A tag story

Hi Everybody!

Today I am showing the tags I made for Tag Tuesday this week, where

our theme is Medieval.

I was not happy with the theme, although I live in a town which was founded in the middle ages, so I made some tags using various bits and bobs I had to hand and wrote a little story to go with them:

Boris-the-Very-Bad, an evil magician who has captured the fair princess

and is holding her in a secret tower guarded by all manner of nasty creatures, and even worse, a magical zone where neither cell-phones nor GPS function

The fair princess, Winona, sad because her beloved can't reach her:

The brave and noble Knight Dancealot, who is determined to overcome all obstacles and find his way to his lady:

Boris is convinced that nobody can rescue the princess, but Dancealot has found his way in spite of all difficulties. Tonight he will rescue his princess, they will ride away, and hopefully live happy ever after.

And Boris-the-Very-Bad? He has failed in his job, but like so many other top managers, he will still be eligible for a huge bonus, and then he will scarper, and will soon be trying his tricks somewhere else. Perhaps as a politician?

And some photos from my little town today:

I have been trying to take photos of the magpie all week, he always turns his back. Here he saw me watching, and turned his head away quickly:

He kept himself busy cleaning his feathers:

But I caught him in the end:

Mrs Blackbird likes fat balls, too:

And last but not least, my living room spring garden:

Have a great day, take care,

and thanks a lot for coming by!

Starry, starry Night

Hi Everybody!

Hope your week is going well.

For Art Journal Journey, For the Record,

and for Moo Mania and More, music

I made a hybrid piece starring Vincent and featuring the wonderful

song, 'Vincent', sung by Don McLean. This is my own version of starry night here, made with charcoal and pastel chalks, the head is one of 'my' heads and the Vincent portrait is one of my 'knock-offs' made with water colours and pastel chalks. I needed something to cheer me up today, so spent a lot of time listening to soothing music and looking at Vincent's wonderful art.

If you don't know this lovely song, it's well worth listening to:

Some pictures taken on my walk today. The stairs leading from the Rhine tow path to the Basilica are being repaired at last:

I love the angles of the roofs and towers round the hospital:

The hospital gardens are flourishing:

And I 'picked' this fantastic tulip outside the pub:

Have a great day, take care,

and thanks a lot for coming by!

Spring Mood Board

Hi Everybody!

At TIOT we are starting a new challenge today, and have a Mood Board, put together by me, as our theme. Let yourself be inspired by the images and colours of spring. Think of the soft colours of the first flowers, the wonderful green of newly opened buds and leaves, the soft and fluffy whites of the young lambs and the swan's feathers, and the blue of a spring sky. Use some of these colours or ideas in your project.

As always, projects of all formats are allowed and you have 2 weeks to join us, so hope to see you there!

I used some of the photos from the mood board to make a collage. I am also linking to Art Journal Journal, for the record, being inspired by  'I can see clearly now'. The song was written by Johnny Nash, and speaks of new opportunities and chances now that the rain has gone and spring is here:

I have chosen the version sung by Jimmy Cliff:

As it's Tuesday, it's also time for Elizabeth's 'T stands for Tuesday', so a big hello to all of the T Gang. My drink, is, as always, cappuccino:

 

Today I am re-showing the photos used in the mood board. Please feel free

to use them in your spring projects if you would like to:

Have a great day, take care, 

and thanks a lot for coming by!

The streets of London

Hi Everybody!

Lots of the songs we sing and like are happy ones, and that's good so. But sometimes it's important to look at 'the other side', the not so happy side of life, where many unfortunate people are - living on the streets. Every town these days, no matter where in the world, seems to be populated by people who live, beg and sleep on the streets, while others live in a wild excess of luxury. Ralph McTell's song 'Streets of London' from 1969 shows this sadder side of life, which is reality for so many people, old and young.

I made an A3 mixed media collage for 

Art Journal Journey, for the record.

And here, on a lighter note,some pictures of the Rhine:

Have a great day you all, take care

and thanks a lot for coming by.

Even the stones are turning green....

Hi Everybody!

For Art Journal Journey, for the record, and for Moo Mania and More, music, I have a hybrid page today. I already showed a page with this theme some days back, but I was so happy to discover an old hotel bill from Amsterdam, that I decided to make this version using the bill as background. The bill is dated 1916, one hundred years back. I found the bill among the papers of my Great Aunt after she died - stuffed into a garbage bin! I saved them, and found an enormous treasure of old documents going back to 1701, and am very happy to have them.
The hotel is still standing in Amsterdam today, but I think the prices charged might be a trifle higher now....

I was also happy to see so much greenery growing in the old stones of the castle ruins and the town walls, it's almost as though the stones come to life in spring:

Have a great weekend you all, take care,

and thanks a lot for coming by!