It had so long since I hosted a craft night, so when my best friend, Angela, suggested that we have one, I was in! I did a few before Izzy was born, and, now that she's getting older and I'm getting a hang of this whole mommy thing, I couldn't wait to get them started again. A recent trip to Dillard's inspired our craft for the night -- feather headbands. The one I fancied at Dillard's was $88! Surely, we could make some equally as stylish for the fraction of the cost.
To set us up for success, I gathered the appropriate materials:
Ample Snacks and Wine
Plenty of Feathers and Headbands
There is just something to be said about gathering around a table full of craft supplies and envisioning the possibilities for creating something new and fun. Plus, it's just nice to relax, sip wine, and create with a friend.
After we made our feather headbands, we began making flower headbands and pins, too. We were on a roll!
At the end of the night, we had so many new goodies to wear. It was just what the doctor ordered.
"Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop."
Yesterday, I spent the day in Greenville visiting my sister and my sweet baby nephew, Brady. It's been three months since he was born, and my sister has been right by his side, everyday, as he recuperates in the hospital. He has had more complications than we expected, but we are all very hopeful that he will be going home soon.
As you can imagine, spending that much time away from home can be difficult, but my sister has shown an amazing amount of strength during this whole experience. I have witnessed more acts of kindness from the community and support from family and friends, that I know it has made some of the stress and worry of Brady's situation subside for my sister and her family. She has grown to know nothing else over the course of these few months but to be the best mother she can be for Brady. And I know that the excellent care and amazing skill of the hospital staff on the PICU floor has truly enabled her to do that as well.
I think it is Barbara's complete devotion to Brady and her determination to be an advocate for his treatment that has made her a favorite among the nursing staff on the PICU floor. Time and time again I hear the nurses tell my sister that she is a breath of fresh air. They work in a world where not every parent cares; they witness some horrendous crimes against children that cause them to be patients on the PICU floor. So to see someone who loves their child as much as Barbara loves Brady, I know it must give them hope.
To help pass her time in the hospital, the Child Life specialist has befriended my sister and has given her great activities to do during her visits with Brady. One of the most popular activities to date is pumpkin painting. It started off small with Barbara painting a pumpkin for Brady. But then she started getting requests from other patients and the nursing staff to paint pumpkins for them as well. So when I showed up yesterday, Barbara said, "Guess what we're doing today..." When she told me, I couldn't wait to get started.
Here are some of the pumpkins that were created:
Even though this journey with Brady has been a difficult one, I am so very thankful for the little moments and the happy celebrations that have made this journey for my sister and her family one of hope and love. Thank you to all who have kept my sister and her family in your thoughts and prayers.
As I go through the process of emerging as a bonafide artist, I sometimes have doubts about myself. Although I enjoy creating art, I wonder if what I create is enough. I'll be the first to admit that what I create doesn't push the boundaries of art by being risque or by making some kind of political or religious statement... at least, not at this point in my journey. I simply create to make something beautiful, pretty, and even cute. Typically, I like to create something girlie, colorful, and cheery as these are my subjects of choice.
Knowing this, my friend, Carlleena, who is also an artist going through her own creative journey, asked if I would paint something for her. I agreed as long as she would paint something for me as well -- we would have an art exchange of sorts. To give me some direction on what I would paint for her, I only asked that Carlleena give me two of her favorite colors and a verb she liked. She gave me turquoise, red, and inspire.
With just those three words, I began to paint. As I painted, I began to remember the good ol' days we had in high school. (It's been a very long time since I've seen Carlleena and a visit is long overdue, I know.) I knew I wanted to incorporate her sense of strength, adventure, and playfulness -- all traits that inspire those who know her. In the end, I ended up with this interpretation, using fluid acrylic paints, scrapbook paper, ink, and gloss gel medium.
I enjoyed the process so much, that I requested my fans on Facebook to give me two colors and a word they like. I received a lot of good suggestions so far... Now to find the time to execute them and, hopefully, have something to show soon.
"As the sun colors flowers, so does art color life."
My friend, Shannon, is taking advantage of her youth and traveling across the country as we speak to Sturgis, South Dakota. Why? To take part in the 70th anniversary Sturgis Rally of course. She will be spending a full week there, witnessing all of the fun and craziness that is rumored to come with biker rallies. Cue theme music, please...
Now, when you meet Shannon for the first time, you would never guess that she was a biker chick... And, well, she wasn't when I met her. But she has found a man that has really made her very happy, and he happens to enjoy riding a motorcycle. In fact, he belongs to a biker club known as JABG. Jim (the lucky man's name) has been able to share his love of the open road with Shannon, and she seems to really love it.
When she told everyone that she would be going to Sturgis for the biker rally, Shannon's mom, Cree, asked if I would help her with a surprise for Shannon. She wanted to give her something special for her trip. We put our heads together and came up with some design ideas for fashionable biker chick wear using thin strap tank tops.
The first tank top stencil design I drafted featured her destination, Sturgis. Our goal was to make her the envy of all the biker chicks there.
