Celebrating the people we care about.
Valentine’s Day is traditionally a day of love and romance. When couples show in word and deed their affections for each other. It’s named in honour of St. Valentine one of the patron saints of the Roman Catholic Church. There is a lot of mystery and myth around who Valentine was and how he came to be associated with the day. The Roman Catholic Church added Valentine as a feast day in the 5th century. The date is said to be the day he was martyred. The cause of his martyrdom is part of the mystery surrounding him.
The great English poet and author Geoffrey Chaucer, best known for The Canterbury Tales, is credited with associating Valentine with romance and recognizing him on February 14th. Chaucer wrote during the early part of the 15th century, the Middle Ages, credited with being the first to write in English rather than Latin and French. The Middle Ages was known for courtly love and grand expressions of that love.
Chaucer Drives the Adoption of the Day
Amplified by the writings of Chaucer the association between Valentine and romance grew in popularity. By the end of the 15th century the word valentine was being used to describe a lover in other writer’s works. It would be the mid-1800s before the practice of creating and sending Valentine’s Cards took hold. The practice has grown over the intervening years into often elaborate celebration of romance by couples.
But, as often happens with traditions, they evolve as society evolves. The nature of relationships is not as clearly defined today as they were in the Middle Ages. Many single people feel free to use Valentine’s Day as a way of expressing appreciation to those who matter in their lives. Love comes in many forms and expressions.
Coloring Books to Celebrate the Day
For Valentine’s Day this year I chose to create five coloring books. Two multi-volume sets. As I started to assemble the elements of the books they grew from a couple of books with different themes to multiple ones. I could have done more but I needed to leave something for next year, right?
Geometric Designs
I enjoy using geometric designs as a base for the adult books I’ve created. The designs provide an opportunity for adults to just focus their minds on how they want to bring the designs to life. We all need an opportunity to let our minds relax and momentarily push away the pressures pushing their way into our minds. The simplicity of coloring designs have been shown to let relaxation happen. Easing stress.
The Love Doodles
While geometric designs provide lots of variety, I like to add to the designs to create themes. The love doodles are a set of simple heart shapes drawn in different ways. To stop the doodles from getting lost on the geometric pattern, I put a diamond shape between the doodle and the design. Each volume contains 30 patterns printed on the right hand page leaving the back of the page blank. You can visit Volume 1 here and Volume 2 here.
Valentine’s Quotes
I enjoy quotes of all kinds. I’ve often used quotes for ideas on what to write about. That is why I include a daily quote in the Prompt A Day emails my subscribers receive. Quotes come in all sizes and types from short to long, serious to hilarious. Quotes about Valentine’s Day are no different. They come in all types too.
It’s not surprising I decided to round up some Valentine’s quotes and add them to another set of geometric patterns. Once again, the supply of ones I liked exceeded a single volume. They became three volumes of 30 each. Coming from the heart, I placed the quotes inside a graphic heart and then gave the heart a grey tone to allow colour to be added to them.
You can visit Volume 1 here, Volume 2 here and Volume 3 here. Each link takes you to the product page where you get to see thumbnails of the images found in each book. If you decide you’d like one, clicking the “Order From Amazon” link will take you directly to your country page for that book.
Hope you have a wonderful Valentines Day.