Desk Top

A glimpse of just some of the stuff covering my desk today. Those little blue bird earings have sparked some new creative ideas which I am excited about. More on that soon hopefully!

The first of April arrived in a flash and so this morning I drew a name out of a hat (well, actually a bowl). I'll be sending out a little stash of wall paper samples to Dena of Wilton Art. Yay Dena!

Giveaway for you

This morning the hum of the city rises on still air and intrudes into my little sanctuary amongst the trees. All is green or grey out there. The trees, the hills; mottled verdantly. The city, harbour and sky; monochromatic through the drab light of dawn. I think its going to rain.

A few days ago I was pondering all the exciting creative projects on the horizon ahead of me when all of a sudden a sense of overwhelm engulfed me. Followed swiftly by Artist Block.

As I struggled against a composition that wouldn't arrange itself pleasingly, I realised there was nothing to do but walk away. Just walk away and do something else. Busy myself with other things until my muse returns. I'm learning this is the best way and I'm learning to have faith that inspiration will return.

Happily, my creative spark is back quickly this time, inspired by two fortuitous finds in second-hand shops - some vintage embroidery patterns and some old patterned wall paper. Gold for a mixed media artist.

Id like to share the creative abundance that I have been blessed with, so this is for you... I'm putting together a little pack of wallpaper samples to giveaway to one of this blogs followers. So if you haven't already, click "Follow" over there on the right column and on the first of April I'll draw the name of someone who will receive a little gift in the mail. Spread the word on your blog, let me know you have in the comments below, and I'll throw your name in twice :)

Death

Even in the midst of summer, death is all around. Ive been noticing nature's cycles a lot lately as I work in the garden. The abundance of cicadas are providing a great feast for the birds. I felt sorry for them, those poor defenseless bugs, but then I realised; Id feel sorry for the birds if they couldn't eat. Everything is connected.

I discovered this butterfly a few days ago and carefully carried him home to add to my collection of curiosities.

For those of you who entered my giveaway, thank you! We have a winner and her name is Theresa of Faerie Moon Creations.

One world, one heart, giveaway!

Imagine a room of ladies, piles of cakes and plenty of tea. Sweet little sandwiches on sweet little plates and tea sipped from delicate china cups. I spent the afternoon recently at such a party, when my talented friend Sarah set about baking and making tea for a few lucky friends.

It was so much fun Ive decided that the One World One Heart event would be the perfect time to host another tea party. So, come on in and make yourself at home. Pull up a chair. Have a cup cake, or perhaps you'd prefer a meringue? Tea? Now, have we met before? I'm Veronica. I'm a dreamer, a gardener, a baker, a sewer, a sometimes bicycle rider, but most of all, in my heart, an Artist. Its what makes my heart sing and what I want to spend more time doing. This little blog of mine is a chronicle of my creative adventures with a bit of other stuff thrown in the mix for good measure. Nice to meet you.

Now, some of you may be wondering, what is OWOH? Well, its a blogging event with the purpose of 'meeting' some fellow bloggers, kindred spirits and like minded souls, fellow artists, writers, photographers... the list goes on. Its a great way of finding some new and inspiring blogs to read, there are so many talented folks out there doing there creative thing and OWOH brings them all together. You can read more about it over on Lisa's blog.

So, thank you for your fine company, so glad you came by. Leave a comment letting me know you dropped in and on the 17th of Feb I will draw the name of one lucky visitor who will receive one of my little Art Block Prints as a 'door prize' Since its a tea party, it seems appropriate to offer you one of my teacup prints. Its a wee 4x4 inch print of one of my original mixed media artworks, mounted on a chunky canvas block. Perfect to sit on a shelf or hang on the wall.

Tea and other things

The last several days have been filled with snow and hot springs, a perfect combination for a winter getaway. I've returned home to find the first signs of spring emerging. The garlic has sprouted in the garden, the Daphne is blooming, the sun is hanging around a little later in the afternoon and I'm thinking about planting some peas.

Apart from my plans for the garden, I have lots of other projects afoot.

The Art Show was fantastic and already I have more ideas brewing. I spoke to so many lovely people, many of whom had stories to share about their own heirlooms and mnemonic objects. I particularly liked the story one lady told me about a small community where whenever someone passed away their china tea sets would be split and shared out to friends or family, cup by cup. Then later on, when drinking tea from the cup that once belonged to Aunt Belinda you would remember them. A lovely idea I think. I had so many people asking me about my tea cup series I'm sure I will be making more soon.

For those of you who came to the show and entered my giveaway, the winner of Gathered II is Moana J of Upper Hutt. I hope you find the perfect spot to hang it Moana.