Friday, November 14, 2014

Gorgeous Art and More in The Mail!

  Happy Friday everyone! I am so excited to share this post today as it was GRAND mail week for me! I won several giveaways recently along with a GC I redeemed and it all came this week:)  My art is at the end of this post.

 I received this canvas painting from India after winning it in a giveaway by a beautiful artist, Deepa, on her blog HuesnShades:

                                             
  This hand painted canvas is breathtaking!! Deepa not only paints images depicting stories of her Indian culture, she also shares art, history and lots of information about her culture. It is always a treat to read as India is on my bucket list (yes, along with many other places! ). This canvas is about 5 " x 5 1/2" and the tiny painted lines and patterns are amazing! She also sent me a note explaining that this is a story about a mother and her son, which means even more to me because I am very close to our grown son and always have been. Truly a blessing to own this.Thank you Deepa!

 Funny thing about receiving this at this time is that I have recently purchased a book on Southern Indian healthy cuisine and went out to shop for the basic ingredients and spices I will need for my new culinary journey! I decided to give it a whirl because I know the spices used have many health benefits and most of the recipes are vegetarian. I decided to purchase the cookbook after watching the author (Alamelu Vairavan) make some of her dishes on her cooking show on Create TV. I started to print out the recipes but after collecting a handful I thought it was right to just go for it whole hog! I am not familiar with Indian cuisine so this will definitely open my palate to a whole new taste experience. It was so much fun shopping both in a local grocery store and stepping into an Indian grocery store.

 This is only some of what I purchased. I have just completed labeling and putting everything into jars (not shown). I am excited to begin making some of these recipes!

 Tracey Fletcher King had a fabulous giveaway (actually several giveaways) and I won the biggie:

 A RED (my fave color)!  steeping teacup and lid along with a packet of loose tea (Bolder Breakfast-black tea, pu'erh and chocolate) to try from The Tea Spot!! It just arrived so I haven't even taken it out of the box yet. It came along with a lovely note, tea info and card. Tracey painted a brilliant illustration of the mug and you can see it and read more about her involvement with the company in this post. Thank you Tracey and the Tea Spot! Oh, and Tracey has started her "Cuppa with Friends" project again which you can read more about here.

 Another very generous and talented artist Kirstin of Lillibean Designs sent me her 2015 calendar:

  It is GORGEOUS!!! I have always admired her  paintings of big eyed girls and and own some of her cards from another giveaway she had. I won a GC from her some months ago and chose to use it for her calendar so I will have a different beauty to look at each month! Am I one lucky girl or what? Thank you Kirstin! Oh, and she may have a few of these left in her Etsy Shop along with other gorgeous offerings.

 If you're still with me thank you! And now for my art contribution this Friday. A journal page inspired by Klimt. It began like this:

 I opened my book to a page that already had torn text papers glued on. I added some squares of patterned paper along with yellow and gold tissue papers.

 Layers of paints and glazes were added in yellows orange and gold. More tissue paper squares were glued on. Then I stamped the background using Dylusions Basic Backgrounds (dots) with Staz On Mustard ink and a Magenta rubber stamp with black acrylic paint.

 This is my finished (I think) page:


 Linking to Art Journal Every Day, Art Journal Journey (this month's theme is to be inspired by the masters), Mixed Media Monthly (theme this month is to use stamps), and Paint Party Friday!

 Have a fabulous weekend everyone!

    " Creativity lifts you out of difficulties, over the edge of fear, and on to the wild side of new possibilities".                                  Carole Watanable














36 comments:

  1. Lots of gorgeoous goodies, congrats on your wins, and love your Klimt! Valerie

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hey you are on a serious lucky streak at the moment! Good for you :)

    I love Indian food - not very adventurous cooking it though :(

    Great Klimt inspired art.

    Karen x

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hey you are on a serious lucky streak at the moment! Good for you :)

    I love Indian food - not very adventurous cooking it though :(

    Great Klimt inspired art.

    Karen x

    ReplyDelete
  4. beautiful inspired page! And wonderful gifts!

    ReplyDelete
  5. BIG congratulations on winning so many gorgeous and special treats (btw all things Indian are close to my heart...including their yummy vegetarian fare...I think it's time to put on a pot of Yogi chai tea too ♥ you've inspired me).
    Chocolate Pu-erh is one of my fav teas when I am not drinking Earl Grey.
    Your Gustav Klimt is brilliant and your words really speak to me.
    We have Der Kuss hanging over our bed (a poster I had framed ions ago)
    I NEED to go make something...thank you as always for inspiring me on so many levels dear Linda
    oxo

