"No Tricks...Only Treats..."

...especially of the ATC variety. :)

(Click on photo to enlarge for detail...)

There is a major Art-athon taking place this weekend

over at Illustrated ATCs.

These are several of the pumpkin themed cards

I made yesterday...

with more to add to the collection today.

I will post the cards I receive

at a later date.

Right now I am pretty much "pumpkined out"!

Happy, Happy Halloween

to those of you who celebrate it...

and a special Happy Pumpkin Festival weekend

to my good friends back in Sycamore.

Have the time of your life...

♥

Miss you!

"I would rather sit on a pumpkin...

and have it all to myself...

than be crowded on a velvet cushion."

~Henry David Thoreau

"Skywatch Friday..."

A solitary wing...

found soaring over my head

in the western skies

near the White Tank Mountains in Arizona.

See other Skywatch Friday photos here.

“Don't wait for someone
to take you under their wing.
Find a good wing and climb up underneath it.”
~Frank C. Bucaro

"Forever Stampin' Love..."

...in case you haven't seen these yet...

they are the new "Forever" stamp just issued days ago

and now currently

available at your local U.S. Postal office.

Whee... I love new stamps!!!

:)

"A Soulful Mirror..."

"The eye

sees a thing more clearly in dreams

than the imagination awake."
~Leonardo da Vinci

"Black and Orange Blossoms..."

...a Pumpkin Squash mandala...
...and a funky Halloween bloom...
both
decked out in their seasonal costumes
all ready for treats...no tricks...:)!
Happy Halloween week Blooming Tuesday All! :)

"A Pumpkinized Cactus..."

...perfect for kicking off Halloween Week...:)

♥

Have a Happy Cactus Monday All!

" 'Tis Day One..."

...for me

of yet another sensationally fabulous

"trip around the sun."

YAY! ♥ :)

"Because time itself is like a spiral,

something special happens

on your birthday each year:

The same energy

that God invested in you at birth

is present once again."

~Menachem Mendel Schneerson

"Lisa's Labor of Love..."

...landed smack dab in my heart

late this summer.

After making a long distance postal trip

from Indiana to Arizona

this special gift was then forwarded

to Illinois where I was in August and September.

What a complete surprise!

You can only begin to imagine

the wonderful joy this little handmade treasure

brought...

the best part of which was a thank you call to Lisa.

What a special moment it was indeed

to be able hear her voice

and

to connect with her person to person.

We have all intertwined

our lives deeply...both personally and artistically

through this magical world of

blogging...

but it is until we actually meet...

either in person or over the phone that

some magic happens...on a most special level.

I treasure this beautiful journal

and

the thoughtfulness which brought it to my heart.

Every page I turn...every stroke I pen...

every memory I create in it

will be tied back to the skillful hands and

most generous and loving heart

of our dear Lisa.

So much to be thankful for...:)

♥

"...a good friend is a connection to life-

a tie to the past,

a road to the future,

the key to sanity in a totally insane world.”
~Lois Wyse

"How About..."

...another autumnal heart?

This one is

draped in rich brown suede...(cowgirl style)

and is

all blinged out with a pair of

"flirty-girly"

copper colored cactus flowers.

She rises,

full of energy and curiosity,

in the rosy dawn of another beautiful

Arizona desert morning...:)

Hmmm...

What will this day bring???

♥

Have a "Happy Blooming Tuesday" all! :)

“Slow buds the pink dawn

like a rose

from out night's gray and cloudy sheath;

softly and still it grows and grows,

petal by petal, leaf by leaf.”
~Susan Coolidge

"Canyonland Autumn..."

Here's hoping that the temps this next week will

become a bit more fall-like and cool

here in the desert!

Happy Cactus Monday All! :)

And

in a personal note to JGL:

The Arizona canyons are calling your name!!! :)

“Should you shield the canyons

from the windstorms you would never see

the true beauty of their

carvings.”
~Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

"Heart of the Canyon..."

♥

I post this card

in the wee hours of the morning today

as a tribute to honor

the brave Chilean miners

being successfully rescued this very hour.

What a miracle.

