Tuesday, February 10, 2015

MICETTO HILL




So here is the landscape painting where Micetto was sitting on the hill and looking out to the moon and starry sky dreaming in ~ON THE EDGE OF A DREAM


The painting originally had a mouse on the hill but with the magic of Photoshop I removed him and added Micetto (Elliot our big fat house cat) instead. I also lit up the stars and the quaint cottage down in the valley.
Very happy with this dreamy landscape titled 

Oooh and by the way, I thought you might like to know where the pet name for Elliot originates. Pope Leo XII had a kitty cat whose name was Micetto, Italian for kitty cat.

MICETTO HILL is available on SOCIETY6

“There are many things in life that will catch your eye, but only a few will catch your heart. Pursue these.”
— 
Michael Nolan


Maybe this artwork has caught your heart.

 MICETTO HILL ~ Art and Canvas Prints available on SOCIETY6




Artwork on SOCIETY6 can be purchased on Canvas or Print  as well as Mugs,  Laptop, iPhone Skins, Tote Bags, Pillows, Shower Curtains and many more items. 




Until Later,
Annabelle

Saturday, February 7, 2015

ON THE EDGE OF A DREAM






 Our big fat house cat Elliot was the model for this adorable fat cat. Both the moon and the cat were taken from two of my previous paintings and incorporated into a digital design. I think Ellie looks even cuter than before in his cow-like patches.



ON THE EDGE OF A DREAM PRINTS AVAILABLE ON SOCIETY6 

             

Friday, February 6, 2015

A DREAM PILLOW SO I DON'T HAVE TO DREAM ALONE

So I don't have to dream alone ……





While I was designing this graphic illustration of a blue moon and ghost cat in a tuxedo I never thought past the art print until I posted it up on Society6. Then when my daughter was looking at the Society6 Shop page she remarked how she thought ‘Blue Moon’ would make a PUURRFECT PILLOW.....A PUURRFECT DREAM PILLOW!
Glad I took her advice, love it’s whimsical look. 

The pillow for sale on SOCIETY6 doesn’t come with the insert so you’ll have to buy it separately but what’s really nice about it is the zippered pillowcase can be easily cleaned and another bonus is you can keep a secret tiny dream pillow inside it.

Now when you go to sleep at night you wouldn’t have to dream alone; you’ll have a dream pillow to keep you company on your nocturnal journey into the fairytale land of nod. 

Do you believe in Magic?
Believe in the Magic of a Dream Pillow for whatever herbal potion you mix you’ll dream!


Magic Potion Blends by Jim Long

.Stress-Reducing 
.Pleasant Dream 
.Romantic Dream
.Creative Dream
.Travelling Dream
.Great Outdoors
.Holiday
.Prophecy

A few links to the history and making of Dream Pillows enjoy!









As you drift away to sleep
Hold the mystic pillow tightly
Enchanted fairies dance around
Enjoy those vivid visions nightly 

Later as the morning breaks
Those magic dreams begin to fray
Only then if you believe
Will nights enchantments fill your day 

~Annabelle

And now I'll go to sleep and dream again with a poem, a song and Dream Pillow next me....maybe hubby too : )


Sweet Dreams
Annabelle



Monday, February 2, 2015

BLUE MOOOOOOON ~ Bom Ba Ba Dang Dang Ding Dong Ding Blue Mooooooon


Blue Moon, you saw me standing alone
Without a Dream in my Heart
Without a Love of my own

Blue Moon, you knew just what I was there for......




 "In Pussy Cat Heaven I thought my chances be better in finding true love."

Poor Pussy Cat all dressed in a fine black tuxedo but has no date.

Two very familiar faces; Dirt the Ghost Cat and Blue Mooooooon are originally from an early painting I did titled ' A Midnight Chat'. Another cat, our big fat house cat Elliott, eventually replaced Dirt.
So I thought I would give Dirt and Blue Mooooooon  a new place to haunt. 
Always loved the song ' Blue Mooooooon' and so here is another 'Blue Mooooooon' in a digital /painting. 

Hope you like it.
Available for purchase on Society6 

Until Later,
Annabelle


And here is Blue Mooooooon courtesy of Nick Milano Youtube 

Friday, January 30, 2015

Always Kiss the Moon Goodnight




Graphic Design / Painting 

Gallery quality GiclΓ©e print on natural white, matte, ultra smooth, 100% cotton rag. acid and lignin archival paper using Epson K3 archival inks. Custom trimmed with 1" border for framing. 
Different sizes available. Available on  SOCIETY6




Tuesday, January 27, 2015

CABINET OF OLD SECRET LOVES ~ SOCIETY6 SHOP & BANNER




So what do you think? 

