fantasy art and tree chatter of aquariann

EDIT: Giveaway is officially over. Congratulations to Amy Tolley for submitting the randomly chosen 296th entry. The thermometer in my car reached 90 degrees today and that means it's officially beach season! No, you're not suffering from heatstroke - Moriah of Mojo's Free Spirit is really giving away a pair of her beautiful beaded barefoot sandals to one lucky beach bunny. The fabulous foot jewelry is handmade with eco-friendly hemp cord entwined around choice of ivory or white Swarovski pearls. A fabric flower hand crafted from bridal satin completes the elegant design. The winner can choose from over a dozen colors, so she'll have no trouble matching the flower to a bathing suit, belly dance costume or wedding dress. In addition to a variety of other hemp sandal styles for both women and men, Moriah makes other bohemian accessories that will keep any outfit looking cool even on the most sweltering of summer days. Her Etsy shop is a hippie's paradise of feat...

"No other place to go, I wanna get away, let's get away! Sunshine in my eyes, and the flamenco in the skies The only way, you'll ever know, is to go, is to go!" - One More Minute by Authority Zero This pink hibiscus flower transported my mind from Longwood Gardens to a tropical island. 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!

Don't ever forget the strong souls that have fought for us to enjoy simple freedoms like attending BBQs and wearing glitter. Thanks to a friend, I ventured out on Memorial Day weekend to rock out at the Chad Clifton Foundation's Concert for a Random Soldier for the first time. Meredith of Patchwork Crafters curated a memorable treasury as another way to celebrate the holiday. Patriotic gift ideas include star napkins by Simple Blue, red, white and blue earrings by Becca's Beauties and my American mermaid magnet . Treasuries shared by readers between May 28 - June 3, 2013 Always Remember ... Summer Begins... Happy Memorial Day! All in a Row The world is full of colors Where Wishes and Dreams Come True Moon Child: Wild Stories B is for Browns Blue Dreams she's a little bit country... Summer Colors Pearfectly Pretty A Sacred Celtic Grove PEAR - A - DICE Summer What Would Yoda Do? Two... Natural Grapevine

EDIT: Giveaway is officially over. Congratulations to April Crisafulli for submitting the randomly chosen 681st entry. I haven't visited the Smithsonian museum since I was a child, but I haven't ever forgotten how awestruck I felt in their gem hall. I still get lost in the facets of crystals, even when viewing them through a computer screen instead of security glass. One fellow gawker will get to behold the above beauties in person. Indeed, Lisa Burek is giving away those terrifically teal blue quartz earrings. The faceted chandelier quartz gemstones are wire wrapped in sterling silver and dangle from sterling earwires. Lisa's Etsy shop began with the age-old tale of a jewelry-making hobby grown out of control. She's always been a creative soul, but designing jewelry magnifies her abilities the most. From beaded bracelets to wirework necklaces, she lets her imagination run fabulously free with quality materials. <a href="http://blog.aquariann.com/2013/...

Some people may argue that zebras are white with black stripes instead of black with white stripes, but either way you look at them, zebra coats are amazing! You may remember that I was gifted with a zebra flower brooch to decorate my own winter coat last year. This season two new zebra print accessories galloped into my wild collection. First I treated myself to a zebra scarf for belly dancing and then Brittany of Hope Starbound treated me to a pair of her awesome zebra print earrings! I'm so excited that the weather is warm enough to wear them with my zebra flip-flops. The stud earrings are handmade using professional grade resin and then covered in a super-secret high shine lacquer. Seriously, her lips are sealed on what makes them that shiny so shhh, don't ask. The tiny studs measure 10mm, which is about the size of a small pebble. They come with surgical steel backs, but she can also craft them as clip-on earrings for those that don't have pierced ears. Disclai...

"And 'tis my faith that every flower enjoys the air it breathes." - William Wordsworth The red hibiscus flowers in the conservatory at Longwood Gardens are breathtaking! 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!

Wearing the right accessory can make you feel like you're flying! Branch out to Life is the Bubbles , Dzign by Jamie , Athenianaire , Beadmask and 7PM Boutique for winged jewelry and fantasy accessories. Life is the Bubbles' Hercules necklace is an uplifting reminder that anyone can go from zero to hero if they don't give up! The magical bottle is filled with a blend of gold and white glitter that resembles mystical sand. A flying pegasus charm strengthens the message. The Disney-inspired pendant hangs upon a bronze chain that measures 19.5 inches and closes with a rope-shaped toggle clasp. Dzign by Jamie's butterfly key chain will have you chasing butterflies so you can "whisper a wish to a butterfly and it will fly up to heaven and make it come true." The beautiful quote has been hand stamped onto a bright aluminum key chain. A small butterfly charm flutters along the key ring to illustrate the whimsical words. Athenianaire's butterfly wing br...

