Animal Wednesday - Carolines Postcard

Today I have a twofer here.  Carolines postcard came in the mail this week. Just in time for Animal Wednesday.Thank you so much Caroline. It is such a sweet picture of the turtle and the hare. Slow and steady is me. I doubt that I win the race though. The weeds are who I am racing. They are even slower than I am.  Happy Animal Wednesday to all. 

Blooming Tuesday

The cool north wind has kept the Magnolia from popping open so I brought in a few buds to try to force them open. I just can't hardly wait for them.  Happy Blooming Tuesday everyone.

Sloshing Sunday

I am thrilled that it rained all day today.  I can't believe that I haven't posted since last Monday.  I have been terribly busy. Plus I am so out of shape that working in the garden is about to kill me. I come in in the evening and collapse.  I can feel my old bones and muscles toughening up. 

I want to thank Mim for sending me one of her really neat folded ATC's. This one is K for Kite. I know that after you looked at the card it came in you wouldn't have to be told who sent it because it has one of her famous fish on the front.

Inside the Kite card is indeed a Kite flying high in the sky.

I hope you had a great week last week and I hope that this week is even better.  Get out in that beautiful sunshine and smell the daffodils. I had forgotten what a delicious scent they had until yesterday when I brought in a bouquet. MMMmmmm they smell good.

Cheers and Happy Spring everyone.

Manic Monday

Hello Friends, I must say I have been outside for the last week or so trying to get spring cleaning in the garden finished so I will have time for other things.  My Dearly Beloved seems driven to help get things accomplished before spring migration is in full swing.  I am always pleased with this but it is very tiring after a winter of sitting in front of the computer. It takes a few days (weeks) to get back into gardening shape. These past few years it seems it takes longer and longer. Ha...

 During this busy  time I have been blessed with some outstanding mail.Thank goodness we are getting some much needed rain. It has been raining all day.  I want to take this time to thank everyone because when the rain stops I have to get busy outside again. It is a good thing it rained today so we could shovel out the house. The poor house is ignored during spring garden cleaning and  becomes the repository of dirty shoes, gloves etc. It needs some attention. Another incentive to clean is that we have company coming this weekend.  Can you tell I am glad it rained?

Teri sent this cute "I" ABC ATC last week. It has a wonderful haiku to go with the icicles. I hope we are finished with iciciles this year.  We are bound to have a snow yet. We usually get a snow in March. We will just have to wait and see.

Another ABC ATC I received was from Cat.  It is the sweetest Jellyfish I have ever seen. Just look at those eyes.

The next item I received was this marvelous butterfly card from Margaret. It was a total surprise to me. In the card was one of her Heart ATCs, a moocard  and a beaded bookmark. I was just overwhelmed with gratitude. It is always those surprises that fills the heart.

Another wonderful packet came from Cyndy.  We have had a conversation about Chiengora. She offered to make a sample with Luna's fur as she had never made chiengora before.  So I combed out a baggie full of Luna's fur and just look at what all I got in return. Cyndy is the most talented spinner, crocheter etc. Her hand work is just marvelous. I can't tell you how much I appreciate this.  I am now thinking of how I can work some of this yarn into a project.

You can see that when Cyndy spun 100% Luna the yarn is as white as Luna is.  Then she spun some with Angora and it has a hint of tan in it. The Wool with Luna's fur has a gray cast to it.  Such fun. The yarn is stronger when they mix wool, angora or silk with the actual fur.  If you want to know more about Chiengora you can go here.  ''OOPS" I almost forgot the precious seeds that Cyndy sent. I hope to be able to show you the sweet peas when they are blooming later this summer....

Today in the mail was another surprise from Yoon See.  A packet with puffy stickers, Some Araknid stamps. A pamplet that has English language on it describing other stamps and a Malaysian postcard.  YS is such a sweet thoughtful lady. 

I just can't thank all of you enough for enriching my life with such thoughtful gifts.  My heart just melts when I find these treasures in the mail.  I hope you are having a wonderful spring. Cheers...

P.S.I am sorry some of these photos are to the left instead of in the middle. Blogger is not cooperating this afternoon. 

Animal Wednesday

It is that time of the year when I spend a lot of time and energy in the garden.  I like to get the flower beds ready for the growing season. In the evening when I come in and collapse in a chair I grab my garden journal and write what goes on during the day. I have done few sketches.

I found an old wasp nest. It won't be long and the wasps will be out and about. I also found an old egg case of a bag worm.  This one was actually on a deciduous tree rather than an evergreen where I usually find them. I first drew it with colored pencils. I didn't quite like it. So I tried with micron pen. Didn't quite like that either but here it is.

