i love your blog, dahling...and self-portrait

i would like to say a huge THANK YOU to darla who has honoured me with this very sweet blog award. I LOVE IT!!! if you get a chance, please pop on over to artistic accents by darla to see some of her gorgeous artwork.

the rules are quite simple: just post the award on your blog and share it with others. this is the hardest part of all for me because there are many blogs that i love to visit so know that you are all deserving of this award.

for today, i will highlight three of you
maria - what can i say? maria does the most amazing abstract art and i am mesmerised by her work.

then there is, tabitha, who is such a beautiful and caring person. i always feel uplifted when i visit her blog.

and michelle, my daughter, who started blogging in march and creates beautiful designs in mixed media and makes adorable, raggedy style dolls.

check out their blogs if you have time as they are well worth a look-see

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52 WEEKS OF ME

i'm on a roll with my catch up on self-portraits. i took this one today of me working on a mantra card in the studio
have a great weekend, everyone!

love, light and peace

Awards and Tag catch up

6TH PHOTO IN 6TH FOLDER


mary tagged me to post the 6th photo in the 6th folder of my photo files so here 'tis -

what a surprise! it's cody, my dog ~ :)


genie has honoured me with an 'i love your blog' award. thank you, genie!


bohemian mom has also honoured me with a 'triple award'. thank you, boho!

i'm supposed to pass these on and, as i always say, you are all deserving of these awards so please feel free to take one for your own blog. also, if you would like to play in the 6th photo/6th folder tag, please do so and post your link in the comments here so i can check out your pic.

i know i've not been good at following the rules when it comes to passing tags and awards onto specific numbers of people. i find it easier to leave it as an 'open for all' option for three reasons. one, i just find it way too difficult to pick and choose between my bloggy friends because i see them all as deserving. two, a lot of my bloggy friends have already received the awards. three, more and more bloggers are declaring their blogs as 'tag free zones' which is their choice and totally okay. this is something i have considered doing myself at times, not because i don't like to participate and play along....i love, LOVE, LOVE that part....but because of the reasons mentioned.

love, light and peace

my 2nd Blog Birthday!....and an award!

it's hard to believe that, two years ago today, i started this blog! i am ever grateful to the many amazing and wonderful people I have met on this journey. my life has been so enriched in countless ways....blogging has helped my confidence, it has helped me broaden my horizons and i have learned so much from other bloggers. the blogosphere truly is a world unto itself and i hope to continue enjoying it's riches.

it just so happened that beau baked a chocolate slice today so i seized the opportunity to whack on a couple of candles and celebrate my blog's 2nd birthday. WHOO HOO!!!

another award i received recently was the butterfly award which the very talented margaret bestowed upon me.

check out margaret's blog to see some of her amazing zen drawings. i am honoured that she chose me as one of the recipients for this award. i am supposed to nominate ten other bloggers and give a reason why i think they are deserving of this award also. this is where i become unstuck because i think you are all amazing and it would be way too hard for me to pick and choose among you...so...once again, i'm breaking the rules. consider yourself chosen for this award! if you choose to participate, link back to my blog and feel free to pass the award on to ten other bloggers. ENJOY!

tag/award catch up

since the beginning of november, i have received quite a few tags and awards from different bloggers but, due to being so busy in november, i held off doing them until now.....so.....

serena pia tagged me to list 6 secrets/things about myself.....

sabrina (i think i have the name right) tagged me to list 7 things about myself.....

carin tagged me to list 8 random facts about myself.....

genie tagged me with the kreative blogger award where i need to list 6 things about myself.....

tammy also tagged me with the kreative blogger award where i need to list 6 things about myself.....

i figure if i list 8 things (the highest amount requested by an individual blogger) about myself that it will have me covered on all counts so, here goes -

1/ i've always been a very giving person even as far back as grade one. i took quite a few toys to school one day and gave them away to my friends. my parents didn't know about it until another parent came around (we didn't have home phones back then) to tell them. the parent wondered if it was okay because the toy i'd given her daughter was fairly expensive. my dad then drove me around to all my friends' houses to collect the toys. i had just wanted to be nice but i do remember being embarrassed at having to ask for the toys back. i don't think my friends liked me too much for a while either.

2/ my love for animals was apparent back in grade one too because i still vividly remember one day where i was mortified and crying because one of the boys in the playground had found a grasshopper that he was threatening to kill. i managed to tell the playground teacher between my fits of uncontrollable sobs and she told the boy to release it.....much to my relief. i still can picture the incident clearly in my mind.

3/ one of my favourite sandwiches is peanut butter and sliced fresh tomatoes with lots of salt and pepper. i even have this on toast for breakfast some mornings. don't knock it til you try it.

