My New Coloring Book EVERYDAY MAGIC Is Coming Soon!

Finally!

My newest coloring book, EVERYDAY MAGIC, is at the printer.

Preorder NOW

It's been way too long, so thank you for your patience.

Everyday Magic is about the wonder of the ordinary, and the amazing things that happen to all of us in our day-to-day lives.

It all started as I was taking photos of the super moon in Watchung, New Jersey. As a giant tangerine orb rose over the skyline of NYC, I thought to myself that it would be hard to imagine something more amazing. My mind wandered, and I realized that little things happen all the time that we so often overlook. 

Not long after, I was thinking of a friend I hadn't spoken to for a bit, and the phone rang...who do you think it was? Yup. Another example of Everyday Magic.

I started to look for magic...and you know what? The more I looked the more I found.

I thought of a blue feather...on purpose...and a gray/blue feather ended up on my porch the next day.

I had a conversation with a friend about the possibility of UFOs and life on other planets...five minutes later my husband called my out to the deck to see two very strange sets of lights in the night sky. Aliens? No...but it was amazing thinking they could have been until they were close enough for us to realize they were planes.

Some of these magical things that happened were so uncanny it seemed that something otherworldly was intervening, so in the book I represented those moments in the book with images of fairies or elves, or sometimes animals and plants that are part of out everyday lives.

EVERYDAY MAGIC Artist's Edition is available on Etsy for PRESALE AT THIS LINK right now. It has 30 single sided images printed on thick, lovely artist's grade paper. The binding is removable, so each sheet can be colored on a clipboard or desk. No need to cut or rip. The pages can them be replaced inside the binding for safe keeping.

The Amazon Edition will follow a few weeks later, with two copies of each image for double the coloring fun. Both books are 8.5 x 11.

I am currently conducting a COLORING CONTEST. The winner will be featured on the back of the Amazon version of EVERYDAY MAGIC...I hope you enter. Click here to be directed to the DEA LENIHAN Coloring Gallery to enter:  CLICK TO ENTER

Here are some images...hope you like them! With a little hocus pocus, I'm sure you will do your OWN magic and make these images come to life. Coloring isn't as "cool" as Kylie Jenner, but I wouldn't want my magic any other way.

Thank you for reading! 💗xo Dea

Incense, Drawing, and a Little Magic

How long has it been since you burned some incense?

High school? College maybe?

I was drawing a page from a soon-to-be coloring book and the doorbell rang. It was a special delivery--my order of incense.

I was very excited about the idea of my bundle of mysterious fragrances, but did not want to stop working, so I lit a Frankincense and Myrrh stick and got right back to the image of the lighthouse. 

And something a little magical happened. 

The scent transported me. I felt like I was at the top of the lighthouse in the dark, looking over the troubled black waters. Off in the distance I could see the sun crack through the clouds, and I could hear the seagulls call to one another.

The waves settled down, and the sun rose. Far off I could see the gulls swooping, and one landed in a field of poppies and smiled at me.

Coming soon from the book By the Beautiful Sea

Not sure poppies grow anywhere near the ocean, nor am I sure a seagull is capable of a smile, and I don't think Frankincense and Myrrh have anything to do with the sea, but that's fine. None of these images existed before I lit the incense, and now they will all be featured in an upcoming book. (The book was originally called Lighthouses, it has now been renamed By the Beautiful Sea.)

All this from lighting some incense? I guess so. Would I have developed these ideas without the mysterious smoke wafting through my home? Maybe. But maybe not. Plus I sincerely enjoyed it, and I think I will do it more often.

Here is some incense I really enjoy. I am not paid by any company--just want you to know the companies and brands I like.

Click here for the meditative Frankincense and Myrrh I just wrote about by Fred Soll 

Very popular and less expensive Nag Champa--still yummy

So here is my  recommendation--light a candle, put on some soothing music or a healing tone, (I love this one and it supposedly heals our DNA! I'll take it):  Healing Tones, light some incense, and draw, color, or paint. 

No need for meditation--this makes me feel wonderful and creative, and I have a feeling it might create a little magic for you too.

I also have a library of resources for anyone who likes to color. 

CLICK HERE for THE COLORING STASH

      
Enjoy!

xo Dea

Here is the video, Coloring with Pastel Pencils Part One, demonstrating Conte pastels for coloring. Enjoy.

The Magic of Tea and Reading Tea Leaves

Tea is on of the most popular drinks in the world. Over three billion people drink tea every day. There are flavors to please almost everyone.

