Happy New Year - 2012

In this season of giving I want to give thanks to all who come here for a look, a giggle or merely to see what I have been up to. I like to share with all you wonderful bloggers and your comments, feedback is very important to me. I have come to know and love many of you.

I simply, 

can't thank you enough. 

You make my heart sing.

I wish for you the most creative, happy, healthy new year.

Animal Wednesday - Calliope Hummingbird

We have had high drama in the birding commmunity this holiday season. The first State of Indiana record of a Calliope Hummingbird was discovered.

It is coming to the feeders of a very gracious couple that lives about a 2.5 hour drive from our house. After the Christmas hooplah my DB and I drove over to the residence and saw the bird. This is a watercolor picture I painted for the couple as a thank you for opening their garden to a bunch of rabid bird listers. The lady of the house named the bird Frosty because the picture she posted on FB had frost all around the bird.

I hope everyone has survived the holidays and are looking forward to the New Year. Cheers and Happy Animal Wednesday.

Map Making

That Teri is always coming up with inventive ways to create her paintings. She showed us how she likes to paint on maps here. I can tell you that this jiggled my muse. I have always liked maps. I use them when I work on my travel journals. I usually hack up a map and paint around it or incorporate pieces in some way like here. 

The other day I found _Personal Geographies: Explorations in Mixed-Media Mapmaking_by Jill K. Berry.  You can read about it here.  I can tell you this. I am gonna have some fun with this mindset.

I found this book on Gwen Diehn's blog. She was a contributer to the book but for the life of me I can't remember the name of her blog. If I find out I will link it later. HERE she is.

Below is my first attempt with the inspiration from the book. I must say there is a whole lot more that you can do of course. I think I will be having some fun.

This is the other page. We had such a good time yesterday chasing "state" birds. That meaning birds I had never seen in Indiana, the Say's Phoebe, and for Illinois the Snow Owl. A State Bird in two states in one day. This doesn't happen very often. Happy Day.

Zentangle Bouquet

We have had so much rain and wind this fall. This area needed the rain  but we have caught up and surpassed the averages thank you very much.  With the rain and wind certain things happen like lots of moss is growing on the rocks and hillsides. There have been lots of limbs coming down too. As we walked through the park lately I have been noticing a lot of small limbs with vine tendrils lying by the side of the road.  Those delicate looking twining tendrils captured my attention. I picked up a small bunch to use as a bouquet. My DB told me that "it looked like a zentangle bouquet."  Then I thought how do I love you, let me count the ways.

Here is my bouquet to you.

We will be looking forward to hearing from you. HAW, and have a great week.

The Dreaded Quilt Finished

I have to say that I am glad it is over. The Quilt covered my life for nearly a month. Why did I choose such a large project for my first attempt at quilting??  I can say I learned a whole lot on this project.

Here it is completed. I am standing in front of it for scale. I had to stretch some string between a couple of bookcases in the livingroom and pin it up for a photo. It is queen sized.

I am pleased that it is finished way ahead of the holidays so I don't have to try to get it finished for Frank's January birthday.