4/ through the course of my life, i have been engaged to four different men and married two of them...separate times, of course......and i still haven't found mr right! i've given up ~

5/ i love spicy hot food with extra chillies in it. i put heaps of cayenne pepper on my spaghetti bolognaise, fried rice, vegetable soup etc. LOVE the stuff!

6/ i started a pescetarian diet in 2003. in case you're wondering, a pescetarian is someone who does not eat red/white meat or poultry, but will eat seafood with a regular vegetarian diet. i continued with this diet until....

7/ i changed to a full vegan diet on january 14th, 2008. the thought of eating any form of animal product now makes me feel physically ill. that said, to each, their own...i do not condemn people who eat meat or animal products. in fact, i still cook meat meals for my kids as i don't believe in forcing my dietary beliefs on others. my kids do eat vegan meals also so i feel that's a fair compromise.

8/ i've always felt like i was a hippie at heart. i love nature, peace, kombi vans, long-flowy skirts, wrap-around skirts and head bands (see pic) etc. the headband was made for me by one of my brother's friends who had a huge crush on me.

this goes back nearly 30 years

and just because i'm on roll -

9/ in the eighties, for a very brief period of time....my sister and i had what we now refer to as a 'helmet' perm. all i can say is.....WHAT were we thinking???!!! it was all the trend though and we thought we were pretty darned cool....LOL don't ya love my little german shepherd puppy? his name was 'kai' and so cute! notice how i'm trying to change the subject...hehehe

(added dec. 15th) - my friend, maria, has posted a pic of her helmet perm on her blog. we could be sisters! are there any more of you willing to come forward???

and lastly,

10/ i do have a mean streak in me....when my kids were young, we were looking through old family pics and they came across this one -

.....and they were kinda freaked out by it, immediately wanting to know who the ugly people were. i couldn't pass up the opportunity to have a 'play/tease' with the kids so i said they were friends of mine who i hadn't seen in ages and, on seeing the photo, thought it might be nice to invite them over for dinner one night. they all resounded a unanimous NO!!!...then started begging me NOT to invite those ugly people over. in fact, the people in the pic were my brother and his then-girlfriend (later became his wife) dressed up for a new year's eve party. i remember those masks freaked out quite a lot of young kids that particular night so they couldn't keep the masks on for too long at all. thankfully, my own kids were just babies at the time.

i'm supposed to tag the same amount of people as random facts so, if you are reading this and would like to participate, consider yourself 'tagged'. there is absolutely no expectations for anyone to participate but, if you do, all you need to do is link back to this post and also post links to the bloggers you are passing the tag/award onto.

thanks to everyone who nominated me!

i'll continue the other tag/awards over to tomorrow.....see ya then ~

i love your art blog award

the original award creator

WHOO HOO! julie and margaret both nominated me for another award...thank so much!

there are so many blogs that i love to visit and/or read via my bloglines reader (LOVE bloglines!) and i can't possibly list all 243 of them. so, i will just say that, if you have an art blog and it is listed in my side bar....this award is for you also!

feel free to collect your award and pass it on.

spread the blog love, people ~

two more blog awards and my new nokia E51

....makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

thank you, linda for the 'your blog is divine' award.

and, thank you, janet for the 'e for excellent' award.

i am going to follow janet's lead by saying that i too find it difficult to pick and choose between all my wonderful blog friends so.......i bestow this award upon all of you! that's right, if you are reading this, have a blog, and would like an award, please feel free to take one or both. i think you are all deserving ~

i spent a couple of hair-raising hours last night setting up my new nokia E51 mobile phone. mine is the 'copper rose' colour. i was due to renew my contract with my service provider and the new contract (for one year) came with a free mobile phone upgrade......how could i resist?! i've had the previous phone for two years now so this new beast took a little getting used to. at first, i hated it but, after only one day, i'm lovin' it! it has a lot of great features but i was disappointed to find that it had no games installed so, today i downloaded the game bejeweled for the mobile. I LOVE bejeweled! i play the computer version a lot. i also love the computer game - moraff's morejong. do you have a favourite computer or mobile phone game you just can't resist?

blogging friends forever - award card

BFF gold card - BFF stands for 'blogging friends forever' - i feel stoked and honoured to have this award card bestowed upon me by nic. nic is not only a wonderful mixed media artist but also a creativity coach. i'm always inspired when i visit her blog. thanks so much, nic!

here are the rules -
1. 5 people are allowed to receive this award.
2. four dedicated followers of your blog.
3. one is to be new to your blog and live in another part of the world.
4. please link back to whoever gave you the award.

as with all the awards i post here, PLEASE know that participation is entirely optional. i would hate for anyone to feel pressured in any way. i have met so many wonderful blog friends since joining the blogosphere and they all mean so much to me but, unfortunately, i am limited to listing just four regular readers and one new reader to my blog.

they are:
maria - a wonderful artist who specialises in abstract and mixed media

jessica - another wonderful artist who i feel privileged to know.

