It's Mermaid Week!

I love mermaids.
So does Lou Anne of Misplaced Mermaid,

one of our newish members at Inspiration Avenue 

and author of this week's challenge. I say "newish" because
it feels like she has been with us much longer than she has
due to her enthusiasm and friendliness!

Check out her blog as well as the challenge at IA.

I'm on a postcard roll ever since our Postcard Swap at IA.

So my entry this week is of course a postcard.

I took a vintage photo of a little girl and transformed her into a mermaid.

Not just any mermaid, but a bewitching one with a magic wand.

I think she has just made a fish disappear. lol.

Some other mermaids I've done
(and most likely have posted before)

This one is sold but I have a print :)

"Bad Hair Day"

"The Butterfly Garland"

(available in my shop, as is the little witchy mermaid)

This is a merrow, you can tell by the red hat
and her webbed fingers. An Irish mermaid.
I never listed this in my shop...
Hmmm, wonder if I should?
I think I considered that she wasn't finished,
but now I'm not sure why I thought that...

Visit Inspiration Avenue on Sunday to see the Mermaid Gallery of entries.
Or pop over there now to get the info on how to enter.
There's plenty of time ~ you have til Sunday at 12 noon eastern time.

Ta ta for now.
I'll be back to show you the postcards I received in the swap
as well as the ones I sent. And a Round Robin update.
Happy Thursday!

Round Robin

I've finished my pages in Stephanie's journal for our Round Robin swap.

Steph hinted she might like a mermaid . . .  I hope she likes this one.

Of course, this one's like all young mermaids, a shell phone glued to her ear.

She would rather talk than text, which is a bit unusual.

Her eight pet goldfish are oblivious to it all ~ 

they are having their own fun.

The journal will  be on its way to Lisa soon, for her to add her magic!

Stephanie's journal

I'm the very first one to add my pages to this journal, a bit scary at first.

I already have Kim's book to start next. Will do a post on it soon!

I had thought to add this to Paint Party Friday, but I've been having such 

a hard time getting around to visiting blogs, that I feel bad if I don't 

reciprocate the visits. So for now, no PPF. 

Visit there today though if you get the chance! You'll be inspired!

PPF button is in my sidebar.

Don't forget the Postcard Swap at Inspiration Avenue!

You can still sign up until April 29. 

This is going to be tons of creative fun!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Butterflies at Inspiration Avenue

The Butterfly Garland

Butterflies under the sea?

But of course! Where did you think butterflies come from?

Besides from caterpillars, that is. 

It's like the old chicken and the egg puzzle. 

Which came first, the caterpillar or the butterfly?

Well, mermaids are in charge of gathering the lost butterflies

and making sure they return to land to lay the eggs,

that will become the caterpillars, 

that will become . . . now you understand.

Without the mermaids' help, there would be many less butterflies.

Of course the mermaids can't accomplish this without a little assistance.

They enlist their sea creature friends to pitch in from time to time :)

Be sure to head over to Inspiration Avenue on Sunday

to see the Gallery of Butterflies.

I believe we have a record number of entries this week.

"Butterflies" is a subject that speaks to the creative soul!

Inspiration Avenue Weekly Challenge

Sun Kissed

Poor little mermaid is sun kissed,

but she's sad because she never gets a suntan.

All that sun and she is as white as can be.

Her old grandmother tells her, 

"Just think how young you will look 

when you are 150 like me."

This doesn't make her feel happier.

She wants to sit on the rocks above and soak up the sun's rays.

Her mother thinks she will become involved with the

nasty sailors who cruise by every day if she goes up to the rocks. 

"Stay away from there,"  her mother says. 

"Those sailors are nobody you want to meet!"

The little mermaid is just sooo bored.

She's thinking about sneaking up to sit in the

summer sunshine, anyway. What could be so bad about

those sailors? Her girlfriends say they are trés handsome and 

very tan from being on the ship's deck all day.

Besides, she's looking forward to creating an
awesome new hairstyle while sunning on the rocks.
She's had enough of all these bad hair days...

Visit Inspiration Avenue to see all of the
Sun Kissed entries!
This week's theme is brought to us by the talented
Stephanie of Dragonfly Design Studios.

An Irish Mermaid

It's a Happy St. Patrick's Day 

green theme this week!

This is a Merrow...an Irish mermaid-like sea nymph. 

Merrows have been around for millenia ~ 

they are quite beautiful with lovely long hair, 

white webs between their fingers,

and the lower body of a fish. They have a 

gentle disposition, and are known to lure young men

beneath the waves, where they live 

in an enchanted state.

A merrow wears a red cap which allows her to swim beneath

the waves. If she loses her cap, she cannot return to the water.

Merrows have been known to inter-marry with handsome

Irish fisherman...since male merrows are said to be

extremely ugly, who can blame them?

If their husbands hide their red caps,

they will live happily with their human family.

But if a merrow should recover her cap, she will

be compelled to return to the sea, leaving

husband and children behind, and never be seen again.

I've been wanting to paint a mermaid, 

since I never completed one while I was 

taking Suzi Blu's Mermaids class.

I was hoping to have it completed by

St. Paddy's Day, but 'twas not to be.

The Irish theme this week was brought to us by Pat

of Photogenic Gallery. 

Check out her awesome photography!

Also visit Inspiration Avenue on Sunday

to see all of the green entries.

Waiting for Mermaids

I'm excited to be taking Suzi Blu's new mermaid class, 

La Sirena

It starts August 15, but in true Suzi fashion, she has us 

students collecting bits and pieces of inspiration well

ahead of time. These are some things I found

that speak mermaid to me! 

I'm sure I'll find more in the days ahead.

The GORGEOUS mermaid face above

is by CampbellJane, an artist and Etsy seller.

Visit her shop and you will be amazed at her work!

The little mermie baby I put together as a digital collage.

The other things are odds and ends of inspiration.

I'm sure mermaids love jewels and sparkly things.

How else to entice those sailors, sinking their ships?

Well their singing and irresistible beauty also help, I imagine.

On a slightly different note:

Serendipity

1. The faculty of making fortunate discoveries by accident.

2. The fact or occurrence of such discoveries.

3. An instance of making such a discovery.

While looking for an old post today, I just discovered that 

my very first blog post was one year ago today, August 11.

I was pretty sure I started my blog in August but

didn't have a clue on which day!

So, in true clueless Magpie fashion, I have not planned a 

celebration or a giveaway or anything like that.

But, who knows, before the month is over there

may still be time for something fun!