I found this wonderful little question and answer thingy over Lori Anderson's Pretty Things blog, and just had to re-post it...If you're inclined to spend a few minutes, please do copy with your own answers in your comment. :)
What Would You Be?
If I were a month I’d be October
If I were a day I’d be Monday
If I were a time of day I’d be twilight
If I were a planet I’d be Venus
If I were a sea animal I’d be a selkie
If I were a direction I’d be north
If I were a piece of furniture I’d be covered in comfy pillows
If I were a liquid I’d be tea
If I were a gem stone I’d be sapphire
If I were a tree I’d be a cherry tree
If I were a tool I’d be a hammer
If I were a flower I’d be an iris
If I were an element of weather I’d be the wind
If I were a musical instrument I’d be a dulcimer
If I were a color I'd be purple
If I were an emotion I’d be joyful
If I were a fruit I’d be a clementine
If I were a sound I’d be laughter
If I were an element I'd be fire
If I were a car I’d be a Beetle
If I were a food I’d be chocolate
If I were a place I’d be Ireland
If I were a material I'd be linen
If I were a taste I’d be sweet
If I were a scent I’d be spicy
If I were a body part I’d be eyes
If I were a facial expression I'd be a smile
If I were a song I’d be uplifting.
If I were a bird I'd be a goldfinch
If I were a gift I'd be a book
If I were a street I'd be busy
If I were a city I'd be Paris
If I were a door I'd be open
If I were a pair of shoes I’d be comfortable
And what would you be?
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
A Touch of Spring
Just had to pop back in to share two more pieces added to the eBay auctions this evening - painted today as the snow fell, but with spring in my heart! ♥
Back very soon...
♥ Carolee
Back very soon...
♥ Carolee
Of Whimsy and Magic and Childlike Wonder...
Like the banner above suggests, I feel pretty strongly it's all about the whimsy - be it Halloween or faeries, critters or creatures, you can HAVE the "darker" side of things. I mean, really, you can have it. To paraphrase something a fellow Halloween artist/friend said recently, if horror movies and gory Halloween props disappeared from the face of the earth tomorrow, I'd be a happy girl. I'm sorry but I will just never see how murder and mayhem constitutes entertainment. Life is too short and too precious to dwell on the ugly side of things, don't you think?
For me, it's all about the magic - that wide-eyed sense of wonder we felt as children, dressing up on Halloween and setting out at twilight, treat buckets in hand....
Speaking of which, I have a bit of that magic to share with you now...six minutes of Halloween eye candy, beautifully put together by Scott Smith of Rucus Studio:
Wasn't that just magical?!
It has me absolutely giddy with anticipation, and it's only February! At the risk of sounding like a broken record, if you're within striking distance, this show is a MUST SEE. Sooooooooo much fun. And if you visit the site, there's a list of this year's artists posted (which even for the fourth year makes me feel like a little kid sitting at the grown ups table, hehe) :)
See you there?!
In the meantime, I have another bit of whimsy to share - a tea chest finished just yesterday, and listed now on eBay.
I love the little mousie-witch hanging on to the cat's tail, and am thinking I need to paint a few more cat and mice pieces. They're just too fun.
A couple of Easter pieces are in the works as well, and of course, more Halloween, because it's NEVER too early.
Right now I'm off to brew up some of my own tea, watch the snowflakes fly (yet again, *sigh*) and play with paint and glitter.
Wishing you a day of magic and whimsy!
(¯`v´¯)
`*.¸.*´
¸.•´¸.•*¨) ¸.•*¨)
(¸.•´ (¸.•´ .•´ ¸¸.•¨¯`• ~ Carolee
For me, it's all about the magic - that wide-eyed sense of wonder we felt as children, dressing up on Halloween and setting out at twilight, treat buckets in hand....
Speaking of which, I have a bit of that magic to share with you now...six minutes of Halloween eye candy, beautifully put together by Scott Smith of Rucus Studio: Wasn't that just magical?!
It has me absolutely giddy with anticipation, and it's only February! At the risk of sounding like a broken record, if you're within striking distance, this show is a MUST SEE. Sooooooooo much fun. And if you visit the site, there's a list of this year's artists posted (which even for the fourth year makes me feel like a little kid sitting at the grown ups table, hehe) :)
See you there?!
In the meantime, I have another bit of whimsy to share - a tea chest finished just yesterday, and listed now on eBay.
