fantasy art and tree chatter of aquariann

EDIT: Giveaway is officially over. Congratulations to Francesca B. for submitting the randomly chosen 195th entry! If you want your next dinner party to start with a bang, decorate your glasses with a wine charm set by Kirsten of Absolutely Kismet . One social butterfly will win a set of 6 wine charms, each embellished with an upcycled .22 brass shell casing dangle. The bullet has been spent and replaced with a crystal bicone bead in the following colors: red, dark blue, light blue, purple, green and amber. The diameter of the charm is approximately 3/4" and strung with clear beads. Please note that this prize is not safe for children or dishwashers. Charms can be cleaned with a damp cloth and the casings brightened with Brasso polish, if they tarnish. Kirsten began making wine charms two Christmas seasons ago, after she became discouraged when trying to find a set for a relative. Everything in the stores was either dull or too expensive. Then she realized she could design ...

"It is not so important to be serious as it is to be serious about the important things. The monkey wears an expression of seriousness which would do credit to any college student, but the monkey is serious because he itches." - Robert M. Hutchins Isn't this baby marmoset monkey the cutest pet you've ever seen?! A week after getting to meet him at work, I'm still swinging from the branches in excitement. His owner named him Munchi, after the Monchhichi monkey dolls. He's only 8 week's old, and yes, he's perched on top of my friend's head. He took a nap there only moments after the photo was taken. Flutter to my Wordless Wednesday Directory for a list of blogs that regularly host WW Linky Parties. Grab my button as a reminder to return next week for more photography fun! <a href="http://blog.aquariann.com/search/label/wordless%20wednesday" target="_blank"><img src="http://i532.photobucket.com/albums/...

Mom and I traveled to New York City on a bus trip last Saturday. After taking a pedicab tour around Central Park, we ducked into the Time Warner Center to cool off - and discovered the Whole Foods Market. We'd already eaten lunch, but I couldn't resist devouring tiramisu and chocolate bread pudding from the $8.99/pound dessert bar. Ilona of Nonoluna's Handmade Wearables must have channeled my cravings. Her scrumptious platter includes a ceramic heart dish, pink sugar soap and my cocoa fairy . Treasuries shared by readers between May 29 - June 4 Chocolate Creams With Pink Icing Let's ROCK Remember - In Red, White & Blue They Call it Mellow Yellow The Unusual Paper Theory Sensational Green Pink Champage under Summer Skies My Summer Garden Chocolate Dreams Summer fun accessories Nothing Ordinary Here ... Weekend Delights

On the eighteenth day of the month of May in an early year of a decade not too long before our own, I suddenly encountered a deadly threat to the very existence of another ordinary night. Last Friday I had an extraordinary time at Clear Space Theatre Company's production of "Little Shop of Horrors." I've been a fan of the musical ever since seeing the 1986 Little Shop of Horrors movie as a child. I missed the chance to see it performed live on Broadway, but I did see the play several years ago at the Three Little Bakers, when that dinner theater was still bakin' and rollin' in Wilmington, Delaware. Clear Space's version was even better! The second Friday performance of most productions, Clear Space offers a "Pay What You Can Night" for any unsold tickets. My parents and I arrived that evening, not sure what to expect. We were instantly put at ease by the friendly woman at the box office and her miniature Audrey II plant paper weight. It'...

"I decided that if I could paint that flower in a huge scale, you could not ignore its beauty." - Georgia O'Keeffe Flutter to my Wordless Wednesday Directory for a list of blogs that regularly host WW Linky Parties. Grab my button as a reminder to return next week for more photography fun! <a href="http://blog.aquariann.com/search/label/wordless%20wednesday" target="_blank"><img src="http://i532.photobucket.com/albums/ee329/aquariann/blog/wordless/125x125-wordless.jpg" alt="Wordless Wednesday" border="0" /></a>

EDIT: Giveaway is officially over. Winner will be emailed and announced here after responding to sponsor. In the middle of spring, it may be hard to remember the world as anything but green and growing. But come winter, you'll miss the plants that wither in the frost. Modern Flower Child has discovered how to preserve the beauty of the season by casting dried flowers, grasses and other foliage into resin jewelry. She's giving one reader the choice of any one available accessory in her Etsy shop, up to a $25 value. I myself would choose a resin bangle bracelet, perhaps one with pale red petals and green stems like the one above - but resin earrings and pendant necklaces are also an option. These original designs are inspired by jewelry from the 1970's, but with a modern touch. Each piece includes natural elements that are handpicked, dried and embedded into crystal clear resin. The resin jewelry is molded by hand and not machine so tiny bubbles, bumps and slight imperf...

