Home is so pivotal and important to thoughts of the holidays. Christmas songs talk about "coming home for the holidays". We decorate our homes and fill them with the smells of baking and the warmth of friendship and love. May you enjoy being "home" this holiday season, whatever that may mean for you. These round robin pages are my entry for The Three Muses Challenge this week.
Even though this little art doll was photographed at the cottage in the middle of the summer, she still represents the frostiness of winter to me with her snowflake shoes and crown. She is my entry for both the Created ByHand and Crazy Amigo challenges this week.
I must apologize. I have been sorely neglecting my blog and have not had a chance to visit other blogs....which I very much miss. This weekend was a blur of wrapping, baking, cleaning, shopping. I'm sure that I'm not alone in feeling just a teeny bit weary. Going back to work today actually feels like a bit of a break!! Hope you are all taking care of yourselves and finding time for creativity breaks. This is my entry for the Saturday Surprise challenge this week.
I always greatly admire the legs of ballet dancers. They are beautifully shaped with long, lean muscles that carry the dancer around the stage with grace, strength and determination. This ATC is my entry for the Theme Thursday challenge this week.
I really enjoy receiving photo Christmas cards in the mail at this time of year. It's wonderful to see the faces of those near and dear and those that I don't get to see often at all due to distance or busy lives. I remember as a child the annual trek to the photographers for the taking of the "Christmas photo". Usually there wasn't yet snow on the ground and the Christmas spirit was NOT alive and well in all of us. There would inevitably have been a small scuffle about clothing worn or time taken to get ready so by the time we arrived we were less than cheery with one another. Nevertheless, the shots were taken and we were always glad that we had a record of that time in our lives to share with others. This is my entry for the Created ByHand challenge this week.
This wonderful image is actually from a children's book cover. As a children's librarian, I order books for the library using publisher's catalogues. This quirky darling was on the cover of one of them and I just knew I needed to use her in my artwork. This is my entry for the Think Monday, Think ATC challenge this week.
Well all is not calm in my part of the world. The winds are howling around the house creating a very blustery and bitterly cold morning. Just returned from a walk with a good friend and am trying to warm up! I do love the calmer winter days though when the snow is drifting gently from the sky and the world is blanketed in white. This Christmas card is my entry for the Lots to Do challenge this week.
Whenever I use this image I think of movie scenes set in ballrooms. The musicians begin a waltz and the dancers swirl around the room with such a lovely smoothness and flow. It's both magical and beautiful to watch and so different to the often frenzied movement of dancing today. Ballroom dancers have a very difficult time trying to maneuver around the modern dancefloor. This is my entry for the Crazy Amigo Challenge this week.
A good friend of mine and I walk every Thursday morning. We spend the time mulling over the week that has passed. This past Thursday she told me about her daughter who is a very imaginative storyteller. My friend actually keeps a pad and pencil with her at all times to record her six-year-old's musings, poetry and stories. She credits her husband with fostering this creativity because he has always made up tales to tell the children before they go to bed. My favourite stories were ones told by my parents of their childhood in rural settings. My Dad lived on a farm and would always have poignant stories about growing up in the country. One of his greatest joys was having a rich environment for play. In the summer there were streams, fields and the barn and in winter, he would strap on snowshoes or skiis or pull his tobaggan to the hill near his home. This is Dad doing just that....posing before he set off for a day of winter activities. Don't you just love his duds? This is my entry for the Saturday Surprise challenge this week.
One of my adopted relatives (a.k.a. from a vintage photo that I purchased) has been assigned the role of "Santa" for the office Christmas party. He's donned his hat and beard and sewn the requisite red buttons on his jacket. Now he's off to thrill the children. This is my entry for the Wednesday Stamper challenge this week.
"It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye." Did anyone else hear this in their childhood? My Mom used to say it when we were tearing around the house hooting and hollering and generally making nuisances of us. The theme of The Three Muses challenge this week is "fun and games" and this is what popped into my head. 
I used to make all of my cards....birthday, anniversary, new baby, sympathy, Christmas....but I'm afraid I've been remiss the last little while. I really do miss the excitement of slipping a handmade card into an envelope for a special person. This is one that I actually did get made for a dear friend of mine who is very artistic. She is such a pleasure to know as she is passionate and has a zest for life that is contagious. Happy birthday dear friend. This is my entry for the Crazy Amigo challenge this week.
