Wednesday 19 May 2010

All Is Well in the Forest of Kings

Yes, I must say that despite all the troubles I'm undergoing to make sense of life, I admit that it is, in fact, grand. I've had my share of typhoons and the storm is probably just somewhere behind the purple hazed horizon. But typhoons and storms have their endings and every ending has a new beginning. So why the frown? Let me share a couple of things that made me smile today...

For one, I intended this as a black and white sketch, but then I got carried away and decided to play with some paint and water. I'm quite happy with it (being such a coward with watercolor!), not to mention I can now post one of my favorite poems with it! (^_^)



The Wood Nymph

A glint of her hair or a flash of her shoulder
That is the most I can boast to have seen,
Then all is lost as the shadows enfold her,
Forest glades making a screen of their green,
Could I cast off all the cares of tomorrow
Could I forget all the fret of today
Then, my heart free from the burdens I borrow,
Nature’s chaste spirit her face would display.

Ellis Parker Butler


Secondly, my sweet friend Lauren has so very kindly given me an award...



...and yes, yes, yes! The title fits perfectly, doesn't it??!

And here are the 10 questions I'm supposed to answer for the award (bear with me, Ill keep it simple):

1. What is one thing you wish to achieve this year?
Same old, same old... be better at what I do and who I am.

2. What is your favorite animal?
Owls and swans.

3. What is your favorite book and why?
Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)... it taught me a lot about human nature.

4. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
The Lake District, UK.

5. What do you do to relax?
"Relax"??? What is that? I've never heard of it!! Heehehe....

6. What inspires you the most?
Past experiences.

7. If you could live in a different era, when would it be?

Somewhere along the 1800s, when men bowed and women curtsied (even if they didn't like each other :))

8. What is your favorite thing about blogging?

I get to exchange banters with ridiculously mad, fascinating and brilliant people! (you know who you are!!)

9. What is your favorite food/meal?
Sushi (meoowww...)

10. Do you have a special collection of things you adore?
Oodles and oodles of books.

Whew! So here's my favorite part... I'm passing this award to:

Susan my pencil sister
Cesalina the Viking's wife
Rossichka the puppet master
Mita the elusive witch 
Bella my pink cotton candy, and
Pinocchio (oops, I mean Andrew!)

And could you guys answer these questions for the award too? Don't worry, I'll let you off this time and give you only 5 to answer:

1. If you could have any profession other than the one you have now, what would it be?
2. What is the one word that describes you best?
3. Who is your favorite book character?
4. If you could have a super natural power, what would it be?
5. Which is worse, a bad haircut or a black eye?

Well, have a great life everyone! oxoxo

27 comments:

  1. The composition looks good : )

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  2. I love your little nymph! Great post!
    My favorite book character is Winnie the Pooh.
    The worse thing in the world would be a bad haircut!
    And I wish I were a professional artist!
    Word that describes me... delusional?

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  3. Ahahahaha... I like you, Katherine! You're funny, and that's good in my book! :D :D

    ...and thank you, Sarah! You're sweet :)

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  4. Sweet Amalia, she is beautiful! You did a wonderful job with the watercolor which inspires me to pick up mine again, aaackkkk, I've been cowardly too, we've been so used to solid media for so long! I just love her pose and lovely green eyes, the twists and turns of the tree stump, everything! What a lovely poem too, I'm going to hang all of this on the wall of my studio for inspiration!

    Thank you so much my pencil sista for the lovely award, oh how I love how you phrased typhoons and storms, don't we know it! Relax HA! Indeed...

    I graciously accept this award which I will post it as soon as I can and pass it on. I still have to write my conference 'recap' post - I am so behind! X_X

    Have a wonderful day! I'm looking forward to catching up more with you and all the other eccentrics, witches and nymphs out here in bloggieland!

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  5. Oooh! You are so cute! Thank you for this. Oh boy. I am livng one day at a time and today, one hour at a time! Ick! I hate being on call BUT BUT BUT today we celebrate!

    Oh I have already shared a lot and these questions. I want to be honest when I answer these questions and if I do everyone will be disappointed because I AM THE WORLD'S GREATEST SLACKER and I AM SO LAZY!!! So there! Just a warning. HAHAHAHA! Okay, Another day, I gotta go.

    THANK YOU for the cute award. It is in color and BTW, You are very good with watercolors! I have never tried watercolors since 6th grade.

    You must have very steady hands. This is so perfect!

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  6. I know what you mean, Susan! I fidget a lot when I work with watercolor, you should see me, I look like a bafoon! HAHAHA..!!! Well, I had fun doing this. Besides, I'm out of black pencils at the moment, so I had no choice! :D :D

    Thank you sweetie, can't wait to read your post on the conference! oxx

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  7. Hi my friend!You´re such a lovely person!I felt a little guilty ´cause you made me realize that I should translate the writtens that I have on my blog but let me confess something, my english is a little poor ... =P
    Well, after all, I loved specially today passing by through your blog, even though I´m not in good mood, it made me smile, and I remembered those verses from the song Smile that say "if you smile through your fear and sorrow smile and maybe tomorrow
    you'll see the sun come shining through for you". I bet it´s right, isn´t it?Kisses from Argentina my friend, Flor

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  8. You are so very talented. I love this painting! She is so perfect!

