Tag Archives: Blue

the Virginia Bluebell … Mertensia virginica

Posted on April 4, 2017 | 37 comments

it is that time of year again when the forest floor of Bull Run Regional Park transforms into a blanket of blooms…

our first visit this year was perhaps a week ahead of peak bloom and VERY muddy (we always come prepared with a change of shoes… a little slipping and sliding is so worth it)…

I get excited each year and look forward to walking in the woods with our traveling tea cup along the looped Bluebell Trail…

I will leave you with a just a few photo collages and if you’d like to see more you can click here for past and much more colorful visits…

we plan to return for an early morning walk when more blooms are open and the light is softer…

joining everyone at Bleubeard and Elizabeth’s to wish you a Happy T Day…

 

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Posted in Bluebells at Bull Run Regional Park, Spring, T stands for Tuesday, Traveling Tea Cup

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Travel …

Posted on March 30, 2017 | 25 comments

another two page spread inspired by Yvonne’s OUT AND ABOUT theme for Art Journal Journey this month…

just in time as March 2017 is just about history … whoooosh … traveling has always been one of my favorite things…

 

here is a photo of rubber stamps I stamped onto white tissue paper to add to my pages (if you’re interested in the name of a particular stamp please ask…I am always happy to share details)…

a few rubons and some pencil scribbles and I thought I was finished but when looking at my photo on the computer screen I felt it needed something above the newspaper word TRAVEL so I added a postage stamp…

I intentionally left other spaces on my pages representing openings for adventures to come…

“Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living.” – Miriam Beard

25 Comments

Posted in Art Journal Journey Challenge Blog, Paint, Postage Stamp, Rubber Stamping, Rubons

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in search of the divine…

Posted on March 26, 2017 | 23 comments

being out and about recently as noted in my earlier Botticelli post I was inspired by an image of Venus…

using some rubber stamps I got busy layering my pages with lots of paint… gesso… and stamping on tissue paper as well as directly on the page… the stamp on the lower right ended up completely buried but my new cityscape stamp from StampDiva was brand new (a great company with a great stamp selection and very good delivery)…

a snippet of my favorite flimmersterne made a nice halo…

I am joining Yvonne at Meggy’s Way for her Art Journal Journal theme of OUT AND ABOUT...

“Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice, but for those who love, time is eternity.” Henry van Dyke

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Posted in Art Journal Journey Challenge Blog, Flimmersterne, Paint, Rubber Stamping

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Love Never Dies…

Posted on February 10, 2017 | 37 comments

this month marks the sixth year since my mother’s passing…

magpies-nest-patty-szymkowicz-wool-pin-cushionin some ways it seems like only yesterday and yet…magpies-nest-patty-szymkowicz-love-love

I am extremely grateful to have had a wonderful relationship with her with so many fun times and no regrets other than selfishly wishing she could have lived forever…magpies-nest-kitchen-stool

still inspired by my mother’s painting on the step stool I shared earlier this week here… magpies-nest-patty-szymkowicz-beginning-pages

I printed out several copies of photos I had taken doing lots of cutting and layering…magpies-nest-omis-painted-stool

I painted several shades of red on top of the heart I gessoed in the center…magpies-nest-patty-szymkowicz-love-never-dies-art-journal-pages

I am pleased with how these pages came together and am sharing them for Linda’s “Fifty Shades of Red” challenge over at Art Journal Journey…

“Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.” -Robert A. Heinlein

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Posted in Art Journal Journey Challenge Blog, Heart, Paint, Paper

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the Passion of Life

Posted on February 8, 2017 | 27 comments

John William Waterhouse’s lovely lady in red inspired these two art journal pages that I had originally painted blue with a gold burst…magpies-nest-patty-szymkowicz-passion-progress

I stamped a  Stamp Francisco heart on tissue paper and like how the Matte Medium helps it melt onto the page…magpies-nest-patty-szymkowicz-sharpie-white-pen

then I got busy with my white pen and almost couldn’t stop making marks…magpies-nest-patty-szymkowicz-passion-page-left

I found the Federico Fellini quote that helped complete the left hand page….magpies-nest-patty-szymkowicz-passion-girl-right  

joining in once again for Linda’s “Fifty Shades of Red” Art Journal Journey challenge…magpies-nest-patty-szymkowicz-passion-art-journal-pages

“The one thing that you have that nobody else has is you.  Your voice, your mind, your story, your vision.  So write and draw and build and play and dance and live as only you can.” – Neil Gaiman

