The Pulse Charity Auction

This is my friend Seth Apter, who is one of the kindest, most generous and genuine people I know. 

Seth lives in New York City and while no harm came to him personally during the storm last week, he, (like many of us) has been touched by the stories of devastation and loss Sandy left in its wake, particularly in his hometown. Seth, ever the instigator (and I mean that in the nicest way possible!) has a fantastic plan about how we can help the people of New York City recover. 

Here's what it is, in his own words:

"As I traveled around promoting the book, I obtained as many signatures as I could from all the contributing artists I met along the way, as I knew that one day there were be a special reason to do this. And today is that day. I have decided to auction off a copy of the book, (signed by 30 artists) along with a piece of my art to benefit the victims of Sandy. The charity I have chosen is The Mayor's Fund To Advance New York City. I will be donating 100% of the proceeds and this fund uses 100% of the monies received for direct aid."

This is a beautiful book, made all the more special by merit of having been signed by so many of the artists involved. It took a community coming together to create this book and it will take a community effort now to make a difference for those who so desperately need our help.

Seth has posted all the details of this effort on his blog, which you can find here. In addition to the book, there are also some original artworks that will be included. 

There is the option to make a straight donation of any amount, if you would prefer. Every little bit helps. You can also help by spreading the word if you have a blog, twitter or facebook. Please tell your peeps and ask them to tell their peeps and let's see how much good we can do, because it's the right thing to do.

"There's a destiny that makes us brothers,

none goes his way alone. 

All that we send into the life of others

comes back into our own."

~Edwin Markham


EDIT: So many of the artists involved in the book wanted to help Seth with this auction that they've donated even MORE art to the cause. As a result, Seth now has two bundles he's auctioning off and there will be more added. Please click the link to get all the details and check back often to see which new bundles that are available.

We Need Your Help!

In order to earn our first Chase Point (which gets us on our way) for Saturday, our team needs to raise $100 which goes directly to the official charity of City Chase, Right to Play. Right to Play's mission is "To improve the lives of children in some of the most disadvantaged areas of the world by using the power of sport and play for development, health and peace." Having been involved in the 2010 Games, it's a cause I can easily stand behind.

If you read the news I shared in yesterday's blog post, you know that we only have FOUR DAYS to reach our goal, so if you can help out, please do! Any amount is appreciated! To go directly to our fundraising page to donate, click here. for every $50 raised one child will be able to experience Right to Play's weekly sport and play-based programs for A YEAR! I'd say that's money well spent!

Please help spread the word! Thanks!

From the Magic Mailbox

 A couple weeks ago, I posted about this amazing fabric that enchanted me so. It was printed with vintage Viewfinder reels, something that spoke deeply to me from my childhood.

I manage to track down a shop on Etsy (how I love Etsy!) that was selling it and ordered myself a delicious half yard. Then, as I do most times, I forgot all about it. That is, until this week while watching the horror of what was happening in Japan unfold and it suddenly, it dawned on me that my order was coming from a sweet woman named Frances, who lives in Tokyo.

I logged onto Etsy, not knowing what I would find when I got to her shop, but hoping that somehow I would be able to know if she was okay. I am happy to report that she and her family are fine. They have left Tokyo for now and are staying with friends in the West.

I sent her an email to let her know I was thinking about her and everyone in Japan and praying for their safety. I offered her words of encouragement and told her that the world is in awe with the exceptional grace and dignity with which the Japanese people are handling such a chaotic and frightening situations-there is no rioting or looting, everyone is being patient and helping one another as much as they can. I told her that we care and that we are sending help via the relief agencies.

And within an hour of sending that message, the fabric she had mailed out before life in Japan changed forever, arrived.  I will always think of her when I see that fabric, whatever I make from it.

The Canadian Red Cross

is accepting donations to aid the relief efforts for  

both New Zealand and Japan

You can make a donation here.

 I haven't a decent segue from that into this, so bear with me! The magic mailbox was chock full of goodies this week. Everything came at once. I'd ordered this really cool roll of tape about 3 weeks ago and I am so glad I did. It's a substantial roll and I really loved the print. I'll be using it in my RODs.

