Joyful Purpose

We have a Winner!

The WINNER of the Hand of Grace Necklace is ..... CLAIRE!

13 days of Halloween/12 days of Xmas Swaps!

I just finished looking at the Somerset Holidays book and was
inspried to create a few new swaps -

" THE 13 dAYS OF hALLOWEEN" . 

This is how it works - you create 13 of the same thing - halloween themed -
check out the book for great ideas -
http://stampington.com/html/holidays_celebrations.html
think, ornaments, dolls, boxes, bottles etc. on the small side.

Then you will send them to me by Oct. 1. I will then package up 13
little goodies for each of you and send them out in time to
celebrate Halloween!

Cost: will be 10.00 which is for packaging and shipping

This is limited to the first 12 (1 SPOT LEFT ) participants only!

12 days of Christmas

CLOSED!

(WAIT LISTED)

due to me by Nov. 10 - same game!

If you want to sign up let me know ASAP as spots are VERY limited!

p.s.  There are a few spots left in the Holiday Cookbook Journal as a few people dropped out so Let me know right away if you want to get in on that one too!

Email me at g.armfield@yahoo.com ASAP if you want to Play!

You can't keep it unless you give it away- Give Away!

  They say you can't keep it unless you give it away! So I am! I feel like I have had so much support (so many helping hands if you will) on this journey of mine from all of you that I want to give something back.  That said I have created this hand of grace necklace to give away to one lucky soul.  Make a comment about how art has healed or continues to heal your life by the end of Sunday.  Monday morning I will announce the winner.  Be grateful. Be gracious. Be blessed.

I am so blessed

I cannot begin to tell you the flooding of emotion as I opened up this package from my oldest and dearest friend Denise.  She had called me and told me that I needed to watch the mail  box.  So I opened this package to find a Van Gogh note card box - "Oh that is nice some cute note cards as a thank you after just spending the weekend together recently- so I opened them up to take a look and found a note inside telling me how much our friendship meant to her and that she wanted me to have this gift as a token of it.  The gift WAS NOT NOTE CARDS!  As I opened up the package I began to tremble as I recognized what it was - a hand crafted necklace by none other than my dear friend Nina - Denise knows the connection and love I share for Nina and had gone and purchased this lovely nest and twig necklace for me as a surprise.  It means so much when someone REALLY knows you- there are very few that do.  I cannot begin to explain what a treasure this gift is to me - a reminder of my years of friendship with Denise and my special bond with Nina - it makes the nest complete.  Denise, my treasured friend (who reads my blog daily and supports and encourages  all my artistic and altruistic endeavors)  I thank you from the bottom of my heart. BTW it hasn't left my neck!

Family Photo Alert!

My youngest son Payton turns six this week so we went to Disneyland for the weekend to celebrate.  We had a great time and I am always thinking - cherish these moments because before long they will no longer want to hug Mickey or Chip and Dale - yes, it is true they grow up in a blink of an eye.  I love my boys.

Passing the Time

What do I do to pass the time?  Draw Manga of course.  Yes, while I am flying on a plane, sitting anywhere passing time.  I draw manga.  It is relaxing for me - I know I am weird - but there is something very hypnotic and sooting about it.  Granted I do use xxxHolic (manga series that I love not to read mind you just the cover graphics by CLAMP - an all women group of manga artists) images as my source.  There is something about copying and coloring an image that relaxes me. I use Copic ink pens for the drawing and Copic markers for the color.  My brother Dino calls it my coloring book and in a way I guess it is.  Call it what you will - but it is a self soother for me.    

Serendipity

Stampington has just published an article in their enews letter Postscript about my work with Free Arts.  Check it out Here!  To read and see more about the Free Arts/Maryvale Journey click on the FREE ARTS catagory to the right

On the personal front - a big thank you to all of you who shared their loving thoughts and put me and my "Nan" in their prayers.  I must say that death brings a family together or drives them apart.  In this case the positive.  All of her children and all of her grandchildren were there to say goodbye to her.  We had 4 days of laughter and love before she went into hospice and was put on morphine for the pain.  Basically she is comfortable now and is on her transition to a peaceful place.  I can only hope that I am that lucky to have so many who love me be there when it is my time to pass on.

Joy and Sadness

 

Lets Start with the good news first ... here are some of the Maryvale Girl's canvases.  We started laying down our backgrounds on our canvases for the show this past week.  Personally I think they came out fabulously - I am so proud of them.  It will be interesting to see how they transform.

On a sadness note - My grandmother, 86, is in ICU with a stroke and they don't give her much time.  So I am flying back east tonight on the red eye in hopes that I will be able to say goodbye.  It is hard to see someone who was always so strong and independent in her life be disoriented, now paralyzed on one side and reduced to a prisoner in her own body.  I pray that she can go peacefully knowing that she was loved and with comfort that she can move forward in faith and be safe.

Recipe Journal Project Important Info

Holiday Recipe Art Journal Project is almost full.  If you want to participate please  go to the following Artjournalz Yahoo Group that I head take the following steps.

* The first twenty to sign up will be part of the project and the rest will go on  a waiting list *

1. Join the group
2. Go to the polls section and add your vote for the project - your name will then be added.
Details will follow.

Holiday Cookbook Journal Project

Its a Holiday Cookbook Journal Project!

What is it? 
A collaborative art journal that focuses on the winter holidays - think Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hannukah, etc. Where everyone sends in orig. pages - 5.5 x 8.5 - one of artwork using vintage holiday images like the one above and 1 page of a favorite recipe - these will be combined by little ole me into a book with extras then everyone will receive one.

What you need to do:
respond to me at g.armfield@yahoo.com and let me know you want to participate and I will send you all the details.

Limit:
20 artists which means 22 orig. pages due by Oct. 15th

UPDATED DETAILS:

Here are some details re: questions asked to clarify a few things - more info is always good!

pages - artwork on front - recipe on the back

quantity - 22 originals 

what you will receive back - a spiral bound, covered and embellished Holiday Cookbook *see example of latest Purpose Journal Project*

cost - 12.00 which includes shipping, handling and binding

If you want to participate let me know and I will send you the info to join in!