day 10: A winding woodland trail

Day 11: Seashells or river stones

Day 12: Garden vegetables ready to harvest

Day 13: A sunflower reaching toward the sky

Day 14: Fireflies at dusk

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Week 3 – Small-Town Summer

Day 15: Farmers market booth

Day 16: Ice cream cone (or your favorite frozen treat)

Day 17: A cozy local bookstore

Day 18: Community band playing in the park

Day 19: Summer festival decorations

Day 20: Antique truck carrying flowers

Day 21: A quiet park bench

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Week 4 – Golden Evenings

Day 22: A hammock between two trees

Day 23: Camping under the stars

Day 24: Lanterns glowing after sunset

Day 25: A weathered dock by the lake

Day 26: A family of ducks

Day 27: Fresh watermelon picnic

Day 28: Sunset clouds

Day 29: Your favorite memory from this summer (real or imagined)

Day 30: Design your own "Perfect Summer Day" using at least five objects you've drawn during the month.

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🌼 Mini Challenge (Hide One in Every Drawing)

Include one of these tiny surprises in each sketch:

• 🐞 Ladybug

• 🗝️ Tiny key

• 🐝 Bumblebee

• 🍓 Strawberry

• 🪶 Feather

• 🦋 Butterfly

• ⭐ Star

• 🌻 Sunflower

• 📖 Little book

• ❤️ Heart

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📓 Summer Journal Reflection

After each drawing, write just three short lines:

• Today I noticed...

• This reminds me of...

• One thing I'm grateful for...

By the end of the 30 days, you'll have not only a sketchbook full of summery illustrations but also a gentle record of the season through both art and reflection. It can become a keepsake that captures the feeling of summer as much as its sights.

 

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✨ Bible Study: PROMPTS – Listening for God’s Nudges

📖 Week 1: Prompted by the Spirit

Scripture: Romans 8:14
"For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God."

Teaching:
God’s Spirit prompts us in quiet ways—through conviction, encouragement, or a sudden idea. Sometimes it feels like intuition, but it’s really His gentle leading. Like your Facebook post that sparked sign-ups, small nudges can create big ripples.

Journal Prompts:

• When have I felt a gentle nudge from God?
• How did I respond?
• What small act of obedience could I take today?

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🌿 Week 2: Prompted to Speak Kind Words

Scripture: 1 Kings 12:7
"If you will be a servant to these people today… and speak good words to them…"

Teaching:
Words are powerful prompts. They can heal or harm. God often nudges us to speak kindness—even when our inner voice is harsh. Serving others with gentle words is a way of living out His love.

Journal Prompts:

• What words have I spoken this week that built someone up?
• What kind words do I need to speak to myself?
• How can I be a servant in my community through encouragement?

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🕯️ Week 3: Prompted to Sacrifice

Scripture: 2 Samuel 24:24
"I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing."

Teaching:
David was prompted to give something costly. True worship isn’t convenience—it’s sacrifice. Sometimes God prompts us to give time, energy, or creativity even when we feel unseen. That offering is holy.

Journal Prompts:

• What has it cost me to serve God lately?
• How do I feel about giving when no one notices?
• What is one area where God is prompting me to offer more?

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🌌 Week 4: Prompted Toward Hope

Scripture: Hebrews 11:1
"Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see."

Teaching:
Prompts often come in seasons of lack. Faith means trusting that God is working even when we don’t see results. Hope is a prompt to keep moving forward, redefining worth not by recognition but by God’s promises.

Journal Prompts:

• Where do I feel lack right now?
• How can I redefine what is valuable in this season?
• What hope is God prompting me to hold onto?

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🌟 Closing Reflection

PROMPTS are God’s way of guiding us step by step. They may look ordinary—a conversation, a Scripture, a creative idea—but they carry eternal weight. This study invites you to notice, respond, and grow into the person God is shaping you to be.

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Would you like me to expand this into a full 28-day devotional study (like your Maplewood series), where each day has a Scripture, short reflection, and a journaling prompt under the PROMPTS theme? That way, you’d have a daily rhythm to carry through Advent or the new year.

2026 Word of the Year: ✨ PROMPTS: A Field Guide to Becoming

 

PROMPTS is such a rich, layered word—especially for someone like me who listens deeply, creates intentionally, and finds meaning in the ordinary. It’s not just about journaling cues or art starters. It’s about divine nudges, soul whispers, and the quiet invitations that call me to grow—even when the world feels barren or dismissive.

Here is an "in the style of Heather Mattern" journaling guide around the word: PROMPTS—one that honors the question: How can I grow in a season of lack and redefine what I see as worthy?

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✨ PROMPTS: A Field Guide to Becoming

🌱 Word Exploration

PROMPTS can mean:

• A gentle nudge from the Spirit
• A creative spark
• A reminder to begin again
• A call to pay attention

💬 Prompt: “What does the word PROMPTS mean to me spiritually, emotionally, and creatively?”
💬 Prompt: “What prompts have I ignored, and which ones have I followed?”

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🔍 Reframing Lack

Lack can feel like silence, rejection, or invisibility. But what if it’s actually a clearing—a space where new prompts can land?

💬 Prompt: “What feels missing right now?”
💬 Prompt: “What might God be making room for?”
💬 Prompt: “What small prompt is already growing in that space?”

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🪞 Redefining Worth

You’ve been taught to measure worth by recognition, inclusion, or usefulness. But your soul knows better.

