Close your Eyes..

In a conversation with an old friend the other day she asked

'Do these people ever see?'

I knew exactly what she meant.

Some people seem to wear blinkers and miss the tiny wild flower or the little bird busily making it's nest. Driving a car unfortunately you do miss a lot but if you are lucky enough to be out walking, there are so many treasures and miracles to see and enjoy. I'm sure people who are blind can appreciate the  smells and sounds of nature and often can 'see' more than we.

So I was thinking along these lines as I made this collage.

Oh to be able to see like the owls!

I have at last agreed to go and stay with my sister for a few days. I kept putting it off for one reason or another but I've made the executive decision and she is fetching me on Thursday morning so I don't even have to drive. Hopefully I shall be able to keep up with some of you while I am away.

Hugs

June xxx

Sunday Postcard Art.. Home Sweet Home..

This is my Fairie's Home Sweet Home

for the Sunday Postcard Art Challenge.

Take a Word Challenge..Vintage..

Here is my Collage for Three Muses Take a Word Challenge

this week..Vintage.

I've gone back to vintage schooldays.

Believe..

I fell in love with this portrait by Carlo Dolci.

The Christ Child.

Encouragement.

It may be free but it is invaluable.

The German writer Goethe once said...

Treat people as if they are what they ought to be

and you will help them become what they are capable of becoming.

I tried very hard to be encouraging to my children, telling them they could do

whatever they set their minds to.

Perhaps it's why there is so much crime among young people today.

Perhaps they were not encouraged enough...

Wishing..

Is she wishing for something unreachable, a lost love maybe. Or wishing she did not let him go.....
The background and elements are from a new kit I have by Jean Dougherty. 'The Age of Romance'.

Blue Butterfly fairy..

Let's hope we get some warmer weather soon else her body will be as blue as her wings!

On a more positive note I am pleased to say elpapou of the Mona Lisa site has joined my followers. Welcome! I have now reached 95 followers! So I thought if I reach a hundred I will have a little competition and give a small prize. So watch this space!!

Hugs xx

Time..

I've been awake hours but I feel somehow drained today.

Perhaps it's because of the letter we received yesterday.

It's a copy of the letter the heart specialist has sent to Freddie's doctor.  It confirms he has severe aortic stenosis, impaired LV function, type 11 diabetes and peripheral vascular disease.

It doesn't make good  reading. She said with the heart muscle being affected by aortic stenosis they go toward aortic valve surgery. He has a very high risk of not coming through the operation or coming through with some major complication.
She is happy to go with his decision of not having an operation, as he is sure in his own mind.

We knew this already but seeing it written down in black and white.......brings it closer....

Ces Beaux Yeux..

Altered Mona Lisa..

I received a request asking me if my altered Mona Lisa could be featured on this French web site. It features nothing but altered Monas from all over the world and some are fantastic creations. This morning I was told it was there, with thanks.  Mona Lisa site
Click this link to see.
I was also pleased to see Monas from Granny Annie, Marie in Oz, Peppapig and Femmy.
He has put a link to our blogs under all of our pics. Worldwide fame!!

Just to let you all know, my hats still all fit me! LOL!

Please scroll down to see all of todays posts.         Thank you.

                    Hugs June xx

Blue Eyes..

Was it a Dream?

I walked alone through the wood, listening to the sounds of nature; the chirping of birds, the humming of bees, the rustle of a gentle breeze through the leaves. The sunlight made gentle shafts of golden light as it filtered down through the trees.

I came to a clearing. There stood a giant oak tree, truly a magnificent sight. I sat down on an old log beneath it's shade, leaning my back against his trunk. Silent, still.....

Then I became aware of his breathing, a gentle rythym. I placed my hands behind me on his trunk and I could feel his heart beating, strong and steady. It surged through my hands, up my arms and into my own body, until it reached my heart.
I heard a soft whisper....Get up and dance...it said.

