Countdown to the grant from A Place to bark

A Place to Bark...and Meow is an animal rescue conceived and run by Bernie Berlin who is also an artist in her own right. The expense of running this type of sanctuary is payed for by her own money and donations she receives from others who support her efforts. Right now she is part of a fund raising event that is granting to the winner $50,000 and to reach first place, she must have the most donators over other charities. She is currently in 2nd place and others are fast approaching her standing. The donation required is only $10.00 and multiple donations from the same person do not count (a mistake I made but I'm sure the extra money will go to Bernie). The contest ends in 3 days and I hope you can find it in your heart to give to a worthy cause. A Place to Bark link is located in my sidebar on the right.

Extraordinary & Exceptional Mixed-up Media Artists

Well last night was the first meeting of the year. There was much uproarious laughter, lots of ironic wit in the telling of personal goings-on since the last meeting. The "homework" was met with enthusiasm by some and downright hatred by others. But each work of art was so unique and exciting to see. Here. I'll post a picture of my entry.....

If you guessed Marie Antionette you're right. For the past 2 weeks the movie has been playing on the movie channel at least once a day. It's so inspiring to see the fabulous costuming. Unfortunately I can't sew ( but I can prick my fingers like nobody's business. So this is held together with some basic stitching and E6000 glue. The wig is cotton batting. Now the next challenge is a killer - a cheesy wallet from the dollar store. Very uninspiring.

Altered Art

I have just rejoined my art group after a year's hiatus. The group of 12 meets once a month and we are required to produce something out of a dollar store item given to us by the leader of our pack. So I have homework to do. Usually I haven't a clue what to do but this time I knew the instant I saw it. But I'm finding the execution of the idea so beyond my capabilities. Here is the vase assignment.

In my mind it seems straightforward but I guess it's not. The meeting and reveal takes place next Friday evening so I shall post the finished project after that.

We seem to be having a little snowstorm at the moment. If the weather is tolerable (i.e. no cyclonic winds) I usually take a long walk. My decision to walk will depend on the wind and which direction it's coming from. Not in the face is the rule. So I shall bundle up and set forth.

Happy New Year

I can't believe I missed wishing everyone a Happy Holiday which includes New Year. Consider yourself wished belatedly. I can't imagine what I've been doing all this time. A bit of nature stuff like feeding the squirrels and the pigeons. The latter are the only type of bird I see that is not fearful of people. Kids toss their leftover buns on the ground and an entire flock of pigeons descend from the top of the Shoppers Drugmart sign to fight oneanother for a honkin' big wad of bread. I can't stand it. So I started to bring the bird seed left over from my summer attempts to lure the finches to my balcony. The pigeons seem to love the seeds. Easy to pick up in their slim beaks. Yesterday I spied evidence of another person's seed scattering. I now feel reassured that they'll have a decent diet. I'm still walking around with peanuts and bird seed in my purse in case there is an opportune moment to nurture our urban wildlife.

On another note, I've just added some jewelry to my
Etsy shop:
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5110043
Have a look.

That's all for today. I must force myself to go to the gym or, if the weather permits (no wind) take a long walk. The temperature is going to rise to double digits over the weekend.
This is Toronto - temperature up and down like a yoyo so that one can't figure out what to wear. But even that prediction is extreme. Spring in winter. Unnatural.