Theme Thursday - Legs

I always greatly admire the legs of ballet dancers. They are beautifully shaped with long, lean muscles that carry the dancer around the stage with grace, strength and determination. This ATC is my entry for the Theme Thursday challenge this week.

Created ByHand Challenge - vintage

I really enjoy receiving photo Christmas cards in the mail at this time of year. It's wonderful to see the faces of those near and dear and those that I don't get to see often at all due to distance or busy lives. I remember as a child the annual trek to the photographers for the taking of the "Christmas photo". Usually there wasn't yet snow on the ground and the Christmas spirit was NOT alive and well in all of us. There would inevitably have been a small scuffle about clothing worn or time taken to get ready so by the time we arrived we were less than cheery with one another. Nevertheless, the shots were taken and we were always glad that we had a record of that time in our lives to share with others. This is my entry for the Created ByHand challenge this week.

Think Monday, Think ATC

This wonderful image is actually from a children's book cover. As a children's librarian, I order books for the library using publisher's catalogues. This quirky darling was on the cover of one of them and I just knew I needed to use her in my artwork. This is my entry for the Think Monday, Think ATC challenge this week.

Mixed Media Monday - Just Hanging Out

I had purchased these marvelous rusty hanging house ornament from Retro Cafe Art Gallery last year but just couldnt' seem to figure out what to do with them so I tucked them away with all of the other stuff I don't know what to do with then pulled them out when I joined an ornament swap in late Fall. They sat on my art table beckoning me to dive in so I adorned them with black wings and took off from there. This is one of my creations. I'm honoured to be guest host for Mixed Media Monday this week and my challenge is to make art that hangs.

Saturday Surprise - Ornaments and Decorations

Is anyone feeling as overwhelmed as I am with the preparations for Christmas? I know I don't even have to ask this. I can see the same emotions etched on the faces of the people I meet as I scurry around running my errands. I'm always torn between the things I want to do and the things I must do and the latter usually wins sucking up all of my time and leaving me frustrated. One of the things that I'd love to do is to make several of these altered tins to tuck into my Christmas tree. I can just picture them nestled amid the branches. Hmmm.....my guess is that these will remain in my head this year. Perhaps I should work on this dream sometime in the summer!!LOL Be kind to yourself at this busy time of the year. This is my entry for the Saturday Surprise challenge this week.

Lots to Do Challenge - Snow

Well all is not calm in my part of the world. The winds are howling around the house creating a very blustery and bitterly cold morning. Just returned from a walk with a good friend and am trying to warm up! I do love the calmer winter days though when the snow is drifting gently from the sky and the world is blanketed in white. This Christmas card is my entry for the Lots to Do challenge this week.

Theme Thursday - Vintage

I know that many of you share my love of anything vintage and I'm sure, like me, you have jars, boxes and drawers filled with buttons, old ribbon, sheet music, letters and photos. I enjoy thinking about the lives of the people who once owned these objects. How did they live? This photo is a tiny one but is one of my favourites. I'm not quite sure why I like it so much. I'm just attracted to these three friends? sisters? posing together in their beautiful white dresses on a warm sunny day. This is my entry for Theme Thursday this week.

Three Muses Challenge - Bottles and Jars

Before I started this assemblage I was thinking about the travelling salesmen who would peddle their wares door to door. My Dad used to always talk about "Carter's Little Liver Pills" and I imagined that bottles of these and other "medicines" were included in their suitcases. My mind then wandered to doctors who used to make house calls. You would "call" for the doctor and he would come to you. That is what ended up inspiring this piece. Just imagine the doctor arriving to find goodness knows what going on with someone in the house. He'd likely know if a baby was due to arrive but anything else was likely a surprise. This is my entry for the Three Muses Challenge this week.

Crazy Amigo Challenge - Dance with Me

Whenever I use this image I think of movie scenes set in ballrooms. The musicians begin a waltz and the dancers swirl around the room with such a lovely smoothness and flow. It's both magical and beautiful to watch and so different to the often frenzied movement of dancing today. Ballroom dancers have a very difficult time trying to maneuver around the modern dancefloor. This is my entry for the Crazy Amigo Challenge this week.

Mixed Media Monday - On the Wings of Love

There is always so much hope and excitement on a couple's wedding day, isn't there? Everyone is dressed in their finest clothing, beautiful songs are song and vows are exchanged. No one knows what the future holds for the two being married but the day is surrounded by good wishes and belief in their love for one another. I was trying to capture these sentiments as I created this round robin journal page. This is my entry for Mixed Media Monday this week.

Saturday Surprise - Winter Wonderland

A good friend of mine and I walk every Thursday morning. We spend the time mulling over the week that has passed. This past Thursday she told me about her daughter who is a very imaginative storyteller. My friend actually keeps a pad and pencil with her at all times to record her six-year-old's musings, poetry and stories. She credits her husband with fostering this creativity because he has always made up tales to tell the children before they go to bed. My favourite stories were ones told by my parents of their childhood in rural settings. My Dad lived on a farm and would always have poignant stories about growing up in the country. One of his greatest joys was having a rich environment for play. In the summer there were streams, fields and the barn and in winter, he would strap on snowshoes or skiis or pull his tobaggan to the hill near his home. This is Dad doing just that....posing before he set off for a day of winter activities. Don't you just love his duds? This is my entry for the Saturday Surprise challenge this week.

Wednesday Stamper - Santa Claus

One of my adopted relatives (a.k.a. from a vintage photo that I purchased) has been assigned the role of "Santa" for the office Christmas party. He's donned his hat and beard and sewn the requisite red buttons on his jacket. Now he's off to thrill the children. This is my entry for the Wednesday Stamper challenge this week.