Luna has also felt the effects of being outside in the fresh air most of the day. She has actually plopped down long enough for me to try to sketch her. She doesn't like for people to stare at her so I don't get an opportunity to sketch her often.

I hope everyone is able to get out in this lovely spring weather and enjoy living.  Happy Animal Wednesday.  For more animal drawings go to Mim's here.

Blooming Tuesday - Crocus

I have quite a few of these crocus in bud stage. If we would ever get some sunshine I would have real blooms.  Happy Blooming Tuesday to you all.

Haiku Bones - Infestations

The prompt at Haiku Bones this week is Infestation.

Paper tunnels guide
winged connoisseurs of wood
straight to the heart

As soon as I read the prompt termites came to mind.
Cheers and happy weekend to all.

Thankful Thursday - Treasures

This week I have received the best snail mail.  I was so happy to find an ABC ATC with Luna's picture on it. That Marianne sent it along with another atc that I had admired on her blog.  They and a Moo card were sent in this terrific card with an owl on it. I wish I could see both of those owls.  Of course Luna thought her atc was the very best.  She looks like a movie star with her scarf and the moon glowing behind her.

When I opened the envelope from BT I thought I had opened a treasure chest.  There was a handmade card containing an ABC ATC Gold.  I wish you could see it in person. It is so tactile with all the layers of gold.  She also sent me a little bag of inspiration. It ahs some gold netting, leaves, dyed towels. I can't wait for a rainy day so I can create with it.

I want to thank you ladies for these wonderful items.  I also want to thank you all that stop and comment on my blogs. It makes me so happy to see your encouraging words.  I hope everyone has a great weekend.

Animal Wednesday - Indian Butterfly

Today I have an Indian Skipper to offer for Animal Wedensday.  Skippers are the most difficult to identify butterflies to me.  The only ones more difficult to identify are the Folded-winged Skippers.  I hope that our gardens are soon full of these little rascals. Happy Animal Wednesday to everyone. 

Blooming Tuesday - White Flower with Hessel's Hairstreak

This Hessel's Hairstreak is fueling up from a pretty little white flower for its flight to MA.  This ATC is one for the ABC ATC group that you can find here.  Happy Blooming Tuesday.

Self Portrait 1

Have you ever tried a self portrait?  I don't draw other people very well. This is a skill I would like to

improve on.  I have sat in Dr offices some lately. The offices always have magazines and most have people on the front covers. I have drawn faces I see on the fronts of magazines.

 

I used my micron pen. I want to improve my drawing with pen too.  I have even tried drawing other people in the waiting rooms. I don't have a very good techinique for this.  I will improve.  I will...

A while ago I ran into a blog where the lady was painting 100 self portraits as an exercise.  It sounded like Teri's 100 landscape project. This self portrait project facinated me because I couldn't get past the idea that there was that many ways to look at oneself.  I wish I had kept her blog name but I didn't.  After she got her 100 portraits finished I sort of lost interest.  I haven't quite been able to forget this 100 self portrait quest. It was brought back to me when I read the book of Letters by Vincent VanGogh. He did self portraits and so did many of his contemporaries. Of course they often did them when they couldn't find or afford models.  We will see where this takes me.  This is my first attempt. Kind of scary, but I will improve.  I will use many different styles and mediums. I think it will be fun. 

 

Thankful Thursday - Spring and ATCs and more...

I must say that I am so happy to have my big project over with. Yes Mim, it is all consuming when you are working on a project for someone else.  Especially when they want it in a 8'x11'format.  Yes, Patty I realize the perspective is not right on this and the other things but from my friends perspective it is just right. It will be interesting to see how well received it will be in their social hall.  The painting that I did with the most detail I didn't get a picture of because it fell off the wall. We were sitting in the livingroom and I heard it begin to release itself. I dashed in there but it was down so I didn't put it back up to take its photo. Thank goodness the paint was dry.

I am so thankful for the ABC ATC group.  I received my 8th letter in the Hebrew Alphabet from Lynn this week.  I am learning about the Hebrew Alphabet from her colorful drawings.

I want to thank all of my faithful readers especially since I have been consumed lately with a boring (to me) project.  I hope you are all as excited about the return of spring as I am. We are having little hints of spring pop up everywhere.  Mere yellow buds make my heart sing.

Animal Wednesday - Bee Eater

I am finally finished with my big line art project. Project it was too. I will think long and hard before I agree to do something like that again.  It ate all of my creative time. UGH...

I had to dip into a sketchbook I don't often use to find something I hadn't posted before. It is another bee eater I did in colored pencil. It is on a larger scale than I usually work on. I started to do the background then stopped because there was so much paper to cover. I couldn't use watercolors on it because the paper won't take it.  Sigh... I hope all is back to normal around here soon.  HAW to you all...