Auction is Live ... now thru the 24th!

Nothing like waiting until the 12th hour, but it's official ... the Cigar Box Shrine is finished and posted!

Here's how it all came together:

Take a little time to go check out the other amazing contributions to this years auction!


Thank You!

Last Update Before Posting to the Auction Site

Thank goodness for extensions ... and Friday's off ...

here's where I am at:



the interior of the box (all four sides) have been slathered w/gel medium and "tiled" with these really cool beads rescued from a not so cool necklace with a few random alternate beads. Prior to the gel medium drying, copious amounts of glitter was dumped to enhance the "grout" (top half of sides & top in a dark blue extra fine glitter, a teal glitter break line and bottom in a darker teal glitter)



trying to share various angles



...



and a couple of close ups as well

...



sometimes it's not so great having a terrific camera ... these were taking during the "setting" stage (right now as I type) and have not yet been brushed of loose glitter, etc. ... next step ... once again, your guess is likely as good as mine (some might argue even better) ... but the muse is ordering me to bed ... said she'd be back in the morning and promises to help me have this finished and posted on the auction site well before midnight tomorrow!

Remember to go check out the auction preview.

Auction goes live April 17th and items will be up for bid thru the 24th.


please note: I won't be near a computer from Sat-Mon, so if you send questions during that time, please know that I won't be able to respond until Monday night.

A Second Update (or: The Girl Likes to Weave Paper)

As of 04/09/10 - the auction dates have been postponed to April 17 - 24th.

There's still time to create a cigar box shrine if the urge is inside you.

All contributions now due April 16th (phew ... looks like I've got a little time to breathe after all.

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Paint dry, pieces separated & the weaving began ... love the effect of using the same basic colors but contrasting with light against dark. Here's the blue/green one:

And the blue/purple (narrower strips):

Once weaved, I added glue to the back and let it dry completely ... then cut pieces from the weave and covered all the sides plus the front ... the wider strip weave went on the top and bottom (long sides) with the other on the sides ... I added pieces of both to the front "panels/doors".

Here's a view of the top ... or maybe that's the bottom:

and of one side:

Here's a shot of the front (with a little top-a-showin):


and another one (with a little side-a-showin):

I really, REALLY like the effect of the painted paper weaved, though I am thinking I'd like to seal it with some varnish ... matte? gloss? ... not sure. I am sure that this makes me want to do a much larger scale weaved piece ... will have to add that to the list that keeps on growing.

The cigar boxes need to be completed and posted to the auction site tomorrow. I'm hoping the interior completion comes together as naturally as everything else to this point. I'll be sure to post to let everyone know when up & available to bid on.

jump right in ...

here's the box:

A paintbrush, Liquitex acrylic Phthalocyanine Blue, Phthalocyanine Green, Brilliant Blue, Cobalt Blue, Titanium White & Mars Black ... inside "doors" and back painted.

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had an urge to weave, so cut some strips & taped them to wax paper:

first set drying:

second set ... blopped:

and drying:

where's all this going? your guess is as good as mine.

ultimately

it will wind up:

please see previous post for even more information.

thank you!

Remember this:

... funny how the full circle often comes just in the nick of time ...


*****************************************************


The following is copied directly from Rebecca's March 19th post

sometimes

opening

your

heart

is as simple

as

filling

an

empty

box

Shrine auction for Oaxaca Streetchildren Grassroots 2010

artist entry deadline to submit to shrine website April 9th.

*****************************************************

The link on my sidebar goes directly to the auction site ... there's still time left to create a shrine to be included in the auction, though time is running out.

As I type this, there are FIVE days left.

eenie, meenie, miney, MORE! (a.k.a. Digging Deeper)

(click the above image for the Treasure Map - that's the post with all the participants)

This week I decided to share some of the events that I have happily participated in since starting my blog. It's these events that challenge me on so many levels. Sometimes they allow me to contribute to worthy causes; they also act as a catalyst to a whole new world of artists.

This first flashback is the reason that I am here at all:

Pink Artists Community Doll Project - 4 Squares

I don't even know where I came across the call to artists, but I sure am glad that I did. Did you happen to notice that the post was basically a laundry list and had no mention (other than in the title) of what I made the squares for ... or how I had all of six comments (two from me & one from uber-spouse ... mhmm ... still a keeper) ... funny how a little time can change so much. Many of you reading this know all about the Pink Artist Doll Project, but for those of you hearing about it for the first time, be sure to go HERE ... this is especially timely as there is a really cool Block Party in progress - details can be found on my sidebar.

Next up ...

Two Shrines



Slightly humorous sidenote ... there was a little bit of a bidding war on both shrines (which of course was a HUGE boost to the ego) ... come to find out they were between my mom & my mom-in-law.

(giggles are quite appropriate here)

In case you are wondering, each of them ended up with one.


And because this one actually goes sort of hand in hand with the one above ... AND is going to be the launching pad for this year's Cigar Box Auction, I have to include:

Dia de Bloglandia



I love, love, LOVED everything about this whole event & am really looking forward to this years celebration ... I hope that those of you that were not involved last year consider joining in this time around.

Thanks again for stopping in! ... and don't forget to visit Seth's post HERE ... be prepared to stay a while ... I only had time for a sneak peak, but can tell you there's some real goodness going on over there.

