Birthday giveaway winner is...

Wow, it is amazing how quickly birthdays do fly by! I have had many over the years, some memorable and some not. This year was exceptionally wonderful because I was able to celebrate it with you!

 I felt your presence and could hear your kind birthday wishes throughout the weekend, and am so happy to have you drop by! Thank you ever so much!

What did I do for my birthday you ask? The weather was beautiful, with clear blue skies, warm 38 degrees (for February, in northern Minnesota), the snow melting, and the first of new Spring calls were beginning from the crows and a local Pileated woodpecker.:0) After being treated to a light hearted movie and delicious lunch, my husband, daughter, grandchildren and I spent time in a store surounded by books. Upon leaving, I was happily clutching a much needed dictionary to replace the well worn book that had separated from years of use into 5 pieces, and a new herbal addition for my bulging library. Ending with a little more family time, it was proclaimed a very good day!

And now it is time for me to present one of you with a gift. So, please feel free to help yourself to a heavenly piece of double chocolate cake with chocolate chips hidden inside, and a warm cup of (fresh picked) mint tea as I drop blue slips containing the number for each entry into an antique copper bowl. Stirring and folding with tightly shut eyes, I draw the winning number! Number...10!

:0)

The gift

...choice of one ACEO print in my shop goes to...

Annette F Tait ~ creator and author of the wonderful blogs ~ Hare Preservation Trust ~ and the Dragon House of Yuen  

Congratulations Annette!

And thank you all for spending time in the Chronicles of Whimsy, and your ever so kind comments and wishes!

~ I wish each one of you to have your birthday filled with joy and beauty and you have an amazing week ahead! ~

Birthday Giveaway!

My birthday looms very, very near, and as promised I am having a birthday giveaway!

From now through Sunday, February 28th, when the Whimsy clock strikes 9 P.M. you can leave a comment below this post to state which one of the ACEO prints in my Etsy shop you would choose if your name is drawn. 

Will you choose ~ 'Romeow, Oh Romeow' The romantic kitty calling for her Romeo? ~ 'Flight of the Pegasus' A little foal hoping the feather found will help him fly with the Pegasus tonight? ~ 'Luna Kitten' The young winged kitten gazing in wonder as he watches old Man in the Moon rise from his slumber? ~ 'Summer Magic' A snow white Pegasus foal watching a beautiful dragonfly settle on his wing in a bed of summer flowers? ~ 'Crow Amore' An ebony pair under a romantic moon with fine wine and a shiny gold ring? ~ 'The Great Pumpkin Race' A costumed kitty, a carved pumpkin, and his swift steed racing through the mist in a hilarious Halloween race?

~ Or maybe your favorite is another. ~

So feel free to browse the DeLaRenaisance shoppe, then drop back here with the title of the ACEO print you would choose. Please be sure to provide an email address or link to contact you by should you be the lucky winner! This giveaway is open to anyone near or far!

~ Good luck to all, and I wish everyone a wonderful weekend! ~

One World One Heart winners

  The amazing 2010 blog event One World One Heart has finally come to a close. The magic carpets that criss crossed the skies are slowly gliding back to earth. Many have returned with treasures, memories, and new friendships from near and far.

I am so happy to have obtained a ticket for 'Chronicles of Whimsy' to join in this event, and enjoyed my carpet ride which ended just in time to hear the Whimsy clock strike noon, signaling time to draw the 'Chronicles of Whimsy' winners! 

Before I announce them, I wish to thank each and every one of you who flew in for a visit and left wonderful compliments and comments and / or became Whimsy followers! I hope to see you all back again soon!

And now congratulations to 

...the winners of an ACEO limited edition print of my ACEO original 'Baby's Got Blue Eyes'...

 ~ Tina Wilson ~ blog  Garden Goose

 ~ Prpldy ~ blog  The Purple Lady's Art and Life

 ~ BunnyKissd ~ blog  BunnyKissd , Diary of A Crazy rabbit Lady too!

 ~ Gail ~ blog  Art by Gail H Ragsdale

Thank you, and I wish every one of you a beautiful day!

Moon Beams?

Cloud Front

Moon Rainbow

Southern Light Beam

I love photographing the many variations of sky color and cloud patterns, and the eastern sky has produced many interesting subjects as of late. Yesterday the intense blue I viewed from my home office window beckoned to me. Answering the call, camera in hand, I stepped outside and was confronted with an awesome cloud front looming like a giant tornado. After capturing its image against the beautiful blue of the sky I settled the camera back in its place and continued with my work. As the daylight quickly faded, the blues that had lured me receded, and the massive cloud front I had captured all but faded with it.

The camera was then forgotten. Darkness of the northern winter evening signaled the close of another day, and the crisp air slowly chilled farther. Our only source of heat comes from the hot water that circulates though out the house, heated by a large wood burning stove outside. No less than twice a day in winter this stove must be fed. Mine is the noon shift, and my husband's is the evening. On this particular evening, only minutes after my husband had closed the door to take his turn at stove feeding, I was surprised to see him enter again, quickly grasping for the forgotten camera. "Northern lights." he said. "But very strange ones." I peered out of the door at the cold dark sky, but only spied one long straight streak overhead. Nothing as spectacular as some in previous years. I was disappointed, as we hadn't seen good northern lights for many, many months.

Later that evening, when my husband loaded the images into the computer he asked me what I thought. I was stunned. Never had I seen lights as these! What were they! These lights were not in the north, but in the east and south west. Many times we had seen beams of light from stores trying to attract customers from afar, but they were not like these. Those that appeared close to the rising moon were rainbow in color and seemed to be created from the moon's light. But the huge green beam far to the south west was strange indeed, and reminded me of the light a spaceship would create in a science fiction movie! These lights still have us questioning.

What are your thoughts. Have you ever encountered an evening sight like this?