Almost Wordless Wednesday - Hôtel Baudy studio

A peek into the garden studio behind Hôtel Baudy (Giverny,France). I have more photos of this space & colorful garden. But I am in a wee rush today. Will share them soon.

Random Tuesday Thoughts resumed

New Banner for ArtSnark.etsy.com


So, how's it going? Not much new around here - still playing catch up from the trip plus the past week (when I sat on my duff with a nasty cold). I was tired of the fall colors in my etsy banner so I pulled together a new one. I am carrying over the spring sale which means lots of original art at crazy low prices - many $10 or less, + other pieces have free shipping.

I haven't had a random Tuesday post in a while so I'm just going to ramble a bit..... I can't believe it is still Tuesday, by the way. I look back to 3:18 am when my insomnia woke me up and it seems like two days ago...phew.

Listening to lots of William Elliot Whitmore - I just can't get enough.

Headache, Ltd. edition Lady Gaga poster from charmaineolivia.etsy.com

While I am so not a Lady Gaga fan ( i know, just shoot me) , I am loving this poster - the white hair is a brilliant touch. Though I think I prefer the non-Gaga-ed version in CharmaineOlivia's shop.

The always fabulous Maria-Thérèse over at www.afiori.com posted some very cool Circus photos today.

Thinking About Birds from CocodeParis.etsy.com

I am also crazy about the Etsy shop CocoDeParis. It is full of fun images like Thinking About Birds, above. Yeah, I know the whole printing/painting-on-a-bookpage is overplayed lately....but it is a look I love, and these guys do it so well.

This weekend we visited my favorite aunt who recently retired to Florida. She gave me a box of cool old stuff which includes some of my granddad's school books from the late 1800s. They are in remarkably good condition. I'll scan some pages soon & post for anyone who wants to use them in collage or whatever.

Hmm... I am waaay behind on the giveaways, studio tours & artist features, yeah? Sorry about that - life & my poor organizational skills keep getting in the way. Feels like time for some destash though, so pop back here Thursday for a chance to win free stuff.

Well, I could pour another glass of wine & ramble you to death. Instead I will call it a night & direct your attention to StacyUncorked who is tending the Random Tuesday torch while The UnMom is on RTT hiatus. Be sure to visit Stacy if you are seeking misc chattering folks or want to add a link to your own mumblings today.

Marché aux Fleurs et Oiseaux (flower & bird market)

The Marché aux Fleurs (on the l'Île de la Cité, Paris) has been operating since 1808.

 Seven days a week you can find all manner of flowers, trees & other greenery for sale.

Visit on a Sunday to take in the famous bird market.

You'll also find all sorts of small creatures. We spotted rabbits, turtles, fish and even a tarantula.

The guys have been asking for pet chickens for the past year. Here is Little Dude trying to figure out how to hide a couple of very noisy roosters in his suitcase.

He also begged for a song bird, but we stuck with flowers.

(this colorful photo was taken by my talented husband, by the way)

I hope you enjoyed our morning out. Click here for a fun 360 degree view of the market from 360cities.net (a very cool site).



Best wishes to you - hope you have a wonderful week!

Illustration Friday - Asleep

Drift

"The idea that sleep is every man's gateway to madness is altogether harder to live with"- Alvarez

Loving the new IllustrationFriday prompt:"Asleep" - right up my alley. Not much time to play today, so I tracked down some old sketches to smoosh & tweak in PE9. Click on the image to enlarge. 

I have a love/hate relationship with sleep.  I've always had insomnia... but once asleep have very vivid dreams, as well as hypnagogic hallucinations. I also have a history of lucid dreaming. In my teens, I actually preferred the land of Nod; at least there I could create (& control) my reality.

I came a cross the Alvarez quotation while digging though some old journals. I have no idea who Alvarez is or where the line is from - not having much luck with google either. If you recognize it, I'd love to know the origin. Probably from a sci-fi flick or something I was reading in 1996.

Back to IF : Are you feeling inspired by "Asleep"? If so, post your creation and link it to IllustrationFriday.com. Want to see more interesting takes on the theme? You can find them at the IF link as well.

By the way, I'm posting a few more Paris pics this weekend.  Until then - pleasant dreams!

Congrats to Alexandra of Snailtreasures.etsy.com

Alexandra is the lucky winner of the Florida Etsy Street Team Treasure Hunt! You may have caught my May 1st announcement about this fun 14 day challenge. In that post you will also find an introduction to the many generous sponsors who provided over $200 worth of prizes to one very lucky winner.

Huldra - watercolor, ink, marker, pencil on 12" sq. paper

You can visit the FEST blog to find out more about this talented team or read about the treasure hunt.

Birdcage- 4" sq. mixed media art tile

Are you an Etsy artist/crafter/seller living in Florida? Think about becoming a member of this great team. You can check out team discussions and even join in here. 

In Dreams - mixed media drawing/collage on canvas

Or are you looking for some cool handmade stuff? Visit Etsy.com, select Handmade from the search drop down menu and type "team fest" into the box. You will find all sorts of goodies from fine arts to crafts and (everything in between).  

**By the way, the 3 pieces in today's post were my donations to the prize package.

A Few Paris Photos

mmmm...mmmm....macarons

Finally sharing a few pics from our wonderful trip to Paris. Each day we filled the camera... and our bellies.

We visited the Iron Lady of course. The top was closed so we took in the grand view from the 2nd floor. Every night we enjoyed the tower's lightshow from our amazing apartment on the edge of the Marais district. Really fantastic!

I asked the Little Dude for his Paris highlights. His #1 pick - "the playgrounds." This one is in the Luxembourg Gardens.

Ordering déjeuner - pommes frites, anyone?

I had some fun this morning playing with this photo taken in the Louvre. It still needs a bit of tweaking though.

One of my highlights was a visit to Giverny. The gardens were even more beautiful than I had imagined. Easy to see why Monet once said  "I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers." 

Well, that's all I have time for just now. Will share more soon. Wishing you a wonderful day!

Musical Monday - It's The End Of The World.... or is it?

Just couldn't resist this one today:

For more Musical Monday be sure to visit Xmas Dolly &  RunDMT . Feeling groovy? Then add your own tune & linky while you're there.