Shabby Collage Roses

Finished at last

Thanks to all you bloggers out there who have posted your artistic endeavours online, I have picked up paintbrushes and various media again, after years of being busy with life, and been encouraged by your stories to get creative.

This is a look at what begun with a few pieces of paper taken from an old magazine and has developed into basically a kind of shabby style of work. Shabby in the decorative sense.

Here's a look at the process:

Stage 1

Stage 2

Stage 3

A bit more

These details show the textures more clearly.

Thank you so much for your inspiration.

More are on the way, but just like with you, time is limited.

I have 1 hour a week to spare. Can't wait to see how the next one turns out.

Please feel free to comment and critique.

HOPE,

an attitude of expectation that something good will happen in the future.

Romans 15.13

Remember the only thing to doubt is your self-doubt.

Give what you have been dreaming of doing a go.

In The Pink

Pink, Rose, Apricot and Blush Evocations.

Evocations:
Imaginative re-creations or mental imagery.

There is something about this group of colour-words that calls to mind tastes and smells. They conjure femininity and sweetness. Atmosphere is created simply by the words, and images that are called to mind, but these are added to by visuals with these tones and shades. This ambience has the power to transport us away from the ordinary into dreamy settings, old and new. How cool!
Take a few moments to wallow in PINK:

Tickled pink: to be happy or delighted. In the pink: to be in good health.

Our Home In Late Winter

San Francisco cafe with pink blossoms

.

Sweet Pink Treat.

Simple strawberry sauce and ice cream:

500g strawberries, washed, hulled and sliced

2 tablespoons caster sugar or Splenda or stevia equivalent.

2 tablespoons of orange juice

500 ml vanilla ice cream or frozen non-diary substitute

A few blueberries or whole reserved strawberries

Put strawberries in a pan with the sugar and juice, simmer on low 5 min until soft and juicy.

Refrigerate.

Put half the cooled mix in a processor, blend for 20-30 seconds.

Spoon the softened ice cream into the processor, pulse until mixed with the strawberry sauce.

Pour into a rectangular plastic container and freeze for 2-3 hours or until set.

Serve the treat with reserved pink sauce and a few blueberries.

Serves 4       YOU CAN USE FROZEN STRAWBERRIES. 

Last Pink Pic:

Trelise Cooper(NZ designer)Pale Pink Dress. Swoon.

I pray for good fortune in everything you do, and for your good health, that your everyday affairs prosper, as well as your soul!
3 John 1-2 The Message

Blue and White Delights

These Two are a match Made in Heaven.

Think blue sky, white clouds. Mediterranean Sea and whitewashed Greek hilltop houses.

The oceans, sailors, and their navy blue and white striped tops. Fresh and clean, bold, always a success.

Smart, timeless as a white shirt with blue jeans.

There is an infinite variety of pattern and design, especially in old crockery and fabrics.

With china, mismatched makes it all the more charming.

Most of the older ware can't be safely washed by machine, but it's worth owning some anyway!

Like this lovely piece of BURLEIGH Ware.

Or this stunning Victorian dinner plate. These pieces have been picked up in vintage stores , garage sales and flea markets for a few dollars over many years.

More white and bluetiful.

Remember if you like this it can be collected slowly with very little cash

"Discontent with what you have and are, will direct your thoughts inward and generate depression"

Chase away the blues by  giving thanks for everything you are and have.

Simple joys like bright orange slices on a blue plate brighten a day at home or a picnic in the garden

Moroccan Dessert Oranges: Slice the oranges over a plate to catch the juice.

Make sure there is no bitter pith left on them.

Sprinkle with a little cinnamon and mint, and orange blossom water if you have some, and a smidgen of castor sugar. Chill. Eat slowly with a fork - This has a very exotic flavour that goes nicely with almonds as a finish to a Moroccan feast. Or use as an extra healthy snack.

 

Daniel 10, 18 -19

One in human form touched me and strengthened me.Don't be afraid He said " for you are deeply loved by God"

Lavender and Lemons. More Complements!

"Mere  Colour, unspoiled by meaning and unallied with definite form, can speak to the soul in a thousand different ways."  Oscar Wilde.

 Lavender and Lemon are two of those colours that speak, with or without pictures.

They speak of sunshine, relaxation, countryside, prettiness, happiness, springtime and even summer.

Painting by Ben Nicholson showing just how evocative colour and light can be.

