"The Zen of Three..."

...Zendala ATC cards, that is...(Yep! It's another new series!)

“I have just three things to teach: simplicity, patience, compassion.

These three are your greatest treasures.”
~Lao Tzu

"Roll Out the Barrels...!

...Happy Cactus Monday all!

May each of you have a barrel of fun today!

"Never pick a fight with people who buy ink by the barrel."

~William J. Clinton

"Layers and Threads..."

...Woven together by pen...then stamped with calligraphy..

...Cards #3 and #4

of my Chinese floral design ATC set.

“We all should know that diversity

makes for a rich tapestry,

and

we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry

are equal in value

no matter what their color.”
~Maya Angelou

"The Intersection Of..."

...Main Street and Brown...

right outside Bischoff's Shades of the West

in Old Town Scottsdale...

...wild, wonky, and whimsical...just like this drawing!

The area is a

riotous conglomeration of color, tourist attractions, shops, food, art,

music, carriage rides, trinkets, and treasures...

and it is all dressed up

in "old west kitch" with a splash of contemporary savvy

and a hint of old Mexican soul!

Drawn "lead free" while waiting for Scott.

"The traveler sees what he sees,

the tourist sees what he has come to see."
~G. K. Chesterton

"Really Wired..."

...all over my chest with sticky pads...electrodes attached...

...a gown "open to the front"...

waiting for my cardio stress echo to begin...

each resting heartbeat monitored

while

juggling my illustration watercolor journal in my lap,

...lines being drawn all funky and askew

with a pen running out of ink.

The sketch was made "lead free"...drawn in under 10 minutes...

and with no real pressure...right?! :)

It was then

painted at home..."barefoot, braless and blissful"...

with my BP back to normal...

on a gorgeous, but windy, sunny Arizona day

while

watching the NCAA "Sweet Sixteen" Basketball coverage on TV

broadcasted from the Cardinal's Stadium

in Glendale Arizona.

Last, of course,

the image had to be "digitally" flipped here...

just to go along with the theme of my totally high tech digital exam...

and...

"just because" it's fun...(the exam...not so much!)

"The goal of life is to make your heartbeat

match the beat of the universe,

to match your nature with Nature."
~Joseph Campbell

"Mission accomplished...in a heartbeat!"

~Me :)

"Waiting...X 2..."

Two different days...

Two different Doctors...both on time...

Two locations on opposites sides of the valley...

Two weeks apart.

Two sketches...one journal spread...

Spending too much time waiting?

NOPE...

just not getting enough waiting time to sketch! :)

"How much of human life is lost in waiting."
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

"A Bit of LOVE..."

...written in Chinese calligraphy

on a little bitty ATC card...

...The first in the "China Bloom" series...:)

I cannot stop designing these little treasures...

My brain does not turn off...

It is playing full speed and overtime in Fantasyland!

The "plan", as it now stands, is to design several series of cards...

with six cards to a series.

After that...I don't quite know what I will do with them!

(Some may be sent to Zazzle and made into cards or stickers...???)

Several people have offered to trade...

and I see that to be a wonderful summer possibility!

So...Stay tuned, if interested...:)

You can see all of them all here on Flickr...

Or, as a series...with # of cards completed thus far below:

Sunlight Series...3/6 completed

Branching Out Series...6/6 completed

Ancient Floral Design...2/6 completed

Desert Whimsy...2/6 completed

Time Zones...1/6 completed

China Blooms...1/6 completed

Blooming Desert...4/6 completed...1 gifted

"I like nonsense,

it wakes up the brain cells.

Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living,

It's a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope.

Which is what I do,

And that enables you to laugh at life's realities."
~Dr. Seuss

"Resting Buddha..."

...inspired by Serena's statue in Australia

(see the actual photo here)

and reinterpreted here as the Illustration Friday challenge:

"Legendary."

“Look famous.

Be legendary.

Appear Complex. Act easy.

Radiate presence.

Travel light.

Seem a dream. Prove real.”

~Author Unknown

"Happy 50th Birthday Serena...You Go Girl!!..."

~Me :)

"Cactus ATC Fun..."

"Artists

are just children

who refuse to put down their crayons."

~Al Hirschfeld

Have a blissful Cactus Monday...use ALL your colors today!

"New ATCS..."

...inspired by ancient Chinese floral design

and stamped

with a red dragon for a bit of fiery punch.

