Monday, June 5, 2017

Life's Ups and Downs

   Well, it's been a week of good and bad, happy and sad, and thus my pensive mood. Let's start on the good shall we?

             my next door neighbors first poppy has bloomed!!

 And speaking of blooming I made this card using a newer Altenew stamp and die set:

 I adore this camelia build a flower stamp and die set! Other products: white card stock; brick patterned paper (Recollections); inks- Versafine Onyx Black; Archival- pink peony, leaf green; Distress inks- worn lipstick, mowed lawn; Staz-On- St. Valentine; Simon Says Stamp-assorted Moonshine Sequins.  Sharing this with the Simon Wednesday Challenge (anything goes).

 On a few sad notes... first off my heart goes out to those in England-again-innocent victims of yet another terror attack. Love and prayers.  Recently our local small zoo acquired two giraffes- a father and son. They were transported here from the Kansas City zoo. Three days later and poor Ernie the son was found dead. Of course there is an investigation going on and people are heartbroken. Personally I feel a bit sick about it and just don't feel good about zoos...

 And just one day after I posted last week- I found this:

 An empty nest.There were 4 babies only a day or so old and the morning I went to check on them they were gone. I looked all over but found nothing. And there was not one sign of any disturbance to the flowers, foliage or dirt in the basket. I'm not ashamed to say I shed a few tears for these innocent ones who didn't have a chance. I really thought they were safe. We do have young blackbirds, a pair of blue jays, cow birds and cat birds which are all predatory and can be a bit aggressive and perhaps one of them took them. Does anyone know- should I leave the nest - I mean, would another bird lay eggs in it-or should I  take it out?

 On another good note LuAnn and I went to McCarthy's again - to have some of that fabulous Caramel tea we had the other week and it was just as good!

   Sharing our pot of tea with Elizabeth and friends at T Stands For Tuesday.

 At Tag Tuesday the theme is "animals" so I made this tag:

 The bunny and flowers is a napkin. I added a sentiment-an old Hero Arts stamp, a little bird die cut, and a few of those SSS Moonshine Sequins I so love!

 Lastly I have a journal page to share. I created it in my 5 1/2" x 8" watercolor journal. It began like this:

 a first layer using my Peerless watercolors. Then came some stamping:

 using black archival ink and the Bokeh stamp set from Ellen Hutson LLC. After that I sponged on some white gesso to tone it down and begin drawing my image:

 And this is my finished page:


 I kept it quite simple and painted her with acrylics, then loosely outlined with a fine black pen. The dress is a deli paper gelli print. Pensive. And the Eleanor Roosevelt quote is just how I was feeling at the time. It's from a collage sheet by ARTchix Studio. Linking to Art Journal Journey for the theme this month of "circles", Moo Mania and More for the theme of "hair", a new to me challenge- Creative Artiste Mixed Media (anything goes) thanks to Valerie's post, and of course to Paint Party Friday!

 Have a great week and be well my friends.

          " Deep in their roots, all flowers keep the light."    Theodore Roethke







50 comments:

  1. Such sad news Linda - can imagine how you felt!
    I love your wonderful painting linked to Moo Mania & More and Art Journal Joureny! Your lovely support is much appreciated !
    The tag with the rabbit and the flowercard is beautiful as well!
    You never cease to amaze me with your artpieces!
    Happy new week and happy T-Day - caramel tea sounds yummie - haven't seen this as tea-flavour here yet - !
    oxo
    Susi

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  2. Delightful thoughts and photos. Shame about the Giraffe. Greetings.

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  3. Glad to have been of use to you! London is too terrible for me to think about, I can't imagine things like that in my home town. Sorry about the baby robins, a lot of birds are robbers and take what they can get. Beautiful art, and I especially love the gorgeous tag you made for TT, thanks so much. Happy T Day, hugs, Valerie

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  4. A sad and gorgeous post, Linda. I love all your artwork here.

