My 700th Post and a Giveaway, of Course !

TA-DA !!!!!

Today’s post is my 700th Post on Queen of Arts !

Wow, that is a lot of things to share !

I have been writing this blog for just over 4 years

(March 8th was my 4 year anniversary which I missed ! Ooops!)

and it has been viewed over 87,000 times !

(Thanks, Blogger stats page !)

I have sat down 700 times to share bits of myself, my art and my heart !

That is an amazing number to me !

I really love my blog.

I am proud of it, for the positive messages it shares.

I am grateful for it, for the amazing, dear relationships it provides in my life.

I am committed to it, for it brings love, joy and connection into my world and gives a special place where I can shine my light and be myself.

So here’s to the next 700 posts !

Of course, there has to be some treats involved in such a celebration !

For my dear Blog Pals that visit, cheer me on, send me love and make me feel so wonderfully seen,

I am giving away some Queen of Arts Studio treats.

There are three packages for the winning.

Package # 1 includes a “Green Angel” postcard, a set of two “Looking for love” magnets, and one “Joy” car jewelry rearview mirror dangle.

Package # 2 includes one bag of 13 Rock My World rocks and a “Just Open the Door” postcard.

And Package # 3 includes 1 5X7 “Mermaid” card, and one set of two “If You’re Alive, You’re Creative” magnets. Oh, and I will probably add in a bit of rock joy, for good measure !

To be entered into the giveaway,

just leave me some comment love on this post !

I will be away next week, enjoying the sea with my Honey, so I will randomly draw the names of the three winners one week from today,

on Sunday, May 7th.

You will all have a chance to win one of the three prizes.

I will email the winners to get your mailing info. after the drawing.

Good luck, Beautiful Ones,

and thank you for all the wonderful stuff that you bring to the world !

Big, big, Love !

Haiku My Heart–Three Cat Tails

El gato negro

Cosmo, Boo, get away, shoo !

My black bratty cat.

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The cat of my dreams

travels in strange neighborhoods.

Paw prints on my mind.

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The cat lost his heart.

Now he searches land and sea.

He’s lost without it.

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The kitty cats came to visit this morning.

Kind of makes sense when you remember that I have three of them.

I was also inspired by one of my favorite artists, Lynne Hoppe, who was playing around with faces, kitty cat ears, and Suzi Blu’s book. 

I am not feeling very inspired in the studio these days.

I just seem to feel like playing with little bits, instant gratification stuff.

That’s okay though.

I know inspiration for bigger things will return one day soon.

Speaking of little bits, I did a bit of a sprucing up around the blog, as you may have noticed.

If you can believe it, this is my 699th post !

I am away next week so I am thinking that the 700th post will have to be a giveaway/celebration post so that people can leave me comments for the week and I will give away the prize when I return.

Stay tuned for that this weekend, Beautiful Ones !

In the meantime, enjoy your Friday and lots of fun haiku with the gang.

Much love !

Haiku my Heart every Friday at recuerda mi corazon

Share the Joy Thursday–Doing My Work

From this week’s Joy List

Haircuts that match your personality and sweet times with a great stylist named Deb at the Cut N Go Depot. She is a great person and a hair artist.

Miracles in the garden and my iPhone that captures them in such a cool ways !

Check out the amazing light and detail in this shot taken way down low and with no photo-editing other than putting a frame around it.

I wish you has smell-o-vision on your screen ! The lily of the valley is so sweeeeeet !

And then there is some awesome inspired art time…

Yesterday, I lost myself in making this page in my journal.

So lost in fact that when I surfaced, I realized I was still in my pjs with bedhead and due to meet Lois for lunch in about 25 minutes! I was a little late !

This page was inspired by the incredible posts that Lisa at Life Unity has been sharing the past little while.

Some of them have gone really deeply in for me.

Lisa is a beautiful thinker and a glorious and loving Heart. And I love the food for my Soul that she provides.

She made me appreciate and see the truth in my recent choice and desire to keep focused on my “World Work” on this planet.

It is what I am here for and I know it in my deep down Soul.

Love is the answer to every question

and sending more of it out into the world is the work I am here to do.

 

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So not a bad week in the Joy department, wouldn’t you say?

Also in there were sweet moments spent with some good friends, lots of laughter with the hubby and the delivery of a new and very needed fridge.

I am so very blessed !

I hope you find lots of things to add to your joy list this week.

Much love !

For inspiration, check out the Shared Joy at Meri’s Musings.

Haiku My Heart–Haiku Love !

I love you, Haiku.

Five, seven, five wordy treat.

Sweet playmate of mine.

 

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You probably know that I love haiku.

There is something about its simplicity and how I can write one in a short amount of time, (unlike with other poetry !) that truly appeals.

Maybe it is its form as well, that balance of 5-7-5 syllables, that appeals to the Libra in me…

Whatever, it is a creative word play that I adore !

When I was in Cape Cod recently, my dear friend, Linda, shared a writing game with our group of Artsy ladies.

It was called Haikubes Haiku Dice.

You play around with the dice and create haiku based on the words on them.

Here’s the haiku that the dice gave me and that I recorded in my journal :

Moonlight eats fortune.

She tried to cover, wise one,

its livid torture.

Bizarre ? Yes ! Its meaning ? I have no idea !!!

But it did inspire a piece of art in my little journal this morning !

 

Not only do I love haiku for its playful form and how it inspires my art and vice versa,

but I love haiku

for the wonderful group of hearts that it connects me to each Friday.

