A Whimsical Bohemian

A Blue Sky, Breezy Day

The sky is a splendid gradation of various shades of the most gorgeous blue today - (these photos are right out of the camera).

The clouds are white and fluffy like cotton candy or cotton balls pulled apart.

The air is crisp and perfect with a breeze that sways my wind chimes in to symphonic loveliness.

I stood outside barefoot and the breeze crossed my feet and my face as I looked up and all around thankful that although official summer is near it feels like my perfect Spring day.

I am grateful for days like this, the windows all open and the curtains in my studio blowing in and out. If only they were all like this because I feel much more inspired than when it's too hot or cold with gray skies.

Take a moment to look up!

Now if only I had trees in my own yard where I could look up at the sky through the branches and leaves, there is something so very calming about that view, is it not?

This tree below is in the yard of a neighbor a couple doors down.....with no power lines or rooftops showing I can imagine I am in...say....Lake Tahoe. These homes were built on the 40's and I venture to say the tree may have been here already when the homes were built. It is VERY tall.

This large tree below I can see from my studio window (one corner over) - it's foliage is moving in the crisp breeze as if they are doing a sort of slow swaying dance. Perhaps they hear my w

I need even more windchimes, I want them everywhere, so the symphony becomes full and euphoric on days like this.

I stood outside looking up and could see in their ever slow pace, the clouds drifting by. If you stare long enough you can almost feel as if it were YOU moving and the clouds were stationary.

What do you see when you look up?

 

Go out and make it a great day.........

 

 

 

Lighting The House One Lamp Shade at a Time

Well I am so frustrated...........I did an entire blog post and the internet went out long enough to wipe it all out!

So I will try to begin again.............and just give the readers digest version.

I recently finished another lamp shade for a floor lamp I've had for a long time that I wanted to put by the secretary in the living room. It had a drum shade on it at one time but the plastic interior cracked in several places though the outside was fairly ok. I had put it out in the patio with the idea we'd smash it and recycle it. BUT the other day I had a thought.......maybe I could keep it and do some C P R on it. (Creative Passion Revival - I just made that up but now I'm going to keep using that phrase - haha!)

So I set about doing just that and was successful in getting it all tight as a drum again, no cracks......get it, drum? drum shade?  Anyway...........

I covered it (sorry but I am going to keep that technique to myself for now) and painted a design all over it but when it was done I wasn't happy. BohoHandyman couldn't believe I'd cover over it after all the hours I put in to it but I explained "I need to be completely happy with the end result".

So I started again.....just the design part..........

Using 2 pages from an art journal I had scanned I set about going another route.

I digitally played around with the first one and just played around with the bird in the second one. Printed it all out in multiples, got out the paint for the background upper and lower and top rim and voila.......... (I also painted the floor lamp itself which was formerly off white)

I took the above pic outside

I love working with the drum style shade and now have plans to do some in various sizes to sell in my Shoppe - that shape can work on most lamps..........I am hoping by end of summer to have a few to start with to see how they do.

The beauty of doing these is that they are one-of-a-kind.......you won't go in someone's home and ever see the exact same thing and they really do bring a POP to a room.

Art and design...............ah the bliss of it all!

I hope you are all had a most wonderful weekend!

ART ON!

 

PAYING CLOSER ATTENTION

It is when sleeping my mind tends to wander, to marinate in thought and action, to find portraits and scenarios in the corners of my dreams. To see beyond what's possible and imagine. It can be interruptive as well, it can make me readjust my sleeping position over and over. It can make me tired the next day even though I slept.   Sometimes the best ideas come from those moments of varied slumber.

I am sometimes in a calm and serene setting. Perhaps I am in a hammock beneath a tree where the breeze shuffles the leaves

...in a garden of intoxicating scents.

I sometimes imagine sitting in a comfortable lounger on the beach......there is a slight sea breeze and the sound of seagulls mix with the musical background of the waves.