So I stood up, took a few uncertain steps, then skipped and twirled, spinning and dancing as if I was weightless. A great feeling of joy filled my whole being.
I looked back at him and I was still sitting beneath his great spreading branches.
How could that be?

I skipped back to the tree and sank again into my own body.

Silent, still....

Again I felt his breathing, his heartbeat and it felt as if soft branches like arms held me.....and loved me...whispering...Beloved....

Then suddenly I was at the edge of the wood again.
What had happened? Was it a dream? I think not as I felt renewed, energised, uplifted and filled with joy.

Oh..the wondrous Spirit of Trees..........

The Last Betsy..

I thought I'd squeeze in one last post before I toddle off to bed.

This is definitely the last collage of Botanical Betsy.

I've really enjoyed playing with this lovely picture and hopefully it

will give you some ideas how you can use  just one main 'ingredient'

 and by altering colourways, backgrounds and elements you can

create a completely different look.

I do hope you've enjoyed this little series!

Night night! Hugs

June xxx

Queen of Tagmakers..

I made this collage for dear Cindy the other day. She really is the Queen of Tagmakers, always so prolific and creative. generous to a fault and I think she must never sleep!
She posted the pic on her site and I thought I'd post it here in case you missed it. You must go and see her fantastic tags and give aways.

Altered Canvas..

Most of you know I don't 'do' much cutting, papering and glueing etc. and my hands often let me do hardly anything these days. But I've been inspired by so many beautiful things I've seen I felt like having a go! So this a stretched canvas 12" x 8". I just want some velvet ribbon to go around the edge. That will have to wait until I can go out whenever.......the rest I had in my stash. The lace down the left side is hand crocheted. Top left is a vintage opticians glass I've had a long while. The flower leaves much to be desired but I tried.

What do you think all you experts out there? xx

Sad Betsy..

Love yourself.

When you need tender care. When you are tired & upset. When you feel uncomfortable in your skin. When you feel unlovable. When you feel alone. When you've had a rough day. When everything feels wrong. When the love you need can only be described as "tough love." When you watch the sun lighten the sky. When a kitten snuggles up beside you. When you take that first sip of coffee. When you step into that wonderful hot shower. When you're sitting on the bus, on the metro, walking to the office. When you are answering phone call after phone call, replying to e-mails without end. When your co-workers make you crazy. When you come out of a meeting that can only be labeled Victory. When you make plans with a dear friend. When you walk under the sunlight. When you stretch your arms up to reach the sky. When you wrap yourself up in blankets. When you close your eyes for the night. When you realize you've been blessed with 24 amazing hours. When you realize that tomorrow's promise is limitless.

Love yourself.


Give yourself permission: to take a mental health day, not do the laundry, wash the dishes tomorrow, walk slowly & not rush from place to place or thought to thought. To breathe deeply, to watch an episode of your favorite TV show, to close the door, to take time to yourself so that you will be refreshed. To say no, to honor your boundaries, to be honest with the people around you, to say I love you, to hold the ones you love close & to say goodbye to the ones that need to leave. To begin a new chapter, or just turn the page of the chapter you're in.


Love yourself.

I can't remember where I got this, perhaps somebody sent it me in an email but I thought it worth showing you. it may ring a few bells! Perhaps we don't love ourselves enough and we should We are each unique, Children of God, each with many different talents and we are all beautiful.

Last but not least I would like to welcome two new followers to my blog, SA Designs and Supersnooks. Love your name! I hope you'll enjoy it here, meet new friends and don't be afraid to comment!.          
Hugs  June xxx

Theme Thursday Challenge..Red and Black

Theme Thursday have challenged us to do something in

Red snd Black.

This is a little different for me but it would make a

strong masculine card I thought, perhaps with the addition of a

sticker saying Best Wishes or Get Well Soon,

what do you think?

Waiting for Spring..

It's Botanical Betsy again, this time without her bees.

