Happy Sunday!
It has been one of those perfectly relaxing, family time, Target trip, coffee and donuts kind of weekends at our house.
I wanted to share what I added to my sketchbook yesterday. I was inspired by a piece of vintage pottery my mother-in-law gave me last year for my birthday...
This one will probably become a coloring page. Having too much fun with these!
And speaking of coloring...you can grab my coloring books on Amazon, and printable versions in my Etsy shop here and here!
XO,
Happy Tuesday! How is your week going?
I have some fun This Girl's Doodles news to share today...
I've added a five-page printable Valentine coloring book to my Etsy shop! I'm really proud of these pages. They are all so fun and happy, and I hope you love them too!
You can grab a copy here!
And be sure to tag your pages with #coloringwithTGD so I can see your beautiful creations!
XO,
Have you ever had a year start with so much anticipation and thankfulness that it seemed too good to be true?
I'm finding myself in that place with 2016. It is going to be a year of renewal for me, in so many forms and all at the same time.
I'm saying thank you under my breath, and out loud for that matter, quite often these days.
While life has been good and blessed for us the past few years, it has also been tough mentally. Money has been tight, my anxiety has felt like an uphill battle more often than I would like to admit, and issues of the heart have left me with a crack that I'm still working on filling. (Although I've heard, and believe, that the cracks are where the light comes in, so I guess I'll let them stay.)
Despite all of that I have been tremendously happy, learning bit by bit that the rough moments make the smooth ones that much easier to appreciate. But at the same time, an unwelcome scarcity mentality has creeped in, and I have accustomed myself to expecting things to not go well. Honestly I've convinced myself that the good stuff is for other people, and surely not me.
But then the past year happened. My coloring book happened. Things with my career started getting easier. An extra work project came along that is going to give us a bit of unexpected money, so we're, fingers crossed, planning a waaaay overdue kitchen renovation. And as if that isn't enough, my boss has approved a six-month sabbatical for me this year! (Never, in my life, did I think I'd be using the word sabbatical in a sentence about my own job.)
Six months of doing research and working from home or the coffee shop or anywhere I want to, thank you very much.
Who gets to live this life?! This girl?
I'm seriously expecting Ashton Kutcher to jump out from behind my couch right now as I type this and yell "You've been punked!" But then that would mean Ashton Kutcher was in my living room, which really wouldn't be a horrible thing.
Everything is coming together this year in a way that, quite honestly, freaks me out and elates me at the same time.
With all that in mind, I've chosen "renew" for my one little word this year.
1. to begin or take up again
2. to restore or replenish
3. to revive, reestablish
4. to restore to a former state; make new or as if new again
This is going to be a year of beginning, of replenishing, of reviving, and of restoring.
I don't think I have ever been this excited about a new year.
I'm ditching that scarcity mentality, saying thank you to God for this year of renewal, and finding every way possible to enjoy this ride.
I'm gonna have renewal happening all over the darn place.
Starting with six months of not punching a clock. Whoa. For a girl who has worked an 8-5 office job for 17-ish years, I'm still trying to wrap my mind around that one. The first block of time starts in March and while not on paper yet, I already have a list started in my head of projects I want to work on. I got a jump start today by cleaning out my sock drawer. Talk about renewal...how the heck can so many unworn socks fit into one 6x12 inch space?
I've been pinning kitchen ideas like CRAZY. I calculated that between our two houses, we've lived with horribly yucky kitchens for a total of 10 years. Get ready for some major renewal, nasty 60's speckled-counter kitchen. I also have lots of other house projects in mind, like cleaning out closets, painting, and refreshing my "art studio" in the corner of our rec room.
And then there is the mental renewal I'm already feeling...space to dream and think and plan. Knowing I'll be able to start my mornings the way I want to (after we get the boys to school, that is) with a slow breakfast, exercise, scheduled time for my art, and fitting in my work research whenever and wherever I want.
Goodness my mind is spinning in every wonderful way thinking about the freedom this will open up.
And lastly I'm SUPER excited to keep the momentum going with This Girl's Doodles. I have no idea what this year has in store. I have no other plan but to keep my eyes, ears, and heart open to what is sent my way. The coloring book has truly been a gift, and if that can come my way who knows what is next.
I know that this gift of time will open me up even more to inspiration, and I'm jazzed and anxious to see how that translates onto paper.
If you've made it this far, thank you for reading and sharing in my excitement. I truly believe it has taken a community to get me to this point, and you are a part of that!
Have you chosen a word for 2016? I'd love to hear about it in the comments!
Now let's go live the heck out of 2016!
XO,
Oh friends I have the most exciting news to share today!
For a few months now I've been working with a publisher on a new adult coloring book, and today it is available on Amazon!
To say this is exciting is a bit of an understatement. In fact, I cried like a baby when I first saw it. Even though I've known this was going to happen since August, seeing it finally finished and available, with my name as the illustrator, blew me away. I have a legit Amazon "author" page! Holy moly! :)
If you have purchased my original coloring book, this one has all of the pages from that version, with eight new fabulous pages for a total of 25. This one below is a personal favorite...
