I Never Thought

...that I would waver in my hope that Susan Boyle wins on Saturday night's Britain's Got Talent finale. Susan won the first semi-final show on the weekend, singing Memory. It was good, but wobbly at the beginning - but let's face it, this woman is under incredible pressure. All the semi-finalists are, but Susan with the massive global media coverage, has to be feeling it ten-fold.

I have been following the BGT shows on YouTube (I don't watch tv as a general rule, however if BGT was shown in North America, I would be sitting on my sofa for every show). So far four semi final shows have aired. The last semi final show is tomorrow night, with the 10 finalists going on to the final show on Saturday. There are some amazing acts that have so far won in the semi finals. Diversity and Flawless, are two street dancing groups that are fabulous. Shawn Smith is an incredible 17 year old singer. Then there is 12 year old Shaheen Jafargholi, another great little singer, and of course, Susan Boyle.

As of tonight however, my favorites have changed. Julian Smith, who makes his sax sing (he won tonight's show with the most votes) is one of my favorites.

Another favorite is Stavros Flatly, one of the most entertaining and fun acts I've seen (this charming father and son duo won on Show #3) Unfortunately, embedding has been disabled for their audition dance and also their semi final dance, but here is their first dance, and their second one. Are they good dancers? Heck no, but they have such a great bond and are so much fun, that they make me smile.

The third act that I really love is 2 Grand. A 76 yr old grandfather and his 12 year old granddaughter who sing together. The granddaughter and her mom entered Grandpa and her in BGT, partly to help Grandpa deal with the grief he was

experiencing after the death of his wife. This act also went through to the finals tonight. Sweet and heartwarming.

Do I still like Susan Boyle? Yes definitely, but I no longer think that she has a clear run at the win. There is still one more semi final show, with a couple of acts that looked terrific in the audition shows, so Saturday night looks to be a very interesting show.

Now, this is not what I planned on posting, but as I don't have pics taken of what I wanted to throw up here, this will work for now! I hope you enjoy these acts!

I Finally Breached The Mess

I held my breath, cranked up my courage and opened the door to my little studio last night. April and May have been particularly busy with a lot of birthdays and anniversarys, and thus a lot of pieces being created as gifts. I have not posted pics as I know some of the recipients follow this blog (you know who you are *grin*).

Anyway, when I work, I must start with everything organized and then within 10 minutes, chaos has returned to my 8 x 10 room. I don't generally put things away as I work (bad habit). Did a fast tidy-up last night and started 3 Kindreds. At this point, I know I want to do a darker, gothy one.



I also started and almost finished the sculpting for my ADO Challenge piece. For the last challenge, I didn't get finished until the last day....I would really like to be earlier this time. The challenge is to do a piece (or 4) based on the elements, Earth, Wind, Water and Fire. I'm a Taurus, so of course, I am going to do Earth.

I had to use my old camera for these pics while my new one was charging - sorry for the graininess.

I'm hoping to go to an estate auction tomorrow, so probably won't get much done on any of these pieces, but will try to post pics
as I continue on them.

Hope everyone had a creative day!

I Am Honoured

Creative Artistry Blog Award

This very special award was recently developed by Dessa Rae of Dessa Rae Art Dolls. I love what it stands for and when I first read Dessa's blog about the creation of this award, I thought - this is brilliant and really does exemplify everything that is good about blogging. As the first recipient of the award, Dessa presented it to Joanna Thomas of Joanna Thomas Art Dolls. What a perfect person to receive this I thought!

To my surprise and delight, Joanna has passed the award on to me. I am honoured and thrilled.

When I started blogging just before Christmas 2008, I was very wary. I was sure I would not have anything to say, and felt that it may be yet another project that I start, and lose interest in very quickly. I started visiting other blogs, first of people I knew (or knew of), and then explored some of the people that would post on those blogs. Getting up nerve, I started leaving responses of my own, and following some of the blogs. Within a couple of days, my interest was firmly peaked, I had made some new friends, and I was completely enchanted by the world of blogging. I never imagined the brand new world that blogging has opened up for me. Each day, I find inspiration, information, humour, friendship...something to brighten my day, just through blogging. Joanna, thank you so much for this award, it is so special to me and I am truly honoured.

When Dessa created this award the one stipulation was for the recipient to pass the award onto another blogger who was felt to be deserving of it.