A LONG While Back ...

"Nikki" a.k.a Lee Anne from Sun Soul Art had a giveaway for this:



A beautiful glass heart ... and it wasn't even a Valentine's giveaway (though it DID happen this past February) ... and lucky me, I was drawn (does it make a difference that I had a 50/50 chance?) ... you'd think that the heart was enough (I did), but when the package arrived, I was blown away by the goodies Lee Anne had included ...

Everything is set out on a piece of amazing sacred heart paper she'd included ... but take a look at some detail pictures of the treasures I found in the package:



The Dia de los Muertos image is actually a mirror

as is the Frida image below:



There was soooo much heart in the box (literally & figuratively) did you notice the Milagros sitting on the painted ATC ... how about the sea glass or the patina'd metal scared heart?

or

the amazing carved wooden heart stamp resting on the new Juego de Loteria (Mexican Bingo):



There's so much goodness to look at, drool over & to figure out just how to work into new pieces (click on any image for a larger view to see exactly what I am talking about). I have a very strong feeling that some items will turn up in this years offering for:

Dia de Bloglandia

and others may find themselves in this years creation for the

Cigar Box Shrine Auction ...

there are soooo many possibilities!

Sending one HUGE thank you to Lee Anne for trusting me with all these treasures ... after all this time, I still look at everything with such AWE

... exactly how much inspiration can be packed into one box? ...

More than I had ever imagined.

Lee Anne and I have been weaving ourselves in and out of many of the same Blogland events. She is one of those artists that seems to pull magic right from thin air and turns that magic into amazing creations ... for a small sampling of what I am refering to, go:

HERE

HERE

HERE

and how about

HERE

Enjoy your time getting to know Lee Anne! I can honestly say that it has been my pleasure crossing paths with her ... and think you'll feel the same.

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 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.

Two Shrines

(Click above image to be directed to the auction site)

*** MY NEXT POST WILL FEATURE THE AUCTION ***

But first I thought I would give everyone a little history as to how I got involved in this project (you might want to grab something to drink, kick back and relax for a bit ... I have a feeling this isn't going to be a quick post).

In November I visited Yoli's blog and came across THIS post; the timing couldn't have been better. I had just recently participated in my first "Dia de Bloglandia" event hosted by Susanna & Stephanie. Since it was a first, I had to do some research about Dia de los Muertos. The traditions & expression of the holiday spoke directly to my heart and soul. I truly enjoyed the process of making items, gathering others and simply erecting the shrine for friends and family that had passed. There was a real sense of healing in honoring these people that had touched my life (you can see the shrine HERE), so when I saw Yoli's post, I jumped in feet first ... the brain caught up a little later.

I committed to contributing a Cigar Box Shrine/Memory Box to benefit the Street Children of Oaxaca. I cannot explain why, but I felt a really strong urge to do a shrine in black & white ... once I began the process, my muse insisted that red be included, too. As for the cranes, it has been long believed that cranes not only bring luck and represent longevity, but they are also symbols of peace. How appropriate?

The birdhouse was cut down to a one inch depth to fit inside the closed box; there is a crystal heart attached just inside the opening of the birdhouse. I folded the cranes from squares of (just over 1") washi paper. Once all were folded and open, each one was dipped in a setting agent to strengthen and allowed to dry. Once dry, I painted half of them black and the other half white with acrylic paints and then sealed with a gloss varnish. The birds were strung along with black and white glass beads and clear Swarovski bicone crystals. Each string is suspended from the "ceiling" of the box. The three cranes at the base are attached.

Once all the elements were attached, I added the design in white acrylic paint to the inside cover, box front (has the name of the piece "Osmosis") and the sides.

Here's a detail of the interior:

This second shrine was an experiment for me ... I have a tendency to play it safe when it comes to use of color, but I really wanted to push my personal boundries and go for something bold and coloful - on the lines of more is better. I had tons of fun working on this shrine.

On the right (interior space of the box), I glued down a fragment of the cloth I had used on the first shrine (for Dia de Bloglandia) ... it felt right to honor that experience in this piece. I also used part of the same Our Lady of Guadelupe image. Our Lady is surrounded by pink and green sequins with Swarovski crystals set in here and there. The sides are bordered with red and gray textured glass tiles. The little cards are from a miniature tarot deck with bold images and are floated on small squares of stacked wood chips. (More were used on the outside box lide and outsied edges) The base has six swirly irridecsent shells attached. The flower stem is made of green sequins, the center of the flower is a yard pebble and the petals are small pieces of turquoise. The bit of lace at the top is actually a veil suspended from the inside and can be pulled back over to "hide" the interior.

On the left is a cross made up of bits and pieces and set in a thick layer of gel medium that's been liberally dusted with a coarse white glitter. The first outline is made up of light green glass chips and tiny red Swarovski crystals. The next is a slver textured ribbon and is followed by a border of pink sequins - the rest of the background is super fine citrus glitter with many coats of high gloss varnish over it.

Here's a detail of the box interior:

Both Cigar Box Shrines are available through the Auction to benefit the Street Children of Oaxaca located HERE ... take some time to look through the catalog of offerings and feel free to share the link with all your friends and family. The more interest we can generate, the better!

"Just one person MAKES a difference"