Coloring Our World

Once upon a time... back to the days of childhood, there were colorless books of simple black and white images. These images inspired children everywhere to fill in the blank spaces with vivid and imaginative bright colors. These books were known everywhere as coloring books - a wonderful tool that parents and educators used to calm and quiet children all while encouraging artistry and imagination.

Back to the present day: almost every book store you visit now has some form of coloring books for adults. It is now widely known and accepted as a way to calm ones spirit and reduce stress. In essence, coloring isn't just for kids anymore. Publishers and artists everywhere have stepped up the game and have created everything from mandalas to fairy tale stories that require some coloration. These are more intricately designed books, which I am completely obsessed with.

Take the two beautiful gold-embossed coloring books I recently acquired:

The Time Garden by Daria Song and The Enchanted Forest by Johanna Basford

See how intricately designed these are? These will take some incredible focus and a steady hand... and because of how beautiful they are, you may want to invest in some higher quality coloring supplies - like creamy colored pencils or ink pens.

I love so much the embossing details on the covers - they remind me of old leather-bound books with gold embossed pages. So beautiful!

What kinds of things do to you do to alleviate stress?

A colorful and bright day to you,

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Off to the Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch

Two years ago, my sister and I ventured up to Snohomish County to go to our first corn maze. On this past Sunday, we repeated the experience, this time, with her boyfriend in our company, taking lead as map guide.
In our first year, we had forgone the use of the map and decided to venture through completely
on our own. We made it! It took us nearly two hours to complete the massive maze, but all the same, had a a lot of fun - so much so that when she announced that she was moving back to Washington State from Arizona, we both decided (early in the summer, mind you) that we would be returning to Bob's Corn Maze.

As our tummies were grumbling with hunger upon our arrival, we started our visit by standing in the understandably long line for three scrumptious golden ears of roasted corn, dipped into melted salty butter, using a napkin and the blackened husks to anchor the ears to our
hands. Juicy bites of corn melted in our mouths with one delicious bite after another. This year,…

A Spring in My Steps

For those of you who have followed me for some time, you must know by now that one of my favorite spots here in Seattle is Green Lake. There's something so serene in walking the almost-three mile path around the lake - all while never even leaving the city. It's a short drive away and I find myself longing for a visit when I think only of its lush natural scenery and everything you could want in a park.
I went to Green Lake earlier in the day than normal and spotted these lovely little crocuses, reaching their aubergine-veined petals through the soil. I see them every year scattered about the city, but something about how they always reach for the sky makes them so relatable.
Starting my walk, I noticed the eerie sky and how white it was with overcast - there were crows cawing and screeching from all over, fields and branches full of birds. My assumption is that after all the earthworms were about and crows were swarming to get a shot at their evening meal.
Concluding my wa…

I Didn't Know What to Say

This world is full of both wonderful and heartbreaking circumstances that wear us down daily. As a nation, we are mourning another tragedy where violence has torn apart communities and families - and for what purpose? We just don't know.
I didn't write on this yesterday because I didn't know what to say. I've read that it's the deadliest mass shooting in American history. I don't know what's more sad to me: that this deplorable act is something that I feel numb towards given the increasing numbers of shootings and tragedies we are seeing nationally, or the act itself: where some random person unbeknownst to even his own family made a decision that forever altered the lives of millions of people.
The biggest encouragement and consolation I can try to provide is to continue to shine the light into the darkest corners of the world. Whether you emit joy and love, peace or kindness, these are a few ways to impact the world in a positive way that anybody can gi…

Bellezza di Vita

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