Old new borrowed and blue

She was visiting her grandmother for Christmas. She had a wonderful new floaty blue dress, her grandmother gave her a very old beaded purse, and told her she could borrow any book she wanted!

For the Inspiration Ave challenge old,new borrowed and blue.

And for Paint Party Friday I had a hard time deciding which post to link to?

Here is the other one, I think they both round the year off.

All the best for 2012!

Highlight, could it be a secret?

 He whispered in her ear a secret, a joke? Whatever it was she laughed with pure joy.


One of my highlights this year is the men in red work shirts, you can find more here and here. There are even more....They speak to me of romance. I love a little romantic story as well.

For illustration friday highlight challenge.
An ending for the year; met my own goal of 100 posts! What will next year bring?

Christmas Angel

A little Christmas Angel for the Three Muses Angel challenge. Reincarnated a figure from here, she looks quite different!

Using watercolor and digital painting.

A little bird told me so.....

The message was to wear a red Christmas dress, the messenger was a little bird, he told me so.
What a party it was all those red Christmas dresses!

Well Fred was a busy bird he spread the message. All those wearing red turned up, the music was great. Wonderful dancing, great party!

Some Christmas color for illustration friday messenger challenge, paint party friday and Artists in blogland.

At the sink

At the Sink

The little helper. My children occasionally helped when they were little, as they grew older not so much....
But the fascination with all the water and bubbles was joyful if short lived :)

Inspiration the sink illustration friday challenge. A little paint party friday, artists in blogland, Sunday Sketches and Creative Everyday

Christmas is almost here, programs are finished at the Library. Puppet plays survived :) Holidays almost ready to begin, a year to reflect on.

Sisters Always: Together or Separated

Recalling winter walking, each snow fall no matter how old she gets she remembers that walk with her older sister.

Even though they are separated by a continent they will always be sisters.

Family ties that connect us to our siblings, especially at Christmas.

Another version is here.

For illustration friday separate challenge.
Also Artists in Blogland and Sunday Sketches

A Little Christmas Wish

A little Christmas wish, inspired by Inspiration Ave Christmas ball challenge.

Also Paint Party Friday and Creative Every Day there is another version of this here.

We almost had snow today, the Christmas parties are in full swing. I had a dream last night that all my family and quests arrived for Christmas dinner and I hadn't bought any food!

One more puppet play and then library programs are over for the year! It's been fun but holidays are welcome.

Bye Bye Butterfly

A little rhyme that is from a cloth book I have put together for a spoonflower baby book challenge. I will post the rest of the images but you can check out the fabric book layout at the link above. It was interesting to figure out the paging. I'm not too sure my instructions on how to sew it together are all that clear.

My mind has been consumed by Christmas puppet plays....

Waiting for Mr Darcy

English literature challenge from Inspiration Ave.

Also Creative Tuesdays Mistletoe  challenge.

Also Paint Party Friday & Artists in Blogland
 and Web of Wimsy , and Creative Everyday this has me thinking of kissing frogs....

Next week at the library we are doing a short puppet play with Santa as a frog, the elf is a chimp, Frosty is a green fuzzy spider, there is a Christmas fairy and Rudolf is a mouse with a red nose! Wish me luck!!!!

Little boys brigade

 

Little boys at play, they can be completely independent of one another and yet united.

They form their own little play brigades. Illustration Friday brigade challenge, may they never be in a real military brigade.
Something for Sunday Sketches.

Round and Round the garden

 Teddy and boys in the garden.




Round and round the garden
Went the teddy bear
One step, two step
Tickle you under there.

This is a rhyme/tickle we use in Babytime at the library. It came to mind with the challenge "round" from Illustration Friday

For Watercolor Wednesday the letter "G" for garden.

Also Paint Party Friday , Sunday Sketches , Creative Everyday and Sweet Saturdays.

She's so Vane

When she was 12 suddenly everyone started looking at her. She went from a tomboy to femme fatale. No wonder she was vane.


 Watercolor, and then digital experiment which do you think works best?


 



 The digital dress is collaged from this.
 For illustration friday vanity challenge, and paint party.

Also for Artists in Blogland

Poppies remembrance and lots of color

A hit of color for a dark windy day. For both Creative everyday challenge and Sunday Postcards.

The art of sewing on a button

 The  forgotten art of sewing on a button.
Watercolor and digital painting.

For Inspiration Ave sewing challenge

The Silent treatment

They gave each other the silent treatment for quite awhile, but it never lasted. Neither could really be mad for long.

















Then there was kiss and make up.

For illustration friday "silent"
Paint Party friday
Creative Everyday
Artists in Blogland

Creative everyday and digital play

Budding Artist

Playing with digital painting and collage. Original versions here and here with additions and subtractions.

This may be a budding artist!
Trying to make time to experiment....


What do you think?

Creative Tuesdays & Creative everyday at least trying.....

Creative Tuesdays challenge of Thanks prompted me to think of the thank you letter, will children even write them anymore? With all the devices that we use all the time will actual written letters even exist?

Whimsy Wednesday as well, also back to work for me.

Feels like a really creative weekend, is there a question of quantity over quality?

Really trying to keep up with Creative every day challenge and a challenge it is!

 

 Spoonflower challenge for a tea towel calendar, what do you think?

It was a learning experience! but I do like the colors.