I love the little mousie-witch hanging on to the cat's tail, and am thinking I need to paint a few more cat and mice pieces. They're just too fun.A couple of Easter pieces are in the works as well, and of course, more Halloween, because it's NEVER too early.
Right now I'm off to brew up some of my own tea, watch the snowflakes fly (yet again, *sigh*) and play with paint and glitter.
Wishing you a day of magic and whimsy!
(¯`v´¯)
`*.¸.*´
¸.•´¸.•*¨) ¸.•*¨)
(¸.•´ (¸.•´ .•´ ¸¸.•¨¯`• ~ Carolee
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Of Alice Tea and Gypsy Moon...
Sometimes even the most positive, glass half full, borderline manic kinda girl can have an off day....
This morning, mine began with a messy house, a broken vacuum cleaner and a very painful day for the bad ankle. I wouldn't say I was grumpy exactly, but John would probably disagree. ;)
There were good things too - a sunny day, chickadees galore singing in the backyard, and lots of time to paint...but it's hard to stay "up" when you're in pain, you know? Sooooo, what to do? Procrastinate of course, hehe. Which in the end only adds more pressure because I'm behind schedule....So by the afternoon, I was....well, OK, I'll admit to perhaps just a weeeee bit of grumpiness.
Then a package arrived!
A lovely, cheerful, pick-me-up kind of package - the kind of package that banishes the grumps and makes you feel all warm and fuzzy. A very dear collector sent me this beautiful Alice in Wonderland tea cozy with two matching hot pads, and of course, I had to make tea RIGHT away, hehe...... How adorable is this???
Thank you, Susan!! You did indeed brighten my day!
After a cuppa Stash Lemon Ginger with honey (soooooooo good!) I settled down at the work table to work on two commissioned signs, both with a kind of magical theme - fun! I also managed to squeeze in a sign for eBay this week - The Gypsy Moon Cafe....
I can almost hear the guitars and tambourines, hehe...It's listed on eBay now, along with a couple of tiny trinket boxes - a Maine Coon Cat with a little red button...
and a Celtic black cat....
I just love the knotwork on this is one. :)
More goodies are coming soon, but first there's that commission work to finish (I'm actually getting caught up - YAY!) And work for the Ghoultide Gathering will begin soon as well....
In the meantime, it's dinner and a movie.
Have a wonderful rest of the weekend!
♥ Carolee
This morning, mine began with a messy house, a broken vacuum cleaner and a very painful day for the bad ankle. I wouldn't say I was grumpy exactly, but John would probably disagree. ;)
There were good things too - a sunny day, chickadees galore singing in the backyard, and lots of time to paint...but it's hard to stay "up" when you're in pain, you know? Sooooo, what to do? Procrastinate of course, hehe. Which in the end only adds more pressure because I'm behind schedule....So by the afternoon, I was....well, OK, I'll admit to perhaps just a weeeee bit of grumpiness.
Then a package arrived!
A lovely, cheerful, pick-me-up kind of package - the kind of package that banishes the grumps and makes you feel all warm and fuzzy. A very dear collector sent me this beautiful Alice in Wonderland tea cozy with two matching hot pads, and of course, I had to make tea RIGHT away, hehe...... How adorable is this???
Thank you, Susan!! You did indeed brighten my day!
After a cuppa Stash Lemon Ginger with honey (soooooooo good!) I settled down at the work table to work on two commissioned signs, both with a kind of magical theme - fun! I also managed to squeeze in a sign for eBay this week - The Gypsy Moon Cafe....
I can almost hear the guitars and tambourines, hehe...It's listed on eBay now, along with a couple of tiny trinket boxes - a Maine Coon Cat with a little red button...
and a Celtic black cat....
I just love the knotwork on this is one. :)More goodies are coming soon, but first there's that commission work to finish (I'm actually getting caught up - YAY!) And work for the Ghoultide Gathering will begin soon as well....
In the meantime, it's dinner and a movie.
Have a wonderful rest of the weekend!
♥ Carolee
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
On Becoming "Real"
When our daughter Courtney was about a year old, a dear friend gifted her with a beautiful hardcover copy of the Margery Williams classic "The Velveteen Rabbit". I was just 23 years old myself at the time, and unfamiliar with book, but it brought tears to my eyes the first time I read it, and still does.
