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?

Well … the first three books are just about ready to go to print, and that is such exciting news that I can hardly believe it.

There has been no expense spared to create three unqiue, yet connected books from three poets, Mary Ann Moore, Marlene Dean and MJ Burrows, and what a fabulous experience to design them all in unison.

As the final touches get tended to, plans are already set for an OFFICIAL LAUNCH. Yes, Monday, April 3rd, 2023 from 2 pm. to 3:30 p.m. at the Nanaimo North Branch of the Vancouver Island Regional Library.

You should come if you can, it’s going to be quite wonderful. Mary Ann is working on matching up poems from all three books, so that the poets will read a poem each in sequence. Then another … and so on. It will offer a more lively format we think.

It also shows how even if writing styles and stories are different, there is an interweaving that can happen, if you look for it.

Yes, books will be for sale on that day too.

I feel my grandfather smiling down on me and these writers, and that’s a feeling that just can’t be matched.

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

Sarah J Clark

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