For CaC : getting to know you day:
The Infamous Proust Questionnaire:

* Your most marked characteristic?
sensitive
* The quality you most like in a man?
sensitivity
* The quality you most like in a woman?
angels wings
* What do you most value in your friends?
sensitivity
* What is your principle defect?
too sensitive
* What is your favorite occupation?
artist
* What is your dream of happiness?
To have many angels dancing all around me (hmmm, I’ve captured for a brief moment)
* What to your mind would be the greatest of misfortunes?
I don’t want to go there – I can’t find any humor in it whatsoever
* What would you like to be?
More humorous
* In what country would you like to live?
Canada
* What is your favorite color?
blue
* What is your favorite flower?
delphinium
* What is your favorite bird?
I love birds – doves, bluebirds, robins, wrens, chickadees
* Who are your favorite prose writers?
Luanne Rice, Sue Monk Kidd, Michael Ondaatje, Bryce Courtenay
* Who are your favorite poets?

Hope is the thing with feathers,
That perches in the soul
And sings the tune without words,
And never stops at all.
Emily Dickinson

I thank God for most this
amazing
day; for the leaping greenly
spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky;
and for everything
which is natural, which is
infinite, which is yes.
e. e. cummings

* Who is your favorite hero of fiction?
My mind’s drawing a blank
* Who are your favorite heroines of fiction?
Blank again
* Who are your favorite composers?
Pachelbel
* Who are your favorite painters?
Ummm – not really into the history piece - who was it that painted the ballerinas? (I never actually studied art.) Maybe I can say two from the very present - Misty Mawn and Susan Tuttle. (both recently refound in Somerset Studio)
* Who are your heroes in real life?
all the angels, Suze, Mary Ann, Fran, Nance, Jude, Stephen, Stacey, Darcy, and Debra (to name only a few)
* Who are your favorite heroines of history?
ummm
* What are your favorite names?
Jacqueline, Francesca, Jennifer, Katherine, Genevieve
* What is it you most dislike?
Hatred, prejudice
* What historical figures do you most despise?
Hitler and all his buddies
* What event in military history do you most admire?
Ummmmm
* What reform do you most admire?
abolishment of slavery
* What natural gift would you most like to possess?
To find, even if tiny, a touch of laughter in the face of (any) adversity, be it large or small
* How would you like to die?
With good mental faculties & with my daughter and husband holding my hands
* What is your present state of mind?
frustrated - best not to ask why
* To what faults do you feel most indulgent?
Procrastination - she grins - trying to look at it usually as play time. If I’m going to do it - procrastinate - I might as well enjoy it.


Here are a couple of examples of yesterday's procrastination, photopaint on fractals























* What is your motto?
Not certain this would be called a motto, but it’s what I try to live by:
"To laugh is to risk appearing the fool. To weep is to risk being called sentimental. To reach out to another is to risk involvement. To expose feelings is to risk showing your true self. To place your ideas and your dreams before them is to risk being called naive. To love is to risk not being loved in return. To live is to risk dying. To hope is to risk despair, and to try is to risk failure. But risks must be taken, because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing. The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, is nothing and becomes nothing. He [or she] may avoid suffering and sorrow, but he simply cannot learn and feel and change and grow and love and live. Chained by his certitudes, he is a slave, he's forfeited his freedom. Only the person who risks is truly free."
Dr. Leo Buscaglia

I believe in angels. Created with fd's flickr toys


Life is a tapestry: We are the warp; angels, the weft; God, the weaver. Only the Weaver sees the whole design. ~ Quoted in The Angels' Little Instruction Book by Eileen Elias Freeman, 1994

swirly, twirly: major play time with fractals and corel photo paint

I seek:
Last Friday I started to write a dark piece. Last night as the clouds were rolling in, to hide the moon, I decided to choose to look to the light. Here is my choice.

