One World One Heart

By chance -- or fate -- I came across the One World One Heart blog event and giveaway. It's actually the third time that it takes place, and this year it's bigger than ever. The idea behind it is to visit many different blogs and to make some new friends along the way. Besides, you have the chance to win great prizes. How cool is that? If you want to know more, please be sure to click on the logo above. On the original website you will find links to tons of other bloggers who all help to make the blog world come closer together.

As everyone needs good luck now and then I offer these twelve wooden good luck symbols:

It's three cute little piglets, four horseshoes with a ladybug on a four-leaf clover and five mushrooms. Here you see a close-up:

The horseshoes and mushrooms have a sticker on the backside, so can you easily use them to decorate or for craft projects.

What do you have to do to bring good luck to your home? It's easy:

1. Please leave a comment below along with your name and email address, so that I can contact you if you are the lucky winner. My giveaway is open to everyone, so you don't need to have a blog in order to participate.
   
2. The final day for leaving a comment is February 11th -- the winner (to be found with the help of a random number generator) will be announced on February 12th.
   

Good luck!

Kreativ-Award

Guess what? I got a Kreativ-Award from Tacey, a fellow digital artist who makes wonderful blends. What a surprise that was -- thanks so much, Tacey!

Just like Tacey I want to pass on this award to five talented artists whose outstanding artwork and beautifully designed blogs keep on inspiring me. Please visit their websites and be inspired, too. In alphabetical order:

Dana
Jeni
Joan
Judy
Rebecca

Colors of Winter

If you take time to really look, you find so many colors out in nature even in winter. I took the photo below on January 1st, loving both the red berries on the twig and the grey-greenish appearance of the wall behind it.

Sparkling

Small World of Inchies and Twinchies has the theme vintage love at the moment. Here are Frederick and Evangeline whose love was simply sparkling:

Energy Wheel

Artarazzi is a challenge blog for digital artists. How cool is that? I happened to find it by chance and, of course, I had to make a digital image for the current challenge. The picture of a pinwheel was provided which one could use in any way. I settled for an image inspired by Native American designs. The background is one of my photos -- heavily altered. I also included two feathers which I had scanned. I am satisfied with my energy wheel and hope you like it, too.

Until the end of time

Theme Thursday's current challenge is to make a miniature piece of art that is 2 by 4 inches in size. I decided to try out this format, combining all the site's challenges of 2009 -- something new (this format!), vintage Valentine, couples, and finally the 2 by 4 inches size. Cool, huh?

Marissa and Marvin promised each other to be Valentine sweethearts until the end of time.

Holiday Impressions

It was the time of Christmas markets in and around Munich.

It was the time of tasty treats.

It was the time of candles and special decorations.

It was the time of Christmas trees and treasured ornaments.

It was the time to celebrate the New Year and to pour lead to have a look into the future.

Fence post

Guess what? The fence post with the surprised face has been covered in snow this morning.

Frankie's Eyes

By chance I stumbled upon a new challenge blog which also accepts digital artwork. It's called Art On The Darkside and its current theme is clowns -- not the funny ones, but the creepy ones. So now I present Frankie whose eyes turned red at night:

Happy Birthday, Edgar Allan Poe

200 years ago Edgar Allan Poe was born. Here's a tribute for him on this special occasion:

Icy January

Yesterday morning it was quite cold and icy outside. However, the frozen plants look just incredible! I also love the fence post which looks like a surprised face.

Together Forever

Mind Wide Open had its first challenge of the year with a provided image of a dancing lady and the word promt "forever." Here's my entry:

Myra was a first-class dancer and she knew that she would be together forever with her husband Seymour who affectionally called her "Butterfly."

My Top Ten books of 2008

In no particular order, here are my favorite books of 2008 (tough choice):

1. Land Of Echoes by Daniel Hecht (5/5)
2. Digging To America by Anne Tyler (5/5)
3. These Is My Words - The Diary Of Sarah Agnes Prine 1881 - 1901 by Nancy E. Turner (5/5)
4. Rhett Butler's People by Donald McCaig (4/5)
5. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer (4/5)
6. Blue Heaven by C. J. Box (5/5)
7. Animals In Translation. Using The Mysteries Of Autism To Decode Animal Behavior by Temple Grandin (5/5)
8. Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult (5/5)
9. Confessions Of A Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler (5/5)
10. Everything Bad Is Good For You - How Today's Popular Culture Is Actually Making Us Smarter by Steven Johnson (4/5)

Fireworks 2009

On New Year's Eve I took lots of photos of the beautiful fireworks in my neighborhood. Below you see an inchie collage of some of them. It's also a contribution to the current challenge at Small World of Inchies & Twinchies.

Once Upon a December

Thank God it's Friday's current topic is winter time. I decided to use yet another photo I took at the cemetery yesterday along with an Art Creations Friday picture I hadn't had a chance to use before. Somehow, the picture reminded me of a few lines of the song Once Upon a December from the animated movie Anastasia:

Far away, long ago,
Glowing dim as an ember,
Things my heart
Used to know,
Things it yearns to remember...

And a song
Someone sings
Once upon a December

(Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens)

Stone Angel

Art Creations Friday provided an interesting background for the current challenge. I used it as background for two digital moos for the angel challenge at Make a moo or two. I took the photos of the stone angel yesterday during a walk over the cemetery.

Happy New Year

I hope you had a safe start into 2009 -- may it be a good year for everyone!