A simple Shop Banner for my shop CABINET OF OLD SECRET LOVES  on SOCIETY6. Nothing fancy, just a sign with my shop's name on it and a photograph I took of a stained glass Lovers Eye and Spider Pendant I made.

Didn't take me long to make, under an hour but once you know your way around Photoshop this banner can be done in a 1/4 of the time it took me. Out of practice I'm afraid.

Mean while I need to check on the correct dimensions required by Society6 to upload jpegs of artwork for printing. I want to make sure they are of the highest quality before they are ready for purchase. 

Until Later,
Annabelle

Monday, January 26, 2015

❤ SECRET WINDOW ❤



❤ SECRET WINDOW ❤



The year was 1786. King George IV had the artist Richard Cosway paint the eye of his secret lover , Maria Fitzherbert ; only he and his inamorata knew the secret.

The Lover's Eye became popular during the reign of King George IV when he commissioned an artist to depict a rendering of his secret lover's eye to wear in a locket secretly keeping her identity unknown.

Love, in many cases of marriage was non existent and therefore affairs of the heart were conducted in obscurity and concealment from the public eye. To keep one's love a secret and close to their heart, they wore an affectionate reminder, in this case the eyes of their paramour inside a secret locket.

Clandestine Lover's Eye Love Tokens were all the rage in 18th and 19th century. And why not , they were the perfect secret love keepers. They were virtually impossible to ever give the secret identity of the lover away!

Because of my undying adoration for eyes , spiders, webs, Victorian Gothic Ghostly Tales , EDGAR aLLAN pOE and black I dreamed up this Secret Lover's Eye series ,actually a "Haunted Secret Lovers Eye Collection".

New to my Haunted Secret Lovers Eye Collection 

 ~ SECRET WINDOW ~


This Lover's Eye is A PRINT OF AN ORIGINAL PHOTOGRAPH OF AN ORIGINAL CHARCOAL ILLUSTRATION .


A charming, whimsical and mysterious Love Token popularized by London High Society during late 1700's.

This art work will certainly strike up a conversation of curiosity both for the art work and it's inspiration.


If interested in purchasing this art print of a

❤ SECRET WINDOW ❤ 




The artist retains the copyright Annabelle 2015¨¨¨°ΒΊ©©ΒΊ°¨¨¨¨°ΒΊ©©ΒΊ°¨¨¨¨¨°ΒΊ©©ΒΊ°¨¨¨¨°ΒΊ©©ΒΊ°¨°ΒΊ©©ΒΊ°¨¨¨¨¨¨°ΒΊ©©ΒΊ°¨¨¨¨¨¨°ΒΊ©©ΒΊ°¨¨¨¨°ΒΊ

Sunday, January 25, 2015

FRIDAY ON MY MIND AND BODY ~ ITS ALL BECAUSE OF FITBIT




It was some years ago when the Internet was just beginning to stretch out its spidery web that I made my very first purchase on- line. It was a Science Fiction movie for my husband’s birthday.
When it finally arrived I was surprised to find 2 of the same movie in the box, I had bought more than one and had no idea how I had managed it. There was really no reason to send the one back since it would have cost more to do the transaction but now I see that its not a bad thing after all because once the kids move out the two movies will be a perfect going away present for them. 



The Movie ~ 
The 1964 Science Fiction Classic 
 ‘Robinson Crusoe on Mars’ 
Starring Paul Mantee as Kit Draper and Victor Lundin as Friday.
 Do any of you out there remember it? I’m sure many baby boomers do.
I was quite young when I first saw this movie on TV, and when I met my husband we discovered we both had watched it as kids and fallen in love with it.


I love everything about this movie. From its marvelously designed lonely Martian landscape filmed in vast Techniscope and brilliant color to the imaginative concepts and beautifully written script. And it was no wonder to learn that some of the concepts used in RCOM were years later used in Tom Hank’s ‘Castaway’.
Of course one could never forget the little earthly creature in the space suit. The most memorable of all film monkeys to me was ‘Mona’ the astronaut monkey. I bet a lot of kids back then wanted a monkey like Mona just like I did.





There are always some memorable moments in a good movie and what one remembers is not always what another viewer might recall but with an unforgettable story some of those scenes become the movie’s trade card. Amongst the many scenes I liked of RCOM I have fondly remembered two, which have stuck with me forever. 

One of the scenes was where Draper and Friday are eating the green water plants with such delightful fervor that I couldn’t help but have the craving for the alien plant and wondered then if it also grew on Earth.



