Animal Wednesday / Bliss

I painted this one to cheer Lolo up.

But all it took was Bliss to feel better.

We are all happy that Bliss is recovering.

I am getting ready for my flight tomorrow.

Heading for the big Apple.........

I have been busy these last few days and haven't visited you all yet.

Sometimes my life is all about catching up, or at least trying........

Happy Animal Wednesday!

Cactus Monday / Bud

Happy Cactus Monday!

Cactus Monday

~Spines~

Visit Teri for more spines and other cactus fun!

Happy Cactus Monday!

Cactus Monday! Home again.....

This ATC I made when I was stand-by in Rotterdam ......

I love these colors................

Happy to be home again......

Happy Cactus Monday!

Lolo's Page

This is the page for Lolo's Artysoulsisters book, which has travel as a theme.

I started where Soul left off with her beautiful Egyptian page.

I made the page in Cairo, where I started with the pyramides, one of the 7 world wonders.

There are the 7 wonders of the ancient world and the 7 new world wonders.

Of course there are so many other wonders of the world to be seen as well.

I have been fortunate to have seen a few of them:

The pyramides which I did by camel a few years ago (I love riding a camel, a bit touristic I must admit....)

Petra , really one of the most impressive things I have seen in my life! (I have been there twice and I am determined to show it to my children one day)

The Great Wall of China, wow!

I cycled the Golden Gate Bridge, loved it!

Saw the Colosseum and the Christ Remeeder in Rio.

In this page there are a few things I have seen such as Mount Fiji, the Eifel Tower, the statue of Liberty and the big Buddha.

A thing I will never see: the lighthouse of Alexandria, where I have been but the lighthouse is not there anymore.........

A few things I wish to see in the future such as the Taj Mahal , Easter Island (couldn't help the joke there....) and a real Inutshuk.

And a dream to visit Lolo Emma and Bliss some day................(Sjimmie is with them right now that lucky b......)

Who knows, maybe this year, I have seen so many wonders why not this one?

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone!!!!

Gelukkig Kerstfeest!

Cactus Monday (#62) Watermelons

This is an ATC I made inspired by a picture from Shanghai,

I loved that watermelon container! And this ATC I made a while ago. An interpretation of a painting by Frida Kahlo. I am also painting this one on the Wednesday art group. It is such a happy painting and I love that phrase: Viva La Vida! Happy Cactus Monday!

Shanghai Orchid

Back from Shanghai .

With a lot of delays but in one piece.

Glad to be back home.

I couldn't visit you back there. Somehow all the blogs were unaccessable.

Hope you will have a nice Sunday!

Suki's pages

The first page for Suki's book is a sandcastle.

Notice the heart inside.

Home is where the heart is.

The second page is inspired by a poem by Twilight Whispers.

I wrote the words on the back

I connected the two pages by making the horizon longer.

So they formed one image in the end.

When I started I planned something very complicated. I wanted to make a collage. Use the stamp I got from Linda and her beautiful papers etc. I wanted so much and it ended so simple.........I just started and it turned out this way.

I was pleased with the outcome. I hope you will too Suki.

and here is the poem:

Finding My Home

Finding where my loyalties lie Finding where the bluebirds fly Finding the path that leads back in time Is finding my home Finding where my young years are Finding memories from afar Finding where my mind has gone Is finding my home Finding where the rainbows end Finding where the oceans blend Finding a quiet and calming place Is finding my home Twilight Whispers

And the winner is..........

The original watercolor mandala Drum roll please Felix picked the winner .

And the winner is........

Mim!

I'll send you the original mandala.

Hope you will enjoy it.

We picked another 5 who will get a printed notecard.

(Also available in my Etsy Shop)

they are

Lynn

Beaudor

Emily

Caroline

and

Suki

Thanks everyone for participating and for the comments you leave on my blog.

You are the ones who make blogging fun!

Not a winner? There will be more give aways in the future!

