Monday, 8 August 2016

The world is full of wonders

Hi Everybody!

For Art journal Journey, nature's wonders,  I made a page to celebrate butterflies,
these wonderful, graceful creatures that flutter about in summer. And all the more marvelous when you think they start out as caterpillars - a true wonder of nature. I wanted to use a butterfly that I made last year - it was cut from plastic, painted, crackled and embossed with Frantage vintage gold. This made it buckle and bend, and it was like it had come alive. So I couldn't bear to part with it. I used Dina Wakley's moon head stencil on a textured and painted blue background, and cut the dress out of left-over Christmas ribbons. I added a few left-over stickers and then digitally added this page and the butterflies to a second painted background. And I love this quote from Gary Zukav! This is also a reminder for TIOT, use your leftovers, and you still have a week to link up to us - hope to see you there!





And Tuesday is also Elizabeth and Bluebeard's T Stands for Tuesday, so a BIG welcome to all of the T Gang! Today I am offering you some coconut bars. They are cookies made with golden syrup, muesli, coconut and....and whatever you want to put into them. They are delicious, especially eaten warm and sticky....



And my drink is cappuccino, as always:



On my Sunday walk to Schloss Kalkum, a moated castle near here, I saw
this pigeon on the roof of one of the houses, and it seems to be imitating the pose of the cockerel on the weather vane:


Then you go in through the magic gate, and are in another world:


The ghost was still in the little chapel:


The sun was just right to make wonderful reflections on the water of the moat, which set the ducks really well in scene - wonders of nature indeed:






And the Egyptian geese were proudly showing off their offspring:






I will show more photos another time, too much is too much on one day!

Have a great day, take care,
and thanks a lot for coming by!

39 comments:

  1. Oh my all the fun and beautiful photos!! I adore your sweet and whimsical butterfly girl, very charming!!

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  2. Your blue butterfly and the butterfly girl are gorgeous. The photos are wonderful, you have a good eye for catching the artistic details. The reflections are fantastic. Hugs, Sarah

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  3. I can see why you could never part with that beautiful butterfly. Of course, the digital representation of it is equally beautiful, while saving the real one in a safe place.

    I LOVED the photo of you taking that picture. It was fun to enlarge it, too.

    Of course, I know you baked those bars just for us, so I'll thank you now. I'll be by to have one later today, too. And of course, I'll gladly join you in a cappuccino, too. I'll have just a hint of nutmeg on mine, please.

    Thanks for sharing this incredible art, your breathtaking photos, and your cappuccino and coconut bars with us for T this week.

    Love the ducks and their reflections. they are lovely. I admit, we don't see television antennas much here in the States now that everything has gone digital. Most people have either satellite or cable as a means for getting their tv programs.

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  4. Valerie, you create artistic projects (butterfly included), capture great scenes via your camera and tempt us with dessert and coffee. It can't get much better than that.
    Hugs,
    C

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  5. your butterfly is gorgeous, great addition to the page. The coconut bars look so good. Beautiful photos about the castle. It's a happy time of year for everyone including the ducks and geese!

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  6. Wonderful butterfly. I've been seeing alot more in the yard lately. Which I am happy about and dragonflies to go with them. Cookies look wonderful but I am off sweets so they are only eye candy. Egyptian geese are so colorful...wish we had them here. xox

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  7. Your Butterfly is gorgeous, don't think I would want to let it go either. The first of your duck photos is special that single bird and the light on the water love it. XOXO

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  8. Love the colors in your piece today Valerie. And that butterfly you made is amazing. I am also a big fan of that Dina Wakely stencil. Think I need to dig mine out. And those coconut bars looks delicious. I like a good chewy sweet. And lastly those water shots with the ducks (and those adorable little goslings) are really amazing. Some of your best! Happy T Day-hugs-Erika

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  9. My lovely sweet friend....your goodies arrived today and I am so amazed and thrilled to receive them. I am in awe of your friendship and will treasure it for ever. Yes, I am an emotional person and in this day and age of violence and hatred you have made my faith in the world as a good place to be in.
    Your photos are outstanding and your pages are admirable...
    hugs.xx

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  10. moin valerie,

    boah,deine blaue butterfly dame ist soooo süüüß,tolle aufnahmen wieder,die refelektionen auf dem wasser sind fantastisch,du hast echt ein händchen für gute deatils,großartig.
    wünsch dir einen schönen dienstag.

    hugs jenny

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  11. mein lieblingsfoto heute ist eindeutig das mit dem Wetterhahn! und einen back-Award verdienst du dir auch langsam, ich könnte gerade zum frühstück ein Stückchen vertragen;)
    happy t-day!

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    1. Back-award? You've never seen my back! But I am good at baking....

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  12. Such a joy to visit your blog Valerie and see such happy things here when I wake up.

    The page with the butterflies is stunning and I copied the quote to make it larger so I could read it and I have to agree it is very special.

    Nice tray bakes, they do look yummy as does the coffee and biscuits. All I had so far is one coffee and one tea so must go and get something to eat after seeing these.

    Great photographs of a lovely place. The ducks with the ripples are just amazing pictures.

