Lady Ophelia goes "al fresco" !

Week 39 of Darcy's Postcard Challenge-Czech Republic, and Lady Ophelia is visiting Carlsbad in the western provence of Bohemia.

The national "flower" is the Linden Tree aka small leaved Lime tree.

" My dearest Lillian,

You will be pleased to hear we are back in Bohemia, taking the waters at Carlsbad. Miss Francesca convinced me to spend a little time bathing in one of the warm springs...a surprisingly invigorating experience. It has certainly helped to ease the aching in my back.

We took a not too leisurely stroll along the Findlater Stezka, a path layed out at the bequest of a James Ogilvy, 7th Earl of Findlater. It has the most amazing landscaping and points of interest, and the local people have created an obelisk overlooking the valley, to "the friend and beautifier of nature, as a token of gratitude of the citizens of Carlsdad".

Richard is taking us to the theatre this evening, and we are to dine at the theatre's cafe...al fresco! Miss Francesca says we must take an extra blanket, just in case. She has also suggested we send you a Linden Tree, the flowers of which, can be used to make tea, especially effective in relieving colds and flus. Thinking on last winter, I will purchase several packets of the tea to send you as well. As you have taught me, one can never be too careful.

Your affectionate friend, Ophelia xxx"

" My darling Ophelia,

Yes I am thrilled to hear that you are taking things a little easier. I have often thought I would enjoy visiting Carlsbad myself, as I am intrigued by the history of Earl Findlater's most generous gifts to this and other foreign destinations. I suppose he thought Scotland beautiful enough.

I am not surprised you mentioned that your back is aching, and it was very wise of Miss Francesca to get you to have a little soak. I may not have had any children of my own, but I do know that most women in your condition suffer back aches. Maybe this is a sign that you should at least be thinking of coming home. You have had the most fabulous adventure already this year, and winter is drawing near. I hate the thought of you on some stormy sea.

Geoffrey and the other children are working hard at their studies, now the harvest is almost over. I am hopeful that ,even though he is not yet 10 years of age, Geoffrey will be quite capable of sitting the entrance examination for the local Grammar School. It seems that loosing his mother to the influenza outbreak this spring has inspired him to become a doctor, which would be a major accomplishment for a child of his back ground. Your father has graciously offered to sponsor the boy if he proves determined enough.

Your ever-adoring friend, Lillian xxx"

Enjoy :D XXX

The final solution :D

Well here are the final pieces for Ayala Arts 29 Faces in September, and yet again I have to thank Martha for this fabulously inspiring challenge :D

I actually had to make 32 faces in total, or the puzzles would not have been complete :D

and it turned out, putting the puzzles together with the wrong side up was far easier than with the colourful randomness showing. This meant I got to be surprised by the outcome too, as I truly did pick and colour randomly, so the faces could have been anyway round on the finished pieces :D

So here are the completed puzzles....

I had edged all the pieces with black so that the faces would stand out...

haha...my fav bit is that the curly haired woman is actually staring down the crocodile's throat :D

...and the alien is enjoying having his eyeball nibbled on :D

I am really quite pleased with the overall effect, as it doesn't matter which way round they are...I may , however, now have to do one "properly", just to see how it looks :D

Hope you enjoyed this project as much as I did :D XXX

The Power of Four!

The further adventures of Lady Ophelia Pendleton (Darcy's postcard Challenge) will continue on Sunday 30th September

Today I wanted to share a little wall hanger I made for The Game Challenge#10 Four Squares, that represents the four seasons :D

I started by cutting a 4"x4" piece of grey board, and putting it through my Cuttlebug to add texture.

Then I selected 4 images from my Dezinaworld Mono Ladies, Faux stamps sheet 1, and cut them out with a 1" square die.

Next, added the colours of the seasons...

blended with a little iridescent paint, and cut out some plain frames, which I painted with metallic acrylics.

Decided on a Diamond alignment, and glued images + frames in place.

I have some tiny alphabet beads, and thought they would make a more unusual caption. I threaded them onto a piece of wire...

and then made holes with a pokey tool to thread the wire through to the back.

Was looking a bit ...not quite...so I added Inca Gold to the edges(see 1st photo). It doesn't show in the pics, but the surface is all shimmery.

why not pop over to The Game blog and join in...they have prizes :D

Enjoy XXX

Embracing the moment!

