Enter My One World One Heart Giveaway Now Through February 15th

Welcome to my One World One Heart Giveaway.

This giveaway is for bloggers all over the world.

A little bit about me: I am a homeschooling mom of five ages 23 months to 21 years. I love to sew, paint and collage. I hope you'll take the time to look around a bit.

To enter the drawing, please leave a comment in this post between now and February 15th. The winner will be chosen by random drawing. Please leave your contact information, for example, a blog or email address, so that I can contact you if you win. You must have an active blog to be eligible to win as this is a blog event bringing together blogs from all over the world.

And for an extra entry, sign up as a follower!

And for a third entry, add my blog to your blog list.

For each entry, please leave a separate comment along with your blog address for verification purposes.

I am looking so forward to getting to know new bloggers and their blogs. This will be fun.

Leave a comment today for your chance to win!

And good luck!

THE GIVEAWAY PRIZE:



The giveaway prize is a $23 value Show Horse Corral needlepoint kit by Dimensions. If needlepoint is not your thing, this would make a great gift for someone special or to use as a giveaway on your blog.

Button Flower Bouquets

The children and I made these beautiful flower bouquets with buttons. I have one of the bouquets sitting in my sewing room, of course.









Here's how:

All need are buttons, wire, and floral tape.



Decide how long you want your flower stem to be, then cut the wire double that length. Place one button on top of the other and put the two ends of wire through the holes, each end in a different hole.



Now wrap the floral tape around the stem tightly, pulling just a tad and pressing the tape snugly onto the wire as you go.



Let me know if you make one. I'd be happy to post pictures of your bouquets on my blog with a link to your blog if you email them to me.

Happy creating!

Trudy

SIDENOTE: DON'T FORGET. MY GIVEAWAY STARTS TOMORROW.

Cord Sandwiched Between Rice Papers Tutorial

Here is a demonstration of how to sandwich cord between two layers of rice paper.



First of all tape white plastic trash bags with no print to your art table. Place a sheet of rice paper on top of the plastic. Then place strips of cotton cording vertically and then horizontally on the sheet of rice paper.



Or you could lay your string on the paper in any design you like.



Then place another sheet of rice paper on top of the string.



Now spritz with water till it is nice and damp but not drenched.



Now pour some matte medium on top of that. When it dries, it will have somewhat of a milky look to it. If you would prefer more of a transparent look, use gel medium. I would suggest trying it both ways to see which look you like best. I'll be doing the gel next time myself.



Very gently spread it around with a damp paint brush to cover the entire surface. If you get a little tear in the rice paper, not to worry; it will just give it an interesting look.



Let it dry completely before removing it from the plastic. When it is dry, just peel it off. You could then use it the way it is in whatever project you need it for, or you could paint it.



I left one unpainted and I painted the other with several different colors so that I would be able to just use bits and pieces for collages and have a variety of colors available to choose from.

A Call For Help

(Photo taken by Edwards Muzoz/Reuters and lifted from this site.)


(Photo taken from Somebody Cares America.)

I have been very touched by seeing the outpouring of people wanting to help on several of the other blogs. I know that we are all deeply concerned for the people of Haiti. I would like to recommend Somebody Cares America. Doug Stringer is the founder. They have a history of doing a lot with very little, and they have experience with disaster relief. My husband and I are personal friends of Doug and have known him for over 20 years; so we can vouch for the integrity of this ministry. I hope you will take the time to go to their website and read the "About Us" and other sections of their website and consider sending your donations to them. Thank you for your consideration.

The text below is taken directly from their site.

"Working with our Somebody Cares Caribbean chapter and it's network of churches, we are getting firsthand accounts of the situation and needs. The infra-structure in the Haitian capital is overwhelmed by the destruction. The scope of human suffering is unfathomable. But the Church is a beacon of hope and integrity in the midst of the chaos and pain.
RIGHT NOW WE ARE:
Gathering resources to assist Frienships set up a base for relief workers in Haiti. The ship is scheduled to depart a port in the Gulf the middle of next week. Specific needs include:
Generators of all sizes- gas or diesel
Rope/nylon line- ¼" in 600 ft. rolls. At least 1 pallet worth
100 lbs. of dried rice, beans
MRE's
Cooking oil
#10 Cans of beans and other vegetables
Portable halogen lights with stands - 500 watt
#12 extension cords (any length)
Flashlights
Work gloves
Powdered milk
Dust masks
UV Lightbulb for water purifier (The bulb costs $500 and is urgently needed).
Shower/toilet trailer (Length no greater than 24 feet, height no greater than 11 feet).

Please call the Somebody Cares office at 713-621-1498 and ask for Vickie Gaskins to discuss details and logistics of any donations.

DISASTER RESPONSE:

The Somebody Cares Disaster Response approach is that of Church-Based response. Throughout the many disasters the Somebody Cares network has been part of—from Tropical Storm Allison flooding in 2001 to the Southeast Asia tsunami to Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Ivan and Wilma—we’ve seen over and over again how the church responds quicker and more precisely than any other agency. Even the government has taken note of this! A Homeland Security Institute report issued in December 2006 states: “It was neighborhood congregations….—the local fabric of America—that appeared to have carried the day to a great degree.”

That’s because the church is the heart of its community, and our highest common denominator is Jesus. We were made for adversity because we were made to be the peacemakers in the midst of the storms – to bring hope in the midst of despair.