The other scene was the alien space ships tracking Friday by his wristbands and necklace he wore. A devise used by the aliens on their slave miners to keep track and control.


space gif by ~ All Kinds of Awesome 



So why have I written this post on the Sci-Fi movie? Well, you see aside from attesting to a beloved Sci-Fi film and to point out to those who have missed it, a high recommendation to watch it, it’s the relation of the movie to a certain gadget I received this weekend that stirred up my memory of the movie where I had seen something similar.


Yesterday my husband bought me a FitBit wristband. He thinks it would be a great tool to kick start my journey to a healthier me. Now everyone in the family has one and not only can we track our personal daily calorie intake, food, sleep, heart rate etc but also track each-other to keep everyone on track.

I don’t like wearing jewelry much and have never worn a watch for more than a day in all of my life and the thought of wearing a band made of plastic 24/7 and in bed didn’t appeal much to me not to mention I would be tracked. Almost like being hunted by Man Tracker lol. Then another analogy flashed before me and I recalled what Friday (the slave in RCOM) had worn, a wristband/ shackle. The aliens had put tracking devises on their miner slaves in case they escaped.
A thought occurred to me, God my husband wants me to wear a Friday Slave Band.


Well, after the first day of wearing Friday, guess what, 
I'm in the lead : )
 Already got past 10,000 points! Hooray! How long will I last? I hope long enough to meet my goal and loose 30 pounds by July /2015.


Friday ( FitBit ) so far isn’t so bad ; )
It actually shows the rest of the family that mom just doesn’t sit on the couch all day playing on the computer ….lol .
But seriously, I do hope I can keep this up; really want to loose the 30 pounds by July. Now all I have to do besides eating clean and exercising each day is make sure I keep the FitBit wristband on.
Referring to the FitBit wristband as Friday for me works. If I think of it has a wristband that can't be taken off in all likely hood there is a better chance for me to keep it on longer and that’s a good thing because this little exercise helper is like a personal trainer.

Maybe, Castaway wasn't the only one borrowing ideas from RCOM, maybe FitBit was inspired by RCOM too and I'm inspired by FitBit to work on being a healthier me. 

Wish me luck : ) 

Now guys (family) I’m taunting you : )

Until Later,
Annabelle



Oooh, and one more thing, I forgot to show you what the FitBit wristband looks like.


I took the picture earlier this morning since then I have once again reached the 10,000 steps for the day, actually more like 10,209.


And I just had to add this in.



Cookie Monster Chocolate Chip Cookies



Hubby and daughter baked these last week , definitely the Best Chocolate Chip Cookies I have ever eaten and just in time when I decide to watch the calories.



Oh well, something to look forward to as a special treat.

At the moment I see someone is enjoying my cookie : )











Thursday, January 22, 2015

The Rose Experiment ~ Beautiful Things Happen When One Experiments a Little




Beautiful Things HappenWhen One Experiments a Little : )



I love waking up in the early morning hours when the world is still and yet not awake and if one desires company they only need to tap on a switch and connect.  

I made my coffee and then reconnected to the previous night’s reading list on my computer I had book marked before retiring to bed.
I found way too much information on art mediums and techniques, more than I could ever do in one life time but a small, quick paper craft incorporating the recycled coffee filters I had amassed in recent months stirred my desire to create the simple project. 

I began by stacking 4 to 6 coffee filters together and started cutting a spiral into the circles. I realized half way in that I had done this before only I had used wool felt. So I stopped cutting and turned my attention to how the filters were tinted in such gorgeous soft muted colours. I dug around for the food colouring they had used but alas was out of luck and had to find an alternative substitute, which led me to Raspberry jam. Yes, jam.

I know I'm kind of  crazy but I thought why not it’s just a little experiment and no harm, Its not like I was going to eat them although the perfume of raspberry is pretty darn yummy and so very tempting!

I manipulated the filters, added water, salt and some Raspberry jam, scrunched, baked and baked again creating some very interesting textures. 

It is only now I see it for what it is. 

A Rose




Romantic and so Victorian!
I think the Rose Experiment turned out quite lovely, don’t you think? 


A New Hybrid Tea Rose that won't  die, almost eternal and will keep smelling sweet all the year through : ) 

'Raspberries and Dreams'
















And the experiment revealed another secret.
As I was shaping the roses , pansies appeared . 







Raspberry Parfait



I don't think I will be working with jam any time soon , that is in art but I will most certainly be making these again and this time with food colouring and maybe paints and inks, the normal art stuff : )

Hope you liked my silly little experiment.

Here are the links to two Rose Tutorials 






Until Later, 
Annabelle

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