In these and other scenarios (sometimes in places I long to visit) I am writing....writing and writing....pages of a story or stories. Only I can't see the words, I just know I am writing a book. Characters names float in my dreams rumination......I remember those when I awake but never the story itself for some reason. I am not using a computer, I am writing in long hand with a fountain pen. 

image from the internet

And sometimes I am drawing or painting something. Is that a circus I see? Is there a forest? Is that a young girl sitting with a sheep on her lap in the train station? Are there dancers? Is it a magic garden? The themes run rampant in my dreams like a fast moving current and so do their stories.

Are those images interwined in the stories? I know when I create a character I draw and/or paint immediately my mind goes to their backstory....it happens all the time. I've even shared them here on my blog. So the answer would be yes, it's all part and parcel.

So I need to pay more attention because I I know my dreams are trying to reinfoce what I already am aware of...and that is I LOVE to write, I've been a storyteller all my life AND I am an artist......perhaps the time has come to pay closer attention to that combination.

 

Are your dreams or your subconcsious sleep thoughts trying to tell you something about your creative life? Perhaps it's time to pay closer attention!

 

Hello all............

Thought I'd pop in to let you know what I've been up to.....which is more art. I come up for air to do chores, run the occasional errand or grab a snack......and then I am back at it. It's like some unseen force is keeping the mojo strong and I am a willing captive. A bit of music or the odd TCM old film runs in the background and before I know it HOURS have gone by.  And evidently days too as witness to the fact it's already a week in to April! Yowza! You know how it is.....when the muse calls you just have to answer it.  Right?

It's been really windy and cool but I am looking forward to sunnier, warmer days so I can do some of this outside in the sunshine under a clear, blue sky AND open all the windows and door. In the meantime I have lots of light in my studio my The Zen of Artistic Maintenance art "book" is going strong. Below are 6 pages so far.....some of the completed pages will soon be prints available in my Shoppe. Stay tuned.

 

This page took on a life of its own - more like a doodle page.

This one is my fave so far....it looks far better in person (actually they all do)

While I was painting this one suddenly this song came in to my head especially the line:

"There'll be swingin' swayin', and records playin,
Dancin' in the street"

So there you have, the fruits of my labor .......whether you care to see it or not. HA!

Have a truly happy day and weekend!

Until next time....

p.s. I now ship to Canada as well as the US in my Shoppe

The Zen of Artistic Maintenance.....Keeping the Muse Amused

I have become engrossed, obsessed and enwrapped  in creating my own art "books". After the first one was finished (see previous 2 posts) I decided to make the next one more sturdy and truly hardcover book-like (I am still working on learning technique). Once I had the book together I started working on the front and back covers as a jumping off point.....and then it hit me....it needed to have a title.....not just "my art journal".  In thinking about it all I realized that while creating each page as it's own individual art work I was feeling a complete sense of calm in an almost Zen-like state - odd but true. The resulting title is also the title of this post.

 For some inexplicable reason it feels different from working on a canvas or any other art form ......like each page was drawing me in (no pun intended) to find inspiration anywhere and everywhere in a whole new way. It's truly difficult to articulate all this because even as I read it back to myself it doesn't make much sense. The thing is this, it puts me in dreamy abstraction - like it's helping me to enhance my expressive capabilities.  There is something that happens to me......lines converge, colors blend, characters form and there is a clear symbiosis between artist and the muse. Am I sounding too esoteric?  You may just think to yourself if you're reading this "geez, it's an art journal, MANY people do art journals of one sort or the other,  what's the big deal?"  - I guess for me it goes beyond that in a some strange way.......as I said, I cannot properly articulate this, I just FEEL it.

Here are the front and back covers - I have not started working inside yet. There are 22 pages not including the inside of the front and back covers. The cover size is 10"x12" and pages are 9 1/2" x 11 approximately. I am using only pen and ink and various watercolor mediums.

This is the front :

This is the back cover:

I'm already seeking a better way to put the next book together (will be watching some videos on that)with more pages so I can also do some writing in it as well. Writing is another passion of mine therefore as the muse strikes with an image often times so does a backstory. 

