". Arranged Words: wildflowers
Showing posts with label wildflowers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wildflowers. Show all posts

29 Aug 2023

Milestone Blog Anniversary/Giveaway

                                                                     Sunrise
 Hi Everyone,

When I started this blog my goal was to blog for ten years.  I have no idea why I picked that number, but it seemed like the thing to do. Like most people, I felt a lot of different emotions when I hit the publish button the first time. 

What I like best about blogging: the people I've met along the way.  And it's always fun to jump my blog ship and steam over to have a look at what other people are doing. I've seen so many gorgeous photos of beautiful places, marvelous gardens, wonderful animals, birds, great food, and so on.

 Anyway, to cut to the chase a big thank you to all who stopped by, left a comment, and have continued, over the years, to read and say hello from time to time. I really do appreciate you, your beautiful blogs if you have one, and, of course, all your wonderful comments.

So let the bells ring out and the banners fly because ten years rolled around in April--the 24th to be exact.  Imagine that! :)

I had a look through the archives and the following post received the most views. To view  click here


                                              
                                               Arrowhead, Sumac and Loosestrife.
               
                  In case you have trouble opening paint tubes this nifty little gadget/tube opener comes in 
                  handy. It works well, and is made by Golden. You can buy one on Amazon.
                  It opened all my stuck tubes except one; that tube has been run under boiling water, and 
                  and my son tried opening it with plyers. It remains stuck. So...I reckon it's time to toss it.

                                                                            * * *

                           Giveaway...                                       

                                                                           

Art print made from my original pastel painting. 

 Will fit a standard square 14 x 14 frame with mat 8 x 8.


                     Calla Lilies                                                          Bloodroot Wildflower

And two cards made from my original watercolours. Calla Lilies have a gloss finish and the Bloodroot is on matte paper.

If you follow along, or have been a blog hopping visitor, or are following here now or on Insta please leave a comment to enter the draw. If you would like to leave a comment, but do not want to participate in the giveaway just add Oo for opt out after your comment.

Many thanks to all of you for reading along over the years.

'Till next time...


                                              Cultivate your Dreams

                                  Linking to Link Parties via my link party page. 

                                                Thanks to all for hosting.  

7 Jun 2022

The Art of Nature

Hi Everyone,

It's been a while. I hope you are all doing well.

May was a busy and fun month for me, although not without a few bumps in the road.

Early in the month, I bought a point driver and set about learning how to frame a few of my paintings, complete with dust cover and bumpers. I did learn a thing or two. Such as: check the size of the screws, if too long they could puncture the frame. (Who would want to make that error.)  A faux pas for sure. (You've got to love the French. Somehow faux pas sounds so elevated—almost noble, in fact.) So much better than an epic blunder. I also found out that the mats in store-bought frames are generally for portrait mode and are 1/8-inch weigher on the bottom. Who knew?

Anyway, to shorten a long story, I did ruin a lovely frame. When I realized my mistake, I took a few deep breaths, strolled outside to admire the flowers, and, well, eventually carved out enough space to laugh at myself. I reckoned, that the blinding light of perfection touches just a few people. And perhaps those are angels.

The art exhibition that I attended in May was beautiful. There were many lovely, inspirational pieces of artwork to see. There was also a wonderful student section. Unfortunately, photos were off limits.

      
Harmony
   
                    Approximately 7.5 x 7.5 in. With frame approx. 16.5 x 13. 5 inches.


                                           Lakeside Reflections   

                   Approx. 9.5 x 7.5 in. with frame approx. 15.25 x 12.25  

                                                                        * * *

Weeping Willow Pond

At this time of year, here in Canada, the world dresses up in so many glorious shades of green; the colours make my heart sing.

If you've been reading here for a while, you will know that I wax on about the colour blue, but green does ring bells too. After all it is the colour of nature, and I love nothing better than to be outside soaking up all the world's beauty, especially in the freshness of spring.

  

Don't cha love how the light and shadows and reflections play on the water? I could sit here for hours, but..the mosquitoes love it too, so I had to move on. Luckily, for me, the frogs were busy catching lunch, so that helped a bit.