I seek
when the tears are erupting
at the surface
ready to spill
I seek to feel laughter
instead

when the pain is crying
in my face
my jaws
my neck
my shoulders
I seek to feel my body
flowing
as hot chocolate sauce
molten sapphires glowing
instead

when the rage is building
constructing,
I seek to feel warm light
instead

when my thoughts find helpless
grasping at straws
I seek to feel courage
with hope entwined
instead

when sadness surrounds me
smothers
I seek to feel beauty
dancing in the light
instead







when loneliness leaves me
abandoned
I seek to feel the angels
fluttering
within
and about me
instead

My first fractal. Please don't ask me to repeat it. I haven't a clue how I made it. Tee-hee. ; )

for the love of purple: I've just created a new set on flickr titled purple. If you love purple you should check it out. I especially love to view the slideshows of my sets.
Purple - about spirit.

This butterfly was a photo of mine I'd scanned and then adjusted on corel photo paint.

Collage paper: I've been trying to do some writing besides regular Sunday activities and trying to help Cat with her blog and some photos. I've managed to stay away from the fractals so far but started this last night. It started as a photo I took last June at Manitou. I'm intrigued by shadows and light. I decided to play with the photo and these are the end results. I'm happy. I think they could work nicely for collage backgrounds. There is a pattern that Nance has used which I absolutely love and it kind of led me in this direction.
Till later when I hopefully complete that writing,
Angels be with you.

Playing again: Just learning, practicing, with the programs I have available to me. I need much more time, much more practice. I don't have a lot of either right now so don't expect to see anything more from this in near future. I've also downloaded a fractals program which for certain I don't have time to play with. Must remember to be gentle with myself though - allow play time occasionally.
Angels be with you.

Dancing purples

Copycat: The weekly prompt this week for Inspire me Thursday is copycat. While cruising around on flickr this morning I happened upon the photos of Ms. Ladyred. This is my first feeble attempt to do something remotely along similiar lines. The original was taken at the farm, creekside, last weekend.

excited: Three people are very excited. One is my dear friend Suze who got a job today. I am very excited because of this marvelous path which has been placed before her. Our daughter is excited because I helped her start her own blog today. It's just a start but that doesn't matter. I'm excited, because she's excited.

Later note - I was looking for a photo from flickr to portray the excitement but got majorly side - tracked, once again. I decided best to leave without for now. I might never get down to what I could be doing today!

Longing for the sun to shine: for more than a few minutes anyway. I'm needing to catch up with all my wonderful friends on the web. I've been very negligent the past few day, weeks. I also need to be doing the laundry.
Today I've discovered the website of a fabulous artist/writer, thanks to a comment one of the yahoo groups. I guess what first caught my attention is that Nick Bantock lives on Salt Spring Island in British Columbia. This will be a new dream - to one day visit his gallery there. I've been reasonably close. To do one of his workshops would be, well, like a nearly impossible dream.
Some simple artwork from recent past, on top left, done at farm, (perspective's just a bit off ; )) and a number from more distant past, about 10 years ago.

Sometimes I feel so uncertain. Sometimes I feel so lost. Though I am sitting in my own home, on my own chair, my mind feels astray in the universe.
I wonder where the angels are at this moment. Would they tell me to get busy? Most probably they would tell me to look for some art. They would probably tell me to look for art within my soul. They would ask me to go where the materials are and start to play.
Maybe they would guide my hands to play with the drops of water I just watched falling from the edge of the roof. Maybe that thought could create a painting. Maybe they are just asking me to move away from this computer to a different place - a different place where I might not feel so lost.
Thank you angels.


I've now handed over the school piece to someone else from the school to do some further investigation. I can breathe more easily. I am assured we'll get the program we need for "Cat". I'm just uncertain how many more hoops we need to jump through in the meantime.

Occupied: I didn't get any news today so trying to occupy myself with my picture trail and adding a couple of videos to my blog. Check them in the side bar. For me they come up above the most recent post when I click on them.

