My heart is broken

Saturday when I came home I took a glass of wine and did a blog round.

I was shocked to find out my dear friend Emmitt was no longer among us.

Can you imagine I was really crying my eyes out and couldn't stop.

I have been following Emmitt's adventures since I started blogging.

He was such a cute sweet pug, who could even sing and he loved food.

Here on earth he lived in heaven as I think Melissa and Fred were the best dog parents he could wish for. He had a long and very happy life.

Oh Emmitt I will miss you, you have brightened up my day so many times.

I hope they make delicious meatloaf in dog heaven too dear ♥

Art Project Theo Thijssen School

 Thursday the Art Exhibition was held.

Unfortunately I was out of the country, but Felix and my DH went to see it and they took pictures

 The article in the newspaper.

 Felix posing at the artworks of his class. 

 Too bad some of the pictures were a little bit blurry........but this is the painting he made in the workshop of  Goos Verwoest

 Portrait à la Andy Warhol. 

 Campbell's soup à la Felix

  He also made a mosaic.

 He made the yellow witch.

 Felix à la Keith Haring

 The mandalas in the classroom

I was there................a little bit.

Animal Wednesday / Sjimmie in disguise........

Sjimmie , the chicken murderer probably killed another bird. Just when I was about to confront him he thought of this trick!

Sjimmie: "No Mom, it wasn't me it was Emily R!!!!!!!"

Note from me: Sorry Emily, but you know Sjimmie just doesn't have any scruples.

Happy Animal Wednesday! 

Roel

Last day at home, although I was at Schiphol for my exam today.

Have been busy with the school project and studying this last week so I haven't been around much.

Tomorrow I will go to Tokyo and will be reunited with Frida who has been waiting in my suitcase at the airport for 3 months! Poor girl. Just like me she will be happy to see something besides the town of Zierikzee.

Zierikzee is wonderful,but in the winter it is just like any other town......... b..........

Well off to Tokyo where it is still winter as well, so ..................

Next week I will be back and hope to catch up with all of you!

I pre posted something for tomorrow.

See you soon

♥♥♥

>M<

Please click on the link of Zierikzee and move your mouse across the screen :)

Animal Wednesday / Frogs

One of the 7 designs I made for the school project.

It was fun and the kids enjoyed it. I was surprised by their results.

I will show you in a post later because I am still waiting for some pictures others took.

The theme was "What comes out of an egg"?

Well frogs do.

All the egg mandala's have a kind of spring feeling.

Soon we will be surrounded by new life. 

In my garden no frogs are there to be seen yet.

I know when I see them that spring has arrived.

I can't wait........

Happy Animal Wednesday!

Happy Valentine's Day / Cactus Monday

Happy Valentine's Day and Happy Cactus Monday!

Tomorrow is the school project and I am ready. 

I have designed 8 mandalas and made coloring pages of them. Tomorrow I will see which design is most popular.Will show you pictures and results later.

I haven't been blogging a lot because of all the preparations. After tomorrow I hope to have more time again. But life seems to be busy no matter what ;)

I have to make 3 mandalas for 3 new citizens of the world. Next week I will have an exam for work and will start flying again. Well what's new..... 

But I am happy to feel healthy and that I  have picked up all my activities again. 

Hope  you enjoyed this special day. I did. I got cards from my dear friends. 

My son Lars invited his girlfriend for a home cooked meal so my DH , Felix and I were forced to eat out :)

I feel blessed and I hope you feel the same way.

 I know these special days aren't the same for everyone but I hope that in some way you all feel loved and blessed. 

If you read this know that you are special to me ♥. 

Happy Valentine's Day and Happy Cactus Monday!

Animal Wednesday / Koekie and Minoes

 I have been very busy (and still am) with an art project for Felix'school next week.

I have designed 7 mandalas with the theme what comes out of  an egg?

Here is one of the 7 designs. From each mandala I made a coloring page. The kids can choose one of these designs, which they will have to color with watercolor pencils.

A week later they will have an exhibition at school.

All groups will have their own artist doing a project with them.

Unfortunately I will be in Japan but my husband will take pictures.

Yesterday I was working on this mandala and normally Minoes occupies a bed on my desk. But while she was away Koekie wanted some attention and I put her on the desk.

So when Minoes returned they had to share the bed. poor Minoes......

For me it is very cramped to work like that, but I enjoy my animals as long they don't walk over my work or keyboard........

 This picture was taken while I was taking a nap.

Here it is the other way around Koekie was there first and Minoes just wriggled her bum in..... Poor Koekie!

Waiting for food!!!!!

We have built in flash lights in our eyes.

Where is Sjimmie?????????

Hunting for food for the ladies?

No  just checking the heating....... too cold to be out hunting 

Happy Animal Wednesday!

Finished

Here the mandala is finished.

