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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

Is It Any Wonder That I’d Use Paper for Creative Endeavors?

by Chautona Havig · 4 Comments

The Elnora Monet released this week. Who is Elnora's Monet, and why is he called that? And what's with a cat having its own private wing? via @chautonahavig

A paper filled with lines, shapes, and color blocked the words on the page of my book. I looked up into the wide, excited eyes of my youngest daughter, and like nearly every parent who ever lived, I said, “Oh!  That’s…  Well, what is it?”

With that optimistic confidence that only toddlers seem to possess, she gave her answer.  I don’t remember what she thought the blob was, but I recall taking a second look and thinking that it looked remarkably like an embryo. If only my doodles and scribbles could be “translated” into something recognizable.

As a child, my attempts at art were… well, let’s just say that I never won any art prizes.  No honorable mentions.  And Mrs. Elkins, my second-grade teacher, did assure me once that you couldn’t fail “art.”

I think I may have cried in relief.

A few years into marriage, I discovered the illustrations of Tasha Tudor.

The simple, magical drawings left me determined to learn.  So, I did what I do best.  I copied them. Line by line, I drew things exactly the same length, the same curve, the same… everything.  Did they look like hers?  Not hardly–more like the cheap imitation of the cheap imitation.  But it taught me something.  I COULD copy. Not well, but I could do it. Copying taught me the value of just a tiny curved stroke for a nose or an ear instead of trying to copy the whole shape.  It taught me to pay attention to shadows used by the artist.

I can’t do it with actual objects.  When I try to sketch a box, I’m right back to those pathetic drawings of childhood.  But if I look at a box someone else has sketched, well…

Buoyed with that exciting change, I tried something else.  Paint.

There, I found more success.  I found I had an eye for color, for shadow, and for how to blend a brush.  I could trace the shape of a ship in a bottle onto wood and paint it so that it looked like a ship in a bottle!  Pansies with the colors all blended together?  Not a problem.

This took my crafty endeavors out of just fibers and textiles and into a whole new world that eventually led to… paper.

The Elnora Monet Release

Note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

Is It Any Wonder That I’d Use Paper for Creative Endeavors?

I mean, I’m an author, after all! During the early years of writing, I found less time for sewing and painting, but I need a creative outlet.  So, I took up cardmaking.  Scrapbooking isn’t really my thing, but cards… I can get into those.  You can spend as much or as little time as you want on them.  Lately, I’ve even been planning one kind of card per week and making several of it.  I pick them out one day, gather the papers the next, stamp the images the next, and so forth.

I really think everyone, no matter how creative or “artistic” they think they are or aren’t, really should take time to do something creative on a semi-regular basis.  In this, we imitate the true Creator.

Here are a few of my cards that I found pictures of. #becausecards

elnor
This one uses a stamp of the Wynnewood map! You can get those stamps on Etsy. Isn’t that COOL!
Elnora monet card
I LOVE this stamp so much. It fits with the Independence Islands, don’t you think?
elnora monet card
I use more birthday cards than anything else.

 

the elnora monet cards
Coloring is still one of my favorite things, obviously.
the elnora monet card
Like I said…

Why am I yammering on about creativity and art?

Well, this week is the release of the next book in the Independence Islands Series!  Rachel Skatvold’s, The Elnora Monet is live and ready for you to dive in.  See what is happening on Enora now and who they call “the Elnora Monet” and why!

It’s a wonderful story, and I just loved the personalities, the clashes, and seeing restoration in this tale!  Not to mention, one really pampered cat.

the elnora monetAbout The Elnora Monet:

Islanders call him the Elnora Monet.

Is that island speak for “pompous, arrogant jerk?”

When Carly Mulligan volunteered to make house calls on Elnora, she never imagined treating the richest cat on the islands. What other feline has his own wing in a mansion like the Belshaw Estate?

After a wrong turn in the mansion, Carly stumbles across a secret room—one filled with incredible paintings. Perhaps there’s something more to the man than she first thought.

Most people envy Jean-Luc Belshaw’s position. The heir to a lucrative business and family fortune, he should have everything he could dream of.

But Luc dreams of days past. Days when he traveled the world with his wife and painted the breathings of his soul disappeared with Angeline’s passing.  Faith and inspiration gone, he wonders if returning to France to take his place in his father’s business is the right thing to do.

