Animal Wednesday: A Day Early

"It's as if you were guided by some greater power and knew just what was needed."

I got this wonderful card in the mail today and it immediately trumped the post I was going to do for Animal Wednesday. The polo pictures will have to wait until next week.

This guy won my heart!

I'm fasting today and will be out of commission for most of tomorrow.

Meanwhile, enjoy this blissful feline :)

This one's for you Annie & Spike♥

Six Word Saturday # 16

Storms lift

Hopes rise

Spirits restore.

For more Six Words, please click here.

To all my friends going through horrific weather and personal struggles. xoxo♥

Illustration Friday: Satellite

Poor little pooch. I sure hope he gets to watch Lassie ;)

Thirty second sketch with marker, white pencil on paper bag.

Animal Wednesday: A Weekend With Stella

Most of you know I spent last weekend taking care of Stella while KJ and JB enjoyed their lovely Vermont escape. Stella was so easy to be with. She'd gently let me know when she needed something such as a fresh towel on her bed, or a potty break, or most importantly, her favorite chicken treats!

 

Here she is in the sunroom, surrounded by cookie crumbs ;)

I love how she looks at me when I talk to her.

You can still see where she had been shaved for surgery. I told her I wouldn't take a close-up of the back of her head. She's a little embarassed by the haircut. (Although this dog has no ego issues, I can tell you that.) She's an old soul with so much to say.

 

She's almost always smiling :)

Or resting...

It's so sweet how she waits for you when you ask if she wants to go for a walk.

Look at the blur of her wagging tail ;)

Ready for a stroll in the yard?

Look at this sweet birdhouse with a faucet for a perch.

Look closer...there are residents there :)

And the three graces, a close-up of those stunning irises!

A gazing ball with dragonflies...

and a big garden gecko!

C'mon inside and I'll show you a few of my favorite things.

My warm and inviting room. It just glows! And I love that wallpaper!

Everywhere you look there is vibrant color and fabulous art.

This is a wall on the porch/sunroom.

One of my favorite paintings in their home is this one by New England artist, Chet Jones.

And this stunning piece by Robert Cardinal who captures the magical light of Provincetpwn like none other.

I forget where they bought this piece. I know it was on one of their exotic vacations.

I love this painting, the soulfulness of it.

Here's a painting I gave KJ last year when we first met :)

It's an artichoke bloom my husband brought home for me. I sat right down and painted it!

And this very special painting by ValGal. The original painting for the cover of

"The Light Stays On."

 

Thanks for spending this time with me and my new pal, Stella.

It warmed my heart to see her doing so much better!

xoxoxo

Lolo♥

Illustration Friday: Three paisley bowls

I completely forgot that I played around with sketching this weekend while I was taking care of Stella, Kj and JB's sweet dog. (More on her Wednesday!)

I printed out different paisley patterns and willy-nilly cut them into bowl shapes. I found this large flower in a pile of stuff I bought at the artsy store there, and then I just drew in little zinnia type flowers.

It really is simple but I enjoyed the meditative flow. And Stella likes it ;)

Have a groovy week everyone!

Thankful Thursday: A Bird and A Bowl

I have no idea who linked me to this generous lady's blog, but I was the lucky recipient of this wonderful cut-paper bird giveaway! I had totally forgotten I had entered. I just love it and will frame it for the guest bedroom. Thank you Norma!

Many of you know I had the pleasure of stopping by Mim's house last Sunday.

The meeting was short but sweet, each of us having to dash off in different directions.

It was so wonderful to see her beautiful home and the wonderful spaces and places she has to create her amazing art. And I saw original Miss Ems!! It really is something being in another artists space, especially if it's one you adore ;)♥

On my way out she handed me a gift wrapped in the most luscious, colorful textured paper. She said it was for my birthday "whenever it is!" Too funny.

I handed her lilies from my yard which looked pretty sad by the time I got there :P

Anyway...This is what I saw in the box! A handmade paper bowl with a bird's nest (real) and egg.

I had been lusting after this bowl ever since she posted it and I kept checking to see if she listed it on Etsy. Nope. But now it's mine!

Look at the stars on the inside....love them.

ooops, too dark!!!

