Bunches of Blue

I love hydrangeas and thought you might too when you saw these delicious pictures that don't begin to do justice to the blue flowers...but one can always imagine. I love the flowers of summer and I love painting them even more. I wish there was a watercolor pigment that came close to the hydrangea blue.

Budapest Rooftops

This is a shot looking towards the Buda side of Budapest and I am so inspired by the rooftops, particularly the spires, domes, and...well I don't even know what they are called. What is the official name of a bubble tower? Regardless, they caught my attention all over Budapest.

Budapest

I've been living the life of a Hungarian in the beautiful city of Budapest for the past ten days. Wow, I love the feel of a European city. New York is great, but it doesn't have the history found in Europe. Every building has something to look at, be it some sort of emblem, or a scene of Roman gladiators fighting- it's all there if you look for it. I'm still sleep deprived, but it was all worth it.

Last Chance

Thank you all for the wonderful response to the swap! I've been busy with life in general and haven't been able to post much, but I want to let everyone know that this is the last chance. I will be pairing up swappers tonight, so if you are interested in joining the swap please email me before 6pm eastern time.

Riverside Park

One of the special qualities I love about NYC is that there are many hidden places you can go that are calm and quiet and make you feel like you are not in one of the biggest cities in the world. This is the 91st street garden that is beautiful year round. Joggers, bikers, and walkers use this path throughout the day so it is also a good location to people-watch. I love to sit on a bench and relax and draw. You may also recognize this location because it was a scene in "You've Got Mail". You can see the Hudson River and New Jersey through the trees (not in this shot) and the one reminder that you are in the city is the Amtrack train line that runs underneath this path.

112 and Broadway

I was thinking about living in New York City, and how I don't post many pictures of just being in the city. I take it for granted that I can jump on the subway and go to Soho, Chelsea, Nolita, Harlem, and even Brooklyn;) So I thought I would start to post photos of nice views that I see from random New York City corners. This is the view that you see facing east when you are on the corner of 112th and Broadway. Isn't the Cathedral amazing? As you can imagine it is much more breathtaking in person. It is also a good location because there is a Pinkberry a few steps away.

It's all about the Matryoshka

I received my dolls from Abbey and they are fantastic. Everyone did great work. I'm so glad that I motivated and was able to participate. You can see all of the dolls on flickr.
More groups Silent Dreamer, Studio Tau, Vert Pistache
Bowdenisms (mine is the big one), Bricolagelife

Three Dolls

A print I created in yesterday's class. We were doing basic foam printing, and one of the students used a little too much paint. I loved how her white on brown print turned out, so I decided to use her extra paint to create a white on red print...or triple print I should say.

Summer Sac Swap

Okay ladies (and gentlemen) drum roll please…. I have decided to do a swap, so I’m crossing my fingers and hoping that it will be embraced by the masses. You may live in or be visiting places that other swappers are dreaming of and would love to go to. Why not collect stuff for someone else so that they can live vicariously?

1. Construct a Sack/Bag to hold treasures. This can be a simple as a brown bag with drawings or a more intricate sewn bag. It could be a spice sack from Marrakech or a beautiful Japanese fabric made up into a bag.
2. Sack contains things from cities you visit during the summer or from place you live. Items may include: Photographs, maps, postcards, trinkets, menus, business cards, ephemera, rocks, shells, sticks, pressed flowers, fabric, beads, sketches you have drawn…You all get the idea. It’s kind of like a treasure hunt for your swapper- find them interesting things for inspiration.

This is fun and supposed to be a way to put together a fun collection of things throughout the summer. There are two important dates: September 2 is the date you should have everything finished and be posting photos in the Flickr group. September 8 is the send-off date. By mid-September each of us will receive a sack of goodies to jump start the fall, and time when we are beginning to think about the holiday gift making- okay maybe not that soon…but soon enough. Here are the Rules...

1. At no time may you stress about this swap. If you feel you need to stress, then go find a little trinket or rock to put in your swapper’s sack.
2. The summer sack is a container that holds lots of goodies. I want the creator to decide what it is all about, the only requirement is that you can honestly describe it as one of the best gifts you have ever given, and the maker has to want it so much themselves that it is very difficult to send to their swapper.

If this sounds like the swap for you, send an email to pixiewinkle@gmail.com with the following information:

1. Name, Address, Email, Blog
2. Where will you visit/live this summer?
   
3. List the top three places you wish you could travel to this summer.
4. What are your favorite colors?
5. What type of creativity projects do you do?
6. Other things your swapper might like to know about you.
   
7. Your sign.

The last day of sign up is June 16. No extensions because I will be off to travel the world (not really, but it sounds nice;)

My Little Felt Pouch

I know it's been awhile since I've last posted, but here's a little something for inspiration. I was a part of the Functional Felt Swap where each participant had to craft a felt something or other for their swapper. This is what I came up with. I was inspired by the below artwork that I saw in the Anthropologie gallery at the Rockefeller Center, so I decided to try to construct a flower. I wish I knew how to felt from scratch because it would have made my flower that more interesting, but I'll just add "learning to felt" to my long list of things to do in my life!
I love seeing everyone's finished projects, and I have to say that I'm glad to be a part of the "finished" group. Hope my swapper likes her pouch.

