DIGITAL WHISPER

DARK HEART, DARK LOVE

Created for the new DARK WHISPER challenge at Digital Whisper.

Beware .... you could lose your heart if you pine for Rudolph Valentino!

Credit to Starscoldnight at DeviantArt for the background (much altered) the remainder is free to use.

Thanks for looking.

THE THREE MUSES

SPRING

It's a nithering 5 degrees here in Yorkshire, damp and cloudy, but at least the snow has gone.   Once or twice in the last few days the sun has ventured out, there are tiny purple flowers sprouting in the heather and the birds are busy looking for places to nest .... hopefully there's a  RUSTLE OF SPRING in the air.  Oh, I hope so.

Thanks, Marie, for this week's theme.

Credit to CAJoline for the family, the flowering cherry, the sunshade and the birds, and to HolliewoodStudios for the curtains.  The background was from the interwebby.

Thank you for looking.

TAKE A WORD

WATCHERS

We have WINGS as our word for inspiration at TAKE A WORD this week and that reminded me of a little shadow box I have and that sometimes, if the light is right and I am very quick,  I can see a fairy child sitting inside.  Oftentimes, in the same half light, I imagine she is not the only face staring out at me.

Credit to Hidden Vintage.

Thank you for looking.

DIGITALMANIA

Last week we were taking inspiration from the art of  HEATHER MURRAY at Digitalmania

I had fun!

Thanks for looking.

THE THREE MUSES

SOME ME TIME

The theme is FROM TIME TO TIME at the Three Muses this week and that made me think of how good it is to get some Me Time!

How do you like to spend your own personal Me Time?

Credit Model - Pocket Watch - White Wolf - Twisted Foilage (Deviantart), Brushes Obsidian Dawn and backgrounds (blended) RubyBlossom.

Thank you for looking.

TAKE A WORD

A BIRD'S EYE VIEW

The eye was 'cobbled' together from several images and merged with a background courtesy of JoesSistah and then, almost before I knew what was happening, two inquisitive BLACKBIRDS swooped in for a better look.

Mmmmmmmm .... what can I say!

Thank you for looking.

THE THREE MUSES

RED LETTER DAY

We're SEEING RED this week at the Three Muses and since we still have snow here in the UK I thought a Wintery scene was in order.

Credits to RubyBlossom, NumbBumm with a few bits and pieces of my own.

Thanks for looking.

TAKE A WORD

MASQUERADE

MASKS is the theme at Take A Word this week and that made me think about recent 'goings on' in my neighbourhood ...... but it's been pretty quiet of late.  Hee hee  

Credit to Bluesse and Sharing Tubes and ShadowHouse Creations.

Thank you for looking.

DIGITALMANIA

This week at Digitalmania we are looking at the work of Giueseppe Sticchi for inspiration.

If you want to see how we have been inspired pop over to Digitalmania for a peep.

Thank you for looking.

DIGITALMANIA

SVENJA JODICKE

Being inspired by the work of Svenja Jodicke at Digitalmania.

Credits can be found on my Flickr page.

Thanks for looking.

THREE MUSES

 

 

GONE SHOPPING

It's my turn to host at the THREE MUSES this week and I have chosen STRIPES as my theme which reminded me of our smart new neighbour Daphne who favours stripes in every aspect of her life as could be seen today as I met her returning from yet another shopping trip for stripes.

Credit to Sharing Tubes, Holliewood Studios and Urban Fairy.

Thank you for looking.

TAKE A WORD

YORKSHIRE PUDDINGS

Lizbeth, hosting at TAKE A WORD this week, has chosen GRANDMA'S COOKERY BOOK as our theme and that reminded me of Mum's Be-Ro Book which no self respecting housewife would have been without.  From the 1920s onwards generations of women learned their cooking skills from just such a recipe book and from the recipes within its pages our Mum made meat and potato pies, stew and dumplings, steamed ginger puddings, rice puddings,  Victoria sponges, macaroons, maids of honour, jam tarts and ginger parking to name just a few.  And in late summer, so they had time to mature, the Christmas cakes were made with directions from this same Be-Ro book.