                         Spring flowers: Trout Lily, Bloodroot, and an early blooming of wild Honeysuckle.

 

 
I thought I'd share this gadget. A friend of mine told me about this sturdy little Foldable Bucket Brush Washer that clips firmly in place. It could also be used for beads as well, and who knows what else.
But it's also handy for watercolour or gauche paint. Once the Sennelier tube paints dry, I can 
use it on my desk to save space or toss it in my bag and go. So far, I love it.

I have a few new projects on the go. In late May, I planted 19 garden containers. Because it's been so warm, the Nasturtiums, Sweet Peas, and Morning Glories that I planted from seed are growing like weeds.  But Jack Frost can sprinkle his glitter about in June, so I am keeping a wary eye out. 

 I  also have two pastel paintings on the go, and I just started to knit a linen top. More about those next time.

Nasturtiums 



Flower doodles on a salted watercolour background.

                                               Cultivate Your Dreams.

                               Linking to Link Parties via my link party page. 

                                               Many thanks to the hosts!


14 Sept 2021

Summer Escapades Part 2


Since it's nearly the middle of September, I thought I'd better post the second part of my summer pictures this week so that I can catch up after two months away from blogland.
The blue mountains: the Adirondacks in upstate New York. 


 

                                                     
                                                         A bird's eye view. Well, almost.


Weeping Willows swaying in the wind.

     
                                                               Summer clouds.




I just received Remarkable Diaries to add to my collection. In my opinion, these are great books; they give you a fascinating view into many remarkable lives.  Armchair exploration at its finest.

          

  One of my container plants. Begonia still hanging in there. The nights are cool but the days are still lovely. After all, the very last day of summer isn't until September 22nd. And I am sticking to it!



Brown Eyed Susan's, Purple Coneflower, and an early turning Maple. The Maple photo was taken in August.

* * * 


Pastel on Uart 400 Sanded paper. As you can see the paper likes to curl up, but it holds colour and layers well.

                                 
Have a lovely week...

Cultivate Your dreams

Linking to Link Parties via my link party page. Do drop by for a visit; there’s much to see.

  Thank you, ladies, for hosting.


6 Jul 2021

Trees and Things

                                                              Looks like a deserted island.
 Hi there,

       Another day along the river. Can anyone ever have too many of those? 

                      
                                                 Wonderful old trees along the Parkway. 

 If you been reading this blog for awhile, you will know that I love trees. Unfortunately, the nasty Gypsy moth caterpillars find them attractive and tasty too. When I was out at the Parkway recently, sitting at a picnic table under a tree, the caterpillars were falling on my head. I ran to better accommodations by the water's edge. 

In towns further down the highway the caterpillars have completely denuded and killed trees and are so busy munching others that the trees have lost the top quarter or more of leaves. Apparently, one adult caterpillar can chomp down one square foot of leaves a day. Parks Canada has decided to allow nature to take its course. I don't like spraying, but something should be done. It will take a really cold winter with temps to -20 to knock them back. One wonders when it will end. 


Such a beautiful tree.
 
First wildflower or a weed a Wild Pea, I think. Second one? Last picture Spatterdock, or yellow pond lily.


 Peonies ~ I can't resist buying a bunch.
* * * 
From the easel...



Nearly there.

Pastel on Pastelmat paper ~  Ribbons of Light 9 x 12"

Near the end of this painting I thought about adding a boat. But once the tooth of the paper is full, it's nearly impossible to add anything. Plans must be made early, I reckon.

An update on Terry Ludwig's pastels. I originally said I thought that his pastels were non toxic. I ordered a small box of his best loved colours and they did arrive with a warning.




I seem to be very partial to mountains and lakes and the sea, so I do have a few forest scenes in mind. Luckily, someone sent me several pictures that I can paint from.

For those looking for pictures to paint from. Here are two sites that provide free images:

Lately my main computer requires at least three re-boots before it works. My son, Jesse, just built a whole new computer from parts he ordered, (he's obsessed :) and, luckily, he hands down the parts from his old computer to me. He also bought me a new hard drive so I am hoping for great results.