The girl is by Melissa Haslam and I think so beautiful. I gave her a

touch of colour, added the tilip and magnolia and overlaid her

with wild roses. It's very dull and wet here so I think

she brightens the day.

Three Muses Challenge..Fashion..

The Challenge up tomorrow from Three Muses is FASHION.

I've chosen to do Recycled fashion for my collage.

As you can see her dress is recycled and I don't think you

could sit down in it! And even  the background is

a heap of waste paper ready to be recycled.

Main images Googled.

Alphabets..

After all the excitement yesterday I thought I'd show you how I'm getting on

with my Alphabet collages. These are all made with older pictures and

scrapbook sets from my stash which is now enormous!!

I'm actually working on E but the two ladies in F were sent to me by

Tonya of Hillbilly Handiworks. They were either friends or relations

but she doesn't know who they are or were. She has sent me several old

photos so I hope you see this Tonya. Thank you.

Also after yesterday I have some new followers join me.

So thank you to Jennifer, Creations by Tee and Linda! Welcome.

And Linda if you have a blog do send me your addy so I can visit.

Big Hugs and Thank You to everyone who came and visitted

yesterday and left such wonderful posts.

June xxx

Nigel's Summer Dream..

My friend Nigel has really brightened up his blog and a new

picture of himself, whence I admired his spiffy waistcoat.

I'm still in a Magic Mode so I just couldn't resist making this

collage. He'll probably kill me.......but then he should think

himself lucky I didn't Steampunk him!

Lots to tell you today.
First I have been featured on Cindy Adkin's new weekly online magazine Whimsical Musings Magazine. She has talked about 5 artists and I am honoured and humbled that she has chosen me as one of them. Do go and have a look, you won't be disappointed.
Cindy herself is one very talented lady who I am proud to call a real friend. She is one of the most spiritual, sharing and generous women I know. Thank you so much Cindy.xx

Next I have been awarded another button by Tonya of Hillbilly Handiworks. Thank you Tonya, I am apparently one Stylish Blogger! I have this button up already but I'm trying to think of 5 things you don't know about me...

1  I made my own wedding dress.
2  I made my daughter's wedding dress.
3  I had both my babies at home.
4  I have Lupus.
5. I think I was born too soon as I still have so much to do....

And I have a new Follower! Thank you Linda of Country Pickins for joining me. It's always grand to welcome a new friend. I shall be so pleased to read your comments here!

Finally...last night I went to Chapel where we had a lovely service of Church Unity. The congregation was made up of Methodists, Anglicans and Roman Catholics. A beautiful service with humour added and a super get-together after over coffee and biscuits. I met a dear friend I have not seen for years and I hope we may now keep in touch.

Magic..

Magic can mean many things to many people. There are those who

follow 'The Craft', and use their own Magic; personally I'm a devotee

of the magic of myth and fairytales. I also believe in the magic of

little everyday things, the giggle of a child, a butterfly fluttering lazily past,

a hen pheasant leading her brood across the road. So many little things.

Have you ever read 'Living Magically' by Gill Edwards?

She encouraged me to look for that piece of magic every day and I

share it with you.  Just look and you will always find it......

Take a Word Challenge..Botanicals..

I decided on a more lighthearted approach to the Take a Word Challenge

this week.

So may I introduce Botanical Betsy.

She does a bit of sketching on the side...

Dezinaworld Childs Play...

Tomorrow, Monday, June at Dezinaworld is putting up her new

collage sheet of gorgeous vintage images, called

Childs Play.

These are two cards I made for her from the beautiful images.

A is for Adventurers..

Finding time to browse through friend's blogs I came upon  dear Linda at

Just Another Volunteer

She has the most beautiful collages with quotes and is doing an

Alphabet project. I asked if I could pinch her idea and start one of my own,

hopefully at the end to publish them in another little book.

So here is my first one.

 I intend to put the initial on every one so

it is not the same as Linda's.

A is for Adventurers.

And throught the centuries there has been countless numbers.

Adventurers, treasure hunters, pioneers etc.

