Love Your Pet ~ Paint Party Friday Week 26th

" Gloria taught me something I'd never known. That is, that you don't just have to have a dog around as a pet or a watchdog. You and the dog can become friends".  ~ Jimmy Stewart 

In the Latter part of the summer months we were busily renovating, juggling all the little orbs of life that it threw at us and basically eliminating much of our treasures free time which one relishes to enjoy, especially in the warm days of summer. Fortunately there was some time allotted for reading and watching a few films at night and of course I took in a few flicks of Jimmy Stewart's.

 I have always adored Jimmy Stewart and aside from Clint Eastwood being my favourite actor Jimmy was right there beside him only that I could relate to Mr. Stewart on a more normal everyday way; just really didn't know why. He was liked so much so even President Truman thought so when he said "If Bess and I has a son, we'd want him to be just like Jimmy Stewart". As usual, like most of us, I wandered down a path that in someway had connected with me and I began reading about Jimmy Stewart.Not surprisingly I discovered why I loved him so.Not only was he an incredible actor but it turns out he was quite a guy off screen.A gentleman who was "gracious and warm to both strangers and those who were barely familiar to him" for he always was in good humour especially so when out walking his dog Beau.Mr. Stewart always had a smile and hello according to Craig who lived around the corner from him. 

The more I read about him the more I fell head over heels on Jimmy Stewart all over again. And then I came across a clip of a Late Night Show appearance he did with Johnny Carson and spoke about his dog named "Beau", I was touched by his deep appreciation of his love for his pet. This was just another trait of Mr. Stewart that I could relate to not to mention he had also written a poem for his beloved dog named Beau. Myself and my family know very well what he spoke about in his poem and I quickly ordered his book from the library and had fun reading his poetry once again enjoying the poem he wrote for his pet. 

I mentioned a while back on Paint Party Friday I was painting some characters for a children's book I was writing and although it is a very huge task for me for I am neither a writer or artist I do know I am lucky to realize that I possess some tools to achieving my goal,

one being a very important, f not the key element to my success....."You can anything you want , if you want it desperately enough ". I'm not sure who wrote the quote although I remember reading a quote of Jim Carrey's saying something similar but essentially  conveying same message and I have to agree that the desire has to be tremendous of which I know I truly own. Sadly, during our renovations we lost our beloved pet Bandit (Our vampire love bird ). I wouldn't go into the details of his death for it will be in my book but what I can say is how much his passing was a mirror image of a human's departure from this earth.  

Bandit RIP 2011

And so I leave you this week with a few art renderings my daughter M did in digital paint for our pet cat, our fat house cat Elliot ~ Elly Angel. I will also include a few pics I want to submit to Costco for their photography contest they are  having this month and hope to get some feed back from all of you of which ones you think would be good submissions. 

Ranger the therapy cat whose owner Marc Lacourciere graciously agreed to let me enter him in the contest. I'm not sure how many I can enter but I know it is more than one so feel free to point out a few possible entries, thanks.

AND ONE MORE THING , I WILL BE HAVING A GIVEAWAY THIS COMING MONTH SATURDAY OCTOBER 1st FOR SOME VERY SPECIAL COMPUTER IMAGING SOFTWARE VALUED AT $80 WITH AN ADDITIONAL WORK OF ART DONE BY ME INCLUDED IN THE PRIZE, SO PLEASE DO COME BACK EACH WEEK FOR THE UPDATES   : )

Rip*** Elly 2001~2008

Ranger the Maine Coon Therapy Cat ~ owner Marc Lacourciere

 Grace our golden angel 

Elly playing Grandma ~ Flickr admirer tagged him that name....I think it fits puurfecatly...lol 

Carson the Vampire Church Cat 

A Lovely furry bunch 

Carson sick to his stomach after his bath 

 And once again Grace our golden mermaid who adores water! Would really appreciate some thoughts from everyone who visits.....thanks a bunch! So now here is Jimmy's poem about his beloved dog named Beau 

***** "Beau" ***** by Jimmy Stewart

He never came to me when I would call

Unless I had a tennis ball,

Or he felt like it,

But mostly he didn’t come at all.

When he was young

He never learned to heel

Or sit or stay,

He did things his way.

Discipline was not his bag

But when you were with him things sure didn’t drag.

He’d dig up a rosebush just to spite me,

And when I’d grab him, he’d turn and bite me.

He bit lots of folks from day to day,

The delivery boy was his favorite prey.

The gas man wouldn’t read our meter,

He said we owned a real man-eater.

He set the house on fire

But the story’s long to tell.

Suffice it to say that he survived

And the house survived as well.

On the evening walks, and Gloria took him,

He was always first out the door.

The Old One and I brought up the rear

Because our bones were sore.

He would charge up the street with Mom hanging on,

What a beautiful pair they were!

And if it was still light and the tourists were out,

They created a bit of a stir.

But every once in a while, he would stop in his tracks

And with a frown on his face look around.

