My offerings for Narami’s Tuesdays of Texture Challenge:
Photos by ARHuelsenbeck.
Jan31
Monthly Archives: January 2017
Jan31
Fairy Doors?
While looking through some old emails from Etsy.com, I saw a link for fairy doors. I didn’t even know they were a thing, but apparently they are. Researching them online, I discovered there’s even a website devoted to them. They were first found in Ann Arbor, Michigan, but then started popping up all over. Apparently, while you are doing home renovations, you might discover one (or more) in your home. And if you don’t have any, you can buy them. And you can install them inside your home, or out in your garden (or even on a pumpkin). Under each door is a link to the purchasing info.
Some of the doors open, some don’t; some can only be opened by fairies. Some are wood, some are resin. They range in price from $9.45 on up. (And if you just want the illusion of a fairy door, you can buy a decal instead.)
Pink.
Vine.
If you fairy door is mounted above a wide moulding, your fairy might need a ladder.
And, of course, fairy door enthusiasts need matching jewelry.
Pendant. (Yes, the pendant doors open.) Bracelet.
So, were you aware of the fairy door phenomenon? Do you have one at your house? Share in the comments below.
Jan30
Monday Morning Wisdom #87
“I pretend I’m sitting across from somebody. I’m telling them a story, and I don’t want them to get up until it’s finished.”-James Patterson
Photo of James Patterson by Blaues Sofa.
Jan29
Weekend Writing Warriors: Andrea’s Snippet #39
Every Sunday, the Weekend Writing Warriors share 8-10-sentence snippets from their works-in-progress on their blogs for others to read and comment on. Join the fun! Click on the link to see the full list.
The Unicornologist ~ High school freshman Hillary Noone, on a field trip to The Cloisters, receives a prophecy: she is destined to save the unicorn. Though she shrugs it off as being preposterous, soon life imitates art, and she finds herself in mortal danger.
Hillary, on her quest to protect the unicorn, has a bad first night in the woods. Here’s a little bit of her journal entry:
I don’t think I’d been sleeping very long before voices jolted me awake. I couldn’t make out words, only growls and moans. I wasn’t even sure if the voices were human, or animal sounds. I wished I had my flashlight, but then I remembered where I’d left it–on top of the pillowcase, next to my cache tree.
Trying to sound formidable, I called out, “Who’s there?” Mocking laughter was the only answer I heard. My heart pounding, I maneuvered onto my hands and knees and poked my head out of the tent. In the dark, I could only make out the even darker shapes of tree trunks and limbs. But suddenly I saw thousands of tiny glistening paired lights. Were they…eyes?
I know it’s short (the limit is ten sentences), but what do you think of this small excerpt from Chapter 21? Any suggestions on how I can make it better? Please comment below.
Jan29
From the Creator’s Heart #83
He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end (Ecclesiastes 3: 11 NIV).
Jan28
Desert Walk
My youngest daughter had a day off work on December 30, and she invited me to come over and hang with her.
Katie lives almost an hour away, so I don’t often drive out there.
But she asked me so nicely. My heart swelled with joy. So, I said, “I’d love to.”
She’d been to our house Christmas morning, before going to work for the day. It was then she suggested we do something together. She proposed three different outings, and none of them appealed to me. So I suggested a hike, and she jumped on it.
The San Tan Mountain Regional Park, just a short drive from Katie’s house, contains 10,000 acres of desert, with beautifully maintained trails. We walked a loop that consisted of part of the Moonlight trail, the Stargazer trail, and part of the San Tan Trail, covering 2.5 miles of relatively easy walking.
Although Katie didn’t complain, I must have driven her crazy, because I stopped every few steps to take pictures. Honestly, the view changed constantly. And if you turned a few degrees, everything looked different again. I took 160 shots. I’m only going to share a few.
When we first moved to Arizona 28 years ago, I was expecting the desert to look like the Sahara–lots of sand, completely brown. The Arizona Sonoran Desert is full of life. It’s rocky, although sandy in some places. Mostly, it’s dirt. And the mountains are rocky.
If you go to northern Arizona, it snows up in the mountains. There are actual ski resorts up there. Those mountains are covered in pine trees rather than cactus.
A barrier of some kind.
I think this is a variety of cholla.
My pretty Katie, sitting on an interesting log.
You can see how rocky the soil is.
Housing developments in the distance, and more mountains in the background.
You can’t blame Katie for getting ahead of me. Besides, I got some action shots of her on the trail.
The trail had some gentle ups and downs, but nothing steep, at least not where we were.
A lot of people rode mountain bikes on these trails, too. Or walked their dogs. Everyone was so nice, too. They greeted us as we passed one another.
Someone stacked some rocks.
The rocks don’t deter plants from growing.
Do you see what I mean about how beautiful and how diverse it is out here? I want to try to paint some of these scenes.
Who left these tracks?
Oh. That’s who.
A tree growing right out of the rock.
The sky was so blue. The temperature was 69 degrees. It doesn’t get better than this.
I love the shadows on the mountains.
Okay, I’m done. But there’s so much more to explore. We’re planning to go back.
Photos © by ARHuelsenbeck and Katie Huelsenbeck.
Jan27
Creative Repurposing
For The Daily Post’s Weekly Photo Challenge with prompt: Repurpose:
These instruments were not invented by me,
they are the creation of musician James Floyd.
These wonderful garden tool bird sculptures live in a neighbor’s front yard.
A flower arrangement came to me in this bowl many years ago. I now use it to serve cranberry sauce or Pfeffernüße during the holidays.
Photos by ARHuelsenbeck.
Jan27
Creative Juice #26
Sixteen juicy articles to tickle your creativity bone:
- Just looking at these snowy illustrations makes me cold.
- Whatever your art form, what will it say about you to a future generation, or the present one?
- A reading list for quilters who like to make scrap quilts.
- Combining nature with 3D printing.
- Why you want me to move next door to you.
- Don’t you wish you could take a peek inside Frida Kahlo’s house?
- Street art.
- Gorgeous embroidery.
- Are you writing a story that needs more tension? Have your characters fight dirty.
- Why creative cross-training is important for writers, artists, and musicians.
- Why laughter is important for your health.
- Oooo…I want to do this quilt-along.
- Teeny tiny creatures.
- The director of Incredibles, Iron Giant, and Ratatouille talks about animation.
- You could take these photographs if you had a good eye and your camera ready.
- Portraits made from flowers and leaves.
Jan27
In the Meme Time: Affirmative
Jan26
Guest Post: Book Giveaway – Ruby Lee and Me
Thanks to Kathy Temean for this article telling how Shannon Hitchcock became a storyteller, and how her book, Ruby Lee and Me, came to be published.
Author Shannon Hitchcock has agreed to Giveaway a copy of her new book RUBY AND ME. She sent me a copy and I can’t wait to read it. I’ll tell you about it when I announce the winner.
All you have to do to get in the running is to leave a comment. Reblog, tweet, or talk about it on Facebook with a link and you will get additional chances to win. Just let me know the other things you did to share the good news, so I can put in the right amount of tickets in my basket for you. Check back to discover the winner.
BOOK DESCRIPTION:
Everything’s changing for Sarah Beth Willis. After Robin’s tragic accident, everyone seems different somehow. Days on the farm aren’t the same, and the simple fun of riding a bike or playing outside can be scary. And there’s talk in town about…
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