Creativity, Crafts, Books, Movies, Greyhounds & Favorite Things

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Every Saturday, I share my weekly Artist Date.

I love the simplicity of this week’s Artist Date. A quiet walk around the block.

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Every Friday, I share a poem. Friday is also the day I post a prompt of something you can do to make the world a kinder place. I call this the Kind is Kool challenge.

I offer both the poem and the kindness challenge without any obligation, so “Comments” are turned off every Friday. Enjoy.

The Story Behind The Remembrance Poppy

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In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

 John McCrae (May 1915)

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Kind is Kool Challenge

Week 20 Challenge – Express gratitude to a veteran or veterans organization.

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Typically on Mondays, I post a painting “inspiration,” then on Thursdays, I post how I interpreted the inspiration, but I’m taking a two week break from painting and crafting in order to recharge my battery. Last week, I started thinking about my Artist Statement.

Detail of Sculpture by Jaume Plensa onboard Celebrity Constellation

An Artist Statement is a basic introduction of you as an artist. It generally covers such things as why you make your art, what inspires you to make it, what it signifies or represent, how you make it and what it means to you.

I found a helpful guide on Molly Gordon’s website titled How to Write and Use an Artist’s Statement. I didn’t take the time to work through the steps, so I thought I’d begin by drafting a statement. It will be interesting to compare my rough draft with the statement I create after working through the exercise. Here’s what I came up with:

A smile. A spark of recognition. The thrill of finding a painting that represents who you are. That’s what I want you to feel when you see my artwork. I paint girls and animals that convey honesty, simplicity and spirit. My paintings are one-of-a-kind and special, just like you. When you choose one of my paintings, you have a piece of art that is yours and yours alone.

I use acrylic paints to create my colorful paintings. How do I begin each painting? Sometimes I begin with a sketch; sometimes I begin with a word or idea; sometimes I just start by putting paint on the canvas. I start the process and let the character spring from those beginnings.

My goal is to create paintings that touch people’s spirits. There’s something special knowing you chose something that speaks to who you are and who you want to be. It’s a special offering…from me to you.

I welcome any suggestions/ideas you may have. If you were looking at my art, what would you want to know? What do you think makes it special?

How to be HAPPY!

Every Thursday, Jay of The Depp Effect, posts something that makes her happy, and I’m playing along. She encourages us to look around and notice the things that make us happy. I enjoy this challenge because it makes me consider the things that make me happy, but are easily overlooked. It’s a wonderful exercise in attention and gratitude. Please grab the badge and join in.

Here’s something that makes me happy…SPRING FLOWERS.

Writing my Artist Statement, I was reminded of my goal to make my paintings one-of-a-kind. That made me think of beautiful spring flowers. There’s something special about these flowers that come out in the spring and then are gone. They are mini lessons in enjoying the beauty of the moment.

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Last Friday, I hosted an Origami Owl party.

Origami Owl is a line of jewelry that includes lockets, charms, chains, plates, dangles and tags that you put together to create a one-of-a-kind piece of jewelry that reflects your story and style.

I have always loved home parties, both hosting and attending. I remember my mom hosting parties…Stanley Home Products, Tupperware and Beeline Fashions. In fact, my mom had just signed up to sell Stanley Home Products when she found out she was pregnant with yours truly. So how did it all begin?

Photo Source

At the turn of the 20th century, small companies, like the Fuller Brush Company, went national. In 1931, Frank Stanley Beveridge, a successful Fuller Brush salesman, opened his own cleaning supplies company, called Stanley Home Products. Beveridge learned that one of his salesmen was making record-breaking sales by demonstrating his products in the living rooms of women “hostesses” who volunteered their homes and invited their friends to attend “a Stanley party.” In exchange for her efforts, the hostess was given a complimentary hostess prize, such as a toaster, a coffee pot or free Stanley products.

Photo Source

In the late 1940s, a woman named Brownie Wise discovered that she could make a good living from selling Stanley Home Products and became one of the most successful unit managers in the Detroit area within one year. Wise took the skills that she learned as a Stanley dealer and manager and capitalized on them when she stumbled across Earl Tupper’s product, the Wonderbowl. She convinced him that his products should be sold not in stores, but at home parties, where women would demonstrate the revolutionary, unbreakable bowls to their friends and neighbors. Tupper hired her on the spot to head up his entire sales operation, Tupperware Home Parties.