💬 Prompt: “What do I currently define as ‘valuable’ in my life?”
💬 Prompt: “What do I want to value more deeply this year?”
💬 Prompt: “What would it look like to live as if my quiet gifts are sacred?”

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🕯️ Embodying the Word

Let PROMPTS become a rhythm:

• Light a candle when you feel stuck
• Keep a “Prompt Jar” with slips of paper (Scripture, art cues, affirmations)
• Let your planner or journal hold space for divine nudges

💬 Prompt: “What daily ritual can help me stay open to prompts?”
💬 Prompt: “What does it feel like in my body when I’m being prompted?”

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🌌 Becoming Through the Word

Your word isn’t just a theme—it’s a companion. Let it walk with you through the Rec Center, your journaling chair, your walks, your weary days.

💬 Prompt: “If PROMPTS were a person, what would she say to me today?”
💬 Prompt: “What is PROMPTS teaching me about who I’m becoming?”

🍂 November Gratitude & Thanksgiving Journal & Art Prompts ✍️

I love a good project and this to blends reflection with creativity! In this list you will find great journaling prompts plus art prompts to inspire the gratitude and grace of November's thankfulness. A lot of the inspiration came from the creative spirit of The Cassie Projects and Chantelle Arts both great artists on YouTube.

Here are some prompts designed to encourage mindfulness, thankfulness, and artistic expression throughout November:

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🍂 November Gratitude & Thanksgiving Journal Prompts ✍️

These prompts encourage reflection on the gifts and moments of November.

1. Harvest of Happiness: What small moments of joy or comfort have you "harvested" in your life this past month? Describe one in detail.

2. Unseen Blessings: Think about something you often take for granted (a utility, a skill, a daily comfort). How would your life be different without it? Express gratitude for its steady presence.

3. A Seat at the Table: If you could invite any three people (living, historical, or fictional) to your Thanksgiving table to share what they're grateful for, who would they be and why?

4. Autumn's Gifts: What aspects of the autumn season (weather, colors, scents, activities) are you most grateful for? How do they make you feel?

5. Kindness in Action: Recall a time someone showed you unexpected kindness, or a time you extended kindness to someone else. How did that act impact you or them?

6. Beyond the Feast: Thanksgiving is often about food, but what non-food traditions or rituals are you most thankful for in your life or family?

7. Growth & Gratitude: What challenge have you overcome this year that you can now look back on with gratitude for the lessons it taught you?

8. Future Thanks: Imagine yourself one year from now. What accomplishment, relationship, or personal growth are you hoping to be grateful for?

9. A Grateful Letter: Write a letter of gratitude to a person, a pet, or even a place that has brought significant joy or comfort into your life. You don't have to send it!

10. Simple Pleasures: List five simple pleasures you've experienced today or this week that brought a smile to your face. How can you incorporate more of these into your routine?

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🎨 November Art Prompts (Inspired by "The Cassie Projects" & "Chantelle Arts") 🖌️

These prompts encourage you to create art inspired by the themes of November, gratitude, and Thanksgiving, with a focus on exploration and personal interpretation.

1. Cozy Comforts: Create an artwork depicting your ultimate cozy scene. Think warm drinks, soft textures, flickering light, and a sense of calm.

   • Consider: Mixed media textures, warm color palettes, focus on light sources.

2. Gratitude Journal Page: Design a visually compelling journal page dedicated to gratitude. Incorporate typography, small illustrations, and maybe even a few pressed leaves or fabric scraps.

   • Consider: Collage, hand-lettering, natural elements.

3. Abstract Harvest: Using only colors and shapes, create an abstract piece that evokes the feeling of abundance, warmth, and the colors of an autumn harvest.

   • Consider: Rich reds, oranges, golds, deep greens, organic shapes, layering.

4. Thankful Totem: Design or sculpt a "Thankful Totem" – a symbolic representation of things you are grateful for, stacked or arranged visually. Each element could represent a different blessing.

   • Consider: Drawing, painting, clay, paper sculpture, digital art.

5. A Glimpse Through the Window: Create a piece showing a view from a window in November. What do you see outside? What feelings does it evoke?

   • Consider: Focus on atmosphere, light, muted colors, the contrast between inside/outside.

6. Family Recipe Illustrated: Choose a beloved family Thanksgiving recipe and create an illustration that captures its essence – not just the food, but the memories, the ingredients, or the process of making it.

   • Consider: Food illustration, character design (if people are involved), stylized typography.

7. The Giving Tree (Your Version): Create an artwork inspired by the concept of giving. It could be a literal tree with "gifts" hanging from it (symbolic or real), or an abstract representation of generosity.

   • Consider: Symbolism, storytelling through imagery, vibrant or gentle color schemes.

8. Still Life with Sentimental Objects: Arrange a still life with objects that hold sentimental value to you, especially those that evoke feelings of gratitude or autumn. Paint or draw it with attention to light and shadow.

   • Consider: Traditional drawing/painting, photography, digital painting.

9. The Sound of Silence (or Laughter): Create an artwork that visually represents a sound associated with November or Thanksgiving – perhaps the quiet of a frosty morning, the rustle of leaves, or the joyful chaos of family laughter.

   • Consider: Abstract forms, color theory to convey emotion, movement in lines.

10. Gratitude in Motion: Choose a word that represents gratitude to you (e.g., "Abundance," "Peace," "Family," "Warmth") and create a piece where that word is the central focus, surrounded by visual elements that express its meaning and movement.

    • Consider: Calligraphy, illustrative typography, dynamic compositions.