Sea Serpent & Treasure Chest

Sharks & Fishes

Mermaid & Dolphin

First, colour your printed pages. Then cut out your coloured characters.Next, randomly tear up tissue paper pieces and glue them onto a plain piece of paper. (I like to use white card stock because it is thicker and makes a nicer backing to glue the tissue on.)Glue the tissue paper on until the piece of paper is completely covered. Lastly, take your coloured cut-outs, arrange and glue them onto your tissue paper ocean. Happy crafting and don’t forget to check out all of our other craft ideas as well!

~ Micheline

We have a good reason though – we’ve been rethinking the landscape of our blog and have decided that it needs a little more focus. Our discussions and research have helped us to understand that we need to zero in on our target audience which is ultimately family and kids. This means that there will so be much more ‘Fun for Kids‘ and also far more content for parents to sink their teeth into as well.

In light of this new focus, Micheline Ryckman is moving the art and photography portion of this blog onto a new site – so if you love seeing what she is up to in this area be sure to follow her new blog > MISH MASH.

Stay tuned – good things are coming here – including the promise of a colouring book giveaway!

Have an amazing weekend everyone,

Micheline

My mother had filled it with old hats, gloves, purses and dresses. While part of me wishes she’d held on to them until we were adults, I’m grateful she never had that good sense. Despite the fact that over the years these beautiful vintage pieces became worn, torn, stained or lost, what remains with me is a heightened sense of girlish pleasure every time I’m given the opportunity to dress up.Fortunately, I get that opportunity every May. Six years ago my husband and I were invited to a fundraiser. It was a dinner and auction with 100% of the money raised going directly to help with building projects and medical services for the people of Haiti. The theme was the “Hollywood Academy Awards”.

We went the following year (1920’s Speakeasy), and the next year (Olympics –I was a Greek goddess). After that, I began volunteering on the fundraiser and each year I seek out local donations (which are always very generous) and work with a talented team to put together auction packages for the fundraiser.

This year the theme is ‘Under the Big Top’ and I can’t wait to dress up as a lion. A girl lion of course –but with a lion’s mane.Of course, as much fun as it is to dress up, the greatest enjoyment I get is from knowing how much the money raised is going to help people. Proceeds from this year’s event will support a local Haitian doctor and two Haitian nurses at a recently built, free standing medical clinic in Grand Guave and will provide free medication as well as HIV on-site testing and supportive treatment for local Haitans.

The event is open to everyone if you want to attend, but tickets are going fast! In the meantime, check out this fascinating site chronicling the October/November 2012 trip of local volunteers to Haiti.

Hope to see you under the Big Top!

Trina

PS: If you loved the Mr. Dressup greeting card above as much as I did, check out this site for more Canadiana!

In addition to contributing to human success, horses have an intriguing role in mythology, represented as unicorn, Pegasus and centaur. That’s why Micheline and I have chosen the horse (and it’s mystical cousins) as a follow-up to our mystical dragons colouring book.

Designed to delight and inspire, this book is also illustrated by Micheline Ryckman and newcomer Hayden Wolf and will include a step-by-step drawing guide along with a collection of stunning, ready-to-colour drawings.

Enjoy the “sneak peek “ inside our new colouring book and be sure to check back for details of how you can win a copy of it, due out this fall.

Cheers

Trina

At Whimsical Publishing, Micheline and I are really excited to breath new life into the iconic dragon with our new colouring book, Whimsical’s World of Dragons.

Designed to delight and inspire, artists Micheline Ryckman and newcomer, Hayden Wolf, will also include a step-by-step guide to budding artists and dragon enthusiasts everywhere to create and colour their own magical creatures.

We’ve included a sneak peek inside the book below. Details of how you can win a copy of our new colouring book – due out this fall – will follow soon.

While you’re waiting for our new release check out our FREE colouring pages!

Happy colouring,

Trina

Will loved it so much he refused to let me fill it with candy or be beaten with the traditional piñata stick. Thus “Dragon” became an official party decoration and spent the next three years hanging from a hook in our basement collecting dust.My youngest son never requested a dragon piñata for his birthday (and I certainly never offered to make one!). He has, however, requested numerous dragon books over the years. From Ernest Drake’s Field Guide to Dragons to Cressida Cowell’s modern-day How to Train a Dragon book series, Thom was hooked.Over the years the boys and I have drawn dragons, written stories about dragons, read books about dragons and are big fans of the classic dragon movie, Dragonheart.

Perhaps that’s why I’m so excited to share with you Whimsical Publishing’s big news: WE’RE PUBLISHING A DRAGON COLOURING BOOK! With original artwork by house artist Micheline Ryckman and newcomer Hayden Wolf, this book will also include a step-by-step guide for budding artists and dragon enthusiasts everywhere to create and colour their own magical creatures.

Stay tuned for a sneak peek inside the book and details of how you can win a copy of our new colouring book due out this fall! In the meantime, check out this cool website on how to make your own dragon piñata!

~ Trina