Although I enjoy watching people dance (yes, I've been counting down to the So You Think You Can Dance season premiere next week), I hadn't ever been interested in paying to see a live ballet. Until I heard that the Delaware Dance Alliance was performing a Pirates of the Caribbean ballet! Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl is one of my family's favorite movies so I pillaged some coins from my bank account and took my parents to see it at the Schwartz Center in Dover for Mother's Day last weekend. The artistic director did a fantastic job of conveying the story through movement instead of words. The choreography was beautiful. Several of the dancers had combat training, and their skills showed during the exciting sword fights. I was also impressed with how younger dancers were incorporated into the production - some played a pack of sea gulls out on the ocean, and others as the gold coins in the Isla del Muerta cave. My favorite was the cute little ...

"Georgia Rose, Georgia Rose You're the most precious rose Dixie grows" - Queen Latifah Flutter to my Wordless Wednesday Directory for a list of blogs that regularly host WW Linky Parties. Grab my button as a reminder to return next week for more photography fun! <a href="http://blog.aquariann.com/search/label/wordless%20wednesday" target="_blank"><img src="http://i532.photobucket.com/albums/ee329/aquariann/blog/wordless/125x125-wordless.jpg" alt="Wordless Wednesday" border="0" /></a>

The Ogre and I snuck a peek at Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash the same day we followed the white rabbit to the Alice in Wonderland exhibit. Driving from the Noyes Art Museum in Oceanville, NJ to Kevin Smith's comic store in Red Bank, NJ was quite an adventure, especially with the GPS stuck, insisting our car was still back in Atlantic City. Too bad we didn't have the Blackbird to X-jet us over those 70 miles. I didn't know Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash shop truly existed until seeing the Comic Book Men series on AMC, but Ogre has been wanting to visit there for years. I usually like Kevin Smith movies, but the only one I've seen enough times to lose count is Mallrats . My favorite scene is when Jay is acting out how they're going to outwit Lafours, X-Men style. Brodie asks, "Should I call you Logan, Weapon-X?" Jay replies, "No, Wolverine ! Snickty snickty snoine!" while imitating Wolverine's berserker attack with his adamant...

EDIT: Giveaway is officially over. Congratulations to Tara K. for submitting the randomly chosen 837th entry. Are you ready for the summer heat? If you're looking for creative ways to pull back your hair, Andrea of Beadmask designs a wide array of hair accessories. She's even giving away a peacock hair slide for one lady to use in her lovely locks. Each hair slide is hand cut, carved and shaped from high quality tooling leather. The prize will be hand painted in shimmering hues of green, bronze and blue, similar to the leather accessory above. Its hole spacing and stick length will be tailored to the winner's specifications. This pretty hair slide isn't the only peacock-themed item at Beadmask. Beautiful barrettes, brooches, and earrings are also available. Andrea donates a portion of the sale of each to the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, in loving memory of the woman that inspired her peacock feather series. <a href="http://blog.aquariann.com/2012/0...

"The butterfly is a flying flower, The flower a tethered butterfly." - Ponce Denis Écouchard Lebrun Flutter to my Wordless Wednesday Directory for a list of blogs that regularly host WW Linky Parties. Grab my button as a reminder to return next week for more photography fun! <a href="http://blog.aquariann.com/search/label/wordless%20wednesday" target="_blank"><img src="http://i532.photobucket.com/albums/ee329/aquariann/blog/wordless/125x125-wordless.jpg" alt="Wordless Wednesday" border="0" /></a>

How would you spend $500 in cash you didn't expect to own? If you happen to win the ContestChest.com giveaway by filling out the Rafflecopter below (click on blog post title if you don't see it), you AND I will both receive $500 to spend on our heart's desire. I'd probably save my winnings until the next time I visit Atlantic City - and relax all day at a spa with my Ogre.

Mushroom season hasn't sprouted in Delaware yet, but a needle felted mushroom sculpture sprung fully grown out of my mailbox. His name is Mitch and he's related to Crystal, the blue mushroom sculpture that was adopted by one of my giveaway entrants last January. Both art dolls were born at Shana's Woodland Whimsy studio in Nevada. Doesn't Mitch match my blog's color scheme perfectly? Shana hand dyes the alpaca fiber using food safe dyes, then pokes a special barbed needle into it thousands and thousands of times to shape it into her cute creatures. He is one of a kind and mine, mine, mine - but he has kin that are still hoping to find a forever home. From Marli in teal and peach to Mervin in purple and moss green, a whole family of Fungus Among Us are available in her Etsy shop.

"Thou art the Iris, fair among the fairest, Who, armed with golden rod And winged with the celestial azure, bearest The message of some God." - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Flutter to my Wordless Wednesday Directory for a list of blogs that regularly host WW Linky Parties. Grab my button as a reminder to return next week for more photography fun! <a href="http://blog.aquariann.com/search/label/wordless%20wednesday" target="_blank"><img src="http://i532.photobucket.com/albums/ee329/aquariann/blog/wordless/125x125-wordless.jpg" alt="Wordless Wednesday" border="0" /></a>