This is tough, there are so many people in blogland that I know that deserve this award - how to pick just one? Just off the top of my head are seven people that I immediately thought of, however the one person that creeps to the very top of my head is

Marilyn Radzat of As Seen Through My Eyes.

Marilyn is one of the most talented artists I know of, and one of the most beautiful people that I have the pleasure of "knowing". (one of these days, I hope to meet Marilyn in 'real life'). I've known Marilyn for approx. 10 years now, and consider her not only a friend, but a mentor. (When I started creating dolls, I wanted to be just like Marilyn LOL) This extremely talented and creative woman is also one of the most selfless and giving artists that I know of. She is always a source of inspiration and her blog constantly reflects this. It is a pure joy to visit and as with her incredible pieces of art, one is transported to a magical place.

So Marilyn....this one is for you!

Memorial Day - What Does It Mean To You?

"May thy sweet blossoms never cease to bloom in love and trust and peace"

May 1865

Well, I'm Canadian, and I get the general 'gist' behind the American Memorial Day long weekend, however have never actually looked into the history of this day. The first Memorial Day was designated as May 30, 1868 and was to honour the fallen Union and Confederate soldiers of the US Civil War. It is now traditionally celebrated on the last Monday in May and honours all men and women that have served and given their lives for their country. Memorial Day is formally known as Decoration Day - a time to reflect and decorate the graves and tombs of these brave people. Americans as a whole are a patriotic bunch and probably already knew the above, however I did not know that this Day originated just after the Civil War.

I'm sure that as with our Canada Day long weekend celebrated in May, this US holiday also signals the chance to welcome the warmer months of summer and to perhaps get away from it all.

I hope that if you are going to the cottage, or just staying home, you all get a chance to watch a parade

Memorial Day Parade 1944 (shorpy.com)

Perhaps listen to a couple of veterans speak

(shorpy.com)

and/or pay your respects to one of the fallen who have made the ultimate sacrifice

(shorpy.com)

I want to wish everyone Stateside a most wonderful and safe weekend and also wanted to share this incredible video from MSNBC showing how a group of people and surgeons are basically giving the lives back to gravelly injured soldiers. Heartwarming.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Duh

A couple of days ago I posted about the wonderful prizes/surprises I received in the mail. One of the items was the terrific chameleon pendant from Eugena of The Polymer Clay Chameleon. I emailed Eugena to thank her and she wondered if I had found the second little item she had sent. Um, no.... This lovely, sweet AND talented woman had hidden a little birthday gift for me under the filling of the box. That gift is the beautiful sculpted orchid necklace shown above. I love surprises and this was a double one! WhooooEEEE!

If you have not checked out Eugena's shop on Etsy, please do so,she is a multitalented artist and offers beautiful jewelry, vases, and tutorials. I am posting a small sample below, because selfless woman that she is, Eugena profiles other polymer clay artists on her blog, but not her own work, which is truly exceptional.

Eugena's website is also a treat with more examples of her work

and oodles of tips and information.

Again, Eugena, I thank you for your generousity and thoughtfulness.

BONK! Cannot Open... UPDATE

UPDATE: The BONKing and annoying "Cannot Open ..." message appears to have been fixed! I can now access the blogs that I couldn't earlier! Yaaaay!

GAAARRRR....... Since yesterday, 80% of the blogs I visit I get an annoying loud "BONK" noise and then a window appears saying that Internet Explorer cannot open (insert blog name/url) ...Operation Aborted.

Thought it was just me, however according to a bunch of posts on the Blogger help forum it is a glitch with the blogger site, and probably connected to the Friend/follower widget. Hmmm, what has changed to make this just start? Whatever, indications are this is being looked into and will hopefully be fixed soon. Fingers crossed!

Something Nice This Way Comes

(my dad's dog Reggee, who thought it was nice to bring us big sticks)

Sadly, Reggee is no longer with us so no more big sticks. My Dad's new pup, a cocker spaniel, thinks popscycle sized ones are big enough.

This post is not about dogs and sticks though. It is about surprises, prizes and awards. In my mail today was a prize from Eugena of Polymer Clay Chameleon. Every day without fail, Eugena profiles a different polymer clay artist and I am in awe at the variety and talent of work that she features. My prize from Eugena came beautifully packaged, with a gorgeous card showing one of Eugena's own works. I received a wonderful chameleon necklace made by Eugena. I love chameleon's they are rather comical little creatures I think.