One last result of these pages will be the ability to make prints of some of them to sell in my Etsy Shoppe. Always thinking.

Until next time......

Inside, outside.......creating colorful surroundings one step at a time

A peek in to what we are working on......

The living room.......we finally (after MANY swatches on the walls later) decided on the same green we painted the kitchen. It's a better flow between the two rooms and the green goes with EVERY color! The room is partially painted and this past weekend we bought a new area rug. I call it the "happy" rug because it's cheery and it has ALL the various colors I plan on using in that room.

I want the room to be cheery yet cozy. I want it to be welcoming and inviting and feel like us when you walk in. Eclectic.

 
Some of you may remember a while back we bought an old dresser at an Estate sale we painted turquoise, adding faux glass knobs. Well those didn't hold up so I changed to just white porcelain knobs. Something about the whole thing has bothered me since so recently we changed it completely.

   
I didn't like it just a flat color and the turquoise wasn't blending in the room the way I'd hoped....it just wasn't working for me. Oh it was nice but I wanted a more worn, shabbier look AND I wanted it to be a different color. So I started with an orange, then went over it with a light melon color and brushed a teensy bit of some pink. We then sanded it back exposing the turquoise and the wood...then used a light wood stain over the whole thing and I ordered new knobs. I just love it now. The color is perfection against the green wall and there is a bit of orangy/melon in the new rug AND anything I put on or near it regardless of color goes great. So voila......a NEW yet already existing piece.

Some of you may like the before better but that's what makes the world go 'round...various tastes. There's just something about that well worn, chippy paint look that I adore.

Now I will be going through things to put on it and on the wall above it. I am on the hunt for the perfect mirror and then frame some pictures to put up as well. I think. That will all be later.

 

You can see our baseboards....those are going to be replaced with much nicer and HIGHER baseboards.

We still plan to do a wall of bookcases at one end of the room which I truly can't wait to do so my books can come out of boxes as well as items and photos that mean something to us.

I've also been grappling with curtain panels....I knew I wanted to raise the rods to just under the crown molding making the room seem higher (we have standard 8' ceilings). After a while you can look at so many or look at fabrics to make them until you have eye strain and a headache. THEN I thought about the curtain panels we put outside in the patio room on either side of the window.....hmmm, I thought......how would these look if I could get them in a 96" length? So we took them out of the patio and hung the 2 panels on one of the windows just to see the color/look/feel in the room and we both agreed "yes". (there's even a touch of the melon color) So now those 2 panels aren't going back outside but instead I am going to use them in my studio!  (they aren't meant for outdoors anyway, even though it's covered) and I'm off to get the 96" length ones for the living room........ ON SALE!!! YAY!! OH and the rug picks up the blue as well!!

 

So that's where we are for now INSIDE......lots more decisions to make in terms of furniture etc. but the basics are sorted and that feels good.

NOW to OUTSIDE.....

About a year and a half ago we had a shed built in the yard....the intent was it would be BohoHandyman's workshop. (best laid plains you know)

 
Since this photo was taken we had cement poured to the right of it going back to the side gate. BUT the workshop is being used as a storage shed right now and where we had it built we came to realize was a huge mistake as it took up precious garden space. Soooooo, I asked the other night if BohoHandyman thought we could have it moved so it was next to the garage instead (which is across from the workshop). I googled it. Then my friend June called saying she happened to see an ad on Craigslist for a company that does just that, moves sheds. So BohoHandyman contacted the place and they will be coming in  2 weeks to move the shed the 30' or so lining it up with the garage.  WOOHOO!! I know it's hard to visualize all this but I will be taking before and after photos later.  Suffice to say we can now have a good sized garden area and make a good sized dog run in the back too.

AND guess what will be in THAT garden......