SoArtful Challenge..Edwardian Era..

Soartful Challenged us this week to do something with the Edwardian era

 in mind. A wonderful era indeed and women may have thought they were

becoming more liberated but in a lot of cases it was still a Men's World.

I'm sure some of them were thrilled with Edwardian actresses...

Sunday Postcard Art Challenge..

The Sunday Postcard Art Challenge this week is PENS AND PENCILS.

It took me a couple of days to think something up, I felt quite baffled!

Well here is my Postcard. Hope it suits the theme.

The Visitor..

It's already Saturday in my part of the world. I didn't sleep well as usual so I came on here at 4am. had a browse, read my email and then made this.

I didn't know what to call it but the Overlay has Rackham's Fairy Queen in the corner so she could be paying a royal visit.

I spoke to my Grandson Richard last evening. His wife has been very poorly all the week and the children also. He had just returned from the doctors and it seems Ashton and Skyela both have Scarlet Fever. Poor kiddies. You hardly ever hear of it these days and it's not the terrible illness it used to be. With modern antibiotics they'll feel much better soon. I think they've had the worst part all week.

I had Scarlet Fever in 1940 when my Mother and I went to Maidstone to be near to where my Father was stationed. It was considered a very infectious illness and I was hospitalised for 6 weeks. My Mum was not allowed to visit me the whole time. I can remember the very large mixed ward and one little boy always jumping out of bed and running around but that's all I remember.

The toys I took in with me I was not allowed to bring home,

Richard was horrified when I told him this. It must have been quite traumatic to me at 4 years old.
Good job I can't remember! LOL!

Lookee! Lookee!

Just look what the Postman  brought for me.

I am speechless with wonder at the beautiful workmanship

of this gorgeous card and book.

These were from my dear friend Cheryl just for making her a picture.

Really I don't deserve them, just think of the hours of work

gone into them.

The photos don't do them justice. I've tried to show you the covers 

and end papers. Really it looks like a precious little antique.

And the embellishments........!

Thank you, thank you, I shall treasure them. xx

Party Time!..

Well we all love a bit of a Knees-Up so I'm hoping this will

cheer my dear friend Bill just a bit.

I'm there too but you can't see me. I think I had a bit too much

lemonade and I'm on the floor behind the curtain!

Cheers Bill xx

Dezinaworld Picture Tags..

Tomorrow (Friday) dear June at Dezinaworld is putting up

her new Collage Sheet, 'Picture Tags'.

Here are a couple of pics I made for her showing a sample of what

you could do with them. They are really pretty and tags always come in handy.

* * * * *

I've had a long day and even though it's only 9.30pm here I feel so

tired so I am now toddling off to bed.

Night night everyone.xx

Love..

I made this a few days ago with a new kit I've bought from

Jean Dougherty Designs.

I have several of her kits and was saddened to learn she has recently died.

Her kits are still available at Heritage Scrap.

Theme Thursday Challenge..Love..

The Challenge this week on Theme Thursday is LOVE.

I have chosen to do a collage with Romantic Love as the subject.

The idealised view of Love complete with Victorian Valentine

 embellishments,

love letters and the key to my heart and all the mush young girls

dream about! Sadly it doesn't always turn out as expected.

Nature Walks..

Just for Fun.

Kaleidoscope..

In this collage I've used the photograph of the beautiful Rose Window 'The Bishop's Eye' I told you about a few days ago. I think it looks very pretty if it's enlarged a bit.

Here is another nice 'Pome' by Iris Hesselden. She seems a very prolific writer but I like her gentle, simple style. Probably because I'm a bit simple too eh?

A NEW BEGINNING

Each day is a new adventure, who knows what it may hold?

A voyage of discovery with stories to unfold.

Who knows how many people and places we may see?

How many new imaginings will help to set us free?

Each day brings opportunities to journey far and wide,

Sometimes without a single step beside our own fireside.