This interesting information comes from a new documentary by Laurie Kahn-Leavitt called Tupperware! presented by American Experience on PBS.

Photo Source

One of my favorite home parties from the 1960’s & 1970’s was Beeline Fashions. Founded by Beatrice F. Birginal (known as “Bee”) and her husband J. Edison Birginal, Bee had a knack for mixing-and-matching clothes. Bee’s line of clothing, hence the name, was founded on a uniquely simple fashion secret…buy three or four pieces and get five or six outfits. It was about getting more for your dollar through color coordination.

I always thought it was very grown-up and glamorous having a rack of clothes brought to your house, then having your friends over to try on and model the different outfits. Of course, there were also special party snacks. No wonder I have fond memories.

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Last Saturday was one of my favorite days of the year…The Spring Fling.

The Spring Fling is the annual gathering of our Greyhound rescue group, Allies for Greyhounds of West Michigan (AFGWM). It’s held in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

There are vendors and a silent auction, contests (Best/Longest “Roo,” Longest Tail, Shortest Tail, Best Eyeliner, Best Smile, Baldest Bum, Longest Nose, Longest Sit, Best Trick, Greyhound Look-Alikes, Oldest, Youngest and Traveled Farthest) and a potluck lunch.  We take an AFGWM “family” photo and best of all, visit with all the Greyhound families.

This year, we also had wonderful vet techs who volunteered to clip nails and clean ears, then they donated all the fees back to our group. Wasn’t that nice! Freedom, Casper and Nikki got their nails clipped; Freedom had one ear cleaned, and Nikki had both ears cleaned. Casper has naturally clean ears.

There’s also a fun run area where the dogs can run around and visit (with muzzles) without being on a lead. This is also where they can take care of “business.”

The pups could also be off lead if you brought an enclosure for them. Here’s Freedom, Casper and Nikki’s digs.

Our hosts’ pups spent time viewing the action from their porch. They were very gracious.

I was on a mission this year…for Freedom to win the “baldest bum” contest. I thought we had it in the bag, but last year’s winner was also a contestant, and it was called a tie. A coin toss decided the winner, and we lost. DRATS!

I must say, the winner is a handsome lad. Congratulations, Nick!

My daughter and her fiancé whipped up a special certificate for Freedom, since I was devastated by the loss.

Another cool thing…family photos were available. This may end up being our Christmas card photo. I had to crop it though. Casper decided to sit down during the photo session.

I guess I forgot to tell him that private bits aren’t allowed in the Christmas photo, but now, at least, I have my Awkward Pet/Family Photo submission. Maybe I can win that contest.

We also were the first to hear the announcement that our group is changing it’s name from Allies for Greyhounds of West Michigan to Allies for Greyhounds. This name better represents all the hounds the group serves and has placed all over the country. I love the support offered by our Greyhound family. Thank you to all who made this special day possible.

Curious about previous years? Here are my posts from 2012 and 2011.

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Here’s what’s happening in my studio…

I’m taking a break from painting and crafting for two weeks, and I’m trying to truly take a break.

My only slip this week was making four cards for Cards For A Cause. Every month, the “cause” changes. May’s featured organization is St. Anne’s Homeless Shelter. If you recognize that organization, it may be because that’s where Goose’s mom serves. Goose writes the blog Gospel of Goose.

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I’m taking a break from painting and crafting for a few weeks, so this is a wonderful opportunity to tell you about Cards For A Cause. I first heard about this challenge on Reilly and Denny’s blog, Reilly & Denny The Cowspotdogs. It is simply an invitation to create a card (or set of cards) and donate them to the “cause of the month”.

This brings me to something new…Paper Pumpkin. Paper Pumpkin is monthly subscription service from Stampin’ Up! where you receive all the stamps, ink, paper, and accessories to create a papercraft project. These monthly subscription programs are all the rage. Don’t tell the pups, but our subscription to BarkBox is done, and I’m going to give this a try for a bit.

Even though I’m on a break, I couldn’t help but give this a try when it arrived. Everything you need (with the exception of adhesive) is included and all the pieces are pre-cut. Your first shipment includes an acrylic block that works for all future stamp sets.

The only change I made was to replace the button accent. I wanted to make them easier to send through the mail, so I replaced the regular button with a soft felt button.

