Rodrigo y Gabriela

Ah, the Mexican guitar duo. Have you heard their work? They have a genre-defying, fast, rhythmic acoustic guitar sound influenced by classical Hispanic music with a huge energy injection from their shared love and background of thrash metal and hard rock.



The mind boggles at the speed they play at...



~♥~

Of woodland sprites & ocean critters in rainbow colour

Parade

Allow me to introduce you to, if you are not already acquainted with, the wonderfully whimsical world from the imagination of May Ann Licudine, aka MALL.

In the Hidden Lanterns

She posts as frecklefaced29 on deviantART and I've been a fan for ages - many a times I've wanted to show her work on my Thursday ♥ features, but I kept delaying so that I could do a full post on it because I just couldn't choose only one piece.

Cat Nudibranchia I

An artist from the Philippines, her beautiful colour pencil drawings and acrylic paintings evoke the magic of cute spirit worlds with lanterns and Japanese festival masks, forest sprites and deep sea creatures.

Nature Whisperer

I absolutely love her use of colour: every piece bursts with it. Oh and all the little details!

Big Gossip

Her graphite and black and white pencil drawings are just as good with their soft and dreamy focus, and still, the details!

Nature's Daughter I

Nature's Daughter II

Nature's Daughter III

Visit her blog and gallery for more! ~*~

The Great Mushroom Oranda

...like stained glass windows

Window at night by Dr Linda Campbell on Ecogirl & Cosmoboy, with permission

"People are like stained glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within."


~Dr Elisabeth Kűbler-Ross

Antonio Gades' Fuenteovejuna

I've wanted to go and see the annual Flamenco Festival shows at Sadler's Wells for a long time so I was really excited when I got hold of tickets for last night's performance of Fuenteovejuna by the Antonio Gades Company.




A 'folk-dance drama', it is adapted from a play about a true 15th century Andalusian peasant rebellion against a tyrannical local nobleman. The period costumes and folk dance sequences really evoked an old European farming village (I loved the wedding dance). My favourite bits though were definitely the flamenco dance and music parts. The singing! The rhythm! The lightning footwork! ~♥~

Midnight Tango

I fell in love with the Argentine tango and became a fan of Flavia Cacace and Vincent Simone on Strictly Come Dancing the very first time they went on the show to showcase the dance that they had been former world champions of.




So when I found out they were going to bring Midnight Tango, their Argentine Tango dance show to the London West End this year, I bought the tickets 3 months in advance...

I went to see the show at the weekend and it was AMAZING! A love story set in a moody Buenos Aires late-night bar, there's a live tango band, singing, and lots of passionate Argentine tango.




I absolutely loved it. They're at the Aldwych theatre for 10 weeks, then they go on a UK tour. Catch them if you can!

Stephen Mackey

I first came across fine artist Stephen Mackey's work when I found a set of avatar icons featuring these illustrations from his Porcelina series of cards and prints. I love his soft and dreamy depiction of doll-like fairies and other creatures.

He has also published a couple of children's picture books, telling the stories of a little girl called Miki and her friends who live in an Arctic-like landscape of ice and snow.

His own, non-commercial, style of work is much darker in comparison, like classical paintings with a touch of whimsy and Victorian macabre.

Visit his paintings gallery for more!

In picture... red fox in snow

December's theme is going to be winter magic

red fox in snow by phoebe_rousseaux

If you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree

Goldfish by Dominique87 on deviantART

“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”

― Albert Einstein

A spoon of salt in the lake

"Let yourself be open and life will be easier. A spoon of salt in a glass of water makes it undrinkable. A spoon of salt in a lake is almost unnoticed."

~Buddha

Burrator reservoir in Dartmoor, by me

Thursday ♥ - Root of a tree

Root of a tree by efira-japan on deviantART

Tracks in the Snow

A poem for anyone who's ever lost their way. By Sherry Sharp of Dream A Little Designs. Read the original blog entry for the story behind this uplifting poem. Thank you Sherry for letting me share your beautiful writing.

Tracks in the Snow

You followed the tracks in the snow

under branches bowing your head

out to the clearing laid low

ankle-deep and faithfully so

you followed the tracks in the snow.

Without warning

they died down ahead,

your heart, in your chest, sinking like lead.

