Melange Challenges

The Melange Team is having 2 challenges right now. This week's word challenge is heavenly. Here is my entry. You have probably seen this one before. But it fits so well I decided to enter it anyway. The quote says "And on the 7th Day He rested... with a cat in His lap." I personally authored this quote and I am quite confident that this is true.

The second challenge is to use fabric in some way in your mixed media piece. The deadline is today. And true to form I am sliding in at the last minute. Here is my entry. It has felt and vintage tatted lace for fabric. It is also embellished with vintage buttons and a stamp. The quote says "The road to a friend's house is never long." Actually I use lace in lots of my work and I could have used many pieces. But I've been wanting to do something with these felt flowers and this challenge gave me the spark to make it happen.

Sam needs your help!

Lily of TwoStrayCats is one of my internet friends. I know her through our association with EFA/Artists Helping Animals. Lily is one of the sweetest people I know and she loves her cats with all her heart. One of her kitties, Sam has been injured. The doctor believes Sam's injury is the result of the cruel and angry actions of a person. But whatever it was, it was a heavy and sudden massive force that has broken both of his hips and pushed them forward. Sam can be helped but it will require surgery. The surgery will cost $1000.

Lily is having a sale in her etsy shop to raise money for Sam's surgery. Everything is 50% off. She makes the most beautiful pillows with striking and elegant fabrics. Please go and look at TwoStrayCats and see if you find something that you could use for a gift or your your own enjoyment.

Please click on the links in print to see these pillows and many more in Lily's shop.

Also, as most of you know I give a percentage of my profits every month to an animal charity. This month Sammy will be my animal charity. So, if there is something in my shop that you have been thinking about purchasing, now is the time to get it. 15% of every sale will go to the Sammy Fund to help pay for the surgery to try to undo this harsh, cruel, and evil act.

Here are just a few examples in my etsy shop and you can see more to the right.

and how appropriate is this piece!

This also applies to anything in my 1000Markets shop. Here are some examples.

And remember that 15% of any portraits ordered through either my etsy shop or my 1000 Markets shop or my website will also go to the Sammy fund.

Here is a list of other shops that are donating their profits to help Sam.

MoLStationery.etsy.com 65% of all MoL book sales and 75% of all graphics sales.. plus matching donations by 50%
chicadolly.etsy.com & faeriegood.etsy.com 25% of all sales profits this week
GenuineArticle.etsy.com & GenuineArt.etsy.com 50% of the proceeds from both of my Etsy shops
glasscircus.etsy.com 25% of my sales
aztek721.etsy.com 50% of any photo sales
Adornyourself.etsy.com 100% of the purchase price of a mug
Dearange.etsy.com 100% of the purchase price of Fancy Wearables (as seen on Sammy and Koru)

LittleJumpingBeans.etsy.com 40% of all the sales from shoes this weekend

For more information and many more photos please visit Annette's blog at dragonhouseofyuen

Thank you for any help you can give Lily for Sammy either through our shops or directly.

Mini Traveling Art Kit

I've always had an interest in compact objects with the potential to hold your entire life in one small package. Even when I was very young I was intrigued with the Dr. Suess character representing the letter spazz in the book On Beyond Zebra. I was into deep literature as a child. The man in the illustration for the letter spaz carried his entire worldly possessions - unbrella, alarm clock, needle and thread, etc. on the curly hooks of the horns of his lanky camel like creature. (I wanted to post a picture here but thought I would probably be breaking copyright law.)

I'm not a terribly impatient person. Well, my husband would probably tell you otherwise. But actually, I can wait if I have something to do in the meantime. With that in mind and with Dr. Seuss as an inspiration, I have created for myself a little mini portfolio. I came up with this idea at about 3:00 a.m. one night. That is when my best ideas come. I will use this hand embellished case to pack art card blanks that can be stored in my purse. Then when I find myself in waiting mode in a doctor's office or before a meeting, I can whip out my art card and use that moment for creativity. The back of the mini portfolio is smooth and automatically becomes a perfect drawing board for my art card. I also have a small vintage children's watercolor tin that holds my basic pencils, erasers, etc. I'm so motivated by my little Suessian style portfolio for art cards, that I'm planning one for journaling supplies and one for collage work. I'll let you know when they are done. I'm sure you can hardly wait!

And then here are some pictures of my studio helpers and inspiration coaches. As you can see, they have a very tough

job.