... and the winners are ...

Sorry to keep you all waiting ... the winners from my:


(click image for my giveaway post)

giveaway are:

Janet from Fond of Snape
(click above to be directed to her blog)

&

Sue from Barton Originals
(click above to be directed to her blog)


*

*

*


As for this one:


(click above for giveaway post)

... I have to plead for forgiveness ... I just realized that I had never done the drawing ... bad me ... hopefully

Michelle from the Studio @ Crow Haven Farm
(click above to be directed to her blog)

will find it in her huge heart to forgive me as it was HER name the was drawn.

Tuesday is Almost Here

4/1 Update: Looks like the auction was a great success. Thank you to everyone for all of your support and for sharing this wonderful project.

It's been a long day, so I will be pulling a winner from my giveaway hat this weekend ... stay tuned!

3/31 Update: With just under two hours left to bid, the auction has raised nearly $3000.00 (not including any donations made without bidding)!! Woohooooo!

Time is running out



to see an incredible slideshow of all the contributions, please stop by THIS POST.

Also, there's still time to enter my giveaway (bet you had forgotten ... good thing I remember!) ... go HERE for all the details (entries will be accepted till 10:00pm EST).

YOU can make a huge difference ... Visit the Auction right HERE

Thank you.

the Fates Keep Smiling on me ... and I am Grateful

I don't know if it's the Universe telling me to keep on doing what I am doing or if I just happen to be sitting directly under the lucky star, but whatever it is, I have been getting showered with some serious mail love ... first as a direct result from this years One World One Heart event.

First up, Waxela (a.k.a. SpiritMama) offered to send an ATC to everyone that opted to follow her on blogger ... that was an easy choice and not long after I received this lovely little ATC (the colors are actually quite a bit richer than they appear in this photograph).

are you feeling the peace?

Plus, I was lucky enough to actually win two different One World One Heart giveaways.

The first from Lorraine over at Love of Collage. Lorraine seems to be one creative crafter! Check out the fabulous little bag & Alice domino charm:



The bag does close, but I wanted to show it open - check out the details. The colors are so vibrant and I just love the way it's stitched together. It should also be noted that "Alice in Wonderland" is one of my all time favorite books, so it's even more special to me. I am so thankful to have been the winner of Lorraine's prize!

but WAIT ... there's MORE!

I was also the lucky winner over at Dot's (Dot's Life & Art) ... she sent me one of her original Amelia dolls - I cannot begin to explain the sweetness of this precious little creature. Her fabrics a scrumptious and she's so lovingly embelished with lots of little beads & stitches.



Dot even filled the parcel with all kinds of extra little goodies that I am still drooling over.

*sighs*

OK, there's one more lucky win ... not too long ago I stumbled across a new blog called Water Blossoms that features the amazing art of Margaret Storer-Roche. She does beautiful illustrations in both watercolor and pen. Recently she celebrated her one year blogaversary and had giveaways to boot ... what are the chances that I would win one? Couldn't tell you, but I did! I won one of her incredible feathers ... but notice that she tucked my prize in a cards with one of her original designs:



The detail she puts into her pieces boggles my mind. I love that the feather is a bookmark (that's my story and I'm sticking to it), because I get to use it and look at it every day.

Also, Chris @ Prism Trail must have really, really liked her cranes, because she sent me a little package with some of her "freshly minted" tiles. I love these little pieces ... go check out more of them HERE ... isn't that a GREAT batch?!?



I am really looking forward to seeing the tiles she received and what she ends up creating with them.

Yep. I'm seriously feeling loved.

In my own art news, I have WIPS without pics, so all I have to share are three ATC's that I doodled at the new job:



and:



and



I hope you enjoyed my little bit of show and tell.

Cheers! ~M~

the Auction is now LIVE!

That's Right!



(Click the above image or HERE to be directed to the Auction Site; please note that to
bid on items, you will need to register for a free account ... I did and it was a breeze!)

To read the official announcement, please click HERE ... not only has our host supplied all the important details, she has also included a list (with links) of all the participating artists ... just don't forget to come back and enter my

*** CONTEST ***

Take a look at the following shrine details numbered 1 through 9



Leave a comment on this post (or email me with your answers - my email is listed publicly on my profile) listing 3 of the artists featured and your name will be tossed in the hat once. List 6 of the artists and your name will be entered twice ... List ALL 9 featured artists and you'll get not one, not two, not even three, but FOUR entries in my giveaway! ... and don't go getting all clever on me by commenting your 9 answers 90 times - everyone has a limit of 4 entries.

And considering I came up with this contest by the seat of my pants, the PRIZE is going to have to be a SURPRIZE ... at least for a little while.

Please feel free to pass on the information - the more people that know, the better!

For more information about the shrines I contributed, please click HERE.

OWOH Sneak Peaks 1 & 2 ... plus a reminder

I'll start with the reminder:

If you aren't familiar with the gLOBAL gUERILLA (K)NIT UP,

click the image above to be wowed ... who knows, you might want to play, too!

be sure to check out some of her more recent posts as grrl has made some

super terrific suggestions in regards to alternate materials & being prepared.

Next up ... here are the first two sneak peaks at what you will find in the cigar box that I am offering up for One World One Heart 2009
:

Pictured Above: 6 champagne corks & one tile (imported from Italy)

AND:

Pictured above: 12 shiny little shells & 6 cranes

more about the cranes: all were folded from 1 1/4" inch squares then dipped in a setting agent that has made them more substantial - but not beyond crushable - painted with acrylic paint & coated with gloss varnish.