Since Blogger no longer sends email notifications, I exported my email followers to a new feed. For those following by email you will receive notifications of my new posts from Follow.it. You will receive an email to confirm your subscription. Thank you for following. I hope all runs smoothly. 

Late to the party, but I just finished setting up a Pinterest account with a few boards. I be pleased if you followed me, and, of course, I will follow back.

 I generally take a July and August blog break. I will be posting on Instagram. I hope to see you there.

Be safe, well, and enjoy the summer, or the winter too!

Cultivate Your Dreams

Leaving you with a real oldie today. 


 
Linking to Link Parties via my link party page. Do drop by for a visit; you will be glad you did.
  Thank you, ladies, for hosting.

8 Sept 2020

Landscapes and Greeting Cards

 September 8, 2020

 Hi there,


  Mostly a picture post today.  But I will say that the new Blogger interface makes it much easier to move pictures around. And I like the visible comment section that shows in the preview. A definite must!
  


To Bee
To Bee


A few red leaves. It's happening slowly.


                                 I love ponds; they are always so peaceful. I sat on the bank and
                                           watched the fish jump in this pond for awhile. 
                            



                                                  Asters, Goldenrod, and Queen Anne's Lace.



                                              "I've looked at clouds from both sides now."
                                                                        Joni Mitchell





Print making on the go. I am making cards in both a gloss and matte finish.  Just now, I only have a few of the wildflower cards with a matte finish, but more matte cards are on the way.



Original Pastels ~ Taiga/Snow Forest. Better known as the Boreal Forest
and Autumn’s Glory.


Boreal Forest, Autumn’s Glory, Pink Bloodroot Wildflower.


After the storm. 

This wonderous double rainbow arched the whole way across the sky. I feel very lucky to have seen such awe inspiring beauty. 


'Til Next Time, Lovely People...

Cultivate Your Dreams

Linking to Link Parties via my link party page. Do drop in for a visit. Thank you ladies for hosting. 









13 Mar 2018

All About Wildflowers

Hi there,

I've noticed that certain wildflowers like to create a statement by growing in great drifts. The trout lilies form a carpet and Solomon's Seal seem to drift like clouds through the woodlands. On a good year, they are a sight to behold. But there are several varieties of wildflowers here that I have yet to see. For example, I 'd love to see a yellow Lady Slipper and the Bluebells.

One of my co-workers used to bring Mayflowers to work. What a heavenly scent! I may be able to find them in the woods along the Parkway. I hope to go exploring there this year. In the meantime, I decided to create a few wildflowers of my own.

                                                                   Wild Geranium
Ontario's flower: the Trillium

 Definitely hands on. Since it won't wash off, I'm hoping it will wear off by, say, July.  :)
                                                     Gift tags and envelopes.

                        Trout Lily ~ sienna and black ink on Strathmore mixed media cards.
I ended up carving two trilliums stamps. Apparently, precision counts.






 
      White gel pen on Strathmore paper.

            Wildflowers: Solomon's seal, Trout lily, Trillium, Bloodroot, Turk's cap lilies, ferns, and a Monarch butterfly.


Just now, I hear the geese overhead. Music to my ears. ( Running to and throwing open the window.) I heard them a few times recently. They are flying home for the season.

Next: A sample of what was and is yet to be. 'Yet to be?'

Sounds familiar? Googling.  Ah yes. I remember now. "The best is yet to be." Robert Browning's full quote: "Come and grow old with me. The best is yet to be." Lovely! ( But I digress...)

                                                               Solomon's Seal
                           
                                       "Do you suppose she's a wildflower?", said the daisy.
From Alice's Adventures in Wonderland ~ Lewis Carroll

"Wildflowers are the stuff of my heart."
Lady Bird Johnson

* * *
And finally, to give a nod to the green. A Shamrock ~ Happy St. Patrick's Day!

'Til next time, lovely people. . .Cultivate your dreams.