The smell of brand new sharpened pencils...ahhh.

Hi Friends,

Back to school time has always been one of my favorite times of year. There is an amazing energy in the air! Can you feel it?

While I was raising my own daughter we would anticipate the school year with both excitement and a nervous energy at the same time. There was fun school clothes shopping and getting all of the needed supplies on the list. I still adore the smell of a box brand new crayons and sharpened pencils!

There were also butterflies in our tummies at the thought of meeting new teachers, seeing old friends from the previous year and meeting brand new ones, too.

For me, as a mom who worked at home, it was also a time of feeling a burst of new creativity and energy on the cool autumn mornings. I couldn't wait to dive into new projects when I had a full day with no interruptions.

I created this print remembering all of those wonderful teachers who helped influence and mold my daughter and myself into what we are today. It makes a lovely gift for those special teachers in our lives.

For a limited time I am offering this print for 30% off by using the special code: TeacherThanks at checkout.



I want to wish you all a wonderful new school year and thank you for being a part of our wonderful community. I am so grateful for each and every one of you!

Phyllis


♥ Gifts that give back ♥

Phyllis Harris Designs & You – Giving the gift of love and healing

Every purchase of a heart-warming Phyllis Harris Designs illustration print donates 5 percent of every illustration print sold from our website to Children's Mercy Hospital.  

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What a fantastic way to start summer vacation!

Hi Friends,

Many celebrate this upcoming Memorial Day holiday in the US by heading to the local pool or beach. Some go camping and enjoy family time. But I also don't want to forget the reason for the Memorial Day holiday. Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States for remembering the people who died while serving in the country's armed forces. I am so grateful to the men and women who serve our country and sacrifice so much for our freedom.

To help celebrate Memorial Day I am offering 20% off everything in the shop! Starts now and runs through May 31, 2016. Be sure to enter the coupon code MEM2016 at checkout. Start shopping now!

Thank you for being a part of our wonderful community. I am so grateful for each and every one of you!

♥ Phyllis

♥ Gifts that give back ♥
Phyllis Harris Designs & You – Giving the gift of love and healing

Every purchase of a heart-warming Phyllis Harris Designs illustration print donates 5 percent of every illustration print sold from our website to Children's Mercy Hospital. 

FOLLOW ME ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PhyllisHarrisDesigns
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PhyllisHarris
Instagram: http://instagram.com/phyllisharrisdesigns
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/phyllisha/

Want to be the first to hear the news?

Hi Friends!

As a Phyllis Harris Designs newsletter subscriber, I often have an exclusive special offers  just for you! SO be sure to sign up here get 25% off your first purchase!  **We respect your privacy. Your email will never be shared.

I have added some BRAND NEW art in the shop too! Just click on each photo to see more information on each one.




Thank you for being a part of our wonderful community. I am so grateful for each and every one of you!

Phyllis




♥ Gifts that give back ♥

Phyllis Harris Designs & You – Giving the gift of love and healing

Every purchase of a heart-warming Phyllis Harris Designs illustration print donates 5 percent of every illustration print sold from our website to Children's Mercy Hospital.  

FOLLOW ME ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PhyllisHarrisDesigns
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PhyllisHarris
Instagram: http://instagram.com/phyllisharrisdesigns
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/phyllisha/

How did the whole adult coloring books craze start, anyway?

