Jean Lamontanaro

Heart coloring pages

Sun, 07 Feb 2021 21:24:03 GMT

Share some love with these free printable heart coloring pages

Valentine's Day is coming soon, so I thought I would share a few heart-themed coloring pages. Great for coloring and adding to your homemade Valentine's cards!

Click on one of the photos below to download and print the coloring page.

Color a Mermaid

Wed, 25 Nov 2020 01:56:22 GMT

Free printable mermaid coloring page

For this coloring page , I decided to depart from the nature-themed radial designs I have created in the past, and focus on something more mystical instead. This magical mermaid has long flowing hair and is surrounded by a shell patterned background.

Since I live by the sea in coastal Maine, a mermaid seemed like a perfect theme for my leap from the natural world to the realm of fantasy!

Want to color your own mermaid? Download , print and get coloring today!

Find out about my Maine-themed coloring book here!

Cocktails and Coloring

Sun, 27 Sep 2020 21:12:45 GMT

Ginger apple mimosas and an autumn coloring page

Make a fall weekend more festive with an autumn themed beverage and coloring page! Today I am giving you a free leaf mandala coloring page to download and print. It looks great colored in warm, fall colors, but feel free to be creative! I also have a recipe for a ginger apple mimosa which is delicious with or without the prosecco.

Click here to download and print the fall leaf coloring page, and have fun adding color and making it your own! To add some fun to this activity try out the ginger apple mimosa recipe below and enjoy this delicious and refreshing drink while you color.

Ginger apple mimosa

Note: Calling this a recipe is a bit of stretch because it is so simple, and I didn't use exact measurements. Feel free to experiment with the ratios of the following ingredients to make a mimosa that you love! It's yummy with or without the prosecco!

Ingredients:

Ginger beer
Sparkling apple cider
Prosecco
Honey
Cinnamon
Sugar

Put a thin layer of honey on a small plate or bowl and dip the rim of a champagne flute to cover the rim with honey.
Mix together some cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl and dip the rim of the glass to cover the honey with the cinnamon and sugar mixture.
Add some ginger beer to the glass. For the non-alcoholic version, I filled about halfway with ginger beer. For the alcoholic version, I filled about 1/4 of the way, maybe a little less.
Add your sparkling cider. For the version without prosecco, fill the glass the rest of the way with sparkling cider and enjoy! For the prosecco version, add sparkling cider until the glass is about half full.
If you are adding prosecco, fill the rest of the glass with prosecco and enjoy!

Autumn Hike

Sat, 26 Sep 2020 21:07:30 GMT

Hundred Acre Wood Trail in Brooklin, Maine

Autumn can be a magical time in Maine and a beautiful time to hit the trails. The bugs are gone, the weather hasn't gotten too cold, and the fall colors add to the natural beauty.

The autumn colors are just starting to really pop here in Hancock County, and my family and I enjoyed seeing the variety of colorful foliage on a walk through the Hundred Acre Wood trail in Brooklin, Maine .

In some areas the trail was surrounded by bushes, shrubs and small trees, creating natural walls along both sides of the trail and adding to the feeling of going on a magical adventure.

The trail is about 1.7 miles long and doesn't have any major hills. There are some educational signs along the way identifying some of the types of trees.

Even though this hike was a little longer than some of the ones we have walked recently, it went by quickly! We only met one other group of walkers along the trail. Other than that, we had the place to ourselves!

If you are in the Brooklin, Maine area, I highly recommend checking out the Hundred Acre Wood trail!

Two Blue Hill trails

Sun, 20 Sep 2020 22:57:53 GMT

Kingdom Woods Conservation Area and Penny's Preserve

My family has been working on completing Blue Hill Heritage Trust's Hiking Challenge 2020: Beautiful Boulders . This challenge involves finding specific boulders along eight different trails. Each boulder has a sign with a puzzle letter. Once you have found all eight letters, you can use the letters to create a word.

We completed two hikes this weekend toward the challenge, both in Blue Hill. The first hike was at Kingdom Woods Conservation Area , pictured above. There are a few different parking areas for this preserve. We parked off of Mines Road and walked the loop in the southern portion of the conservation area. This loop was around one mile long.

There were some distant views of Fourth Pond through the trees, but this loop did not go to the shore of the pond, although the northern portion of the conservation area does offer a trail to the pond. There is a connector trail leading from the loop we walked to the northern portion, but we did not go that far this time. We would like to go back one day and park at the lot at the north end of the preserve and hike down to the pond from there.

Our second hike this weekend was at Penny's Preserve, pictured above. There are a total of about 5 miles of trails in the Penny's Preserve/Peter's Brook area . The trail we followed went along the brook for a little while and also went up to Albion Meadow (pictured below).

We have hiked the Peter's Brook trail before, that starts at a separate parking area, but joins into the trails at Penny's Preserve. This time we parked at the Penny's Preserve lot and walked up the West Side Trail to the North Loop Trail. This is a beautiful area to explore and we would definitely like to go back and try some of the other trails. There were maps posted at each intersection which made it easy to stay on track.

It was another beautiful weekend of hiking, and we look forward to hitting more trails next week!

Snow Natural Area

Sun, 13 Sep 2020 19:21:30 GMT

Another day, another hike

Today was another beautiful day for a family hike. This time we explored Snow Natural Area in Brooksville, Maine. This preserve includes a tiny island called Nab Island that is accessible at low tide.

We were surprised to stumble upon a couple of old cars along the path. They certainly add some unique scenery to the one mile hike!