 Also, last month, Teesha had free shipping on all orders, (which is the kind of intel you get from being on her mailing list!) so my husband said I could order some goodies as my Valentine's present. (Thanks sweetie!) I've long been coveting Teesha's 4 journal book set, so those were the first things that went into my cart.

 They are so yummy! They measure just slightly larger than 1/2 fold, so they are pretty much zine size and full colour, 40 pages each. MMMM!!

 Here are the 4 books. It's the kind of thing you can pour over for hours and always see something new.

This is one of my most fav pages, for obvious reasons-DOGS!! I remember seeing this image and falling in love with it even before I really knew who Teesha was. Funny to think I loved her art long before I'd ever met her or gone to Artfest!

I also ordered a few pieces of rubber I wanted and a couple collage sheets. I debated buying her post card set and then for some crazy reason, didn't. Silly me! If you're interested in checking out her work, you can find her shop here.

Off to peruse those journal books!

Good For the Soul

My art will be appearing in my first gallery show tomorrow, in the Art of the Soul: Shoes show at the Ten Women Gallery in Venice, Ca! I am really excited and wish I could be there to see it in person. If you are local, the gallery is located at 1237 Abbot Kinney Blvd.,Venice, CA and the opening is from 6-10 p.m.

I got a sneek peek at some of the work that will be shown and WOW! There's are alot of really cool pieces, many of which (including mine) will be for sale!

This is the second time I've sent altered art to the US. Last year I was invited to alter a bra for a breast cancer fundraiser, Creative Cups for Cancer. My bra entitled Every Woman Has a Story actually made a tv appearance on the morning news in South Carolina ! That was great because the fundraiser got alot of publicity and they raised a fair amount of money for an organization that gives financial assistance to families in need who have a loved one undergoing treatment.

The Art of the Soul: Shoes show is also a benefit. Gently used shoes (which have been donated by artists as their submission fee and will also be collected at the show, if you'd like to donate a pair) will be donated to Food on Foot, which provides nutritious meals, clothing and work transition programs to the poor and homeless in Los Angeles.

I think it's wonderful that we can use our art to help others. Art heals in so many ways and this is just one of them. As someone who was raised to be socially conscious and responsible, it makes me happy to be able to participate in these kind of projects. I can't say yes to every one that comes my way, but I do think it's important to give back as often as I can manage. It's my way of tithing to the Universe and it's challenged me to try things I would never have attempted otherwise, so it's a win-win situation!

World MS Day 2010

Today is World MS Day. I thought I would take a moment to share with you a bit about the disease that claimed me as a member of its club. I don't usually post about this kind of stuff, simply because I don't believe it does me any good to dwell. I tend to cope with difficult things by sucking it up and moving foreword because that's just how I roll, but I hope you'll take a moment to read this post and perhaps think about those of us who deal with this unpredictable disease every day.

Some facts about Multiple Sclerosis:

-MS is unpredictable, affecting vision, hearing, memory, sensation, balance and mobility. Its effects are physical, emotional, financial, and last a lifetime. There is no cure.

-MS is not contagious nor is it hereditary. Children who have a parent with MS have only a 5% chance of developing the disease. Coincidentally, my husband's paternal grandmother had MS. I am sure he never dreamed that someday his wife would be diagnosed and the same disease would touch his life twice.

-Canada has one of the highest rates of Multiple Sclerosis in the world. An estimated 55,000-75,000 Canadians have MS. Every day, three more people in Canada are diagnosed. Women are more than three times as likely to develop MS as men.

-Most people are diagnosed in the prime of their lives-between ages of 15-40. I had my first attack 2 weeks after my 30th birthday. I was diagnosed in March 2008 at the age of 37 after a particularly severe attack.

