400th blog post - an an art giveaway

Normally, I hate rainy days. I don't like how dark and damp and cold my house gets. I hate venturing out through puddles, saddled with an umbrella that never works right. Walking Max is monumental chore in the rain, since he can't hold his own umbrella and he hates getting wet. And rainy days are synonymous with bad hair days in my world...

But it was drought-like in Upstate NY until the beginning of June, when it poured buckets, and for once I embraced a dark, damp day by curling up on my sofa with Max, a cup of coffee, an an overdose of HGTV. I also turned on my beeswax pot, and made a few little 5 x 5 beeswax collages...

Here they are:




Which brings me to my blog giveaway!

#1 my heart, thy heart
#2 twilight comes
#3 garden fairie

Just leave a comment telling me what you like about rainy days - and also rank from 1-3 which of these pieces you would like to receive if you win. On Monday, June 21, (the longest day of the year!!) I will pull three names at random as the recipients. The first name chosen will get their first choice, and I will try to honor your choice if you're second or third, based on what's left. I will announce the three winners on June 22, and ask you to contact me via email with your mailing address.

FYI, for those of you who've participated in past giveaways, I have learned a lot during my 400 blog posts - and one thing I've finally learned is to have the giveaway items wrapped & ready to go BEFORE offering the giveaway (I was not always so efficient!!). So these pieces are ready and waiting for mailing addresses and I promise you will not wait ages to receive them if you win.

I want to thank you all so much for visiting, and sharing your thoughts and support and inspiration with me.

And the winner is...

La Dolce Vita! Congratulations, Caterina. I've sent your email address to my contact at CSN stores and they will be sending you an online store gift certificate worth $50 toward any of their merchandise.

And, funny how things work - I promised that post number 400 would be a handmade giveaway... forgetting that the next post would be this announcement...BUT in a strange twist of fate, I didn't know that blogger counts blog "drafts" as posts...so this post is actually number 399, and my next post -- number 400 will be my handmade giveaway tomorrow... so stay tuned!!!

FYI - This digital collage was inspired by Caterina's favorite thing about summer (and definitly one of mine)...the color GREEN!!!

Giving thanks...

Among the many, many blessings that my family and I will give thanks for this year is my niece Avery, who has been home now for a month. She now has a new heart, and we have renewed hope for her future and endless gratitude to her donor family, for the most amazing gift our family could ever receive.

We are looking forward to a day of love, laughter, celebration and most of all, gratitude tomorrow, and I wish you all the same!!!

Here are the most recent photos of Avery, home one month (no more tubes, and two missing teeth!).

Happy thanksgiving.

AVERY...HOME SWEET HOME!!!!!

She's home!!!!!

Her first words upon entering the house were "Mommy, I'm home," followed by an immediate run to the goldfish bowl, where Gigi the goldfish, and Daddy #2 (the replacement for Daddy #1) were happily swimming. "Wow, Daddy's big!" she observed. As though suspecting that something was up, she rummaged through a drawer and pulled out a pair of binoculars to get a closer look.

When I called last night, she was not taking calls, as she ran from room to room, thrilled to be home at last.

I've said this before, but words are really inadequate to express the gratitude my family and I feel for all of you who have shared your thoughts and prayers and good wishes and gifts with Avery and all of us. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.

AND THE WINNER...

OF THE GRATITUDE GIVEAWAY IS...
DJ - !!!!
In addition to what was in the box when I posted the original giveaway picture, I am also including a small mixed-media piece that I have created recently (but not yet posted). I have sent an email requesting your mailing address DJ!

Enough --
10 x 10 mixed media: spackle, acrylic paint & collage on canvas


Thank you all for leaving such wonderful comments about all for which you are grateful. Not surprisingly, family, friends, good health and this amazing blogging community were among the many things we do not take for granted. That many of you also mentioned my blog meant a great deal to me. I blog for so many reasons, and from the beginning, I was unprepared for how rewarding this would be on a personal level -- sharing some of my art and observations and getting so much in return from each of you. Your comments, your blogs, your enthusiasm, your art...I could go on and on. I am grateful for the technology that makes this big ol' world smaller and more intimate than I would have expected when I began this journey.