And the book is only $7.99 right now! You really can't go wrong.
From the bottom of my doodling heart I want to thank you for supporting this journey. 2016 isn't even here yet and it is already going to start out with a bang. I'm so darn grateful.
XO,
Hello friends!
With the holidays in full swing, {raise your hand with me if you already started Christmas decorating/shopping!} I thought a holiday coloring book would be a fun way to help you de-stress and relax.
So I put together a five-page printable holiday coloring book with lots of festive images from a cozy fireplace to lots of holly to happy ornaments.
You can grab it today in my Etsy shop! And remember to tag your photos with #coloringwithTGD!
XO,
Hi friends!
How are you? How has your week been? I've been thinking it is a day ahead all week, so basically in my mind today is Friday. Tomorrow morning I'm going to be a bit annoyed when the alarm goes off at 6:20. Oh Saturday...you can't come soon enough!
Here are a few things I've been up to around here...
My first podcast interview!
My friends Jen and Danielle interviewed me over at She Percolates and it was so.much.fun! I talked about my definition of success, how I balance my day job with my art, who I would love to have a coffee date with, and I spill the beans on my newest project. You can give it a listen here!
This Girl's Doodles out in the world!
I'm super excited and humbled to have my artwork for sale in some local shops! You can purchase canvases, prints and cards at Roscoe's Coffee Bar & Tap Room...
I have a variety of prints at The Tin Cup, an adorable new tea room and gift shop in town...
And my coloring books are available at Veach's Toy Station...
This local support has been overwhelmingly awesome! I'll also have a booth at The Autumn Artisan's Bazaar November 6-7 with lots of new mugs, tote bags, prints, cards and maybe some other goodies. It will be a fantastic place to buy lots of handmade holiday gifts!
#presentoctober!
October is my absolute favorite month, and I want to be as present as possible, so I'm sharing a photo a day on my Instagram where I take a few moments to stop, breathe, and be thankful and present. You can find my photos by searching #presentoctober and feel free to join in by sharing your "present" moments. {I did my first periscope about this...are you following me? I'm mandyford_art}
New projects!
I've been busy on a few new projects and I'm so thankful for the flow of work coming my way. This tree is part of a commission piece for a local college...
I created another free coloring page, just in time for all things fall! Click the image to download...
You can also grab the October calendar here.
And if you listened to the podcast, you know that major things are happening with the coloring book!! I can't wait to share more...hopefully next week!
Have I told you how awesome you are?!
I love each and every one of you. Hoping you have a lovely Friday tomorrow...oh yes, tomorrow IS Friday.
XO,
Happy Tuesday friends!
It has been awhile since I shared a peek into my sketchbook on the blog, so I thought today would be a good day! I did a lot of drawing last night preparing some new coloring pages for an exciting collaboration. I'm not quite ready to share the news yet but hopefully very soon!
Here are a few of my sketches from last night...
That super intricate frame in the middle is my favorite...the middle will be filled with an encouraging handlettered quote.
I also want to say a heartfelt thank you for the response so far to my coloring book. It is super humbling and exciting when people want to pay you to do something you love.
If you want a copy for yourself or for a gift, you can preorder a hard copy here, or get an instant digital copy here.
You are awesome!
XO,
Hello friends!
I'm sorry I've been neglecting this blog of mine. If you follow along with me on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook you'll know why I've been so busy.
I've been making a coloring book! And it is ready for purchase!
This book would not be a thing if it weren't for SO many encouraging words from SO many of you, so THANK YOU!
I have two versions of the book available. First is a printable for those who want instant gratification, and the ability to print the pages as you want to work on them. You can grab that version here.
I'm also doing a preorder for hard copies, which you can purchase here.
I'm super proud of how this turned out. The pages are all single sided and on cardstock so your markers won't bleed through, and there is a spiral binding which makes it super easy to keep it open while you are coloring.
I'm just over the moon excited to have this out in the world and be able to share it with you, and I hope if you purchase a copy you have lots of fun coloring my doodles!
And remember if you share your finished pages online, tag them with #coloringwithTGD!
XO,
I've been hard at work on coloring pages for my adult coloring book, and if you follow me on social media, you've seen lots of peeks at them. {Like here and here and here.}
I'm having so much fun with it! And I'm super thankful for all of the wonderful words of support I've been receiving from friends about the project. You all keep me going!
I'm getting close to having it finished, but until then I thought it would be fun to share a free printable page with my email friends...
To get the page, simply head to my main website and sign up for my email list. You'll instantly receive this coloring page and a fun July desktop calendar {I send one a new calendar each month!}.
If you color the page I would love to see your finished masterpiece...tag me on social media and use #coloringwithTGD!
Thanks friends and happy coloring!
XO,
