Watercolor – The Art of Cobwebs

Once upon a Time, there was a Princess Fairy who lived in a tall tower in Fairy Land. From the window she would wave her magic wand over all the people of the Land which would sprinkle them with magical wishes.

Aaaand … back here in the real world….

Maaaaany years ago – at least 10 but probably around 15 to be honest, Daughter No.2 bought me a Birthday card which was just a total delight to me. It was like all of a sudden my daughter ‘got’ me. She saw a card so perfect for my birthday that going against everything that I’ve always taught my girls (buying cards is just such an expense – yes you have to purchase one, but don’t spend half a weeks wages on one!), she spent a little fortune on.

Now, I keep greetings cards. All types. For Birthdays or just for ‘Hello I thought of you and am sending you this‘ types of card. I’m very much into the whole physical memories of something, and will keep cards and little mementoes for ever! I have a drawer in my craft room where I’ve kept cards from years gone by and every now and then I get them out just to make me feel wonderful. Each one holds a special memory, and a ‘trick’ to get that memory from the back of my mind so that I can enjoy the moment all over again. And there, in that drawer is a humongous card – very very tall but not very wide, – which I have cherished from the moment Daughter No.2 gave it to me. Here it is . . .

It’s about (guessing here) 18″ – 22″ tall. (I should have measured it and I didn’t think. I’m not tip toeing over to the craft room now because it’s belting down with rain outside!). You can now see why I’m showing you this card. It has a picture of Fairy Land on the front and I just loved it from the moment I opened the envelope. When I saw it in the drawer I instantly thought I’d have a go at turning it into a tiny ATC of 2.5inches wide by 3.5 inches tall.

(yes, that photo was taken in my craft room)

Some of you might remember me telling you that I taught my little girls, when they were knee-high to an ant, that if anyone should ask them how old their mommy was, they were to say …. “My Mommy is ONLY 27″ … and I have remained 27 since I was 27. Each year Daughter No.2 remembers this and sends me a birthday celebrating my 27th Birthday. Have a look inside this card .. . . .

… ah… you’ll need that blown up a little to read it …..

Her name has been removed (to protect the innocent) …. she writes: “To Mom, have a great (27th) Birthday! Have fun, love and snuggles ______ x“. I thought that since I was using the picture on the card as my inspiration for a little watercolour for World Watercolour Month, I might as well share the inside of the card so that you can see that I trained my girls sooooooo well! LOL

Anyhoo … back to this little watercolour. This one was a real struggle. It’s difficult to go into detail when you’re reducing something to a ridiculous size like this, so I had a real problem with the Princess Fairy. I perhaps, in hindsight, should have left her out – as I did the shutters on the windows (not enough room to keep them in).

I couldn’t make my mind up on the mount … green or blue? You choose and tell me what you think …

… Green? … OR ….

… Blue? Each one brings out something different. The Blue one brings out the shooting star and seems to make the colours just a little more vivid. Where-as the Green mount makes it look more subtle and … ‘fairyfied’. OOoo… choices, choices!

And that’s all there was to it!

We have an almighty storm going on here as I type. The thunder is so loud that it’s making the dog bark and me jump. It’s pelting down with rain and I’m thinking that all my flowers are going to get a right old bashing!

I’m not entirely surprised that the weather has changed like this. It’s been far too hot for it to continue without some sort of storm cooling things down. (although I don’t feel any cooling down happening at the moment. I’m still boiling hot!) I feel dreadfully sorry for the county next but one to where I live … Cornwall. They’ve had some awful flash floods there today (Tuesday) and they’ve had to go out in helicopters and rescue folks who have been trapped in their houses by rising waters. I watched it on the TV news at 6pm and it looked awful!

Well… that’s me done and dusted. I’m now going to schedule this post to happen in the early hours of (UK time) the morning, and I’m then taking myself to bed and taking the wee ~~little~~ chubby doggy with me.

Whatever you’re doing today do it with a smile on your face and hope in your heart. To prove to yourself exactly how blessed you are, imagine that you woke up this morning only with the things that you gave thanks for yesterday. Puts things into order does that little thought.

Sending you love, and a bucket of squidges which should last you all day long …

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We’ve recently put up two bird feeders right outside my craft room window, and there is a little Robin who hasn’t yet built up enough courage to take a turn on the feeder. Now I’m guessing that’s because of the following two reasons:-

Maisie. Miniscule cat who has a ‘second name’ of: Squeaky, because that’s how she sounds when she meows. Squeaky cat has, since the bird feeders have been put in place, taken to sitting on a little table we have in the garden – for it gives her the perfect view of the bird feeders. Aaaand we all know why that is. But the little Robin has very good eyesight and can clearly see that there is a monster in the garden, so he/she I think, is waiting for Squeaky to be snoozing in the house, before he jumps down off the fence and has a little nibble.
Magpies and Pigeons. Magpies … well I’m surprised quite frankly that they visit anymore since Squeaky jumped up from where she was hiding and grabbed Mr.Magpie around the body and held him, mid-air, in a big ol’ cat hug …. that was until I shouted her name and clapped my hands SO loudly that it scurred her and she let him go.

The pigeons … I have no idea why they come, they seem unable to plot a course to actually land on the big feeder dish itself, and so go through this elaborate dance on the decorative curved metal top of the one feeder, trying to grip it with their big chunky toes and failing miserably. I sit in my craft room watching them from the window, bemused at their lack of agility, and their stupidness. All the flapping of their wings is like cat morse code and Alf Capone will lift his weary head and watch for a while … however he can’t be bothered to drag his weary you know what out of his bed – not for a pigeon. (Apparently Pigeon is not good enough for Mr. Capone). But Squeaky? Aw … she’s game. She’ll attempt to catch anything if it has the audacity to be alive. But … so far, there has been no pigeon burials. So far. So good.

So … anyhoo … (back to the storyline Cobs!!!) about the Robin… He visits our garden and stands on the fence and sings for all he’s worth. He’s the most delightful little chap and doesn’t seem overly frightened of me. I’ve stood with him in the garden and chatted to him as he’s sung to me. So lovely is he, that I thought about him on Friday as I was wondering what to paint and it struck me that the Little Robin Redbreast was THE very thing that I should paint. So I did.

It’s erm … not an exact picture of him, but more the way the memory of him in my heart sees him.

Little Robin Redbreast — #WorldWatercolorMonth

I hope the little Robin does, one day, when Squeaky cat isn’t around, plucks up his courage and comes to the bird table and has a nibble of something wonderful there. And I also hope that I happen to be looking out of the craft room window when he does come for lunch, as I’d love to see him finally having a bite to eat on my feeder.

Little Robin Redbreast 2 — #WorldWatercolorMonth

This little Robin was painted in ATC / ACEO size of 2.5″x 3.5″.

Thank you so much for coming and sharing a coffee with me. It’s lovely to see you here and I’m so thankful to you for visiting. Please feel free to leave a chat behind via a message. I promise I’ll answer.

May your Sunday be spent in a way which fills you with happiness. If you can … share your happiness. Say good morning to someone you pass along the road as you go for your paper. Smile at someone and share your warmth. But if either of those things aren’t really your ‘thing’, then ... perhaps you could pray, or just send good wishes, for someone you happen to pass on the street or even who walks past your house today when you’re looking out of the window. Pray for a stranger. Or, if you’re not a believer then simply send out really good wishes for that person, and push those wishes out of your head so that if the Universe is listening at that precise moment then it might just agree with you and grants that person your wish. Wouldn’t that be brilliant?

Have a truly beautiful day. Be good to yourself …. and where-ever you happen to go today, may your God go with you.

Sending love ~