New giveaway: Jan Kohler's Carmel-by-the-Sea coloring book!

One of the unexpected pleasures of blogging in tea land has been the discovery of so many talented and creative individuals who happen to share my love for tea. Even though I haven't (yet!) met Donna Kohler in person, we've corresponded over the years about some of our various creative projects and teatime, so I was delighted when she wrote to let me know her husband Jan (he was born and raised in the Netherlands, so it's pronounced "Yan") has just published a coloring book about Carmel-by-the-Sea in California. Donna said she wanted to send me one and also offered one for me to give away to one of you, so of course I was only too happy to accept her generous offer! On the cover is an image of the famous Tuck Box, built by Hugh Comstock in 1926 and operated as a tearoom in the forties by two sisters from England. It's still in operation today, and you can click here for more information.

I've never visited the Tuck Box, or Carmel-by-the-Sea, for the matter, but oh, how I want to after reading this delightful book filled with images of charming cottages and businesses! Have any of you been to Carmel-by-the-Sea? I'm betting some of you have, especially those of you who are frequent travelers and/or live on the west coast (or are dog lovers; apparently the town is known for being quite dog friendly!). The Tuck Box is so reminiscent of Merrie Olde England with that cheerful awning and those pretty flowers blooming in the boxes out front. One thing I noticed was that somehow, Kohler has managed to create drawings that could be colored in minute detail by more advanced colorists, yet they aren't intimidating at all to amateur colorists such as myself. I love that! This page, of course, was the first one I colored, and the book also features drawings of other buildings like the Prestige Hat Shop, Cottage of Sweets, and even the Cypress Inn, co-owned by actress Doris Day, and Hog's Breath Inn, once owned by actor Clint Eastwood.

So go ahead, make my day and leave an "Enter me" to this post if you'd like to win the giveaway copy of Jan Kohler's terrific new coloring book! Entries will be accepted from now until 7 a.m. EST Friday, March 3. (US and Canada only, please.) Donna shared with me a great article that was written about the new book, and I loved that it included a link to a video showing how Jan created the coloring book. Go here to check it out for yourself. And if you'd like to go ahead and order a copy of the book now on Amazon, click here.