"Another Series Introduction..."

...my "Au Natural Desert Series" ATC cards...

#1..."Chain Fruit Cholla" and...#2..."Prickly Pear"...

shown for the first time here

for your Cactus Monday viewing pleasure.

Both cards are painted with lots of luscious metallic colors

on paper handmade from crushed sugar cane fibers.

Open for trade if anyone is interested...with more to come

next Cactus Monday!

Enjoy! :)

Have a Happy...Cactus Loving...Monday All!

"Great things

are not done by impulse,

but by a series of small things brought together."
~Vincent van Gogh

"A Fantasy Flower..."

...Painted while feeling a bit frisky and playful a long while back.

She was then scanned, flipped using digital editor

and posted

for the first time today...

...all while waiting

for the energetic version of my artistic Muse to at long last reappear!

Have you seen her???

"Often the Muse will not respond to direct and logical requests.

She must be lured in with the playful and gentle."

~Jill Badonsky

"Another 'All Coiled Up'..."

...Coiled Basket Mandala #2 of 3...but this time all in dark browns...

(The first of the coiled series can be seen here.)

7" x 7" Bristol Board...Pitt Pen

"Our humanity rests

upon a series of learned behaviors,

woven together into patterns

that are infinitely fragile and never directly inherited."
~Margaret Mead

"Art Au Natural..."

...2 new ATC cards from my "Au Natural " Series...

These are painted with watercolors

on paper handmade from crushed sugar cane fibers!

Sweet...and Oh! So "green"! :)

The one above has been gifted...

This one is open for trade...(plus 4 others which I will show next Tuesday!

The crayon drawing above is from Joya...
made Sunday at dinner just for this "Blooming Tuesday" post...

...And this one is made by Jillian...also on Sunday for HBT!
Quite a pair of blooming 7 year old artists
don't you agree?
And...
You KNOW it tickles me to no end that they love to draw! :)
May you find something wonderful blooming
to tickle your fancy today too!

Happy Blooming Tuesday!

"One of the most tragic things I know about human nature
is that all of us tend to put off living.
We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden
over the horizon-
instead of enjoying the roses blooming outside our windows today."
~Dale Carnegie

"Stumbling Upon..."

...some golden Barrel Cactus fruit...

(click on images to enlarge)

found on the grounds of the Westward Look Resort

(...advertised as the "Soul of the Southwest"...)

where we stayed

during our delightful getaway in Tucson

a couple of weeks ago.

The brown tops are actually the dried cactus flowers

of the plant.

These pots of gold popped right out at us...not difficult to spot at all!

Don't these little fruity gems remind you

of tiny pineapples?

Now, according to Wikipedia:

"The flowers are pollinated by cactus bees.

Mule deer, birds, and javelina eat the fruit.

The birds especially like the seeds.

The people of the Sonoran desert use the fruit for candy and jelly.

The Seri eat the flowers and the O'odham use the fruit,

which is sour, as emergency food.

Tradition says that the barrel cactus

is a source of water for people lost without water in the desert.

There are records

of the southwestern Native Americans using it for that purpose,

but the water contains oxalic acid

and is likely

to cause diarrhea if ingested on an empty stomach."

(Ewww...okay...

Waaaay too much information...)

Here's hoping that you

"stumble upon" something wonderful this Cactus Monday ! :)

"Don't miss all the beautiful colors of the rainbow

looking for that pot of gold."

~Author unknown

"Partying in the Desert..."

Today

is my brother Jack's birthday!

(His wife, Sharon, celebrates her birthday later this week.)

The birthday card

Scott and I are giving them is shown above...front and back.

We found it in Tubac, Arizona on our recent trip.

I had no intention of embellishing it...

but my hand and colored pencils felt differently!

Our family...

Mom, Dad, Susan, David, Joya, Jillian

Sharon, Jack, Scott and I

are meeting for dinner at Grayhawk Golf Club tonight

to celebrate.

(Click on the link above to check out the place...it beautiful!)

This is the first adventure "out " for me

after "getting stoned" last week!

Can't wait! LOL :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JACK AND SHARON!!!

A May Day Bouquet...

...of well wishes...

snail mail...

and delightful little bits of recognition.

I am so deeply touched by your kind words and sweet wishes

and am

so very thankful that you enjoy...what I love to do!

Today...My heart simply swells with smiles!

First of all...a cactus ATC!!!...from Lolo...
It arrived "Snail Mail" style today...this was a fave of mine!
LOVE it!
(...also, see the beautiful award Lolo designed further down on this page.)

This was received from Aimee...in Texas...

via email...just today also...

and now passed along to each of you who pop in for a visit

everyday...or every now and then.