-Multiple Sclerosis disease modifying drugs range in cost from $20,000 to $40,000 a year, and symptom-management drugs can cost up to $10,000 a year. These drugs are not a cure-they just (hopefully) lessen the length and severity of attacks. I give myself an injection daily. I've been through the wringer with treatment, trying to get into remission. I've even had to go through chemo, but that too was unsuccessful.

In the face of all this, you find out who loves you. It's one of the gifts of having a serious life-altering illness. I've been lovingly and unfailingly supported by so many special people. (You know who you are!) I am lucky. I have people who have my back.

I want you all to know that I don't spend a single second feeling sorry for myself. If you read my blog regularly, you know that I am still out there chasing my dreams. In 2010 alone, I've lived my Olympic dream, rubbed elbows with world class athletes, carried the Paralympic torch, been published, celebrated my 39th birthday and just 5 days ago, got inked for the first time. (And that's the just highlight reel.) MS has sadly underestimated my sheer force of will.

That said, you will indulge me for posting a link in case anyone is moved to take action and make a donation to the MS Society. Just know that if you do so, every single dollar counts. The MS Society has done so much to help and support my family and I. The work they do on behalf of MS patients is so important. They not only help us with every aspect of the day to day challenges, but they are striving for a cure.

MS was first identified in 1868. That's ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY TWO YEARS AGO!!

Seriously, it's time to end MS.

Please donate now. Help end MS!

Gratitude Week Day 4

This morning, the last day of Gratitude Week, actress Helen Shaver shares her thoughts about addiction and homelessness and how we are all connected.

And to second what Helen said, here is my story of how we are connected:

19 years ago, before my husband Peter and I were even engaged, we were walking down Robson Street, a trendy shopping district here in Vancouver to meet a friend of mine for dinner.

Along the way, there was this homeless guy coming towards us, weaving badly, reeking of booze and filthy. I cut him a wide path and kept walking and talking to Peter. I was half way down the block before I realized he was no longer with me and I was talking to myself.

I turned around to see where I'd lost him just in time to watch him clap the homeless guy on the back with a big smile on his face and ask him how he was doing. I stood there watching them talk and then as Pete emptied his pockets and gave the guy all the money he had on him. They said their goodbyes and Peter jogged to catch up with me.

It turns out that this homeless guy was his elementary school friend, Randy. He'd known this guy since Kindergarten. It really struck me that even though this guy was obviously so down and out, Peter just saw his friend underneath all that and treated him as if nothing were wrong. In that moment, Peter showed me the sheer kindness of his heart, his loyalty and compassion-all the content of his character and I knew that this was the man I was going to marry.

Years later, my husband ran into Randy's brother by chance and learned that Randy had lost his legs in a train accident (I believe he'd taken to riding the rails and got hurt doing it.) and later on, after years of addiction, passed away. My husband explained to Randy's brother about the day he'd last seen him and how throughout our marriage we'd always said that Randy was our raggedy angel and thought of him often, as he was the reason I'd married my husband.

Randy's brother was almost in tears because it meant so much to him to know his brother whose life had never been what his family envisioned for him had deeply touched and affected ours. Randy's life had had meaning and purpose that his brother had never been aware of before. I think it changed the way he thought about his brother and that was able to happen because someone stopped and looked Randy in the eyes and validated him as a human being.

I usually share this story with someone to illustrate what a beautiful a soul my husband has, but I share it today to let you all know that each and every person out there on the street, whether by cruel twist of fate or by choice belongs to someone, somewhere. The pain of being homeless is not limited to that single person on the street. These people are not worthless pieces of garbage lying on the curb. They are human beings and they need a hand up, not a handout.

So if you're like me and are tired of waiting around for someone else to do something about the problem, if anything my friends or I have said here on my blog this week has touched you in any way, please go the the Gratitude Week website and donate $1. Just ONE dollar. That's it. Economic times be damned-we can all afford that $1. It's nothing by itself, but together we're going to transform people's lives. That's the power of $1.

Gratitude Week Day 3

This morning's Gratitude Week message comes from radio personality Brother Jake Edwards and talks about his experiences in his neighbourhood here in Vancouver.