Animal Wednesday #30 Dragonfly Mandala

Dragonfly Mandala (7,75 x 11,50")

I made this mandala for Eveline. I will visit her tomorrow.

She lives in Groningen, which is for me the other side of Holland.

I live in the south, she in the North.

I will travel by train, which will take 4 hours, same as by car.

Since it is my holiday I look forward travveling by train, because I am a bit fed up with driving a car........ I will take something to read with me and will buy a first class ticket. Wow, I love that idea!

I will spend the night there and will return Friday.

I don't think Eveline visits my blog so I can post the mandala without ruining the surprise.

This is one of the first mandala's I have painted.

40 x 40 cm in acrylic.

I started painting mandala's in 2001 after Eveline gave me a mandala for my 40th birthday.

I can say this gift has changed my life.

This started my mandala madness.

In Eveline's birthmandala I have used Dragonflies.

This is one of the first mandalas I have ever made.I am not pleased with my early work anymore. I am pleased with the evolution of my work though............

For me it has been an incredible journey.

Tomorrow I will give Eveline this watercolor dragonly mandala.

Can you see the little dragonly in the middle?

(click to enlarge to see details. That's what I did when I made the post and discovered 2 stones were missing, lucky me still in time to replace them......)

Dragonflies are reminders that we are light and can reflect the light in powerful ways if we choose to do so. "Let there be light" is the divine prompting to use the creative imagination as a force within your life. They help you to see through your illusions and allow your own light to shine in a new vision.

Have a dragonfly day!

Happy Animal Wednesday!

3 years blogging!!!!

3 Years ago I started with my first post.

How time flies when you are having fun!

Talking about flying.........

This watercolor mandala 4,75 x 4,75" can be yours , if you just leave a comment.

I will draw a winner later this week.

So maybe the dove comes flying your way.......

I want to thank everyone for visiting my blog regularly or sometimes.

Your visits and comments are always highly appreciated!

Without you all blogging would just be boring.

Thanks for making this a 2 way adventure and fun!

Aceo's

Pink & White Flower Mandala ACEO I have added some original watercolor mandalas in my Etsy shop. Have a nice weekend!

Cactus Monday (#42)

Saguaro Cactus Blossom Happy Cactus Monday!

Universe

Universe ATC made with my new Dr. Ph Martin's watercolors. I bought them in SF at Blick, or shall I say Walhalla, my gosh what a store! The colors are so vibrant I think. I did the last 3 ATC's with them (apple blossom, bee on buttercup and cactus). Universe ATC gemaakt met mijn nieuwe Dr. Ph Martin's waterverf, gekocht bij Blick in San Francisco. Wat een zaak! Een waar Walhalla. De kleuren zijn zo helder vind ik. Ik heb de laatste 3 ATC's ermee gedaan (apple blossom, bee on buttercup en cactus).

Cactus Monday (#33)

Had no idea what to post for Cactus Monday..... Last week I bought a cactus at the garden centre. A small one, the same which I had as a child. Kind of sentimental journey. It had 5 buds ready to bloom, but now 4 dried up....... What´s this?! I can´t even keep a cactus alive! Looking for something to paint I googled for an image and found this page! In dutch, but you will enjoy the pictures, they are gorgeous. Happy Cactus Monday! Geen idee wat ik moest bloggen vandaag...... Ik had vorige week een cactus bij het tuincentrum gekocht. Een kleine , dezelfde die ik ooit had als een kind, sentimental journey. Hij had 5 knoppen klaar om te bloeien, maar 4 zijn er al totaal opgedroogd........Wat is dit nu?! Kan ik niet eens een cactus in leven houden! Op zoek naar iets om te schilderen kwam ik deze pagina tegen. Met prachtige cactus foto's. Happy Cactus Monday!

Spring?

Still no sign of Spring........ It´s blowing and cold........ The daffodils are here and I found spawn in the pond. Where is the rest? Nog geen teken van lente....... Het waait en het is koud......... De narcissen zijn er wel en ik heb kikkerdril in de vijver gevonden. Waar blijft de rest?

