whimsical wednesday!

the clouds were with me!  this morning the sky was vivid blue but devoid of clouds.  later in the afternoon they began to roll across the sky so i grabbed paper and pencil and made my way to a prime viewing location.  the clouds didn't disappoint.  as i watched them i was concerned that i wouldn't "see" anything.  however, i told myself to look for nothing; to clear my mind and just enjoy being outside looking at the clouds.  that must have been what was needed because as i relaxed and concentrated on the various shapes, texture, density and shadow of the clouds as they slowly drifted by, i began to see plenty!  my cloudy discoveries:

reclining figure:  the shape of a person, lying on the back seemed to be to be doing what i was doing.....looking at the clouds!

teddy bear:  a huge, puffy, full strikingly white cloud looked like a teddy bear sitting down.  it was positioned in profile and the head was tilted slightly to one side.  

dog:  a very large dog was laying on the back, tummy exposed, legs in the air with the right front paw slightly higher than the rest as if waiting for someone to come by and shake it.  my dog, mutton, assumes this pose often.  that position usually yields a belly rub and a paw shake.  i imagined the doggy cloud would enjoy the same.

person in profile:  a head and part of the shoulders is what this cloud offered.  it was all the more clever because the lips were pursed with a streak of wispy clouds along side the mouth.  it seemed that the figure was blowing the clouds.  

dragon:  a very large dragon revealed itself in one very large cluster of clouds.  it was detailed in features from head to the end of the tail.  it had lots of character as it was complete with flames being blown from the mouth.  a true fire breathing beast!  impressively so.

all of the clouds were moving as in slow motion so i was able to enjoy each shape for a long time as they floated by.  it wasn't long after i saw the dragon that dark clouds began to follow and soon there was no clouds but one dark sky.  thunder was heard so it was time to retreat inside.  not long after coming indoors much needed rain began to fall.  

get ready.....

announcing the activity for whimsical wednesday is usually posted on monday.  however, tomorrow is going to be extremely busy so the announcement comes today.

this wednesday we will enjoy cloud watching.  please devote at least a half hour to gazing at the sky.  let your imagination roam and as the clouds drift by, note what you discover.  then post your impressions to share with us.

more about coloring books and crayons

we learned a bit about the history of bubbles after playing with them on the first whimsical wednesday which prompts me to post a brief history of crayons and coloring books.  information was found at wikipedia.com, buzzle.com and ezinearticles.com.

coloring books as we know them today were originally intended for use with paint.  the first company to produce the books was the mcloughlin brothers company, in the 1880s, which later became a part of the milton bradley toy company.  taking the concept further, the creator of buster brown, richard f. outcault, produced a coloring book titled, buster's paint book, in 1907.  this book had the distinction of using coloring books as an advertising vehicle.  soon other such coloring books circulated to advertise many products.  there are coloring books for adults as well as for children.

the first crayons were made in europe, a mixture of charcoal and oil.  the most recognized crayon is the crayola crayon, produced by the binney-smith company, which produced paint.  the process used wax instead of oil and was mixed with pigments to make different colors.  the crayons had the added advantage of being nontoxic.  the first box of crayons was made in 1903 and contained eight colors:  red, yellow, orange, green, blue, purple, brown and black.  today the binney-smith company produces 120 colors as well as a wide variety of other art materials.  

a friend recycles used crayons by peeling off the wrappers, breaking them into small pieces and placing them into a throwaway, aluminum cake or pie pan lined with foil (sprayed with vegetable oil spray).  the pan is placed over a pot of  hot water on the stove.  the heat and steam melts the crayons into a jumble of colors.  (this process would most likely work in the microwave as well, using a non-metal container). after the crayons are completely melted the pan is moved to a hot pad to cool.  after partially cooled the "cake" of crayons is cut into pieces of any shape and size.  these are really neat to color with.  and they look great.

whimsical wednesday!