Carly has a few relational demons of her own, and she’s reluctant to trust him, but Luc’s paintings draw her in even as his story touches a long-empty place in her heart.

Only God can transform two broken pasts into a work of art.

The Elnora Monet continues the Elnora Island romances of the Independence Islands Series featuring five islands, six authors, and a boatload of happily-ever-afters.

Summer’s not here yet, but hey!  Beach reads aren’t just for summer anymore.

To celebrate Rachel’s release, the islands authors are having another round of giveaways!  Check out each one and be sure to get entries in on each website. You won’t want to miss them!

Rachel Skatvold (4/27)

Tabitha Bouldin (4/28)

Carolyn Miller (4/29)

Chautona Havig (4/30)

Melissa Wardwell (5/1)

Kari Trumbo (5/2)

Celebrate Lit (Sandy Barela- 5/3)

Get your entry in for giveaways for The Elnora Monet.

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Filed Under: Giveaways, New Release

Previous Post: « What’s Better Than a Suspenseful Book? What about a Romantic One?
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Comments

  1. Sabrina Templin says

    May 3, 2021 at 12:06 am

    I love love love your cards. I am going to be having an online craft time with a friend in England this week so she can help me make a pocket purse card.Nervous but excited She does everything so well and many times the first time….lol Your cards are works of art Chautona. Thank you for sharing 🙂

    Reply
    • Chautona Havig says

      May 3, 2021 at 11:48 pm

      Aw, thank you! I love making cards! It’s so nice to have an outlet for creativity that has a physical expression.

      Reply
  2. KAREN says

    April 30, 2021 at 11:04 am

    I loved your article. What fun you must have.

    At 72 I took up watercolor and now have branched out to watercolor and pen and ink. I took 4 years of art in HS and loved it. For some reason I decided I could not draw or paint and quit trying. Because of an intro class at church, I started painting and drawing. I am sorry I missed all those years because I found out I really can draw and watercolor.

    Reply
    • Chautona Havig says

      May 3, 2021 at 11:48 pm

      I LOVE that you found something you enjoy and are good at. Perhaps you needed the extra years to develop that patience and eye or something. Who nows!

      Reply

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The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
The Because Fiction Podcast

Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 448: A Chat with Nancy Naigle
byChautona Havig

 I fell in love with Nancy’s writing with The Shell Collector. Imagine my joy when I discovered she has a SEQUEL! Eeep! Listen in and discover which characters you’ll find in To Light the Way Forward and what’s coming next for one of America’s favorite authors!

note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

It’s been three years since Nancy and I had a chance to talk, and in that time, she’s been BUSY.  So in addition to falling in love with her character, Tug, and wanting to give him his own story, she’s written a small-town duet (and maybe we talked her into a third?) as well as a romcom duo!  Think we can talk her into a third of that series as well?  Because… SPOILER ALERT… we’re getting a third Shell Collector Series book, too! EEEP!

To Light the Way Forward by Nancy Naigle

A novel of overcoming deep loss, taking risks, and learning that life—and love—often surprises you when you least expect it, from the USA Today bestselling author of The Shell Collector. “Bringing to life characters you can’t help but fall in love with, Nancy Naigle goes straight to the heart with this story of tragedy turned to triumph. A poignant reminder to never give up hope.”—Sheila Roberts, author of The Best Life Book Club Feeling adrift after the loss of her husband, Rosemary sets out to visit an old friend on Whelk’s Island, undeterred by the threat of a hurricane. Before the storm hits, she finds herself at Tug’s Diner where she quickly connects with the owner, Tug. But the storm destroys the diner, compounding Tug’s grief from losing his love the previous year. The longer Rosemary stays, the more she sees Tug’s deep sadness and resolves to help him. Together with Tug and friends Amanda and Paul, they all pitch in to help the close-knit community recover and rebuild. As Amanda and Paul reconnect after losing touch during the storm, their plans to take things slow seem increasingly impractical. While Rosemary and Tug help the young couple navigate their relationship, they also find themselves building a friendship that begins to restore them both. But can that friendship convince them that love is possible for anyone who’s willing to take a risk—even those who never hoped they’d find it again?

Learn more about Nancy on her WEBSITEand follow her on GoodReads and BookBub.

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Episode 448: A Chat with Nancy Naigle
Episode 448: A Chat with Nancy Naigle
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