Laughing all the way

 

Okay, so today I am laughing :)

I am laughing because @ April Fools I didn't even need a silly joke to put this a smile on my face :)

I am laughing because I AM going to finish the painting I was talking about in my last post and I CAN because I dealt with the feelings that were hindering me to do so :)

I am laughing because the lady from a Gallery closeby called to say I sold 2 paintings last week :)

I am, laughing because I just had 4 of my girlfriends from Christchurch for a visit, they stayed 2 nights and we had SUCH a great time :) 

I am laughing because I just found this wicked wooden stand on the local market and got the deal of the day ! It's gonna go in my studio shop :)

I am laughing because I painted some cool paintings at my studio this week :)

I am laughing because I am laughing because I feel GOOD !

♥

(btw: up at the top, that flower-power kinda girl, that is me, a while ago, a long time ago actually, will have to double check with Dad to see when exactly, but it looks the way I feel today :)

♥

Nixie ♥ Mail

Today I got a lovely surprise in the mailbox :)

  

Nolwenn's Nixie print arrived in a gorgeous envelope FULL of stamps :) ....I couldn't wait to open it...it said "Awesome Joyce " - how awesome is that ? and once I opened it ... "Amelia" said "hello!"

but wait ... there was more ... there was an extra surprise too ! I could already smell the marvelous scent of beeswax....Oh, how I love that smell. Wanna know what ? She included an original ! Thank you thank you Nolwenn (Merci beaucoup), this is a real treat, very very generous ♥ So ... anybody that has not read why I received this generous gift, read here or here about this and do check out Nolwenn's Nixies !!!! They are very special little girls ♥

Nixies for Nolwenn ♥

Do you get this sometimes ? You read something somewhere and it just takes a little life of it's own. It started with a post I read by Nolwenn Petitbois, a fellow artist from Vancouver-Canada. She was stuck making up a suitable name for the girls she paints and she asked for help. Now I like to play with words and names and thought Nolwenn's Nixies sounded kinda cool, so I suggested this to her...... and she picked my name !!! Then as a prize for my winning suggestion I got to choose a print of one of her girls. Well, choosing from her collection of whimsical Nixies for me was as difficult as choosing a name  had been for her... I ended up choosing "Amelia" the daydreamer for reasons of....well.....I also do dream quite a bit, hehe. Check out her site here and visit the Innervoices world of Nolwenn yourself.

 Oh, and here is Amelia...she'll be on her way to me soon, I can't wait to meet her :) Anyway with my brushes not wanting to do what's in my head for the last couple of days, maybe I am better with words and names and should start writing that book.....

Manon Popjes - A Give away

I met Manon quite a while ago now, lately she had been a bit monochromatic, but she obviously has found colour again and she has even put on a Giveaway on her blog ! I love these little girls she has made, if you like them too, jump over to her blog and join in as well :-) And check out the rest of her blog, she is an amazing artist ♥

Tea Party for a Friend

Last night a couple of my friends and I organised a Mad Hatters Tea Party for a dear friend of ours.
I did this card to go with the Fairy cakes I made and the Tea mug I got her
~*~

Happy New Year !

To all my Blog followers and other visitors
I wish you all a Happy Happy New Year !
Here in Kiwi Land we're already 2.5 hours into the New Year,
I just got back from a BBQ+party at friends
and we had a great night together...
A wonderful start to a promising year ahead.

I'll go and have a sleep now, but thought I'll share with you my New Years Wishes and some pics of Sparklers, just because I really like the little stars that jump off these sticks and Oliebollen (they're the doughnut type yummie balls us Dutchies like to have on New Years Eve)

Fur Babies !

Two of my friends just got FUR BABIES !!

They each have an 11 week old Miniature Schnauzer (they are sisters...the doggies, not the friends...) and tonight we had an impromptu Puppy Shower for them.

It was so much FUN ! We had shortbread biscuits in the shape of doggie bones and other yummie stuff too and of course the two little ones were there as well, receiving their presents.I got them a bag of puppie bones to chew on and some beef jerky treats and I made them a card. Just simple pencil drawings - monochromatic with a little pink on creamy cardstock

Red Work

An in-between-project...

A Birthday present:

It's a recycled journal I bought and I made a journalcover of pieced fabrics

with a little portrait on cotton on top.

It's for a friend who had her Birthday when I was away

and she likes patchwork, stitching and quilting.

Gift for a friend

A Spiral notebook with recycled paper

for a Friend

she likes craft, dogs, cats, houses and is a dear friend

I hope she likes this too.

Best of Times

Printed cotton on Pine

12x16 inch (30x 40 cm) approx.

with Coloured pencils, Pan Pastels, Acrylics, inks, stamps etc.

Spoiled again

I feel blessed, I really have some very special friends.
Eventhough their "thing" is not really Art, but more Craft like patchwork and quilting, they have made such a grand effort choosing my gifts for my Birthday !
They must have spent hours wondering through the Art supply store and gifted me some beautiful Soft Pastels, crayons, palet knives and a Pan Pastel !!!
All this beautifully packed in a box with chocolate hearts
("you have to have hearts on a Valentines Birthday")
and....there even was a voucher !
for me to choose something off my Art wish list.
So today I went and bought some more Pan Pastel colours and some markers.
Again I feel so spoiled ! but I feel wonderful !

Amigurumi sidetrack

A dear friend of mine gave birth to a baby girl (a fellow Aquarius chicky yeah!) She really likes the Amigurumi animals, but does not know how to crochet. So I thought I'll give it a try.

I have crocheted before, but never made an Amigurumi before. I made this Giraffe, what do you think ? Like all things handmade and precious, it takes quite a bit of time.I used Merino babywool, very nice and soft, but maybe I should use cotton next time. I'll do some more Amigurumi's for sure and with my thing for froggies, I would love to do a Frog Prince of course, just for myself to keep...one day, I've got paintings to finish first too.