"A faithful friend is a strong defense: and he that hath found such a one hath found a treasure." Ecclesiasticus 6:14
This beautiful silver tray is a recent gift made by the loving hands of dear friend, Melissa, a talented and spiritual being and down-right "good egg", honoring the memory of my wonderful Dad.
Treasures... all.
In May 2008 I became part of a collaborative of mixed-media artists involved in a project named "Ties That Bind", whose goal was to raise funds for ovarian cancer research. Their mission statement was as follows:
Our mission is simple in concept. Artists united in their creativity to benefit Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. Our project: Ties That Bind. A hand made doll created with heart and soul, donning hand embellished men's dress ties and hand born charms. 100% of the profit goes to the OCRF, in support of their mission to help ovarian cancer patients and their loved ones.
My contribution to this project was a handpainted and collaged necktie, which eventually became part of the art doll's skirt:
The completed art doll is now being raffled off, with all proceeds to benefit the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. You can read in detail about the project here:
http://projecttiesthatbind.blogspot.com/
More information and raffle tickets are available here:
http://www.scrapbookroyalty.com/tiesthatbind.html
I hope you will take a moment to visit the sites and check out the amazing work that has been contributed by so many artists... and please consider donating for a chance at winning this art from the heart!
ART banner pieces for exchange
8x8 paper collage
5.24.09
Many months ago I gathered together a small group of artist friends with the intent of creating a long-term collaborative project ~ and Magpie Arts was born.
Over the course of one year we worked on a themed deck of large cards, weekly producing wonderful and unique mini art canvases. We each then designed our own creative containers to house the finished 52 cards.
Fast forward to this month, when we have the great fortune to have our finished projects included in LK Ludwig's newest book, Collaborative Art Journals and Shared Visions in Mixed Media.
Artwork: far left - Marci Hudziak; left - Kris Henderson; right top - Christine Shebroe; right bottom - Deb Lewis (me!)
This beautifully published book houses a collection of diverse collaborative projects and provides inspiration and insight into talented artists like LK, Elizabeth Bunsen and Katie Kendrick.
I hope you will search it out on Amazon or Barnes and Noble... you will not be disappointed!
Below are a few diffferent views of my project - 52 artist cards contained in a handmade book:
Thanks for looking!
After many months of prodding, urging and pleading bordering on begging... dear friend Melissa has finally surrendered graciously decided to grace the blog world with her wonderful artwork, wry sense of humor and observations on life... all in a neat little package she has christened Red Tape. Please take a moment or two to drop in, enjoy her rantings and wish her well... and tell her I sent you!!
A magical gathering of creative souls in an equally magical woodland paradise...
Creativity renewed...
"Birds on a wire" ~ 18 x 24 acrylic and mixed media
A time for learning to let go and move on, knowing there will be angels there to help us along the way.
Thank you, Elizabeth, for allowing all of us to share in this amazing moment.
A lovely surprise from the very talented hands of an amazing Aussie artist and dear and caring woman... my deepest thanks and gratitude for your friendship.
My dear blogging friends Peggi and Anne have honored me with a lovely present... a Wylde Women award:
"The Purpose of the Award: To send love and acknowledgment to women who brighten your day, teach you new things and live their lives fully with generosity and joy"
Thank you so very much ladies! It gives me so much pleasure to know I have touched your lives in such a wonderful manner.
"1. You can give it to one or one hundred or any number in between - it's up to you. Make sure you link to their site in your post.
2. Link back to this blogsite (http://www.tammyvitale.com/) so Tammy can go visit all these wonderful women..."
It is impossible for me to choose just one person, as everyone on my sidebar brightens my life every time I visit them. So I would ask you to please choose a few of my links that you may not be familiar with and pay them a visit. There is always a treat waiting!
And please do not forget to add a comment to my previous post "Pay it Forward" to add your name to the freebie drawing!
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"Whoever you are, I have always depended on the kindness of strangers." (Blanche DuBois - A Streetcar Named Desire)
Wonderful Sara, who resides at Fifth Child Studio , and sweet Jann of A Vintage Heart , have surprised me with this lovely blog award. I guess I am always a bit startled that there are people out there that actually visit me here and appreciate my artistic attempts and occasional blithering! The guidelines for this honor are as follows:
In accepting this award, I agree to:
1. Display logo and link to who gave it.
2. Nominate at least 7 blogs.
3. Add links to those 7 blogs.
4. Leave the nominees a message that they received the award.
I have discovered so many wonderful new blogs and treasure those I have visited for the past few years... a difficult feat to choose only 7 of those. However I will pass along this award to a few that some of you may not have yet come upon. Please take a moment to visit them and enjoy something new!
Anne's Corner Stamplicity Wonders Never Cease Aspired to be an Artist
Qu Grainne Red Tin Heart Jill's Junk to Jewels
Thank you, Sara and Jann for adding a bright spot to my day!
