Fun blog stats with Flowers, Easter Eggs and more!

Sulh



'Peace' in the Dari language

spoken in the United Arab Emirates and Iran

Vintage illustration showing a game of draughts-

listed as 'Arabian' but most likely 'Turkey',

see upper left in illustration.

I have had some fun this morning looking over my 'blog stats'.

I've learned some surprising things,

and some interesting things.

Let's explore!

bottlecap magnet- using all recycled junk mail- by inkspired

www.inkspired.etsy.com

First, I have my blogs that have been big hits in the year 2012, so far.

My number one most popular blog for this time period

(of the past 8 months)

is

drum drolllllllll......

Brunei: Small country with a long history

I guess there are at least 7,198 people that also didn't know much about

Brunei!!!

:0)

Brunei housing for the lower classes

I found out that people like my blogs on Nursery Rhymes.

I have done 16 blogs that are tagged

'Nursery Rhyme'

Since Jan 1, 2012, my second most popular blog is:

'Nursery Rhyme Time with Hickory Dickory Dock'

www.nursery-rhymes.org

2,594 people have looked at that blog!!

Cool!!

If we look at the most hits since I have started doing Nursery Rhymes,

we find an all time high of

10,057 page hits!

You guys really flatter me - thanks!

a scherenschnitte cutting of Mother Goose by inkspired

using a Dover frame

Back to 2012, frequent hits included

Snow White and the Huntsman....2,152

More Cinderella Glamour...1,790

and

Time for another Hula Day...1,392

detail of a painting by Scott Gustafson,

one of my all-time favorite artists!

Let's take a peek at some all-time highs specific blogs:

I have written 22 blogs on Easter Egg,

and 19 blogs come up for Easter Eggs.

(I am sure there's overlap there!!)

Sugar Easter Egg Ornaments

sorry, I don't have a photo credit

Easter Egg-cellent, written 4/13/2011 has had 10,083 hits so far!

more on Easter Eggs later....

Cows, Hot Dogs and Ice Cream Days, (7/16/2011) has 29,445 hits so far!

My next most popular blog, after Easter Eggs, is

Is it time for Cherry Blossoms? with 77,839 hits!!

and I continue to get many hits every week!

I am so roll-y-eyed-crazy-head flattered!

handpainted stemware www.HandPaintedPetals.etsy.com

Thank you to all who have shared my blogs with other people.

Cherry Blossoms for Spring (7/14/11) has had

12,139 hits!

That's a lot of cherry blossoms...

c. 1917 song sheet cover

The Language of Flowers have become a popular series of blogs I've written.

I have done 24 blogs on different flowers,

a bit of their history, and what the flower meant in the Victorian Age.

The Language of Flowers - Water Lily (7/17/2011) has had

22,445 page hits so far.

Other flowers featured in the Language of Flowers series have included:

8,721 page hits - Apple Blossom Promises (5/26/11)

7,875 page hits - The Language of Flowers - Pansy (5/27/11)

and

6,128 page hits - A Sunny Delphinium July Day (7/8/11)

vintage clip art courtesy of Dover Books

You can find 45 blogs listed when you search for 'Barbie'.

You can find 31 blogs when you search for 'Mermaid'.

'Ocean Treasure Jewelry' Collage Art Doll

by inkspired using all recycled junk mail

www.collagepaperpainting.etsy.com

Well, I don't want to bore you-all too much!

My final stat is

More Easter Egg Fun (4/16/11) which has had, so far,

94,556 page hits.

Mind-boggling.

and I get a page or more hits every day, still.

wow.

I am flattered,

and humbled

and excited

and awe-struck

and inspired

and....

you get the idea!

And I couldn't do it without all of you readers!

BIG THANKS!

I so enjoy sharing with you all the thoughts that crowd in my brain,

shouting to get out.

You can see, also, why I am so frustrated with the incredible slowness of writing/posting my blog, due to

internet provider speed?

Blogspot speed?

We still haven't been able to pin down the problem.

bottlecap magnet made from all recycled junk mail

by inkspired

www.inkspired.etsy.com

Time to stop bragging I suppose.

It was fun though!

:0)

Future blogs I am working on:

Nursery Rhyme - 3 blind mice

a series on American Native Americans (USA and Canada),

including Cheyenne, Apache, and Choctaw

Gypsies, and Gypsy Wagons

Language of Flowers - Forget-me-nots and Alaska

the Orange blossom and Florida

and

the hummingbird (as requested by Glenda)

See you then!

inkspired

www.inkspired.etsy.com

www.collagepaperpainting.etsy.com

Brunei small country with a long history

Damai

or

Kalinaw

or

Te-njo



or

HePing

Wow!

