Monday, January 28, 2013

Mermaid Musings for a snowy day

saimmasimaniq

"Peace" in the Inuktitut language,
spoken in Canada

seed bead woven amulet necklace
found on etsy

It is snowing outside right now, and the sky is dark.
Dark early, for late January.
It is a wet snow, which is good as we need moisture for the summer.
That's how the Rocky Mountain foothills get their water -
from melting snow high up in the mountains.

But today I want to talk about mermaid mountains!

"Oceanidi sirens", painter unknown

Really, anything mermaid!!
Just sharing one of my favorite subjects with you...


"Don't grow up too quickly,
Lest you forget 
how much you love the beach."

- Michelle Held

I believe this might be a Disney design..but I don't know.

'Tatiana', a Cancun 'mermaid'

Mermaids can be so whimsical:

'Little mermaid' brooch, mixed media from
www.miopupazzo.etsy.com

(I have ordered a custom mermaid from this shop,
and she does excellent work!)

mermaids can be elegant:

'sea faerie', www.gingerkellydesigns.etsy.com

and mermaids can be adorable! -

a mermaid birthday card, www.PugBugCards.etsy.com

I
'Who would be a mermaid fair,
Singing alone, combing her hair,
Under the sea, in a golden curl,
With a comb of pearl,
On a throne?...'

- Sir Alfred Lord Tennyson

http//welcometo/pen&pencil.com

II
'I would be a mermaid fair.
I would sing to myself the whole day;
With a comb of pearl I would comb my hair;
And still as I comb'd I would sing and say,
'"Who is it loves me? who loves me not?..."

vintage art

vintage song sheet cover, from the 1800's


'I would comb my hair till my ringlets would fall
Low adown, and around;
And I should look like a fountain of gold
Springing alone
With a shrill inner sound,
Over the throne
In the midst of the hall;...'

painting by Isa Marie "In Queen's Bath"

www.ArtByDebra.etsy.com

'Till that great sea-snake under the sea
From his coiled sleeps in the central deeps
Would slowly trail himself sevenfold
Round the hall where I sate, and look in at the gate
With his large calm eyes for the love of me.'

vintage Hair tonic ad, with  mermaids

'Ocean Treasures jewelry' original Collage Art Doll by inkspired
using all recycled junk mail
www.collagepaperpainting.etsy.com


'And all the mermen under the sea
Would feel their immortality
Die in their hearts for the love of me.'

- Alfred Lord Tennyson


'mermaid by AdoC ' - that's all the info I have.
If you know more, please let me know.

I trust you have enjoyed my mermaids today,
and even had some fun reading poetry!
'Til next time....

inkspired
www.inkspired.etsy.com
www.collagepaperpainting.etsy.com
I'm on pinterest too! - K.Kloberdans


vintage mermaid, courtesy of Dover

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Peace and the Hunt for Happiness

isithangami

"Peace" in the Zulu language,
spoken in South Africa

also found:
"ukuthula" as the word for 'peace',
couldn't really find verification at a reliable source.
Do YOU know how to say 'Peace' in the ZULU language?
Tell us!


'Zulu Girl' found at www.africanimpact.com
there was also a note that it had won 2nd place in a 2008 photo contest
I think she is just lovely!


"Those who are free
of resentful thoughts
surely find peace."

 - Buddha



found at www.anniesnewletters.blogspot.com

How has your Week of Hunt for Happiness going?

I had grand plans, but then I've been sick for 2 days.
Bleh.
Still, I managed to find a little happiness in each day!

One of my 'happy' spots is the video and story
of the deep sea divers that were able to set a wild dolphin free
from its' entanglement in a fishing hook and line.
Big smile here!

a sheet of artistamps put together by Lisa Vollrath
You can join her 'group' and she gives lovely images away for personal use.

"When the power of love
overcomes
the love of power
the world will know peace."

