"Secrets" Revealed. Ships free worldwide

Secrets

"There is more to be feared from a closed mind than closed doors" -Frank Tyger

Finally got around to framing this piece from last Wednesday. The drawing in mounted under a hidden acid free mat that keeps it from touching the glass. Rustic frame & metal key are sprayed with a clear finishing coat. Whole thing measures just under 8" x 10" and is ready to hang. Available now in my ArtSnark etsy shop with free shipping worldwide. Click on image for more details.

While we're talking about Secrets, who the heck was Frank Tyger? I went off on a googling tangent today to find out more about the man behind so many quotes. Found a dead Wiki page & this on yahoo. He may have been a reporter in NJ, he may just be a cover for misc unattributed quotations..... the man remains a mystery. I challenge you to find out what you can about the elusive Frank Tyger. If you come up with anything, please share. I do love a good mystery!

New Prize for Next Thursday's Giveaway

Congrats to Jamerican Spice, the lucky winner of today’s drawing. For details click here.

Now on with the show!

The next random drawing will be at noon (EST) Thursday August 6th. The Prize? Good question. Time to spice things up a little, so next week's prize is a bit of a grab bag . . .

I’m off to the CHA Craft Supershow in Orlando tomorrow. I haven’t been to a craft show before but I saw that some of my favorite shops & vendors will be there. Lots of demos, some contests & a rumor of swag got me thinking. I’m going to see what cool stuff I can collect for next Thursday’s Giveaway prize.

Any of you planning to attend? How fun it would be to meet you guys!

I may not pop back online until Sunday. I'll let you know then what stuff I've found for next week’s random drawing.

How To Enter: Just leave any old comment on this blog between now & noon (EST) next Thursday (8/6). Yes, it’s that easy! Please make sure I can track you down if you win. No email necessary as long as I can contact you through your blog or profile. Contest is open worldwide. Free shipping.

Monday's Muse -Be Inspired! Make a Difference

February 8th the OzBushFireAppeal shop opened on etsy.

8 days later it has sold 544 items for around $ 10,000 (AU).

100% of Proceeds goes to the Australian Red Cross.

At this writing there are 210 items in stock, with "new items listed almost around the clock..." All items have been donated by Etsians worldwide.

IF YOU ARE ON ETSY and would like to donate an item click here for more information.

IF YOU LIKE TO SHOP get a great handcrafted item (with free shipping ) & donate the full amount of your purchase to a worthy cause.

IF YOU HAVE A MOMENT think - who can you share this info with? Please pass it on. It will only take a minute.

I heard about this shop on Thursday & donated a necklace. Looking around my studio for some art supplies to contribute, I came across some little houses

I was about to donate them when I realized that a one of a kind altered house would fetch more money than a blank one. I put out a call to the gifted members of the METSY Mixed Media Team. I would send each volunteer a house to decorate & they would work their magic. The final pieces will be donated to the Australian wild fire relief shop. So far 14 generous Artists have offered up their time & talent for this project. I am very excited! Please stop by and visit them when you get a chance:

Pam Carriker - thebagladysart & pamcarriker.com - thebagladysart.blogspot.com

Jennifer Moore -dragonrags -dragnrags.blogspot.com

Nancy Lefko - collageartgirl & mycollageart.com - nancylefko.blogspot.com

Chrisy McConnell -artdecadence & VintageDecadence - sophismpress.blogspot.com

Kathy Maximo - VintageSnapsandScrap & rememberyesterday -
vintagesnapsandscraps.blogspot.com

Heather Holbrook - PisforPaper - PisforPaper.com

Sheila Bradley - Createitcottageart & Creatitcottage - createitcottage.blogspot.com

Juli Waller - grraphics - grrrdesign.blogspot.com

Aimee Wheaton - mazerdesign & Mazerdesign.com - creativeflutter.blogspot.com

Carmen McCullough - ArtsyJutsu - artsyjutsu.ning.com

Alisa Nordholt-Dean - PrettyLittlePendant - prettylittlependant.blogspot.com

Jen Maddison - jemjoop - emjoop.blogspot.com

Jodi Ohl - lucysweetlucy - sweetrepeats.blogspot.com

Vivian Bonder - desertbloom

Once these talented ladies send me photos of their creations, I will post them here for you to enjoy. I would also like to share a brief interview with each artist, if I can get them to agree. Dunno about you, but I always enjoy reading a bit about the person behind the creation.

Now, what else can you do to help? In addition to the suggestions above, let's get the word out! I'm too behind the times to twitter. So after phone calls & emails, I went the old fashioned route printing up fliers to promote OzBushfireAppeal. Then posted them at my son's school as well as at some local businesses. Will anyone notice them & respond? I don't know. But I had to try.

I truly believe everyone can make a difference. So does FeliciaFairy and The Etsy Dust Team. They are the kind souls behind this generous shop. I don't know what type of response they initially anticipated. Lets blow them away....be generous....go shopping....and spread the word!

Put It On Paper!

Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world. - Albert Einstein

You have amazing ideas! It is time to write them down...

Pop by the Big Blank Book Sale at ArtSnark.etsy.com!

I've altered the covers of various journals/sketchbooks . They are all $8 or less plus free shipping. I will be adding more as I finish them. Just click on any of the images for more details
Nighttime is really the best time to work. All the ideas are there to be yours because everyone else is asleep.
- Catherine O'Hara

The secret of life is in art - Oscar Wilde

Sweet Sales Part 2 & Random Thoughts Tuesday

Had the good fortune to sell a couple of pieces (including the Polaroid transfer Hush ) during my 4 day Sweet Sale. SO have decided to extend it through December just to see what happens. 20% off & FREE SHIPPING worldwide on all items at ArtSnarks Artifacts - Part 2!!
There's so much inventory stacked up in my studio & I'd love to make some space!!! Will continue adding more random pieces & toss in some PIFs so please check back now & again.

Speaking of Random:

Been internet free for a couple of days but popped in on the blog maternalspark
this morning which led me to the un-mom . Love the comic book look & random Tuesday was just too tempting to resist. Like I'm not always random, right ?

* Start with a Congrats to La Donna Welter for her upcoming feature in Somerset Studios !!

*Can't get enough of Monoral & Vampire Weekend lately. Bubblegum Quick Fix for mellow or uppers. My faves are Kiri & Walcott

*I love coffeee- weee!

*Why does it always seem the house is in super mess mode when play-dates are scheduled here - eek! Gotta stop typing & get cleaning :(

*last thought - must plug yet again this great sci fi site: 365tomorrows.com