Meet (yes, I named them)

 
Lollie Meyer-Tree

and her sister

 
 Lallie Meyer-Tree 

I am so anxious to get them planted and nurture them so they produce sumptuous lemons! I have so missed our old lemon tree.  They will get plenty of sun in the new space after the shed is moved....and we can also plan things out carefully. I want to plant things that butterflies and hummingbirds love. Any suggestions?  We want to make some raised beds to keep away those pesky gophers......if they DARE to get near Lollie and Lallie....well let's just keep that quiet. And we want to plant other trees as well as hydrangea and roses and lavender and who knows what else! OH and we plan to have a small space for growing some veggies too.  Hopefully there is room for it all, including some fairies and a gnome who's so anxious to be outside!  I want more than anything to look out my kitchen window and love what I see and then be out there loving my surroundings. It won't be easy....baby steps for sure.....but I am going to work very hard against my bug phobia so we can have what we want.....together.

    So there you have it.............we're thinking inside....we're thinking outside. We're planning inside....we're planning outside. I am hoping by summer's end we will be done with both or at least nearly done.  The garage will eventually become the workshop/storage place and the shed will become.....well we'll see. I have visions of "play house" for me.... but then who knows. wink wink

In between all that I am still working on becoming a more grounded ME!

AND getting some art done too!

 
 Wishing all of you a remarkable week blooming with possibility!

Illustrating my point of view............

  Once upon a time there were two brothers, Tweedledee and Tweedledum.  They were known around Wonderland and were very easy to spot because they were twins. They always talked of battling one another but when push came to actual shove they never did enter in to true battle. Well what most people don't know is that these two had three other siblings....triplets to be exact. They were a shy group thus they were not seen much around Wonderland until someone needed tea brewed, mushrooms maintained or deliveries of sweet confections of all sorts or deliveries of supplies..... then you may see one of them. 

Inspired by movie stills from the new Alice in Wonderland film coming out, inspired by my general love for the story of Alice in Wonderland and due to the fact that the Tweedles are much overlooked characters.......my mind began thinking.

This is ©Tweedletea. He LOVES to brew a good pot and has been known to experiment with many ingredients throughout Wonderland. It is Tweedletea that the Mad Hatter calls upon to brew plenty of cups for his tea parties. (most people don't know that)

This is ©TweedleJump.  He is a mushroom tester for strength and durabilty throughout Wonderland. He spends his day jumping from one to another, climbing, jumping up and down. This assures there are no cracks, fissures, soft spots and generally unstable areas for anyone to light upon.

This is ©TweedleSweet.  She is very easy going and very supportive of her family. She uses her red wagon to tote things around Wonderland to assist TweedleTea and TweedleJump. She also bakes for parties, in fact her sweet confections are so well known around Wonderland that many a tea party has served them but she asked to remain anonymous.

These Tweedle siblings were hand drawn, digitally colored and then hand outlined with a fine black pen.  They will be part of some illustrations I will be introducing to my Etsy shop as 8x10 prints in the near future.

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT:

He was half man/half horse, she was a fairy who had lost her wings. With the loss of her wings she felt helpless and weak and would sit in the split of a tree trunk and weep. He was strong yet gentle and wandered the forest aiding all creatures large and small.

He approached her. She looked up at him. She could barely stand. He knelt down so she could climb up. She took the blanket he wore, put it across her lap and leaned against his back as twilight fell.

The only stars to appear were two.....one landing on his hand and one landing on hers. The sparks betweeen those stars began to fill the night sky.

They each made a wish.

And that's where the story begins...........

 
©"When You Wish Upon a Love"

This is a hand drawn illustration, digitally colored and then hand outlined in a fine black pen. It will also be offered as an 8x10 print in my shoppe in the near future.

I have other illustrations I've done in the past as well as those still in my head yet to be fleshed out - I hope to be able to translate them in to other design mediums, including fabric related projects....as well as prints.

I hope you enjoyed this sneak peek.

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ONE WEEK from today it all begins. One World One Heart. Remember you do NOT need to send me your blog link or let me know NOW if you are participating. Beginning next Monday you will post your giveaway that is apart of OWOH ONLY and email me the link to THAT post. Read all about it HERE. 