Today my talented friend Lisa Ryder shares what she is grateful for:

"- for my friends, both near & far, old & new, who encourage, nurture & support me.

- for having a creative space of my own in which I can spend time planning, making & daydreaming.

- for living in New Zealand, where I am never far from the ocean or the mountains or brilliant green forests.

- for my father's amazing strength & resilience which has seen him fight cancer with a fierce determination & courage that makes me so very proud.

- for my husband of 20 years whom I love more every day, & for my gorgeous, smart & sassy daughter.

- for the unconditional love & joy I get from Ruby, the best puppy in the world!

- and I am especially grateful for the chance to get to make a list like this, to remind myself that my life is blessed in all kinds of ways. thanks, Lelainia."

And this is what my sweet friend Maria Lamb had to share:

"I recite my gratitude list every night when I lay my head on the pillow. Being as blessed as I am, it's pretty easy to be grateful.

Many of things I'm grateful for will no doubt appear on others' lists:

I'm grateful for my darling life-mate. I'm grateful for my wonderful pets. I'm grateful that I love where I live. I'm grateful that I'm free of want.

Some things on my daily list are "shout-outs" to the Universe:"Thanks for the bald eagle fly-over today!" or "Loved seeing the giant praying mantis!"

The habit of "being grateful" makes bad thing bearable. We've suffered several pet deaths this year. Each one left us grief- stricken. But I'm grateful that they shared our lives for as long as they did. I'm grateful that they died at home with limited pain of short duration."

Thanks to everyone who has offered to share their gratitude lists so far. I will have more for you tomorrow, on Day 4.

Gratitude Week Day 2

Today I'd like to share with you Global TV anchorman, Tony Parsons giving his thoughts on homelessness in Vancouver. It's a 2 minute clip.

Mandy Jordan sent me an email detailing what's she's feeling grateful for right now. She says:

"I'm grateful for SO much. I'm grateful that I have the freedom to make art (and the will); that my depression has been kept at bay; that Eric has a job he loves and we have health insurance; that I have good friends all over the world; that I have good friends right here in RI; that I am married to the love of my life; that my parents gave me so much; that I love Eric's family; that our cats are healthy and safe; that our roof doesn't leak; that we live so near the park; that I have the cabin and all the wonders therein; that the world is so fascinating and beautiful..."

Catherine Witherell shared the following:

"I am so grateful that I get to be an artist and that I can use my eyes and my hands to create and manifest the many ideas I have rolling around and sparking in my head. Lately I have been making something I like and turning to my husband and telling him, "Thanks for letting me be an artist." I know he didn't really "let" me, but in a way he did by not balking at what I spend most of my waking time doing. I'm also grateful for him."

*******

I was on a crisis line for 8 1/2 years in my community, which is just outside of Vancouver. Many times I would get callers who were homeless looking for shelters to go to in my city. The heartbreaking thing was that I had nowhere to send them-there are no homeless shelters outside of Vancouver. I can't tell you how difficult it was to have someone needing a safe and warm place to sleep at night and having no way of helping them.

I believe that every community needs to have shelters. Ideally, there would be no need for this, but we all know that we don't live in a perfect world. We have mild winters on the coast for the most part, but from time to time the temperature dips to the point that temporary emergency shelters are set up in area churches. Whenever this happens, it sets off an angry flood of neighbours protesting "not in my back yard!!" I don't know where these people expect the homeless to go. I think they forget that we are all one pay cheque, one illness or accident or natural disaster away from being in the exact same position and that we need to have compassion for one another. We're more connected than we think.

Please join me again tomorrow for day 3 of Gratitude Week.

Gratitude Week Day 1

Today is officially THANKSGIVING DAY in Canada. It's also the start of Gratitude Week, which I will be celebrating here on my blog all week long with the help of my friends.

Gratitude Week is something being celebrated here in Vancouver. You see people are tired of waiting for the government to do something about homelessness in our city and they've decided to DO something about it.

