Artists' World- Another Feast for the Senses

The crazily-amazing Lisa Kettell (she of soon-to-be-published book fame) and a gazillion other blogs and venues, such as The Faerie Zine, Moonfaires World, EFFA, Etsy, Flickr and more, has now created Artists' World http://artistsworldu.blogspot.com/. Can you spot my piece of artwork included in the new blog's banner? Hint: Meow.

Lisa created this as a gathering spot for fellow artists to blog about their works, share marketing ideas, suggestions or just warm fuzzies, but as a public blog, anyone can enjoy the fabulous eye candy.

In another supportive endeavor, the wonderful Sadie Lou of Sadie Lou Who on etsy and Flickr http://craftilyeverafter.blogspot.com/ has created an Etsy Cottage Style Street Team (CSST) to collectively market and promote the works of cottage style artists. Street Team members (like moi) and general members can use CSST in their Etsy listings to benefit from the combined talent and reputation of this fine group of artists. And likewise, Lynn from The Rose Cottage http://therosecottage.blogspot.com/ started a wonderful private network on Ning.com for the street team and cottage sellers on etsy. So much supportive action right now! Couldn't have anything to do with the ebay furor, could it?

And just in case I don't have enough to do, I got promoted to moderator at the Yahoo! Blythe group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Arte_du_Blythe/ which I pretty much asked for, because I am eager to be a part of a fat book dedicated to Blythe. This wonderful group was started by respected artists Heather Simpson-Bluhm and Shoshannah Jennings, she of Hannah Grey fame.

Blythe artists or artists interested in Blythe or willing to get interested should visit this group and consider joining! Lots of fun planned, and perhaps a fundraiser for the wonderful fellow artist Bernie Berlin of A Place to Bark http://aplacetobark.blogspot.com/. Bernie is the author of one of the bibles of ATCs as well as the founder and tireless worker at this no kill animal rescue and rehabilitation site. She recently fared well in Parade magazine's voting to award grants, but the need for money is great and never-ending. Check out her blog, and grab the tissues.

Valentine's Swapping Busy-ness

Valentine's Day is such a perfect time for swapping with art friends! First of all, so many of us like pink, glitter, foo-foo, frou-frou, lace, sequins and anything else girly and over-the-top, and for this event we can really pile it on. Victorian images are also appropriate, as are children, animals, fairies, hearts, angels and more.

So it was no stretch to complete a dozen valentine ATCs for ATC World on Yahoo! There are six 'My Funny Valentine' cards and six "Vintage Valentine Collage' cards. Then, I made three embellished dresses for The Faerie Zine Vintage Valentine Swap, and the jar fairy is my January contribution to the Shabby Cottage Studio Design Team assignment http://www.shabbycottagestudio.com, using a collage sheet from SCS for the clown/cupid/fairy inside. Everyone needs at least one captured fairy. Don't worry; they don't mind being captured. Some images above by me and thanks to the following for other images: Shabby Cottage Studio, Paula's Kit Club, Sea Dream Studio, Stampington templates, spark*your*imagination, and the late Murphy L. Smith. Can't wait to get my swap exchanges back!

A Booknique Page Swap!

Can you believe this detailed and intricate page I received from fellow ebay BkNq "booknique" member Bethany 'Betty' Miller of Beloit, WI. The "Butterfly wings" is the front, and "school memories" is on the back. The little books come out of the pocket, and the math folder opens to reveal tiny notebook paper. So cute! The entire page is six inches by six inches.

Booknique is an ebay and Yahoo! group dedicated to the art of altered books, pages and journals with uniform sizes so the pages can be collected, purchased on ebay, traded, etc., and eventually bound in a collective "fat" book. Can't show you what I made to send in return. Yet!

Blossoms for a Cure

Blossoms
Originally uploaded by annulla

Another gorgeous photo to share by Annulla from Flickr's Passionately Pink for the Cure. Don't miss out- this is an absolutely beautiful and inspiring photo log to behold. Only six days into the month, and we are already at 40% of our goal to post 50,000 photos, for which Yahoo! will donate $50,000 to Komen for the Cure. It's impossible not to be moved by this display of community by strangers with a common desire. Check the link in the post below.

Support Passionately Pink for a Cure

loop-di-loop
Originally uploaded by PositiveVibrations

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Yahoo! is donating $1 to Komen for the Cure for each pink photo added to this pool: http://www.flickr.com/groups/passionatelypinkforthecure/
up to $50k to be exact. The photo collection is stunning. This is a close-up photo of grevillea by PositiveVibrations.

Susan G. Komen for the Cure was formed by
Nancy G. Brinker who promised her dying sister, Susan G. Komen, that she would do everything in her power to end breast cancer forever.

In 1982, that promise became Susan G. Komen for the Cure and launched the global breast cancer movement. Today, Komen for the Cure is the world's largest grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists fighting to save lives, empower people, ensure quality care for all and energize science to find the cures.

Thanks to events like Passionately Pink for the Cure, Komen for the Cure has invested nearly $1 billion to fulfill the promise, becoming the largest source of nonprofit funds dedicated to the fight against breast cancer in the world.


In just five days there are already 6,027 members of this group as I write and nearly 19,000 photos already uploaded. More are being added literally every minute.