It was just to make sure that the Old One was there

And would follow him where he was bound.

We are early-to-bedders at our house–

I guess I’m the first to retire.

And as I’d leave the room he’d look at me

And get up from his place by the fire.

He knew where the tennis balls were upstairs,

And I’d give him one for a while.

He would push it under the bed with his nose

And I’d fish it out with a smile.

And before very long

He’d tire of the ball

And be asleep in his corner

In no time at all.

And there were nights when I’d feel him

Climb upon our bed

And lie between us,

And I’d pat his head.

And there were nights when I’d feel this stareAnd I’d wake up and he’d be sitting there

And I reach out my hand and stroke his hair.

And sometimes I’d feel him sigh

and I think I know the reason why.

He would wake up at night

And he would have this fear

Of the dark, of life, of lots of things,

And he’d be glad to have me near.

And now he’s dead.

And there are nights when I think I feel him

Climb upon our bed and lie between us,

And I pat his head.

And there are nights when I think

I feel that stare

And I reach out my hand to stroke his hair,

But he’s not there.

Oh, how I wish that wasn’t so,

I’ll always love a dog named Beau.

THIS POEM WAS PUBLISHED  IN JIMMY STEWART AND HIS POEMS" BY JIMMY STEWART, A SHORT COLLECTION OF POEMS BY CROWN PUBLISHERS, INC. RELEASED IN 1989.

PLEASE VISIT EVERYONE ON PAINT PARTY FRIDAY HOSTED BY KRISTIN AND EVA

MIDNIGHT MARGARITAS ~ PAINT PARTY FRIDAY ~ Week 21

Completely forgot about PPF ; been busy with the house and getting ready for the move. 

So I thought better than nothing and missing out on the party that I share with you all a digital design I did last year for Halloween. I really miss working in this medium; especially incorporating actual paintings of mine with collaged images and then photoshop them together, truly a great art form. Love It!!!

Thank you Kristin ......your Margarita reminded me : )

Click on image to view larger....you will see more detail and maybe something you missed the first time around.

As you can see Jimmy is enjoying a Margarita .....the eyes ..?..  : )

Please visit all the participants at Paint Party Friday .... lots to see, admire and learn.

" Dirt The Ghost CAt " PAINT PARTY FRIDAY

It has been quite a while since I last participated in Paint Party Friday and my last submission was a  "Patch of Blue"; a night landscape of a crescent moon with a straggly tree on a knoll. 

I tried to place a sleeping critter beneath it but along the way, while we were off to Manitoba the painting changed direction and Dirt appeared; must have had something to do with the locality of where we took comfort for the few days we were there.

PineWood Lodge in the WhiteShell Provincial Park was a most satisfying escape and I would recommend it whole heartedly to anyone who wishes to find a secluded place for some tranquility and relaxation. Renting a cottage on the gorgeous serene Dorthy Lake with the occasional family of geese visiting does wonders for the mind and body and I suppose this is how Dirt came to be;  in any case I am very content with the end result.

Meet Dirt the ghost cat, my third instalment of characters for the little children's book I'm writing.

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My reason for the lengthy absence from blog land.....we are moving! Will explain at a later date.

Please visit the other participants of Paint Party Friday......

Hunting for Treasures

What Treasures do You Hunt for???

A Florentine art work of a miniature book on a green velvet mat beautifully framed in a most lovely gilded gold picture frame.

A MASTER'S TOUCH

Two Portraits from Florence Italy in gilded gold frames.

The one on the left is Hand of Man by Andrea Del Sarto

and the one to your right is Head of Woman by Leonardo Da Vinci

Treasures to Me......Much of what I collect is to use in my art work especially old vintage jewellery
and the old frames for spiders and webs; although some of these portraits and landscapes will be purely for admiring and inspiring.

 A lovely collection of vintage art and some not so very old like the girl in the wood miniature print on canvas "The Serenity of Solitude" by Cliff Sanderson printed in Italy. Unfortunately the canvas is a bit too big for the lovely gilded gold bird frame that I photographed it in. The silver paste heart I think is a scarf pin but I'm not so sure....any thoughts?

My Eye was Fooled

At first glance this photograph of an old farm house in an elaborate frame evokes a feeling of a by- gone era that survived many years, yet on a closer look the truth unfolds and exposes the reproduction.
I will be using this picture for another spider and web....it will be a great new home for Aunt Nancy.

A diamond paper weight from Winners bought at a yard sale, an amethyst from a thrift store, and very old bottles found at a fundraiser for kid's camp....... Loving the aqua blue bottle.

Another Fool the Eye...Satin Glass or Velvet Glass

This glass will fool you every time if viewed out of the light....It will look black in colour,

but once it is placed in the light the true colour will be revealed....the beautiful colour purple.

Next time I remember I will post some glass in the sunlight.

Madonna on a Blue Velvet Mat

The clear bottle has Paris and a bouquet of roses embossed in the glass. I may do a sculpture with this one but not a shell, something different.

