Flower Girls Project: No. 11?

I cannot remember what the new girl's hair looks like! And she keeps eluding me at school. Grumble grumble. This was Ces's suggestion for a solution. HA! Thanks, Ces!

UPDATE:

Emma came home from school and saw this on my computer. The conversation that ensued was so hysterical, I couldn't resist sharing it with you:

"Is that me? Is that me?"
"No."
"I want that to be me."
"Why, you want to be dead?"
*gasp* "WHAT?! She's dead?"
"Yeah, what did you think?"
"I thought she was just looking in there."
"It's a Venus Fly Trap."
"I thought it was a taco plant! And she's looking for cheese! No, no, no, I don't want to be her!"

Flower Girls Project: Nos. 9 & 10 of 12

Ooooh, the end is in sight! Can you feel the excitement?

Serena and Yasmin imagined fierce duels

(Voz, the peeper is for you.)

Amelie and Janice thought dew drops were jewels

Feeling Blue?

Just a little doodle I put down a while ago and decided to color this afternoon. I need a break from drawing little girls.

＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊

This adorable little beauty flew to me from the very lovely Valerie from Val's Simple Passions. Valerie is a master tatter of beautiful lacey things and the creator of truly adorable teddy bears. Her blog and her visits always bring great big smiles to my heart. Thank you, Valerie, for your sweetness and for this wonderful award!

According to the rules, I am supposed to pass this on to 10 bloggers who make me smile. But in all honesty, you ALL make me smile so much that my darn cheeks hurt. So I'm going to break the rules and say that if you leave me a comment, please do take this little ladybug with you. You make my day brighter, and I thank you!

If you'd like to post the rules on your blog, here they are:

1. The winner may put the logo on their blog.
2. Put a link to the person who sent you the award.
3. Nominate 10 blogs.
4. Put a link to their blogs.
5. Leave a message for your nominees.

Have a freakin' fantastic day!
x o x o x o

IF - Impossibility

Flower Girls Project: Nos. 7 & 8 of 12

I'd love to grow flowers as big as these, but that, I know, is an impossibility.

Just as I'm entering the home stretch on this series, a new girl has come to the class. Darn it. I'm going to have to see how I can squeeze her in.....

Maria and Hessa turned daisies to chain

Amandine and Beatriz skipped down the lane

Hope you have a fabulous week!

IF - Fleeting

Blowing prayers to the wind

The sakura, or cherry blossoms, are fleeting. They last only a couple of weeks before floating off the trees. With each gust of wind, pale pink petals take flight like a thousand butterflies.

Before the cherry blossom season completely fades away, I went to Shinjuku Garden to enjoy their splendor. Come take a walk with me.

Floating on a Breese

Oh my! Look what just blew in! The incredibly gifted and hilarious Peter Breese created this bit of awesomeness, and I am absolutely over the moon to receive it. Hot out of the oven! Peter's adroit ability to forge colors and shapes into fantastic and sometimes highly intricate images is a feast for the eyes. Thank you, Peter. This is a high honor.

The coveted Breese Award is given to six inspirational individuals. I'm so sorry, Peter. I could not contain myself with six. But at least I kept it an even number.

Amy Cartwright
Caroline Soer
Dusik
Edrian Thomidis
Faruffa
Kaili
Linda Sarah
Messyfish
Valerie Lorimer

Voz

TO THE RECIPIENTS: please select six new inspirational folks, give them a shiny new Breese Award –clean off any Champagne or similar celebratory stains – and keep the awesomeness moving along!

But WAIT! That's not all!

You also get not one, but two shiny new crowns to adorn your head as you proudly carry around your new Breese Award:

This gorgeous beauty was created by Lady ShuttleMaker and was given to me by my fantastic, nimble-fingered and witty friend, TattingChic:

" The "Blog Queen" award recognizes female bloggers who are:

1. SEASONED; She has blogged for at least one year.
2. PROLIFIC; She writes several posts each month.
3. FUNNY; She make us smile with her witty humor.
4. ADDICTIVE; She keeps us coming back for more.

You may accept this award or not. There are no rules to follow.
You may pass it on as you please. This is just to let you know that you make my day!"

And this piece of shiny bling is from my dear, sweet friend Yoon See! She is the epitome of inspiration. Thank you!

The Renee Award

I've received some wonderful awards from dear friends recently. I am truly touched that you thought of me when passing them on and am so grateful for your friendship. Thank you. It was a tough decision to make (and I hope my friends will forgive me for this), but I've decided, rather than pass them along en masse, I will pass along just one.

This one is meaningful to me in three profound ways. Firstly, it was created in honor of Renee, one human being who has made such a difference in the lives of many just by being. Her honestly, wit, intelligence, and grit are a tremendous source of inspiration. She can elicit raucous laughter and guffaws in her banter, and then turn right around and offer the most heartfelt, gentle words of wisdom and emotional support. She is a spreader of love, simple and true. And her love is infectious.

Secondly, this award was created in collaboration with one of my best friends, Ces. She is, in Renee's own words, truly original. She is an incredible artist, both in pen and ink and paint. She is fiery passion with a gentle hand. She is laughter, fun, joy, intellectual stimulation, a sister. The concept and design of the award belong to Ces.

Thirdly, this is a brand new award, and I have the pleasure and honor of spreading the seed, watching it grow. I hope it finds its way to those who are like Renee: the acorn, a small package becoming a tall and sturdy oak giving more acorns, becoming tall and sturdy oaks, giving acorns…

I present this award to my partners in crime:

Linda Cardina
Ces
Bjornik

And to my forever friend and source of artistic inspiration,

Aimee

And to some amazing friends who I feel truly embody the spirit of Renee. I see their loving, encouraging words almost everywhere I go. Their comments make me laugh and smile and give me warmth. Their acorns are plentiful.

Yoon See
Indigene
TattingChic
Vanessa Brantley Newton

Please accept this award and pass it along to others whom you feel are also spreaders of love.

xoxoxo
bella