Happy Holidays!

A Victorian Christmas

From The Victorian Scrap Gallery, Dee Davis & Gail B. Cooper

Years ago, I visited a used bookstore in Gainesville, FL, and found this beautiful illustrated edition of Dickens's A Christmas Carol. Looking at this book both reminds me to constantly be on the lookout for small treasures and to support independent bookstores as much as possible.

You may obtain the full edition online for free at the Electronic Text Center of the University of Virginia Library.

Blank Slate: Preparing an Art Journal Page

Sometimes when I don't have a specific project in mind, I like to prepare a page in my art journal for when inspiration finally strikes. Here I've torn sheets of paper from a "The Lace & Linen Stack" of cardstock I found at Michael's and pasted them as borders.

Mandalas

Martha Bartfield's Magic Mandala Coloring Book, Volume One

Whenever I've had an especially stressful day, I like to pull out a coloring book- it reminds me of being a child and how important it is to have a sense of play built into each day.

One of my favorite coloring books, designed by Martha Bartfield, features mandalas (labyrinths are fun to color as well).

Experiment with a lot of different colors and meditate on your current mood to influence your color selection. In the first mandala, I was feeling some angst on the job- hence, the fiery shades of reds and oranges. In the second mandala, colored a few weeks later, I was feeling calm and mellow- thus, the cool shades of yellow, blue, and pink.

Reading Nook

My husband and I decorated the downstairs in shades of red and gold for Christmas. For the upstairs, though, I wanted something peaceful and pretty, my own little nook to read and write. So, with my mom's help, I created a dainty little nook upstairs.
What's your favorite place to read and write?

First Post: Ecletic Art

Inspired by the Spring 2011 issue of Artful Blogging, I've decided to create my own blog to share the creative side of my life. As an educator, I have a job that is exhilarating, hectic, and even sometimes stressful.Art comforts during the craziest times, and I define art broadly- writing, gardening, painting, drawing, crocheting, coloring. Spending time in my garden is restorative- I've shared images of some of my roses in this first blog.

  

I live in south Florida, and recently my rose garden erupted with lots of beautiful blossoms. Turns out my roses thrive on the comfortable December weather in Florida; I hope they last for a few more weeks.