OWOH GIVEAWAY

I am so excited about the amount of people who have visited my blog with OWOH! So many of you have stopped by to say hi and to give me so many wonderful comments about my blog! Thank you!!!

Now..... let's see.... there is still the little detail of WHAT to give away isn't there????? I've been thinking about this quite a bit and have asked myself over and over: "in these really really REALLY tough economic times.... what would be the greatest thing to share with a fellow artist? " I have come to the conclusion that instead of MAKING something, I will put together 1 or 2 (maybe even 3!) "ARTIST GOODIE BAGS". What do you think? I know for a fact that there are so many of us out there who would really love to try new things but do not have the financial wherewithal right now to buy the coolest new tool or the hottest products; some really great collage sheets for our art; some cool new product to play with. So this is what my OWOH giveaway will be....

I am going to put together two ARTIST GOODIE BAGS (ACTUALLY BOXES), of some really cool things to use for your art. Paper, collage sheets, doo-dads (yes, that is a new artistic term).... Yes, I think you will be pleased.

I will draw two names and they will receive this little CARE package. One condition though.... I WANT TO SEE WHAT YOU ALL CREATE!!!

WAY TOO MUCH TO DO!!

Can someone PLEASE get me the winning lotto/powerball ticket??????? I am SOOOOOOOO not into working right now.

I think I'm going through a mid-life crisis. Actually I KNOW I am!! I've always loved my profession; always LOVED what I do. For the past few months I've just not been able to get "into" it any more. It seems like I only do what I absolutely HAVE to do (which reeks havoc on my deadlines and is giving my secretary and legal assistant hives) and really is not fair to myself or my clients. UGGHHHH!!! Maybe I just need a vacation? Or is it more serious than that?

You know how you've always had these wonderful dreams of what would be the IDEAL life for you? Well, every since I was FIVE (or thereabouts) I wanted to be a lawyer. NEVER did I even THINK of doing anything else. It was a given - I would be a lawyer. Coming from immigrants (from Cuba)... a father who was a mechanic and a mother who worked in factories... nobody in my family on either side had EVER gone to college.... well, it was a lofty goal! And I did it. I defied many many odds and made it. Now that I'm here (practicing for 15 years) it is so NOT what I want to be doing with my life.

I don't want to have every minute of my life run by my staff and an agenda! I don't want to "argue" for a living... I don't want to be a part of destroying the lives of children in divorces where their parents hate each other more than they love their kids.... I don't want to "strike deals" with prosecutors .... I don't want to wake up stressed every day knowing that I am going to have to deal with lawyers with no ethics and no morality......

I will share my dreams with you ... you may be the only people who can understand me... I want to move to San Miguel de Allende in Mexico and open a bed and breakfast there. I want to invite artists from all over the world to come and play in this retreat a few times a year.... I want to wear shoes only when I feel like it and NEVER EVER wear a suit again! I want to wear flowery skirts that come down to my ankles and make me feel like I can fly. I want to wake up to the sounds of soft music every morning. I want to trash my agenda and my watch!! I want to sip coffee on a balcony overlooking the water.................... I want to just STOP AND BREATH.

A BLOG AWARD!!

My friend Tracy awarded me with this very cool Maria Antoniette award for my blog!! Thank you Tracy! It's great to know that there are so many people who drop by just to say hi and see what's going on!!!

The rules are as follows:

1. Put the picture of Marie Antoinette on your blog
2. Link to the person who you received the award from
3. Nominate at least 7 or more blogs
4. Link to those blogs from yours
5. Leave a comment on their blogs to let them know you've shared the award with them.

These are some of my favorite sites (although I will admit there are more than 7!!):

1. Valerie Brincheck
2. Pat Winters
3. Penny Duncan
4. Lady Cherie
5. Just Di
6. Kelly Rae Roberts
y. Jades Funki-Junk

I hope you guys enjoy these sites as much as I do!

And thanks again for thinking of me Trac!!!!

DOTTEE DOLLS / COMFORT DOLLS

I am totally in love with Pat Winters wonderful comfort dolls. Not only the dolls themselves (which make you smile just looking at them) but the whole idea of donating these dolls to abused women who will know that some other woman somewhere took the time to care.

I belong to an on-line group called Dottee World that make (you guessed it!) Dottee dolls. I made my first two dolls last night and thought I'd share them with you. I still need a lot of work but I'm happy with them! I used some of Pat's ideas while still remaining true to the Dotte doll requirements of tail, hair, etc..

What do you think?

(PS, if you are interested in these Comfort Dolls, look over to your right under TECHNIQUES and click on Pat Winters Comfort Dolls)

ONE WORLD - ONE HEART UPDATE!!!!!

I am so proud to be a part of this event! I have just today decided to join so I have to put some thought into what I will be giving away. I would like to do more than one giveaway.... I'll let you guys know in the next few days!! For right now it will be a "mystery giveaway"!!! This is such a great way to bring the world into one room!!


UPDATE: PLEASE SEE POST OF 01/30/09

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NO LONGER A "MYSTERY"!!! PLEASE GO TO POST OF 01/30/09 FOR UPDATE!!



All you have to do to win on my bog is to post a comment on this blog! This giveaway is open to everyone. Please make sure you leave me your contact information so that I can contact you if you are the winner!

This giveaway will end on February 12th, 2009 when the winner will be announced! For more information on this greate event, just click on the One World One Heart logo above!

Thanks for joining us and GOOD LUCK!

Gypsy Dreams

I had such a hard time starting on this project! I've known about it since November and only started them over the last few days. Major block. I have no idea why that would be because I absolutely LOVE gypsies! It's one of my favorite themes.

This project is for my Advanced Artist Trading Card Group. A wonderful artist and great lady, Susan Young, is hosting this swap with only 8 players. I was so flattered to be one of the ones to play! We each make 8 cards and we get back 8 (including one of our own) on a ring. All the artists involved are spectacular and I am so excited to receive their art!!!

FINALLY!!!! SOME ART!!!!

I've been in such a slump lately. Sad over so many senseless deaths this past year, such horrible accidents. Drowning in work with absolutely no desire to do anything.... midlife crisis? Maybe I guess. But I've never been the kind to sit and feel sorry for myself so I have finally been able to DO something.

I am a member of a wonderful group called Oriental Stamp Art which - you guessed it -does only oriental art. I joined a postcard swap in that group and this is the postcard I made. I made them all the same because I felt that the New Year card would be something the person receiving it could use.

This year is the Year of the Ox - not a beautiful animal by any stretch of the imagination - but nevertheless a strong beast of burden. Given the world today, we all have to be strong (although not necessarily a "beast of burden"!!! LOL!!!). These pictures depict the front and back of the postcard.

PS: I actually MADE the paper in the background!!! (Go Elena!) I am so proud of the way it came out! The pictures really don't do it justice.