Earl Grey, a lovely black tea with bergamot, Chamomile, a delicate, green flavored tea which helps us relax, Hot Cinnamon Sunset, one of my favorites, is a hot, sweet, and spicy tea by Harney and Sons that tastes a bit like Dentyne gum and needs no sugar because it is made with sweet cloves, and hundreds and thousands of others. BUY HERE Another delight comes from Teavana, called Oprah Chai Tea. With ginger, cardamom, cloves, and black tea, it is just the best chai. What makes it even better is a portion of the proceeds go to the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy Foundation. BUY HERE

Tea is delightful with breakfast, tea time in the afternoon, or to calm you down before bed. With lemon and honey it makes our sore throats feel better. Choosing the perfect cup is almost as fun as drinking the tea!

Some believe that certain teas can help us see into the future, or help another fall in love.

For instance, if you add lemon balm, mugwort, eyebright and rosehips to black tea, you might get a glimpse of what is behind the veil.

If you add damiana, chamomile, mullein, and rose hips to black tea and sip very slowly during a full moon, a vision of your true love might appear in the dark. Please visit this site for even more magical tea spells:  http://www.wicca-chat.com/magicktea.htm

Some use tarot to see into the future, some the Ouija board, and others read tea leaves. 


Tea leaf reading, or tasseography, has been practiced since medieval times as a form of divination. 

Cups have been designed to make it easier for the reader to decipher the signs left by the leaves.

There are two schools of thought when it comes to reading the leaves; using the traditional symbols passed down from generations, or use intuition. For example, if the reader sees an S shape at the bottom of the cup, this could be read as misfortune if using traditional symbols, but the reader might not feel a negative at all, and interpret the S as something completely different. 

Set up a lovely area for yourself, and turn off anything electric, cell phones, TV, etc. Say a prayer of protection of doing a reading for someone else.

Reading the leaves is very simple. First, the tea is brewed, preferably in the traditional method with a pot and loose tea. If only tea in bags is available, the tea can be make by breaking the bag into a cup, or making a regular cup of tea and then breaking the bag and adding a pinch or two to the cup. Use a light colored, sloping cup. Use a tea that has a special meaning to you, or one whose scent has a spiritual meaning.

Before the tea is sipped, there are a few things to look for in the cup according to Serena, who has been reading tea leaves for generations.

Bubbles on the surface of your tea means that money is on its way.

If any tea leaves are floating on the surface, then visitors are imminent. The number of leaves shows how many days away they are.

If two teaspoons are accidentally placed on a saucer, then you can expect news of twins soon.

If a teaspoon is placed upside down onto a saucer then you will hear news of the ill-health of a close relative.

Then the tea is enjoyed. This is an important part of the ritual because you calm down and your thoughts are not erratic. While sipping, three questions can be thought of if there is no specific purpose for the reading.  Leave a small amount of liquid at the bottom, and swirl the remains three times clockwise. Now pour the liquid into the saucer, and look at the leaves left on the bottom of the cup. Some say if there are only a few leaves that your life is orderly and planned.

Some say it means you are not living your life to the fullest. If there are many leaves you are busy, hurried, but fulfilled. Some say it could mean you are doing too many things, and should slow down.

Now turn the handle toward yourself. Here is a list of the "zones" according to Wiki: 

Zones from top to bottom may represent either "distance" or "weight" of the omens. Images near the top (rim) are close while images near the bottom are distant. In terms of time, the distance from rim to base represents approximately 6 months. However, "distance" may also refer to relationship to a person or goal. The other way of looking at it is that images at the base of the cup can represent a "heavy" (ill) omen and, as they come nearer the rim, are "light" or joyful omens. The context will determine which is applicable. Context and symbolism are most important. Trust your instincts.

The handle of the cup is known as the "domain" and images near the handle are images related to home life and family. The further from the handle an image is the more "outside" the omen. Symbols opposite the handle relate to work or strangers, somewhere in between might relate to non-immediate family or "a friend of a friend." Images to the RIGHT of the handle indicate something coming TO the querent while images to the LEFT of the handle represent things coming FROM the domain.

A big clump of tea leaves with no discernible image might augur trouble on its way. If it is opposite to the handle, the trouble will likely be not of your making but if it is under the handle, it is considered to be of your making.

If there remains a drop or two of liquid tea that didn't come off with the draining, these are considered to be tears. It might indicate past or future sadness, dependent on the context of the rest of the reading.

Now you can begin looking for symbols. Apples, spiders, candles, and more have traditional meanings, but going with your intuition is always a great idea when reading the leaves.

Look here for a complete list of symbols and their meanings. http://www.readingtealeaves.info/asymbols.html

Reading can also be done with coffee grinds or the sediment left over from wine.

Here is my reading: There were some drops of tea left of the bottom after I drained the cup. 