So always travel cheerfully, enjoying every mile,

Adventure in your heart and soul, the journey is worthwhile.

I think my computer takes me on voyages of discovery, learning new things, meeting lovely people, journeying far and wide though seated in a wheelchair. I love my PC!!

Three Muses Challenge..Artist of Choice..

 I loved this Challenge. So many wonderful artists to choose from but I found the picture above by a modern artist, Mikhail Federenko, born in 1960. I think the model is his wife. I love this kind of art and I turned her into a proud Warrior Queen. I hope you like her.

Wedding Day..

Since I put the picture up of my grandmother with her twins I have been thinking of her all day. It's sad a wedding picture didn't survive, if she ever had one. So I googled an Edwardian bride and I've made this.

I know it isn't quite right but I think she well deserved such a beautiful gown  and with the help of Photopshop I've given her one.

Sweet Thang..

I've been rambling on this morning with serious stuff (scroll down if you dare) so

I thought I'd better finish with something that hopefully

will give you a smile.

She's not Mae West but there's a certain something about her!

A dear friend wrote on her blog how she enjoyed the snow as a child, playing in the woods under a 'tunnel' of branches. Of course it took me back to my childhood and where I played. I grew up in what would now be called a 'slum area'.Tiny 2 up, 2 down houses, jammed against the one next door, and the one next to that. We lived in numbered Rows or alleys. In those days you knew all your neighbours who would always help out in any difficulty and you never locked doors. There were no trees or green grass.

The town where I lived was bombed badly in WW11 and we were lucky we had no direct hits, only bomb blast damage. The area where I lived was surrounded with bombed out houses, which was where we played . Some were completely flat so we used the bricks to make our own little 'rooms'  in their tiny back yards, complete with brick chairs, and a brick table covered with a piece of rag for a table cloth and holding an empty meat paste jar with a few weeds for decoration.

I remember clearly sifting through bomb rubble with my friends and finding maybe books, photographs or even a powder puff belonging to some poor bombed out family who may even have been killed.

We were not allowed on the beach which had been mined but my little best friend Marlene found a hole in the barbed wire and wondered onto the beach. All they found of her was a shoe...........

A lifetime ago and I am thankful always for having survived to have my own dear family and live in a better world. Oh that everybody could say the same.........

I've rambled on too much.....Hugs
                                    June xxx

Grandmother..

This is a photograph of my dear Grandmother, Ethel Miriam Wrenn nee Mallett with her twins. Sadly they both died at about 6 months old, probably with something that antibiotics could have saved today.

I have no pictures of her when younger or on her wedding day so I treasure this one.

She died in 1961, just a couple of weeks before my daughter was born.

Another Altered Mona..

I wondered if I dared show this.

This was my first altered Mona before I

turned her into a ballerina.

Poor thing was soooo ugly!

Take a Word Challenge..Butterflies..

I absolutely loved the challenge on take a Word from Three Muses

this week. Something that suited my Inner Child to a T.

Fairy land and Fantasy.

So here is my Butterfly Queen.

I hope you like her.

Dezinaworld Images..

June at Dezinaworld has a new collage sheet up today

'Angelic Faces'.

Absolutely delightful vintage images of pretty children,

always worth keeping in your stash. They come in so handy

for a card or collage or ATC.

I have made three examples for her here.

Sunday Postcard Challenge

The Sunday Postcard Challenge was to alter the picture of the Mona Lisa. I made her a ballet dancer.

Collage Obsession Challenge..

This weeks Collage Obsession Challenge was to make a collage with rather a crazy, manic Carnival setting, using the picture supplied. Here's my offering showing strong man Mario, who loves his Mom.

The Porcelain lady..

The lady in this collage I painted on a bevelled porcelain plaque

some 12 years ago. She hangs on my wall, framed in gold and

set on black velvet. She's not as dark as this in real life but I thought

I'd put her in a collage.

I've lost count of how many times she was fired in my kiln!.

Life...

Sometimes........