But best of all each Sunday lunch's first course was a plateful of Yorkshire pudding and thick meaty gravy to whet the appetite for the weekly Sunday roast to follow.  Mmmmmmm.

Now the Be-Ro book was good, but my Mum and Grandma were better because they added a secret ingredient to that Yorkshire pudding mixture just prior to popping it in the oven.  What was it?  Well, I wouldn't want to tell you or I would have to kill you ......... hee hee.

Grandma's Cookery Book is a figment of my imagination!

Credit to SkelitalMess and my own stash.  The Font is 'Waking the Witch'.

Thanks for looking.

THREE MUSES

EMOTIONAL BAGGAGE

We have TRUNKS or BOXES as our theme at the Three Muses this week and that gave me cause to wonder what I might fill my trunk with.    Mmmmmmmm!

Thanks Bev.

Credit to Bluesse, Marta Van Eck and JoesSistah.

Thank you for looking.

TAKE A WORD

Natural Wrinkles

Our word for inspiration at Take a Word this week is WRINKLES and that really made me think!

Beautiful Wrinkles

Credit to JoesSistah (Flickr) and Holliewood Studios (Deviantscrap), whilst the pensive lady is a photo I took in a Turkish market.

Thank you for looking.

DIGITALMANIA

GONE WITH THE WIND

WITH LOVE

At Digitalmania we have been looking at and taking inspiration from the work of CATRIN ARNO.

This is how she inspired me.

You can find credits on my Flickr page.

Thank you for looking.

THREE MUSES

SEIZE THE DAY

Thank you to Marie who has given us JOURNAL A QUOTE as our theme at the Three Muses this week.

Credit to HolliewoodStudio and the talented ladies of the WaterLO Project.

Thank you for looking.

TAKE A WORD

IN HOT WATER

This week we have FANTASY as our word for inspiration at Take A Word and that reminded me of something strange that happened just last week.  I had filled the bowl with hot soapy water in preparation for washing up the dishes when I was distracted for a moment by the telephone.   As I turned back to the task in hand I saw my breakfast cup float by, and here's the strange bit, sitting inside the cup was a fairy princess holding onto a handful of the most astonishing balloons I have ever seen in my life.!

Credit to Marta Van Eck, Irene Alexeeva, Dover and Sharing Tubes.

Thank you for looking.

THREE MUSES

 

 

SOMETHING SEPIA

It's my turn to host across at the THREE MUSES this week and I've chosen SOMETHING SEPIA as the theme.

Here is my sample and I can't make up my mind whether this young lady, is waiting patiently for something or someone, or whether it's solitude she's seeking.   Mmmmmmm.

Credit to Sharing Tubes

Thank you for looking.

TAKE A WORD

ART

This week, at TAKE A WORD, we are exploring what ART means to each of us, and to choose a quote to illustrate our own ideas of what that might be.

Picasso said :

Every child is an artist.  The challenge is how to remain an artist when you grow up.

What art means to me :

ART for me means letting my inner child run free, to walk barefoot in the grass or to float above it;  to soar into the heavens or sit all day and do nothing until she feels the urge to create.   To create without boundaries from the soul whatever her heart desires. 

Mmmmmmm liberating.

Credit to Sharing Tubes

Thank you for looking.

DIGITALMANIA

LOOKING FORWARD TO SPRING

This week at Digitalmania  we are creating 'digital' journal pages and since we are in the depths of Winter I wanted mine to be LOOKING FORWARD TO SPRING.

Credits can be found on my Flickr page.

Thanks for looking.

THREE MUSES

CIRCLES

This week we have CIRCLES as our theme.

Thanks Bev.

Credit to CaliDesigns and Sharing Tubes for the background and boy, whilst the circles of life were Googled.

Thank you for looking.

TAKE A WORD

 

COLOURS

This week we have COLOURS as our word for inspiration at TAKE A WORD, with purple and turquoise being the suggested colours.

