The planets are playing nice with me …

Even though the astrology forecast sounds a bit daunting, as planets do their thing, I am feeling in a lovely flow. 

When I look back to last year at this time, I hardly recognize myself. So much has changed and awakened in me in these last few months. So much. More than I can possibly describe really. 

I put it down to stopping and taking a look at all the elements in my life, to see how I might move forward in the way that best supports my values, beliefs, skills and abilities. 

Everything is focussed on creating the most sustainable life in every single way. Starting with  my thinking and  how I take that into the world. What is most important? 

And yes, that obviously flows right into the phrase for this month: Be the JOY you want to FEEL in the world. 

Above is May’s desktop wallpaper for your computer … click on it and upload it, and let it guide the unfolding of the joy of May.

compendium 11 … a beautiful and natural shift is emerging.

Yes, I have started the process of creating compendium 11 and I love how it is redesigning itself!

It seems to wish to be better focussed and to be the official publication of house of appleton.
Who knew that was coming?!

It is flowing along with all the other changes and “coming together” of the bits and pieces of my world.

It feels very supportive in so many ways.

There is no specific timeline on it … but of course if I’d thought about it, I might have sped things up to get it out for May 3rd … since that will be the 5th Anniversary of its arrival in the world.

Alas, it has always had its own timing and I appreciate and respect that. So, it will come out when it’s ready and no sooner.

Stay tuned!

May you make the time this month to sit with yourself and ask some deep questions about what is most important to you.

To leave nothing off the table.

To examine things with the eye to using your gifts and talents to improve your life, and in doing that, automatically improving the lives of others.

Happy May!

~sarah

Spring is in the air, and in me!

There is an unfolding happening in me that is quite a surprise and certainly a delight. 

There seem to be moments in life where a large shift happens. That’s what life for me feels like right now. 

Setting out on yet another new path with house of appleton, I have given myself “permission” to expand and explore in ways that I don’t think I was capable of, even a year ago. 

Nothing is off the table right now. Everything gets its due consideration … how might this fit with other things that are going on? It’s all about seeing each piece in a new way, and maybe giving it in a different place.

Yes, I have puzzles on the brain. Mary Ann has been doing them lately and I even see those differently than when I did them with my dad. I like seeing how my brain connects with them in a way it didn’t before. 

Today I have three completely clean and clear work surfaces in my studio … and that gives me such a great feeling of a fresh and open beginning to all that is next. 

I must say, I don’t remember a spring that has done what this one is doing for me … WOW!

“OFFICIAL LAUNCH” SUCCESS!

On April 3rd, the official launch of house of appleton and its first three books took place at the North Branch of the Vancouver Island Regional Library. It was nothing short of completely and totally AMAZING! 

The space was perfect. Our host, Librarian Darby Love, had set everything up just right. It was a large enough room and it was quiet. When the poets each read, there was a joyful silence, as everyone was listening and there were no distractions.

If we had planned each and every moment of that day, we could not have made it more perfect than it was.

Thank you to MJ Burrows, Sea-Washed Stones, Marlene Dean, Because Things Are, and Mary Ann Moore, Mending, for the most enjoyable poetry reading that anyone has ever been to! And for raising the bar on all future house of appleton events!

This is me on the Official Launch Day for the three chapbooks … and here is the picture of my grandfather standing behind and fussing with his White Circle Series books … sometime in the 1940s.

I felt him standing with me on the big launch day, and every day since.

I am so grateful for all the loving support I am receiving with the launch of house of appleton … I am so very, very blessed.

~sarah

The theme for April … enjoy the path, no matter where it leads.

I’ve taken my own path for most of my life, but it hasn’t been until recently that I have embraced this as a wonderful thing. 

I have released a very old, and very inaccurate storyline from my life … that making up my own way somehow left me out. It didn’t. It never has. I get it now, in ways that have never fully sunk in before. WOW … a whole new beginning is happening in me. 

The desktop image and message for April celebrates that there are paths that are easy, and others where a machete is needed to clear the way. Both offer us something. 

Click on the image above to download it for use on your desktop, if you like!

“Soft Launch” SUCCESS!

On March 26th, we held a soft launch of the new books … the three poets, surrounded by friendly faces of love, support and encouragement. 

It was AMAZING. 

Mary Ann came up with a great idea of melding the poems together … a sort of conversation between the poets. These were carefully chosen to flow from one voice to the next, and it was incredible. 

Certainly NOT your average poetry reading! It had such life and energy and connection between the three. 

Now it’s time to GO PUBLIC … so on Monday, April 3rd, 2023, they will do a public reading at the
North Branch of the Vancouver Island Regional Library, at 2 p.m. 

READ ALL ABOUT IT HERE.

If you are in the area and able to attend, I encourage you to do so … you will be enthralled! 

Books will be for sale at this event.

I started looking at a bunch of my old design magazines the other day … and I discovered things I am sure I never saw the first time. 

It feels a little bit like I’ve just been gifted a pile of great things to look at and savour, but in fact, they have been here all along! 