there are much to do today but whimsical wednesday was not forgotten.  there was a plan!  get at the chores and take coloring breaks.  this proved to be a great way to accomplish necessary tasks as well as take much needed breaks throughout the day.  while working there was the anticipation of grabbing those coloring books and the "box" of eight colors to look forward to.  even though the pictures in the books were of typical items like cars and trees and such, i didn't color them as an adult, as they should be.  i colored them the way a child would, with lots of color on the page.  the bus i colored was became red, yellow, green, orange, blue, purple, black and brown.  it turned out to be a beautiful bus.  i would love to ride in such a vehicle.  another selection was taken from the book of fairies in fairyland.  a giant mushroom was colored brown, yellow, green, black, purple; all very lightly shaded and the colors blended into one another.  to see that mushroom in nature would be amazing.  since these images were in books belonging to the grandchildren there was an added pleasure to this whimsical wednesday.  for each picture i colored, i left a note for the coloring book's owner.  when they visit and enjoy coloring, they will find that their grandmother had been there!  no doubt that will be a moment of whimsey all its own.

get ready.......

it's monday once again and time to announce the activity for this week's whimsical wednesday!  we are going to nab a box of crayons and coloring book and color!  i shall dig into the stash i keep for the grandchildren.  and while i have a huge selection of crayons, i'm thinking i will limit myself to the simple box of eight colors that is every child's first box.  if you wish, you may color OUTSIDE the lines!

i'm forever blowing bubbles.....

since blowing bubbles on whimsical wednesday, i have been thinking about bubbles and the origins of bubble blowing.  an internet search led me to two interesting sites, www.bubbles.org and www.bubbleblowers.com.

it seems that bubble blowing may have been done by children as long as ago as ancient times.  during the 18th and 19th centuries, mothers gave their children leftover washing soap for bubble blowing.  bubble blowers were formed from anything that was available such as rope, string, wire.  it was during the 20th century that bubbles began to be sold by street vendors.  in the 1940s, the chemtoy company, which made various cleaning supplies, was the first company to systematically bottle bubble solution.  later this company was purchased by tootsietoy company and bubbles were on their way.  bubbles (solution and blowers) are now sold by several companies worldwide and it is claimed that bubbles are the best selling toy in the world! 

curious, i read the label on the bottle of bubbles (miracle bubbles by the imperial company) i played with on whimsical wednesday for a list of ingredients and none were listed. the ingredients for bubbles is either universal or some huge secret!  however, it took no effort to find recipes for homemade bubbles.    
         
here's a recipe i found on grandparents.com:


1/4 cup liquid dish washing detergent (regular dawn or joy works best)
1/2 cup water (tap water is fine as long as it isn't hard with iron and other minerals)
1 tablespoon glycerine or clear corn syrup


here's a recipe developed by professor bubbles, worldwide bubble entertainer, and published on his website bubbles.org.  he writes that he uses this super bubble recipe during his performances:

2 parts regular dawn or joy dish washing liquid
4 parts distilled water
1 part clear karo corn syrup

in addition to bubble solution, homemade wands can be made with just about anything that can be shaped into a circle or already is circular such as a straw or funnel.

if you are so inclined, mix a batch of bubble solution and craft a wand.  then post the results of your personally made bubble fun. 

whimsical wednesday!

this morning i awoke, looked at the clock and jumped out of bed thinking, "i have to get busy!".  as i went about the morning chores i suddenly realized it was wednesday; the first whimsical wednesday and there was important "work" to do.  after taking care of the most pressing tasks, i ignored the to-do list, grabbed the bottle of bubbles and made my way to the bench under the huge maple tree in the yard between the house and the lake.  i was greeted by the ducks and the cats and a visiting flock of canada geese, who haven't appeared in some time.