Here is what my Muse had me do!

Credit to Sharing Tubes.

Thank you for looking AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!

DIGITALMANIA

MISS ATT E TOOD

THE WRONG MONA

Our task this week at Digitalmania is to give Mona a makeover. 

If you'd like to see her in all her different guises just pop over and take a look.

Credits can also be viewed there too.

Thanks for looking.

THREE MUSES

QUEEN OF HEARTS

The Queen of Hearts made some tarts
All on a Summer's day
The Knave of Hearts stole those tarts
And took them clean away ........ 



Credit to Irene Alexeeva and Sharing Tubes.

TFL

TAKE A WORD

MOO

Marie suggested a MOO or two as her theme for this week at TAKE A WORD.  Here are mine to wish all my blog friends a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Credit to Marta Van Eck and Sharing Tubes whilst the font is The King and Queen.

Thanks for Looking.

DIGITALMANIA

INSPIRED BY DUY HUYNH

Created for last week's Digitalmania challenge where we were invited to take inspiration from the work of artist Duy Huynh.

For credits please visit by Flickr page.

Thanks for looking.

THREE MUSES

TEXTURED AND LAYERED

Ta dah!

Credit to Beth Rimmer for  the model and the images.

TFL

TAKE A WORD

'TIS THE SEASON

We have SEASON as our word for inspiration at TAKE A WORD this week and a perfect time for my wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Season's Greetings, my friends.

Credit to Nancy at Crowabout and Marta Van Eck.

TFL

DIGITALMANIA

STILL LIFE

Created for the Still Life Challenge at Digitalmania.

Credits can be found on my Flickr page.

TFL

THREE MUSES

 

MALE

Fred and Bert get dressed for the office.

Everything other than the shoes courtesy of FinecraftedDesign and Bluesse.  The shoes filched from the web.  Fonts : Zero & Zero Is and Year2000 Boogie.

TFL

TAKE A WORD

PIN CUSHIONS

I confess I have always hated sewing with a passion mainly because it requires a preciseness in measurement and cutting I haven't the patience for.  So when I saw SEWING was to be our theme at TAKE A WORD I wondered what I would be inspired to create.   

And then I thought about pin cushions.  In my mind's eye I saw a voodoo doll with pins of all kinds sticking from its little body and knew you would be shocked.  What about an old doll then with a fabric body, could I stick pins into that?  Even though I had a twinkle in my eye at the thought, I knew you would disapprove.  Mmmmmmm.   Pale and exhausted and devoid of inspiration suddenly I had a vision ....  of a finely toned torso ...... and then the rest was history.  Who wouldn't want to own such a pin cushion surely it would inspire even me to sew!

Thank you, Marie.

Credit mainly from free to use stock.

TFL

THREE MUSES

GOTHIC ARCH

Probably sinister.  Definitely creepy.  My Muse made me do it! Hee hee.


Once upon a time there was a witch who was as beautiful as she was wicked.  She was so beautiful that everyone who looked upon her face was happy to do her bidding without question.  

She was said to love children (and so she did but mainly for their tender flavour which she found irresistible).  Mothers were encourage by the wicked witch to send their children to visit during the school holidays and they fell over themselves to obey her wishes.  

There was just one little flaw to the witch's beauty and that was the children could see right through it. They were able to see the wart covered green skin, foul breath, slimy teeth and wicked heart.

The witch knew this and so she instructed the parents to leave their children at the front door where they would be entertained until she arrived.

The children, however, knew the clown was employed for another reason which was to lure the children into the witch's den whilst she peered from the darkness ....... have you found her yet?


Credit to Pink Lotty (Deviantscrap) and Sharing Tubes .

Thank you for looking and taking the time to comment.

TAKE A WORD

MAIL

Bill has chosen MAIL as our word for inspiration this week at TAKE A WORD.

Credit to RubyBlossom, Urban Fairy, Dover and Pixel Music.  The font is Vampiress.

Thank you for looking.

THREE MUSES

HATS

Penelope gauged how much she had grown by which hat she was able to wear!