Words are powerful, whether they be written in chalk or carved in stone. Or better yet, hand stamped into metal jewelry by Dzign by Jamie . And, oh my stars and garters, does she get the word out about her craft - she has FOUR online stores to share her unique gift ideas with potential customers! And you guessed it by her dog tag design to the right, TheCraftStar is her favorite venue. I had to check the handmade boutique site out after she told me, "TheCraftStar is new, fresh and fun! The owner is amazing and they have a great group of people networking to get our items out there on the www." Jamie has always been a rock star at crafting - from sewing to macrame to leather work to needlework to knitting. Making stained glass with her mom led to lampwork beads with a friend. The overabundance of beads motivated her to try her hand at jewelry. But living in the cold northern reaches of Wisconsin made it hard to make beads during the winter so it was time for a change! And th...

EDIT: Giveaway is officially over. Congratulations to Lynn Mathieu for submitting the randomly chosen 655th entry. I heart free stuff, don't you? I have some lovely news for those that agreed - Ildi of Lemone Rouge is giving away not one, but any TWO pairs of tiny stud earrings in her Etsy shop to one winner. All handmade earrings are baked in a kiln, glazed, fired again and lastly attached to hypoallergenic surgical steel stud posts. The lucky winner could choose cute heart earrings like the mint green ones above in a variety of colors. Or if heart-shaped jewelry isn't your style, Ildi crafts earrings in several other simple shapes to match any fashion trend. Her ceramic designs are modern, minimalistic and best of all ... shiny! <a href="http://blog.aquariann.com/2013/05/jewelry-giveaway-heart-earrings-stud.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i532.photobucket.com/albums/ee329/aquariann/blog/giveaways/125x125-lemonerouge.jpg"...

"If we seek the real source of the dance, if we go to nature, we find that the dance of the future is the dance of the past, the dance of eternity, and has been and always will be the same ... The movement of waves, of winds, of the earth is ever the same lasting harmony." - Isadora Duncan I was delighted to catch Aubergine's multicultural saga of story, song and dance at the Maryland Faerie Festival 2013 last weekend. The talented belly dance troupe is founded and directed by Nina Amaya, shown above in a swirl of shimmery belly dance wings. 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!

EDIT: Giveaway is officially over. Congratulations to Nathalie Brault for submitting the randomly chosen 247th entry. Spring has turned the Earth gloriously green! If you want beautiful jewelry without spending all the green in your wallet, glide over to Beaded Embellishments this month - all handmade accessories in Denise's Etsy shop are marked 15% off for a limited time only. Plus, she's giving away one $25 gift card to a lucky blog reader. The dark olive green leaf earrings, gleaming with crystal clusters and Swarovski pearls, was the first to grow on my wishlist tree. She has several other leaf colors available, but that delicately gorgeous design isn't the only option. The winner can choose from a variety of pretty pieces handmade from quality materials such as sterling silver, pearls, crystals and natural stones. Denise's passion is to make her customers look beautiful and feel beautiful. I can't speak for everyone, but I know she achieves that every day...

"Life isn't a tiptoe through the tulips." - Shannon Hoon I'm not even sure fairies are small enough to gracefully tiptoe between the tons of tulips at Longwood Gardens! 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!

I've been warming up to the idea of redesigning my blog for months. The spark turned into a blaze when I realized I could draw on my Kindle Fire using a capacitive stylus and the SketchBook Pro app . Which was easier daydreamt than done. Drawing on a screen is so different than paper! Believe me, the undo button and I became tight like vines around branches. It took many, many tries to get my lines not to wiggle. Not to mention all the times I accidentally drew by resting my hand on the screen! My digital tree painting is nowhere near perfect, but I am pleased (and exhausted) enough to share it. The great part about it being digital is that I can easily alter it later - I'm already planning on splitting the top trunk into a few more branches after I get some other items checked off my to-do list. Plus, the flowers are on a separate layer so I can change the tree seasonally. I've included a screenshot below, so please comment if any components are broken and include the...

"You can't be suspicious of a tree, or accuse a bird or a squirrel of subversion or challenge the ideology of a violet." - Hal Borland I asked this silly squirrel to slow down to pose for me, but he just mooned me on his way up a beautiful tree at Longwood Gardens! 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!