The list of Magic Carpet Ticket Holders will be right here on my blog in the right sidebar starting next Monday. Like last year they will be added first come first serve - they will be numbered, NOT in alphabetical order.  I have a sneaking feeling the numbers will be in the 4 digits by the time it's over!!  Sleep? Who needs sleep? ;) I do know I have a few people who have my back in case I misnumber or add something twice, man am I grateful for that!

Love,

Lisa

XOXO

 

Photography and the Unexpected.....

Sometimes it's not all about me here on my blog, sometimes it's nice to recognize others who inspire and put you at awe. That is the case with my friend Jodee. Jodee and I reconnected through Facebook, we went to high school together and I have always known her as someone smart, extremely funny and very sweet. What I didn't know about was her talent for taking photographs until I started seeing the ones she was posting on FB and then went to her Flickr site. OMG! She has an amazingly keen eye for everything from the ridiculous to the sublime.........the ordinary to the extraordinary.  Her photo's color,content and subject matter take on a new vision through her eyes....some things most would just walk on by she STOPS. Jodee SEES something from behind the lens and her snaps showcase her ability to have found beauty in even the hood of a car.

 
    
I love photography, I appreciate photos that take me some where in my imagination or make me take a breathe in because they may be haunting or sentimental or just plain beautiful. I aspire to take better photographs, to learn the ins and outs of not only what my camera can do but in capturing something without walking by it. This Saturday I will be in a full days photo workshop (with a professional) to learn more of what my camera can do...and therefore what more I can do to take a better photo. I want my blog to have photos and more photos.......of everything! BUT this post isn't about me.........

The photos throughout THIS post were all taken by Jodee. I chose radomly from her Flickr site to show you just how beautiful they are. The one of the tree (above) makes me want to go there for a lovely picnic,sketching and just breathing.

Her photos not only capture the essence of a "scene" but also the color and in that mere snippet  beauty lies.

 
Jodee lives in a part of Northern California where it's quite beautiful. Trees, river, a quaint downtown. She merely has to take a walk to find those moments that stop her in her tracks and start snapping photos. Many of her photos on Flickr have a story of how it came to be or where it was taken or if she used Photoshop to enhance, which she does occasionally, but MOST ALL are right out of the camera.(and she notes that)

Photography captures moments in time......they forever stand still to revist and remember. There is an intuitiveness about her photos and a deep soul who sees with more than just her lens.  I find with each one you could create a story, using your imagination to make up scenarios and even characters.

Like the photo above, she tells you on Flickr what happened as she was taking photos of this fabulous Schwinn bike with the hankie on the handlebars. Had she not I could easily have used my imagination to create an entire story around that bike with the hankie. Some may have walked right by this scene.....Jodee STOPPED!

From haunting........

to a leafy smile face (unposed).....

Jodee has that "eye".

NOW....... I haven't told you the MOST extraordinary part of her fabulous photography.....Jodee doesn't use a high resolution, complex, many mega pixel digital camera with changeable lenses. She doesn't use a regular SLR camera either. She doesn't use a point and shoot mini digital camera or an old Brownie or a polaroid either. No, No, No....no standard camera at all.

You see ALL of these photos and the ones you'll see on her Flickr site were taken with an......

APPLE IPHONE!

in her own words:

"There have been a lot of questions (as well as some skepticism voiced) with regard to whether my photos are, in fact, taken with my phone. I swear, on my mother's ashes, that each and every photo posted here is taken with an iPhone (with the exception of some of my most recent posts of stuff done with textures and other people's images, which will obviously not have the "iPhone" tag). But the majority of my posts are pics taken with my iPhone. 100% GUARANTEED. As far as post processing is concerned...yes, there IS some post processing involved. But only a minimal, and what I consider a necessary amount in order to restore some of the original information (i.e. QUALITY ~ that is, how I actually saw the image at the moment I shot it). Information that is lost during the transfer of the photo from the phone to the computer. I use Photoshop to make these corrections. And I RARELY crop my photos. Normally what you see is what I originally snapped."

