"The Last (Cactus) Hurrah..."

...at least for the month of November...

(...gone already!)

drawn here with a few of her remaining autumnal friends.

Geesch!

Just where did the month go!!!???

Happy Cactus Monday All! :)

"Every day has been so short,

every hour so fleeting,

every minute so filled with the life I love

that time for me

has fled on too swift a wing."
~Aga Khan III

"Crosses to Bear..."

Illustration Friday Theme: "Entangled"

“If you live on the level of the Body

and the Individual,

you will get entangled in food, fun and frolic,

ease, envy and pride.

Forget it, ignore it, overcome it --

You will have peace, joy and calm.

In the Divine Path,

there is no chance of failure;

it is the Path of Love.”
~Sri Sathya Sai Baba

(Indian spitirual leader...B. 1925-)

"A Purple Mauve Sunset...

painted the skies over Scottsdale, Arizona.

on Thanksgiving Day...

so very much to be thankful for.

See more beautiful skies around the world here.

"Wordless Wednesday...(#20)..."

"An Autumnal Bloom..."

...to celebrate
gratitude and friendship
during
this lovely Thanksgiving week of November.
Every day really DOES matter!

Happy Blooming Tuesday!

“Celebrate the happiness that friends are always giving,
make every day a holiday
and
celebrate just living!”
~Amanda Bradley

"Back In The Saddle..."

...Again...:)

Well...at least I'm back in

My "little red Hand.Book sketchbook"...again...

(Yee Haw!)
...but I'm still flipping things around...
just for the fun of it!
These journal pages were made using the
hand carved cactus stamps
Shayna
gifted me...
plus a few bold splashes of watercolor...:)
Happy Cactus Monday All...
Put your own personal stamp (or brand) on this day!
:)

"I'm back in the saddle again
Out where a friend is a friend
Where the longhorn cattle feed
On the lowly gypsum weed
Back in the saddle again..."
~Gene Autry

A Silvery...

...sliver of a desert moon appeared in the rosy glow

of a beautifully draped sunset

this evening...

and

my heart simply fluttered with delight.

Magical!

"When I admire the wonder of a sunset

or the beauty of the moon,

my soul expands in worship of the Creator."
~Mahatma Gandhi

"Thankful Thursday...(#18)..."

If "Luck Be a Lady"...
then I am one REALLY lucky lady...:)

Arriving from Malaysia and the artful hands of Caroline

was this intriguing package

complete with lovely exotic stamps

and beautifully wrapped...

And...inside was a gift I won in a drawing
held by Caroline for the opening of her Etsy shop...
...this gorgeous floral journal!
I plan to draw only exotic beautiful things in her!
I love it Caroline...Thanks so very much!

Then...from Laurel in Rhode Island
came this delightful Cactus Snowman Mirage ATC card!
There was even a special winter card made by Laurel
nestled in the envelope, too!
Laurel your imagination knows no boundaries!!
Thank you sooo much for this little surprise!

The card above then arrived from Sandra in Oregon...
we have traded several times now...
and plan to continue to do so...:)
It is made on special mulberry paper and
is really stunning.
Sandra has more zentangle art to see here...:)

I made this private 3:3 trade with Amy in Illinois...
I "met" her
at the Illustrated ATCs trading site...and
we decided to exchange Ancient Egyptian cards.
Amy's colored pencil work is flawless...
Be sure to click on the images to better admire the details...
Amy even sent a fourth card as an extra little
"something something"...:) Lucky Me!!
Mmmm! I am fascinated by these cards!
I think she would have been a master crafts person
in King Tutankhamen's court
for sure! :)
My last little treasure of the week
fluttered into my mailbox all the way from Virginia

and the deft paintbrush of Rebekah.

Rebekah is a member of Illustrated ATCs as well.

This was her first trade on this site.

I absolutely love the color palette she used here.

It is even more dazzling in real life...

as are they all.

Thank you each and every one
for this magnificent treasure trove
of delicious eye candy.
Many artistic muses gifted me royally this week. :)

"Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity."
~Seneca, Roman Dramatist

"Wordless Wednesday...(#19)..."

"A Floral Motif..."

...inspired by a Persian embroidered satin panel

and

dressed in a November color palette.

Happy Blooming Tuesday! :)

"The Batik Effect..."

...an "experiment" using

a fine masking applicator and a wet color filled wash

on 140# CP watercolor paper.

Happy Cactus Monday!

Why not experiment with something artistic today!

"All life is an experiment.

The more experiments you make the better."
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Thankful Thursday...(#18)..."

...Yet another week full of beautiful things landing at my door!

The six cards above were received several weeks ago

as part of the "Clean out your Closet" Swap

I participated in at Illustrated ATCs.

The artists are:

Top row...L-R: Sally from Texas, Joyce from Canada, and PB.

Bottom Row...L-R: Le Ann from New York, rkolig from Canada,

and Jen from Maine.

It constantly amazes me at the variety of art

which can be so beautifully showcased

on these tiny little cards!

(Click on any image to enlarge to see detail...)

Then a surprise package arrived from Shayna in Alabama.

We have traded several times now...

but this time

not only did Shayna send me the beautiful blue beaded card

shown above in the center...

but also she sent two of her hand carved cactus stamps!

What fun...

I can hardly wait to use them...

...Stay tuned...! :)

This last little gem is from Sally in Texas...

We made a private 1:1 trade through the iATC website.

You might have noticed that Sally

also sent the cherry blossom card shown in the 1st photo...

What a small world! :)

These cranes were inspired by the Illustration Friday

prompt "Skinny"

and also a very touching origami crane installation project

which Sally is spearheading

at her school district

in response to tragedy which occured at a neighboring high school.