Of course both lemons and lavender have gorgeous aromas too which means they are useful for many things in the home and in food creation.

Homemade Lemonade:
Peel the zest from 3 lemons or 2 lemons and 1 lime.
Put it in a bowl and add 2 cups of boiling water and some sweetener - honey or sugar or artificial sweetener. Squeeze the fruit and add the juice, let it cool. Strain it.
You could have no sweetener and add sweetened tonic water or diet lemonade later when it's cooled.
Add a sprig of lemon balm or mint and plenty of ice. Some Angostura bitters add a pleasant touch.

English essayist John Lubbock said:
 Happiness is a thing to be practised, like the violin.


"I am the Light that has come into the world so that all who believe in me won't have to stay any longer in the dark" The Message. Jesus' words. John 12.

Red and Green-Opposites Attract.

             Opposites on the colour wheel make each other zing.

    Everyday objects found around our home.

Red apples with green leaves, chartreuse pears and cerise cherries. Scarlet skies  over emerald seas, minty taste with tomato paste, ruby ring by a  jade vase, grass  growing - fire glowing, vermillion loves viridian.
 Green eyes and red lips, rose red in a sage bed, Granny smith meets Rome beauty. Blood drops shed in an olive grove, sea glass  found on a carmine rock.

Red planet  glows with green light, grasshopper  caught by Robin redbreast, redcurrants sour as gooseberries,  cucumber cools a hot  chilli.
 Claret  with a squeeze of lime, pistachio sorbet and raspberry gelato, rouge cheeks - verdigris.
 Green beret and a red badge of courage. It's a red-letter day don't pine away. Greengage plum by a poppy patch, red fox in a verdant field,  bottle green dress with scarlet shoes...
  Please add more !

    Art deco vase and hand painted vintage plate, knife and spoon.

From Tricia Guild's Painted Country

Zucchini, blanched for 1 minute then left to cool, then grated. Added to the centre of a red cabbage  or radicchio leaf, sprinkled with a little olive oil and a squeeze of lemon. Topped with toasted pine nuts and garnished with coriander/cilantro or other fresh herbs. This makes a lovely extra side salad.

The Message: 1 Peter 2
Tell others of the night and day difference He made for you -
from nothing - to something,
from rejected - to accepted.

Oldie but a Goodie Idea for Table Flowers

This is not new.

Using several jars or bottles filled with a flower or flowers is as old as your nana. But you can make it totally your own. It always works providing you follow a few basics.

Here the layout is random but holds together because of similar bottles and similar coloured blooms.

This little group works because the jars , though old and mismatching, are all similar in height and are plain glass. The sprigs are similar too. Save your old and pretty jars for long outside table displays or even an outside wedding.

Sit the jars on a row of coloured fabric or in this case tiles. The colour should be in the arrangement somewhere or complementary  [opposite ] to it on the colour wheel. These were the only flowers in the garden, spirea and periwinkle.

At night you can alternate the containers of flowers  and leaves with candles.

For a change, hang the bottles from a branch indoors or outside. These are really Christmassy and could be cut down at the end of the evening and given to the guests. Any party with a theme, for e.g. birthday,  wedding and so on would be brightened up with these little beauties or similar. Name tag them for a personal touch.
Great Idea: Buy one bunch of flowers and split them between many bottles, one bloom in each.

Psalm 7 I'm thanking God, who makes things right. I'm singing the fame of heaven - high God. The Message.

A Walk in the Park

'A walk in the park' is an idiom which means  an easy thing to do. Well, on a sunny day it really is easy and very pleasurable to have a brisk walk  or a saunter in the beautiful park very close to our home.
This park is a working farm, so has cattle, sheep and a few chickens. A pheasant or 3 were spotted on the weekend.
The old oaks and others were planted by some early settlers who came to New Zealand from England.

All Aucklanders are grateful to the people who planted these trees and left this park as a gift to our city.

The gardeners have planted, among the old stone walls, vegetables that have the most beautiful flowers and colours that harmonise with the lichens and the grey of the rocks.

Inspiration for a home garden. You only need to allow your herbs and vegetables to go to seed to produce beautiful displays and be sure of another crop seeding itself next season. 

'You pulled me from the brink of death,
My feet from the cliff-edge of doom.
Now I shall stroll at leisure with God
In the sunlit fields of life.'
Psalm 56 The Message.

An early settlers cottage in the park and an old stone farm wall.

Country in the city.