This is a little better. I wish I could get a clearer picture to show off the colors. Maybe if you enlarge it you'll see the wonderful details!

I absolutely love this bowl.♥

As if that wasn't enough, she included these three ATC's. She said the last one reminds her on my dog, Emma, although Em would really be the size of his head! When she visited me over the winter she and Emma hit it right off. That's not usually how it goes with my little ankle-biter!

I really love these atc's and all the time put into them.

Thank you Mim!! Now I can get to you with my eyes closed :)

(Did I mention I was over an hour late which is why our time was cut short? Um, well, I was lost because I programmed my GPS wrong! Hey, I was born a blonde.) 

Another Thankful Thursday with so many good things to share, one of them being friendship.♥

xoxo

lolo

Blooming Tuesday: Fabrication

Some of you may remember when I tried my hand at making a mandala a couple of years back.

I did this one mostly with rubber stamps, embellished and circled with colored pencils. I really like how it turned out, so I started offering it as cards on Etsy.

Enter Spoonflower, a place where you can upload your designs to see how they'd look on fabric! I think Margaret told us about this before. :)

If you like how it came out and would like to offer it for sale on their site, you have to order this size piece first so you can approve how it looks. It's around $12.00

(This is terrible lighting, sorry.)

Here's a picture of it in better lighting. Now I see I really should have ironed it! hah! It's been in the package for a few weeks because I kept forgetting to post about it.

You can click to enlarge all of these which will also enlarge the holes in my wall!

Anyway, if you love playing around with pattern, do check out Spoonflower. At the very least it's a blast to play on their site with your designs.

Happy Blooming Tuesday!

Cactus Monday: A dose of color & Giveaway

It has been so grey and gloomy in Rhode Island for a while now that I decided to paint myself  a little dose of color to cheer me up! Oh what five minutes can do!

It's been a whiile since I've done anything for Cactus Monday, too.

It feels good to play again.

Happy Cactus Monday! I hope your day is colorful.♥ 

Please click here to see other cactus lovers!

WAIT!!....

Anne over at El Milagro Studios is having an art giveaway!

If you've enevr visited this colorful lady before, you'll be glad I sent you there. 

She's not only talented as all get out but she's a real hoot and a half!! 

Tell her I sent you. I get extra points for that!

xo

Illustration Friday: The "Ripple" Effect

The soft free-fall of a feather swoops from side to side, being carried by it's own momentum, soon to be swirled into the ripples of a pond gathering it's momentum from the tossing of a pebble.

Two quiet forces of nature equaling a feeling of peace.

But wait...what if a foreign substance like crude oil causes the ripples?

Friends, this week Illustration Friday is asking us to participate in a fundraiser for the animals in the Gulf left to fend for themselves in this more than sticky, life-threatening situation.

As artists, we have been asked to make an ATC that can be sold for $10, all proceeds going to either The Institute For Marine Mammal Studies (http://www.imms.org/) or The International Bird Rescue Research Center (http://www.ibrrc.org/).

Every penny raised will go to these organizations. When the card sells we are emailed the name of the buyer/donor and we sign them and mail them with our thanks and blessings.

This idea is inspired by Kelly Light. Visit this blog at http://ripplesketches.blogspot.com/

to see what all of these wonderful artists are doing to help the cause.

Here are my ATC's below that I will link to the blog for purchase.

I know they're hard to look at, but we all have to face this situation and do what we can.

Blessings of gratitude,

xoxo Lolo

Thank you on behalf of those who have no voice.

~Namaste~

 

Thankful Thursday: Full Plate

A couple of weeks ago (I'm so behind) my good friend Joss sent me this inspirational magnet.

She knew I was trying to find more time to be creative. She always tunes into me:)

Thanks, dear friend. I look at this every day!♥

A new friend Martha passed this award along to me. Thanks Martha!

Please check out her blog to see her wonderful drawings and paintings. She's also an animal lover and a dog trainer at Petco!

For those of you who have given me awards in the past you know what I'm going to say.

Please help yourselves to this one!! You are all beautiful bloggers to me ;)♥

Teri sent me a sweet card with my ABC/atc "U is for Undies"  in it as well as this extra atc of sweet pink flowers. The front of the pop-up card says "You're Special!"