"The man who fights too long against dragons

becomes a dragon himself."
~Friedrich Nietzsche

"SURPRISE...!!!..."

...hey there, "SISTA"!!!

...an award from the "Queen of Blogging Soul" herself...

Soulbrush in London...
WooHoo!!!...How fun is this???!!!

And then...arriving last Monday via "snail mail"...

...was a delightfully lovely Cactus Monday ATC surprise

( L*O*V*E !!!)

received from Laurel at Studio Lolo.

She individually designed a special little 'Somethin' something"

for each

tried and true Cactus Monday

participant!

Now I ask you...how cool is that!!!???!!!

“The moments of happiness we enjoy take us by surprise.

It is not that we seize them,

but that they seize us.”
~Ashley Montagu

"...Ain't Life Grand !???"

~Me

"At 4:44 Am...AZ Time..."

..."Spring has returned.

The Earth is like a child that knows poems."

~Rainer Maria Rilke

"If you've never been thrilled

to the very edges of your soul by a flower in spring bloom,

maybe your soul

has never been in bloom."

~Audra Foveo

"In springtime,
love is carried on the breeze.
Watch out for flying passion or kisses whizzing by your head."
~Emma Racine deFleur

"Spring Fling #7..."

"Everything has rhythm. Everything dances."
~Maya Angelou

"Spring...An experience in immortality."

~Henry David Thoreau

"Spring Fling #6..."

...Take a breath...and exhale a long glorious "Ahhhh!"

"Spring won't let me stay in this house any longer!

I must get out

and breathe the air deeply again."

~Gustav Mahler

"Spring Fling #5..."

...Spreading creative wings...paint first...then ink! :)

"St. Patrick's Day is an enchanted time -

a day to begin transforming winter's dreams

into summer's magic."

~Adrienne Cook

"Spring Fling #4..."

...and this time...it's "Desert style"...:)

"I stuck my head out the window this morning

and spring kissed me bang in the face. "

~Langston Hughes

Hope your Cactus Monday is filled with kisses! XO

Happy day all! :)

"Spring Fling #3..."

...Branching out...

"If I had my life to live over,
I would start barefoot earlier in the spring
and stay that way later in the fall.
I would go to more dances.
I would ride more merry-go-rounds.
I would pick more daisies."
~Nadine Stair

"Spring Fling #2..."

“There aren't enough days in the weekend.” :)
~Rod Schmidt

"No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn."
~Hal Borland

"Springtime is Blingtime..."

...so how about a whole week...full of...

...Bits of nature...all bejeweled for our fanciful fling...
each and every day...and all night long! :)

"Springtime is the land awakening.
The March winds are the morning yawn."
~Quoted by Lewis Grizzard
in Kathy Sue Loudermilk, I Love You

"What a Treat...!"

Coming all the way from Dubai...to the Valley of the Sun...

...my name "Peg" in Arabic...

along with some very humbling descriptors

written around it which translated read:

"artist, sensitive, humane, beautiful, creative."

This stunningly lovely and generous gift of calligraphic art

was beautifully written by

Fadwa....in Dubai.

Click here to visit her site...it is an inspirational delight!

I love her unique journal pages...and the way she

alters books to write stories.

She also designs gorgeous beaded jewelry...

and you can check that out here. :)

Thanks, again, Fadwa...I am on "cloud nine"!

Blogging is a unique way to share one's little corner of the world.

I think its richness and diversity makes each of us

better citizens of this planet.

I cherish the openness of hearts in our artistic blogging world.

There is a lot of beauty to see, and inspiration to find,

and fabulous people to meet

in this world...

and the best thing about it is that they are all simply

one little mouse click away!

"Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything beautiful,

for beauty is God's handwriting."
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Petaled Patterns..."

...drawn especially

for my sister-in-law Sue and my niece Kelly

who visited today here yesterday

and "tickled my heart"

with their enjoyment of my little Maruman sketchbook

as we sat in the warm sun

with Doug, Dan, Cole and Scott

experiencing a glorious Arizona spring day.

Love you!

"When angels visit us,

we do not hear the rustle of wings,

nor feel the feathery touch of the breast of a dove;

but we know their presence

by the love they create in our hearts."

~Author Unknown

"Peaceful Thoughts..."

sought a refuge...in his spirit to land...while...

"The night walked down the sky with the

moon

in her hand."
~Frederic Lawrence Knowles

"I've Got The Fever..."

