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!

Snails and more

Hi Everybody!

Hope you have enjoyed your weekend. 

We had good weather here, not too hot, not raining, just pleasant summer weather - great for walking and looking at nature's wonders! 

Talking of wonders - this time of nature and technology - I wanted to give a report about my knee, as several people have asked how it is progressing. I had my last physiotherapy session last week, and now have learnt enough daily exercises to be able to keep up the  good work myself. And I know lots of tricks to be able to get rid of nasty pains when they turn up, which they still do - sometimes here and  sometimes there. But on the whole it is really good for 5 months since the OP. I can ride my bike, run, jump, walk and swim, and I am back to walking my 15000+ steps each day, so I am very satisfied. I don't need to go back to the orthopedic specialist till next year, one year after the OP when it is will be xrayed  and examined again.

For Nature's wonders, Gill's lovely theme at Art Journal Journey, I am

sharing my 'down to earth' page today. Last  week as I walked home I met this snail on the pavement:

And it reminded me of this drawing I made some time back:

And that inspired me to this not very serious journal page, made with a floral background onto which I digitally magicked my snails. It's always good to aim for the moon and the stars, but we need to come back down to earth, too:

It reminded me of Patricia Highsmith's rather horrible stories about snails, especially 'The snail watcher', which gave me nightmares for a long time!

The day started off again with sun:

We had blue skies, the Rhine was blue, and I walked for nearly three hours altogether, and will show more of the photos tomorrow. Here are just a few of my natural wonders from today:

I keep sneaking back to the dandelions and graffiti by the subway:

Have a great day, and keep your eyes open for all the wonders that are around us everyday!

Take care, and thanks for coming by!

Light and darkness

Hi Everybody!

For Art Journal Journey, Nature's wonders, I have another hybrid page, and I am still on a moon trip - does that make me a lunatic? (You don't need to answer that question!)I combined 2 backgrounds, and added my painted flowers, which were digitally enhanced to make them look less tatty, a candle, and some digis from Itkupilli. I love the quote from Francis Bacon. Tomorrow I will be showing a more down-to-earth page, with creatures which really stick to the ground....

And here are some more photos of Zons. If you would like to learn more about this little town you can do so here (German) and here (English):

Lots of strange creatures:

Have a great weekend, take care,

and thanks a lot for coming by!

Moon, stars and a cat

Hi Everybody!

It's weekend - enjoy!

For Art Journal Journey, Nature's wonders, I have another hybrid piece. I altered a painting I made long ago and didn't really like (4th picture). I added a mask and some digital add-ons (Itkupilli), and I like it better now.

I am also linking to Paint Party Friday.

This was the original, made with acrylics, sprays, gelatos and metallic pens.

And here another doodle - cats are definitely wonders of nature!

And for a change I am showing some photos of Zons, an ancient little town on the other side of the Rhine, about 15 miles up river:

The high water marks - all above my head!

 Have a great weekend, take care,

and thanks a lot for coming by!