Thanks Teri! So are you :)♥

Please check out our abc blog here. It's fun to see how our minds work!

This very pretty postcard arrived from our traveling friend, Marianne. What delicate orchids.

It's nice to be thought of no matter where we are. Thank you Marianne! ♥

I have a new friend in the Netherlands now, Marja, introduced to me by Marianne!

Marja lives part of the time in a beautiful part of France. Check out her blog for stunning photos of her Rhodesian Ridgeback, Beaudor as well as shots of her homes.

She recently posted that she was going to Edinburgh for a short trip with her husband. I mentioned my Grandfather was born there and the next thing you know I got these gifts in the mail from her yesterday along with a beautiful card.

There is a small book of Favourite Scottish Recipes. Most of them are bizarre, but some of them sound intriguing and I remember my mother making versions of them.

Here's one I chose for my sweet-toothed pals!

And then there's this HILARIOUS book from 1913 titled "Don'ts For Wives."

You just KNOW Renee is howling over this!

Here's a snippet....

"Don't grudge your husband his little luxuries~his cigarettes, or his pipes or his books.

Who has a better right to them than the man who earns them?"

HAHAHAHAHAHA!!

I told you this is hilarious!

And look at the little wine bottle kimono she bought in Hong Kong with Marianne!

Beaudor (her dog) was hoping it would fit Emma so she could model for him :P

Thank you Marja!! These are very thoughtful gifts. ♥

Remember when I painted a mural for my friend while she was in Arizona?

She brought back this wonderful original painting on home made paper. I just love it!

And last but not least, this wonderful book was in today's mail from Suki with a sweet little note sending me blessings as I continue getting settled in . She said if I read nothing else, at least read the chapter on the raven.

I can't wait to begin it and read the entire book. I love nature writing, especially if it's an area I'm familiar with. I have a feeling this will remind me of "The Gift From The Sea."

Thank you Suki, that was so thoughtful of you. ♥

Whew, that's a lot to be thankful for!

Love and blessings to all of you. xoxo

Animal Wednesday: Bad Ear Day

Me and my right ear just don't feel like getting up today.

Hey, some days are like that.

Happy Animal Wednesday to those of you who rose to the occasion anyway ;P

(Emma really does like to sleep in late! She is soooo not a morning fur-person!)

Six Word Saturday # 15

Morning thunderboomers.

CRACK!

BOOM!!

distant rumbling...

Wow, what a storm to wake up to! It's funny how this would have terrified me in the past, but now that I have a needy, frightened little eleven pound bundle of love who has seizures when her world isn't right, I'm somehow comforted as I comfort her. 

For more Six Word Saturdays, please click here!

Illustration Friday: Trail

She had taken this trail so many times before, she could find her way with little daylight.

Something was different today.

It was darker, for one thing.

And she had this odd sense that she wasn't alone.

With her cape flying behind her, all she could hear was the dead silence of the forest and her own heart pumping in her ears. 

For Illustration Friday" Trail.  Acrylic and colored pencil on Arches watercolor block.

 I had always wanted to try my version of Red Riding Hood.

I think I had better try several more times!

Painting Process: Trees Gotta Sing!

See what happens when I take time out? I do two posts in one day and I actually finished a painting for a show! Hopefully they won't reject this one, but if they do, so be it. I had fun!

The theme of the show is "I Got Rhythm."

I printed out some sheet music and used heavy gel medium to adhere it and add texture to the canvas. This sheet music will end up being the foreground.

Next, I did an ochre wash over the entire piece.

Here I'm trying to establish the sky hoping for that mid-afternoon glow.

There are many layers of colors which you probably can't see.

 

I'm now establishing the composition and the placement of the trees.

You can see the musical notes peeking through the layers of color.

I start filling in the trees a bit more and adding more depth to the foreground.

If you click to enlarge this you'll still be able to see the subtle notes in the field.

Now I've placed some musical notes in the trees. After all, they gotta sing!

(My husband titled the painting and I love it!)

Close-ups of tree notes.

Close-up of foreground notes.

Ta-Daaa!

The finished piece 12x24, "Trees Gotta Sing."

Thanks for indulging me today!

xo♥