The second surprise in my mail was an issue of Art Doll Quarterly that was gifted to me by very talented artist, and fellow ADO member, Paula Nerhaus. Visit Paula's blog to see some of her wonderfully offbeat and enchanting creations. ADQ is impossible for me to find, and I am going to subscribe to this magazine. In the meantime however, Paula sent me one. What a thoughtful, sweet thing to do!

I have a passion for antique lace, particularly beaded and/or metallic lace. I use a lot of this type of lace on my faeries.

A fellow member of Vintage Fashion Guild knows this and Mary Jane of Poppys Vintage Clothing, sent me this wonderful edwardian cuff (it is actually two pieces of 2" wide lace stitched together). Another very sweet and oh so thoughtful thing to do. Thank you Mary Jane!

Last, but definitely NOT least, Pattee of Odd-Dolls has awarded me with the Byrum Spiritual Art Award. This is a new award and I am so touched that Pattee thought of me. When Pattee notified me of this special award, she said, "you've just made a difference in my life." Aw, Pattee, you'll have me in tears! Thank you SO much.

This award can be passed on, or not. I will have to think about this, as there are so many people that have touched, inspired and brought richness to my life. I'm afraid my list would be too long to post. Pattee, I do so appreciate this award. I treasure it, and your friendship and all the friends I have met here in blogland since I started this blog in December. It is amazing and so enriching. I am blessed.

Cuteness Overload and Goosebumps

Natalie Okri...10 Years Old

Julian Smith

Two more of Britain's Got Talent amazing performances from hopefuls auditioning. The semi-finals are definitely going to be interesting.

Victoria's Day

Queen Victoria 1842

Victoria Day commemorates Queen Victoria's birthday and is always celebrated the Monday before May 24. Today, here in Canada, we are just beginning a three day weekend. The first long weekend of the season and commonly celebrated as the blast-off weekend to summer.

Early on a Friday, people leave the hustle and bustle of the city behind, only to hit the hustle and bustle of the highways. Their destination is Cottage Country, for May 2-4 (as we so affectionately call this landmark weekend) is the date marked on our calendars to "open the cottage".

............or, the trailer

"Opening" these summer residences, requires a lot of cleaning to clearout the cobwebs (and mice visits) of the winter months.

Taking a break from all that rug beating, it is always fun to venture into

the closest little town for a spot of lunch.

...and then maybe stroll down to the beach to check out the action

For the younger people, May 2-4 heralds the beginning of summer parties

All too soon, the weekend comes to an end and we return to our everyday lives, looking forward to the next long weekend that is circled on our calendars.

Wishing everyone a very Happy and Safe Victoria Day Weekend

Going For Baroque

Greg Pritchard - Britain's Got Talent Episode 5

Walking on stage last Saturday night to audition for Britain's Got Talent, Greg Pritchard appeared, with his spikey Adam Lambert hair, leather jacket, soulpatch, engaging cheeky grin - and mellow low voice, the quintessential rock lad. He answered the prerequisite questions from the judges, closed his eyes for a moment and then started to sing.

Moment of shock, amazement, even confusion...a total WTH??? moment. Here is another case (i.e. Susan Boyle) of not assuming or judging by appearances. This charming, young man with his countratenor voice (male soprano) is rare in today's world. During the Baroque period (1600 - 1750) when opera first became popular, male sopranos were common - unfortunately, they were Castrati and Greg insists that he is 'all male' and has 'all his bits'

How Greg's talent will play out in the BGT finals is not known, but we can be assured that the show(s) will be interesting.

Note: Britain's Got Talent now has a channel on Youtube, so that we here in North America can view each Saturday night show the next day.

~ Gifts and Tags ~

Gifts

I have dismal luck at winning give-aways on blogs, however in the last couple of weeks my luck has improved! The first item I

won was a charming tussy-mussy from Tristan Robin Blakeman, that I blogged about in April.

The main thing I like about winning giveaways is the fact that the goodies that arrive are always such a wonderful surprise. They are items made from the imagination and hands of the giver, and are always unique and an item to treasure. I had two such items arrive in my mail yesterday.

(google image)

The first item was a fabulous steampunk inspired heart pin created by the very talented Pattee at Odd-Dolls. I am fascinated with the whole steampunk genre and ideology and just love this!

