November Reflections

Ah November!   when glorious Earth shouts a last hurrah! 

and beauty fades to a more tattered and well-worn form.

when whoosh!  leaves abandon trees

and the wind in a blustery whirl bites cheeks

I'll sit by the fire contemplating and dreaming of what is past and what is to come

and hope for life's miracles to reveal themselves.

Soon silence will have passed into legend.  Man has turned his back on silence.  Day after day he invents machines and devices that increase noise and distract humanity from the essence of life, contemplation, meditation.

~Jean Arp

My Blogging Business Artisans team sets forth a new Challenge every month.  The purpose is to encourage us to explore our creativity, to stretch our imaginations.  Perhaps we are re-working something we've done in the past or still do.  Perhaps we're making something entirely new.  
It's always fun to see how others interpret the Challenge!

The Blogging Business Artisans team Challenge for the month of November was created by me.

November is a time of changes.  In much of the Northern Hemisphere, the weather turns colder and we begin to look inward.  Through your art, express what this means to you.

I am inspired by beauty in the world-- and relationships.  Instead of being specific, I am encouraging myself to reflect and letting my imagination run and my dreams percolate.  I am hoping for renewal of spirit and mind.

QUESTIONS:  
What inspires you?
What renews your spirit?
How do you reflect?

photos by me © 2009-2016   all rights reserved

October memories

October... 

with its rich azure skies

clouds of marshmallow fluff

leaves of brilliant hues

October...

when foliage sheds flawless exteriors

critters munch and crunch 

harvest is plentiful

October...

filled with pumpkin-y decor

bright faces appearing at the door

splendor galore!

Autumn is giving lavish birth
beguiling me with its wild mirth!

My Blogging Business Artisan team on etsy hosts a new Challenge every month.  The purpose is to encourage us to explore our creativity, to stretch our imaginations.
Pam of Magdalene Knits gave us the following Challenge for the month of October:

"There are so many delightful and frightful topics for October.  A time when there is a change in the air, fresh pumpkins, donuts, apple picking, pumpkin patches, and a time of 'bewitching!'  I have so many wonderful memories of these.  Share your October memories."

QUESTION:  What inspires you to create?

photos by me © 2009-16  all rights reserved

It's Spring!

Spring is here!  Spring is here!

Spring is that delicious time of year when the Earth renews its loveliness and reveals secrets once hidden in the frozen ground.  Let's celebrate!

I love the contrast of the riotous pink against the stark bare tree branches.


Magnolias are so glorious!

A robin delights in the day.

Flowers are medicine for the soul.

species tulip

redbuds!

Daffodils dance in the breeze! (12 second video)

Click to activate.

Spring audaciously revels in its glorious renewal!

My Blogging Business Artisans team on etsy hosts a new Challenge every month. The purpose is to encourage us to explore our creativity, to stretch our imaginations.  
Cynthia of Antiquity Travelers set forth the following Challenge for the month of March:

"Early Spring.  Since our friend Punxsutawney Phil said we'd have an early start to spring...let's celebrate!  and hope he is right (fingers crossed)."

(He WAS right!  at least where I live.)


QUESTION:  What inspires you to create?

© photos by me  all rights reserved 

Secret Santa

Somekitty was very busy snoozing away when a special package arrived in the mail.

Something was SO intriguing about this package, Oliver even tried to squeeze his chubby muscular body into the skinny box!

"What is it?  There MUST be something for me!"

TO:  Oliver

From:  Angel & Isabella

(Puuurrrr!  two she kitties I greatly admire!)

 

excitement!  catnip toys!!!

After this discovery, Oliver becomes a ball of blur!

 

"Oliver, Let's see what else our Secret Santa sent!"

"OK....but.....

just one more round with my new peppermint!"

"Oh look!  There's a card with a kitty who looks just like Earnest!  and some of your favorite tea!  and beautiful papers so you can make lovely backgrounds for photos of me!  and ....

I totally believe this!"
"That's a very special journal that Sharla made, Oliver!  She sells them in her etsy shop, so lots of peoples can know all about the love of wonderful animals like you."

"I love my new catnip toys and all this special crinkly paper!"

 

mmmmm....

Thanks, Sharla!

PS:  I am NOT a gray kitty!  We tried over and over and over and over to upload a photo of me, and blogger is being quite silly and uncooperative!

PPS:  The Blogging Business Artisans etsy team had a Secret Santa exchange back in December.  Sharla of Beaded Tail sent me this wonderful package!  It included great kitty toys from Pacific Cat Toys.  Sharla makes lovely jewelry as well as journals and part of the proceeds goes to help animals.  Her two kitties, Angel and Isabella help her.  You can enjoy their antics on her blog. 

photos by me © 2013    all rights reserved

Festive Holly: a Challenge

My Blogging Business Artisans team sets forth a new Challenge every month.  The purpose is to encourage us to explore our creativity, to stretch our imaginations.  Perhaps we are re-working something we've done in the past or still do.  Perhaps we're making something entirely new.
 
