PaperWhimsy Musings

Looking for Robin Redbreast

April 2008

In This Issue

You'll be Mooooved

Blessings

Rande Hanson

Article Headline

Happy Sunday

Quick Links

Well, I'm absolutely incredulous that it's been a month since Draw set up new digs in the kitchen. Mainly because, as I look around my office/studio the same pile of papers, the same hanks of ribbon, the same boxes of doodads and whatnots are still sitting in the same exact place they were sitting when Draw dragged his computer out the door 30 days ago.

So what's that tell ya? Time flies when you're having fun? Hmmm...

The other day, while negotiating the perilous twists and turns around the boxes of doodads on the floor I tripped over my own fuzzy pink slippers and ended up sitting... hard... in a basket on the floor. Arse over teakettle with bolts of ribbons flying hither and yon. I always yell at myself when I do that kind of stuff: "pick up your feet, for cryin' out loud", "clean up your mess, why don't ya", "Geez, you clumsy numbnutz, you're lucky you didn't kill yourself".

Sadly, though I wasn't injured, my blue flannel pajamas were. When I finally magaged to drag myself out of that basket the bottom of my PJs stayed behind (ha). So I buried them in the back yard and swore up and down that I would never set foot in my office/studio again while wearing those fuzzy pink slippers.

Now, as I sit here looking out the window at the grave where my pajamas are laid to rest, I wonder when spring will spring so I can finally start my spring cleaning and get this room tidy once and for all.

Nevertheless, even though the weather here in Indiana is still a bit touch and go - Rande's been filled with a good dose of spring fever and she's cooked up some wonderful ideas to inspire us to play. You'll want to make sure to check out Rande's blog.

I also have some new items in the shoppe - so if you need some more art stuff (and who doesn't) perhaps you'll find something there to spark your imagination and take your mind off iffy weather.

So grab a cup of joe, your favorite pair of slippers and let's take a peek at what's afoot in the Land of Whimsy, shall we?

Hugs,
Gale

Gimme a Moooooo...

So, let me ask you... have you had a chance to spread your artistic wings, lately? Made any new friends who share your passion for getting creative? Discovered an exciting new art technique and wanted to share it with someone who would appreciate how amazingly clever you are?

Let me tell you about some people I happen to know who just happen to be down right talented and amazingly whimsical. A fine bunch of gals who have the gift o' gab and a wealth of talent ... The PaperWhimsy Art Group.

You might have heard me mention this group before. At one time we were a Yahoo group but then we got all growed up and moved to the splendiforous PaperWhimsy Forum where we contine to make great art and have great fun but in bigger proportions because we have more room.

Let me tell you what's up right now - Rande Hanson is hosting a monthly project called Monthly Moo Madness. If you didn't already know, a Moo is a little sliver of a card - about half the size of an ATC and about twice as much fun (check out Sarah Drayton's moos, above, and Rande's, below). You can knock a dozen off in one sitting, so I'm told, and they're a fab way to use up all those itty bitty little scraps of pretty that you've just not had the heart to throw away.

If you want to know more about Moos and, more specifically, how to participate in Rande's Monthly Moo Madness you have to come on over to the PaperWhimsy Art Forum and take a peek. Lots of fun - an easy way to make friends and a great excuse to buy more art stuff for your art table because you're going to end up making a whole lot more art.

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A Rose by Any Other Name (and other cool words)...

The other monthly "happening" in the PaperWhimsy Art Group is Bev Froese's Quotes Challenge. Here's a very easy way to create a beautiful book for yourself or a loved one that's filled with inspiring and pithy food for thought.

Bev's project is bi-monthly (is that the thing that's every other week?) - she doles out the quote every other Sunday and you create a collage based on the quote. If you participate a certain number of times you become eligible for the drawing to have your beautiful book of quotes professionally bound. But even if you can't participate every other week, the weeks you do participate will surely end up inspiring you.

The quote for April 13 is:

"Into the house where joy lives, happiness will gladly come.
Japanese Proverb

If you'd like to learn more about Bev's Quote Challenge take a wander over to the PaperWhimsy Forum and register. It's really quite easy and the creativity and camaraderie you'll find there are well worth the walk!

This is Christine Shebroe's collage for the previous Quote Challenge:
"If you can't teach me to fly, then teach me to sing" James Matthew Barrie

Sharing Our Blessings...

Have you ever had someone say to you, as they oooed and ahhhed over your latest and greatest effort, "I wish I had your talent, you are so blessed". You are, you know. We are. We are blessed with a desire to create and blessed with the talent to put it all together. And blessed with the resources needed to be able to do the thing we love to do. And we're blessed with a warm place to sleep at night, and food on our tables, and clothes and shoes... and the hope of a bright future.

Unfortunately, that is not the case for hundreds of thousands of people across our world. And because we have become such a global society with the rapid and rabid growth of the internet, the plights of those who are far less fortunate than we are, have become known to us. We know that there are children who go to bed hungry at night with no hope of waking up to a breakfast. Children who do not own a single pair of shoes. Children who are orphaned and live on the street trying as best they can to make it through another day. Children who have no hope of a bright future, and seemingly oppressive odds against ever being able to pull themselves out of the dire situation that they've been born into.

So, we're giving back. We're using the talents that we've been blessed with and we're sharing it in a way that makes the whole having of this talent truly make sense. And it certainly makes our talents a blessing to more than just ourselves. Our talents will also touch the lives of children who may live so very many miles away from us, but also so very close... in this world we call home.

The PaperWhimsy Art Group embarked on a Charity Project for 2008 that started with the search for charities that are doing an outstanding job in their outreach, meaning that the vast proportion of monies donated is going directly into their programs. Once we identified those charities we started creating art as we usually do but a portion of our art was and is being donated to auction off on eBay with all proceeds going to support "our" charities.

A very warm thank you to all the members of the PaperWhimsy Art Group who have embraced this idea and who lovingly and unselfishly share their wonderful talents so that children who do not have, will want not.

Please watch for our charity auctions under the eBay name paperwhimsywinner of some beautiful original art! And if you're so inclined and not already a member of our art group, please do join us and help us give back. starting today and continuing throughout the rest of 2008. We'll look forward to seeing your eBay name among the list of bidders and hopefully as the

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Rande Hanson:
Inspirations 2 Art

It's hard to believe we are already in the second week of April. Our spring in the south is almost over. At Paperwhimsy, our thoughts are on the next holiday, which is less than a month away. So we have created a few projects to inspire you for Mothers Day. A Mothers Day card, lots of pretty flowers with beads and glitter, and a gift box full of pretty little bits. We also have a really special purse that you can decorate with your own artwork! You can see all of these on my Paperwhimsy blog.

Warmest,

Rande