Those are some of the ways to say 'Peace' in the country of Brunei!

www.trylobyte.wordpress.com

The first is Malaysian for Peace:

Damai

The second is in the Bisaya language for peace:

Kalinaw

The third and fourth are in different dialects of Chinese for peace:

Te-njo

or

HePing

Brunei

Why this interest in the country of Brunei?

Well, I started to get readers from there.

I said to myself -

BRUNEI?

I never heard of that country!!!

Is that really a country?

Yep, it is.

Check out the map above. You can see it is a tiny country,

actually smaller than our state of Delaware!

and that's a small state...

Brunei Flag

So, what are the people of Brunei like?

Here are some quick and fun facts:

Last estimate was in July, 2012

and that was estimated at about 409,000 people.

I'm pretty sure Denver is bigger than that!

Brunei

The Bruneian people are from a wide diversity of national backgrounds.

There is about 15% Chinese,

about 18% indigenous and other

(don't you always want to know what 'other' means?!!!)

and just a reminder, indigenous means 'native peoples',

not emigrated from somewhere else.

There is a sizable Indian population, mostly minorities from Southern India.

Just in that section some of the different languages are

Tamil

Malayalam

Telugu

Hindi

http://www.en.loadtr.com/

Think we're done yet?

Nope.

Just in the Chinese sector there is

Hokkien

Cantonese

Hoisan

Fuchow

 and Hainanese

spoken!

button with official coat of arms heraldry of Brunei

http://www.zazzle.com/

AND

there are expatriate communities that include Filipino and Indonesian...

How do they ever communicate with each other?

(I'm thinking Tower of Babel from the Bible.....)

Well, English is widely used in business and the work force.

If you are in High School, or on to College,

all the instructions are in English!

BUT

the official language of Brunei is Melayu Brunei,

a form of Malaysian, but different.

Of course.

Melayu Brunei was made official in 1959

with the signing of the Brunei 1959 Constitution.

Brunei is a

constitutional sultanate

yep, I never heard of that either!

This is a photo taken at the wedding of Princess Hajah Majeedah Nurul Bulqiah,

daughter of the first wife Kebawah Duli Anak Hajah Saleha

binti His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'zzaddin Waddaulah

and

Yang Amat Mulia Pengiran Anak Khairul Khalil

bin Pengiran Syed Haji Jaafari

September, 2008

(I bet they hated learning how to spell their own names in grade school!)

As near as I can tell binti means daughter of?

so bin would be son of?

Royal Wedding

www.zimbio.com

I wanted to find more information on all that wonderful beading,

but never did find any.

boo hoo

:0(

Another fun fact:

The average age of Bruneians is

27 years old!

and the life expectancy is averaged at

male: 71 and female: 76 

photo cred: Anthony Asael

www.deviantart.com

Brunei History

now don't skip this just because you hate history!

It really can be quite fascinating!

Brunei is one of the oldest kingdoms in the world

as well as one of the youngest independent nations in Southeast Asia!

In 1888 Brunei became a British protectorate

and independence was achieved in 1982.

However

the same family has ruled Brunei for over 6 centuries.

stone boat in lagoon

Brunei Bandar Sei Begawan Omar Ali Saifudden Mosque

www.tropicalisland.de.com

The official name is

State of Brunei Darussalam

the capital is

Bandar Seri Begawan

 The last election was held in 1962, and the next election is NA.

The Sultanate is handed down through the family.

Sultan Hassanal Boliah was coronated in 1968.

Oil was discovered in 1929.

Some of the cars found in the Sultan of Brunei's Garage.

It holds over 7,000 vehicles worth over 5 billion $$.

What kind of religion do they practice?

woman of Brunei

http://www.worldwatchlist.us/.

The official religion is Muslim with 67% of the population practicing.

This is reflected in their legal system which is based on

English common law;

for Muslims, Islamic Shari'a law supersedes civil law in a number of areas.

About 13% are Buddhist,

10% have indigenous beliefs, and that mysterious 'other',

and about 10% are Christian.

According to www.worldwatchlist.us

there are approx. 39,500 Christians.

In 2011 monitoring of Christian meetings increased.

Only non-Malays can choose any religion other than Islam.

If a Malay converts they are scheduled for

're-education into Islam'

and charged with

'Disturbs peace and harmony'.

There are restrictions on importing Christian materials, Bibles and literature

making them difficult to obtain.

Brunei forests of Temburong

Brunei culture draws from the Old Malay World,

including the Malay Archipelago

and stemmed from the Malay Civilization.

Influences include animism, Hinduism, Islam and the West.

traditional clothing of Brunei



Misc. Fun Facts:

 A large portion of the labor force are from

Philippines

Indonesia

Thailand

India

 and Bangladesh.

Water taxis are a common form of transportation.

www.thetravelword.com

The country has made a serious effort in encouraging native crafts,

including the traditional arts of

boat making

silver smithing

bronze tooling

cloth weaving

mat and basket weaving

wood carving and wood working.

traditional silver work

www.bruneiresources.com

basket weaving at a raft Show in the Brunei Darussalam Pavilion

http://www.hellomandarin.com/

Silver work, Brass ware and wood working were already a flourishing business

by the 15th century!!