Artist extraordianaire Jen, over at A Mark in Time, has tagged me to name 7 weird things about myself. Here you go... warts and all!
1. I love clam chowder, but can only eat it if I have a peanut butter sandwich to go with it.
2. I am a pretty good cook but can not make a pie crust to save myself. Seriously - the only one I ever made ended up on the kitchen floor.
3. When I sit in a restaurant or any other public place I have to sit against the wall, facing the door or I get very anxious. Afraid of someone creeping up on me I guess - lol!
4. My pets have always lived unusually long lives... cats to 21 years, dogs to 15, bunnies to 7 and a cute little hamster to 4 (long for a hamster apparantly). They do get a whole lot of TLC.
5. I do not like "drop in" company. I really wish I did... but I am always sure the house isn't clean enough (leftovers from Mom - her house was always perfect!). I keep telling myself they are there to see me and not my dust bunnies - but there you are.
6. My Mom used to call me Petunia when I was small, but when I was about 6 years old I told her that petunias stink... so she changed it to Daisy and called me that until she passed away.
7. When we have a snow storm I wake up early to turn the news on to see if school is canceled in town. Of course my boys are 24 and 28 years old... old habits die hard.
Gee - that was a just a little too easy - and I could keep going on with no problem!
Instead of challenging 7 others to bare their souls, I would love to have every visitor to my blog leave a comment here with just one little weird thing about themselves. Inquiring minds want to know! xox Deb
One World One Heart
!!!And the winner is Heather of From the Nest!!!
Dear Lisa over at Heart of the Nest is hosting the second annual One World One Heart giveaway. This event gathers many different artists from across the globe together to offer their creations "from the heart". I am so happy to be able to participate this year and would like to find a new home for one of my Bumble Babies. If you would like to participate in the drawing for this little guy, please leave a comment here and your name will be added to the hat! I will be drawing a random winner on Valentine's Day, February 14th, 2008 and posting the name on my blog. Please join in ~ everyone is welcome ! Deb
Maybe once or twice in a lifetime you are blessed to meet a kindred soul... someone to share your path with. My life would never have been so wonderful without Kristen in it... a dearest, sweet friend who is having a birthday today! Hop over to her blog and wish this amazingly talented and lovely woman a fabulous day. Happy Birthday K - may all of your dreams continue to come true.
My challenge to you this beautiful morning... sit down and write out a list of things that make you happy. My list began slowly and I felt a huge knot in my stomach that I would not make it past 10 things. But then the dam burst loose and I filled many pages in a journal I created just for listing wonderful things. Write your own list and leave a link here to share a little piece of yourself. Here is a very small portion of today's list.. I hope to add to it every day.
1. big red barns
2. clean white sheets
3. outdoor cafes
4. kids drawings on the refrigerator
5. the smell of burning leaves
6. working past your fears
7. drive-ins with trays hooked on the car window
8. white birches
9. kindness from a stranger
10. handwritten letters
11. breakfast when camping
12. saying yes
13. wanderlust
14. sharp shadows in the afternoon
15. The Velveteen Rabbit
16. losing time while doing something you love
17. threading a needle on the first try
18. carving pumpkins
19. listening to YoYo Ma
20. those moments that go beyond words
A little glimpse of a collage postcard sent to an overseas friend... hope it survives the journey!
Autrice, writer extraordinaire, of The Bemused Muse blog has kindly nominated my little blog for a "Thinking Blogger Award". I am so touched and also more than a little embarrassed, as most of my posts consist generally of current artwork and very little philosophical discussion - lol!! I love to write but find sharing that part of my life even more difficult than sharing my visual art. Perhaps this will prompt me to stretch those wings! Thank you Autrice for your confidence in me. Part of this also involves my nominating 5 blogs that I believe merit this distinction... an easy task for me, however I am quite certain that several, if not all of the blogs I devour on a daily basis have already received this nomination. None the less... you can never have too much of a good thing, so here are my 5 choices:
Kristen Robinson: Not only a very dear and trusted friend, but an incredible artist. Her work reflects her life, personality and desires... an artist who always remains true to herself.
Rande Hanson: R2 Art Studio. One of my most favorite (new to me)artists whose work captivates me. She has a charming, timeless style and is one of those rare people who are truly humble and very modest.
Deb Trotter: Cowboy's Sweetheart... Deb is the "real deal". Genuine and disarming. A fabulous artist who makes the wild west a place we all want to visit and keep in our heart.
Liz Smith: If you have never visited Alterations, then you are in for a huge treat. Besides being a wonderful artist, Liz is one of the kindest people I have come to know and her posts are always full of gentle thoughts, finding the best in life and other people.
Kris Henderson: A gentle soul whose concern and interest in others is evident in her artwork, photography and posts. She has just returned from a trip to Africa and her online diary is not to be missed.
So there you have it, Kristen, Deb, Rande, Liz and Kris. Now it is for you to "pass it on".