Instead of spending tens of thousands of dollars on administrative overhead; the Somebody Cares network funnels donated funds and urgently needed resources directly to communities that are hardest hit – to be distributed by church-based volunteers who know and love their neighbors and neighborhoods. Being a tangible expression of God’s love to our neighbors means we must excel at unity, organization, and giving.

Our goal is to see churches empowered to reach their communities and be there on the ground with tangible resources to meet the desperate needs of disaster survivors. To do this we recognize that we need to work with government agencies and other organizations without losing our distinctiveness.

When disasters happen, real people have very desperate needs. Often, resources to meet the needs become tied up in bureaucracy and bottlenecks. We work with agencies like FEMA, the Red Cross, Salvation Army and others—to be an asset, but not to be controlled. They have great systems, but the church has people who know their communities. But these agencies are not our source for disaster response; rather we look are a resource to facilitate aid directly in communities affected by disaster – all across the country and around the world!

Join the Somebody Cares Disaster Response team by giving generously today!"

Bon Appetit

My big boy loves to cook. He is always asking if he is can make special dishes as a surprise for someone in the family. He has a heart to serve and bless others. He also has quite a flair for the presentation of the dish as well. He is quite the artistic chef. Here you can see his latest creation.

Garden and Pet Rocks

The children and I painted rocks. I enjoyed watching their creativity. My favorites are the lady bugs. The purple one with the black swirled lines was made by first painting the rock all one color, letting it dry, then drawing the lines on with a permanent marker. I put the paints in an egg carton for the children to make it easier for them to keep their colors separate so that wouldn't all run together. We used acrylic paints. We let each layer dry before adding another layer. They don't take very long to dry unless the paint is put on pretty thick. While one rock is drying, you can be working on another rock; so have lots of rocks available. Another thing to point out to the children is not to paint the top and bottom at the same time or the wet side facing the protective paper you've placed over the table will get stuck to the rock. I sprayed a coat of gloss over the rocks after they were dry.

You can do many things with your rocks. I put a couple on my kitchen window sill for a decoration. Some can go in the garden. You can use them for paper weights or bookends if they are big enough. The children can play with the smaller ones, stacking them. You can give them away as gifts. I enjoyed doing this project myself. This is a great project for kids. They can literally spend a whole afternoon doing it.

Do you have any really fun and simple projects that you and your children or grandchildren have done or that you have done yourself that you think my children and I would like to try? Please share. I'm always looking for new ideas.

Bringing Nature into the Home

As a mother, homemaker and artist, I am always thinking artistically, not just when I am sitting down doing a painting, collage or sewing. Artistic creativity flows into every aspect of my life, including cooking and home decor. For example, when cooking, I think not only of the nourishing benefits of the dish I am making, but of the presentation.

Recently, when the children and I were out enjoying the outdoors, I spotted pine cones everywhere. So we filled the trunk of the mini-van; and when I came home, I set about making little displays with them about the home, bringing the beauty of nature into the home. This was my art for the day. We may use some for a craft later, spraying them with paint and/or sprinkling them with glitter. We may spread some with peanut butter and then roll them in bird seed and put them outside for the birds to enjoy.

This was such a simple thing but very fulfilling. We are enjoying them very much, even my seven year old son, who sees them as great targets for his Nerf guns, is enjoying them in his own way, as he blasts them with one bullet after another. Now I must go and pick up the little pieces that have broken off after his last shooting session.

I would love to know if you have found things in nature that you have used for the home or for your art and what you have done with them. Please share. And if you email me pictures along with your website, I may just post them here. You can find my email address on my profile.

Introducing the New Collage Directory

I am so excited to share with you that there is a brand new art directory out there, and it is picking up steam fast. It is a one-stop shop for folks who create any kind of collage art including paper, paint, fibers, jewelry, sewing, photography, paint and so on. The directory also includes other artists' mediums as well.

It is a great place to discover new artists and for others to find you. If you mix your medias, work in layers, are blogging about your artistic life, then please join in the fun and get your blog listed today so that everyone can enjoy your creations. And check out some brand-new-to-you blogs while you're there. New ones are being adding daily; so check back often. Don't forget to post the collage button in the sidebar of your blog to spread the awesome news. See you there.

Change For The Better

Happy New Year!!! New Year's Eve my husband took two of our daughter's, Emily, age 9, and Kimberly, age 16, to a Square Dance from 7 to midnight. They had a wonderful time dancing the night away. Then at midnight they threw balloons, confetti and popped party poppers. I had a nice relaxing evening at home with our two boys, ages 7 and 22 months. We watched movies, played games and read stories. Then at midnight we hugged, danced to music and yelled out Happy New Year, read more stories and went to bed.

I hope you are having a wonderful day and a great start to your new year. This past year has been fun for me having my new blog and getting to know so many of you. I so appreciate all of your encouraging and kind words. You have made this a very rewarding endeavor for me. Another thing that's made it so much fun to blog about my projects is blogging with my daughter, Emily. We have enjoyed doing this together, talking about what projects to do, sewing and doing art together, what pictures to post, doing giveaways, and leaving comments on our favorite blogs.

And finally resolutions. I can think of so many things that I wish to improve and work on in the new year. I will be giving these some thought and making a few simple goals. Most of all, though, I would like to keep my priorities straight and put God at the top of the list. So I leave you with this, from Priscilla Shirer's latest book, "And We Are Changed," written to her brother Anthony.

"For living a life of unbridled devotion to God

For stepping out and away from the crowd

For being different

For never acquiescing

For using your talents for Him and Him alone

For not straddling the fence

For leaving the cocoon of mediocrity behind

For living radically and outlandishly for God..."

Here's wishing you a blessed New Year.