Texas temperatures have already hit 90+ degrees this year.  Summer is on its way!  While the summer months often bring lazy days, balmy evenings, and much-needed vacations, they can also be a bit overwhelming.  Try to be gentle with yourself as you plan & prep for summer activities, vacations, and reunions.  Take a few minutes each day to be mindful of expectations and limitations.  

Feel free to print this out and post it somewhere you'll pass by often as a friendly reminder.  For more information on mantras and how they work, please check out this post.  

Paint Yourself Calm: Colourful, Creative Mindfulness Through Watercolour
by Jean Haines
Search Press Limited (2016)


OVERVIEW:  A no experience necessary guide to painting with watercolor.  Photographs and brief instruction guides readers through various watercolor explorations.  Many photographs of the author's original artwork are included throughout the book and offer a great visual for how to expand on some of the techniques.   Haines' gentle writing offers readers a peaceful introduction to the watercolor medium.

WHAT I LIKED:  Watercolor has scared me for years!  While I've always been completely mesmerized by the beauty and fluidity of watercolor, I simultaneously found myself frustrated and disappointed whenever I would attempt painting with the medium.  The author's approach is peaceful and focuses more on the process than the product.  More than half of the instructional sections result in abstract color-field paintings rather than specific images or objects.

WHAT I LEARNED:  So much more than expected!  In the exercise on creating obstacles, Haines encourages readers with the reminder that watercolor paint will only go where it has been invited into wet areas of the paper.  This tip completely changed my approach to watercolor painting and I felt as if I had greater control of the paint.  I've been using this book as a guide while I create visual journal pages for #the100dayproject on Instagram (photos below).  This book has, dare I say, made watercolor painting enjoyable! 

WOULD I READ/REFERENCE AGAIN?  Absolutely!  In fact, I think this title might be one for my personal library.

Hello April!  This month's mantra reminds us that we are all imperfectly perfect.  Over the next few weeks, take time to notice what you consider an imperfection.  Do you mostly notice imperfection in others?  Do you only notice your own?  What would happen if you allowed yourself to notice the imperfection and then move on without dwelling?

​For more information on mantras and how to use them, check out this blog post.
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