Spider Jewels

This vintage brooch will become Aunt Nancy the Spider ...Lots of pretty crystals , a tole rose brooch and gorgeous pearls.  I'll be busy creating much with this lot!

I can already visualize Aunt Nancy the Spider on that Old Farm House Photograph.....Come to think of it, I have much to complete and continue visiting PPF posts....

I have always wanted this beautiful romantic Nymph and whimsical crocheted miniature umbrella.
The Nymph I found a while ago and this umbrella a few weeks ago. The black kitty-cat vase was found in Bishops Mills. The lady who was having the sale is a member of the Red Hat Society and it just so happened that she had a box full of vintage hats and one of them was a tiny red velvet hat she apparently decided earlier on before the start of the sale that she wasn't going to sell it but rather wear it herself; a great decision on her part for it really and truly looked lovely on her , not anything like Princess Beatrice's Royal wedding hat....wow, I hated that hat; anyway, back to the kitty I found. It just seemed to be waiting for me for I walked by it a few times and didn't notice what it was since it was face down in the grass by the sales table but on my last walk through I decided to pick it up and discovered it was a heavy kitty cat vase and since it had a chipped ear the lovely Red Hat Society gal gave it to me for free. I now use it for my tiny paint brushes and pussy cat purrfectly charms my table while holding my paint brushes ~^..^~ .... little things make me smile!

I did find a white hat with velvet forget-me-nots in the box but forgot to take a picture of it and I also forgot to take a picture of two framed art pieces , one an embroidery of an Airedale and the other of a terrier with a cute and sentimental poem written beside him....... Next show and tell {: )

A Beautiful Treasure Find !

A Little Black Purse to match my Little Black Dress that doesn't fit any more .... {: (

Well , Im guilty of eating too many sweets, carrot cake with cream cheese icing and butter tarts....need to stop and get back on track!
Luckily this purse is perfect for holding lots of silver and some treats but they wouldn't be sharing the space this time....need all the money I can get to go hunting for Treasures in Pinawa, Manitoba come Monday. I'll be gone for five days and on my return Friday I will be heading out later in the evening to " Hey Day" a fabulous Treasure Sale run by the Kemptville Hospital Auxiliary....Great place to find just that perfect Gem!

So I wouldn't be checking in on PPF Posts till the following day on Saturday although I hope to have something done by then to post for week13...my lucky #....I better have something!

I hope you've enjoyed my Show and Tell of Found Treasures..... I have so much more to show!

Until next time, DO WHAT YOU LOVE! Annabelle {: )

Dancing in a Fairy's Ring Paint Party Friday Week 12

A little late in posting this but I had a few errands to run before my daughter and I accompany hubby on his trip to Winnipeg next week. It will be M's first time on an airplane. Of course hubby got stop overs so she could experience the take offs and landings....my worse part of flying, I guess he forgot.

 I wanted to stay behind and let my son go but it didn't work out, so this time around it will just be the girls while hubby goes to work for the week; hopefully we will find plenty to do while we're there :)

So I didn't get a chance to finish "A Patch of Blue"...kind of stuck on what I wanted to put in that patch, I thought I did last week but then I changed my mind after looking at it for some time.The good news is I have finally figured it out but didn't have enough time to implement it so instead of missing this week's Paint Party Friday I elected to show case a few of M's illustrations. I also threw in there a little Artist Conk that I played around with a few weeks ago when I ran out of large Conks.....how sad ):   ....Actually it could pass off as an aceo, after all it is miniature measuring approximately  2" across x 1 1/2 inches in height x 1 1/2 inches in depth...not the size of an actual aceo but otherwise similar in it's small canvas space.

So here  are the three illustrations M did......years ago.....maybe I might entice her to bring them along on the trip for her to paint.

              

            A Crown M saw on the internet and decided to give it a try

A Baby Whale with Its Mom

  

And a  Seahorse

All these illustrations were done when she was in grade six.....a long time ago....time to PAINT them I say!

And here is the make shift ACEO...An Artist Conk 2 x11/2 x 11/2

Dancing in the Fairy's Ring

or

Dancing in the Rockets

These lovelies are one of my favourite Wild Flowers...Dames Rocket ~ Sweet Rocket

The Sweet Scent of Dames Rocket lures the Sphinx Moth to our garden

Sphinx Moth Image Wikipedia

A garden shouldn't be without them! Give them a try.

Kristin , tomorrow I will be posting a lot of the Treasures I found recently on my hunts....Promise!!!

Until next Paint Party Friday.....Happy Painting and whatever makes you HAPPY!

 Annabelle :)

CHECK OUT ALL THE PAINT PARTY FRIDAY  PARTICIPANTS HERE.....*^..^*

Oooh my Creative Process?....I never know until I get an idea , only then do I make a special note on paper of all the essentials required to make the vision come into being. Nature, Music, Poetry, Writing, art, life...... all that surrounds us is Inspiration to me.