The second tank top stencil that was drafted was designed to make her an official member of the JABG.
The final tank top stencil drafted featured Shannon's childhood nickname (which I like to use even now). I figured it's better for a biker to have a nickname, no?
When Cree and I presented the tank tops to Shannon, she was so surprised and happy. (Yay!) I'm glad she'll be sporting my unique biker chick fashions at the rally. A girl has to look good while kicking @ss and taking names, right?
If you'd like to follow Shannon on her adventure, take a sneak peak of her travel blog here. I'm sure there are going to be some interesting tales for her to share. I hope she has a fantastic trip and comes home safely... maybe even with a tattoo or two. (Just kidding, Cree.)
"We wander for distraction, but we travel for fulfillment."
Nine months ago, my sister shared with me that she was going to have another baby. I was overjoyed and excited for her. I have such a strong emotional attachment to her daughter and love her with all my heart - that to add on to that love with another baby - I just couldn't be happier.
During her pregnancy, I was hungry for updates from her and devoured every snippet of news and every ultrasound I could get my hands on for the new baby. During around her 18 week ultrasound, she learned that she was going to have a boy... and she learned that he had a heart defect known as right atrial isomerism.
She was devastated.
As an older sister, I felt helpless. All I could do was cry with her and try to comfort her, but what could I say or do? All I could think was the worst and all I could hope for was the best.
After the initial shock of the news, I saw a side of my sister I had never seen before. After she mourned the idea of having a perfect child, she began to take charge of the situation by learning about the baby's condition and actively asking questions of the doctor and of the surgeon who would be attending to his care. The feedback that she would receive from the doctors was ever changing. Sometimes they would say that the baby had a 99% chance of surviving his first surgery, but then, at another check up, their estimate dropped down to 33%. It was an emotional roller coaster ride as the assessment of the baby's health changed at each visit.
We were hesitant to do the normal things you do when expecting a baby. Plans for a baby shower were postponed. But as it got closer to her due date, Barbara began preparing the baby's nursery and asked me to create a custom nursery display for his room. So, up until the day he was born, I created the following display for the baby:
Brady - that was the darling name she chose for him. I thought about Brady with every stitch I sewed and every stroke of paint I brushed. It was my way of helping her and sending good thoughts into the universe.
On July 19th at 3:32 p.m., Brady Charles Dauberman was born. I had the honor of being in the room during his birth, and it was the most amazing experience I had ever witnessed. My sister became a superhero in my eyes that day. And, just like the birth of her daughter, I fell in love with Brady. My heart overflowed with joy.
Brady has already undergone his first of many surgeries and is still in the hospital recuperating. Barbara has been right by his side, providing me with daily updates about his progress. Now that he is here, I can only for wish for him to have a speedy recovery so that he can be brought home and doted upon by the people who love him most. He will not have an easy life, but he will be loved and cherished. Until Barbara is able to bring sweet Brady home, please keep him in your thoughts and prayers.
I had the pleasure of doing some commissioned work for my friend, Angela. She wanted to give a special gift to a retiring principal in her circle of educators. She knew she wanted to give the principal something unique and special. After going through some ideas, Angela settled on having me design some special coasters and a t-shirt with a bee theme.
At the principal's school, she taught three main ideals to her students -- Be kind, be responsible, and be respectful. She was like a queen bee, in charge and responsible for the success of her hive.
In making the coasters, I decided to add some of my own mantras for her to enjoy -- Be happy, be fabulous, and be retired. She deserves it after all.
"To a bee, honey is work To us, it is leisure, luxury, pleasure. If only the eating thereof would fill us with the spirit of hard work." -Corri Alius
I'm a big believer in giving. The mere act of giving can help one recognize their own humanity and can make someone else's world a little brighter. Giving, if done for unselfish reasons, is a liberating and freeing thing to do.
I recently decided to give of myself the best way I know how - through my art. My best friend, Angela, is an assistant principal at a junior high school, asked if I would be willing to offer my artistic services to her school this month for Relay for Life. Originally, she asked if I could do caricatures at the event to help raise money, and, although I enjoy drawing people, caricatures make me nervous. I proposed, instead, to donate eight paintings to be auctioned off at the event.
The paintings have been keeping me busy for the past couple of weeks. I began by painting several canvases, each with a different color and background. I then began drawing a unique illustration for each canvas, sometimes drawing girls and sometimes drawing imaginary creatures. I then colored the drawings with watercolor pencils, carefully cut out each illustration, and Mod Podged each drawing to a canvas. Each painting was created using a 12x12 canvas and features a handwritten quote. I hope people find them interesting and worth taking home.
If you are interested in any of the paintings below, they will be available for purchase at the Relay for Life event at Triton High School in Erwin, NC, on April 23rd.
One of my friends at work is having a baby girl this month. It's
his first child. We're all pretty excited about it here at the
office. He and his wife already have a name picked out for her --
Stella.... and she's going to be a princess.
We all chipped in last week to create a gift basket for him and his wife. Here's my contribution:
