Monday, 1 March 2021

New challenge at Art Journal Journey

 Hi Everybody!

Today we are starting a new challenge theme at AJJ and this time Sheila of Orange Esmeralda is hosting. Her theme is 'A single flower'. As always, you have a whole month to link your journal pages and paintings to our blog, so I'm looking forward to seeing what you make. I made a hybrid piece combining various elements from Serif, Mischief Circus and me. The flower and bee are photos:



This evening we are also celebrating Elizabeth's T sTands for Tuesday link party, so here a warm welcome to all of the lovely ladies of the T Gang who visit here.
Here are a few photos from the good old days when we could eat and drink in cafes and go shopping. Let's hope things get back to normal sooner or later:












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

69 comments:

  1. You chose a very unique entry, Valerie. The bee is awesome and I love that you used your own photos for the bee and the flower. This is a gem and great for Sheila's theme, too.

    I confess I am in love with those Dusseldorf mugs. They really spoke to me. Thank you so much for sharing your various cappuccinos, your art, and your mugs from around town with us for T this Tuesday.

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    1. Thanks E! I love those mugs, too. Have a great week!

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  2. Absolutely gorgeous post, colours are stunning. xx

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  3. Hi Val, good morning! Love your beautiful Journal page. And those coffees Look great, too. Take care, hugs Sarah

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  4. Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Hapus!
    Happy Saint David's Day from Wales!
    Yes, indeed, to return to normal again, for today we would be out in force on the streets of Wales celebrating our Patron Saint, Dewi Sant, in some of the many ways as I wrote about yesterday and today. It already feels strange, as I turn my calendar pages, not to be going out to the earliest events of the day. Praying all will be normal for next year and we can celebrate in style once more with simple things, like sharing some of your great coffees and cakes in a café with friends.
    Hugs, Deb

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    1. Happy St. David's day! Let's hope that next year things will be back to normal!

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  5. Hello Gorgeous! Happy Spring!
    Your Esmeralda is really beautiful! Very nice photos too!
    Let's hope we will return to our normal life soon!
    Hugs!

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  6. What a beautiful collage, Valerie, and I like the differences in colour with the lady in black and white and the little banner in neutral and then the gorgeous sunflower and bee.

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  7. Your first page this month is very romantic (not In A love way) but in the art style way. It came out great. I love the bees. And it’s nice to see the good old days when we could go to get a treat and actually sit inside or outside and socialize. Hopefully this summer if vaccines get rolling things will begin to return to normal here but we shall see as I suspect it is going to take some time before that happens. Sadly. Are people getting vaccinated in Germany?
    Have a wonderful T day. And happy March too hugs Erika

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    1. Thanks Erika. Ah yes, the good old days! The vaccinations here are very slow, it will take years at this rate!

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  8. Sorry I have been MIA lately - doing a lot of overtime at work to pay for the time I took to go on vacation the week before.

    Love your page - great flower and girl is fabulous. Your extras make her even more fabulous. Love your pictures. I love seeing the different coffee and tea cups you find. Did I tell you I ended up buying one on Amazon before Christmas - saw who made it and bought one for my hubby. He loves it. I see a few here I would love to have. So fun. TFS!

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    1. Thanks Nancy! Glad you could do some overtime. I have a cabinet füll of beautiful mugs but still buy more when I see good ones!

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  9. Good morning Valerie: A single flower is very expressive. One very touching thing that happened to me was when one of the girls next door, when she was still only about three years old, picked a single dandelion and brought it to me. No finer gift was ever bestowed on anyone. The images of the cafés are so evocative. To think that such normalcies of life have been taken away from us is staggering to contemplate. Dropping in for a coffee was about the most normal thing one could do, wasn't it. The other thing I have not become accustomed to, and doubt that I ever will, is meeting close friends and staying 2 metres apart. A very good friend of ours, over many years, stopped by to drop something off last evening. Normally she would have come into the house, big hugs would have been exchanged, we might have made tea, and we would have chatted and laughed together. Now we stand in our doorway and she is at the bottom of the step. Terrible! Have a nice day, but don't dare to kiss anyone! Love from Canada. David

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    1. Hi David! That sounds like a wonderful gift from that little girl. I remember my grandson giving me half of his piece of chocolate once, that was a big sacrifice! So many things have changed. We need to stay away from others, we're masked, we mustn't hug anybody, we can't drop in anywhere for a coffee. I just hope that these restrictions will one day be lifted again. I wish I had someone to kiss! Anyway, sending you some virtual hugs and kisses, that will have to do for now!

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  10. Beautiful page, so hopeful and pensive as the young lady thinks about going out for coffee and shopping. It will be so good when we can see items up close and personal. Touch them before buying. Enjoy your day.

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  11. Beautiful!!!
    You are so amazingly talented!
    I just love your art and photos so much Valerie!!!

    Hugs

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  12. Thanks Laurie, let's hope that things will be back to normal sooner or later!

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  13. I always like looking at your photos of coffee and the cafes there. Love your blog.

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  14. What a gorgeous page Valerie, I love all of the elements and your sunflower just pops of the page, very beautiful! Great photos today, the colorful animal mugs are so cute! Have a wonderful start to your week.
    Hugs, Tammy

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  15. I'd be tempted by that rooster mug in the bottom photo. I have no more cabinet space, though, so I guess it's a good thing I can't get out amongst such fun finds :) Happy T Day!

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    1. Yes, that's always the problem, where to put everything!

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  16. Beautiful single flower page for AJJ and here’s to tea and cafes.

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  17. your coffees always look so jummy:)

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  18. Ein bezaubernde Journalseite hats du entworfen und dein Kaffe trinken ist wieder köstlich an zusehen!
    Die Tassen sind ja so süss, klasse Motive sind das alle.
    Eine schönen Märzanfang wünsche ich dir!
    Lieben Gruss Elke

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    1. Danke, liebe Elke! Dir auch einen guten Maerz!

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  19. Some of my vintage ladies are going to be taking a bow soon too! I love this with your own photos - that flower really does star here! Oh those coffees and the beautiful mugs! Soon Valerie, soon!! Hugs, Chrisx

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    1. Thanks Chris! Let's keep hopeful! Stay safe!

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  20. Lovely art.
    So nice to see those wonderful cups of coffee. I am so looking forward to being able to pop into a café again - hopefully sometime in the summer! We shall see.

    Have a happy March and a great week.

    All the best Jan

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    1. Thanks. I think we are all longing for those days to come back soon!

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  21. A lovely piece. And love the photo with all the mugs!

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  22. Your collection of safe places where one could once drink coffee or buy mugs and teapots is a very pleasing diversion from our current reality!

    be safe... mae at maefood.blogspot.com

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    1. Thanks! Let's hope that things will be better soon!

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  23. Wow what a beautiful face. Your coffee always looks so darn good. Have a great evening.

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  24. She sure was a beauty was Elizabeth Bennet one of my favourite etched faces. The sunflower really suits her fair complexion. Those mugs are fab, i'd have been spoilt for choice but the doggy one may have won me over. Hugs Tracey xx

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  25. Beautiful page! I love the sunflower, and that image of the lovely lady is a fave of mine. We WILL get back to the good old days of going out freely again. The mugs and cups are especially fun to look at and I know I'd have pick one to take home:) Happy T day!

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    1. Thanks Linda, it's one of my fave Images too!

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  26. Wow this is beautiful Valerie, such an amazing collage! Your coffee shots always remind me of what we are missing at the moment. Once a month I was a "Lady Who Lunched" with people I had worked with over the (many) years who had also retired. I really miss this and can't wait for life to get a little more normal. Take care xx

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    1. Thanks Sue! I think we are all missing our social contacts Just now!

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  27. Its a gorgeous sunflower on the page you created for Sheila's new theme at AJJ. The flower gives hope of summer to come and the lady is a beautiful image.
    Stay safe.
    Yvonne xx

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  28. That's a beautiful journal page with the pretty young lady and the fascinating bee.
    Your cafe photos are always so inviting. We all long for the days when we can socialize. Luckily here in Andalucia we can still have coffee. They put the tables far from each other and my friend and I sit on opposite ends of the table, but at least we can get together. The climate here is such that we often can sit outside which is better i think.
    Are you still in the clinic? I seem to remember that you will be going home soon. I hope so.
    The mugs are a 'sight for sore eyes'. Gorgeous! (Bur very expensive)
    Happy T-Day,
    Lisca

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    1. Yes, I am longing to go to a cafe again! I am still in the clinic, but will be able to go home next Thursday, just a week more! Those mugs are really beautiful, but too expensive for me! All the best Lisca, hugs!

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  29. Hi Valerie, I love your artwork. All those mugs look beautiful, I would have to buy some they are so pretty although I really like the animals ones.
    Coffee shops always look so inviting, some of the cakes in Spain aren't real cream, very disappointing to find it's plastic cream as we call it.
    We are lucky to be able to have coffee outside although it's been quite windy eating outside this last week.
    Happy T Day
    Jan S

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    1. Let's hope the cafe days will soon be back. Plastic cream doesn't sound good! Cream should be cream! Have a great week, stay safe, hugs!

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  30. Fabulous page! I love the vintage look and of course the sunflower that you added, they are such happy flowers 😁. All my friends are wishing for the good old days again, the dates and shopping photos are fabulous! Thanks for the memories and wishing you a very happy T Day! Hugs, Jo x

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    1. Thanks, let's stay hopeful! Have a great week!

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  31. Beautiful art and wonderful photos Valerie!
    Happy March!
    Alison x

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  32. True Beauty! I agree!
    Loving those animals cups! So cute! Big Hugs!

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  33. What a gorgeous page! I just love how you have used the flower and the bee as such a pop of colour. The face is so beautiful, a truly beautiful young woman. Valerie, I absolutely adore this page of yours.
    Thanks for the photos that follow, I am sure you long for a coffee in your favourite cafe. Love the Dusseldorf cups!
    Hugs, Neet xx

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    1. Thanks Neet, glad you like it! Sooner or later it will be coffee time again!

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