i blew bubbles!  they emerged from the wand in all sizes, singularly and bunched together.  as each set of bubbles floated away, i watched their journeys.  some popped quickly.  others landed gently onto the grass and rested there until a breeze or a cat pouncing popped them.  a few chased the ducks and geese, who got out of the way.  one bubble caught the attention of two ducks before it flew over the water and the ducks followed it.  it made me laugh out loud to watch the ducks swimming after a bubble.  what was absolutely amazing was the few bubbles that alighted on the water's surface and glided across the lake, one actually skipped over the water.  i was certain it would quickly pop each time it landed but it when the distance across the lake. 

an hour was spent playing with these shimmering, iridescent, glistening orbs of ephemera.   i returned to the house (and chores) content. 

get ready.......

monday posts will announce the activity readers can participate in on whimsical wednesday.   in that the goal of the whimsey project is to allow for an opportunity to play,  let's begin with an activity that we, as children,  enjoyed during the summer.....blowing bubbles!

if you have children you probably already have a bottle of bubbles around the house.  if not, please pick up a fifty cent bottle and find a few moments on wednesday to blow bubbles.  big bubbles, small bubbles, multiple bubbles at the same time.   enjoy blowing bubbles alone or with someone else.  i purchased a fresh bottle of bubbles today.  i'm ready for whimsical wednesday.  hopefully you will be too.

whimsical words

words in and of themselves can evoke a feeling of whimsey.  this notion encouraged me to create a list of words that i most associate with the concept of whimsey.  my list includes:
*chortle
*blissful
*enchantment
*mirthful
*relish
*guffaw
*merriment
*cachinnation
*hilarity
*escapade
*levity
*gambol
*exuberance
*gaity
*farce
of this list, the one i am fondest of is chortle.  think of a happy baby or toddler younger than two.  get them laughing and what erupts is that grand belly laugh that only wee ones can offer.  it makes me happy just thinking about it.  

what words comprise your whimsical words list?


(speaking of words, the whimsey project spells whimsy differently than typical.  whimsy, whimsey;  both are correct.  whimsy was already taken when the blog was created so we get to employ the uncommon spelling, which is very typical of me!)

whimsey everywhere

we remember from school that a noun is a person, place or thing.  in the realm of whimsey, a person can be whimsical, a place can be whimsical, a thing can be whimsical.  additionally, we could add experience.  an experience can be whimsical.  it can and often is.  when we engage in experiences that foster fun and silliness we enjoy for the sake of enjoyment. whimsey!     it is also possible to find whimsey in the experiences of others.  sometimes just watching someone else having a good time makes us feel good.  my home is a farm.  the nature that surrounds me is filled with wonder that i delight in daily.  just this morning i was on the porch when i heard vigorous splashing in the lake.  thinking it was the ducks, imagine my surprise when i turned to look and found a very large dog having a swim!  he was splashing and jumping and dunking himself underwater.  he sure seemed to be having a grand time.  when he finished, he got out of the water, shook himself and water flew all around him.  then he trotted along the driveway until he reached the road and he was on his way.  i watched him until he disappeared from sight.  i realized i was grinning the entire time.  because this was such a happy moment for the dog it was a happy moment for me.  and it stayed with me all day long.     look around you.  find the whimsey everywhere.

welcome to the whimsey project!

whimsey. a noun meaning a quality or state of being that is whimsical or fanciful; a fanciful or fantastic creation especially in writing or art. synonyms of whimsey include: fancifulness, playfulness, caprice, fancy, idea, impulse, whim and whimsey. of these, the one that stands out is playfulness.

it is the goal of the whimsey project to bring to others, especially adults, the opportunity to engage in whimsical, fanciful play. all too often life's responsibilities and concerns pushes play out of our lives as we age. whether it is realized play is an important component of living. children require play for positive development. adults need it to remain whole. as oscar wilde said, "who said life has to be serious?" the whimsey project will endeavor to live up to mr wilde's words.

although whimsey is associated with spontaneous action, it will be necessary for the project to plan happenings. this will allow as many as possible to participate. along the way, we hope that readers/followers will offer their experiences with whimsical events or ideas for happenings. much will unfold as the project progresses and in this way, much will be spontaneous. we are excited to find out where the whimsey project leads. please come along!