 - Jimi Hendrix


found at www.portaec.net

Take a second look at that peace dove.
Do you see what it is protecting the world from?

Another 'Happy Moment' found?

I was feeling bad, and my husband offered to come home and fix me dinner,
even though he had another meeting to go to first 
and dinner was part of the meeting.
That just struck me as soooo kind and thoughtful.

(I told him no, I could always find something to eat).


"Peace begins with a smile."

- Mother Teresa


by Mary Engelbreit
found on www.OrigamiBears.com

What are a few of your "Happy Moments"?

Do share!
I know I am not the only one that tires of hearing only
BAD NEWS
and reading of only
BAD NEWS.
The news organizations say that only sensational news (i.e. BAD NEWS)
brings in readers and watchers.

Is that true for you?

Perhaps we don't need an hour by hour update of a tragedy occurring?
That is just encouraging the news agencies to keep the BAD NEWS coming.
I frequently find that if I read a headline, that is more than enough for me.

Do I need to know that the teen boy that (allegedly) murdered his parents and 3 siblings
was also a talented musician, good student, and not a monster?
No.
I don't need to read about what a horrible person he is either.

When I read of the tragedy, my first thought was prayers for the teen boy and his family.
How very tragic that he thought this was the only solution for his situation.
How devastating for the rest of the family.
How lonely he must feel right now.
I have no desire to follow the sensationalizing of this tragedy.
I certainly am not going to read about it every day;
or try to make sense of it.

There is no sense or comfort from evil.
There is only chaos.
And we are each capable of evil.
That's what the Bible means when it says

'There is no one righteous*,  no not one.'
Psalm 14:1-3, Old Testament

*can be translated as 'pure' (I John 3:3), 'without blemish' (Ephesians 1:4),
or 'grounded in love' (Ephesians 3:17)

a tomb detail of an angel

"The most valuable possession
you can own
is an open heart.
The most powerful weapon
you can be
is an instrument of peace."

- Carlos Santana

I don't need to read about how awful other people are
to make me feel good about myself!

angelpostcardgfairy


Well, it's time to step off my soapbox, I suppose.
:0)

I do challenge you today to search out some
GOOD NEWS!
for the next 7 days!

Let us know what you find out...
because there's always room for more....

GOOD NEWS!

Kuwait children, Kuwait City
www.gulfnews.com

inkspired
www.inkspired.etsy.com
www.collagepaperpainting.etsy.com

"Peachy Keen" original Collage Art Doll by inkspired
using all recycled junk mail!

www.collagepaperpainting.etsy.com

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Secret Society of Happy People

Happy

Donna, a young elephant at the Whipsnade Zoo in Dunstable, England,
is playing football with her keeper.
photo cred: Steve Parsons, 1/2012

Today's blog is all about HAPPY!!

I found the coolest thing online, while browsing for something else -
That's what 
serendipity
is!

A HAPPY vintage song sheet cover, c. 1917
courtesy of Indiana Music Libraries, address to the right of this blog

I discovered 
www.sohp.com

That stands for 
The (Secret) Society of Happy People!

What a wonderful name!

A HAPPY Jester paper cutting pattern
from out of print Backstreet Designs


Hmmmm... a secret society of Happy People?
Yep!

Pamela Gail started this back in 1997,
to focus on the HAPPY moments,
instead of
the SAD, TRAUMATIC moments.
Great idea!!
(Something that makes people happy - chocolate!)


Today is the start of an entire week of

Hunt for Happiness Week
January 20 - 27, 2013

The focus is on finding moments of happiness every day.

Here's one of mine!

The Flamingo Barbie

You know I had to get in a Barbie somewhere, right?!
AND you know Flamingos are just so cool,
and fun
and make me happy!!

a wonderful paper doll duo by Lonnie M. Bullington
LJ Studios, 2011
found on pinterest

On the SOHP website, there are several activities that you can use to find your daily
happiness.