    Thank you for sharing it to ART JOURNAL JOURNEY

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  5. Wonderful art work, all your projects look beautiful.
    It was a sad post and I was so sorry to read about the young birds, nature works in strange ways, it would be good to know what happened and maybe make it right next time.
    Thank you for mentioning the latest London terror. Dreadful for all the families, who lost loved ones.
    At least the concert on Sunday in Manchester was incident free, we were all worried about that event.
    Happy T day.
    Yvonne xx

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  6. It has been a week of so many up and downs. I think your art is definitely an up though! I wonder what happened to the baby birds. The parents will come in and make another nest, or reuse that nest, because they lay lots of eggs to get lots of babies through the summer. But sometimes the mom bird had cheated on the dad, and if he discovers this he will get rid of the babies that aren't his. But who knows. Poor little babies. Happy T day Linda. Hope you aren't getting all this cold raw and rain we have right now. Hugs-Erika

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  7. Amazing creations despite the disappointments you experienced ~ so sad about the baby birds ~ and London ~ well the world has become one dangerous place at times ~ glad you were able to get a cup of tea with a friend ~ always helps I think ~ do take care and thanks for your wonderful words on my blog ~ ^_^

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  8. The sorrow we feel in the small losses of our daily life are the channels for the big tragedies and the loss of human lives we see almost every week now. Art provides solace for these difficult times. Your art pieces are both lovely and serene.

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  9. Oh Linda, what sad news about the baby birds. And my heart also goes out to Londoners after the attack on Saturday. Very sad news on both fronts.

    Your art is amazing. I was so impressed with everything you have created this week. You were on a roll, from a tag to a card, to a journal page, you have found so many challenges to enter.

    I really like the caramel tea you got at McCarthy's. I remember reading their tea and treat menu last time. It all looked so luscious.

    Thanks for sharing your art and your tea from McCarthy's with us for T this Tuesday. And I hope the nest will be reused again, but it's been my experience that once they abandon one, they don't return to it.

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  10. I forgot to answer your question about the tea. I haven't tried the tea yet, because I'm waiting to finish showing all my photos from Bungalow 26. And I am not sure it was worth it, because each of those bags was $3.50 plus tax and makes two cups.

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  11. Oooohh.. i'm so sorry Linda... London is horrible and the baby giraffe... There is only two good things about zoos in my opinion... One if they help with the breeding program of endangered wildlife... two... they help to introduce the general public to animals they may never see or even hear of otherwise... How can you get people to care about what happens to animals if they can't connect with them on some level?? So it may be terrible for a few but it may help save a species... Thats the way i have to look at it because i agree with you i'm just not fond of zoos... Love all the artwork you've posted this week Linda.. All of it is just gorgeous.. Happy T day! Hugs! deb

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  12. Wonderful artjournal page with this fine lady and the quote! Very interesting, how you started this piece!
    Best wishes, Rike

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  13. Always so sad when anything dies be it human or animal-hope you soon shake off the sadness. Maybe better to destroy the nest if it is in such a vulnerable place.

    Your artwork is terrific and thank you for joining us at Tag Tuesday for our animals theme. Hope to see you there again.

    Beautiful shiny pot for your tea.

    Happy T Day

    Love Chrissie xx

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  14. A wonderfully colourful page. Lovely depth with all the layers.
    Thank you for joining in with our June challenge "Anything Mixed Media Goes" at Creative Artiste Mixed Media and good luck x

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  15. Yes, it has indeed been a sad time. And like you it's the small tragedies in nature that tend to hit me hardest. So sad to see the young birds that don't make it. Even seeing young lambs in the fields sometimes make me cry as I know they probably won't have a long life. And like you I seek my solace in art. I so envy you and LuAnn being able to meet up regularly. It sounds and looks like fun!

