This and That

Altered Ancestors at Inspiration Avenue

Credit for the original photo

Family photos ~ what a lot they can tell us.

We were a happy family for many years.

But CATherine was never the same after Father took in that owlish boy. 

I knew he was trouble from the beginning.

One day, they both disappeared and not only that, 
we never saw our beautiful pea green boat again. 

Mother's heart was broken, since she and Cat were inseparable. 

Tommy went off to look for them and we don't know how he fared ~
he hasn't returned.

That left Sadie and me after Father, blaming himself,
went off to the Sanitarium for his “fragile health”. 

Sadie and I spend our days knitting and doing crewelwork
and talking about happier days.
We can't bear to leave the house in case there is some news
about our missing sister and the owl-boy. 

If you have any news to impart, would you please let us know?

They talked about becoming famous someday, so who knows?

Perhaps someone has heard of them . . .

Altered Ancestors at Inspiration Avenue this week! 
Hop over there and check them out!


 
. . . In other news . . .
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Feels like . . .  - 29° ??? 

I don't even know what that feels like, and don't want to find out.

Last night ice started to form on the INSIDE of the windows.

and by morning the sidelight windows looked like this:

Yes, the ice is inside the house.

Ninety years ago, when our house was built, 

I guess they hadn't heard of double-paned glass.

I can't even imagine the expense and trouble 

it would be to replace these windows.

Besides, I like the old wavy glass (when it's visible :-).

I took some cool icy photos to use as digital backgrounds.

All without leaving the [relative] warmth of my house!

If anyone would like to use these, let me know and 

I'll send you the hi-resolution versions.

It's a perfect day to stay inside and make art.

I joined a facebook art journaling workshop

Journal52

The workshop just started this week...

I'm hoping I'll be inspired weekly to do more art.

Check it out, it's FREE and is filled with enthusiasm!

The first prompt is Up, Up, and Away.

Began my background yesterday which was meant to be SKY

and now looks like an UNDERWATER scene, oh well.

I hope wherever you are, you are keeping warm!

Happy New Year!

 JOY

For Inspiration Avenue's challenge ~ 

“In the Garden”

Sharing a joyful piece of art created this year . . .

I always find joy in the garden (can't wait for spring :-)

as well as when my kitties are around.

At the rate I've been going, this will be my last post

in 2013. I hope everyone has a safe and beautiful end to the year.

Wishing you health and happiness in the Year of the Horse!

Giveaway Winner !

Congratulations to Jackie

who won my Facebook drawing for one of my "Houses" paintings!

Jackie selected this painting:

The other paintings are now in my shop :-)

It's snowing crazily today . . .

I'm trying to get up the motivation to do the rest of 

my outside Christmas decorating.

Brrrrr. 

Last week was beautifully warm and now this!

I think I'll stay inside and decorate the tree . . .

Or a painting of snowy houses sounds like another plan . . .

I hope you're having a warm and cozy weekend!

Happy Cyber Monday!

One-Day Cyber Monday Sales 

in Both of my Shops

Heart of the Magpie

Buy one item and get a second item half off!

MagpieMine

50% Off Anything and Everything!

Good until midnight (EST), today, December 2, 2013.

Giveaway!

Two days left to enter the giveaway!

I will draw a name on Monday, December 2!

I finished the 4th painting in my "Houses" Giveaway,

so as promised I will soon be drawing the winner's name!

Cyber Monday (December 2) seemed like a good day to do it,

so if you haven't entered, you have until then to:

 "Like" my Facebook page

and leave a comment there saying you want to enter the drawing.

(You can leave a comment here too...I love your comments!)

Below are paintings 1, 2, and 3:

[ They are mixed media paintings

with acrylic paint, ink, colored pencil, graphite,

and lots of collage material, like papers and book pages. 

Sorry, I may not have remembered everything. ]

All are around 7.5 x 10 inches.

If you'd like to win one painting of your choice,

head over to my Facebook page,

 https://www.facebook.com/MaggieNemetzArt

I'm also linking this to Inspiration Avenue's challenge this week,

which is Show and Tell, always a fun theme!

I hope you are having a wonderful weekend,

a long one for many of us in the US :-)

Little Red Riding Hood

 Myths and Fairy Tales

Niina at Inspiration Avenue has challenged us with the theme of 

Myths

She's also included Fairy Tales, which sometimes have their start in myths.

Why are fairy tales so scary sometimes? 

Don't children have enough fears on their own?

I guess the aim was to frighten children to 

stay out of dangerous situations, like venturing into the forest alone. 

I chose Little Red Riding Hood,

whose Grandma must have lived clear on the other side of the forest.

In my painting, she has just realized that someone or something

is following her! Wasn't that a twig snapping and the rustling

of some dry leaves? Yes, footsteps!

The big bad wolf figures in a lot of other fairy tales,

like Peter and the Wolf, The Boy Who Cried Wolf, 

The Three Little Pigs (I remember being frightened by

a picture of the wolf peering in the back door of one of the pigs' houses).

And don't forget werewolves!

In the days when fairy tales began, I think there must have been

many more forest areas and more wolves, 

so being set upon by wolves was probably an actual danger to children.

Do you think we need some updated fairy tales that warn children to stay safe

from internet predators, drug dealers and creeps hanging around the playground? 

I don't know . . . the modern take on child rearing 

doesn't usually hold with scaring kids to death!

And, honestly, most children are rarely left on their own anymore.

No walking through the woods alone to visit Grandma!

Visit Inspiration Avenue to see the Myths and Fairy Tales entries.

I've also entered this painting in Gritty Jane's 40 Portrait Challenge.

Heh, my first one, only 39 to go!

Stop over there to see some amazing faces.

Join in the challenge too, it's only been running for a few days,

there's plenty of time :-)


There's also still time to enter my
Giveaway

Just go to my new Facebook Art page,
"Like" the page,
and leave a teeny comment on the giveaway post
to say you wish to enter . . . and done!

Above is the third painting in the Houses series.
I still have at least one more to do. When I have at least four
completed I will draw a name and the winner can choose
one painting from the series. Go here to see the first 2 paintings.


I hope you are still enjoying some autumn-like weather
where you are (or ~ lucky you if it's Springtime)
Enjoy the upcoming weekend!

Pssst . . . a giveaway!

A Series of Whimsical Houses

And a Giveaway

Or at least it will be . . . 

How many items make a series? More than 2, I know!

I'm having fun creating landscapes with unusual buildings and other elements.

I'm trying to do one a day . . . so far so good.

These are painted on heavy paper and are around 8 x 10 inches.

So . . . my idea is to have a giveaway, so stay tuned!

When I finish 4 (or more) of these paintings

I'll give away one of them (winner's choice).

The reason for the giveaway is to let you know I've finally

started a Facebook business page for my art.

Yes, I've mostly avoided Facebook, just not really getting it,

but have recently been convinced it may be a "good thing" after all.

I'm actually starting to warm to it a bit . . .

All you have to do is visit my page, 

“like” it, 

and comment on the Giveaway post,

saying that you would like to enter.

Go HERE to enter. 

The winner will be drawn randomly using

either the random number generator

or, knowing me, a hat  :-)

I've started painting more randomly again after finishing

the Magical Journal Journeys journal swap

so I'm sharing this at Paint Party Friday :-)

Have a beautiful weekend!