One World One Heart

This will be my first giveaway. I have 4 of the above Artist Trading Card to give away to 4 people.

If you are new to this, this is what you do. Just make a comment on this post and I will put your name in a drawing, that will take place on the 14th of February. I'll post the winners and will send you your prize.

Lisa's blog http://oneworldevent.blogspot.com/ is where all the bloggers that are participating are listed. Go take a look, join in the fun if you have a blog and visit with other bloggers for a chance to win.

Back Home

I am home from hospital
i am typing with my right hand slowly so you have to read this slowly lol
I am doing ok - still very tired and sore but i know it is early days yet and i have lots to get through yet but i am trying to be positive and looking forward and taking one day at a time.
I will know more - have results back - on thursday next week when i have an appt with the breast clinic - they will then decide on what will be done next.
I have received lots of mail over the past week - birthday cards, thinking of you cards and pages for my journal - promise i will acknowledge them all as soon as i can type faster and have a little more strength
all the loving thoughts and prayers have helped me so very much and thank you seems so inadequate to say but i say it with so much gratitude and love in my heart
ok time for a "nanna nap"
Cant wait to be able to get into my craft room and create again !!

Heartfelt Thanks

Heartfelt thanks to all who have sent messages of support to me and Happy birthday wishes too for Thursday.

I hope to be back at home by the weekend and will let everyone know how I am doing when I can.

Your kind thoughts, prayers and love mean so very much to me.

Hugs and love to you all.

Creating Little Works of Art is Fun

Creating little works of art is fun - ATCs are the perfect size to try out new techniques; new stamps or even cut into some of the paper that you have been hoarding !!
The ATCs above are some that I created today for swaps in the ATC Down Under group on yahoo that I set the themes for each month. January's swap themes are patterned paper, anything goes, inspirational quote and love.

Ladies Just Wanna Have Fun

well no art has been made for a few days but I have been trying to squeeze lots of things into the past few days.

Carol D and i had a crazy but lovely day yesterday-- She was crowned Queen of our Red Hat Group and I had my redulation ( changing from a Pink Hatter to Red Hatter on becoming 50 -my actual birthday is next week.)
Carol & I had no idea what the group had planned for us we were just to turn up and go along with whatever - however we decided to play up and surprise them. Originally we were going to dress up as a purple Barney and a purple Teletubbie but thought we better tone it down a little.
My redulation was in a playground going from a little girl ( pink Hatter ) to a Red Hatter then receiving my Red Hat from Carol.
We dressed Carol up in Purple tissue for the crowning .
If you would like to learn more about the Red hat Society which is worldwide please go to this web site below.
It was started in the USA 10 years ago this coming April and it is about women over 50 getting together and just having fun wearing red hats and purple outfits-you can join if you are under 50 but then you are a pink hatter and become a red one on reaching 50 - a new group has to register with the USA society to become a group. There are thousands of groups all over the world-- We call ourselves a disorganization and it is all about having fun and misbehaving gracefully
Here is a link to the USA society if you want to take a peek http://www.redhatsociety.com/
It was just the tonic I needed before my surgery next week - but i kind of overdid it - was exhausted last night and was in bed by 7pm .

Hopefully my muse will come out to play today !!!

My Muse has run away

Well I think my "muse" has taken a late Christmas vacation - because for the past couple of days, she is no where to be seen.
Guess I do have a valid "excuse" for my brain to be a little full of other "things" right now that my muse probably figured some time away to recharge her artistic batteries wouldnt be a "bad" thing right now.

Tomorrow marks the start of another "journey" in my life - I have a day of "pre admission" tests at the hospital in readiness for my admission on 23rd Jan and then surgery on 24th Jan for breast cancer. Sucks that the surgery will be carried out on my 50th birthday BUT as a friend so wonderfully pointed out - I will be getting a very special birthday gift this year - the GIFT OF LIFE !!!

Pay It Forward Challenge

The Altered Diva http://alterediva.blogspot.com/
has invited everyone to take part in this Pay It Forward challenge. I too think this is a great idea and am willing to play! I will send a handmade gift/thingy/ something to the first 3 people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this ‘Pay It Forward’ exchange. I don’t know what that gift will be, and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within 365 days, that is my promise! And truthfully, it will most probably be later rather than sooner! The only thing you have to do in return is ‘Pay It Forward’ by making the same promise on your blog with a link back to me. So basically, if you comment, I’ll send you something crafty that I’ll make! Once you sign up, copy and paste the above paragraph on your blog, and three other lucky people will be recipients of your handmade work.You must post this on your blog to be eligible.

Enjoy every day

I had a lot going on today out in the "real world" and cut it a bit fine with my "make something everyday" resolution but once i got into my craft room tonight and started creating, I found it was so "freeing" and I started to relax. So I can highly recommend it to anyone who leads a stressful life - take up a craft hobby - make cards, splash some paint around on a canvas, just let yourself be immersed in the moment and HAVE SOME FUN!

Life is too short - enjoy every day and treasure your loved ones.

Sundays here already

I'm happy to say I am still keeping up with my Art Resolution of making at least one thing a day
heres a card i just finished - Happy birthday wording cut out with the craft robo.
I am going to do a tally up each week on a Sunday of what I have done art-wise during the week
so - drum roll please
as at Sunday 6 January for 2008
cards 10
Atcs 17
backgrounds 2

I so hope I can continue being able to make time in my life for making some art EVERYDAY. Its is so relaxing.

CHALLENGE YOURSELF

One thing I love to do is to challenge myself to step outside my comfy "art box" and try new things with my art - even if I think I can't do it. As long as I have fun and am happy with the outcome - that's the most important thing.
So today I got out my watercolour pencils and crayons, drawing pencils, pens and some ATC sized watercolour paper and "played".
I am just a beginner with trying out hand drawn ATCs but it is fun to try different things out.

So what "art challenges" are you going give yourself in 2008 ?
What would you try if you knew you couldn't "fail" ? And what's the definition of "failing" anyway - living up to someone else's standards ?
To me creating my particular style of art is living up to my own standards and no one elses.

Art Resolutions 2008

Anyone thought about making any Art Resolutions for 2008 ?

Heres mine:
1) To make something everyday during 2008.

So far so good - 4th January and I have achieved this resolution.

Heres the latest card I made today

2) To start using up some of my stash of lovely papers, stickers, rubons etc.

This one is taking some getting used to - I find it hard to actually USE some of the lovely papers etc I buy !!

3) To ink and up use every stamp I buy within 1 week of buying.

Used some stamps today I brought when I was in the States late last year.

4) To make at least 3 things out of every magazine i buy.

This could be a challenge but it will make me more aware of which magazines I really get my money's worth from.

5) To mail out more RAKs.

One mailed out already and also I just realised that the RAKs I send in my capacity as a Team Leader for the Letter Writing Team section of Soldiers Angels organisation count as RAKs too !!