Advent calendar December 10 & Bad Tölz

First of all, here is today's Advent calendar image:

I found this Black Madonna in Bad Tölz in early October. She looks lovely, doesn't she?

Bad Tölz is a charming town in Upper Bavaria. The river Isar flows through it (and also through Munich). Below you find a couple of photos I took during an outing in October.

Advent calendar December 9

It's the time for angels again!

Advent calendar December 8

It's raining here today, so I just have to imagine that the raindrops turn into ice crystals...

Advent calendar December 7

Can it be that we are already one week into December? Anyway, what are your plans for Christmas -- will you spend it at someone else's place or will you be home for Christmas?

Advent calendar December 6

Today is Nikolaustag or Saint Nicholas Day. In Germany, it's a small scale celebration -- St. Nikolaus brings little gifts to the children who have been good all year. It's usually candy, chocolate, nuts, tangerines, gingerbread, and maybe a small toy.

Advent calendar December 5

So far we don't have any snow here in Munich, but it is cold nonetheless -- especially during the night.

Advent calendar December 4

Just three short weeks...

Advent calendar December 3

Just remember -- early Christmas shopping means less stress and more enjoyment of the season!

Advent calendar December 2

On November 20th I saw the first Christmas tree of the season outside a garden center. It looks so lovely in the early evening -- all those tiny lights.

Advent calendar December 1

The countdown to Christmas has officially begun now -- it's December 1st. So the big question is -- are you ready for the shiny season?

Except for my blog Advent calendar I have a special Advent calendar this year. It shows a lovely street scene painted by Thomas Kinkade and contains 24 semiprecious stones:

Behind door # 1 I found a chrysanthemum stone which stands for empathy. Anyway, I hope you enjoy my blog Advent calendar and come back for more from December 1st to December 24th.

By the way, you might want to check out The Graphics Fairy for lovely free images like the Santa I used above.

Karen encourages to spread the word, inventing the Brag Monday. If you click on the link above, you will see how different artists used Karen's free images in their art projects. Lots of eye candy!

Advent

Yesterday was the first Advent Sunday -- time to light the first candle on the Advent wreath.

Advent, Advent, ein Lichtlein brennt.
Erst eins, dann zwei, dann drei, dann vier,
dann steht das Christkind vor der Tür.

Translation:
Advent, Advent, one little light is burning.
First one, then two, then three, then four,
then the Christ child is standing in front of the door.

For such a festive occasion I made a pumpkin pie cheesecake.

Last year I had my own Advent calendar here on my blog. I had much fun presenting one of my digital images each day from December 1st to December 24th and loved to get your feedback. So this year the calendar will be back with my best wishes for a wonderful holiday season.

Gobble, gobble

A while ago I saw cute turkeys made from pinecones at Martha Stewart's website. So now I proudly present the Tres Amigos:

Happy Thanksgiving

I am thankful that you dropped by.
It's the perfect occasion to wish you a

Happy Thanksgiving!

Close to Thanksgiving

Thanks for visiting my blog and thanks for leaving a comment now and then -- that's very much appreciated!

Destination: South

The last birds fly to the south -- a sure sign that winter is near.

Scary at last

In its final stage, my Halloween pumpkin looked scary at last.

Magical neighborhood

Today in the late afternoon I went for a walk around the block. The light was magical.

Strange flowers bloomed on a stone wall -- a bit like a scene from Alice in Wonderland, especially with the red grass.

There were real plants...



... and strange flowers.



Signs of road construction were everywhere.



So many interesting forms and colors to discover.

Never think that your neighborhood isn't magical -- you just have to look around with open eyes.

Time flies

Mind Wide Open runs another challenge. Gail wrote:

"Here is the image you have to work with. The word prompt is TIME, you can use it in your work or not, but let it inspire your mind to wander... maybe somewhere you might not normally go."

Okay, yes, I really went somewhere where I normally don't go. First of all, I didn't digitally alter the image, as it looks ready as it is. Moreover, I tend to create items with clear lines and a limited range of colors. However, yesterday I made something really colorful, really glittering -- absolute kitsch. A hint of Las Vegas mixed in -- think feathers and sequins. Moreover, there are wings. Are you ready for this? So here is TIME FLIES:

You see -- I told you it was colorful and glittering and with feathers! I altered an empty cocoa tin, cutting out a window. I used Gail's image both inside and outside the tin.

Moreover, I printed the photo of the lady once again, mounting the image on cardboard. She is now looking out of the window.

The word prompt is TIME, so I added the word itself as well as an image of the clock next to it:

Doesn't time just fly now that the countdown to the holidays has started? That's what I had in mind when I added FLIES to TIME, even giving it priority by putting the letters on top:

There's a certain ambiguity about FLIES, as the L is somewhat bigger than the F. I really like that.

Most likely my creation will stand out like a paradise bird among many elegant and classy creations -- a bit like the famous pink flamingo in a beautiful garden. Gail will post all entries on December 2nd, and the voting will start then. Be sure to visit Mind Wide Open in early December -- I am sure all the entries will be fantastic.