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  16. Such a heartfelt post Linda! Firstly life certainly has it up and downs and after such senseless attacks the world sure needs our love and prayers! It's such a shame to hear about the giraffe and then the nest, it seems sometimes nature doesn't make any sense at all. Now lets move onto the good which brings us to a much happier place, the poppy is gorgeous and such a lovely shade of red 😀. Then there is your trip to McCarthy's for a cup of Caramel Tea which sounds delicious! Then all your fabulous art 😁. Your camelia card is so pretty, I love the cute bunny tag sentiment and the journal page background you created with those Peerless watercolours is beautiful! Wishing you more happiness this T Day! J 😊

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  17. Hard but life does have ups with the downs-always so sad for us left behind-hugs
    Love your art pages and the caramel tea sounds sooo good
    Happy T Day-thanks for sharing this lovely post
    Kathy

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  18. I like that quote and its important to keep the light of hope shining when bad things are happening. I would leave the nest

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  19. Lovely flowers - both the brilliant poppy and your camelia card. The build a flower stamp and die set looks like fun. Great animal tag and sentiment. Also love the Eleanor Roosevelt quote and your pensive woman. She's very expressive.

    My heart goes out to all those touched by violence around the world. It's becoming a very scary place. That's also sad about the baby giraffe. I hope it wasn't foul play. Please let us know what they determine.

    Happy T-Day,Linda! Hugs, Eileen

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  20. Oh Linda, so much sadness. The giraffe and the empty nest and of course the useless violence and killing in London. Horrible.
    But you have shown us some positive things too and your artwork is beautiful as is the [poppy.
    Happy T-Day,
    Hugs,
    Lisca

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  21. Zoos served an important purpose to educate the public before the days of live wild-life cams and educational TV nature programs. I think breeding and conservation programs would be better and more effective in places that weren't so focused on the comfort and ease of paying customers. That's where I am in the zoo discussion. Poor giraffe :( It's always such a shame when an animal dies in our care, and I'm sure the zoo staff is devastated.

    I tend to leave nests until fall. But I don't know what I'm doing lol so that may well not be the best thing to do.

    Every time I see a teapot styled that way I'm tempted to buy one. I've resisted so far -I have 2 pots, and how many do I need after all- but it gets harder every time. Happy T Tuesday :)

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  22. Your artwork is so beautiful. I love the colors you have chosen. The poppy is beautiful...color and texture n nature. Your work is uplifting, I hope making and sharing it lifts your spirits.

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  23. Out of the sadness such beautiful art. You can't go wrong sharing times with a good friend and a cup of tea. Happy T Day.

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  24. Beautiful art work, lovely techniques and a lovely character. I read recently that when there is horror in the world look for those who do good, that's how I explain the events in London ( 26 miles away) to my daughter. Best to keep on keeping on! Thank you for joining us at the Creative Artiste Mixed Media, Anything Goes, #27 June Challenge. Good luck! Love Denyse (DT)

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  25. I love your card and journal page! We certainly live in sad times and all our lives are affected wherever we live! I would leave the birds nest for a while - the same bird may use it again - I have read that if they don't raise their family some birds may return to try again! Happy T Day Chrisx

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  26. So sorry about the terror now in London. All the poor innocent victims.
    The little birds were be taken by a cat or squirrel or another robbery animal.But let the nest there, it will be used by other birds, maybe next year. Your card,tag and Art page look great. I like how you textured the Lady's dress. Well done!
    Dear Greetings
    Sabine

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  27. A touching post and beautiful AJ spread. Thanks for joining us at Creative Artiste!

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  28. Gorgeous creations Linda! all of them are fabulous and I love the journal page, your artwork is stunning!

    thanks for joining us on the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge
    Luv
    Lols x x x
    thanks for your comments on my blog too, always very much appreciated :-) XXX

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  29. Sorry about the little birds and the giraffe :( and the attack in London was horrible. Your art is great this week and that is a lovely poppy your neighbor has blooming. I don't have any poppies this year... forgot to throw the seeds out.
    I'm down with my back again and had to have and emergency injection yesterday morning . Which is why I didn't post for "T" day. It hit me Monday afternoon like a building fell on me. Feeling much better today but still taking it super easy.
    Have a great week!!!
    Carol