For anyone unfamiliar with the book, it's the tale of a stuffed rabbit who wants to be "real". My favorite passage is where one of the other animals in the nursery, the skin horse, explains to the little rabbit how toys become real:
"What is REAL?" asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side near the nursery fender, before Nana came to tidy the room. "Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?"
"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."
"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.
"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."
"Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?"
"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in your joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."
I must say, this passage means even more at 50 than it did at 23. And I'm sure it's meaning will be deeper still if I'm blessed with another couple of decades. ;)
Real. It's not our outward appearance. It's not what we look like, how shiny and new we appear...It's what we are inside after being truly loved. That's what really counts, isn't it?
Sooooo, yes....maybe it's spring and thoughts of bunnies...maybe it's running across the book on Courtney's old bookshelf last week, but it's been crying "paint me!" for days now, and I finally had to oblige....
There are more pics on the eBay listing. Truly a blessing to paint this one, and a nice reminder of what's important too. ;)
There's yet another children's book, crying to painted, but it will probably be next week sometime....
Have you read this one?
It's the story of a Mother Bunny who becomes the Easter Bunny, and how, according to one review, "cleverness and kindness triumph over size and brawn". I read this one as a small child, and also read it to my daughter when she was little. It was written in 1939, and is surprisingly feminist for the time; girls can do anything, etc etc....Gotta love that. ;)
Bunnies, bunnies everywhere it seems! Never fear though, more wicked whimsy is on it's way - can't stay away from Halloween for too long, hehe....
In the meantime, I'm catching up on emails this week, after spending several days without a computer keyboard (spilled water on the old one - eek!) So if I owe you an email, it's coming!
Right now I'm off to wash out my paintbrushes and turn in for the night. Thank you ever so much for visiting me, and thank you for your comments too - I do so love to read them, even if I don't always have time to respond. (I promise to try harder though!)
Until next time,
~ Carolee
For anyone unfamiliar with the book, it's the tale of a stuffed rabbit who wants to be "real". My favorite passage is where one of the other animals in the nursery, the skin horse, explains to the little rabbit how toys become real:"What is REAL?" asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side near the nursery fender, before Nana came to tidy the room. "Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?"
"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."
"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.
"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."
"Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?"
"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in your joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."
I must say, this passage means even more at 50 than it did at 23. And I'm sure it's meaning will be deeper still if I'm blessed with another couple of decades. ;)
Real. It's not our outward appearance. It's not what we look like, how shiny and new we appear...It's what we are inside after being truly loved. That's what really counts, isn't it?
Sooooo, yes....maybe it's spring and thoughts of bunnies...maybe it's running across the book on Courtney's old bookshelf last week, but it's been crying "paint me!" for days now, and I finally had to oblige....
There are more pics on the eBay listing. Truly a blessing to paint this one, and a nice reminder of what's important too. ;)There's yet another children's book, crying to painted, but it will probably be next week sometime....
Have you read this one?
It's the story of a Mother Bunny who becomes the Easter Bunny, and how, according to one review, "cleverness and kindness triumph over size and brawn". I read this one as a small child, and also read it to my daughter when she was little. It was written in 1939, and is surprisingly feminist for the time; girls can do anything, etc etc....Gotta love that. ;)Bunnies, bunnies everywhere it seems! Never fear though, more wicked whimsy is on it's way - can't stay away from Halloween for too long, hehe....
In the meantime, I'm catching up on emails this week, after spending several days without a computer keyboard (spilled water on the old one - eek!) So if I owe you an email, it's coming!
Right now I'm off to wash out my paintbrushes and turn in for the night. Thank you ever so much for visiting me, and thank you for your comments too - I do so love to read them, even if I don't always have time to respond. (I promise to try harder though!)
Until next time,
~ Carolee
Monday, February 15, 2010
OWOH Winner:)
Typing is brief + slow as I killed our keyboard this weekend, but wanted to share the OWOH giveaway winner - Tabby of Crooked Heart Art. Congrats! :)
Saturday, February 13, 2010
♥ ♪ ♫ That's Amore ♫ ♪ ♥
♫ "When the moon hits you eye like a big pizza pie, That's amore....
When the world seems to shine like you've had too much wine, That's amore"... ♫
Gotta love Dean Martin. ;)
So, Happy Hearts Day!
