Thank You All & Cincinnati City Walk: Part I

Thank you all so much for leaving kind and encouraging comments on my previous post. I am a 100% sure it sped up the healing process, it felt like a warm blanket, friends!!!

But enough with the indulging in a little pampering! Sore backs don’t heal themselves, work needs to be done: exercises, rowing, swimming and above all walking.

Hilly nature walks are a step too far at the moment. So a nice walk through the city centre in the vicinity of Findlay Market it was and we brought the camera this time. In Spring weather the light is perfect for street photography.

So images from Cincinnati on a Saturday morning. This is our brand new street car!

Cincinnati with its history with the meat industry, has a fondness of (flying) pigs. You find them everywhere.This is a window display at a butcher…I don’t think those pigs entirely agree ;o)

That costume of the tour guide of this guided tour is too beautiful for words!!!

Cincinati is climbing out of recession and many building are done up beautifully at the moment. The contrast on what is and is not done yet, is clearly visible…

And than a perfect ending in one of our favorite restaurant for a proper BBQ meal.

Nou wat een lieve, leuke berichtjes kreeg op mijn vorige post. Daar knapt een mens van op hoor. Ik ben alweer aan de wandel en druk met oefeningen. In de modder ploeteren, op de heuvels in de wilde natuur is wat veel gevraagd nog maar een knusse stadswandeling met de camera in de aanslag zit er alweer in. Dit is Cincinnati op een zaterdag morgen met lekker lente weer.

Love and Liefs, Johanna

Sketch Journal Project: More Sketches and a Knitting Retreat!!

 

I have only a few sketches to show for. Fall is definitely a theme here. In my sketchbook and for a personal project.

These little pigs are for a commission. This first sketch is approved and now I have to think about filling in the background.

However..I had no time to work on it, since a few fabulous friends and I traveled to Virginia for a knitting retreat!! We were taught in the fine art of Norwegian knitting at Knitxperience by Beth Brown-Reinsel. What a fantastic teacher she was!!! I learned so much, met wonderful people and walked in beautiful scenery. Sigh…my head is still in Virginia with those lovely knitting friends.

Ik heb allen maar een paar “start” schetsjes. Wat lekker herfst gekrabbel en een eerste schets voor opdracht met t thema varkentjes! Deze schets is goed gekeurd en nu de achtergrond verzinnen.  
Maar ik had t even te druk met een gezellige brei vakantie in Virginia. Zo veel geleerd en zulke leuke mensen ontmoet…zucht, ik geloof dat mijn hoofd nog steeds in Virginia is!

Love and Liefs, Johanna

Winter Time…Tea Time!!

 

Really, a bit of a nonsense title…any time , any day (or night) I can drink tea. And yes yes…hot chocolate is nice too for the winter or a good toddy, right? To keep the cold of , I mean ;o)
Anyhue, sometimes it is just plain fun to make a simple drawing of something close to ones heart..a good cuppa!
Simple things can represent so much: an old blanket that reminds you of your childhood, hot apple pie of Grandma , the smell of a home cooked breakfast brings me back to campsites when the Walker Boys were little lads…

And tea!!  It symbolizes relaxing coziness, connected to reading, knitting, lovely get to togethers. The ritual of making that cup, choosing the right tea, pot and cup. And I have indeed way too many pretty containers with the right teas for the right moments.

This brand is very good and it is sold here in Cincinnati in the daintiest tea shop ever.

But when it comes to the best tea ever: I can, as a self appointed tea connoisseur, state that this tea is the best there is. Just a strong cup with a dollop of milk…the world is perfect again from the first sip onwards. (And no, this blog is not sponsored…though I will reconsider for free amounts of Trader Joe’s Irish Breakfast Tea ;o))

Having lots of fun with this drawing, also about tea and winter and coziness.

Ach wat is er nu fijner op een koude winterse dag dan even weg te mijmeren over thee..en gewoon even zo’n gezellig kopje te tekenen en te werken aan een die wat gecompliceerder is. En aan de hoeveelheid trommeltjes kan je wel zien dat ik een heuse thee connaisseur ben ;o)

Love and Liefs, Johanna

Another Diorama

‘Children have one kind of silliness, as you know, and grown-ups have another kind.” -C.S. Lewis

I love making dioramas. I saw this glass cone and knew it was perfect for another diorama. I just opened my drawer with small/found/discarded thingies…and out came this little sea world.

I suppose psychologist have something to say about this…but I am not such a deep thinker ;0)

Here and here are a few more.

Love and Liefs, Johanna

 

Sketch, Fine Liner and Color

Still working hard this week and the dead line is getting closer!

This is my first drawing of Charley.

And some more work of this week.

Thanks again Cathe..you and Stella are beautiful and marvelous!

 

Spot the difference?

Have a Lovely Weekend!

Love and Liefs, Johanna

Looky, Looky Here What Came in the Mail!!!!

The lovely and ever so talented Kelly from Boomdeeadda raffled off a scrapbook kit to make your own calendar and I won it!!! Her website is a feast for the eye with her colorful and cheerful works of art and her narratives will make you chuckle and laugh out loud! And now this generous woman send a package that resembles her website: creative, colorful and full of surprises!!!

Oh my, this parcel was too pretty to unwrap!! ( and yes, Kelly, Mr. Walker said: ‘Very colorful, indeed.’;0))

Oh look how pretty and beautiful. Complete with glue, pencils and lovely matching pencil case.

Look at this, extra goodies too…really, I am lost for words.

And then a perfect gift for a hiking dog…Charley was lost for words too! How clever is this???!!!

First week of January is going to be nice and quiet and I am going to sit down and carefully put this together. My first paper art project since kindergarden. I already told Kelly, I did not have the best of motor skills as a wee girl and an in my opinion vicious project with glueing little colored paper balls onto coloring sheets, ended up with me covered in glue and color stains from those paper balls that dissolved in glue all together and the sheets glued to the table, etcetc and teach and mom with lots of ruffled feathers, oohooh and boohoo… Time to heal that trauma and enjoy this wonderful project!

Dear, sweet Kelly hugs and kisses from your friends in Ohio!!!

Oh and look carefully at this card rack, Kelly also included two postcards with kind writings that still have my ears flapping with pleasure and delight. ( the ones with the beautiful long haired girls) These cards are made by another gifted artist: Maria Pace Wynters…also a website worth visiting!

Nou jongens, wat zijn Charley en ik me daar even verwend door een geweldige vakvrouw Kelly van de website Boomdeeadda.

Love and Liefs,

Johanna

A Gentlemen’s Apartment, Part One and a Winner!

Last weekend, it was Thanksgiving Weekend in Canada. Mr. Walker took some extra days off, we packed our suitcases and went to Toronto where both our Walker Boys live. A few weeks ago, we helped them move to their beautiful two bedroom apartment. And now they had invited us for Thanksgiving! Uhm, before we go further: my wide angle lens is absolute rubbish, but we all are going to pretend the following photos are perfect and ready to star on Apartmenttherapy.com ;0)

I still cannot believe, we found this gorgeous apartment so close to downtown. Shops around the corner with bus stops and subway stations. From the balcony a view to stately gardens and a little park: shade in the summer, sunshine in the winter and a feel of nature all year round…I sound like a real estate agent here!

After moving from one to the next ‘student-settlement’ for a few years, Young Mr Walker and the even Younger Mr. Walker decided to look for a decent place to live together ( they get along very well) and after a long, very long search found this lovely, lovely place. ( can you tell, I really like it?)

Aaaaand, Mr. Walker and I do not have to stay in hotels anymore when visiting our offspring. There is room enough for us for a couple of days and we can relax, cook and share meals and have quality family time.

I think, these Young Urban Gentlemen did a very good job in decorating this place.

More tomorrow.

So now about my Giveaway: it turned out that Anne from Ottawa, Judith from London and the lovely Milk Maid from Christchurch had the right size. Oh, agony, who to choose??? I know you are all good sports, so here my decision:  since Judith already owns an example of my knitting, and in New Zealand Spring is well on its way…it seemed so fair to protect Anne’s feet from the harsh cold winter in Canada…which I know from experience, is very cold indeed!

So Anne, my dear, email me your address at colorpencil.2014@gmail.com and you will have them before the snow flies!

We hadden een geweldig lang weekend in Toronto, op uitnodiging van the Walker Boys, die sinds kort in dit prachtige appartement wonen. Mijn groothoeklens is tamelijk waardeloos maar je kan toch zien dat het een bijzonder leuk en erg fraai ingericht Herenappartement is!

De slofjes zijn overigens gewonnen door Anne in Ottowa, die in Canada de grootste kans op erg koude voeten heeft!

Love and Liefs,

Johanna.

Happy Times

The weather is finally cooling down. Even had a few walks in a sweater..such bliss!

I love the softer light and the cooler temperatures energize me.

I feel sorry for the people who find Fall depressing. To me, it is harvest time, Mother Earth has been working hard and providing well. Time for her to take a rest and dream sweet dreams.  ( oh my, I am getting all poetic here!)

It is time for cozy evenings,

knitting without sticky hands,

and pies.

Baked a ton of little dessert cakes for the Yearly Neighborhood Picnic…what a splendid party that was!

And enjoyed making Autumnal Arrangement in my flower vases.  What a beautiful word: Autumnal…

De herfst komt dichterbij en ik geniet van t koelere weer, de prachtige kleuren en t zachte licht.

Love and Liefs Johanna.

Proud Mom and Simple Project

The Oldest Walker Boy graduated last year from university! Since he started working right away, he thought he did not have to time for a Graduation Ceremony. But of course, something this important needs to be celebrated! And with a little nudge and push, Young Mr. Walker finally signed up for a Graduation Ceremony earlier this summer.

 

So I bought a new dress ( Sally, my devoted dress doll from the sixties, shows it here.) And I decided this was important enough to also buy those red shoes, I was eyeing already for almost a year. ( Yes, I can think about red shoes for almost a year, clothes are very important;0))

And so Mr. Walker and I drove to Toronto, Canada and it was indeed so wonderful!! The speeches were truly interesting and delightfully short and to the point. And those old rituals and the outfits…

And than all those enthusiastic and proud students, working so hard and really deserving a firm pat on the shoulders. All that nonsense, about the ‘Youth Nowadays’…even the Old Romans were whining about that. Just look at these kids, all promises for a Good Future!

And than of course our own boy. I was already in awe when he showed his first smile, said his first word and took his first step. Look at him now!

And to my surprise, he asked before hand, if I would help him put on the toga and escort him to the Procession of the Graduands. And despite some fluttering with a handkerchief…I was so happy.

Each of the Graduates was handed a yellow Gerbera. I dried his one in this nifty flower press, I thrifted once in The Netherlands.

And than I made this simple little artwork with it. The color scheme is inspired by an article I read about Finnish Rug Designs from the seventies…I would love to share it with you but I cannot find it again. Young Mr. Walker loved it so much, he wanted it for his new apartment. So that was another fluttering handkerchief moment…

Eerder deze zomer, schreef onze oudste zoon zich dan eindelijk in voor een afstudeer ceremonie nadat hij een jaar ervoor al was afgestudeerd. Wat een prachtig feest!! En hij vroeg, tot mijn verrassing, of ik hem begeleidde naar de zgn Processie van de Afgestudeerden.Iedere student kreeg ook nog eens een gele Gerbera uitgereikt. Ik droogde de zijne en maakte er een simpel kunstwerkje van. Jonge Meneer Walker vond dat zo mooi dat hij het graag wilde hebben voor zijn nieuwe appartement.Onnodig te melden dat ik hier en daar een traantje wegpinkte…

Love and Liefs,

Johanna.

Happy Times

It was a lovely week! The youngest Walker boy, college student in Toronto, came home for 10 days, for a well earned mollycoddling by his parents. It was a sweet reunion for Charley and her best friend. Pure Bliss!

I found a sweet vase whilst treasure hunting, filled it with crabapple branches, it has a nice fall feeling. Since fall is my favorite season, this vase make me very happy.

No fall outside yet, it is still very hot…oh well, that gives nice images too.

These gorgeous teacups were softly singing to me in the Anthropology store. This pattern will be discontinued and since these were the last three, they were half price. Of course, I took them home. Tea tastes some much better in a good cup.

Re-read this wonderful Victorian novel, borrowed this nice old copy from the oldest Walker boy.

The story seems even better, read from these yellowed pages.

Ploughing onwards with Calligraphy…the teacher said, there was ‘some improvement’…I suspect this is not my hidden talent but it is nice to learn the techniques anyway ;0)

I did discover more use of the translucent qualities of calligraphy paper…

Aaaaand the Youngest Walker boy agreed to watch the magnificent movie Dean Spanley with me. I have seen this movie so many times and each time I discover something new to the story. Young Mr. Walker agreed: this is a magnificent movie. Coming form a boy who is very, very much into Science Fiction…you understand: you have to watch this movie too.

Wat een heerlijke week, met onze jongste zoon thuis! T weer was heet maar de koopjes goed. Kalligraferen blijkt geen onvermoed talent van mij, maar t is leuk om de techniek te leren. En met t doorschijnende papier kan je meer leuke dingen doen;0) En we zagen de prachtige film Dean Spanley: een aanrader! Heb een prettig weekend!

Have a Great Weekend,

Johanna.