One World, One Heart Giveaway Event

Hi, we're jumping in just a tad late having only just heard about it the day before it started!

We have several members of our group that are giving away some very nice items, and they'll be added as I gather them--each addition will be a separate giveaway!

1. from Cyn Richardson: ten 8.5 x 11 sheets of hand painted background paper--110lb cardstock in black and white, with a variety of colors added using a variety of techniques this image is a sample, the pages may be different.




2. From Carol Moore: a collage package from ARTzgirls, paper, and the large leaf bead and smaller ones from Blue Moon
3. From Lore Caldwell:

A Wee Muse Messenger

Enjoy this wee doll (she is only 4 1/2 inches tall) who brings you a message from your muse.

She can hang in your art space or be sewn to an art bag. I know you will think of something to do

with her!

In ART, Lore

4. From Lani Gerity: an art doll
5:--From Gioia Chilton: A six inch wrapped Spirit Bowl

6. From Barbara St. Jacques: Belly Dancer Art Doll - 11 " tall - Inspired by "Shifah", Crescent Dancer.

7. From Carolyn Hartley: A set of 8 Photo notecards with envelopes. The photo is of a natural cliff face near her home with amazing "faces"!

8. From Deb Gilchrist:

Beads and Baubles!

A treasure of 4 art glass beads in various shapes and sizes (the largest is approximately 1"), plus an assortment of small (approx. 6-8 mm) glass accent beads, also in a variety of shapes and sizes – all color coordinated in soft shades of lavender. Includes a rope and toggle starter pack (2 yards of jeweler's wire, crimp tubes, 3 toggle clasp sets), and a small bead sorting tray (not shown). Enough beads and baubles to add a necklace or a few bracelets to your springtime wardrobe.

Guardian Angel Swap over at my blog...

I'd like to do a Paper Puppet Angel swap so head over to my blog and read about it.

Want to go to Africa?

ATTENTION ARTS THERAPISTS!
PLEASE CONSIDER JOINING US IN EAST AFRICA THIS SUMMER TO
HELP INITIATE A THERAPEUTIC ARTS PROGRAM FOR CHILDREN!
Background
Global Alliance for Africa is a non-profit organization based in Chicago
(USA), Monrovia (Liberia), Nairobi (Kenya) and Arusha (Tanzania). GAA's
mission is to work in partnership with African organizations to improve the
lives of children in Africa who have been orphaned or otherwise made
vulnerable by the AIDS pandemic. In 2006, GAA initiated an arts program for
orphans and vulnerable children in Kenya and Tanzania. For the past three
years, groups of American artists, teachers and students have traveled to
East Africa with Global Alliance to visit arts programs and work closely
with African artists to plan and conduct an annual art camp for children.
Development of Therapeutic Arts Program

The staff of GAA are interested in developing an ongoing, multi-site
therapeutic arts program in East Africa that addresses the psychosocial and
vocational needs of children and their caregivers.

In the summer of 2009 a small group of arts therapists from the U.S. will
join with arts facilitators in East Africa who are interested in developing
their skills and knowledge in relation to the therapeutic applications of
the arts. Initially, the therapeutic arts group will join with approximately
15 American artists, students, and teachers who will travel with GAA to
participate in the annual art camps for children. This combined group of
artists, teachers, students, art therapists, and arts facilitators from the
U.S. and East Africa will work with children in the Kibera Slum of Nairobi,
Kenya, Naivasha (Central Kenya), Lwak (Western Kenya), and Arusha, Tanzania.

The group will then gather at Bagomoyo College of Art in Tanzania, on the
coast of the Indian Ocean, to work and study together on the topic of
therapeutic applications of the arts. The trainings will be facilitated by
Cathy Moon, the Chair of the Art Therapy Department at the School of the Art
Institute of Chicago (SAIC) and Angela Lyonsmith, art therapy faculty member
at SAIC and art therapist in private practice. The trainings will be
structured as an exchange of cultural and professional knowledge, with the
goal of initiating therapeutic arts programs in the East African context.

Trip Details

Tentative dates: July 7-25
Approximate cost of trip: $4,500 (Includes airfare, ground transportation,
accommodations, and some meals).
Deposit of $2000.00 due January 15 to secure flight reservations; a payment
of $1,500 is due March 1, and $1,000 due by April 1
Trip organized through Global Alliance for Africa,
www.globalallianceafrica.org
Questions about Global Alliance for Africa or travel details? Contact Linda
Stolz, Program Officer for Educational Initiatives,
lstolz@globalallianceafrica.org.
Questions about development of therapeutic arts program and educational /
cultural exchange? Contact Cathy Moon, cathyhylandmoon@comcast.net.

EAST AFRICA SUMMER 2009 * HOPE YOU CAN JOIN US!

Secret Offer for 14 Secrets

I'll be starting up the next rounds of The Artists' Happiness Challenge on the 12th of January and The Artist's Healing Journey on the 26th of January.) Do you feel like your life could bear a little more happiness? A little more healing? You can read the details here. And here's the secret: I'm offering 50% off in both courses for blog readers. Just let me know you read the fine print here!

Victoria Rabinowe's book...

Image from Victoria Rabinowe's newly published book.

I don't know if you all know Victoria Rabinowe's work (she's a book-artist, regular artist who loves dreams, and started off in life as a puppet-maker), but I just read this book (see below) and it's lovely, strange, disturbing, and wonderful. Er, a little like a dream...
I very much recommend it! She's got a very intriguing and inspiring way of working with dreams!!!

(Some of her work is similar to some of Lore's work)

I HAD THE CRAZIEST DREAM LAST NIGHT
Twelve Creative Explorations into the Genius of the NightMind


Written & Illustrated by Victoria Rabinowe
Book Design by Sean Wells

In her distinctive book I Had the Craziest Dream Last Night,
Victoria Rabinowe has created a truly unique visual aid
to helping dreamers feel liberated and empowered in exploring their dreaming imagery.
She encourages the viewer to undertake their own creative forays
to capture the mysterious adventures we experience, and the nocturnal landscapes to which we all journey, each night.
She then provides some very useful guidelines to help sort out, classify, and process the contents
of the rich cornucopia of material discovered by the dreamer.

Robert L. Van de Castle Ph. D.
Professor Emeritus University of Virginia Health Sciences Center
Author of Our Dreaming Mind , Co- author( with Calvin Hall) of The Content Analysis of Dreams
Go to her website to get "Crazy" before it is in book stores!

A Paper Puppet Angel

A friend of mine, Jhan Groom, sent me this beautiful paper puppet angel. I thought you all might like to see it and read the description.

Jhan says

I started to make her as part of a card and realized that she was just too good to give away and needed to be part of my paper puppets group. Her dress and sleeves are made from a picture of water, and her overdress, wings, halo etc (and this really pleases me) are made from a picture of a cathedral in Europe.

I say "Wow!! So beautiful!!!" What do you all think? Wouldn't it make a great swap?

Happy 2009

The names are chosen for the give-away draw. I'll be contacting you via email or via your blog.
For those of you who did not win, remember there's plenty of happiness and good stuff on this blog, my website, my blog, and the 14 Secrets group so stop by and say hello.
The new Resilience and Art course will start on the 19th of January, the Happiness Challenge will be starting on January 12 and the Healing Journey starts on the 26th of January. If you didn't win a spot in the last two, feel free to join us anyway, the cost is small & benefit is huge. Information is here. If you are interested in Resilience and Art stay tuned, and I'll let you know when you can join!
Have a safe, happy New Year!