Pass on the love! :)

This was received from Lolo...in California.
Laurel is a brilliant writer and a deeply soulful artist.
Her pieces are always a treat for me to see...
filled with imagination and uniqueness.
The marriage of her words and her brushstrokes take my breath away.
I feel good about the world around me each time I visit her.
Laurel not only designed this beautiful award
but who also wrote these heartfelt descriptors
gracing it:
"This award goes to fellow bloggers who visit frequently
and raise my spirits with their kind words of encouragement,

their beautiful images

and their wonderful outlook on life.

They make blogging a positive experience

and

continue to make my life richer."

Please feel free to pass this award along to your friends.

Thanks to all of you who raise me up! xox

Laurel...

you know this means the world to me! :)

This was received from Caroline...in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

If ever you wanted to do a bit of armchair travelling...

visit Caroline.

You will be in for a big treat.

Her posts are filled with exotic photographs and beautiful artwork.

I love stopping by regularly

and seeing what she is doing in her little corner of the world.

She is amazing!

This beautiful award was created and designed by the talented Peter Breese.

So, in the true spirit of the award

I pass this on to each of you "even keeled" friends

who through thick or thin

always seem to artistically cheer me on

to do my best

and have joy in my heart.

And...

if you are reading this...that means YOU!!!

Thank you all for sharing your art/photography/writing

and being such an inspiration!

Finally, this was received from Rhonda in Kentucky...

An amazing and talented artist

whose blog is filled to the brim with glorious artistic expression.

Her photography always interesting and engaging...

Her paintbrush an extension of her heart.

Her words lift one up.

I feel I always learn something new about our craft

when I visit her.

The actual "guidelines" for this award are

to list seven things

one is passionate about

and then

to pass this award on to seven others.

Tonight...I am gently tweaking the rules a bit...

my intentions in doing so are

to simply spread the joy I felt in receiving this

and pass this on

to those of you who also deeply love what you artistically do...

To those of you

who live your artistic life

with passion

and who, like Rhonda, paint it with the colors of your soul.

"I Got Stoned..."

...this past week...

...kidney stoned, that is...

and I'm not doing much LOL either...:(

It all started last Friday morning, April 24th, when I was awakened

about 6:30 am

by a severe pain on my left side.

Thinking it was a bad muscle pull near my hip...

I took some Tylenol Arthritis tablets

and tried to fall back asleep.

That was not to be.

To make a long story bearable...the pain intensified and

I ended up checking in at the

ER at Banner Del Webb Medical Center

about 11:30 am.

After waiting seemingly forever for the triage nurse to check me out

...and the inevitable flurry of paperwork

to be processed...

I was at last admitted into the ER.

The place was packed...

(what drawing opportunities if one was in the mood!)

Lab work began and shortly

a powerful trio of really good drugs was given intravenously

and finally, I could feel no pain...Ahhh! :)

A CT scan came next.

An hour or so later the results were in

I had two kidney stones...

one small..2mm...the other large...6.1mm.

The smaller to pass on my own...the larger needed a procedure.

At 4:30 in the afternoon...

it was decided that I would need to be admitted into the hospital.

A bed was finally ready for me at 8:30 pm.

I stayed two nights and came home Sunday Afternoon.

I now wait again for further input by a specialist

as to my next course of action...

most likely an sonic or a laser blast of the larger stone.

Geesch!

I am most thankful that the reason for my pain was diagnosed,

that the situation was not super critical, and

that things are now hopefully

on the mend.

The drawing above was started the night I was admitted

and shows the views I had from my bed.

It was painted just today at home.

This week has not only zapped my energy level

but also my artistic enthusiasm.

I have just now gotten back to visiting blogs.

Hopefully, the "hospital funk" is gone...

(at least, until I get my bill...LOL...ugh!)

and I will now be back drawing, and painting,

and simply enjoying

the artistic posts of all my friends.

"A hospital should also have a recovery room

adjoining the cashier's office."

~Author Unknown

"No Worry..." :)

~Sandi, my nurse from Australia

"Midnight At The Oasis..."

...Send your camel to bed.
Shadows paintin' our faces...

...Traces...of romance in our heads..."

~Written by David Nichtern 1974...sung by Maria Muldaur

(Format: 7" 45rpm ) LOL! :)

(Dang! I have been singing that song all day long! )

Okay...back to reality...I think...

...to present to you my Midnight Desert Mirage ATC Series...

Cards #1 & 2...of 6.

“The world, indeed, is like a dream

and the treasures of the world are an alluring mirage!

Like the apparent distances in a picture,

things have no reality in themselves,

...they are like heat haze.”
~Buddha

"Artful Gifts..."