I've posted one of the ads that's been running here and I hope you take a minute to watch it. It certainly got me thinking. Today's event is being held at the Vancouver Art Gallery. Everyone is welcome to come down and make their own cardboard sign stating what they are grateful for and it's going to become part of a wall of gratitude througout the week.

This is Christy, one of the organizers, hanging up our contributions to the gratitude wall. We were some of the first people to arrive so we got to get the wall started!

The Wall of Gratitude is located on the north side of the Vancouver Art Gallery grounds and will be there all this week.

They had hot Tim Horton's coffee and doughnuts waiting for everyone and we were able to make our donations as well. Later on, we walked back by the site to see how the wall was coming along and there were more signs added. I hope by the end of the week it will be full!

These are our additions to the wall. I have more things I am adding here:

I am grateful for:

- the wonderful loving, supportive, circle of friends & family I have.

-being blessed with universal healthcare.

-a warm bed, enough food and a hot shower whenever I want it.

-the talents I possess and being able to use them to help others.

-Indy, my sweet dog who makes me laugh and loves me unconditionally.

-the internet which keeps me connected to friends far away.

-having free access to books so I can feed my mind.

-a happy marriage. (We will be celebrating 19 years in about 2 weeks!)

- getting the opportunity to live my dream of being involved in the Olympic and Paralympic games.

-being finished with chemo. (I think it's one of the hardest things I have ever been through.)

-having my studio space to work and be creative in.

-good music.

I asked some friends to share with me the things they are grateful for and I got some great responses. I will be sharing them here throughout the week so be sure and check back for day 2 of Gratitude Week and feel free to comment and share what YOU are grateful for-I'd love to know!

Thanksgiving 2009

HAPPY THANKSGIVING to my fellow Canadians!

Yesterday we went to Fort Langley to the annual Cranberry Festival. It meant a very early wake up call to make it out there for 8:30 a.m. for the pancake brekki, but it was well worth it.

For $5 we got a large cranberry sausage, two regular sausages, 2 large pancakes, juice and coffee. We also get to dine al fresco, which was bracing, as there was a wind coming in off the river, but the sun was shining and the food was delicious so no one was complaining. We took Indy with us, which was fun-lots of folks stopped to pet him and comment on how beautiful he is. (We think so too!)

We did some shopping. There was this woman who had buckets filled with dahlia stems-every colour and petal configuration you could imagine and the flowers were huge. They were $1 a stem so I bought $5 worth and my son bought some for his girlfriend as well.




Aren't they gorgeous?!




We also bought some delicious apples, fresh from a farm to make apple pie.

When we got home, we made 2 impossible pumpkin pies (one for my son to take to his girlfriend's house to share last night)

and an apple pie.

I also made 2 roasters of cabbage rolls with cabbage from our garden. MMM!

It was really nice being out in the fresh air and seeing the leaves changing colour and blowing on the wind. There was a spot where we walked that cracked me up. In front of the cemetery, there is a block long stretch that has huge trees along the boulevard. When the wind blew, horse chestnuts would come pelting down from above. Some of them were bigger than a golf ball! We managed to avoid them, but I warned people coming up the street to be aware that they might get bonked in the head as they made their way along. It was pretty comical.

On an artistic note, I came across this book "Good Mail Day" and had a quick flip through in the store. It was chock full of eye candy, so I bought it. It's got me excited about making (and sending!) some mail art again.

I also wanted to share with you that I got an email from Jeanette telling me that my bra for the breast cancer fundraiser went for $60! The fundraiser was a rousing success. The final tally of all the money raised has yet to come in, but there were 50 bras and they all sold. YAY! I can't wait to share this with the person who inspired the bra I created. I know it will make her very happy.

You can read more about the auction and see some great photos of the event here.

Tomorrow I will kick off a week of special blog posts. You'll have to check back and see what that's all about!

Okay, I am off to stuff the turkey and get it into the oven!

Have a great day everyone!

Art For the Cure Auctions

Photo by Jeanette Janson

So the Cups for Cancer fundraiser is in full swing and this afternoon I got an email from Jeanette saying that my bra had been on TV in South Carolina! Apparently the curator of the gallery took it with her to share on the local news! I wonder if they mentioned it had come all the way from Canada?