Thank you for the them, Bev.

Credit to Hidden Vintage, Pink Lotty and Sharing Tubes.

Thank you for looking and taking the time to comment.

TAKE A WORD

SOMETHING FISHY

Having found a website full of free photoshop downloads : all free downloads (dot) com, I thought it would be fun to play with a few.  So here we have SOMETHING FISHY.  :D

Credit to all free downloads for everything except the background which is one of my own.

Thank you for looking and taking the time to comment.

DIGITALMANIA

SHOE TREE

MOONLIGHT

PULL

Last week across at Digitalmania we were looking at the work of a young Hungarian artist who specializes in the style of photo allegory .... softly surreal and, in my opinion, ingenious.

Here I three I made for  the challenge.

Credits can be found on my Flickr page.

Thanks for looking and taking the time to comment.

THREE MUSES

THE EYES HAVE IT

Sometimes only a shower will do!

Thank you, Marie, for a very creative theme.

Credit to Starscoldnight and Bluesse (Deviantart) and HolliewoodStudios (Deviantscrap)

Thank you for looking and taking the time to comment.

TAKE A WORD

ANGEL

As I looked out of my window into the dark night I saw a very strange sight indeed.  It was a girl dressed all in white, and I swear she looked just like an ANGEL.  A real one.  As I pressed my nose closer to the glass I saw that her wings,  for yes she did have wings, were tattered and torn and she was hugging herself as though for warmth and comfort.  Then something startled her, her eyes flew open in a kind of panic, and whoosh she disappeared before my very eyes.  Mmmmmmm.

Thank you, Marie, for a great challenge theme.

Credit to Sharing Tubes .

Thank you for looking and taking the time to comment.

THREE MUSES

ANIMAL MAGIC - WILD OR DOMESTIC

Whilst tidying out the attic the other day I came across some old photographs and this one in particular got my interest.  Apparently, they are third cousins three times removed, on my husband's side.  May I introduce you to Madge and Horace Feathers and their grandchildren 'Birdie' and Edward.   (Not entirely sure which child is which!)

Credit to Finecrafted Designs.

Thank you for looking.

TAKE A WORD

PINK

Meet cousin Flora, who it has to be said, has a fondness for PINK.   Her apartment is decorated solely in white so she can waft about in a haze of PINK knowing she is always the centre of her world.

Surrounded as she is by every shade and texture of PINK her dedication knows no bounds and she has often been heard to mutter : it's hard work but someone has to do it!

Thank you, Marie.

Credit to HolliewoodStudios and CAJoline.  The font is Zoloft.  Flora, was shamelessly stolen from Matisse and then greatly altered!

Thank you for looking.

DIGITALMANIA

You may already know that Marie (Ozstuff), has a challenge group across at Flickr called Digitalmania,  where each week we digital artists, take inspiration from the works of a chosen artist.

Last week we explored the work of FINNABAIR and that inspired me to create this.

 

This week, we've taken a slightly different tac and have been invited to use the face of MAUDE FEALY as our inspiration and to create some work in which she features.

For this one I extracted her from the background, then using a soft airbrush in Photoshop, I began to over paint the original black and white image.  

Adding a new layer each time on which to paint, and reducing the opacity as needed I began with the skin tone.   Followed up with the lip colour and blue for the eyes.  I added deep shade under the upper eyelids and around the eye itself to keep a three dimensional feel and and to define the eyes before adding colour to the lower lashes.  Before leaving the face I placed small areas of white on the lips and in the pupils to add light and shine, and then as a final touch to the painted effect I added a light shading of red to Maude's hair.

Finally, to define the light and shade I added the alfresco filter.  Then I knew it was done!

...................................

Next week at Digitalmania we'll be looking at the work of a very talented young Hungarian artist

called SAROLTA BAN.

So if you are a digital artist and like a challenge why not think about joining us at Flickr.  

You already know we are a friendly bunch and you would certainly be welcome.

...................................

If you need to know more why not email Marie who I'm sure would be able to help.