...from across the pond

awaited me on my return from Tucson!

...From dear Soulbrush in London...

3 whimsical soul-filled African themed ATC cards

made for our trade...(click images to enlarge...check out the stamp!)

(Soul...yours will be flying from the desert soon!)

...and from Marianne in the Netherlands...

(a.k.a. "Queen of Mandalas")

two beautiful cards from her Etsy shop which I won

in a lucky draw by Felix...

...a very sweet note...an ATC card for our trade...

and a joyful mandala-filled bookmark!

Aren't I a lucky girl??? LOL :)

"Every gift from a friend is a wish for your happiness."
~Richard Bach

"Plant Your Heart..."

in a good place...this Earth Day...

and this Earth Night...2009.

"I only went out for a walk

and finally concluded to stay out till sundown,

for going out,

I found, was really going in."

~John Muir, 1913

"Those who dwell among the beauties and mysteries of the earth

are never alone or weary of life."
~Rachel Carson

"The earth is what we all have in common."
~Wendell Barry

"Bloomin' at Jerry Bob's..."

...for breakfast in Tucson...

a beehive of local activity and huge portions!

The place was blooming with color and all sorts of interesting

people and things to draw

while waiting...

outdoors for a table...and indoors for our food. LOL :)

Painted once we returned home.

Happy "Blooming Tuesday" all...Yes, I've succumbed to the
lure of yet another little bloggy group. LOL :)
Blame it all on Teri C...
she's always blooming with great ideas!
(After all she suggested this breakfast place and started the group!)

"Bloom where you are planted."
~Proverb

"All happiness depends on a leisurely breakfast."
~John Gunther

"Buried Treasure..."

(Click on image to enlarge.)

...discovered at sunset Thursday

on the grounds of the San Xavier del Bac mission church

on the Tohono O'odham reservation...

just south of Tucson.

These blossoms...no kidding...

were are large as my hand...with all fingers spread out wide!

She was stunning...

simply stunning...in every way!

I now must find out the name of this exotic beauty...

Anyone have any ideas?

(She reminds me of an Argentine Giant...

but it's the amazing coral blossoms that are throwing me for a loop!

In the meantime...

have a great Cactus Monday all!

Hopefully, this day will

surprise you with a hidden treasure of your very own! :)

"Learning is a treasure

that will follow its owner everywhere."
~Chinese Proverb

"The Tucson Connection..."

a fanciful...absolutely not to scale...

map of our travel adventures during our little spring getaway...

a mere 150 or so miles from home.

(Details with all the good stuff to follow!)

"A good map

is both a useful tool and

a magic carpet to far away places."

~Author Unknown

"Back Home..."

...Exhausted...Elated...and on Email overload...LOL :)

Whew!

(A lot happens when one is unplugged!)

So

a little something soothing and serene for today...

...another "China Bloom"

...from my ATC series...#2 of 6.

"You must be a Lotus,

unfolding its petals when the sun rises in the sky,

unaffected by the slush where it is born

or

even the water which

sustains it!"

~Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Indian Spiritual leader

"Taking a Break..."

...a mini Spring Break...packed to the brim with sketching...

drawing...

painting...photography...

wonderous sights and new vistas!

And to top it all off...

all that without computer access!

I am already in withdrawl mode...LOL :)

I'll be back in bloggy land Saturday.

Thanks

for popping in! :)

"If you come home as happy as you leave,

you have had a good vacation."

~Author Unknown

"Her Blooms are A-Poppin!"

WooHOO! From My House...

...to Yours!

C'mon...join in on the experience...

Why not "pop in"on a friend today...just for the fun of it!?

Have a Happy Cactus Monday!

"The ornament of a house is the friends who frequent it."
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

"May Blessings..."

...joyful peace...and....a full happy heart...

be yours-

not only on this Easter day....but on all the days of your life.

(Art originally posted, last year... here.)

"On Easter Day

the veil between time and eternity thins to gossamer."

~Douglas Horton

"I Slept In..."

...this morning...

while the desert skies were moody and overcast

and my yard

was kissed with precious sprinkles of rain.

"I love sleep.

My life has the tendency to fall apart when I'm awake, you know?"
~Ernest Hemingway

All Coiled Up..."

...nice and comfy...into a woven basket mandala...the first of three.

Pitt Pen...7"x 7" Bristol Board

"To be ignorant of what happened before you were born

is to be ever a child.

For what is man's lifetime

unless the memory of past events

is woven with those

of earlier times?"
~Marcus Tullius Cicero

Ancient Roman Lawyer, Writer, Scholar, Orator and Statesman

106 BC-43 BC