100th Blog-Day Bash Giveaway

PHOTO OF THE "100TH BLOG-DAY BASH" GIVEAWAY!

(Click on photo to enlarge.)

With just over 3 months of blogging behind me, I have now arrived at my 100TH POST! I marvel that I reached this pinnacle in such a short period of time! I honestly didn't see this coming. I basically birthed eye-dyllic and began to type– blazing a trail, naming landmark moments, and welcoming old and new friends. I didn't utilize Neo Counter from the beginning, but since introducing it to my blog, I have had 2771 visitors from 37 countries! I am overwhelmed by this warm and wondrous blogging community! I feel so at home!

I love to give and I can't think of a better occasion to celebrate! The above photo showcases the items included in the Giveaway...

• A floral, Fine Bone China teacup and saucer by Stechcol.
• A package of the Iveta Gourmet Pumpkin Scones featured in my September 27th, 2007 "Meanderings" post.
• Judith Wibberley's book, "Just the Right Words," which includes "over 400 messages and motifs for cardmakers and crafters."

HERE IS HOW THE GIVEAWAY WORKS...As a challenge to myself, I am aiming for 100 names to be included in this GIVEAWAY. I need your help to achieve this. All you have to do is alert your friends and provide them with a link to this post. Be sure that they MENTION YOUR NAME when they publish their comment. You will receive an additional entry for every person who mentions your name!

1. To avoid confusion, it is IMPORTANT that you read these directions.
2. To enter this GIVEAWAY, all you need to do is click on "COMMENTS" at the end of this post and type in a message that includes your name. Be sure to click on "PUBLISH" when you are finished.
3. You may post ONLY ONE COMMENT. All duplicate entries will be deleted.
4. Entries must be posted under this "100TH BLOG-DAY BASH GIVEAWAY" heading.
5. YOU WILL RECEIVE AN ADDITIONAL ENTRY FOR EACH PERSON THAT YOU REFER TO THIS GIVEAWAY! THEY MUST MENTION YOUR NAME IN THE COMMENTS. I will calculate these additional entries before the drawing.
6. This GIVEAWAY is open to all of my blogging friends, regardless of what country you are from.
7. The DEADLINE for posting comments is: 11:59 PM PST, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11TH, 2007.

OCTOBER 12TH,2007 – THE THRESHOLD FOR ENTERING THE "GIVEAWAY" IS OVER. THE WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED ON THIS BLOG BEFORE 3:00 PM PST TODAY...

Post "99"

THIS IS POST "99"! BE SURE TO VISIT TOMORROW FOR THE "100TH BLOG-DAY BASH GIVEAWAY!" ALL OF MY BLOG FRIENDS ARE WELCOME TO PARTICIPATE!
To avoid confusion, the "comments" on this post only have been disabled. Feel free to make comments on my other posts.

P I C T U R E S Q U E

Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all.
- Stanley Horowitz

No spring nor summer beauty hath such grace
As I have seen in one autumnal face.
- John Donne

Besides the autumn poets sing,
A few prosaic days
A little this side of the snow
And that side of the haze.
- Emily Dickinson

Belly Up!

I have 2 sons: Bryce, 13 and Brock, 7. They have previously begged us to have pets– like a dog or a hamster. These moments are usually heavy with deep emotion for all things furry. Often, they have researched the topic of pet ownership with bona fide experts: their friends. These pleadings come with a list of campaign promises that, if believed, could run a country!

Two years ago, my sons brought home 4 goldfish from a Harvest Festival. Of course there was no permission given prior to this act, so I was not afforded the luxury of billing them for consultation fees. All of the goldfish survived longer than a year. In the second year, we lost 2 simultaneously and then the third fish met his demise 2 months ago. Only a fish named Tiger...remained.

On Saturday morning, just as I was ready to take out an insurance policy for the fish, it happened. Brock discovered that Tiger had gone belly up! With big puppy-brown eyes, Brock searched me for guidance because Bryce, the rightful owner, was gone for the weekend. Reverently, we gathered at the commode and said a meaningful prayer before "flushering" Tiger to his final resting place.

This is where I became extremely clever. We removed the fish bowl to the garage, tossed the fish food, and waited... How long would it take Bryce to notice that his beloved Tiger was now dearly departed? Bryce returned home Sunday evening.