...Spring Fever, that is...

The Sonoran Desert

...is alive and well...and SOON to burst into bloom!
I love this time of year!!!!

And...to top things off...drum roll please...

it's time for the long awaited...

Desert Botanical Garden's

Spring Plant Sale!!!

March 20-21st

Simply click HERE for the info...

and then

scroll to the very bottom of the page

and

click on the plant availability list...it will blow your mind!!!

Wouldn't it be a hoot for all of us to meet here for this...

sketchbooks in hand...

charge cards in pockets...not a care in the world...

Simply

sketching, shopping, and smiling the whole day long...

Ahhh! What a Cactus Monday concept!

Wishes...

wishes...wishes!

:)

Have a

delightfully fabulous

"Spring is in the Air"..."Burst into Bloom"

Cactus Monday all!

"It's spring fever....

You don't quite know what it is you DO want,

but it just fairly makes your heart ache,

you want it so!"
~Mark Twain

"Magical Drugs..."

Saturday...March 7th, 2009...marked the 2nd week

of dealing with over the counter

remedies for

my miserable "head-cold-throat-ear-sinus-thingy."

It also marked

the day I "went in" for the SERIOUS drugs!

Our local Walgreens has a "Take Care Clinic"

staffed 7 days a week

by nurse practitioners who are most efficient and very professional!

Plus...get this...it was the weekend...and...NO LINES!!!

(I can't even imagine

how long it would have taken to get an appointment

with my doctor!!!)

I got checked over and prescribed an antibiotic

and I went home happy as a lamb.

I sat outside in the brilliant Arizona sun

with my sketchbook and started drawing away.

I feel like a new woman!

I think that the warm penetrating sun,

(to me a natural drug in itself)

the fresh lemon blossom scented air,

my new Rx,

and a few artsy "Ahhh..." moments enjoying the day

were just the 4 magical drugs I needed

to turn this mess around.

Fingers

and toes crossed!

Now...speaking of "magical drugs"...

and

if you are in the mood for a bit of a irreverent medical "spoof"...

click here

for a hysterical You Tube clip

regarding a new "FDA" approved drug for "cheeriness"...

only two minutes...its worth the time...:)

"You shouldn't be sick

a moment longer than it takes

to get well."

~from the Walgreens Take Care Clinic booklet

"Yet Another..."

... ATC set...my newest...entitled: "Time Zones"

The first of a series 0f 6 cards...

Reminder:
Here in the United States..."Daylight Savings Time" begins
at 2:00 AM Sunday morning...March 8, 2009
Turn your clock ahead one hour
everywhere...
Except here in Arizona...leave your clock alone!
Go figure! :)

“I want to shake off the dust of this one-horse town.
I want to explore the world.
I want to watch TV in a different time zone.
I want to visit strange, exotic malls...
I want to live, Marge!
Won't you let me live?”
~Homer Simpson

"Baubles-n-Baskets..."

"Faith is putting all your eggs in God's basket,

then counting your blessings

before they hatch."
~Ramona C. Carroll

"Striking Gold..."

...My newest paint order from Daniel Smith

arrived yesterday!!!

I chose some really fun

amazing colors...some are very granulating ...

some are very iridescent!

Here are some color tests...

This first one is scanned...

This one was photographed...Paper too large for the scanner...

(What!? Pre measure my paper???

Now that's a novel idea! )

LOL :)

This one is the digital flip of the one above it.

Even though

most people prefer the colors of my original pieces best...

I still decided to flip one view

to more deeply portray the layering and glazing of color

that happened here....

(Click on the images to enlarge for the best effect.)

The iridescent colors

float magically...like sheer veils...over the base colors.

They shimmer and sparkle and glisten

and take on a life of their own.

Interesting

how it's the little things make

us smile!

I really struck it "color rich" for sure.

"Some people weave burlap into the fabric of our lives,

and some weave gold thread.

Both contribute to make the whole picture

beautiful and unique."

~Author Unknown

"Deep Purple..."

...Dreams...

...all throughout the stillness of the desert Night.

For:

Lillian Mae Krahenbuhl

June 14, 1920...February 26, 2007

We love you and miss you each and every day.

"Soon as the evening shades prevail,

The moon takes up the wondrous tale,

And nightly to the listening earth

Repeats the story of her birth.

~Joseph Addison