Great Gramma reading leaves and bones

These are known as "tears" and mean I will probably experience sorry. Or maybe it means I already did! I also noticed the leaves on the right near the handle looked like a cat, and on the top away from the handle is a little flag. On the bottom there is a dancing person and smiling kid or face. OK let's see...Oooo!! The flag is danger from wounds inflicted by an enemy. Great. And yikes. Since it's the left of the handle it is FROM me. The cat...difficulties caused by treachery. And it is close to the handle so it comes from home. Finally. The smiling face is pleasure and love and the little dancing figure means a pleasant omen of coming pleasure and gratification, good news, happiness in love and friendship; it also means that you will receive an unexpected invitation.

I hope you will read tea leaves today and tell me what happens, or tell me if you ever had your fortune told. 

I'd also love to know your favorite tea since I seem to be a bit addicted. 

xo

Kid Magic

When we are young almost everything we experience is touched with a bit of magic.

The first-ness of our moments adds wonder and beauty to the most simple things. Glimpses of our day, like a butterfly gliding through our wisteria, feel as if they are visited by a Disney fairy godmother when we are little.

A walk through grandpa's garden is Narnia to the preschool set, and more rich and poignant than any CGI filled movie you could pay for.

But the lives of our little ones are chock-full of busy-ness. From homework in kindergarten to pee wee sports practice, our kid's lives are hectic. 

Reading and art allow children to slow down, to do something calming and centering. Unbeknownst to them, while they are munching along with Eric Carle's Very Hungry Caterpillar or roaring with the terrible beasts in Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are, they are expanding their imaginations and increasing their literacy skills.

If they can't read yet themselves, they sit with a loved one, experiencing closeness and developing an ability for meaningful discussions.

When given a paint brush and a blank canvas, children are allowed to expand their consciousness and develop creative and open-minded thinking. It awakens their senses and helps with problem solving skills. You do not have to tell them art is timeless, they delve into the moment and are somehow connected with the self-expression that has been part of humanity since the dawn of time. 

Appreciation of art and literature starts young, and happily they have no idea they are learning. Children have the special ability to have nothing attached to what they are doing--they are creating art or reading simply because they love it. There is no agenda attached to their creativity. They go with the flow, a gift that Picasso spoke about when he said "All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist as we grow up." The magic in their completely un-self-conscious creativity allows them to be wholly in the moment, something we as adults can have a hard time with.

Our kids grow up so fast. Our days are filled with bills, cleaning, cooking, and a whole lot of reality. We are focused on test-taking in school and a very one sided IQ score that is probably decent at grading one's general knowledge base.

But what about creativity? What about those kids who are notoriously considered square pegs simply because the current system disallows for square holes?

The magic of childhood is lovely, and it would be nice to stretch at least some of that Abracadabra into our adult lives. 

Reading and art are two examples of wizardry that seamlessly moves with us as we grow. Along with the obvious advantages of reading to kids when they are young and allowing them to create unguided art, these bewitching gifts stick--they are endless presents of love that happily never have to end.

I'd love to know of any books or forms of art you loved as a child, and what made them special to you.

xo Dea

Take Me Away

       (Music, by Jimmy Page, to play as you read today's post. Black Mountain Side guitar solo)

Art is many things to many people.

Some love music, some painting, some acting or writing--the list goes on and on. Some like a combination.

But there seems to be something in common with any art avenue you travel down--the experience takes you somewhere else. 

Time stands still and we are able to feel something beautiful. Our senses become heightened and dulled at the same time--and we lose ourselves.

Yogis and god-seekers look inward. They meditate to find a very quite place to find peace, or love, or the infinite.

The envelope of the art experience is the opposite. We step into the world and time of another and make it our own. When drawing we become part of the picture, music can take us to another country or bring us back to an experience we loved, writing involves creating another dimension and developing a universe for a brand new being. We are no longer aware of our pains, or losses, or needs, or even time. 

For a while we are in heaven.

Of course we have to come back to earth, back to our realities--but so what. We have our art, and we can recreate the nirvana at will. 

It is the closest thing to magic that I can imagine.

Penelope's Garden Coloring Book~~COMING SOON!

Penelope the Witch in her garden.

Penelope the witch is visited by her friend Heather, a famous author who sells her books at The Black Hat Bookstore--and can only speak in RHYME!

After Penelope and Heather harvest the Love Heart Daisies they go and visit Wiser's Bookstore and talk to the old wizard Aleister Wiser to see if they can break the rhyming curse put upon Heather by Merlin hundreds of years before.

Will they be able to get the ingredients from the goblin who lives next door? Or will the creature that is growling in the bushes get them before they can run home to safety...

Read and color Penelope's Garden Coloring Book and join the OUT OF THIS WORLD Art by YOU Coloring Club on Facebook today. See your pictures posted and win fun prizes :) https://www.facebook.com/groups/478108415587906/?fref=ts