Plan for the Holidays!
   With Christmas only two months away, many of you are planning your “strategy” for the upcoming holiday season. Whether you are painting personalized gift cards to send to family and friends, or creating new items to decorate your home, this issue features a number of projects to inspire you to get started!
   In addition to painting the projects as shown, expand your thinking and adapt the designs to different surfaces. Or you might use a different palette to give the design a new look. Think outside the box and create something that is extra special.
   For example, if you like to paint holiday cards, you can easily adapt a number of the featured patterns—the Nativity scene, the feather tree, the snowman, and the Santa would all look wonderful on a greeting card. After the holidays are over, the card can be matted and framed—now, that’s a gift that keeps giving!
   So sit back, relax, and approach your list of holiday projects with an open mind, and experiment with alternate palettes and new surfaces. Let creativity be your guide.

Happy Holidays!
Linda R. Heller, Editor in Chief
Wishing you a joyous holiday!