fantasy art and tree chatter of aquariann

"Choose only one master - Nature." - Rembrandt This bicolor tulip really does look like an artist brushed its white petals with purple paint strokes, doesn't it? No wonder the type of tulip is titled "Rembrandt's Favorite."

Since the sun was shining brightly last Tuesday, I wasn't expecting to get rained on while walking to my car after work. At least that sprinkling surprise lead to seeing my first rainbow of the spring! Sharolyn from Authentic Native Made captured the end of the color spectrum during a SPSteam game. Her colorful gift ideas include deep purple suede pillow by My Pillow Shoppe, forest green frog plate by Ceraminic and my golden yellow unicorn magnet . Treasuries shared by readers between April 29 - May 5, 2014 Purples Away with the FAIRIES for She is so Special Mother's Day mint green! Red Raspberry Dreams not Dirty but Clean... NAME Feel the Happy - SPSTEAM This gorgeous flora and fauna of SPS team! Gaze Into My Crystal Ball Pretty Pinks and Yellows sweet spring Green spring Tenderness of greens of spring! Mom and Dad - we love you Only 66 Click the dragon below to promote your links in the current Treasury Tuesday Linky.

Guest Post by Denise Boudreau of Nail Embellishments After a particularly long and snowy winter in Northern Ontario, it’s finally time to shed the winter coats and boots and start welcoming the sunshine and (slightly) warmer weather. Although there are no actual flowers out up here yet, they are blooming in all of their glory on both my fingernails and toenails. These Jamberry nail wraps are called Flower Shop and they incorporate my favorite shades in a shabby chic floral design. I had never even heard of Jamberry nail wraps until Aquariann invited me to an online party she was hosting. I promptly ordered one set of nail wraps to try them out and I’ve been hooked ever since. I applied the nail wraps to my toenails with the help of my daughter. The application process was easy enough and the results were so beautiful that I started thinking about becoming a consultant. I wanted to be smart about it so I watched and waited for 29 days and there was no chipping, no peeling and no...

EDIT: Giveaway is officially over. Congratulations to Evangelia Kollia for submitting the randomly-chosen 298th entry. Guess what's up, buttercups! The ladies at Life is the Bubbles have opened a new handmade shop to sell magical jewelry inspired by mythical worlds that weren't spawned by Disney's magic movie wand. To celebrate, they're giving one lucky fan a $35 gift card to Fandom Magic . Being a fangirl, of course I was excited to see sections for Harry Potter, Hunger Games and Tolkien's Middle Earth. But my twoo wuv is the Princess of the Bride collection! I grew up with a colossal crush on Westley, the dreadfully charming pirate with an immunity to iocane powder. If I were the winner, I'd probably pick a magical bottle necklace based on that fantasy movie, but you can choose .... as you wish. <a href="http://blog.aquariann.com/2014/04/magical-jewelry-giveaway-gift-card-contest.html" target="_blank"><img src="htt...

Sleeping Beauty was my first favorite Disney movie, until Aladdin and his magic carpet charmed my chubby heart at age 10. Aurora's beauty and magically color-changing gown may have impressed me as a child, but as I grew older, I found myself rooting for Maleficent instead. But you probably already guessed that she is now one of my favorite Disney characters, villain or not. She transforms into a dragon, for goodness' sake! Or shall I say evil's sake, considering she's the Mistress of All Evil? The new Maleficent movie better not disappoint me into breathing fire! I've been waiting for a live action film for years, and finally the release date of May 30 is only a month away. The occasion calls for dressing up, so I soared around Etsy in search of delightfully dark fashions for the premiere. (Or next Halloween, if you're not that daring during daylight. ;) These adult Maleficent costume accessories pushed their way past the prince and the brambles. 1. Handc...

"Like tulip-beds of different shape and dyes, Bending beneath the invisible west-wind’s sighs." - Excerpt from Lalla Rookh by Thomas Moore I saw so many different types of tulips at the Lewes Tulip Festival earlier in April that I wasn't sure which flower photo to share first. Then the Boston Marathon raced into the news this week and made my decision easy, as these gorgeous red and yellow tulips are named after the city.