LeAnn of Pasque Flower Creations gave us this Challenge for the month of October: 

"This month, I challenge you to create a holiday-themed item. It could be a new listing for your etsy shop, a holiday decoration for your home, a costume or special accessory for a holiday gathering, or a gift you intend to give to a friend or loved one."

 

source (more information in LINKS below)

Holly is so festive and pretty!  Its colors of dark glossy green and scarlet brighten gray, dreary days.  Many varieties of holly are evergreen, with waxy green leaves sporting sharp edges.  The origin of the word "holly" is probably a word meaning "prickly."  (from Germanic Hulin to Old English Holegn, and more)

Hollies are dioecious, with male and female reproductive structures found on separate plants.  Only females produce the bright red berries, although both types of plants produce white flowers in the Spring.
The berries are poisonous to humans, but the leaves are used by some as remedies for maladies such as dizziness.

For my Challenge piece, I decided to paint silk with emerald green holly leaves and firey red berries.  The silk was painted by hand with dye.  When dyeing and painting fabric there are several different methods I employ.  Painting on silk is tricky and one must be careful to keep the dye within bounds.  After painting, the dye must be cured.  The silk is then washed and dried.  This silk is now a scrunchie and will be found in my shop soon.

LINKS:
BBA's list of monthly Challenges
Linky Party for the October Challenge (See what others' have done!)    
Karen's Whimsy --5 free holly images from her collection of antique postcards
etymology of holly of "holly"

last 2 photos by me © 2013  all rights reserved

Beach Planter: a Challenge

My Blogging Business Artisans team sets forth a new Challenge every month.  The purpose is to encourage us to explore our creativity, to stretch our imaginations.  Perhaps we are re-working something we've done in the past or still do.  Perhaps we're making something entirely new.
Sarah of Magnolia Surprise gaves us this Challenge for the month of July: 

 "We are into vacation season in July -- create something that brings back a favorite vacation memory, something that represents a place you've visited or one you'd like to visit, colors or scents associated with a special place, or perhaps something funny that happened on a vacation. Make it fun!!" 

                                                          

I love the beach!  My family vacationed at several East Coast beaches when I was growing up.  I loved to roll in the hot sand and then plunge into the cooling waters.  Going to the beach meant long days playing in the waves and in the evenings, walking the boardwalk.   bright hot days and cool breezy nights.   aaaahhhh!

me

my cute brother

I still love the beach.  My husband and I have been privileged to travel to several over the years.  Kauai was a favorite place we visited.  

Secret Beach

I collected a few items from the beaches of Kauai--shells, sea glass, rocks, coral (washed up on the shore, of course), driftwood.  I decided to place these items in a beachy sand planter with a few succulents.

Note the rolled up beach blanket.  The plants will grow larger and fill in.  Still, I may want to add a taller plant.




LINKS:
BBA's list of monthly Challenges
Linky Party for the July Challenge 
August's Challenge  

photos by me © 2006 and 2013  all rights reserved
 

Flowers: a Challenge

The Blogging Business Artisans team Challenge for the month of May was created by Sharla of Beaded Tail.

April showers brought May flowers so let's see them! Create something with flowers and let your imagination bloom!

Ahhhh....the loveliness of Spring!  Flowers are blooming profusely at present.  I've enjoyed taking spins around my yard photographing them, especially looking at color combinations.  Some are very subtle like this one of soapwort, a tiny 5-petaled flower, displaying

tones of pink with anthers of lavender.  delicate and feminine.

There are bright and wonderful shades of yellow and gold in this coreopsis.

I love the delicate lavenders of this allium against the bright green foliage.

What a gorgeous pansy of blues, lavender, and golds!



I was inspired by the pink and yellow combination of

the Missouri Primrose and 

the pink Knockout Rose blossoms.


I thought it would be fun to dye a silk scrunchie in these colors.  

First I dyed the scrunchie a very pale yellow.  

After processing, I then painted pink flowers with deep yellow centers.  Little dots of light pink, dark pink, and deep yellow were then added.

order.  check in.  wash.  dry.  soak in solution.  dye.  steam.  wash.  dry.  soak in solution.  paint with dye.  steam.  wash.  dry.  sew.
photo.  list.
now in my SHOP!


My Blogging Business Artisans team sets forth a new Challenge every month.  The purpose is to encourage us to explore our creativity, to stretch our imaginations.  Perhaps we are re-working something we've done in the past or still do.  Perhaps we're making something entirely new.  It's always fun to see how others interpret the Challenge!


LINKS:
BBA's list of monthly Challenges 
Linky Party for the May Challenge 
May's Challenge

photos by me © 2013  all rights reserved