    Have a great day

    Love Chrissie xx

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  13. Eine tolle Seite ist das... prachtvoll gemacht und ja..diese Riegel klingen super... ich liebe Kokos -- herrliche Aufnahmen von Deinem Sonntagsspaziergang - der beseelt sicher ...soviel Schönheit rundum!!!
    Happy T-Day Valerie!

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  14. What a lovely post to look at first thing in the morning. I love your butterfly and I can totally understand why you want to keep it! It's stunning!
    The photos taken at the castle at wonderful. I like the photo of yourself in the reflection of the door. You know, I have a similar photo on my blog today (me in the mirror).
    The goose and her goslings are so sweet. And the ducks are lovely too. I love the colour of the water. Did you take them early in the morning?
    Have a great day (and week)
    Lisca

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    1. Yes, I set out earlier as we had been threatened with hot weather, so early morning is a great time for walking and taking pics!

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  15. No wonder you often go for very, very long walks Valerie with all the yummy treats you are forever teasing us with - just sitting here drawling over todays I feel I have put on several kilos :)
    I love butterflies so of course love your artwork today and the whole process of how you got there - really fantastic.
    Looked a great walk - lovely photos - would have loved to see those Egyptian Geese with their lovely colours and markings.
    1.30am I was sky watching and didn't see any meteors - better luck tonight maybe.
    Have a great day ........Gill xx

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  16. A beautiful butterfly on your super journal page Valerie, it would sure be a keeper for me as well.
    Love the look of the cookies, I could enjoy one with my morning coffee, but as I've just had breakfast that would make me quite greedy.
    Super photos of the geese and ducks as well as the other views you shared with us.
    Happy Tuesday
    Yvonne xx

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  17. A beautiful journal page and stunning photos.
    xxx Hazel.

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  18. Hi Valerie! I absolutely ADORE your gorgeous art journal page. The butterflies are stunning - you really celebrated nature's wonders here! And I loved your wonderful photos - going through the magic gate was my favorite!!! Thank you for sharing a little bit of you with all of us, my friend!

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  19. Beautiful art today, I love the 3d butterfly, gorgeous! So interesting to see animals and birds that we don't have here, the Egyptian Geese are amazing! hugs :)

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  20. Oh yes, this butterfly is magnificent and your painting is exquisite.
    I've just inspected our brassicas in the garden and there is a caterpillar in a cocoon, that is so amazing.
    Also amazing is this blogpost with your cookies and cappuccino, the Schloss photos (the magic gate and the ghost!!!), the geese, the water reflections (gasp!) and then the goslings. So much goodness in one day, a really wonderful blogpost, tremendous.

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  21. Hi Valerie, your butterflies are gorgeous and so is the mixed media page. The photographs are beautiful, the baking and coffee look oh so good :) Cheers, Shirleyxx

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  22. Your butterfly page is great and the butterfly you created is amazing. Looks like it could fly off the computer screen. Once again I enjoyed seeing the things you photographed on your walk. The water shots are beautiful

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  23. Wonderful journal page. Those duck on the pond photos are stunning!! Love your reflection photo as well.

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  24. oh my goodness...your butterfly is magnificent! no wonder you couldn't bear to part with it...it's beautiful on your page, and just right. Love all your photos...and what yummy cookie bars! happy T-day...umm..cappuccino day!? ;)

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  25. Happy t-day Valerie.....well, it is still Tuesday here...LOL

    Adore the butterfly and don't think I would be able to part with it either.

    I LOVE the gate photo, would you mind if I save it and try to paint it?

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    1. You are welcome to use any photos, thanks for asking!

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  26. OMGosh, look at those babies!
    Best butterfly EVER.
    Bars look yummy.
    Hugs

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  27. A lovely post Valerie and your butterfly is a work of art in itself! I love how the plastic has buckled and crackled to create veins on the wings, it looks so realistic and I can see how it inspired your beautiful page! Those cookies do look yummy and the blue and white coffee cup and saucer with matching napkin is very pretty too! Wishing you a very Happy T Day Valerie! J :-)

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  28. Butterfly art makes it possible to enjoy these delights all year. What a delight! And that garden looks like one I'd like to explore. The ducks, and those goslings.... So sweet.

    Happy T Tuesday!

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  29. I would really like a coconut bar and then a nice walk with you!

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  30. Great page. I love your butterfly. hugs, Teresa

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  31. Your wonderful use of blue and yellow makes my heart skip a beat or two or three. Beautiful! (And your duck photos are just terrific -- what wonderful light!)

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  32. Your journal page is fabulous and your coconut bars look scrumptious. Blessings!

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  33. OHHH!!!! i love the butterfly!!!!!!!! Cute art piece to go with it too ♥ Great photos again.. never too much :)

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  34. Love that gorgeous butterfly - and how you added it digitally to your page! I love you photos once again - especially the geese and ducks! Oh and cappuccino and coconut bars sound like an ideal combination!
    Hugs, Chrisx

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  35. Wonderful pictures - you know I love to see what you are baking or cooking.
    Sandy xx

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  36. ok, okay...I totally need that recipe! I adore coconut-anything!!
    I absolutely see why you would not want to give up that butterfly- it is exquisite!!! hugs

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