    Thanks for sharing!
    Smiles

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  9. OH OH OHHHHHHhhhh! She is ADORABLE, as are YOU! Heeeheeeheee!!! I love her dress. I wonder if I can find it in my size. And her lips are beautiful, slightly parted as if she is taking a deep breath to blow her horn. What a delightful watercolor!!!

    Awwwwwwww, Amalia! Thank you for this great award. Yes, life is good! Books are good! Owls and swans are good! Curtseying is good! I'll answer your questions REAL soon. Thank you, darling!

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  10. My dear Amalia, thank you very much for your lovely and unexpected award! It's so precious for me! You are a gentle and openhearted person! Yes, life is good, life is beautiful, despite the hard moments we all have. We must think positevely, search for the beauty around us, do good and try to be good people...
    Your nymph is lovely - so tender and a little bit shy. As if she's asking - "Oh, have you heard my love song?" - and is blushing. I like her deep green eyes and her wood dress. I'm not an expert in watercolouring, but I think you've managed fine!!
    What about the award... I have some questions to you in my blog.xx

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  11. Ces, my dearest...Hahaha! A slacker, are you?? Well, don't worry, this isn't a binding award. It's not like I'd turn your hair blue if you didn't answer the questions. That's Mita's department! HAHAHAHA!!

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  12. Flor, you shouldn't worry about translating anything! I love reading your posts and have them translated myself...the curiosity is exciting! (hugs)

    Julia deary, thank you! :)

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  13. Hey Bells! You know, I think you can order the dress through that What'sYourNymphPleasure online shop! I heard it's a buzz nowadays...heheeeheh... And thank you, of course curtsying is good, it exercises your neck and knees, especially during courting season! Hahaha... :D

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  14. Oh, thank you, Rossichka.. I could say so many lovely things about you too! (^__^)

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  15. Congrats on the award Amalia.

    And let me say, I love your little lady and this line: "somewhere behind the purple hazed horizon" is sheer poetic genius.

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  16. What a beautiful watercolor, you have inspired me to maybe give it a try (it scares me too!) I love the poem, it is so pretty. And thank you for answering my questions, it is so fun to learn more about my lovely blog friends! :) ~Lauren

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  17. Hhey, late to the party am I? Couldn't decide what to wear - my frilly number with black tie I finally decided on :)

    Wow Amalia I am really honored thankyou. To be in such August company with these artists makes me very flattered.

    Now those wood nymph lips are yours - no use to deny it.

    It's a lovely poem. The illustration is its perfect mate.

    I'm off to make up some lies to see how far that nose of mine can grow - last week it was so long I had it poking out the window into the backyard and three black crows landed on it before they realised what it was ( a nose and not a stick) . Those crows have sharp claws, let me tell you.

    Hey my nose just grew another inch! I better open the window again. :)

    see you :)

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  18. hi tehhhhhhhhh!!!!
    good morning!
    makasih makasih TENGKYU!!!!!!!!!!! award apaan teh ini? asa banyak banget award ya teh di dunia perblogan? :D

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  19. aku mo berfoto ah sama award ini biar bisa kupajang.
    daaaahhhh!!!!

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  20. Heehee, just catching up on some visiting and your comment came up dearie! Thanks for your visit Amalia and, and, and you're right, my eyes are always darting around and hands moving - I was also talking on the phone, trying to touch up something in ps, giving the kids orders and ordering a nymph dress @whatsyournymphpleasure.com, in a slightly lighter shade of green, can't wait! The horns were backordered though - drat.

    Thanks for your comments, yes, I am a hair closer to what I want, still so long to go, but I'll enjoy the journey, just like we all should! I don't blame you for skipping out on the equipment definitions, steer clear!

    See you again soon and thanks so much for the beautiful award, I will get to posting it hopefully sometime next week! xoxoxo

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  21. Hey there Leah! Ah, it's so nice to have a wonderful writer commenting on my blog... Thanks for visiting! :)

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  22. Now, now, Monsieur Finnie, I'm afraid your frilly number just won't do! Don't you see that the theme is 'Leaves, grass and branches'?? Should I order you one from What'sYourNymphPleasure? Hehehe...

    And I won't comment on the 'lips' thing, we'll discuss that later. Hahaha!

    Ok, now go and make up those lies. Careful not to poke anyone in the eyes with that nose! :D :D

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  23. Anana, gue rasa orang2 ini pada areuweuh gawe sampe pada ngarang2 award! HAHAHA... Dan gue lebih eweuh gawe lagi pake ngerespon segala! XD

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  24. Lauren sweetie, thank YOU, for giving me the award... It's so nice learning more about you too! :)

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  25. Oh, to live the life of a wood nymph, always having perfectly flowy hair and a dewey expression!

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  26. this nymph was destined to live in color and you granted her wish! great q&a, too... and i love that you described bella as cotton candy...

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  27. Hey, that frilly number is my best number :) Guess I'll just have to get out the sewing machine, eh?

    Actually Pinocchio tells me that his nose once grew so long that, on windy days, it had a slight bend in it of about ten degrees.

    Can you believe that?

    Hey, I think something is happening to my nose-------

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Tell me your lovely daydreams, they always make me smile! ♥