Now that spring is in full swing, nature is bursting with color! The sun shines a spotlight on beautiful blooms, as Katy and Crowwolf from Faerie Tea And Treasure showcased during a SPSteam game. Their spring gift ideas include yellow and orange flower photography print by Silver Bird Boutique, yellow rose earrings by Artzest and my orange tiger lily flower magnet . Treasuries shared by readers between April 22 - April 28, 2014 So you want to play with magic? Make Me Your Aphrodite Love it... Strong pink! Happy Earth Day Green Anjou Beautiful Finds Summer is coming Flower Power by the SPSteam Drift Past the Flowers Another World and Time Most Beautiful Mother's Day Gifts Inspiration Don't be lonely - find a friend! Wedding Like Dream ... Head in the Clouds The Geometry of Nature Kaleidoscope Eyes Blue too! A Pop of Peridot Click the dragon below to promote your links in the current Treasury Tuesday Linky.

My bunny nail art accent survived Easter, despite drowning it in a gooey batch of butter, marshmallows, colored sugar and rice cereal to create cute Rice Krispies Treats shaped like eggs. Thus I don't have new nail art to share, just a different shot of my Carmen Ombre manicure for those that missed it in my Jamberry tips guest post on Katie Crafts last week. Want to be a guest blogger for my Manicure Monday when I don't have new nails of my own to show off? Please contact me using the form on my contact page if you're interested in a free feature. Nice Nail Art Shared on April 21's Manicure Monday Linky:

The wild winter weather of 2014 better not dismally effect butterfly season this summer! Butterflies don't usually flutter freely in Delaware until June, but I couldn't wait that long to search for the wondrously winged insects on Etsy. These beautiful blue butterfly hair accessories soared out of the swarm by being the most unique. 1. Metallic Blue Butterfly Hair Pin by Cetonia Designs 2. Blue Scale and Rhinestone Butterfly Hair Fork by A Case of Random 3. Leather Blue Butterfly Headband by Katz Little Factory 4. Blue Morpho Butterfly Leather Hair Slide Or Barrette by Beadmask Disclaimer: This post was inspired by Beadmask , a wonderful blog sponsor that pays for advertising space and featured listings like above. If you think your items would fit in with my whimsical ramblings, please consider supporting my blog and becoming an advertiser .

I grew up in a tiny town where I could walk to the beach. One of my first summer jobs was at a sea shell shop, where I was stunned tourists would stand in line to buy Beanie Babies instead of the stunning spiral shells. That commercial craze was just a hiccup in time, but the beauty of nautilus shells and their ancestors' fossils endures. From the moment Daniela of Rica Jewels asked me to host her ammonite jewelry giveaway, I became fascinated with ammonite history and mythology. I almost dropped extinct when an awesome ammonite pendant arrived unexpectedly. I can barely fathom what the world was like millions of years ago when the marine invertebrate animal existed and yet, I can wear its memory around my neck on a routine 21st-century day! Ammonites are believed to provide insight into the bigger picture. Hopefully wearing the sterling silver necklace will remind me to step back when I get discouraged by details, especially when drawing. Something small might seem like the ...

"A woman's heart is a deep ocean of secrets." - Rose from Titanic movie The Titanic Museum is quite a surprising sight to see when driving through Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. We didn't have time to tour it during our first trip, but I had to get close enough to photograph the building. The replica was built at half-scale of the original ship and still towered above me! I saved the Titanic photo to share until today since it sank on April 15, 1912.

I can barely keep my feet from fluttering off the ground now that the spring fairy finally arrived in Delaware! Andreia from Rolling Ideas helped her spread sunshine sparkles during a SPSteam game. Her spring home decor ideas include yellow daffodil flower photography print by Tiny Delicate World, blue butterflies sign set by Whisper Of The Pipit and my butterfly fairy art print . Treasuries shared by readers between April 14 - April 21, 2014 A Fantasy Mossy Spring Color! Bazar! get aqua- inted with aqua Ride Off Into The Sunset Spring finds #209 Inspire What a Pretty Princess! Vintage & New Shades of Blue green is the tree of life Violets The Art of Design Oh So Natural Old, New, Borrowed and Blue Purple & Blue Funfetti We'll Be Counting Stars Swing My Heart Across the Line April on Etsy My Favourites for April Sweeter Than Candy On A Stick Geometric and Earthy shopping on saturday Wedding Related Items from the Handmade By Me Team Aquaria...