Jeanette also sent me this photo of my bra hanging in the show, which was really nice of her, seeing as it would be a bit of a commute for me to attend. *laughs* I did notice that something was amiss though....

The "hope" embellishment has gone astray. I emailed Jeanette and she said she's going to see if she can find it, as it was on the bra when it arrived at her house. Ah well...these things happen! Hopefully she'll be able to find it and glue it back on. Apparently my super duper strength glue has failed me.

On a positive note however, she also informed me that my bra already has bids on it! YAY! That makes me really happy-the whole point of all this is to raise funds for breast cancer support services, so I was hoping it would do well. It's reassuring to know it's off to a good start!

Remember these charms I made for the Ties that Bind ovarian cancer project?

The doll made the cover of Stanislaus magazine, was featured in Art Doll Quarterly (the current issue, on stands now) and also made guest appearances on a couple of TV shows! How's that for exposure? It was finally raffled off and the project managed to raise a whopping $5442!! Isn't that just amazing?

But wait! There's more news!

Remember these charms I made a couple years ago, along with a button bracelet for A Charming Exchange?

Well those charms became parts of these pieces:

And were published it this book:

and now, at long last, many of these lovely pieces of jewellery from the book will be going up for auction on Ebay with the proceeds to go to Susan G. Komen for the Cure, benefiting breast cancer research.

If you'd like to have the opportunity to bid or to learn more about this fundraiser, please visit the Charming Exchange blog for more information and links to the auction which goes live today!

You know, I've always believed that art saves lives and I think it's really an honour to be able to use our gifts to help someone else, even if we never see the ways in which that help manifests. I think of it as tithing to the universe. It's been my sincere pleasure to have played a small part in these projects and I hope that if you can, you will go and bid.

Every Woman Has A Story

As I mentioned awhile ago, Jeanette Janson is hosting a breast cancer fundraiser, "Cups For Cancer" and I said I would contribute an altered bra for the project. I actually committed to this project on the day of my last chemotherapy treatment last month. It just seemed fitting, somehow.

The first thing I had to do was find a bra to alter. I picked one up at the local thrift store for all of $6. It was brand new-the tags were still on it!

I painted the entire bra with two coats of gesso, front and back and let it dry for 24 hours, to make sure I was working on a completely dry surface, as it was a padded bra.

While I was waiting for the bra to dry, I tea dyed some old book pages to cover the bra with. I used Kroma matte medium and painted it on the surface of the bra as well as onto the paper to make sure I had good adhesion. Once it dried, I did another layer over the top to make sure everything was sealed. I papered both side of the bra.

I papered everything but the straps in the first round so I would be able to hang the bra to dry in the correct shape.




As you can see, I also removed the elastic part of the strap, as there really was no way to cover it.

I replaced the elastic part of the straps with black safety pins from Papier Valise and added some letter beads to embellish along with tea dyed vintage ribbon I had.

Then I collaged vintage images onto the bra.

I added some text around the images.

On the straps I collaged text from a medical dictionary.

I embellished the center of the bra with a fabric flower, some beaded fringe and vintage lace.

Finally I embellished this metal text with glitter glue and added it to the center of the bra.

Monday night I carefully boxed it up, along with my artist's statement and sent it off to South Carolina. The show of all the bras created for the project is on September 17th and then the charity auction is on the 22nd. I am hoping Jeanette can send me some photos of my bra at the show.

It's been pretty nerve wracking to create something that someone is going to bid on. It's certainly way outside of my comfort zone, but it's for a good cause. My bra is titled "Every Woman Has a Story" and I've dedicated it to someone whose mother has had breast cancer 3 times and is still fighting. Her courage and resiliance inspired me.