There is a great Word Search for

Thirty-one Types of Happiness
and

there are 'I-Spy' coupons to print out and give -
(to hand to  people that you see doing 'happy' things) 
and

Happiness Challenges
with ideas for finding happiness moments every day.

She gives ideas for even kids to join in with a 

365 Happiest Moments Journal.

Moroccan 12 year old,
credit: www.nationalgeographic.cm

So why not check out these Secretive
Happy People (!)
and celebrate 
the HUNT FOR HAPPINESS WEEK!!

Who knows? We might even join a global revolution?

Happy Nigerian children!
www.ngonewsafrica.org

Well, I'm off to start my Happiness Journal,

and make a new Pinterest Board of Happy Things,
(you can find me as K. Kloberdans there)

and make an etsy Treasury of
What makes me Happy!!

(You can find me through
www.collagepaperpainting.etsy.com
or
www.inkspired.etsy.com)

"Butterflies"
original Collage Art Doll by inkspired
made from all recycled junk mail!
www.collagepaperpainting.etsy.com


inkspired
www.inkspired.etsy.com
www.collagepaperpainting.etsy.com

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Peace Quotes and Angels with commentary

Welcome

Angle Harp Barbie 1998

"I think that people want peace so much 
that one of these days
government had better get out of their way
and let them have it."

- Dwight D. Eisenhower, former USA president

A really huge hug for my reader DebraAnne who clued me in to
Chrome browsers.

The hassles I have been having for really MONTHS all seem to have disappeared.

HUGE HOORAY!!!!

I do have to ask the question however...
why didn't anyone tell me before this?
Couldn't blogspot have sent a notice?
Why couldn't I find the solution on the internet?
sigh.
Oh well, it appears to be fixed now.

Yippee!!

circa 1905

thank you to Indiana Music Libraries...
you can find their link to the right of my blog!

Let's start again with my vision of 

Angels
and
Peace quotes!


"If we are to teach real peace in this world,
and if we are to carry on 
a real war 
against war,
we shall have to begin 
with the children."
- Mahatma Gandhi


You know, we really don't need new 'summits' and 'conferences'
and 'meetings' and 'rallies'
and movies and documentaries,
or
new songs and poems
or
fill-in-the-blank....

The knowledge has been given us.
It is readily available.

We have excellent speakers from the past,
and examples of people who practiced peace.
We have poems, and stories,
history notes and audio recordings,
movies and 'shorts' and -
fill-in-the-blank.....

We just need to listen,
and change our hearts.


"We are not at peace with others
because we are not at peace
with ourselves,
and we are not at peace
with ourselves
because
we are not at peace with God."
- Thomas Merton

I mean,
REALLY LISTEN.
Actively engage your brain.

I know this is possible,
because I raised a teenage son.
And I found out... he really does have a brain!

hand painted and stamped domino magnet by inkspired
www.inkspired.etsy.com


"I do not want the peace
that passeth understanding,
I want the understanding
which bringeth
peace."

- Helen Keller

an example of using kirigami as a background
www.collagepaperpainting.etsy.com

I will continue my theme of 
Peace
and 
Angels 
in future blogs.
I am trying to keep my blogs shorter - 
really Michael!

I have lots of plans and dreams for the coming year...
and 
sooooo many wonderful graphics
and clip art
and vintage images
and
games and puzzles 
and 
quotes and poems
and..
Oh, I'll just have to write another blog!

This is a Fenton glass angel we picked up while visiting my in-laws.
It was Thanksgiving, and they had to mow their lawn!
Marietta, Ohio

"Speak,
move,
act in peace,
as if you were in
prayer."

- Fenelon

Practice peace,
until next time...

inkspired
www.inkspired.etsy.com
www.collagepaperpainting.etsy.com
www.inkspiredmusings.blogspot.com

it's really easy to leave a comment now!!
part of a c.1909 'Angels of Night' vintage song sheet cover