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"Follow your dream". I think that pretty much says it all. I live mine daily. I work at what I love and love what I work at. Everything else ... well, if it's something I love it becomes a part of the dream too, something else to work on, to aim for.

Are you following your dream? I hope so -- but if not, perhaps this print might give you a bit of a motivational start-up kick. It's free to subscribers of the Floating Lemons monthly newsletter, so if you'd like this as a printable (as well as the rest from 2015 so far), then just sign up HERE. Cheers.

This month I've invited good friend and talented designer Lisa Zainuddin from oxoloco.com to kindly contribute one of her lovely calligraphic pieces for the free printable that's available to subscribers of the monthly newsletter. What do you think of "Flourish & Bloom"? Absolutely delightful, right? Here's a shot of her work in progress ...

Lisa is also collaborating on the children's books with myself and brilliant author Jennifer Poulter, so you'll be hearing more of her as time goes by.

Meanwhile I'm back at college and the workload is pretty intense at the moment. I'll be posting pages from the sketchbooks here as I go along, as well as at the new site for my persona as children's book illustrator Mariana Black! It's all a bit confusing right now but I'm sure I'll get everything sorted out eventually, though some lines may remain blurred forever - I don't quite have a problem with that though.

As always, the monthly illustrated quotes are available as free printables exclusively to the subscribers of the Floating Lemons monthly newsletter. Click HERE to sign up for it.Have a lovely week! Cheers.

This is a fun one, and I do love the quote:

"Alice: This is Impossible.

Mad Hatter: Only if you Believe it is."

Enjoy it, no matter what you believe. As always, it's available as a free printable exclusively to subscribers of the Floating Lemons monthly newsletter. Click here to subscribe: Floating Lemons Newsletter.

Wishing you a week full of positive belief & energy. Cheers.

Here are a few in-progress images of my watercolour steps ... before I took it into photoshop for a clean-up:

I truly do believe that there is no limit to love or loving. You can give one person all of your love and still have an infinitude left over for your family, friends, pets, neighbours, your work, your life, the world. It's immeasurable -- and powerful too, yes, because when it's given freely and unconditionally it gives the giver all the strength that comes from the joy of the giving of it.

Valentine's Day is celebrated in February. This month, why don't you express your love to all of the special people in your life. Spread the love and experience the joy of it.

I normally give my monthly free printables away only to subscribers of the Floating Lemons newsletter, but this month I'm giving this one away to anyone who wants it, freely and with only one request: that you in turn give it away freely and not use it for any commercial purpose. To get the free printable (A4 size), just click on the very first image of this post, or HERE.

If you'd like to sign up for the monthly newsletter, and receive future free printables or giveaways, just click HERE.

Wishing you an abundance of love. Cheers.

I can't believe that it's already June, the year seems to have flown past and it's once again time for our monthly text design which is, "I Choose to Make a Difference". Because I do. Do you? We can all begin with doing one positive thing daily, and bit by bit we can, together, change the world.

Just a quick recap for those of you who may have only just started reading my blog ... I decided at the beginning of the year to illustrate and post, on the first Saturday of every month this year, a positive affirmation beginning with "I Choose ...". I used to be pretty skeptical as far as affirmations are concerned but have placed cynicism aside and am now a convert. They work.

I'm offering all the designs as A4/A3 free printables to those who sign up for the Floating Lemons monthly newsletter, so if you want to print them out at home for your personal use, or pass them onto friends, just click HERE to subscribe. We've had a really great response, which is wonderful, thank you to everyone who signed up!

Here are the newsletters so far, from January to June 2014:

Choose to make a difference today ... and spread the positive energy. Cheers.

Seven years ago I mustered up the courage to make a huge change in my life, despite having been offered my "dream job". I left Australia and moved to France to instead work on my art and build a career and business from it. It's one of the best decisions I've ever made in my life.

I can't say that it was easy, and I've encountered quite a few bumps along the road, but I learned tons, and dogged determination has gotten me this far, with a small but thriving business and a huge love for what I do. Now, however, I'm again faced with massive new decisions to make, both in my work and personal life, and it's time to once again find the courage to make changes for the future. To follow my dreams. So this text design is particularly appropriate and will be my mantra for the days to come.

I've also placed it against a white background for the free printable that will be made available to the subscribers of the Floating Lemons monthly newsletter, as all that black may be a bit of a problem for home printers to handle. Both will be available, so you have a choice of whether to print it against white, or black if you think your printer can handle all that ink!

To sign up for the newsletter and get access to the previous free printables as well, just click here.

WIshing you the courage to follow your dreams. Cheers.

Be joyful! March always seems such a transitional month for me. Winter hasn’t quite shed its icy coat but there are signs of balmier spring weather sneaking into the air. A perfect time to choose to feel Joy, especially on those grey, cloudy mornings.

I wanted this illustration to feel natural, simple and spontaneous, so out came the watercolours, and I painted using bright, cheerful pinks, greens, oranges and blues, ending up with the above piece. Here are a couple of sketches:

The above text illustration is available as part of a series of monthly free printables for the subscribers of the Floating Lemons newsletter. If you'd like to sign up to receive them, just click here.

Wishing you a day full of brightness and joy. Cheers.

"Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself." -- George Bernard Shaw.

Simply handwritten.

Sketched this out a few months back, actually, and I thought it would be perfect for this time of the year ... as it's time to let go of all the clutter and reorganize for the New Year.

Which is exactly what we're trying to do for the business (and personal life, not that I have much of one!). A lot has happened this past year and now we have to look back, reassess, and cut out what isn't working. Then cross the fingers and hope that the coming year will be even better than this one has been so far.

Are you letting go of clutter in preparation for the New Year? Any New Year's resolutions? I'm still working on those ... Cheers.

A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

From LEISURE:

What is this life if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.

No time to stand beneath the boughs

And stare as long as sheep or cows.

No time to see, when woods we pass,

Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

No time to see, in broad daylight,

Streams full of stars, like skies at night.

No time to turn at Beauty's glance,

And watch her feet, how they can dance.

No time to wait till her mouth can

Enrich that smile her eyes began.

A poor life this if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.

-- William Henry Davies