morning wonder

i am busy packing, 

 off for a little holiday in Switzerland to spend some precious time 

with my family. 

to be honest, the packing is a little confusing, 

it's suppose to be summer in the Northern Hemisphere 

but it's been rainy and cold.

and here it feels like summer!? 

go figure ;) 

how magical do our aloes look? 

this one in the pot is blooming for the first time, 

happy and proud! 

love is in the details

this flower... it is magical!
it just keeps on giving. 

it is a  succulent called Orbea variegate or the star fish plant. 

it is AH-MAZING, the colours, the way it found its way through that little hole 

and the flowering from beginning to end is fascinating! 

nature does it best! 

even Pax is in love ;) 

this beautiful world we live in...

i am in awe of this little flower finding her unique way

into this world... 

just like all of us, 

with bravery, courage and deep trust. 

 you can see the one flower above it, 

slightly more advanced, about to open. 

they are magical,  like little parcels opening into stars, 

i will show you once they do. 

nature just does it best!

Helloooooo!

so i've been back for almost a week now... 

(embarrassed face below)

 for some reason i've been having a "computer block". 

i finally edited some photos and i am back :) 

we had a fabulous trip, 

a big Austria/Switzerland tour, 

visiting family, skiing and exploring new places.

we had spring, we had snow, we had sun...

we had many magical moments. 

i love how traveling opens the mind and the heart, 

fuels creativity and makes for a whole new perspective on life. 

THANK YOU

dear beautiful readers, 

the solstice has past and summer is here in all its beauty... 

it's been a wonderful year and i want you to know 

that i am hugely grateful for all your visits, 

your comments and your support 

here on the blog and on Instagram.

making art is extremely rewarding for me 

and i love sharing the thrill of that with you.

my biggest hope is that it can add a little smile, a little spark to your day. 

so THANK YOU for stopping by, for sharing, for cheering! 

to a New Year full of art, of ups, of downs, of discoveries and explorations! 

and in the mean time:  

dreaming and scheming

i believe in the power of intentions, 

words, dreams and numbers. 

at the moment i am planning, imagining and envisioning 

what i would like the new year to look like.

in 2015 i will be in a year 4 

which is the "practical" year.

(this is the book where i get it from)

i can feel its energy already, 

the need to be organized, 

to attend to the details, 

to do some "weeding", 

being hands on, doing... i like it already. 

i also feel the need to have a clearer vision 

to where i want to go with my art. 

so at the moment i am going through Lisa Congdon 

"Become a Working Artist" Creative Live class

and i've also ordered her book. 

(thank you Caro for the gentle nudges ;)) 

Of course it's also Susannah Conway's Unravelling time

which will help me bring closure to 2014,  envision 2015

and find my word for the year. 

i'm also reading "Show Your Work" by Austin Kleon

which is full of great tips!

so yes,

i feel like i'm in good hands...

i'm excited about the new year, 

ready to get stuck in. 

and of course super grateful for each day ;)
especially with this little companion!

Giddy

blushing with delight to have some pics of me 

and all the wonderful people i met 

on Misty Mawn's italian blogpost

these were all taken on our last day 

during our 'show and tell' 

enchanted

let me take you on a little virtual tour 

of my "Wandering with Passion" week in Orvieto

i'm struggling to put it into words, 

it feels that it might shatter the magic of it. 

i will simply say that the whole trip was AH-MAZING!!!

i met fantastic people from all over, 

Misty's sharing of her talents was incredible to witness live (as opposed to online).

this is all of us from the art group: 

at the back left to right: Diana, Robin, Rena, Renee, Lorraine

front left to right: Jeanne Marie (Flowrsinherhair), Dot, me, John, Camilla and Misty on our lap

i didn't get a pic where we all sat still so i stole this one below from Misty

this is the whole gang including husbands, moms, aunts and friends,
missing Bill and Kristin who put this whole week together so beautifully:

the whole experience is still sinking in, 

i came home inspired, thrilled and enchanted! 

Ciao

people, it is REAL! 

today i am off to Italy 

for my week of painting with 

Misty Mawn and a wonderful bunch of artists! 

and then to Switzerland to spend some time with my family! 

i will see you back here in October, 

in the mean time keep on shining 

and remember that love is in the details

 ;) 

big love, 

Anne

xxx

misty morning magic

we don't often get mist around here.

wednesday as the sun was coming up

the mist started to form in the valley below us

turning  the sunrise into an even more magical moment. 

finishing

i've been finishing these paintings

completion really is satisfying ;) 

walking

signs of spring? 

still with a touch of winter in the background

superpower

remember my emerging collage Super Heroes

from earlier this week? 

well here they are, done! 

i played around with words and like them on these two:

-the Yes Super Hero

and -the Flower Power Super Hero

as for my Super Hero No8, 

it was decided he was better without words.

they all have the Super Power to make me laugh every time i look at them! 

i love them dearly ;) 

i foresee many more coming soon...

another big news

we've been planning, creating and nurturing this
idea for a while;
and now here it is making its way out into the big world.

Donna, Pascale, Laura and I

are proud to announce our very first retreat:

it's going to be fabulous, come and join us! 

please contact us if you are interested,

alive.retreat@gmail.com

or visit our Facebook page

permission to play

  i'm always keeping a eye on what 

Carla Sonheim is creating;
new classes, collaborations, art...

i love her innovative and playful spirit approach 

to creativity.

a little while ago i discovered 

this video on Carla's online classes page 

                       

Lynn Whipple's Joy of Collage class...

well despite my best intentions 

i had to jump right in, it was way too appealing. 

and oh my goodness am i happy i did!

Lynn course is also all about fun, silliness, 

and playfulness... 

nothing is too serious or precious, 

all about quirkiness, all about getting our "hands moving" ! 

here are my first 3 collages 

at their beginning stage:

and a peak at my Super Heroes emerging:

i'll show you more when they are done!