Take time for simple joys

My desk with watercolors,sketchbooks,and favorite mug for tea

                Some of the books I'm going to start reading. Some for the second or third time.

Sometimes I go through times (usually in the summer when it's hot) where I need to simplify. I start feeling overwhelmed by the projects I want to do and too many things I'm trying up with. I can feel that happening now,so I think I will focus on just a few of the simple things I really love, like drawing and painting in sketchbooks, reading novels and armchair travel instead of lots of self-help books ,drink large cups of tea and walk in nature to relax, plus water and take care of the flowers on the patio. I also want to listen to more music and keep up on my pinterest boards which I love for inspiration. Hopefully this will help keep me in balance and then soon I can do more projects and art journaling. FOR NOW SIMPLICITY IS WHAT I WANT.

art and discipline

I've been doing some sketching and art journaling lately, but  for me something I've always had a hard time with is staying with each project until the end. I love starting new projects and ideas but it's taken a lot of discipline to learn how to stay with each project until it's finished, which is so rewarding. It's  something that I constantly need to work at though.

A nice nap on Sunday while it rained

More Sketching

These are the covers of two of my sketchbooks and I just recently made a much larger one too, even though I'm still filling up the small sketch book, I like to have the different options...

The inside... an ink drawing with colored pencil of my illustrated discovery journal, watercolors of pansies, and my calligraphy tools. The one below is a watercolor of a favorite Victoria magazine.

Sketchbooks and Roses

A couple of my current sketchbooks with some pencil drawings and calligraphy alphabet

 

A pretty rose at a nearby Rose Garden. Love,love,love roses.

This week's journaling

These are the beginning stages of some art journal pages in progress,this one has an art postcard taped into the binding between pages. I used some watercolor pencils for the background color on the left.

This one just has some paper bits added so far with decorative tape and a flower embellishment.

This is my small sketchbook with ballpoint pen drawings and colored pencil.