These next anxiety filled hours and days

will be a test of all that is

good in mankind.

I send wishes of happiness and joy and peace

from here

in the desert valley of Arizona

to Camp Hope...high in the Chilean desert...

to the loyal and loving families of the trapped miners

and along with it

my deepest appreciation

to the problem solvers...their heroic rescuers.

“Hope is the dream of a soul awake.”
~French Proverb

"A Seeded Autumnal Heart..."

...It seems to me

that most people in the northern hemisphere

really enjoy Autumn.

Personally...

it is my most favorite season

of them all.

So...

in celebration of this glorious time of year

I have put a "heart into my art"

and designed several

seasonal pieces with which to

share my love.

♥

Enjoy them all.

I just had to digitally flip this one for old time's sake...:)

Happy Bloomin' Tuesday!

♥
"This very moment is a seed

from which

the flowers of tomorrow's happiness grow."
~Margaret Lindsey

"Amazing Artisits...Amazing Trades..."

...From Myrthe in the Netherlands...

a beautiful and demure Oriental woman

in a traditional hat...

...A "Menopause Goddess"...

complete with hot flashes

created just for me...from Ang in Canada...
...a hauntingly beautiful
"Protector of Deer" from Lindsay in the U.K....

...From Sabrina in Canada...

a sassy gal who loves her exquisite jewelry...

... An absolutely gorgeous alluring mermaid

and

a wide-eyed sweet jester

from Connie in Michigan...

...A spectacular botanical collage...

complete with multiple complex layers

and topped off with a crackle finish

from Kati in California...

...Fabulous bead work and intricate stitching

and quilting

from Denise in Utah...

...a really fun and funky tattooed chick from

Bob in Texas...

Two spectacular eyes...simply magical to look at...

from Monika in Lithuania...

A joyous tree of light from Robin in Wisconsin...

...A sweet little man in the moon

from Ardith in Alabama...

... A lavishly graphic and intricate floral design

from Erika in Canada...

A energy filled spirit flower and elegant Nautilus shell

from Kathy in Nevada...

..A precious and powerful earth guardian

from Cathy in Vermont...

...A surprise zentangle

potpourri of goodies from Sandra in Oregon...... A sweet tiny tidal pool origami piece

from Carey in California...

...A solitary crow...

made with a hand carved stamp...

from Randi in Tennessee...

...Two teency tiny lovebirds

nested in a bed of intricately designed golden leaves

from Alina in Canada...

... A powerful and soulful Spirit Seeker

from Kathy in Nevada...

...and lastly

a trio of delicate and expressive tree limbs

with beautiful patterned backgrounds

from Nicole in Ohio.

♥

I have been truly blessed to have not only crossed

paths with each of these talented artists...

but to also have in my collection

pieces of their beautiful work.

I know this has been quite a lengthy post...

but I hope you have enjoyed

at least peeking into the creative talents

of some wonderful souls.

Possibly, when time allows,

you might come back and click on their names and

travel to their personal galleries

for even more

delightful eye candy!

No tricks...just treats... I promise you!

"Such Is Life..."

...sometimes we run as hot as a pistol...

seemingly unstoppable.

Then, out of the blue,

we suddenly screech to an abrupt halt

turning as cold as ice.

Sometimes we see things

perfectly crystal clear as black and white...

other times

they are hazy, foggy, and muddled gray.

I am currently

artistically suffering from a major dose of

procrastination...

trying to catch up "bloggywise"

with unfinished Illinois travel journal pages,

posting results of massive ATC swaps,

and

keeping up with Moleskine exchange intensities.

All in all it is a classic case of

"over-doing-it-ness".

I am ever eager to draw and lavishly paint...

I feel really great about that...

but

just like this drawing in my zen journal

curving its way across the page from thick to thin

I think I am doing the same.

I am running thin

on blogging energy these days...

but yet

moving ever forward to those "thick times"

when my blogging pages will be filled

once again

with artistic goodies.

As they say..."Such is Life..."

Well...enough said...

it's back to the old drawing board...

with

sincere promises to hit the old keyboard

again soon! :)

Many thanks...as always

for your visit!