Watching for angels while being in limbo: I'm trying to be patient as I sort through this commotion about the psychiatrist. I've been listening again and again in the past 24 hours to the "Take That - Shine" video which some angel left me anonymously yesterday. It has lifted my spirits immensely.
I did try to break away from the mode for a few minutes to finish this altered book spread which I did on the weekend. I did the background with stamped and sponged ink to begin with and then found the fashion image in a 1967 Chatelaine magazine. I then played with it.
I should mention the three images in the corners are all tape transfers which I had made last summer and discovered recently. They seem to fit perfectly within the collage.
I also started another page spread background and did some sketching. I'll maybe share those later after I've received the phone call about which I'm having to be patient.

I've been investigating other videos in the same area as "Shine" and I got quite carried away with "Angels" by Robbie Williams. I found the lyrics so I could sing along as the audiences do in a number of the recordings. I also found the original.
I'll let you know as soon as I have any more information .
Angels be with you.

Sunday
Sunsets

Captured: We're at the farm for a few days. The weather has turned cruddy. Besides being very windy it also became very cold yesterday. A bit North of Humblodt there was actually snow yesterday. Saskatchewan weather!

But as we approached the farm yesterday the skies seemed to clear. This morning, just before lunch, I took the van to get some pictures which I was going to use for printing and trying to do sketches from. As I got closer to the birdhouse a bird flew out, much to my surprise. She was quite gray with only tiny bit of blue. I was uncertain. I caught the flash of blue to my right. Of course. The Momma was apprehensive as I drew near to the nest. Now Poppa was nervous as well. I was surprised he stayed on the post as long as he did for me to snap. I was quite pleased that I even caught him in flight. I am typically too unsteady to get decent photos without the tripod but these turned out all right.

Last year I'd been for a walk here and was trying to snap the bluebirds. It was earlier in Spring and they kept flying on as I tried to capture. My vicinity today so close to the babies made the difference. I'm happy - angels in flight.

Fairy forest - just happened. This is one of the backgrounds I've done with acrylic on watercolour paper. I love the effects I get and often hate to cover with collage or cut to use for smaller pieces. If I were extremely talented with drawing I would probably try to do some tiny fairies in the purple forest. I'll be talented and envision them there. That comes more easily. I need tons of practice. I'll just leave as is for the moment. 8 1/2 x 12 inches.

Friday Finds: This week - well, I tried to flow through the challenges. It was a little bit tough. I'm glad I decided to reward myself with not just one, but two inspirational magazines this week.
I get apprehensive about going to see the eye specialist after 46 years with diabetes. Then I wait for about an hour to actually have the appointment.
"Look straight ahead.
Look to the right.
Look to the left.
Look down at my necktie."
Moves to the left eye,
"Look straight ahead.
Look to the right.
Look to the left.
Look down at my necktie."
"Everything looks not too bad. Come back in two years."
I breathe.
And then there are the meetings - much clenching of jaws with those.
I made it through the most difficult parts - of the week. The phone rings. It's the school principal. We need a letter from Cat's psychiatrist if she is to continue with the same school program next year. We saw the psychiatrist four years ago. She barely had time to write anything for the school then. We were fortunate to see her after a few months of waiting. Some people waited a couple of years.
"You have till the end of the summer", says the principal.
"Flow through the challenges Wendy".

Have a great weekend and angels be with you.

Groups, groups and more groups: In the past couple of days I've joined four more yahoo groups. Yipes - when will I actually DO some art? The eye candy is wonderful though. Inspiration galore. And, I was actually invited to be on the altered fashion photos group. I'm pleased.
Here's a tiny piece I just doodled on a bit whilst at today's meeting. I was experimenting with gel pen colours for ATCs of the same background. 1 3/8 inches x 3 1/2 inches.