 This works for her and it works for those who look at her photos. It goes to show that at the end of the day it's not always about the equipment a photographer uses - it's the person behind that camera who has the ability to SEE and CAPTURE moments at the right time, in the right light and with the right EYE.

Jodee and her phone make a great team, don't you think?

 
Go HERE to see her entire collection.  Jodee doesn't have a blog.

Sometimes it's nice to celebrate others, those who don't expect it or ask for it. Sometimes it's nice to know that what someone is doing touches others, makes a difference and inspires. Sometimes it's nice to talk about someone else other than oneself for a change......and it's always nice to reconnect with old friends!

If someone inspires you....if someone makes you FEEL something by their work or words or deeds or generosity or friendship, whatever it may be...........take a moment and write about them. Often times we just assume people know things when, in fact, they don't. To verbalize appreciation goes a heck of a long way in letting that person know YOU NOTICED what they do...like a big, warm hug.  Think about it.

I plan to do just that by once a month devoting a post to someone else. For whatever reason.

Much Love, Lisa

 

Go out and make it a fabulous day..........

 

A renewed relationship, a new baby and time going backwards....

See this adorable boy?


That is my nephew when he was 3 years old. Oh that face......those eyes that disappeared when he laughed......they still do. 
Although we'd been close over the years....in the last couple of years we've been out of touch (much to my sadness) but recently he contacted me in a very loving way and I have been over the moon ever since!
He also had news that he and his lovely wife are expecting their first child come November ............and again..........I have been over the moon! BohoMan and I both are completely overjoyed.

Yesterday he called to let us know it's going to be a BOY! They are so thrilled and excited and he is already a mush about this baby(it's so cute).........I know they are going to be great parents!  I am SO happy and thrilled we get to be a part of this journey, I almost feel like it's a grandchild not a great nephew that's coming.
Sadly they live out of state but luckily with email and phone we can be kept apprised of all the progress and come the first part of next year (after they've had time to settle in with the wee fella) we'll be flying out there.
I cannot express to you what this has all meant to me..........meant to us. We dearly love this guy and to have him back in our lives is beyond words.

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On a different subject a trip to Michael's (with my coupon in hand for a specific item) resulted in a complete turn around. As I was walking down an aisle I just happened to glance up and saw this on the very top shelf. I looked about but it was the only one so I called a clerk over who went for a ladder and I knew I had to have it the minute she handed it to down to me. Like a blank canvas it's calling out for imagination!

A  doll house.

I told BohoMan the way I reacted to it there may be a chance I am regressing....hahahahaha! He laughed and said pretty soon I'll be 5 years old and he'll be holding my hand saying "come on now, let's go" to which I'd respond "NO, I DON'T want to". 
Could he be right?
I have plans in mind......a cottage perhaps.....a whimisical cottage where some things aren't as they seem! It first needs windows and some shingles on the roof. I also bought wood trim for it as well as some paint. I'm taking it slow though so it comes together just right.
It got me to thinking it could be perfect for the sisters.

BUT when I gathered them together Fia was missing.
She's the one on the far left with the dark hair in the above photo....and she's MISSING!!!! I have searched everywhere and now have put out an ADB on her (All Doll Bulletin). I cannot imagine where she could be, she's  the one who keeps all the sisters together, she's the artist among the group. She starred in the Halloween Party story last year. She is admittedly my favorite!!
The search is on!

Is it possible I'm like Benjamin Button??
HA!

I'll let you know about Fia and will show you the dollhouse when it's complete.
In the meantime how is it humanly possible it is JULY already? While at Michael's one of the clerks was putting out all the Halloween stuff down one aisle........I actually stopped and said to him ........ "you've got to be kidding!!!"
Please, time goes by fast enough as it is! If I see ONE Christmas item before summer is over I am going to SCREAM!