A tumbling, inescapable game~ of domino.

Where are the tracks, you said!

Where are my tracks in the snow?

Disappearing tracks in the snow?

Wondering now where to go?

Stand still for a minute and see…

The day leads to only where it can be.

This is where destiny has led

To an empty, unspoiled snow bed

Close your eyes now…

Feel the falling fresh snow lick clean at your face.

Summon your innermost grace.

Stand resolute of the steps to be tread.

Newborn is the promise that lies up ahead.

For it is not the tracks you’ve misread,

but the footprints behind to retread,

not in what went right or wrong,

but to recall your sweet soul and integrity song.

Winter lasts only so long.

To me you’ll always be golden, a boy all aglow

a gifted one ~ still so much to show.

Trust who you are.

Know.

Because what brought you here will surely bestow

Brand new trails! Splendid trails!

I have faith, you will sow.

~Sherry Sharp copyright 7/2010

Go instead where there is no path

"Do not go where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."

~Muriel Strode, from My Little Book of Prayer, Open Court Publishing, (1906)

Image from The Adventures of Peanut Butter and Jelly

The world's smallest letter

How can you not squeal in delight at the World's Smallest Postal Service's tiny letters? Lea Redmond used to take her mobile post desk around with her and transcribe letters by hand into insey winsey miniature form.

I love, love, love the attention to detail. The envelope has a tiny address (and return address!), special mini stamps, mini WSPS post mark and is closed with a teeny initialed wax seal, then packaged with a magnifying glass to be sent in a normal sized parcel.

Lea now runs a business sending tiny letters, cards and mini parcels everywhere from her website. You can even buy your own mini letter kit!

I am unashamedly a big fan of snail mail and a super geek of all things miniature so I'm probably biased on two fronts, but an email or text just can't beat the amount of time that goes into something like a tiny letter and the excitement of receiving something like it.

Survivor

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month.

I have been waiting to post about this porcelain doll handmade as a tribute to breast cancer fighters by Marina Bychkova of Enchanted Doll.

Titled 'Surviving', visit Marina's gallery to read the story behind this beautiful doll

Happy Mid Autumn!

It's the 15th day of the 8th month in the Chinese lunar calender today, the Mid Autumn Festival! Also known as the Moon festival, it is the day in the year when the moon is at its fullest and roundest and was originally associated with moon worship. Traditionally it was also a celebration of the harvest.

Chang' E the moon maiden who stole the elixir of immortality, with the Jade Rabbit

Today, it's a day when families gather (the round moon symbolising reunion) and moon watch, celebrating by moonlight, eating lots and lots.

A many coursed dinner would be followed by lots of fresh fruit - pears, starfruits, pomelos, and of course, moon cakes. These are round pastries with sweet fillings. There are so many varieties of moon cakes now, but my favourite is still the traditional ones with the sweet lotus paste and crumbly yellow egg yolks.

Can you see why they're called Moon cakes? =D

Photo by china roamer

My absolute favourite part of the festival is the lanterns. When I was younger in Hong Kong, our living room had French windows looking out into the garden and there'd be brightly coloured paper lanterns hanging from the top ledge, the candles flickering inside. I liked the special shaped ones the most, rabbits, tigers, goldfish, star fruits...

A shop selling beautiful paper lanterns

Photo by Dead Cat

Of course, being allowed to stay up late and wonder around with a pretty lantern was incredibly fun. Public carnival-like celebrations would also take place, with huge lantern displays, performances and stalls.

Look out for the big, round moon tonight!  You might just see the Jade Rabbit. According to Chinese folklore, he lives there with Chang'E, the maiden who flew up to the moon after stealing and taking the elixir of immortality.

Thursday ♥ - berangkat

berangkat by Megatruh on deviantART

Wish wish wishlist #10

one | two | three

Invictus

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishment the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

William Ernest Henley, 1875

Photograph: Man climbing rock at sunset by Greg Epperson

Weekend DIY - Bed Canopy

I have always wanted to have a bed canopy! It must be all those princess stories... You'll need a sturdy hook from the ceiling for this one but the rest of it is unbelievably easy to make. Create your own bed canopy. 

via Country Living

In picture... glorious light

Pink Dreams by loretoidas