I would like to pass on this information about "Missing Madeleine" McCann abducted from Praia Da Luz, Portugal on 3rd May 2007. Please check this website http://www.bringmadeleinehome.com/

Bits and pieces: The first is a 4X4 done on acrylic painted watercolour paper, with water. I then printed a "stamped" image of some of my handwriting stretched and an old photo of my cousin with her beautiful long hair standing and looking at her shadow. The "stamped" effect comes quite simply from an image inserted onto word. After formatting the picture I then click on the bar which takes me to a square with four different parts. I click on the one for black and white. Then I may fiddle a bit with the contrast and brightness in the side bar. I used a silver "gelly roll" pen from sakura for edging, did some stitching - french knots and simple stitches. The crown and hearts were added finally with the "gold gelly roll".

I do not want to forget to mention that all was fine with the eye specialist. I'm to return in two years. One day I'll do some long writing and sharing about the monster diabetes. I have been very fortunate but I've really had to work for it.

I received wonderful surprises in the mail today. One was a package with 42 inchies from the swap I was part of - wonderful package to receive. I'll show them to you one day. The other was from my dear wonderful angel friend Suze. Angel tears were flowing. Thanks Suze. Hopefully I'll also have time to show some of the wonderful bits of love she sent to me .

Tonight I'll leave you with this jolly sunshine ATC and wish you joyous days, with many angels coming your way.

Flowers, flowers everywhere: I was working the past couple of day in any spare moments on my get your doodle on ATCs for Christy's swap. Flowers seemed to want to appear on these
little 21/2 x 3 1/2 inch pieces of watercolour paper which had been painted with acrylic paints and water. I love the paper for backgrounds. I used my "gelly rolls" - mainly for the borders and my black fine uniball, which I also love for the doodles.

Altered books: I took a wee bit of time last night to do some painting in the books and some extra pages which had been torn out in the process of preparing the books. I was in a hurry (surprise, surprise) and had the paint too dark with not enough glaze. There was far too much of it also - reason for doing quite a number of extra pages. I wasn't happy with how brown the pages became but knowing it's an altered book I decided to just use some sandpaper today - fun. The information says do what you like. Why not! I doubt that I'll actually take a flame to any of the pages which is actually suggested amongst many possibilities, but sanding was a great plan.
I'm also working on my doodle ATCs for Chrysti's swap. I need to get them done soon so I can get them in the mail to her. I'll show them soon.
A bit more about the process of altered books, especially for Janet who commented on the recent post: Recommendation is to tear out pages to get more workable number.One site recommended taking out every other page. You then glue about 4-10 pages together. I had done some quite a while ago and did not do anything after gluing. One place suggested using paper clips to hold together. Grr - there are marks where the clips were. Oh - maybe I can burn there. No - I think I'll just glue something over top. I just used inexpensive Elmer's glue-all and even mixed water with it.
My biggest obstacle, as usual, is not enough time. Sigh. Next three days are very busy with meetings and appointment with the eye-specialist (because of the 46 years I've lived with diabetes I always get apprehensive - so far, so good). So you'll have to wait even longer to get comments from me. I WILL visit as soon as I can. I promise.

Angels...

Flooding: There has been much flooding in our area over the past few weeks. highways have had water over them. cottages at a Waldsea lake, very close to Humboldt, had much flooding with many cottages totally ruined.

For Mother's day we always go to Paul's Place at Watrous near Manitou Beach. Jason, the owner - chef has always been very kind to us - especially to Cat. In past years he got HER a gift, even though it was Mother's day. Long story - she's charismatic when given the chance - not so much now as a teen but very much so when a child.This year we had to take a detour as there was flooding across the road to Manitou Beach. Fortunately there is a short detour.
We drove to the east side of the Beach to get a closer look.
This building used to be a shrimp factory. Manitou is a salt water Lake as you can tell from the foam on the side of the road.


This cottage on the left is actually on the other side of the road from the lake.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY- cards created for my Mom & Greg's Mom.

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day
Originally uploaded by Windy Angels.

Happy Mother's Day ~ Happy Women's day
Angels be with you