For this reason, I chose a second name as a runner-up who will also receive a small mixed-media piece that I have created recently. (I made a lot of art this weekend!) And that winner is... SAUCY CHICK SHERRY...
And I have to say, I was thrilled to choose your name Sherry, as you mentioned in your comment that mine was the first blog you ever viewed -- but more remarkably, that you have continued to return all this time. Wow. I an so humbled by this. Thank you! Sherry - please email me at kerri.posson@nysna.org with your address so that I can send your art piece.

Stay tuned...
Later this week I will be sharing a new journal project in which I am involved. It's based on a brand new book by my creative coach, and it promises to be a great adventure!!

Gratitude giveaway!!

As a follow-up to yesterday's post about my gratitude journal, I decided to assemble a box of goodies* for one lucky blog reader. Among the many things I am grateful for is the fact that anyone bothers at all to stop in and read this thing, so I want to say thanks to all of you. Just leave a comment about something for which you are grateful between now and 5 pm on Thursday, March 12.
On Friday, March 13, with much fanfare and probably some wine, I will ask a friend to pull a name out of a hat or shoe or something, and I will post the name of the winner, and arrange for shipment. ...I will probably add a few things between now and then too!
If you are unable to leave a comment, feel free to email me. My email address can be found by clicking the link at the right for "View my complete profile" and then clicking the email link.

*So far, the box includes a set of rubber stamps by Hero Arts, a fleece throw, a handmade memo board with easel, incense, chopsticks, and an assortment of art & craft supplies.

A glimpse of gratitude

Here is a glimpse of my first gratitude journal, which is almost full. What a great feeling to have a book full of gratitude!
It was so satisfying and therapeutic to keep this journal as it made me look back on each day, even the not so fabulous ones, and find the good parts...and there were always good parts, even in the midst of worry and stress and occasional heartache. I found that there are always dozens of things to be grateful for in an ordinary day, and ending even a bad day by trying to find the best parts meant that I took good thoughts with me into slumber...which in turn would carry forth to the next day.

This particular journal began as an altered book. It was an old book, so the spine is wonky and I had to glue groups of pages together for stability. I also began by embellishing each page with just a bit of art -- mostly paints, rubber stamps, doodles and decorative borders. Just enough color and texture so that picking it up is a celebration of sight and touch. It invites gratitude, I think. If you've been wanting to venture into the world of journaling, but want to start with small steps, I encourage you to begin with a gratitude journal. It's remarkably easy and uplifting. I like altered books as journals because the pages are already filled and I find the text-filled backgrounds less intimidating than plain white pages, but just pick a book (or make a book) that feels good to you. I don't impose too many rules for myself when I embark on this kind of project. I didn't have a set number of items for which I should be grateful, and I didn't do it everyday. Some days I was just bubbling over with gratitiude - like when my niece was on the mend from her recent surgeries. Other days I did it because my day had seemed so awful, and I wanted to pull myself out of a bad mood -- and it worked every time. Consciously reminding myself of my blessings made them multiply, it seemed. Really, I was just making myself more aware - it was a great exercise in living more joyfully.

Never borrow trouble...

...imaginary things are harder to bear than real ones.

I don't know who to credit with this quote, but I found it in the sidebar of a book I am reading and it has kept me grounded these past few days. My reality is a wealth beyond measure of amazing friends and family, (and blog readers - thank you!!) a great little home, good health and of course, Max the wunder-schnauzer to name just the highlights. My imaginary worries got the best of me last week - worries about the future, which, if you really think about it, is imaginary. There is no other moment than now. So now is where I am living today.

And speaking of now, I am now the proud owner of a trunk-turned-coffee-table, which I found for a steal while antiquing with a girlfriend this weekend. I am hoping it holds up better than the checkerboard table, though I have yet to test it on my family. It looks pretty durable, but I haven't dropped a 220-pound man on top of it yet. If I do, you'll be the first to know!

Gratitude...

The heartbeat of our family is my niece Avery, who, as I began this post, was undergoing her fourth open heart surgery to repair a congenital defect (hypoplastic left heart syndrome). She is a constant reminder to all of us of what is truly important in life, and what is not. She is a gift, a balm, a constant source of hope, and strength and unconditional love. If I am feeling angry, or petty or in any way less than charitable, I have only to think of her to set me back on the right path.

She is now out of surgery, and reports from my sister and her surgeon confirm that she has done amazingly well and her "stats" are excellent. She will need to be sedated for several days as she begins to heal, so if you read this post, please say a prayer, think a happy thought, hug a loved one -- for Avery!