Monday Love: Spring starts in my studio







Spring is nature's way of saying, "Let's party!"  
Robin Williams

Some pix of the colorful mess of my studio. The clock changed to summertime and soft pink cherry trees are dancing in the breeze outside.  Come and unwrap some chocolate eggs with me - we'll have Cappuccinos and forget about monday today!

Photos: Martina Voigt-Schmid

Friday Pretties: Cottage Makeover





Hallo weekend, here we come!


This cottage looks like a perfect hideaway after a busy week - a place to slow down and let your hair down, to breathe deeply, sleep in and enjoy the simple pleasures of fresh air, good food, picking flowers, maybe working in the garden or being creative. Don't you just love that turquoise wooden wall with white stencil leaves pattern in the bedroom? And the yellow-green with white and a touch of pink in the living room? Maybe, you can hear the sound of the ocean in the distance, and smell freshly baked scones - Mrs. Moussie is coming over for tea!

Have a fabulous weekend dear friends. Do take time to spoil yourselfs a little - no pudding, no fun!

Photos: Country Home
For more Friday Pretties visit Joyce's here! 

Bubblegum fun







"Colors, like features, follow the changes of the emotions."
Pablo Picasso

My lovely starsister from NYC send me a present with, among other treats, brightly colored baubles. They look like bubblegum - the one we used to buy as kids, with a sugary coating, and they had: play with me! written all over them. So, i got my camera and had a go. And again i thought - yes, colors are like notes. You can play any song with them!
Have a bright and happy day dear ones!


Photos: Martina Voigt-Schmid

Monday Love: Spring is in the air!


Just because ... 
Times are strange at the moment - so much suffering and tension everywhere i look. Why does this have to be so? A wonderful guru from India i once met at a retreat, Soham Baba, said, the world is like a golden coin, and it has two sides.  We cannot have one, without the other.  Where there is light, there is shadow also. Yet, since the news are so depressing, i feel that here in blogland, we are aiming for balance - by concentrating on the bright side, by putting so much energy in showing each other, and manifesting, the beauty and goodness of live, again and again. I'm so glad we can share this - not because we are blind to the "real world", but just because ...


This is a painting of mine from some years ago and it's one of those i don't want to part with. It was inspired by spring, by sunshine, the happy tunes of tulips, daffodils and forsythia - and Fauns and Kentaures by Picasso. I feel drawn to these wild, magical creatures as they resonate with the wild side of life, with playfulness, innocence and nature.


Painting: Martina Voigt-Schmid

For Japan with Love


I love how the blogging community unites today in this initiative that shows, what small efforts can do. If you are a blogger, you can participate too. This Friday, March 18th, my blog will be silent as in no posts in honor and respect for what has happened in Japan. 
To donate, click here
Ever Ours has teamed up with Utterly Engaged and handpicked ShelterBox as the organization to donate to, where there are volunteers are already there in Japan helping, so please be assured that your donations are being put to good use. ShelterBox provides emergency shelter and lifesaving supplies for families around the world who are affected by disasters at the time when they need it the most. Each large, green ShelterBox is tailored to a disaster but typically contains a disaster relief tent for an extended family, blankets, water storage and purification equipment, cooking utensils, a stove, a basic tool kit, a children’s activity pack and other vital items.

Friday Pretties: Felted pussy-willow


A cute project for early spring

If you're like me, and you can't wait for things to bloom, maybe you're in for a bit of fun with little felted balls. Attached with a little glue to some bare branches from a fruit tree or bush, they make a colorful and stylish bouquet - or centerpiece for your table. Sometimes, i love to work with this unspun wool, in germany we call it "Märchenwolle" - fairytale-wool. It has such a comforting quality, and rolling it up between your fingers is pure therapy for stress relief!

This is an idea and photo by Betz White - have a look at her Flickr, she's got more amazing craft projects to browse! For more Friday Pretties visit Joyce's here! 

Monday Love: Beautiful Japan






“Fall seven times and stand up eight.”
Japanese proverb

As more and more horrible news come in, my thoughts and feelings are with the japanese people, who have to face such and open end disaster. People in Japan now need all the strength and flexibility they can master. And they deserve all the help they can get. Found these strikingly beautiful photos of ancient and modern Japan in the portfolio of photographer Petrina Tinslay.

Friday Pretties: Some art vitamins







Let Yourself Be Silently Drawn By the Stronger Pull Of That Which You Really Love.
Jalal-al-Din Rumi
Some small canvases i've worked on, using bits of vintage paper i'd stored in my drawer, and pages of an old book by french writer Colette.
Happy weekend dear ones! I can't believe how another week has just flewn by - time seems to be faster than me! At the moment i feel like time is a horse, and i don't really manage to ride it, but it gallops away with me - there, boom, friday again! Nevertheless of course, weekend is more than welcome and i can't wait to stop by at your places and have some tea!
Paintings/Collages: Martina Voigt-Schmid
More Friday Pretties to visit at Joyce's here! 

Spring is in the air!


Yellow mellow
A painting from last spring, celebrating the yellow things, that so belong to the beginning of spring - even if lemons don't really grow here ;) Everything is easier, when spring is in the air and the evenings get longer again ... Today, i've had my first Cappuccino sitting in a café outside - to good to be true!

Painting: Martina Voigt-Schmid

Monday Love: Pink Lady




Are you ready for some spring colors?
I just came across the bright and colorful collection by Kate Spade, which i find really inspiring! As much as love neutrals like black, beige, navy and grey, i'm so up for some cheerful brightness right now, and that little pink cardigan would do just fine to freshen up my plain Jeans and T-shirt combination. Pink, white and yellow look so happy and playful to me - i love to use these colors in my paintings as well. So, my a place a hint to the easterbunny?

Hope your week starts on a happy note - but if it your to do list drags you down, remember: when life gives you lemons, make a Gin  & Tonic!

Photos: Kate Spade

Friday Pretties: New furniture for (almost) free!




Chair before


Chair after


Two amazing DIY projects on a budget
 i found on "The art of doing stuff", a blog by this amazing and crafty lady Karen, who is really wort a visit!  She transformed an abandoned chair she found by the side of the road into this strikingly luxurious dream of a chair, and a simple piece of tree-trunk into a stylish side-table that looks like it was bought in an expensive design-store. 

For the chair, she simply covered it up with a Mongolian Lamb throw - no special skills needed for that one, it's finished in a minute, YAY!  For the table - hmmm, looks like a girl must be a bit more patient here, but it sounds perfectly doable as well. Look at the instruction here.

Boy, i miss going to the fleemarket and look for ragged chairs! What are your plans for the weekend?

More Friday Pretties to visit at Joyce's here!