I am still working bit by bit on things around here.....I purged so many shoes and I'm not even done yet. WHY do we keep things we NEVER wear?
In between I've been redoing my blog and banner a bit, I like it I think.....for now. *wink wink*

Hope you're all having a lovely week!

Love,
Lisa
XOXOXOXO

There are so many hearts of gold in Blogland - these are but 2

See this lovely face peeking out...........this is Monica of Girl Gone Thread Wild. Monica has a giving heart the size of the state she lives in.   Monica has ideas and Monica makes them happen.......and all her ideas benefit others. Her enthusiasm for these endeavors is catchy and you can't help wanting to jump on her wagon.  You can't help but feel her pride swell when so many want to take part or help or bid or leave her a supportive comment.
Monica makes things happen!
Remember the Pink Artist Doll called "Love Squared"?
Artists from everywhere sent her 2"x2" squares with the theme of pink and fighting breast cancer. She fashioned those treasures in to an exquisite doll that was featured in Art Doll Quarterly and later auctioned off (with other art donated by various artists)  in support of Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
BUT when that was done she wasn't.........oh no not Monica!
She had many left overs of those wee squares and asked several people (including myself) if they would make a 10"x10" quilt block in any design they wanted but include the squares she'd send us in some way. 
NOW.......in the inaugural issue of a new Stampington publication called Art Quilting Studio (hitting stands on June 1 I believe) these quilt blocks and an article are featured.
Another dream of this kind heart realized....she now has all the quilt blocks back and will be sewing them together in a wall hanging to be auctioned off July 31 thru September 1.....further benefiting Susan G. Komen for the cure.
Monica thinks of others.......I can almost see the wheels go round in her lovely mind of who can we help next?!
Well there is a next.........this time a campaign to protest the horrific murders of women in Juarez, Mexico. Please click here for her call to this cause.

I haven't received my issue of the new magazine yet but my dear friend Vanessa did. I received an excited and wonderful call from her when she got hers because not only was she also a participant and proud as me to partake....but (I am not boasting here at all) the pic of my square was on the first page. Now that's a good friend!!!!
She scanned these images so I could see and subsequently emailed them to Monica who hasn't received her copy yet either. :(
We are all thrilled and excited that yet another project, another vision of sweet Monica is happening again. You can't help but feel pride in being even the tiniest part of her vision....her heart!  Way to go Monica!

I feel SO honored!

That's Vanessa's beautiful square first one in row 2.


Look at that stack of deliciousness, I can't wait to see the finished art quilt!

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And there's someone else

...............if you don't know who Bernie Berlin and her "A Place to BarK" you can click on the link.  Bernie is another amazing soul who gives all she has to the rescue of dogs and cats for certain demise.  Read her stories, watch her videos, to know what it takes to further her quest for a safe haven and eventual placement of these beloved animals.  If you Twitter  follow Animal Planet today and request they do a reality TV show of her and her shelter.  Bernie needs grants and money to keep her dream alive, to have the proper facilities, build more shelters, feed, vet bills, equipment and more.  A show would not only bring attention to her facility but also earn her money to keep it growing and thriving.  She, like Monica, has a huge heart for giving. Bernie's belongs to all those 4 legged "babies" she works hard to get thriving again. This request isn't about Bernie in any way or her desire to be a TV personality..........A Place to Bark needs this......it needs funding to keep it going. Her love knows no bounds and since it's up to us humans and if you love animals, if you've ever adopted an animal..........you know how essential what she is doing is.
This is her passion and all those dogs she has placed in loving homes are happy now because of her efforts.........her lack of sleep......her love for them!!
There is a place on her right side bar on her blog where you can make donations OR there is an address where to send much needed items.
Think about it the next time you look in to your pets eyes, especially if you adopted that pet..........there by the grace of people like Bernie Berlin is your 4-legged family member!
 

Oh the wonderful, giving, generous people you find in Blogland...........they take your breath away. They make you want to be a better person.  They lead by example.
I honor 2 of them today!



Love,
Lisa
XOXOXO