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Posted in Art Journal Journey Challenge Blog, Paint, Rubber Stamping, Uncategorized

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Another Tea Time…

Posted on January 17, 2017 | 33 comments

inspiration is everywhere and I marveled at how nicely my choice of drinks happened to match the colors I selected for my background for Erika’s “Tell me a Story” challenge over at Art Journal Journey…

img_0525blackberry and cucumber flavored sparkling water … 0-calorie  0-sweetener   0-sodium = Innocent! as written on the front of the can…img_0526

I am enjoying getting reacquainted with my water soluble crayons scrubbing after scribbling randomly with a damp brush to blend the colors (the book text also had some white gesso on it)…img_0008

Mano Svanidze’s brilliant photo “Another Tea Time” of the lady with her tea cup and tea pot inspired me along with pieces of corrugated cardboard  and heavy gesso…magpies-nest-patty-szymkowicz-t-pot

for the left hand page I used one of my photos layered with artwork using iPhone apps along with some words I had jotted down…magpies-nest-patty-szymkowicz-trust

I am also joining everyone over at Elizabeth’s Altered Book Lover for T Stands for Tuesday…magpies-nest-patty-szymkowicz-savor

“The Universe has your back.   Instead of trying to control the outcome, just enjoy the journey.” -Dawn Gluskin

33 Comments

Posted in 2017 January Journal, Art Journal Journey Challenge Blog, iphoneography

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~*Happy New Year*~

Posted on December 31, 2016 | 26 comments

sending every good and special wish your way…

1-magpies-nest-patty-szymkowicz-2017-kindness-wishes

“Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right.”  -Oprah Winfrey

26 Comments

Posted in Blogging, pixlr Photo Editing

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darkness to Light…

Posted on December 30, 2016 | 24 comments

I have missed art journaling and playing along with my favorite challenge blog friends over at Art Journal Journey…magpies-nest-patty-szymkowicz-progress-1

Valerie’s brilliant theme this month is “Light and Darkness” which is something I think about quite a bit having experienced a fair bit of darkness in my life (mostly in the form of loss)…

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we all have to face it at some point (I used a fine tip black Sharpie marker for highlights around the gold)…magpies-nest-patty-szymkowicz-dark-to-light-closeup

I have also been blessed with so much beautiful Light (couldn’t help but notice the difference in the Light in my photos)…magpies-nest-patty-szymkowicz-progress-3

this journal page began with what was left from a sheet of Christmas stamps (those little snippets always seem too nice to throw away)…

magpies-nest-patty-szymkowicz-darkness-to-light

“Maybe you have to know the darkness before you can appreciate the light.” -Madeline L’Engle

24 Comments

Posted in Art Journal Journey Challenge Blog, Paint, Paper, Postage Stamp

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Autumn in Everything…

Posted on October 19, 2016 | 22 comments

happy to have some time in the middle of our beautiful Indian Summer days here in Virginia to share two spreads that I created over the last couple of weeks…magpies-nest-autumn-grows-pages

these pages were inspired by an ad for a ballet performance that I clipped from The Washington Post and I just happened to have a stencil that I wanted to play with too…magpies-nest-patty-szymkowicz-autumn-grows

I liked these pages so much I did not want to cover them up but I eventually forged ahead and had fun adding gold paint along with the Robert Browning quote…magpies-nest-patty-szymkowicz-autumn-gold

now for something a little different… these green and gold pages were an attempt to step outside my comfort zone using colors and collage in a different way…

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I am still not crazy about the end result but thought I’d share both spreads with you since I had Valerie’s Golden Autumn theme in mind for Art Journal Journey this month when I created them..


magpies-nest-patty-szymkowicz-13-journal-pages

“There is something incredibly nostalgic and significant about the annual cascade of autumn leaves.” -Joe L. Wheeler

22 Comments

Posted in Art Journal Journey Challenge Blog, Autumn, map, Paint, Paper, Rubons, Stencil

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…a couple of kids…

Posted on September 24, 2016 | 24 comments

with September whizzing by I did not want to miss the chance to join in with Elizabeth’s fun theme of BACK TO SCHOOL over at Art Journal Journey…

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while clearing and organizing I have had lots of ideas on the theme and finally took some time to play…magpies-nest-butterfly-atc

not sure how I know this Will Cobb/Gus Edwards song exactly but I couldn’t get the chorus out of my head… that along with an ATC I created some time ago were my inspiration…

magpies-nest-patty-szymkowicz-when-we-were-a-couple-of-kids

here is some of what went into this spread:  it began with spray painted book pages… stenciling with super heavy gesso… adding bits of monoprint paper, forget-me-not origami paper and deli print paper used to clean up the plastic doily used for stenciling along with some computer generated words on the right… the white flower trim was something that surfaced in my clean up as well

~♥~

“School days, school days Dear old golden rule days Readin’ and ‘ritin’ and ‘rithmetic Taught to the tune of the hickory stick You were my queen in calico I was your bashful barefoot beau And you wrote on my slate, “I love you, Joe” When we were a couple of kids.”