julie - i like to think of julie as 'the succulent queen' as she shares her love of succulents and cacti with the world.

becky - who does such cute illustrations for children's books. a very talented lady.

luci - visiting luci's blog never fails to bring a smile to my face. i love her stories and illustrations.

janet - who inspires me so much as she shares her creativity and growth as an artist.

kate - an amazing photographer. i am always touched in a positive way after visiting her blog.

ro - doll maker extraordinaire! i have known ro for several years and i am grateful to call her my friend. now, ro, I know you stipulated that you won't participate in these blog thingies and you are not expected to but....i just wouldn't feel right if i didn't list you as one of my 'blog friends forever'.

okay people, i know! i can't count......shoot me now! i just couldn't pick and choose between friends, so there! i was tempted to list more but i knew i had to draw the line somewhere.

the new reader to my blog and who i was delighted to find via another bloggy friend (thanks,ro) is linda. i was totally hooked after my first visit to linda's blog.....it's full of variety with great posts and OH, her amazing sculptures and mixed media! a lovely lady all round and i hope linda will always remain a BBF.

Blog Award

I feel so lucky to be chosen by two other bloggers for this award. Thank you, Margaret from Waterblossoms and Julie from A Succulent Life.

Here are the rules -

1. Display logo and link to who gave it.
2. Nominate at least 7 blogs.
3. Add links to those 7 blogs
4. Leave the nominees a message that they received the award

My seven 'Brilliant' blog/bloggers are -

Luci
Maria
Romona
Kate
Jessica
Rhonda
Becky

NOTE - Participation is entirely optional so please don't feel obligated.

I Love You This Much Award

Thanks Joan for this wonderful award!

These are just some of the blogs I love visiting on a regular basis.

Anita - Rhonda - Boyd - Felicity - Joan - Kathleen - Kathy - Luci - Maria - Romona - Jessica - Kate
1. If you get tagged (and want to play along), write a post with links to blogs that you love. Obviously, if you've already been tagged by someone, you won't need to repeat the process.

2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme.

I've received a Blog award!

This award has been bestowed upon me by Kathy. If you haven't already checked out her blog, please do because it showcases some of her amazing photography and her macro shots are to die for. Thanks for the award, Kathy!

I pass this award on to Ro over at Northbrook Designs. Ro and I 'met' some years ago via mutual painting groups we belong/ed to and, in recent years, I discovered just how mult-talented Ro is when she turned her attention to making dolls too. Visit her blog to see some of her work ~

Added December 5th - Following is an excerpt from the creator of the "Be The Blog" award.

"Earlier this year I was tagged with the blogging tip meme in which the tip I offered was “Be the Blog“. That phrase stuck with me because I think that really sums up what a successful blogger does. And what I mean by successful is that they make it their own, stay with it, are interactive with their readers, and just plain have fun."

I've been tagged for being NICE!!!

I have been tagged with a 'Nice Matters' award from my friend Romona King of Northbrook Designs. Thanks, Ro! :) I am to nominate five people who qualify for being nice. Well that's the easy part because I know a lot of nice people. My main problem will be finding ones who have blogs and/or ones who haven't already been tagged.

My nominees are:

Debra Jean of For the Love of Art. This lady has an infectious, bubbly, caring and fun personality and anyone around her can't help but smile and feel better about their day. She is also a fabulous artist who is involved in a Memory Box program. This program supplies keepsake boxes, painted by artists worldwide, to hospitals where they are then gifted to parents who have suffered the loss of a baby. A very noble cause and, sadly, a much needed one.

Chezza of From the River's Edge. Chezza is another lovely lady with a great sense of humour and is also a wonderful artist.

Sandy of Sandy's Art Space. Not only is Sandy a wonderful person....she is also our art group's computer guru and ever helpful when someone finds themselves in computer mayhem.

Stapeliad of Stapeliad. Weird....I just realised that I don't know her 'real' name. lol I met Stapeliad online via our Blogs and we also frequent WetCanvas, a worldwide, online Artist's Community. In the time I have known Stapeliad, I have found her to be a very caring, genuinely nice person and a wonderful mother. We share a lot of common interests and she is a very talented artist.

Bradley of Brad's World of Music. I may be a little biased here because Bradley is my son but he is genuinely deserving of the 'Nice Matters' award. Bradley is truly an inspiration to me. He has been legally blind and hearing impaired since birth and this has not held him back from his two main loves in life, computers and music. He touches the hearts of all who meet him because he has such a polite, caring and friendly nature. I couldn't be more proud of him if I tried.

Okay, Debra Jean, Chezza, Sandy, Stapeliad and Bradley, you need to copy the banner above and nominate your 5 friends now.....thanks for being such NICE people ~

NOTE - Please don't feel obligated to carry on the 'tag'. It's just a fun thing and I would hate for anyone to feel pressured by it.