Mystical Gypsy: April 2010

Monday, April 26, 2010

It's All Perception

My husband has the "glass is 1/2 full" outlook on life. He thinks I am a "glass is 1/2 empty" type. Actually I am more inclined to ask "what's in the glass?"

So that being said... my picture theme tonight is "random things on the ground."

Even if things are not looking up (which is not the case here at the time) and you find yourself downcast, look around! There are interesting things down on the ground. Here are just a few:

Always keep a camera on hand.

Because even if life is looking down right now, at least keep it interesting.

Life in Pixels.

It's all perception.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

FairyLand in the Pond

As I mentioned yesterday, the azaleas weren't in full costume yet, so I had to look for other interesting things to photograph.

I just love these root things. They make me think of some tiny fairy island.

I can imagine the wee folk sailing between the islands, living in the skyscrapers.

Going thru the tunnel to visit their kin on the other side.

Hey, with the news the way it is lately, can you blame me for indulging in a little fairy tale now & then?

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

So, we're on 'vacation' this week. Not the kind where you travel someplace new & exotic. This is the stay-at-home/catch-up-on-stuff kind of vacation. We did take a break yesterday to sleep late, go out for breakfast and venture out of town. Even though it was only a 45 minute drive, it was still out of town! Ya just need that sometimes to clear your head and get some perspective.

This particular photo excursion was to the Azalea Festival.

AJ took these four pictures. I'm so proud of him! He's actually quite good. The white one is my favorite. Technically, it's probably darker than it should be, but I love it as is. The composition, contrast of green & white, the soft focus...so pretty, so bridal. It looks great as my computer wallpaper.

The azaleas weren't at peak bloomage yet. The park didn't seem as lush as I remember, so I had to look purposefully for interesting (well, to me) things to photograph.

The sprinklers were all running & I thought the mists and water droplets created interesting effects.

So there you have, my series entitled: Sprinklers

Just in Time!

Hot pink & lime green. I love these colors! Always have.

The perfect adornment to crown my latest creation's pretty green coif.

I found the feathers on clearance after Christmas in the mini-tree decorations. I got some lime green ones & a few other things, too. That's a great place to stock up on doll trimmings!

Her top is a piece of hand-dyed silk from when I attempted to learn that particular artform. The little tap pants are trimmed in bright orange sequins left over from my banner-making days. She's holding a glass bubble I bought at Pier One a couple years ago. (I didn't like the hands & wanted to hide them.) I smiled when another doll artist said, "yep, you're a dollmaker now" because I combined 2 different patterns & made up the costume myself. WooHoo!

I finished her just in time for the TDD's April meeting. And just in time to start a new project in our 3-day workshop that begins tomorrow. I like to have projects completed before starting something new.

This workshop has even the experienced dollmakers among us all-a-jitter. Angela Jarecki will be teaching us how to sculpt a doll (view it here; she's called "Reluctance") with paperclay, then cover with fabric. If they're apprehensive, think how I must feel - this will only be my 5th doll!

Wonder what my little green-haired friend sees in her gazing ball?

