Happy New Year To One and All

It's incredible that another year has already passed and we're about to embark on a new one. The fairy lights are lit up outside as the the sun finally nestles itself behind the foothills. As I sit here with my feet propped up, the smell of buttered toast lingers in the air while I sip from my creamy latte. Mr. Toast is now home and we're cozied up for the night to begin welcoming in the new year.

There are so many things to be thankful for and I'm looking forward to the new journey ahead in 2016. With that said, here's wishing you a wonderful new year, filled with peace, love and joy. Happy New Year!

Something special lingering in the air

The sun has almost set here in our nestled town. Although the holiday festivities have ended, our colored fairy lights continue to glow from under the beautiful, glistening snow. In a way, it still feels like Christmas at our home. In our living room, you'll find paper chains and bunting dangling up above while our table-top Christmas tree glows next to the sofa. Something special always seems to linger in the air for awhile during this time of year.

Every holiday season, my heart swells up with various emotions. Christmas doesn't reside there just because I thoroughly love it. It also exists because that special feeling gently reminds me of the blessing of where I am today. Coming from a tragic childhood, it sometimes seems all too surreal to be sitting in the comfort of a lovely home with an amazing husband and wonderful children by my side.

This time of year seems fitting to reflect back upon life and take note of every blessing we've been given. Too often, we find ourselves stumbling down a path of wanting more when so many around us have less...and need more. This year, my heart not only ruminated about all the events of 2015 and how blessed I am but it also brought to mind a bit of sadness. Such as really missing my father this particular Christmastime; my younger brother once again on the streets and homeless in San Jose; our sweet neighbor and her daughters going through a challenging time in their lives, my step-daughter hoping to have a precious baby, and so forth.

As the year comes to a close, let us remember, life is too short to take for granted those we love and what we've been given. My hope for the new year is to be a bigger blessing to those around me, near and far, through my art and blogging.

With that lingering feeling in the air, challenging us to look at our lives and how to do better, may I ask each of you one thing? How do you hope to touch the world next year?

Wishing A Happy Christmas To All...

Good morning and Happy Christmas to everyone. May this holiday season touch your hearts in a special way. Mr. Toast and I will be celebrating with the children this afternoon with a lovely holiday lunch followed by opening pressies. We're all looking forward to the festivities. On top of that, we're expecting another sprinkling of snow!

Enjoy this quick illustration of the outside of our cozy home and our adorable Scottie, playing with his new stuffed snowman...err..what's left of it already! Hee

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year! xx

Sunday Sketches: Happy Christmas to Everyone!

It was so lovely and appropriate to end this weekend with sharing one of my recently illustrated children's books, Mia's Magical Christmas Eve at one of our local downtown bookstores. The children were wonderful and had fun helping me sketch the red bags and pressies around Mia's Christmas tree. Hayden, pictured above, was such a doll and eager to help me draw!

As you can see above, I've added yet another piece to my ongoing polar bear series. I've been in love with these little guys from the very beginning. If you've yet to see them all, you can visit my website for the special page I've set up for these fellas. If you're really loving them, you can visit my shop for originals and/or printed cards. :)

With that said, I must part for now as our oven is still in need of a full scrub so we can begin baking and making all of the delicious English goodies for our annual Christmas party at our home tomorrow evening. Michael and I will be sure to post photos, so you can feel like you've been a part of our wonderful, holiday festivities. From homemade mulled wine to authentic English scones and shortbread, everyone is sure to have a good time.

Until then, HAPPY CHRISTMAS! Enjoy the holidays and we'll resume on Sunday, January 3rd to not only ring in the new year but to celebrate 6 years of Sunday Sketches!

Grab the Sunday Sketches button HERE.
 
Submit your artwork by signing up below with a link to your website/blog. PLEASE make sure to visit each other! One of the biggest reasons for this co-op encouraging and lifting others up in their creative endeavors as well. Thank you!

Sunday Sketches: Dream A Little Dream With Me..

It's been a lovely, snowy holiday weekend thus far. Between the freshly fallen snow, Christmas lights, my first holiday children's story-time at one of our favorite local bakeshops, it's been utterly cozy and magical! To add that final touch to our Saturday, I painted the darling polar bear looking up into the sky and dreaming. Once again, it really brings home so many of the reasons why I love this time of year.

Most of my [good] memories as a little girl are during Christmastime. I was just telling Michael today how I would pretend to fall asleep on my grandparent's sofa while visiting them, just so my parents would leave me there for the night. My favorite part of all was waking up in the wee hours of the morning, lying there watching the giant colored lights glisten in the dark. One of the many memories I'll cherish for life.

I feel like a lucky girl and blessed to have a husband in my life who loves Christmas just as much as I do. From our little drives at night to look at the area homes decked out in lights with a hot cocoa in hand to decorating our own home in beautiful lights (2nd photo above) - nothing could be more perfect.

Grab the Sunday Sketches button HERE.
 
Submit your artwork by signing up below with a link to your website/blog. PLEASE make sure to visit each other! One of the biggest reasons for this co-op encouraging and lifting others up in their creative endeavors as well. Thank you!

Ringing in the Holidays With LOVE

We're finally settling in for the Christmas season here in our cozy little home. It all began last weekend with our annual family trip to the cabin with the kids. After traveling down to town on Saturday to pick out our family ornaments (See top picture), we spent the afternoon cooking and baking together. Nothing could have been more perfect than being cozied up in the mountains in a comfy cabin, celebrating family, life...and Christmas.

Now, the family tree is up and Mr. Toast has adorned the outside of our home with the perfect colored fairy lights. It's going to be incredibly magical when we receive the next Colorado snowfall. My heart is blessed beyond measure to have such wonderful things in my life. Happy Holidays, my lovely peeps!

What do you do to celebrate the holiday season? Any special family traditions you hold to each year?

Sunday Sketches: 12 Days of Christmas

This is short as we're away with the kids in the mountains on our annual trip to the cabin for Christmas. Enjoy a part of my 12 Days of Christmas and I'll check in soon.

Grab the Sunday Sketches button HERE.
 
Submit your artwork by signing up below with a link to your website/blog. PLEASE make sure to visit each other! One of the biggest reasons for this co-op encouraging and lifting others up in their creative endeavors as well. Thank you!