The weather was wonderful this weekend! My mom and I savored the sunny Saturday together by cycling through the Cape Henlopen State Park, then exploring the Lewes Tulip Festival. (Yes, you will be seeing flower photos from me for many Wordless Wednesdays to come.) After splitting a sub from Touch of Italy at an outdoor table, we went back to her house to apply her very first set of Jamberry nail wraps. She picked Peek-A-Boo Bunny during my first party. And since she's such a sharing soul, she gave me an adorable rabbit nail wrap to use as an accent for my Carmen Ombre manicure. I am so hippity hoppity happy with my Easter nail art! This marks my fourth jamicure, and although I wouldn't call myself an expert yet, they look better each time. I've also discovered a way to cut down trimming time for those ladies like me whose nail shapes don't match the rounded wraps. Hop to today's guest post on Katie Crafts for my Jamberry tips . Thanks to Momma for patiently...

EDIT: Giveaway is officially over. Congratulations to Rosanne Morrison for submitting the randomly-chosen 387th entry. Forget fighting the crowds in the summer, I'd rather take a spring stroll along the beach. The water may be too cold to swim, but watching the waves roll by is relaxing. One winner will get to enjoy the tranquil colors of the ocean every day, no matter the season. Vi from Demonmilk is giving away the fluorite jewelry set above. Fluorite was named from the Latin noun fluo, which translates as flow of water. The colorful crystal is believed to neutralize negative energy, so anyone that wears this set should feel pretty swell. Each piece is strung with several fluorite chip beads. Attached to the beautiful bracelet is an adjustable gunmetal chain. The matching necklace's chain is long enough to loop over head. While other little girls were simply fawning over fairytale fashions, Vi was learning how to sew them from her grandmother. Now her fashion label off...

"Is the spring coming?" he said. "What is it like?" "It is the sun shining on the rain and the rain falling on the sunshine..." - Excerpt from The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett I've been watching my mom's peach and white daffodils like a hawk, and they bloomed just a few days after the first yellow daffodils of the season. Yesterday's spring rain couldn't keep me away from photographing them for her birthday.

I've been to several Lia Sophia, Tastefully Simple and similar parties, but I wasn't ever excited enough about the products to want to host my own until I discovered Jamberry Nails. My excitement must have been contagious, because somehow I sold enough during my first party to earn the hostess exclusive wraps for spring! March's nail example to the right didn't give the design justice - I was pleasantly surprised when the full sheet arrived and lived up to its written description: "March's Host Exclusive is a feminine bouquet of dark purple and rose hues with touches of muted yellow, pink, baby blue and leaf green. It is the perfect addition to your spring wardrobe." My second Jamberry party is struggling to bloom - I'm only one nail wrap sale away from earning a free sheet! Jamberry Nails is still offering the Buy 3, Get One 1 deal, so if you want to stock up, please find and select "Aquariann" in the list of names under party at check...

If you can't tell by my drawings, I am a fan of swirls. They became a permanent part of my handwriting style during my penpalling days in grade school. Even when I'm just scribbling the grocery list, the tails of letters end enthusiastically in curls. When master jeweler, Sid Kassidy , offered to send me metal jewelry from her handmade shop, my heart did somersaults over the sterling silver spiral earrings to the right. She also offers spiral stud earrings, but I chose the long design so they'd make a strong statement and not get hidden by my hair. These are the longest earrings I've ever owned with post backs instead of ear hooks - they stay in place instead of swinging, which helps when walking against the spring wind. The earrings are hand-forged and fused from an alloy of 925 sterling silver and pewter to prevent tarnishing. The metal smith then hammered and brushed the metal to give it that unique finish. Disclaimer: I received these free earrings as a thank...

"She turned to the sunlight And shook her yellow head, And whispered to her neighbor: "Winter is dead." - Excerpt from When We Were Very Young by A.A. Milne Sound the daffodil trumpets - a week after the heaviest snow storm of the year, I saw my first flowers of spring in bloom!