Random Quotes

I'm a follower of Christ. I'm not really much of a "spiritual warrior", but I will darn well beat the literal hell out of the spirit of legalism. I navigated those waters in my 30s & spent my 40s being exhausted from it. Now I have neither the time nor the patience to deal with Pharisee thinking. ~MG
“Whatever you can do or dream, you can do it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.” ~Goethe
"Passion for something is the key to success because passion will not only get you to success, but passion also gets you through failure. ~Paul Stanley (KISS 'Starchild')
Save the planet; it's the only one with chocolate! ~CM
Here's how the conversation went: Me: "Dad, have you ever heard about a big bunker under the Denver airport?" Dad: "Nobody's supposed to know that." Me: "How long have you known?" Dad: "About 20 years. How do you know?" Me: "It's all over the internet." Dad: "That damn internet."
(The Mad Hatter) "Have I gone mad?" (Alice) "I'm afraid so. You're entirely bonkers. But I'll tell you a secret. All the best people are."
"You know nothing, Jon Snow." ~Ygritte (A Song of Ice & Fire)
"You have no idea what you don't know." ~JL
"You can't put chi on a hanger, mom." ~ Jeremy, Zits
"Ya cannot go to warp from a cold start!" ~Scotty
"What dreadful hot weather we have! It keeps me in a continual state of inelegance." ~Jane Austen
"We're all here to do what we're all here to do." ~The Oracle
"We're Americans. We have vowels." ~Brian H.
"War is always the choice - of the chosen - who will not have to fight." ~Bono
"U2: it's like the soundtrack of my life" ~C.L.
"Tomorrow is always partly yesterday. Apparently." ~Anton Corbijn, Linear
"There are only bad options; it's about finding the best one... 'You don't have a better bad idea than this?'..'This is the best bad idea we have, sir." ~Argo
"The only thing better than being alive in reality is being alive fictionally as well." Kit Harington (who plays Jon Snow in Game of Thrones, where most characters get killed off)
"The inner workings of a church should not play out like an episode of 'Game of Thrones'. ~MG
"The Bat Signal is not a beeper." ~Batman (Batman Forever)
"Taxes. They're soooo UN-Rock 'n Roll." ~Rock of Ages
"Sometimes it is a brave gesture to withdraw. And sometimes it is braver to stay." ~Jessica, The Winds of Dune
"Quiet the mind and the soul will speak."
"Perfection can lead to procrastination, which can lead to paralysis."
I believe in creating beauty and order, not because life is perfect, but because it isn’t. ~ Jennifer Maker
"The song of your life should reflect the goodness & power of God. It shouldn’t be a blues tune." ~Pastor Orlando
"One does not simply walk into Mordor." ~Boromir, LOTR
"My opinions are free and everybody is entitled to them." ~MG
"My darling girl, when are you going to realize that being normal is not necessarily a virtue? It rather denotes a lack of courage!" ~ movie quote
"Life looks different on the other side of love." ~ wise words from a father to his son
"Life is messy. You need a good degreaser." ~AJ
"Let folks go. Some people come into your life for a lifetime; some come for a season. You got to know which is which. You gonna always mess up when you mix them seasonal people up with lifetime expectations." ~Wisdom from Madea
"Judgement died and grace was born." ~JP
"Irony rocks!" ~C.L.
"In the end, the only thing you own is your story." Drover (Hugh Jackman), Australia
"If you're not living on the edge, you're taking up too much space." ~ WCM
"I've told you a million times: stop exaggerating!" ~unknown
"I'm not paranoid. I just pay attention." ~Bob Dean, UFOlogist
"I'd rather wear black in August than do one sit-up." ~JB
"I think my biggest achievement is that, after going through a rather difficult time, I consider myself comparatively sane." Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
"I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by." ~Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
"I don't regret anything I've ever done; as long as I enjoyed it at the time." ~Katherine Hepburn
"I don't believe in reincarnation; but if I did, I'm pretty sure this is my first time around." ~Mystical Gypsy
"I do not care what comes after; I have seen the dragons on the winds of morning." ~Ursula K.LeGuin,The Farthest Shore
"I am a bit of a unicorn." ~Sheldon (Big Bang Theory)
"God never changes. But He changes everything." ~MG
"Getting my way in all things has an amazingly therapeutic effect on my mood disorder." ~Jaguarwoman (a 65 yr old self-taught, incredibly talented, graphic artist)
"Game of Thrones...it's like a history test, but with dragons." ~unknown
"Forgive & forget." or "Pretend to forgive, then annihilate." ~ multiple choice quiz
"Fate rarely calls upon us at a moment of our choosing." ~Optimus Prime
"Everything you want is on the other side of fear." ~Jack Canfield
"Every woman is an Empress at heart." ~MG
"Every so often, life offers up a small morsel of sweet, and rather poetic, cosmic justice." ~Emp
"Don't underestimate me...believe everything you've heard." ~ Joanne Herring, Charlie Wilson's War
"Cometh the hour; cometh the man." ~unknown
"By His grace, an American life is an extraordinary life." ~Sarah Palin
“I’ve probably done something that stupid…it’s just not been recently.” ~ Al