What do you get when you cross a book-addicted, compulsive-card-sending, organizational expert with a paint-slinging, soup-simmering goofball? A fabulous new series of lifestyle books, of course!
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| Cover sample completed. It will be interesting to see if the actual cover ends up anything like this. It's a long process. |
My friend Cat Isles (author and owner of Bridging the Universe Greeting Card Company), has long wanted to write a book on the art of correspondence. I've long wanted to be the person who sends the perfect card for all occasions. At least one of us accomplished her goal, this week. Cat's book, with the proposal and my sample illustrations, went in the mail today.
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| Because 365 Kind includes a yearbook for recording birthdays and such, I get to do twelve different pieces, collaging my watercolor pen-and-ink illustrations with old letters and found objects. I'm designing all the elements for use also on greeting cards, scrapbooking ephemera, and related creative items. Ohhh, the possibilities! |
From the minute we started working on this one though, we realized that we had so many book ideas swimming inside our little heads, it was like minnows in a bait tank. Once 365 Kind, Being the Thoughtful Correspondant You Always Wanted to Be, is accepted for publication, I'll have about a dozen more illustrations to do for it, and by then, Cat will have written the second book in the series. Don't worry, there are some titles in the series that are mine to write, but even so, I get to make smart remarks in Cat's, to give them the feel of a conversation between friends. It's been wicked fun.
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| So, here's most of my part of the package...sample illustration, cover sample, hand painted mailing box... |
And what else will we be talking about? Hmmm...random acts of kindness, fabulous food, gifts and gift wrapping, organization, decorating, real beauty, and so many more, I can't remember them all. The subjects aren't new, but our approach, coming from the perspective of being (embracing) the person you want to be, gives them a different feel: Warm, fuzzy, and perfectly imperfect.
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| Yes, I custom painted the mailing box, just to be sure it wouldn't get lost on the editor's desk. We also included a fancy chocolate bar and tea. Bribery? Of course not! It's just a lot to take in, and we wouldn't want her to become famished while perusing our submission. Oh, and yes, we did notice the smudged ink, and rushed it back to the art room for a touch-up, a top-coat of Polycrylic, and a blast of the hair dryer, and no, the postmaster did not slap priority tape willy-nilly all over the box. He was such a sweetie, carefully placing the tags and stickers just so, even if he's not a fan of rabbits in the garden. We looove him. |
And yes, for anyone keeping track, my own book, featuring the decorating here at Belle Ami is still in the works. It too is a lifestyle book, and as my lifestyle went through a major change last year, so too did the book...all for the best, even if it did delay the plans a bit. Patience, like remembering to send birthday cards on time, is a virtue. I'm working on the virtuous thing.
Feel free to post comments below, or email me with those or questions at dawnmariedelara@gmail.com. If you are working on a creative project of your own and want to pick my brain (for whatever that's worth), I'm always happy to share whatever I know.
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