Check them out at recuerda mi corazon! 

Haiku My Heart Friday

That is a sweet treat in itself !

Happy Friday, Beautiful Ones !

Share the Joy Thursday–Blooming Joy

Blooming Joy around the House !

Tulips that the squirrels allowed me this year, azaleas, and lilacs all blooming in the front yard !

How glorious is Spring ?

New born Maple leaves on their second day of life.

Two days ago they were buds ! Amazing !

My hibiscus plant in the studio didn’t want to be out-done

and graced me with this brilliant bloom this morning too !

Brought a little piece of joy into the studio as well.

It smells like lilac heaven !

This morning, Joy was so easy to find.

I love it when that happens !

I hope joy bursts in your Thursday too, Beautiful Ones !

 

for more joy, head over and see what Meri and the gang are sharing

A little more action, please!

FOR TODAY
Outside my window...it is 67 degrees at 9:00 am and we are expecting a high of 90. In April. In NH. Weird stuff !

Maple buds bursting..

I am thinking... mornings go way to fast and that the computer sucks so much time but that I love blogging !

I am thankful... that I am feeling a little better today. Stomach issues suck the energy out of you !

In the kitchen...looking for dairy free goodies for me and animal product free stuff (short term) for David as we make some big changes to how we are eating and try to be really mindful about what we put into our bodies.

I am wearing...my blue t-shirt cotton night shirt and eggplant-colored El Naturalista clogs. Oh, and very bad bed head !

I am creating...little bits of art again and it feels so good.

I am going...to the Health Food store, the grocery store and the post office. Woo hoo !

I am reading... information about being lactose intolerant and Probiotics. A life without cheese ?!?! Kind of depressing  but it may just be the ticket!

I am hoping... that making some good changes in my diet will help me feel better and give me more energy.

I am looking forward to...my visit with Colleen this week. We have a secret creative project that I am excited about ! More later…

Around the house... windows are open, the birdies are serenading us and the furry pets are having their morning sunbeam naps.

Boo in a studio sunbeam.

One of my favorite things...the carwash ! The Rogue-y is back to its sexy, shiny self !

A few plans for the rest of the week: meditation class tonight, creative time with Colleen, a haircut and hopefully some more art time !

Some pictures to share with you : I made art ! Yay !

First up was adding my piece to my Creative Sister Eva’s book for the Creative Sisters Travelling Sketchbook project. We had gotten way behind due to life’s little challenges and that meant that I was creating a spread for the month of January in the month of April.

But since January is usually my least favorite month of the year, I was still inspired !

Eva’s book will be on its way to Jennifer today and hopefully, we can now keep up with the new flow, right, Sistahs ?

I also got to work on a 12 X 12 canvas I had started a while back.

The background was done, and these bits got added to it in two separate sessions.

The first session of Friday afternoon was actually very frustrating.

My girl’s face was soft blues and Payne’s grey but just wouldn’t work for me.

I ended up painting over the whole thing with black ink, and leaving it aside for the night.

I am still not sure I love it all.

But there are definite sweet spots in it that feel so good to my Artist Eye.

 

I am so pleased that I finally had some time to mess around and just create.

The rusty bits will soon smooth out with the creative oils being applied as needed !

So that’s the scoop around here on this fine Monday.

I hope that your week has some moments where you can do exactly what you love !

Light and love, Beautiful Ones !

Haiku My Heart– A Daffodil Song

 

I am here today.

Let me mark the day with love

And savor the gifts.

 

 

Happy Friday, Beautiful Ones !

What’s up for your Friday the 13th ?

I have cleared the calendar today so that I can get this crazy messy studio cleaned up and hopefully spend some time creating in it afterwards !

I feel like I have been spending way to much time on-line reading about the art that other artists are creating and far too little creating my own art.

It is time to correct that !

It is a beautiful Spring Day in NH ! The sunbeams are making rainbows all around the room through my crystals hanging in the window and the Bose speakers are just waiting for some tune to stream.

Talk about your gifts to savor !

Enjoy Being Here today, Beautiful Ones !

 

For more haiku and lots of heart, visit the beautiful Rebecca at recuerda mi corazon.

Share the Joy Thursday–Lots of love and a couple of Kooks…

From this week’s Joy List…

Cheeky self-portraits.

Deer at Dusk and a photo to prove it.

Katie’s First Very Own Bike and her “Whoo hoo !”’s going down the road.

Big Brother Tom’s first fancy schmancy 21 Speed Schwinn and his confident joy at riding it!

Katie and Dave Love

Katie and Chica Love.

Dave loving Katie loving Chica & Dave Love.

Kooky Characters that showed up in doodles on my scrap of paper by the computer.

Irving, the leader of the pack, prone to migraines but a Mastermind at Organization.

Jules. She takes awhile to get to know but is as loyal as a German Shepard once she loves you.

Miss Suse is a worrier, but has such an Eye !

Clemente. A bit mysterious but great at helping you see things from a different perspective.

Chris has a banged up heart but is still looking for Love above all else.

Shelagh brings her elfin lightness to all she does.

Lloyd = Kindness.

Through and through.

I hope the characters that pop into your life today bring you joy, Beautiful Ones !

Oh, and our beloved Share the Joy Thursday hostess, Meri, is feeling very under the weather so let’s share some extra joy with her to help her mend.

Enjoy your Thursday !