Altruism & Artistry

So remember those charms I created some time ago for a project called Ties That Bind that combined handmade charms and altered men's neckties which were then fashioned into a large art doll to be raffled off to raise money for Ovarian Cancer Research and Support Services? Well in the August issue of Art Doll Quarterly, they have a really nice article about the project. I just managed to get my hands on a copy yesterday- finally! And guess what? I can just see my two charms peeking out in the top photo on page 30! That was a lovely surprise!

In addition to the article in the magazine, organizer Aileen Roberts has put together a book with beautiful photos and content about the project, which you can both preview and order in either softcover or hardcover here. As with the raffle, ALL PROCEEDS will be going to Ovarian Cancer Research and Support Services. I have yet to receive my copy, but from what I've heard from others, it's had rave reviews! For more information about the project, please visit the Ties that Bind Blog.

While we're on the topic of artists making a difference, I got a very nice email from Jeanette Janson on Wednesday. When I went over to check out her blog, I saw that the most recent post was a call for artists to make altered bras for a breast cancer fundraiser that's being held in late September called Creative Cups for Cancer.

Having just finished my final round of chemo, (though not for cancer) I can certainly relate to how brutal treatment like that can be and I thought I would try my hand at altering a bra. Why not? I have to get it done fairly quickly, as I have to send it to the US and that can take up to 14 days in the mail so I popped up to the local thrift and found a teeny 32AA, brand new for a whopping $5 and I am going to start on it this evening.

If you would like to participate, just go on over to Jeanette's blog and leave a comment with a way for her to get in touch with you. I am sure she would appreciate it and I know that the women who the funds will ultimately benefit certainly will. You just never know when or if your body will betray you in some way-just look at me. If you'd ever told me I'd be diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis at 37 and battling like I have, I never would have believed you.

I can tell you first hand, knowing that my friends have my back and have been there no matter what I need, day and night, through thick and thin, has kept me going through the worst of it. And that's the beauty of the artistic community too-I see this kind of altruism happening all the time. It's so beautiful-someone puts a call out for projects such as these and each and every time, artists rise to the the occasion and answer those calls, sending love and comfort to those that are hurting. Art heals and transcends grief and pain. It speaks a language that every heart understands and is balm for the soul. When I see artist coming together like this, it makes me very, very proud of our community.

One of the most powerful things I ever read was this:

"Be kind, for you never know what someone else is going through."

Truer words were never spoken.

Get Your Tickets!

Some time ago I posted* about making charms for the Ties That Bind art doll project to raise funds for ovarian cancer research. The doll was assembled from many, many handmade charms and altered men's ties created by almost 100 artists and was completed in March, 2009.

The exciting news is that raffle tickets are now available by clicking on the photo link above. I've also posted the link on my sidebar in case you'd like to purchase tickets at a later date, but don't wait too long!! The draw will take place on September 30th, 2009.

Tickets are 1 for $5 or 6 for $20 with 100% of the proceeds going to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund.

*To read my previous posts about the project, click here.

Charms for Charity

So about a week ago I mentioned that there was this project to raise money for ovarian cancer, Project Ties That Bind. The idea is that it's a collaborative doll, created around a wire dress form. The skirt will be made from neckties and the charms will be attached to the torso and then there will be a head and arms and all that good stuff.

I made two charms. The first is called "Love Lifted Me". I had the best time pounding the wire on my bench block and twisting and manipulating it. I love how folky it came out.

The second charm is "Angel of Courage". It's sort of a loose ode to Gilda Radner, who gift of laughter to the world was cut short by this disease. The hair is kind of Roseanne Roseannadanna-ish. I always loved Gilda. She was sweet and funny.

To see more charms for the project, please visit the Project Ties That Bind blog.

I've been busy making art this week for the collaborative I'm hosting, but I can't share my pages yet. It's going to be a great book and I am really excited about it.

The summer seems to be whipping by so quickly and I have really enjoyed having time off this year. Sometimes you need to shake things up and do something different. I had no idea we would have a puppy before the summer was over and I have to say, that has been one of the best thing about this summer! Another great thing is that the Artfest class list is up! It's that time of year again! YAY!

I hope you are enjoying the dog days of summer!