I can't help it, call me sappy, but I'm a nut for Valentine's Day. Not just because of the romantic implications, but I just love LOVE, don't you? I mean, LOVE in general, whether it's hubby or significant other, or your child, your best friend in the world, your whole circle of friends, your Mom and Dad, your cat, your dog...There's nothing like Amore. :)
I have lots and lots to share this Valentine's Day, beginning with a sort of joint labor of love called the Penny Tree....
You can go here to read all about it. The auction begins on Valentine's Day, and some lucky collector will win this gorgeous bronze feather tree with all the yummy ornaments shown below (mine is in there somewhere, a small tuxedo cat), with the proceeds benefiting the Alabama chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. There are many truly amazing, nationally recognized artists who've contributed to this, it's a serious treasure!
This is also the last day to sign up for the One World One Heart blog giveaway. Here's a photo of my little trinket box up for grabs...
...and here's the post where you can leave a comment if you haven't already. I've had such fun visiting blogs for this event, and will probably be visiting them most of the year - I barely made it through fifty of the thousand plus participating blogs so far! Lots of visiting still to do.
It will be a quiet Valentine's Day here, just the two of us and five furkids. I'm making one John's favorites for dinner - shrimp scampi, and we'll have these yummy Very Vanilla cupcakes for dessert. Would you like the recipe? It's soooooo easy, not even a recipe at all, really. Just prepare a box of French Vanilla cake mix according to the package directions, including a teaspoon of vanilla extract as part of the liquid, then scrape the seedy contents of one vanilla bean into the batter. Mix and bake. Sooooooooo good with homemade vanilla and chocolate buttercream icing...
And easy-peasy. :)
Not to rush things, but having given Valentine's Day it's due, I want to share just one more thing before I run off - this one inspired by St Patty's Day, a lucky black cat piece, with a very old "charm" for invoking the good luck of a black cat, written around the top. It's up for grabs on eBay now.
That's about it for today, except to wish you a very Happy Valentine's Day! Whether you spend it in the company of your love, your friends, or yourself, I hope you pamper yourself a bit and do something fun. :)
I'll be back very soon with photos of two very special pieces in progress. Until then, I leave you with this song, which makes me melt every time I hear it...
♥ Carolee
When the world seems to shine like you've had too much wine, That's amore"... ♫
Gotta love Dean Martin. ;)
So, Happy Hearts Day!
I can't help it, call me sappy, but I'm a nut for Valentine's Day. Not just because of the romantic implications, but I just love LOVE, don't you? I mean, LOVE in general, whether it's hubby or significant other, or your child, your best friend in the world, your whole circle of friends, your Mom and Dad, your cat, your dog...There's nothing like Amore. :)
I have lots and lots to share this Valentine's Day, beginning with a sort of joint labor of love called the Penny Tree....
You can go here to read all about it. The auction begins on Valentine's Day, and some lucky collector will win this gorgeous bronze feather tree with all the yummy ornaments shown below (mine is in there somewhere, a small tuxedo cat), with the proceeds benefiting the Alabama chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. There are many truly amazing, nationally recognized artists who've contributed to this, it's a serious treasure!
This is also the last day to sign up for the One World One Heart blog giveaway. Here's a photo of my little trinket box up for grabs...
...and here's the post where you can leave a comment if you haven't already. I've had such fun visiting blogs for this event, and will probably be visiting them most of the year - I barely made it through fifty of the thousand plus participating blogs so far! Lots of visiting still to do.
It will be a quiet Valentine's Day here, just the two of us and five furkids. I'm making one John's favorites for dinner - shrimp scampi, and we'll have these yummy Very Vanilla cupcakes for dessert. Would you like the recipe? It's soooooo easy, not even a recipe at all, really. Just prepare a box of French Vanilla cake mix according to the package directions, including a teaspoon of vanilla extract as part of the liquid, then scrape the seedy contents of one vanilla bean into the batter. Mix and bake. Sooooooooo good with homemade vanilla and chocolate buttercream icing...
And easy-peasy. :)Not to rush things, but having given Valentine's Day it's due, I want to share just one more thing before I run off - this one inspired by St Patty's Day, a lucky black cat piece, with a very old "charm" for invoking the good luck of a black cat, written around the top. It's up for grabs on eBay now.
That's about it for today, except to wish you a very Happy Valentine's Day! Whether you spend it in the company of your love, your friends, or yourself, I hope you pamper yourself a bit and do something fun. :)I'll be back very soon with photos of two very special pieces in progress. Until then, I leave you with this song, which makes me melt every time I hear it...
♥ Carolee
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