Pathtag and Letterbox stamp

If you are a geocacher, you might find one of these pathtags in a cache. Pathtags are personal trading items, used most often in geocaching.  They are about the size and weight of a US quarter or a one Euro coin. People create a design, have it made and start trading.

This is the pathtag I created for our family with animals that represent us, using our dog's face again, as I did in creating our stamp for letterboxing.  We haven't yet found an actual letterbox, but this is a picture of the log from a geocache/letterbox hybrid we found in Massachusetts.  Each letterbox has its own stamp image that you collect in your own book.  At the same time you create your own stamp and leave that image at the letterbox book.

Candiazoo pathtag












If you're looking for a new hobby, might I recommend Geocaching.com, Pathtags.com, and letterboxing.org.  Just a few more ways to be creative!

IF: Children

Someone got a new fish...

Sweet for IF, CED check-in

I was inspired by some artwork I saw last week at Illustration Friday.  It reminded me that art shouldn't be stiff and serious but playful.  I wanted to remember what it felt like to play so my daughter and I took watercolors to the pool and created splashes of color while standing in the water.  It's actually something I've been wanting to do for awhile and she thought it was great!  I let the background sit for a couple days until I saw the image I wanted to pull out.  It feels a bit like dreaming to me and I really enjoyed creating it!

Be still

Herons.  I catch glimpses of them everywhere I go and they've become sort of a mystical bird for me.  I love their patient stillness and awkward gracefulness in flight, the soothing colors and decorative feathers.  It's been a long time since I've painted one and this watercolor became a peaceful meditation for me as I deal with the loss of my beloved grey parrot, Niko.

Flowers for May, Creative Every Day

                                         Geocaching in Payson, AZ

Mule train

"Train" was an IF topic not too long ago that I did a sketch for but never colored.  I liked the little guys too much not to share.

Future for Illustration Friday

My son walked in, looked at the painting and asked, "What's the topic?"
"Future," I replied.
"Huh, doesn't look like the future.  Are there birds clocks in the future?"
I don't usually have to explain my work, but I actually put some thought into this one, so I pointed out  clockwise, half past and time moving forward, chicks and chickens, what we can see and what we can't see.  I was feeling pretty good about it.
"Oh, there should be cuckoo clocks with real cuckoos."  Maybe I tried too hard and should have stuck with a space train.

Illustration Friday: Wild

Her new style was a bit too wild for most of her friends.

Illustration Friday: Urban

Stuck in the juror assembly room all day, I sat in every part of the room, read from the two books I brought, worked on a German lesson, and in the last hour realized that the view fit the Illustration Friday theme.  I used a pen to sketch on the back of the map, then added watercolor pencil at home.

Eggs!

I had to get the ladder out today to get my parrot out of a tree, but that disturbed the curve billed thrasher nesting over the patio.  While she was gone, I took the opportunity to take a picture.  Maybe next year I'll mount a nest-cam.

April 11, 2013
Saw the mama bird fly out for more bugs and quickly set up the ladder.  They're here!