24 Comments

Posted in Art Journal Journey Challenge Blog, Butterfly, Fabric/Ribbon/Fiber/Lace, Paint, Paper, Stencil

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swan song…

Posted on August 28, 2016 | 22 comments

finally the red rosin paper art journal I started back in October of 2013 is complete (more about how my gesso and monoprint pages began when you click the link above) …Magpie's Nest Red Rosin Monoprint cover

I made a TAP transfer ironing it on cotton using a German swan image (swans are a favorite of mine for lots of reasons)…

Magpie's Nest Patty Szymkowicz Red Rosin Journal Cover

adding bits of tea dyed lace and part of a flimmerstern along with a sweet spray of vintage flowers (some of those blooms also appear on a few pages inside the journal)…Magpie's Nest Swan book cover finishing touches

I got out one of my button jars to have a lookie look and found a button with hanging threads that seemed perfect…Magpie's Nest book binding

after deciding on the smaller poking tool I did a simple in and out tied binding… if you are interested in what’s inside the journal I have links to each of the spreads here…

Magpie's Nest Patty Szymkowicz Swan Song art journal

sharing this for Gill’s wonderful NATURE’S WONDERS theme at Art Journal Journey…

22 Comments

Posted in Art Journal Journey Challenge Blog, Buttons, Fabric/Ribbon/Fiber/Lace, Flimmersterne, Swan, TAP (Transfer Artist Paper)

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T Stands for Tuesday 3rd Anniversary…

Posted on July 18, 2016 | 31 comments

with many thanks to Elizabeth for being our fearless leader and hostess these past three years…1 T_Tuesday_200

and for helping people connect from all around the globe each week for T Stands for Tuesday (all are welcome to join in with something/anything drink related)…

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it really is a pleasure to get to visit each week and share…

Magpie's Nest Celebration cake

since it’s a celebration I made a cake…

Magpie's Nest Cake on the porch

an easy no bake cake since it is much too hot and humid here in Virginia to turn on the oven…

Magpie's Nest cake and lemonade

 Trader Joe’s angel food cake with fresh raspberries and blueberries and homemade whipped creme…Magpie's Nest three candles

and how about some refreshing watermelon lemonade with some bubbles added too if you like…

Magpie's Nest Patty Szymkowicz T Day 3rd anniv

here’s to lots more fun and sharing…

31 Comments

Posted in Cake, Celebration, T stands for Tuesday

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fireflies on a summer night…

Posted on July 17, 2016 | 23 comments

lightening bugs… glow worms… whatever you call them if you’ve seen them on a warm summer’s night blinking in the darkness you know they are full of magic…Magpie's Nest Firefly supplies

I have several lasting memories of lightening bugs (none of them involve pulling off their lights to make jewelry as a kid!) and when I read a recent article about their decline I was inspired to make a page…

Magpie's Nest bee rubber stamps

shhh don’t tell the precious bees that I used them as a “model” in my collage…Magpie's Nest Patty Szymkowicz Fireflies

another page for Yvonne’s IN MY GARDEN there is challenge for Art Journal Journey (as an aside I could not believe how long this simple page took me) …

“Ask me about my childhood, and I will tell you to walk to the edge of the woods with a choir of crickets chirping from every direction, a hot, humid breeze brushing through your hair, your feet, bare and callused. Stand there, unmoving, and watch the dance of ten thousand fireflies blinking on and off in the darkness. Inhale the scent of cured tobacco, freshly plowed southern soil, burning leaves, and honeysuckle. Swallow the taste of blackberries, picked straight from the bushes, and lick your teeth, the after-taste still sweet in your mouth. Now, stretch out on the ground and relax all your muscles. Watch nature’s festival of flickering lights.” -Brenda Sutton Rose

 

23 Comments

Posted in Art Journal Journey Challenge Blog, Nature, Rubber Stamping

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