Green Leaves Blue Hearts

Have to work today. Will collect Miriam and Frans in Aruba. See you all later! Ga werken vandaag. Ga Miriam en Frans halen in Aruba. Tot later!

Tehran

This mandala (9 1/2 x 12 1/2") I made in Tehran. It was snowing! I didn´t feel like going out so I created this mandala and made some ATC cards. (How many should I have before I can throw myself in the trading arena?) Had a good time with the crew there, but I´m glad to be back home again. Had a tough flight back with a lady who simulated a stomach bleeding, a friendly Iranian doctor spend 3 hours of his precious time on her. Once on the ground and when the ambulance employees showed up she was miraculously recovered and she turned around her story. What people do to get a seat in the business class........ I felt so betrayed. I had to sleep in my car on my way home. I have just slept on the couch and I feel a bit better. Tomorrow I will be as new again. The Cactus Monday post was a remote one, I programmed it in blogger and it worked! It showed up on Monday! But I couldn´t visit my fellow cactuteers to wish them all a Happy Cactus Monday, as I had no internet in Tehran, but I will soon. I will have a lot of catching up to do..... I will resume my color ATC posts later this week. Read all your lovely comments and took a peek at your blogs, will be back tomorrow to scroll through everything I missed. Missed you all! Deze mandala (24 x 32 cm)heb ik in Teheran gemaakt. Het sneeuwde daar en ik had weinig zin om naar buiten te gaan dus ik heb lekker geschilderd en ATC´s gemaakt. (Hoeveel moet ik er eigenlijk hebben voordat ik me in het ruil strijdperk kan gooien?) We hadden een leuke crew en dat maakt het verblijf daar een stuk aangenamer. Maar ik ben blij dat ik weer thuis ben. Het was een zware terug vlucht met een vrouw die een maagbloeding simuleerde, een aardige Iraanse dokter is er uren mee zoet geweest en ik ook. Uiteindelijk werd ze op Schiphol door ambulance personeel verwelkomd en toen waren de klachten als sneeuw voor de zon verdwenen en verdraaide ze haar hele verhaal. Wat sommige mensen wel niet doen voor aandacht en een stoel in de Business Class.......Ik voelde me echt in de maling genomen.Niet alleen aan boord had ik er mijn handen aan vol , maar eenmaal op Schiphol had ik ook nog een administratieve rompslomp waardoor ik pas een uur later in de auto zat en in allerlei files terecht kwam. Ik heb zelfs op een parkeerplaats geslapen, want ik trok het niet in één keer naar huis. Vanmiddag geslapen en morgen hoop ik weer helemaal fit te zijn. De cactus maandag post had ik in blogger geprogrammeerd en het is gelukt! Alleen kon ik maandag niet jullie blogs bezoeken om jullie posts te zien en jullie Happy Cactus Monday te wensen, maar dat doe ik gauw. Ik moet weer een hoop inhalen. Ik zal mijn nummer ATC´s van de week hervatten. Heb al jullie lieve reacties gelezen en alvast even gekeken op jullie blogs, maar morgen doe ik het op mijn gemak. Heb het bloggen en jullie gemist!

ATC peacock mandala

After Christmas yesterday I took an easy day today. This mandala I did today, and I experimented with the material and speed. I must admit I like this loose way of working. Soon I will start a birthmandala, which will be acrylic on canvas again. I look forward to start a big one but these ATC cards are fun. They are like neat little projects. Na de kerst gisteren heb ik vandaag een rustige dag gehouden. Deze mandala heb ik net gemaakt. Een beetje geexperimenteerd met materiaal en snelheid. Ik moet toegeven dat deze losse manier van werken ook wel iets heeft. Binnenkort begin ik weer aan een geboortemandala, acryl op canvas. Ik heb er weer zin in om aan een grote te werken, maar deze ATC´s zijn leuk. Het zijn net kleine overzichtelijke projectjes.