    ReplyDelete
  6. OMG! Fabulous Week for you Linda...so many wins! :)
    Super glad that you liked it...yay!!! Thanks for the share :D
    I can see our spices there....which recipe are you trying???
    Your Klimt page is AWESOME!!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Wow! Linda, so many fabulous prizes you have won this week! The Indian painting looks beautiful. It is the portrait of Lord Krishna with his mother. The spices look so familiar-:) Do you have any specific recipe in mind?
    Your Klimt inspired art looks lovely.
    Have a great weekend
    Susan

    ReplyDelete
  8. Congrats of winning such great stuff! Amazing! I adore your Klimt interpreatation Linda- Fantastic!
    ♥♥♥
    Happy weekend-
    thanks a lot for joining Art Journal Journey!
    Susi

    ReplyDelete
  9. Lucky you and all those goodies.....you will be coooking up some tasty meals for sure.....and all that lovely art!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Love your finished page, Linda. And how lucky can one person be to receive all that gorgeous art from arty blog friends?

    ReplyDelete
  11. aren't you the lucky one!! You go girl, and enjoy your beautiful gifts! Love how you did the background for your piece ....

    ReplyDelete
  12. You hit the jackpot this time, girlfriend! I know you will enjoy all of these goodies to the max. Love your artwork, as always!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Wow- what a good week you had! You got some great things in the mail. Can't wait to hear about your culinary adventures and love you latest art!

    ReplyDelete
  14. I think your Klimt inspired lady is really pretty. You have managed to combine geometrical shapes and fluid lines very well. Happy PPF! x

    ReplyDelete
  15. Good on you. Tracey's giveaway was to die for. I'm a fan of Klimt and you've done him proud.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Glad it arrived and I am sure you will enjoy it...xx

    ReplyDelete
  17. You are in a winning streak! I love your journal page today, and wondered where you get your vintage faces? I love Klimt too and should try something in this style.

    ReplyDelete
  18. So lovely and beautiful gifts you have got. Your own page is great too!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Wow, look at all those wonderful prizes! You should definitely do the lottery this week!

    Your journal page is fabulous (Klimt is one of my favourite artists).

    xx

    ReplyDelete
  20. Congratulations on all your winnings this week, especially that gorgeous painting by Deepa. I love Indian food, so I'm anxious to see what you make. That's a great Klimt inspired page - Blessings!

    ReplyDelete
  21. So have you bought your Lottery tickets yet :) I mean with you luck this month you should go for it :) You have won some amazing gifts and I love the Journal page ♥♥♥♥♥

    ReplyDelete
  22. You created a marvelous, unusual Klimt -Lady! Ulrike

    ReplyDelete
  23. Lovely art, your Klimt lady is great, good job, I especially love your golden background!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Yes, very nice your inspiration, full of tenderness and delicacy in these compositions

    ReplyDelete
  25. beautiful piece and such fabulous inspiration!!! Thank you so much for playing with the Mixed Media Monthly Challenge!
    -Rachel
    rwkrafts.com

    ReplyDelete
  26. Fantastic and inspiring post with beautiful art work!

    ReplyDelete
  27. Wow Linda you've been doing something right!! We have recently purchased a few new indian spices as well. We love indian cuisine and there are several good restaurants in our area since our city is highly multicultural! I am thrilled to own a Kirstin original and a few of Traceys cards as well.... a true blessing!! Love your Klimt pieces....gorgeous...I have always loved the LOVERS print!!

    Hugs Giggles

    ReplyDelete
  28. Thank you for sharing the step by step. The layers are gorgeous. Klimt has always been one of my favorites!
    Your spices sound delightful. I've been drinking Tumeric Milk to help cleanse my body. I actually really enjoy it on a cold winter day - its very warming!

    ReplyDelete
  29. How wonderful. I'm so happy for you. Some really gorgeous gifts. Love your art piece too. My kind of colours!

    ReplyDelete
  30. Your art journal page is gorgeous - the Klimt influence is easily visible. I like that you used hos inspiration - I think that is a great way to learn from the masters. You are certainly a lucky girl with all the beautiful items you received!

    ReplyDelete
  31. Lovely journal page and inspiration, and beautiful art gifts!!

    ReplyDelete
  32. Um, AMAZING! How wonderful to have won all those goodies - and that canvas painting from India is just gorgeous. I LOVE that you are at the same time learning about Indian cooking too - I am such a fan of the cuisine but have never attempted to make anything. AND your journal page is wonderful. Thank you too for your comment on the little composition book - YESssss, I do now want to make more! And maybe I was inspired by you at some point? I totally want to see them now ;) xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  33. What a great page, I love the girl. You're inspiring me to go finish some "started" pages in my art journal. Thanks for joining us at The Mixed Media Monthly Challenge.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Nice page, Thanks for joining us at the Mixed Media Monthly Challenge Blog!

    ReplyDelete

Thank you so much for your comments; it's a pleasure to connect with you!