I notice I am attracted to some things that didn’t really interest me before, seeing it all in new ways, as I have changed and morphed my ideas and thoughts. 

How did I miss the article on  Losttype?  Okay … a wee bit of a rabbit hole, but not too bad. More ideas!

I am also looking for ideas on a new project that is wanting my attention, so I am looking at similar types of books to get ideas of what works and what doesn’t. This is where the library is such a fantastic resource!! They have so many fabulous books they will loan me for free. Oh how I love the library. 

So, April seems like a really good month to explore a new path … or carve one out … and that’s what I think I will do.

The idea of taking things that I already have and putting them in the world in different ways really appeals to me right now.

I guess the concept of working with what is currently in my world is now firmly applying to all areas of my life, and I am really finding great joy in that.

May you find great joy is this month too!

~sarah

Writing has become a central theme for me lately. 

As anyone who knows anything about me knows, I love words. I love where a single word can take me. 

Of course a lot of wordy things are happening around the three chapbooks from house of appleton … visualize me bathing in a sea of beautiful words, and you will pretty much get it.

But something else about words and writing has emerged into the forefront for me, and that is copywriting. I’ve always done it … boldly suggesting changes to client copy when I was just supposed to be designing the thing. Oh well, it’s just the way I roll I guess.

So, in honour of this piece of my skill set coming up again, and again … I am going to formally put it out there to do copywriting for other people! As I told a friend recently, I have a lot of words just sitting around the studio that don’t seem to be getting used … so why not share them with other people.
(This is when I wish I could draw and do the cartoon that goes with that imagery.)

One thing I do know for sure is, I have been able to take copy from a client and distill it cleanly to get a point across quickly, and as it turns out, a lot of people can’t do that.

So if you or someone you know are ever at a loss for words, I would love to help you out.

Of course I also updated my website to reflect this, appropriately called “writer” …. HERE.

I am delighted to present the 2023 On a Positive Note Colour Pack. 

At the end of last year, as my stock of colour packs was running out, I decided to take another look at what was there. Of course I have been colouring those particular mandalas for a long time, so some of them felt “done” to me. That’s when I decided to cull the pack for what would stay and what would go. 

The final result was: 24 new mandala frames, and 6 from the original pack. 

I’ve been enjoying the new frames tremendously. 

If you are interested in starting your own daily colouring practice, you will find them in the shop … HERE

These are just a few of the new mandalas that I have already coloured … to “check them out” and see if they really were interesting.

My conclusion is YES, they really are. 

house of appleton has a new book client … yippee! I won’t reveal more than that right now, but let’s just say this: I am honoured to work with another amazing poet whose words make the world a better place!

May your enjoy a week filled with really good words!

~sarah

Yes, the first three books from house of appleton are now at print … ready March 22, 2023!

This is so exciting for me and the three poets represented … together we have embarked on the birth of a whole new entity. It doesn’t get better than that!

Mary Ann Moore, Marlene Dean and MJ Burrows gave me such wonderful words to work with, the designs just flowed from there. That’s when you know things are just meant to be. 

The books can be Pre-Ordered and will be shipped as soon as they arrive in my excited hands. 

Read ALL about each book, take a sneak peak at the inside  and order it HERE

I am so very, very grateful to these three poets for trusting me with their words and allowing me to present them to the world. 

This is an incredibly proud and exciting moment in my life … and I am delighted to share it with you!

~sarah

March is a story month on my calendar.

It starts with “Be Heard Day” on the 7th!

This is followed on the 8th with International Women’s Day, a day to share all of our unqiue stories!

Then on the 14th there is Write Your Own Story Day, the 16th is Everythhing You Do is Right Day … now that is a stellar week.

The 20th gives us World Storytelling Day followed by World Poetry Day. Then finish the month off with Make Up Your Own Holiday Day, Piano Day (88th day of the year), Pencil Day (YAY) and Crayon Day.

Clearly, this is a month to write things down and share them!

And in honour of our own fabulous and unique stories … this month’s desktop wallpaper for you to enjoy. (Just download it from the picture).

I am testing out my NEW Colour Pack … and it is proving to be a lot of fun.

When my current colour pack stock ran out, I decided it was time to refresh it with a host of new designs.  Here are some of the new frames and how I have coloured them. Of course, there are endless possibilities for the way anyone might choose to colour them, each one becomes an original!

I carefully went through the 30 exsisting designs and kept the ones that still had lots of energy in them for me. The rest, I retired.

The new pack has 24 new designs and for the past few days I have been testing them out to see how they “feel” to work with. I like them. They seem to have the ability to remain playful, yet offer depth as well. 

I see in them the chance to simply colour them, or embellish them in any way you see fit. So, not too much design, but enough to give a solid starting point. 

These will be available as soon as I receive the printed copies and the new packaging from the printer. 

what’s happening at house of appleton?

I will do a BIG REVEAL of the covers of the books next week!!! Stay tuned!

This month I would like to encourage you to tell your story, in whatever way suits you. Through drawing or writing or voice … your story is the opportunity to add to the fabric of the human experience in a way that only you can!

~sarah