Art Nouveau

She stepped out side and a gust of wind almost took her away. Something about the dress and hat spoke of a time when woman wore such outfits....
A little art nouveau elegance.
Inspiration Avenue challenge

Stripes

There has been a time out. Have they been arguing?

Or is one plotting against the other? One is contemplating and the other checking if the coast is clear.

For illustration friday stripes challenge, also Paint Party Friday .Also the art everyday challenge (not quite everyday this week)

 

 Two different versions which one do you like best?

I think I must like stripes!

Garden visitor

A wee garden visitor. The chickadees are looking for fuel these days, the garden is fading but the birds seem to be arriving in droves.
Taking part in Art Everyday challenge this month, plus  the PiBoIdMo challenge 30 picture book ideas in 30 days!!!

The chickadees seem to be looking for suet, the quail family is present as well, the babies the same size as the parents. Add Artists in Blogland as well

A little more scary halloween....

For Halloween Sunday Postcard Challenge.

For more on the same theme different sizes check here.

Scary Halloween Whoooooooooo

Scary Duo

 There was debate as to whom was the scarier batboy.

Then there was the argument about dressing the dog to accompany them.

The scary bat trio may not make it out trick or treating, the bat dog doesn't look in the mood....rather "I'll try and please you but...please take this crazy getup off me!"

Scary Trio

Morran

The little dog was inspired by Morran
and being a dog fan I was delighted to add a little painting. Little did Morran know she was possibly going trick or treating!

For Illustration Friday, Artists in Blogland, Creative Everyday, Paint Party Friday  challenges

Inspiration Painting Fuel

Which one will I choose?

But Mum cupcakes are good fuel for energy!

We are what we eat right? Something this colorful can only be good for us.

The swirlier the better, the more sprinkles the better, what do you mean I have to eat dinner first?

A little Illustration Friday, Paint Party Friday, Sweet Saturdays, Creative Everyday,

Artists in Blogland

But Mum!

Small Changes

Playing with little updates on the blog. I like this small banner, what do you think?

True love, a few scattered thoughts and more.

 She was in love, her thoughts were scattered she smiled nodded and was extremely happy!
Inspiration Avenue what inspires you.
Paint Party Friday check in as well.

Seed enablers, dandelions spread with the assistance of young child, bird and every little breeze.
I am trying to cultivate a taste for the leaves (a little bitter added to salad) But like most weeds they grow better than anything else.
Artist in Blogland & Three Muses a bit of home sweet home, these paintings are based on images of my children at different ages, so all very close to home.
A little Web of Whimsy as well.

Contraption & Illustration Friday

Lego contraptions.
Today at the Library I had 19 kids listening to stories and then building with Lego. They created some interesting contraptions. Mostly spaceships with some wild aliens. It was fun watching how they worked in teams shared all the Lego and generally all got along, that is till it came time to clean up! This program really draws in the boys that would never come into the library otherwise!
Artists in Blogland challenge as well.

Owl

 At twilight the owls land in the huge oak tree that stands right over our house, the first time I heard them I was sure it was a rowdy drunk rolling down the hill. Or a group of partying teens, the screeching and carrying on! Then I realized it was a pair or rowdy owls! ;-)


Paint Party Friday & challenge of painting,
Inspiration Avenue challenge with owls.

Shells and more shells plus a little paint party friday

 A little inspiration from the beach holiday. More shells here. I think I could be a beach bum, while I know I could never have the garden I can grow here, right on the water it would be very tempting. Perhaps only for holidays....

Fall Leaves, getting ready to hibernate, hiding.....

You never know what you might find curled up within a leaf. The acorns are falling they make a rather dashing hat, the leaves make colorful clothing.
A little Illustration Friday and a touch of Paint Party Friday plus Artists in Blogland and a lot of autumn weather.
The leaves are coming down....

Ferocious Illustration Friday

This is one ferocious kitty! Note the white fangs
(my husbands idea) Still he may find a friend.....

A few hissy fits later......

Buddies!

Mesmerizing Illustration Friday a little Creative Everyday and some Paint Party Friday!

 

She had always been mesmerized by the sound of the sea. Her father taught her about  listening to seashells it seemed to be his special magic. That the sound of the sea could be contained within a shell, a link to the ocean that lasted forever. No need for batteries or wifi, simply magical. 

Having been away for a few days on the west coast at Long Beach,  shells and the ocean came to mind with this challenge. A bit of Paint Party fun. Here are more shells.

Playing with different papers and compositions which one do you think works best?

Kitchen love & Creative Tuesday

Words and actions, kitchen love. How our mothers teach us to cook/or not...

My mother didn't teach me to cook she couldn't stand having someone underfoot in the kitchen but she did teach me to be fearless in the kitchen.

To not be tied to a recipe to substitute with abandon and be creative.
We shared the love of good food, growing a garden and enjoying the harvest.
Kitchen love is a good thing to pass on to our children.
Using word and art challenge from the Three Muses. Plus Artists in Blogland.
Creative Tuesday kitchen challenge as well.

Boundaries, little brothers and lessons learned Illustration Friday

There is something about little brothers,they have a way of being right there in your face when you most want to be alone. Mothers try to teach them about personal boundaries but they don't seem to learn.

I wonder if when they grow up they will get it?

Watercolor with pen and ink.
A bit of paint party fun.