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  30. Oooh! Theres so much :) First of all, I really love that Roosevelt quote! I've never heard it before and it really rings true. And your little girl is so sweet - I love seeing your progress photos. I totally get why you would shed tears for the baby birds - I would have been right there with you, even hearing the news after seeing the last photos is sad. I'm sorry! Lastly THANK you for your sweet note! I LOVE that you watched the video! And you should totally get one of those totes, they're so fun to play with. Oh, and the song is from a royalty free website, epidemic sound, I can't recall the name, but it was tagged with "Summer" to find it ;) xoxo

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  31. The artworks are all beautiful and their posting.
    I'm sorry that the nest is empty, a shame !!!
    Nice week
    Elke

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  32. Fabulous painting! Love seeing the process.

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  33. Hello Linda, it's been a very up and down time hasn't it... there are no answers for what is happening in this world.
    So sorry too that you also had to come upon the empty nest, so sad.

    Your beautiful art is very uplifting, I love the quote too.
    The watercolour and stampwork you do is always colourful and cheery.
    That red poppy is certainly such a bright spot in the neighbour's garden.

    Sending good cheer to you, have a lovely and restful weekend :D)

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  34. Lovely work Linda and I think you should keep the nest for reuse.

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  35. I enjoyed seeing all your beautiful art, Linda. Sorry about the baby giraffe and the baby birds. Nature sometimes seems cruel.

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  36. what a charming piece of work you have made, the girl is fantastic, as is the background! I have a gelli plate, I would very much like to try this. I miss to draw and paint portraits or girls and faces, but I'm so up to all other things, there is so much exciting out there that I want to try and learn. and time is short. I hope I don't forget how to paint faces..
    So sad with terror and bad things on this beautiful earth!
    and I'm sorry to hear about your empty nest and the giraffe son.
    A beautiful card and I love the lip stick color!

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  37. Also I have to say I like your quote! I had to smile when I read it. It is sooo true!

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  38. Nice share, luv the last piece best

    Happy PPF

    much love...

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  39. Beautiful art pieces.
    Happy PPF and weekend xx

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  40. So sorry about the sad news of the birds. But what a beautiful poppy and seeing the step by step of your art journal page was great! I love her dress!

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  41. Love your at journal girl, creativity is a good way to process feelings, isn't it? Your tea date sounds lovely, I had one this afternoon myself! Happy PPF!

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  42. This is amazing! I adore your art.
    I'd leave the nest alone. Many of our birds are on their 2nd nesting. They may well come back and be smarter about it. The predators are why they have multiple broods in good years. It is all sad, isn't it?
    I have to watch the news once, and then let it all go. It weighs one done, doesn't it?
    (ツ) from Cottage Country Ontario , ON, Canada!

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  43. Nature is fantastic but there's also a dark side at times. It can be tough witnessing predation up close. We have baby birds in a bird box in our garden and so far they are okay, but I fear for them once they start fledging. We have woodpeckers, magpies, buzzards and sparrowhawks to name but a few. It'll be a tough start, but at the moment Mum and Dad are doing a fantastic job of looking after them. I personally wouldn't take down the nest...you may be lucky to get another brood before the season ends. I'd leave it until summer is over.
    You've created beautiful artwork as usual. That poppy certainly pops. Unfortunately my have all been battered down with so much rain.
    Thank you for sharing and let's hope there are happier times ahead.
    Have a great weekend and Happy PPF to you :D

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  44. gorgeous art here. i love the sweet bunny tag. xo

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  45. What beautiful art you have posted, I love the journal page. I'm sorry about the giraffe and the little birds.

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  46. I love your lady journal. One of the finest I have seen I think :)

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  47. I can so relate to this post Linda! I almost always get overwhelmed by what's happening around me...you feel deeply - the hurt, the pain and the joys too! Probably that's the perk of being an artist r being the creative kind. And probably that's exactly what makes us an artist (whether one draws or not). Loved the journal page and the quote...also your tag and camelia flower stamp. The poppy looks happy!

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  48. Your post is like a circle of life, nature with beautiful art...

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Thank you so much for your comments; it's a pleasure to connect with you!