My Nesting Dolls

I joined a swap awhile ago through Aesthetic Outburst, and it was touch and go for awhile, but I actually sent my dolls off yesterday, so hopefully they will be included in the swap. Yes, they were due about 2 weeks ago, and yes, I am so late.
BUT I FINISHED AND THAT IS AMAZING!
For I am The Queen of Unfinished Projects. I probably should focus my blog around that topic because I would be able to do a posting a day about all of the unfinished projects in my life. My issue is that I am a Pisces rising with dreams of grandeur, pretty much everyday. The problem with this is that the dreams change daily, and they are always new. Think about it- two new ideas at least everyday....that's about 730 new ideas a year (not including the extra dreams on the 3+ idea days) and about 489 started, but not finished. ARGGH. You get the idea.
It makes me so proud of myself when I actually finish a project. This is the second. The first was my mobile.
Oh, by the way, look up...see the blog title?...I have had good intentions of changing the banner since it was created. I'd like my own artwork up there. Has it happened? Nope.

Balloon Dog

Jeff Koons' work on the roof of the Met is really bright. Literally. I needed my sunglasses. Although the other two pieces didn't do much for me, the Balloon Dog is just the cat's meow as far as I'm concerned. My husband refuses to let me get a dog, he says that he will be the one who ends up caring for it. Maybe I can talk him into this dog. For anyone in the area, you really should take a peek.

Squirrel and Chipie Studies

In celebration of spring, here are some drawings of the furry little critters that I see EVERYWHERE in the park...well not the chipmunk, but he's so cute I thought I'd include him.

So I've been taking a lot of long walks lately in hopes that it will psych me up for totally revamping my life. Yesterday I saw the lanterns being hung in the trees at Tavern on the Green and how magical it was! The lanterns are faded from many thrilling summers (what they must have seen already), but they are sooo gorgeous and peaceful hanging from their perches.

Gotta Love Them Fortunes

So it's been about 3 years since I've had Chinese food (using Japanese, Thai, and Vietnamese as substitutes- the beauty of NYC) and the only thing I've missed about it is the fortunes. Well I finally ordered it, and the food was nothing to write home about, but my fortune was. As I held my cookie, I said, "Honey (speaking to my husband), hopefully this fortune is good, because it's going to make or break this meal for me". Sure enough it blew me away because it couldn't have voiced my inner feelings better if I had written it myself. I told hubbie not to worry, he isn't part of the change.

Blooms

Life has been particularly busy recently, but I have still been stopped in my tracks for moments of zen when I see beautiful trees like these. Hopefully things will mellow out, but for now, the return of green in my life sure helps.

A Little Warm Weather

Everyone is talking about Spring, and yes I'm feeling the vibe too. My trip to California helped to ward off my need for an early spring in New York, as I got a nice couple of weeks of warm. But now Spring has come and I'm much happier.

I just love these colors. I took this picture in San Francisco where pastels abound. I couldn't find these colors in New York, at least not outside and not at this time of year.

Yummies

I have an addiction in the form of chocolate, so when I see an opportunity like this, I can't pass it up. Yes, the cupcakes are as yummy as they look. I also love the greenish tint of this picture- it gives it a vintagey feel. I found this little dandelion across the street from the pastry shop.

Who are these people?

I saw them in San Francisco, North Beach to be exact. How great are these hats? My husband then reminded me that I need a hat for the Kentucky Derby party we're going to. Too bad it can't be one of these. (Derby hats are usually very wide brimmed.)

Hanging Eggs

Over Easter my dad hung a bunch of German eggs from a tree in his backyard. They look really neat and colorful- like a springtime Christmas tree, but they sure are tough to photograph swinging back and forth.

Chelsea Street Collage

I saw this great wall art in Chelsea and had to have a picture of it. It makes me feel spring is near. A happy bumblebee and floral surprise. What luck!

Mobile Swap

I joined a mobile swap last month and here's my final product! It's destination is Shelburne Falls, MA, but for now it is hanging out in my kitchen window. It was inspired by a picture of a garden fairy wonderland created by my swapper's daughter.
Update: It has a new home!

The Met

Some treasures that I found at the Met in the Egyptian area.

Talk About Mirror Mirror

Shopping on Bleeker street and I find this fabulous mirror in a cute little boutique. Of course it's not for sale, so I had to have a shot of it. I went to August for brunch, which is also a find- a very yummy treat.

Exhibit at Anthropologie

Anthropologie at the Rock has a wonderful gallery that currently features work from Africa. This was a piece I fell in love with immediately, most likely because I had a similar idea for a drawing I wanted to do.

Tree Obsession

...a walk through central park observation...
Trees rock. Not only do they provide oxygen to heal our planet, but you can climb them too. Their branches are fascinating and bend to the whim of the sun.




Squirrels like trees too.

Pinecone Palette Experiment

a walk in Central Park is again fruitful with inspiration. here are some pine cones whimsically mixed with colors from my palette. there is no rhyme or reason to them, except for beautiful color mixtures (through my eyes at least) and fun lines.