"Seriously, Cereus..."

...night blooming in all their glory

these 8+ inch diameter blossoms decorate our

front garden...

blooming on slender cactus arms they stretch 9 feet

into the star studded velvety desert sky.

The next day they vanish...

living on only in digital format patiently awaiting

an artistic transformation

into some watercolored brush strokes

by my ever present Muse.

Ahhh!

"The Thought Process..."

...as scribbled

in my Artful Musings journal/sketchbook.

Click on images to enlarge...:)

"An artist

is a sketchbook with a person attached."

~Irwin Greenberg

"Currents of Starlight..."

..."Sargasso Sea"...
..."Polynesian Reef"...
...and lastly, "Oceania Pacifica"...:)
A new series of
cards made and traded during Artapalooza
at Illustrated ATCs last week.

“On matters of style, swim with the current,

on matters of principle,

stand like a rock.”
~Thomas Jefferson

"Neighborhood Bling..."

...a few Joshua Trees in full bloom!

Mother Nature

surely knows how to decorate the 'hood

in right fine style!!

Happy Blooming Tuesday!

"Bloomin' Beauty..."

Gentle giants

with lush white flower bouquets in hand

stand tall and proud and gallant....

steadfastly guarding their wild desert kingdoms

with a rugged type of kindness

providing perches

and safe havens for those in need.

Sentinels of the sand

they remind us that even in the most austere

moments of life

we can find beauty blossoming.

Happy Cactus Monday!

Click on any image to enlarge...:)

Happy Mother's Day...Mom! ♥

...with love from

Susan, Dave, Joya and Jillian...

Mark, Katie,

Christopher, Courtney and Corey...

Jack, Sharon,

Vanessa, Lauren, Steve and Myles...

and

Peg and Scott!
We love you!

♥
"A mother is a person
who seeing there are only four pieces of pie
for five people,
promptly announces

she never did care for pie. "
~Tenneva Jordan

(Thanks JGL for quote...:)

"From the Vault..."

...My favorite silver cactus charm bracelet makes

an encore this Cactus Monday.

“In two decades

I've lost a total of 789 pounds.

I should be hanging from a charm bracelet.”

~Erma Bombeck

Happy May Day!

May your May baskets be filled with all the things

that make your spirit bloom!

"The world's favorite season is the spring.

All things seem possible in May."

~Edwin Way Teale

"A Royal Iris..."

...to celebrate a Royal Wedding...Cheers!

Can't wait to see her dress!

“There is only one royal road for the spiritual journey...

Love.”
~Sri Sathya Sai Baba

"Burning the Midnight Oil..."

...and gearing up for the first ever week long Artapalooza

at Illustrated ATCs...starting Friday...

then...add the royal wedding

to the mix

(with coverage beginning at 1 am here on the west coast)

and I don't think my Muse will

sleep for one second!

Woo Hoo!!!...So very exciting!

"Get excited and enthusiastic about you own dream.

This excitement is like a forest fire -

you can smell it,

taste it,

and see it from a mile away.”
~Denis Waitley

"Happy Easter..."

...from my Muse...to yours...♥

"El Arbol De La Vida...Dos"

...my second "tree of life"...

drawn lead free...ink straight in...Mexican folk art style...

is presented today, Good Friday,

in honor of this blessed Easter season.

♥

"It is the hour to rend thy chains...

The blossom time of souls."

~Katherine Lee Bates

"A Dainty Bluet Damselfly..."

...painted in watercolor

as a custom artist trading card...

takes flight today from the cactus filled deserts of

Arizona...

across high mountains,

deep canyons, lush valleys, mighty rivers,

vast prairies and wide open seas

en route to

Monika in Lithuania. :)

Ahhh...what exotic sights there are to behold!

“There are no foreign lands.

It is the traveler only who is foreign.”

~Robert Louis Stevenson

"Happy Cactus Monday!..."

“Joy in looking...and comprehending...
is nature's most beautiful
gift.”
~Albert Einstein

"Aztec Circle of Life Mask..."

...made for the second card in a custom 2:2 ATC trade

with Elina in Finland.

This mask depicts the Aztec view

of the three phases of life...

Youth and learning is in the center...

next,
Old age and wisdom is split to either side...

and the final outer split shell is

Death

and the life beyond.

"Man is least himself

when he talks in his own person.

Give him a mask,

and he will tell you the truth."
~Oscar Wilde

"An Oily Wordless Wednesday..."

"Triple the Fun..."

Take an old artist trading card...

add a new tangle (mooka) as a border top and bottom...

and post for Blooming Tuesday.

Voila!

Fun, Fun, Fun!

(BTW...check out the link to "mooka" above...

I think you will really like it!)

"Moly_X_11...Sandra's Book..."

First, Sandra's sign in pages...connecting to... ...Sandra's pages 1 and 2...connecting to... Sandra's pages 3 and 4...connecting to... ...Jella's pages 5 and 6...connecting to... ...Jella's pages 7 and 8...connecting to... ...Lisa's pages 9 and 10...connecting to... ...Lisa's pages 11 and 12...connecting to... ...Lisa's pages 13 and 14...connecting to...

...My page 15...connecting to...

...My pages 16 and 17...connecting to...

...My pages 18 and 19A...

to which Cindy will connect her art in the next round.

Whew!

Click on any of the images to enlarge. ♥

“A hidden connection is stronger than an obvious one.” ~Heraclitus of Ephesus

(Greek philosopher 540-480BC)

"'Tis Time To Float..."

...in a soft sea of powdery cherry blossom petals...:)

Happy Blooming Tuesday all!