Soulistry: Gifts. Animal Totem: Rabbit

It would seem I'm not quite ready to move on from 'Gifts' in Soulistry (that we're following along with in Book of Days -Premium)... 

This is the First of Two layouts dealing with Animal Totems and Animal Gifts. 

For my entire life I've had Rabbits hopping in and out of my life... In more recent years the Rabbits have been mixed with Dragonflies (another page for another day...). Started looking it all up today and was *amazed* at how well these two creatures fit with my past and my present situations and 'gifts'. 

The left is some varied information on Rabbit Totem gifts gathered here and there across the internetz. 

The right is my ART:

Started by painting the book page white, then I sketched out a rough version based of El-ahrairah of Watership Down fame. 

The background was created with Glimmer Mist sprays (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue and Purple) and a stamp from the Stampin' Up!: Beautiful Batik set. Used 8 different ink pads for stamping: Some 'pure' images and many that were stamped on several pads for 'hybrid' colors. 

Sprayed it all down with water and heat-gunned it dry. 

Then I traced the Rabbit image in Sharpie, painted it in with DecoArt: Burnt Umber and highlighted in white with a Sakura: Pen-Touch pen. 

Re-did some of the face details in fine Sharpie. 

Then finished by journaling the two Watership Down quotes in Gel-Pen.

“The rabbits mingled naturally. They did not talk for talking's sake, in the artificial manner that human beings - and sometimes even their dogs and cats - do. But this did not mean that they were not communicating; merely that they were not communicating by talking.”
- Richard Adams -Watership Down

“Animals don't behave like men,' he said. 'If they have to fight, they fight; and if they have to kill they kill. But they don't sit down and set their wits to work to devise ways of spoiling other creatures' lives and hurting them. They have dignity and animality.” 

- Richard Adams - Watership Down

Very pleased with how this just flowed together... 

Book of Days: April 19th ...Praying for my Mother.

As many of you know...

 Yesterday at 8:30 AM my mother was hit by a car. 

It was on a busy street just a block from their house, she was crossing with the light, in the pedestrian crosswalk and was struck by a car making a left hand turn. The driver did not see her, it is a terrible intersection that is full of blinding white light that early in the morning. Made worse by the fact that this was a neighbor that lived behind them and down only a few houses. The old adage about accidents happening close to home...  She holds no malice whatsoever for the driver. He stayed til the paramedics took her to hospital, his wife came up the street to take their toddler son home (after also being checked by the paramedics). He also called today to see how she was and offer any assistance he and his family can (food, errands etc...) 

She was struck on the left hand side, rolled up then off the car and is now quite bruised and battered up. Her nose was torn badly on the left but the hospital was able to reattach everything. Her nose is also broken, but thankfully that is the only thing that is broken. Miracles! 

This, however, will change her face forever.

On top of that, today she was also scheduled for eye surgery at 8 AM. 

The hospital doctors assured us that she was still OK to go ahead with the surgery. She went and is now home. The surgeon said there is a 'bubble under the lens' and she can't see clearly like she did when they did the other eye several months back.This is a worry, we will know more when she goes for her follow-up. 

There was no question that today's thoughts, prayers and everything else have been on/for my Mom... so is my BOD page.

Photo is of my Mom was taken at 2 dear friends wedding last year.

Quote written around her:

I remember my mother's prayers and they have always followed me.  

They have clung to me all my life.  

~Abraham Lincoln~

Now it is my turn to Pray for you...

(prayers in heart)

 

 April 19th:

Full Spread

Preparing the masking tape border... 

Inked, stamped with StazOn then ripped in 1/2 lengthwise.

Book of Days: April 16th - 18th

Pictorial Catch-up time...

April 18th

Full Spread

April 18th:

WOYWW 'cheater' entry.

April 17th:

Pre-assembly...  

Used up some packaging with a printer image pasted on.

  

Front picture is of all the ATC's brought to the exchange...

Back is my babble for the day. 

Lady that invited me is Dragonfly Dreamers, hence the image. 

(Tattered Angels stamp)

April 17th:

Full Spread

April 16th:

Waiting on a phone call...

April 16th:

Full Spread

Art for Charity...

After the fun and games of today (my mother was hit by a car this morning, been at the hospital most of the day) Unfortunately I will not be attending the charity event this evening as planned... BUT my Art still will. 

I have donated 7 pieces to a Double-Bill FUNdraiser a dear friends daughter is hosting. This is being posted later than planned too, I'm still hoping a few Ottawa Peeps can make it out to this FUN event! :O)

Her email to me:

Hallo!

Just dropping a quick line to explain the FUNdraising part of my lil' party, and of course to thank you profusely for your help!

The event is being held on Wednesday, April 18th at the LookOut Bar on York St. It (as all events I organize are) is a pay-what-you-can/if-you-can event, with donations being gratefully accepted ( none too big or small! ). I'm also holding a raffle with awesome prizes from local artists, musicians and businesses, emphasizing the amazing talent we grow around here! There will also be a 50/50 draw

.  

The Funds raised are being split to support two different causes this time, both very close to my heart. 

The first is the Coalition for Justice for Levi, a campaign that I have been helping with since 2009. In the summer of that year, Levi Schaeffer, a member of the community in Peterborough, Ontario (where I was a nursing school student) was fatally shot by the O.P.P. in Pickle Lake, Ontario. In the time after Levi passed, his family was unable to ascertain exactly what happened to him in great part because the Officers involved did not submit clear and contemporaneous notes from which the Special Investigations Unit ( a civilian led body that investigates situations of force involving police officers ) could draw conclusive evidence. The pain of not being able to find out what happened to their son and brother caused the Schaeffer family to join with the family of Douglas Minty, another Ontario Resident who was shot with similar results, to start the long procedure of changing legislation of how police react in such situations, specifically that the decision be taken that they are not allowed to have their notes vetted by O.P.P.A. lawyers before being submitted. In November of 2011 there was a unanimous decision made at the Supreme court of Ontario that in fact supported this legislation. It was truly a victorious moment for the Coalition. Since then, however, the O.P.P. has appealed this decision, and so the process continues, and support is still needed. To find out more about the Coalition for Justice for Levi, you can visit www.justiceforlevi.org , or to see a really awesome and very comprehensive video about the situation check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKeOfP0alwY&feature=related

 

The second half of the proceeds being donated as an In Memoriam gift to the L.A. Gay and Lesbian Center. In Febrary of this year I was devestated to find out that my best friend from childhood, