Our 1st Cruise (Bahamas aboard Carnival Triumph)

good evening dear reader,

Dawnie & I are back from our first cruise. We had a fabulous time aboard the Carnival Triumph. I must say, we were pampered, spoiled, entertained & well fed. The entire staff was polite, professional, fun & friendly. The entertainment was first rate as were the excursions booked through Carnival for fun on the islands.

We had a room with a balcony on the 8th deck. The room was surprisingly spacious with a kingsize bed, couch, ottoman, table, lots of closet & drawer space & a decent size bathroom.

Our first full day was a "fun day at sea". We soaked up some sun, shopped, explored the ship & went to a Vegas type show after dinner.

Day two we arrived in Freeport & we went on a Dolphin Adventure. We took a boat through the canals to the Dolphin Adventure where we were able to get in the water to play with the dolphins. This was an incredible experience and my favorite part of our vacation. We were able to talk to them, pet them & have our photos taken with the dolphins "kissing" us. Dolphins are amazing creatures.

Day three brought us to Nassau/Paradise Island where we spent a "beach day" at the Atlantis Resort. Wow, this place was beautiful. We had access to their private beach & lagoons as well as to their world famous aquarium. Lunch was also provided at one of their outdoor eateries. We had a great day at Atlantis.

Day four was another "fun day at sea" and we lounged around the pool & had a great time.

During our time on the ship we were able to watch the World Series Baseball games on a huge TV which hung over the pool. We listened to island music daily being played by a live band at the pool. We watched ice sculpting, played bingo & met some great fellow passengers. Every night our Matre-d (Dario) and our waiters (Dexter & Alehandro) treated us like queens, making sure everything was perfect for us. After dinner, the entire wait-staff, including Dario entertained the dining room with song & dance. Excellent performances I might add.

Nightly as we drifted off to sleep, the gently rocking of the ship was both soothing & comforting. I miss it now that I'm back on solid ground.

Would I cruise again? Absolutely. Would I recommend Carnival Cruise Lines? Yes !!

Have you gone on a cruise? Do you want to try cruising? Tell me all about it...my inquiring mind wants to know.

4 tips for Etsy shop owners (from a fellow blogger)

good evening darling reader,

I just read a great post on SuaVoce's blog. She shares her 4 tips for Etsy shop owners. I found her blog post useful so I'm passing it on to you. You can read all about it here. Let me know what you think.

hugs,
Bridget

We have a WINNER for my blog giveaway

good morning darling reader,

Drum roll please.......

and the winner is.........post number 28.......

Maigan Lynn

Congratulations Maigan !! Winner was chosen using a random number generator at random.org

Big thanks to all who participated.....I'll be running another giveaway in December....

going on my first cruise...don't forget to enter my blog giveaway

hello dearest reader,

I'm leaving for our first cruise and I'm very excited. Dawn & I have not been on a real vacation in about 9 years. I'll take lots of pics, I promise. It's a 5 day cruise to the Bahamas. My biggest concern is leaving our dog, Elvis Lee. He's basically with me 24/7 so it will be hard on me to be without him. He's my furbaby. Elvis will be staying with my parents (& Dawn's parents for one day/night) and I'm positive he will be well taken care of.

If you haven't already done so, please enter my blog giveaway (click here). I'll be chosing a winner when I get back from vacation.

Until then... may God bless you... I'll post again when I return.

Namaste dear ones.

new painting - your opinion requested

hello dear reader,

I had started this painting (1/4 sheet size) a few months ago & decided to finish it. I brought it with me to art class today because I wasn't sure how to proceed with the flowers & leaves. I had the background done already. My Mother said "leave them all white". My mentor, Rusty, as well as my pals Tom, Marie M, Marie K & Leon all said to paint the leaves & just the centers of the flowers. Please note, the green is really a bright lime green (color didn't photograph well).

So tell me...what do you think?

and while you are here, don't forget to enter my blog giveaway...more participants = more stuff for the winner.

You can read about it & enter here.

have a great evening y'all.

Blog Giveaway - surprises, a book for Artists & greeting cards made from my original watercolors

hello darling reader,

I'm running a blog giveaway....
super simple to enter:
- comment on this blog post & include your full name & email address
rules & stuff:
- one entry per person
- number assigned to each entry will be your blog post number
- winner will be chosen using random.org on Monday Nov 9, 2009

now I bet you're wondering...what is being given away? One lucky person will receive....

• a few suprise items such as aceos, jewelry, papercrafts etc (see note at end of this blog post)
• 3 greeting cards made from my original watercolor paintings (blank inside)
  

....and...

• A copy of the 2008 Artist's & Graphic Designer's Market.

Most of the contact information in this book is still relevant. I'm getting the 2010 edition as a gift so I no longer need the 2008 edition. It is filled with wonderful information & way to fabulous to just throw out. 608 pages.

-- exerpt from Amazon --

"Includes nearly 2,000 markets that exhibit and/or buy artwork; each listing includes detailed contact information as well as specific guidelines for submission. Articles and interviews offer valuable business tips and describe the best practices for submitting artwork as a professional. Provides an abundance of resources for aspiring artists--professional organizations, grant programs, helpful Web sites, publications of interest, trade magazines, conferences and more....the best reference guide for emerging artists who want to establish a successful career in fine art, illustration, cartooning or graphic design....art markets include greeting card companies, magazine and book publishers, galleries, art fairs, ad agencies and more. Readers will also discover valuable resources for obtaining grants, marketing and promoting their work, and networking with fellow artists."

good luck everyone...

please tweet this post, put a link on facebook, blog about it etc...why?? because....

I'll add 1 surprise item to the giveaway when we have 10 participants, another item when we have 20 participants etc.

more participants = more surprise items

do you know about the life of a dragonfly?

good evening darling reader,

A very talented artist & cyber-friend Shell-Rose has been working on a fabulous painting titled "Autumn Repose". Her blog post tonight talks about the painting as well as about the life of a dragonfly...I found this info to be very interesting. Here is an exerpt...

"Dragonflies have long been symbols of transformation and change. They spend the first phase of their lives beneath the water's surface. Water is associated with the subconscious mind, so dragonflies have come to express a connection with deep thoughts and desires. They begin as a very ugly creature but when the right time has come, they pull themselves out of the water and shed the unsightly exterior. It is then that they show what was hidden inside. The beautiful creature of reflective light and grace that we know. In addition, because they don't live very long, they are a reminder to live life fully while we have it."

You can view the "Autumn Repose" painting on Shell-Rose's blog.

Biomorphic Underwater Wonder....wait...what? huh?

good afternoon dear reader,

I've just listed a new painting on Etsy titled "Biomorphic Underwater Wonder". Perhaps you are wondering...what the heck is biomorphic...perhaps you're curious....or maybe you're scratching your head...huh? Biomorphic means making mechanical and robotic creatures based on biological creatures. cool?

Here is my interpretation of an underwater scene with some of my favorite sea creatures turned into biomorphic creatures.
Your comments and critique are always welcome & appreciated. I grow as an artist from your opinions on my artwork.

So tell me.....
What do you think?

My Paintings from the Watercolor Workshop with Sterling Edwards

hello dear reader,

As I promised in a previous post, here are the paintings I did in the week long Sterling Edwards Watercolor Workshop. I had a fabulous time this year & I learned a lot. I also got great feedback from Sterling. He agrees with Rusty that I have my own style with great compositions & wonderful use of color. He (& Rusty) said that I just need to keep doing what I'm doing (**smile**)

Bear in mind, the purpose of the workshop is to learn & push yourself out of your comfort zone...hence the reason why these paintings look different (for the most part) from my usual "Bridgie" painting style.

As always, comments & critique of my artwork is welcome & appreciated.

Stylized Flower

Representational Abstract (my fav of this bunch)

City Scene (can you tell I've never done one before)

non-representational abstract

Waterfall

Attn: Jewelry Makers - Spin-N-Bead just listed

good evening dearest reader,

I bought this item about 6 months ago & decided I don't need it. It is a brand new in box never used....

Beadalon brand Mini Spin-N-Bead seed bead loader - stringer plus 2 needles. Instructions on back of box.

I'm hoping one of my jewelry making friends can use this. Only $7.00.

Have a great evening !