Well, I hope you have enjoyed this very brief armchair overview of

Brunei!

map of Brunei, Malaysia and the South China Sea

A last little fun fact:

Korea established diplomatic relations right after the 1982 independence of Brunei from the United Kingdom.

Many Bruneians have become increasingly attracted to Korean

popular soap operas

movies

and songs!

The capital of Brunei, northern bank, Bandar Sei Begawan

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/

It looks like it has many beautiful places.

Shall we go?

I gleaned information from many different sites.

Here are most of them:

http://go.hrw.com/atlas/norm_htm/brunei.htm

 http://geography.about.com/library/cia/blcbrunei.htm

www.encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com

www.worldwatchlist.us

www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/bx.html

www.yynr.org - an article by Safarozi

www.koreatimes.co.kr - an article written by Na Jeong-ju

http://www.bruneiresources.com/bruneihandicrafts.html

until next time

:0)

inkspired

http://www.inkspired.etsy.com/

www.

Altered Paper Doll Part II long overdue

I found this blog as a draft, and realized I never posted it.

Sorry for the delay, but have fun with it today!

"Boo" altered paper doll by inkspired

Altered Paper Doll Part II:

It's time to get out the sticky stuff - Tacky glue, rubber cement, double sided tape, regular tape, strapping tape, PPA. You may only need one.

Tip: for all paper gluing projects, I prefer dabs of Aleene's Tacky Glue. It comes in a brownish gold bottle and is sold at craft stores, like Hobby Lobby.

"Brigitte, Dark Angel" altered paper doll by inkspired

It's time for another treasure hunt!

This time - look for paper scraps. You should have an idea of a theme for your paperdoll by now. Dig into your pile of magazines and catalogs.
You are looking for words or letters or phrases that your paperdoll would like to feature.
You are looking for fun printed textures, such as an ad with a closeup of a fabric, or a photo of the sea. You can use these for making your own budget 'clothing' line!
Bits of leftover scrapbooking paper and scraps of lace are a great addition.
Don't forget - you can use copies or original paper doll clothes!

TIP: VivaLasVegasStamps carries Miracle Tape (double sided) in several widths. It's the one I use all the time. Be prepared to be dazzled!http://vivalasvegastamps.com/

Make your doll base, if you haven't already.

Good sources for recycled bases:
  old paper dolls
  cardboard shirt inserts
  cardboard inserts from calendars
  stiff cardstock
  thin wood, like balsa
  cereal boxes, or other boxes made from thin cardboard

Lay your doll base down on a scrap of paper or craft mat. Get out those 'body' clippings, and gathered treasures. Play with combinations. Do you want arms? What position? Are you adding embellishments to the head? Do you want a head?! Have fun. Step outside your safe creativity and go for wild!

courtesy Dover Publications Free clip-art weekly



Here are more examples for you to peruse (such a great word!):

detail from my altered paper doll 'Computer Cutie #1'

detail from my altered paper doll 'Judge Judy Pals - Paula Abdul'

Of course, your doll will look completely different!

You can add as much paper scrap and found treasure you like. Keep in mind if you add heavier items, you will need a very sturdy base.

.....play with buttons, eyelets, grommets, brads, silk flowers, sewing fasteners,

brass charms, small gaming pieces- dice or?, mini paper flowers, silk leaves...

Play.

Play.

Play!

"Art is important.

The Artist is the person who dreams out loud."

....Yolanda M. Lopez

TIP: For heavier or bulky items you can use strapping tape. This tape has fibers throughout it. For a finished look, be sure to affix something over the tape to hide it - OR let it become an element of your doll!

back of my altered paper doll 'Spring Floral'

front of my altered paper doll 'Spring Floral'

I hope this kind of makes sense to you!

You can always type in the search box to the upper left for past blogs, past topics, tags, etc.

I'm getting ready to go see Michael in a few 'play-lets'.

Our church is putting on a Neil Simon Play

of course I have forgotten the title

it is based on the book of Job -

the title character name is Joe Benjamin.

Very funny.

Very clever.

Anyway, Michael is in a series of short skits before the play.

I think the idea is to warm up the audience.

It is a dinner theater, so we are finishing up our main course when the playlets come.

Of course, being totallay objective and not biased in any way -

Michael IS the best actor up there....

and definitely the cutest!

:0)

Gotta run,

see you soon

I've been working on a blog about ballerinas and ballet,

and also one about the country Brunei.

Yeah, I had never heard of it either, until some people started checking out my blogs from there!

:0)

inkspired

http://www.inkspired.etsy.com/

http://www.collagepaperpaining.etsy.com/