I painted 3 yellow lotus flowers. The flowers are open which symbolizes enlightenment. (a closed blossom signifies the potential for enlightenment.)

Here I also added the silver lining round the 9 lotus petals ,2 purple lines around the purple star. They have just a touch of sparkle (click to enlarge) and a silver line around the gold triangle, these are just some finishing touches.

Thank you so much for all your positive comments along the way.

Some of you asked some questions. Here are a few answers:

Lori asked where I did learn this . I learned the principal of a booklet I bought from the lady who made my birth mandala. And the rest I learned along the way. It is like with a lot of other things in life that practice makes perfect. Every time I learn new things in my technique of painting and things which are handy .

For example in the beginning I always sketched my subject with a pencil and those lines were sometimes hard to erase or left dirty marks. Now I sketch with watercolor pencils in the color I will use. This way the lines will resolve when I paint over them. Just a little trick.

And yes Lori I think you should give it a try!

Lori also asked if this was done with watercolor. No these are painted on canvas with acrylics.

And when I know a mandala is finished. When I have painted the whole date of birth and the life path number.

Julie asked if I had any idea why she loved the Monarchs. Could it be because they are orange? Wild guess Julie;)

Patty asked if the animals I picked fit the person I am painting for. Most of the time I pick them intuitively and yes, most of the time they fit. Sometimes I know they will but sometimes I paint for people I don't know. And I have heard the most amazing facts afterward.

Like Marja who told me butterflies were very important to her. I swear I didn't know that before she told me a few magical stories when she received her mandala with butterflies.

Marja told in one of her comments when we came back from Hong Kong last year a Monarch butterfly came out of her suitcase. Could it just be her mother has been traveling with us?

Sometimes you have to believe in magic :). A mandala is a little bit of magic.

Have a magical mandala day!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Step 10

All the numbers of Roel's date of birth added together gives his life path number 3.

The color that belongs to this number is 3 so I painted a golden triangle and the beginning of 3.......

His life path number added with the number of his birth month (the 9th sign of the zodiac) gives his course number 3 (12= 1 + 2 = 3) that's why I painted the background yellow (ochre).

The triangle balances all energy. The triangle stands for different kinds of trinities, such as:

Spirit Mind Body

Father Son Holy Ghost

Mother Father Child

Past Present Future

Thought Feeling Emotion

Love Truth wisdom

Power Intellect Love

Want to know what life path number 3 stands for or your own life path number? Click here.

Have a balanced day ;)

♥♥♥

Step 9

The background is painted in yellow ochre.

Again a lot of layers before I reach the result I have in mind. Just like the purple circle the white is transitioning to yellow.

Maybe it looks finished but it is not........

Have a sunny Sunday!

♥♥♥

Step 8

Born in 1977. So for the 2nd 7, a star around the purple star. Or is the star behind it?

Enjoy your weekend

♥♥♥

Step 7

Roel is born in the year 197.....

So for the 7 I painted a purple star.

A seven pointed star is a mystical occult symbol, also called the Astrologer's Star.

,

Thanks for all your positive comments on this mandala shown in steps.

I have seen some questions in the comments . I will try to answer all of them in my last step.

As always I enjoy reading your thoughts and reactions.

Have a nice weekend♥

More about the color purple and number 7 you can read here

Step 6

Now you can see that the Millennium ring is finished. Would you believe that to make these beads look like beads I have painted them at least 15 to 20 times. It is a Buddhist rosary. The japa mala is traditionally used in Tibetan Buddhism and in Hinduism. Prayer beads are used to count mantras. When using the japa mala, your fingers pass over one prayer bead for each time you recite the mantra. This chain of beads symbolizes the endless repetition of life. The color of this chain is red , the color that belongs to the number 1.

Then the circle of 9 lotus petals in rainbow colors. I always use rainbow colors for number 9.

Have a rainbow day!

Step 5 / Animal Wednesday

Tada........butterflies.

In every mandala I paint an animal.

Here the Monarch , a very special butterfly.

The butterfly is a symbol of transformation, because of its impressive process of metamorphosis.

Besides the beautiful symbolism of the butterfly (read more here) this Monarch is special in many other ways.

The Monarch is famous for its southward migration and nothward return in summer in the Americas which spans the life of three to four generations of the butterfly.

While painting this butterfly it seems this creature crossed my path a few times.

At the same moment Lo (from studio Lolo) was created her Raven Maven art tag nr 1 and showed it on her blog and Etsy. I showed her the butterflies I was making at the same time.

In the waiting room of the doctor I found a National Geographic with on the cover............the migrating Monarchs! I read the article.

Every time I make a mandala I do a lot of research on the animal I am painting and I am always in awe of that animal and of the fact that all creatures big or small have their purpose and meaning here on this earth.

♥Happy Animal Wednesday♥

Step 4

Not so much difference , but here the purple is the way I want it. The colors change from light to dark, which brings dept and light in the mandala.