Isn’t this a wonderful challenge for cardmakers? You get to indulge your love of cardmaking and then the cards are used to brighten the lives of others.

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Every Saturday, I share my weekly Artist Date.

This week’s date was extra special. My husband and I went to see Wicked.

Wicked played in Chicago for 3-1/2 years, and I managed not to go even though I kept saying I wanted to go. So, when I heard that Wicked was coming to South Bend, I made sure to be early in line for tickets.

The musical event was at The Morris Performing Arts Center. Originally called the Palace Theatre,  it was built in 1921 and at that time was the most modern theater in the country.

The history of The Morris Performing Arts Center is fascinating. In May 1998, The Morris closed its doors in order to begin a complete 17 million dollar restoration & renovation.

When The Morris re-opened in March 2000, the newly restored theater had a brand-new, state-of-the-art stage house and the interiors were restored to their original 1921 splendor.

The evening of the musical was super exciting. There were fans in witches hats and the fountain in front of The Morris sprayed green water.

It was a breathtaking production.

A wonderful Artist Date.

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Every Friday, I share a poem. Friday is also the day I post a prompt of something you can do to make the world a kinder place. I call this the Kind is Kool challenge.

I offer both the poem and the kindness challenge without any obligation, so “Comments” are turned off every Friday. Enjoy.

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The Things We Dare Not Tell

The fields are fair in autumn yet, and the sun’s still shining there,
But we bow our heads and we brood and fret, because of the masks we wear;
Or we nod and smile the social while, and we say we’re doing well,
But we break our hearts, oh, we break our hearts! for the things we must not tell.

There’s the old love wronged ere the new was won, there’s the light of long ago;
There’s the cruel lie that we suffer for, and the public must not know.
So we go through life with a ghastly mask, and we’re doing fairly well,
While they break our hearts, oh, they kill our hearts! do the things we must not tell.

We see but pride in a selfish breast, while a heart is breaking there;
Oh, the world would be such a kindly world if all men’s hearts lay bare!
We live and share the living lie, we are doing very well,
While they eat our hearts as the years go by, do the things we dare not tell.

We bow us down to a dusty shrine, or a temple in the East,
Or we stand and drink to the world-old creed, with the coffins at the feast;
We fight it down, and we live it down, or we bear it bravely well,
But the best men die of a broken heart for the things they cannot tell.

Henry Lawson

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Kind is Kool Challenge

Week 19 Challenge – Give someone a single flower, flower bouquet or flowering plant.

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Typically on Mondays, I post a painting “inspiration,” then on Thursdays, I post how I interpreted the inspiration, but I’m taking a two week break from painting and crafting in order to recharge my battery. I thought this might be a good time to write my Artist Statement.

Sculpture by Jaume Plensa onboard Celebrity Constellation

An Artist Statement is a basic introduction of you as an artist. It generally covers such things as why you make your art, what inspires you to make it, what it signifies or represent, how you make it and what it means to you.

Artist Statements are often required when applying for art fairs or when approaching a gallery or store. They can be included on your website and on printed material. You can also use your Artist Statement to craft your “elevator speech” which is a description of your art that can be enthusiastically delivered in a sentence or two within 15 to 30 seconds.

I found a helpful guide on Molly Gordon’s website titled How to Write and Use an Artist’s Statement. It encourages you to “Think of your artist’s statement as a nourishing stew. The rich flavors and inviting aroma will feed your spirit and summon wonderful people to your table. You’ll want to make sure your stew is made from the freshest, finest ingredients and that it has been simmered and seasoned with care. Do this, and you will be proud to share your creative vision with others.”

The steps are:

Step One: Assemble the Ingredients.

Step Two: Filling the Pot.

Step Three: Assembling the Stew.

Step Four: Taste and Correct the Seasonings.

Step Five: Summon the Guests.

Step Six: File Your Recipe!

Next week, I’ll debut my Artist Statement.

How to be HAPPY!

Every Thursday, Jay of The Depp Effect, posts something that makes her happy, and I’m playing along. She encourages us to look around and notice the things that make us happy. I enjoy this challenge because it makes me consider the things that make me happy, but are easily overlooked. It’s a wonderful exercise in attention and gratitude. Please grab the badge and join in.

Here’s something that makes me happy…COLOR INK.

It’s fun, it’s pretty, and it makes you feel more creative.