(click HERE to see where some of them ended up)

At last check, the number of participants had jumped to an unbelievable 737!

WHOA!

One World, One Heart 2009

02.12.09 Update ... let spouse pick a number between 1 and 366 ... he chose #33. I counted down (then double checked two more times) and the winner of the cigar box full of bits and pieces is:

the Bella Modiste

Thanks to everyone that took the time to stop by ... I know that I have added a list of people to the blogs I follow as a direct result of OWOH. I hope all of you have been exposed to a whole new world of ideas and inspiration.

01.29.09 Update - Sneak Peaks 1 & 2 can now be found HERE

It's official - One World One Heart is here!

If you are a first time visitor, I welcome you with open arms. Please feel free to stay a minute or a few hours and know that you are welcome back anytime.

To those of you that regularly visit, thank you. Your friendship & encouragement has meant more to me than I could possibly explain - YOU are the inspiration that fills me up. YOU help me find the courage to spread my wings & explore new things.

When I first started my blog, last years One World One Heart event was nearing its close ... through the links from it, I found a whole new universe full of possibilities ... it is precisely because of that that I wanted to participate this year. Yes, I am hosting a giveaway, too. I love how Lisa explained it,

"The giveaway portion is like hosting an open house......as if we were all living in this gigantic neighborhood where once a year we visit homes to meet, reacquaint and get to know one another. At each home there are samplings of goodies that you have a chance to take home like a door prize. You leave your name and at some point each home choses a winner or winners......and now you not only have met a new "neighbor" and you've seen where they live.....you have something that someone lovingly chose to give..... AND visa versa."

So, without further ado, here's my teaser:

This cigar box will be shipped to the winner of the random drawing.

Just a cigar box?!?

Uh, no - that's the teaser! I have started filling the box with "bits & pieces" & plan to have it chock full of goodies by February 12 ... I do plan on adding little teaser updates to this post between now and then, so feel free to check in.


Who is elligible: Everyone (but please be sure there's someway I can contact you)

How do I enter: Please leave a comment on this post between now & midnight Wednesday, February 11th. Everyone that leaves a comment will be entered into a random drawing one time (not one time per comment).

Winners will be announced on Thursday, February 12th

Thank you for taking the time to stop in for a visit. I hope to visit all the One World One Heart participants throughout the next few weeks.

Cheers! ~M~

How Did it Happen?

I've been having issues with this holiday season ... usually I begin preparing sometime in early October and have a bunch of stuff in the works & by December 1 I'm in a baking and making frenzy (believe me when I say that I truly enjoy every part of it, too) ... this year, I never really got started. Strange, really. I have baked a bit, made even less and now it's officially Christmas Eve ... this is so odd. I mentioned in an earlier email that I am hoping that my holiday clock is just set on delay ... who knows, maybe I'll have my holiday burst sometime in March. One never really knows ... I hope that I haven't bummed y'all out & your still with me - this next part is chock full of happy surprises, some pretty pictures (from that trip North) and a super happy face at the end.

A while back Elizabeth Beck (a.k.a. e.beck.artist) was having a giveaway & somehow the lucky gods were smiling on me ... I won an e.beck original! Due to life, art & other such stuff, it took a while for her to make her way to the post office. Even luckier for me as she decided to send me not one, but TWO of her little paintings (and a candy bracelet that my daughter quickly confiscated from me by calling dibs)! Whoa! and hold your horses! Check out what she sent:

I love, love, love them both & am thrilled to have them here in my home ... I may even leave the ornament up all year long (who knows, if I stare at it enough, that Christmas Spirit just might take its bite!). Go HERE to visit her blog & be sure to check out more of her wonderful art.

That's really good and awesome, right? But WAIT! there's more ... the most wonderful and loverly Cathie (a.k.a. Clevelandgirlie) decided that now was the time to send a little cheer my way (did she sense I was suffering from holiday zombieitis?!? I wonder) ... and what a precious little cheerleader I received ... introducing Mz. Meecies (yes, I do call her that & don't blame me if my goober hat shows once in a while - I was born this way & have practiced for years and years!):

Isn't she just the most adorable pin cushion EVER?!? She has a pin for a nose & Swarovski crystal eyes. You can actually put a spool of thread on her tail, too ... talk about a clever, clever design. I adore this little mouse. Right now she is sitting on the shelf right above my PC and just looking at her makes me happy. Go see Cathie HERE - scroll through some of her older posts as her talents are not only with a needle and thread ... plus, she has one loveable Gizmo.

Another wonderful and witty woman decided to send a little something my way ... imagine my surprise when this sweet package arrived:

Chris (at Prism Trail) sent the box full of hand made tags (when in the box, the lid doesn't close, but you get this amazing hand decorated box brimming with colors and ribbon galore - it's so sweet, but I wanted to show off all the pretty little tags & beads). Visit Chris HERE ... don't be surprised if you find yourself giggling for much of your visit.

You'd think after receiving such lovely gifts I wouldn't still be suffering from Christmas Avoidance Syndrome ... I wonder if there are meds I should be taking ... perhaps some Mint M-n-M's ...

You all said such nice things about the photo's from West Virgina, I thought I would share a few more:

And just for the sheer pleasure:

That's Secret. She's the miniature pincher that lives with the peeps we were visiting in West Virginia; she enjoys the ride from the house to the cabin quite a bit. :)

May you all be treated to a holiday filled with

love, laughter & good cheer!