Check out this unique project HERE.

It is amazing!

Thanks everyone for popping in for peeks today.

Art certainly makes one's day...

doesn't it!??? :)

"An (Almost) Wordless (Veteran's Day) Wednesday...(#18)..."

Dad...United States Navy...WW II Aviator...Pacific Theater

(Psst...click image to enlarge...)

(Psst...Dad is 2nd from left...)


(Dad with one of the planes he flew in WW II...)

Dad...Thanks for your service to our country...

We Love you!

(Psst...click HERE for more photos...)

"A Persian..."

...Flower design

from the second half of the 18th Century, England...

jazzed up a bit with my Pitt Pen

and

backlit by a golden metallic watercolor and salt wash

making it simply glow.

Happy Blooming Tuesday!

“We have come into this exquisite world

to experience

ever and ever more deeply

our divine courage, freedom and light!”
~Hafiz of Persia (Poet, 1320-1389)

"aaahOOOW...ow, ow...O-OOOW..."

Happy Cactus Monday!

“There are nights when the wolves are silent

and only the moon howls.”
~George Carlin

"Sometimes..."

...the thoughts and patterns

which bounce and rebound haphazardly about in my brain

during the wee hours of the morning

crystallize...

and magically transform themselves

into a solid piece of art.

Other times...

they blur...one into the other...

disconnected and overlapping...almost zentangled-like

in a wild attempt to become

something...anything.

Illustration Friday: "Blur"

"Sometimes in our confusion,

we see not the world as it is,

but the world though eyes blurred by the mind."

~Author Unknown

"Thankful Thursday...(#17)..."

The week began with this colorful trade from Sandra in Oregon.

I "met" Sandra in two places...first at Illustrated ATCs...

and then, again, on Flickr...where

Sandra posts journal pages filled with fabulous zentangled art...

so beautiful and well designed.

Pop in and check them out here if you have a few minutes.

(Don't forget to click on any image to enlarge to better see details.)

These pieces came from Ruth in New Zealand...

I love her use of vibrant color

and striking patterns.

The mushroom bookmark was a little surprise

tucked in her envelope just for fun...

And great fun it was!

Thanks Ruth! :) Hope we can trade again really soon!

Then, from Malaysia...and the multi-talented hands of Caroline,

came this bountiful bundle...
I have posted the ATCs she sent separately above
so you can better view details.
Check out that postal mark!!! Isn't that the coolest thing???
I absolutely love it...:)
The cherries look so real don't they...
That is what is so much fun about receiving original art...
getting lost in all the luscious details
and colors and patterns!
The last little card is a butterfly made with Japanese paper...
As GOR...GE...OUS...in person as you might well expect!
Then, this little package arrived from Shayna in Alabama...
Shayna MAKES her own stamps!!!
She is amazing and has a great eye for design...
Here is a close-up of her ATC...it reminds me a lot of
Australian aboriginal design patterning...
She painted this using a masking fluid to give the look
of a batik fabric...Simply lovely and light!!
My final piece arrived late yesterday from Cheryl in Utah.
I love the look of this..very art deco, don't you agree?
Cheryl has made over 900 cards and is celebrating on her flickr page...
Pop in for a visit and enter her giveaway for fun!

Since this past week for me could be better entitled as
"Migraine-O-Rama"
these little treasures arrived at the best time ever!
Thank goodness that drawing and art has proved
to be a somewhat effective remedy...
I always feel better when I immerse myself in it.
Thanks for popping in to visit today!
:)

"Wordless Wednesday...(#17)..."

(Click on image to enlarge...)

"Captured..."

...and preserved in my mind's eye-

for those days when I...or my blogging friends up north...

might have to go without.

:)

Why not capture some fleeting fall memories today, too!

“No shade, no shine,

no butterflies, no bees,

No fruits, no flowers, no leaves,

no birds, NOVEMBER!”
~Thomas Hood

"Continuing The Theme...

...of yesterday's El Dia De Los Muertos celebration

and part of my sugar skull collection...

(click here in case you missed it)

and to celebrate All Soul's Day...which is actually today

I present these two sugar skull drawings decorated

in my own zentangled southwest

"Cactus Monday" style.

Have a super soul-filling day!

“You don't have a soul. You are a Soul. You have a body.”
~C.S. Lewis

"November Celebrations Begin..."

...The Day Of The Dead...

...(El Día de los Muertos or All Souls' Day)

is a holiday celebrated in Mexico

and by Latin Americans living in the United States and Canada.

The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends

to pray for and remember friends

and family members

who have died.

The celebration occurs on November 1st and 2nd in connection

with the Catholic holiday of All Saints' Day

which occurs on November 1st

and All Souls' Day which occurs on November 2nd.

Traditions include building private altars honoring the deceased,

using sugar skulls, marigolds,

and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed,

and visiting graves with these as gifts.

Scholars trace the origins of the modern holiday

to indigenous observances dating back thousands of years,

and to an Aztec festival

dedicated to a goddess called Mictecacihuatl.

Similar holidays are celebrated in many parts of the world;

for example,

it's a public holiday (Dia de Finados) in Brazil,

where many Brazilians celebrate

by visiting cemeteries and churches.

In Spain, there are festivals and parades,

and at the end of the day,

people gather at cemeteries

and pray for their loved ones who have died.

Similar observances

occur elsewhere in Europe and in the Philippines,

and similarly-themed celebrations appear

in many Asian and African cultures."

Source: Wikipedia

“Live life so completely

that when death comes to you like a thief in the night,

there will be nothing left for him to steal.”

~Author Unknown