This natural area is located beside the Bagaduce River, and there is a point in the trail where you can access the shore. If you happen to go at low tide, you can try walking out to Nab Island which is also part of the preserve.

The trail is a narrow path with lots of roots, so watch your footing! There really aren't any big hills, but the short path down to the shore is quite steep.

The parking area is small, so you are not going to see too many people there at one time. We did not see any other people there while we hiked today.

We are lucky to live in an area with so many quiet areas to take a walk through the woods.

Family hike at Patten Stream

Sat, 12 Sep 2020 23:54:22 GMT

Quiet family hike in Surry, Maine

Blue Hill Heritage Trust has many great hiking spots throughout the Blue Hill, Maine area. Today my family and I checked out Patten Stream Preserve in Surry. It is a quiet, forested trail that offers some interesting stream views.

The trail is divided into two connected loops, and if you walk both trails, the total length is about 1.5 miles. It is a manageable distance if you are have a limited amount of time and have children joining you, but it is also long enough to feel like a good walk. It is a narrow trail in many spots with plenty of roots and some hills, as well as a couple of small bridges. Overall, it is a great place to enjoy physical activity in the fresh air.

My family plans on checking out more of the great local hiking trails this fall, so stay tuned for more posts like this!

Beautiful Lampson Preserve

Sun, 30 Aug 2020 21:51:05 GMT

A quiet and scenic spot in Castine and Penobscot, Maine

The Lampson Preserve is located in Castine and Penobscot, Maine on the Bagaduce River. It is owned by Maine Coast Heritage Trust and is a beautiful spot for a short hike and offers exquisite water views. Small nature areas, such as this one, can be found throughout coastal Maine and offer a great way to enjoy the state's natural beauty without the crowds of visitors that you see at some of the more popular tourist stops, like Acadia National Park.

The path at the Lampson Preserve is almost one mile long and goes through meadows, as well as wooded areas. Views of the water are available from many points on the trail, and there are a couple of spots where you can walk right down to the water. Be on the lookout for wildlife. My family and I have seen a variety of animals there including a porcupine, seals and a snake.

Whenever I have been to the Lampson Preserve, it has been very quiet with maybe one or two other cars in the parking lot. It is the perfect spot to enjoy a quieter version of coastal Maine and has become one of my favorite local spots to take a short hike. It would be a great spot to bring a picnic to enjoy sitting on the rocks by the water.

Coloring page mason jar craft

Mon, 24 Aug 2020 21:14:44 GMT

Put your coloring pages to good use

What should you do with all of your beautiful coloring pages when you are done coloring them? There are many great ideas for crafts using coloring pages. Take a quick search around the internet and get inspired!

I decided to use the center from one of the pages of my Around Maine coloring book to decorate a mason jar. I used tissue paper to add additional color around the coloring page. Then I collected some flowers to put inside.

For this project, I colored and cut out just the center of one coloring page. I just used scissors to cut, but if you have a very intricate design you may want to use an X-ACTO knife.

Then I cut shapes from a few different colors of tissue paper. I cut mine to resemble the leaf shapes from the coloring page design, but you could cut squares, circles, or even rip the tissue paper for more organic shapes.

Once I had cut a bunch of tissues paper shapes, I started applying Mod Podge glue/sealer to a small area of the jar. I placed the tissue shapes one by one onto the jar, always making sure the area where I stuck them was covered with Mod Podge and then applying a thin layer over the top of the shape. It is important to be gentle during this stage because the edges of the tissue paper shapes can rip. I did have a few shapes that tore, but I didn't worry about it too much. I think those little imperfections are what make handmade items unique!

Once I had covered the jar with Mod Podge and tissue paper, I placed my coloring page design on top of the tissue paper, applying a layer of Mod Podge under and on top of the paper.

Finally, I gathered some flowers and to add to my jar, and I had a beautiful addition to my kitchen table. The coloring page that I used was from my Around Maine coloring book which you can purchase here or choose a coloring page that you love.

Free Lobster Coloring Page

Sat, 08 Aug 2020 23:24:28 GMT

Download and print this lobster coloring page and start coloring

What could be more iconic of Maine than lobster? Lobster fishing is a major industry in Maine and lobster is a popular (and delicious) ingredient in the local cuisine.

This lobster coloring pages features a lobster decorated with a buoy pattern. Lobster buoys help fishermen identify and locate their traps. Each fisherman has buoys with a unique color design. Print this coloring page and have fun creating your own buoy color combinations.

Download this coloring page here and start coloring.

I would love to see your coloring creations! Contact me via email or Facebook and show me your coloring.

Are you interested in more Maine-themed coloring pages. Check out my Around Maine coloring book here!

My artwork is on the 2020 BCR cover!

Sat, 08 Aug 2020 16:09:02 GMT

The Bay Community Register is a great source for local information.

I'm honored to have my digital artwork featured on the cover of the 2020 Bay Community Register . Don't know what the Bay Community Register is? It is a business directory, community information, phone book and more! This publication covers the Maine towns of Blue Hill, Brooklin, Brooksville, Castine, Deer Isle, Isle au Haut, Penobscot, Sedgwick, Stonington and Surry.

This artwork was created using Adobe Illustrator and was inspired by the beauty of living by the sea. One of the things that I appreciate about creating artwork on the computer, is having the ability to experiment with different colors, lines, shapes and sizes, trying out different combinations to get all the elements to work together. It is also exciting to see how work that has been created on a screen translates into print.

If you live in the Blue Hill/Castine/Stonington area make sure you pick up your copy of the 2020 Bay Community Register. It is packed with helpful information and features some great local businesses!