Two days ago my friend Magaly(Pagan Culture), asked if she could use one of my paintings "Light of my Life" as the header for her FB page. I was totally flattered, and said yes :D Magaly was so excited she posted "MINE! not really..." which made me laugh, so I thought I would make her a painting of her own. It is much smaller than the previous paintings, on 8x5 art board (so I can afford to post it lol). 

Magaly likes "dark and sexy"..and dancing :D

For my base layer, I used dictionary pages, containing words such as "dark", "dancing", "light", "sincere" you get the idea :D, and because I didn't have Magaly for her hand prints I used mine..the hand of friendship :D

...and started to build up the layers around 2 figures dancing/embracing

I used red and yellow(plus the blue of my hands) because Magaly is an intensely primal being, so primary colours :D. I believe she would also admit to being a very "fiery" faerie :D so red and yellow also represent the flames of her passionate nature ...

then a layer of black glaze...cos she likes the darkside :D

Looks a bit pink here, but it is red acrylic let down with glazing medium... 

and the grey area is iridescent paint that shimmers when you walk by ...just like Magaly :D

I was going to call it "Dancing in the Dark", but felt "Embrace the Moment" suited it better for now :D

Hope you like it Magaly, will post it when I've finished collecting stuff for the Samhain parcel I'm putting together for you :D

Enjoy :D XXX

The Jig is nearly up!!!

OMG!!!! Can't believe that it is nearly time to complete Ayala Art's 29 Faces in September challenge  !!!

...and I FORGOT to blog them all !!!!

So buckle up folks...16 pieces to view!

I loaded them all at once, and blogger has randomised them :S

...so there is no point in numbering them here :(

Only 3 more pieces for the challenge, but I need 32 pieces in total to re build the puzzles, so I will get sorted and post the completed panels on Saturday...can't wait to see how they turn out :D

Enjoy :D XXX

Lady Ophelia...pearl of the Persian Gulf

This week Darcy's Postcard Challenge finds Lady Ophelia in DUBAI....and surprisingly Yes, Dubai did exist as an independent state in 1895, and was under the protection of the United Kingdom :D

Dubai has no national flower at this time, so Lady Ophelia has journeyed into the desert, and found this Cistanche Tubulosa aka the Desert Hyacinth.

"My dearest Lillian,

What an amazingly romantic place this DUBAI is. For such a small nation it has so much history.

We visited the SOUK, and the smell of fresh spices was almost over powering, and the stunning coloured fabrics floated on the breeze like flags at a medieval pageant. Richard bought me a necklace of the most exquisite creamy pearls, gathered from the waters of this Persian Gulf. I think the traders were bewildered that Richard simply paid the price asked, rather than joining in the practice of haggling that is the norm here. He said" no price is too great, to see you smile". The ladies that were accompanying us all sighed, and said it was the most romantic thing they had ever heard.

Miss Francesca scolded him for making me blush, in my advanced condition, and refused point blank to let the menfolk help me onto a camel. She insisted it was not the getting on, or riding, but the dismount that was a potential danger.

The menfolk decided to have a race.....they mostly fell off, and Richard says he prefers a sturdy horse any day.

Your affectionate friend, Ophelia xxx

P.S. Not many flowers in the desert, but found this. It is known as a Desert Hyacinth. Richard thinks it looks like a mouldy pineapple." 

"My darling Ophelia,

ON A CAMEL!! REALLY!!! My dear girl, you truly must kerb your adventurous nature just a little, at least til after tour child is born. Miss Francesca was quite right to restrain your antics. It is not as if you are not in a position to experience these treats again in the future. Just think of the pleasure you are going to have, sharing these adventures with your child. I sometimes think you forget how privileged you are.

The air is turning decidedly nippy here now. Marcus has been busy harvesting the apples from the tree in the garden, and I spent a pleasurable afternoon with my class, gathering blackberries from the hedgerows. Next week we shall gather rose hips to make syrup with, as this is a great vitamin supplement for the winter months.

As for the "mouldy pineapple", I am sure  it is quite a beautiful site in the barren desert, especially when in full flower.

Do try to take care dear.

Your ever faithful friend, Lillian xxx"

Still having printer issues, so book pages not done yet

Enjoy :D XXX