Umbrellas are magical

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Mary Poppins London Olympics,# Dapoppins, #Umbrella, #Umbrellas, #Black Umbrellas



This is from the London Olympics.  I'm not a sports fan and missed the opening, but I saw all these Mary Poppins's flying in to fight Voldemort and I just loved it.  Like black butterflies full of forthright purpose, touched by mystery, song, and magic.  

All umbrella's do is protect a person from the rain.  I can't explain how an umbrella is magical.  But they are.  

My step-mother, Robyn, grew and sold hosta plants.  One year they lost several old trees (walnut and pine) that had been standing over  her shade loving hostas.  So she had to come up with an alternative shade source.  She bought ten or fifteen giant beach umbrellas from somewhere and tied them down over her beloved plants.  It was the most amazing sight, an unintentional landscape of art in my parent's front yard (which was about an acre of pure garden.) 

I loved it.  Magical.

So umbrellas have meaning to me.  They express not gloom, but a type of freedom, creativity and protection.  I connect them with childhood, and the practicality of Mary Poppins.  







I've been expanding my scrapbooking to include some mixed media collage. My husband asked, "Why are you making this?"

"Because," I said.

And then I thanked him for not complaining about the time or expense it took to putter about and make something.


Dapoppins, Dance in the Rain, Praise Him in the Storm, Collage, Mixed Meda




Dapoppins, Dance in the Rain, Praise Him in the Storm, Collage, Mixed Meda


Her face took a long time.  A better artist would have been able to whip it out, but it is tiny.  I had to find my glasses, and I couldn't get it just perfect.  I cut out a rough silhouette and wanted to have the perfect face for it to express the moment.  I couldn't get they eyes right.  Finally, I drew them closed.


Dapoppins, Dance in the Rain, Praise Him in the Storm, Collage, Mixed Meda


Dance in the rain.  As a Christian that means:  Praise Him in the storm.  Storms have come.  Sometimes it is so hard, but when I stop looking at myself, and look to my Creator, I can see the sunburst coming through the clouds, I can see the beautiful refection in mud puddles, I can see the rain dripping off the flowers.  I can see beyond the hard and the hurt. 


Dapoppins, Dance in the Rain, Praise Him in the Storm, Collage, Mixed Meda


I'm using this as an example of watercolor technique for The Party Time Tuesday Challenge. To color this I used Gelatoes, thinning them with water, and Distress Paints, with a few spritzes of Tattered Angels Glimmer Mists here and there.  I love the translucence of the water color effect over the decoupaged scrapbook papers (most of which are older and discontinued lines from my scrap bin.)  To get the rays of light, I used a Studio Calico template.  



If you love scrapbooking and mixed media be sure to follow the links and go over and check out the other fantastic design team examples and join the challenge!  










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  1. Connie5:15 PM

    This is such a wonderful post! I love the story about your step-mother and her hosta plants--how cool is that!

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