Today, Wednesday, Bryce was eating lunch. No longer able to stand the suspense, I decided to mention my aquatic screen saver out loud to my husband, Barry. Quickly, Bryce got up from the table and made a bee line for his room. Seconds later, he returned to the kitchen asking, "Where's my fish?"

Needless to say, we won't be buying a dog or a hamster any time soon.

Sacred Chocolate

Speed Bump from the Seattle Post

At this very moment, I have a box of Godiva Truffles stashed conveniently in the undergarment drawer of my antique dresser. "This is where I keep the good stuff!"

Artfully Speaking

WHAT IS SHE LOOKING AT?
I found this vintage picture tucked amongst thousands of clip art images. It is considered a silhouette with liberal uses of white on her clothing and the pumpkin. Now, I know there has to be a reasonable explanation for this glamorously clad and coiffed woman standing inside of a giant, neatly carved pumpkin. She certainly isn't showing surprise by the mature hand extended and pointing her attention upward. Rather, she is calmly– with he own hands on hips– studying whatever is in that tree!

NEGATIVE SPACE
The discovery of this picture led to an interesting study of something called negative space. Marion Boddy-Evans at About.com writes this: "Negative space isn't the place your mind retreats to when a painting isn't going well. Negative space is the space between objects or parts of an object, or around it. Studying this can have a surprisingly positive effect on a painting."

Marion then expounds on the difference between silhouettes and negative space: "Traditionally a silhouette would be cut out from a piece of black paper, what is left of the sheet of paper would be the negative space. However, when you're making a silhouette, you're concentrating on the shape of the face. Negative space requires you to concentrate on the space around the object rather than the object itself."

DID YOU KNOW?
Christ-Centered Art offers this definition of Giclée (Iris):

Giclée (pronounced ZHEE-clay) is the French term for "fine spray." A giclée print is created with digital printers using four tiny ink jets that spray more than 4 million microscopic water-based colored ink droplets per second onto a sheet of fine art paper or canvas, spinning on a drum at the rate of 250 inches per second.

Precise computer calculations control these ink jets to produce over 500 shades of dense, water-based ink. A computer scans the artist's original work to control the jets-- no printing film or plates are involved. The final product is a lush, vibrant, and velvety-looking art print; one that has the feel of a watercolor, and the clarity of an original painting.

3-Month Blog-iversary!

It seems that I have much to celebrate! In addition to quickly approaching my 100th post, today is my 3-month blog anniversary! Yes, 3 months ago today– almost immediately after discovering that blogs were more that cerebral parking spaces– I conceived eye-dyllic! Like so many of the blog birthing testimonies, I didn't know what I was doing. I just saw an empty canvas awaiting the lavish splashes of my imagination!

In 1962, my Mom had just registered me for Kindergarten and before leaving she escorted me down the hallway for a sneak peek at my classroom. I will never forget what filled my eye-gates when I beheld this wonderland for the first time! There were artist's easels, sawhorses, shelves of neatly stacked blocks and toys, a mini kitchen with an ironing board, aprons, and cooking utensils. There were little desks– although not little to me– and a large area rug for sitting cross-legged. The room was alive with fall colors, shiny red apples, farm animals, and a preview of what I would learn. I could not wait for my first day of school!

Through the windows I spotted the playground with the 405 Freeway as its backdrop. I would soon become very familiar with the walls of this freeway– as I endured numerous timeouts for chatting during nap time and chasing boys up the jungle gym! After all, isn't Kindergarten considered a social event?

My introduction to blogging was much the same. The available blog template and options were much like walking into a Kindergarten classroom. I saw the possibilities and I quickly engaged in play and experimentation. Only now I can chat with no fear of timeouts!

Countdown...

This is my 96th post! Within the next 5 days, I will be having my 100th BLOG-DAY BASH GIVEAWAY! In fact, I photographed the GIFTS yesterday. The Blog-day Bash details and photo will be exhibited on the 100th post. This Giveaway is open to all of my blog friends, regardless of what country you live in. So keep stopping by..

I will share this... I am challenging myself to receive "100 comments" for the Blog-day Bash Giveaway, and I need your help... You will receive an additional entry for each person that you refer to this bash when they mention your name in their posting comments. You may refer as many people as you like, they just need to make reference to your name in order for you to receive credit.

To avoid any confusion, I am disabling comments on this post only. Feel free to comment on any other post in this blog. And, I'll see you at the 100th Blog-day Bash!