My second wonderful piece to arrive yesterday was from Marie at My Little World and is a delightful two sided Halloween ornie. Love the painting on this and the crackle effect!

I'm thrilled with both my Tuesday gifts and thank Pattee and Marie so much!

On to Tags

I have been tagged by two awesome and talented fellow bloggers. Michelle, at The Studio at Crow Haven Farm and Caroline at Caroline's Crafts. Please visit their blogs for lots of fun stuff and info!

How the tagging works. First I mention and link to the blog(s) that have tagged me. I then have to list 6 items that make me happy, and lastly, tag six other bloggers and let them know that they are now "it".

Six Things that Make Me Happy

1. my family

2. my puppy and kitty

3. Autumn

4. playing with clay

5. the smell of old lace and peppermint

6. looking for vintage treasures

I Am Tagging

* Linda at Nun of a Kind

*Lezlei at Breath of Art

*Joanna at Joanna Thomas Art Dolls

*Renee at Circling My Head

*Joyce at Enchanted Productions by Joyce Stahl

*Jessica at Another Day Another Doll

My router has been giving me grief the past couple of days and I am so happy to have gotten through this post without it crapping out on me. Before I tempt the fates of internet connections, I will leave you all with a wish for a Happy Day and Evening!

Celebrate Mom!

Mothers hold their children’s hands for a short while, but their hearts forever.

(unknown)

A Double Rainbow and A Giveaway

We are supposed to be opening the pool today and then having a bbq to celebrate my birthday and Mother's Day. Unfortunately, it has been storming constantly since early this morning (going to yard sales was also cancelled). The girls and boyfriends are home this weekend to help with the pool, which may have to wait until tomorrow now - but hopefully we can still get the steaks on the bbq. The heavy rain, odd hail, thunder and lightening gets tiresome after a couple of hours, however during one of the breaks, we were graced with the appearance of a double rainbow.

A Box Giveaway

And not just any box! The very talented Lisa Falzon is giving everyone in blogland a chance to win this beautiful trinket box which she has painted. Check out her blog and leave a comment for your chance to win this cool item.

Also check out Lisa's Etsy shop for a beautiful selection of her paintings, adornment art and art mirrors.

Napoleon Wrapped Around Her Finger

Adornment Choker

Mirror

Lisa is one of today's talented young artists and this is a great chance at winning one of her pieces of artwork. Good Luck!

When It's My Birthday

So today is my birthday. Isn't it amazing as the years start to pile up, how one's outlook on birthdays changes. Youthful excited anticipation, slowly gives way to subtracting the year you were born from the current one so that you can figure out how old you will be, and sadly they don't sell birthday candles in bulk packaging.

Remember the games? Like bobbing for apples, musical chairs, and pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey?

All your friends were there, dressed in their finest and ready to play even more games after the obligatory "group" pic

(hee, are we having fun yet?)

After the games, usually we opened the gifts, expressing gratitude for what we received

(I must have missed the "Miss Manners" memo that year)

After the gifts came the festive birthday meal - usually hotdogs, potato chips and birthday cake with icecream.

That was then, this is now. So far today, I've done laundry, run some errands, and hope to get in my studio soon. Nothing is planned, hubby has to work late. But, that is okay. The sun is shining, the girls are coming home on the weekend and we are going to have a bbq and celebration then. In the meantime, I'm just thankful that I am one year older (no wiser though) and have so much in life to enjoy and appreciate. The date of the day is not what is important. Let every day be your birthday!

To anyone else out there marking a birthday today or any day this month, many happy wishes to you.

Cinco de Mayo

CINCO De MAYO

Dance!

Eat

Drink

Be Merry!

Cinco de Mayo (5th of May) celebrates the defeat of the French by the Mexicans on May 5, 1862. To learn more on the history of this event, please visit Cinco History

This date is celebrated with music, dancing and feasting in parts of Mexico and also parts of the US.

I'm hoping that everyone has had a wonderful Cinco de Mayo day and before I end this post, I will leave you with a couple more tidbits I found on the web.

Lucha Reyes, called the "Mexican Piaf"

Some like to celebrating on a more relaxing level:

(couldn't resist this pic!)

Some just don't like the festivities (or they are upset because they think the dude above may be cold)

However your day has gone, in keeping with the Mexican theme, here is a wonderful and familiar little song, originally sung by Ritchie Valens....