Relax, Renew, Revisit Childhood

 by Bradley K. Harris

It started out as the British Invasion, spread across the Channel to become the French Revolution, and has experienced epidemic growth in the United States. Fortunately this does not refer to war, or the 60’s musical style of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. We are talking about coloring books here….coloring books for Adults. That’s right – Adults.
When Scottish artist Johanna Basford released her amazing coloring book for adults in 2011 “Secret Garden: An Inky Treasure Hunt and Coloring Book” (Laurence King Publishing), who would have believed it would sell close to six million copies worldwide and become a global best-seller? And when French publisher Hachette Pratique released “Art-thérapie: 100 coloriages anti-stress” in 2012, could they have envisioned their adult coloring book would sell more than three and a half million copies worldwide?
With the help of Social Media, the Adult Coloring Book Craze has leaped across the ocean and onto Amazon’s Best-Seller list here in the United States. Fueling this phenomenon is the modern day adult’s need to Relax, Renew and Revisit Childhood. Baby boomers and adults of all ages find themselves today in the most fast-paced, constantly changing environment in the history of civilization. Is it any wonder that pharmaceutical companies and the medical profession in general have focused so greatly on stress and anxiety related illnesses over the past decade? And then comes along a stress reducer that is fun, low-cost and a remarkable therapy for children of all ages.
I once heard my 88 year old father, who still whips me on the tennis court say that his secret to great health and longevity is in not knowing how old he is. ‘I may grow older but I’ll never grow old’ has been his mantra for the past 30 years. He lives his mantra and in addition to solving cross-word puzzles, walking, tennis and wood-working, dad spends a lot of time drawing and coloring. A child at heart, a man that revisit’s childhood frequently and has remained forever young. Coloring isn’t just for the young in age anymore, but for those who seek to remain young in body, mind and spirit.
Phyllis Harris is the illustrator of over 35 children’s books and a lover of all things childhood. Throughout life, her place of peace and solitude was a return to childhood; a remembrance of simpler times. Joy filled days spent relaxing in a field of dandelions, riding a horse through sun-ripened fields of wild flowers and playing fetch with her best four-legged friend. Capturing the heart of childhood became her illustrative style in creating art for children’s books. Experiencing changes in children’s publishing 4 years ago, like many other artists and illustrators, Phyllis realized the need to reinvent herself and her business. Phyllis began focusing on creating wall art for Children’s Rooms and launched Phyllis Harris Designs in 2012. With a passion for illustration, and her love of childhood, Phyllis Harris Designs has experienced remarkable success. With her illustrations adorning thousands of children’s rooms across 6 continents, customers began asking Phyllis in early 2015 if she would consider publishing a collection of her illustrations into an adult coloring book. And that is how ‘the heART of Childhood’ was born.  Now heading into its 3^rd printing in 6 months, “the heART of Childhood: A coloring book featuring the timeless art of Phyllis Harris” has garnered international success and has exceeded any expectation the artist had early on. This is just one Midwest U.S. artist’s story; and the story of many successful artists and illustrators in the United States and Europe.
When and where will the adult coloring book craze end? The answer may just be, never. Because the need to Relax, Renew and Revisit childhood will never grow old. And like my father, millions of others have found that it’s better to grow older, but never grow old.

Have you seen my "Vintage Sketch Series" now available in the shop?

Have you seen my "Vintage Sketch Series" now available in the shop? I love how the handmade paper looks in the floating frame I got from Hobby Lobby. There are 3 different prints to choose from thus far. http://phyllisharrisdesigns.com/collections/vintage-sketch-series

 




Here is a bit more info about them...

After attending a Leonardo da Vinci exhibit, I was so inspired by the beautiful sepia sketches on aged paper so I set out to find the perfect "handmade" paper to print my raw sketches on. Every artist struggles with working and refining a piece until it's almost overdone. I love the movement and feeling of sketch studies because they are raw and full of emotion.

This beautiful handmade paper has deckled edges and seeds and fibers through it. It is perfectly "imperfect" so it may not be perfectly squared which adds to it's beauty. I have shown one framed in a vintage "floating" frame for reference only. Frame not included. Copyright will not appear on print.

- Art print created from a hand drawn original sketch
- Printed on 8.5 x 11" aged handmade seed paper
- Ships flat packaged in a bend resistant mailer and a cellophane sleeve
- Ships within 3-5 days of payment
- Printed locally in the USA

Vintage Sketch Series

Hi Friends!

I have added something new to the shop! I call it my vintage sketch series.

After attending a Leonardo da Vinci exhibit, I was so inspired by the beautiful sepia sketches on aged paper so I set out to find the perfect "handmade" paper to print my raw sketches on. Every artist struggles with working and refining a piece until it's almost overdone. I love the movement and feeling of sketch studies because they are raw and full of emotion.

This beautiful handmade paper has deckled edges and seeds and fibers through it. It is perfectly "imperfect" so it may not be perfectly squared which adds to it's beauty. I have shown one framed in a vintage "floating" frame for reference only. Frame not included. Copyright will not appear on print.

- Art print created from a hand drawn original sketch
- Printed on 8.5 x 11" aged handmade seed paper
- Ships flat packaged in a bend resistant mailer and a cellophane sleeve
- Ships within 3-5 days of payment
- Printed locally in the USA

I truly enjoyed creating these and I hope you enjoy them as well. Click on the photos to go to each print in my shop.



Thank you for being a part of our wonderful community. I am so grateful for each and every one of you!

Phyllis




♥ Gifts that give back ♥

Phyllis Harris Designs & You – Giving the gift of love and healing

Every purchase of a heart-warming Phyllis Harris Designs illustration print donates 5 percent of every illustration print sold from our website to Children's Mercy Hospital.  

Be sure and follow my social media networks to keep up with all that is going on. Here are the links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PhyllisHarrisDesigns
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PhyllisHarris
Instagram: http://instagram.com/phyllisharrisdesigns
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/phyllisha/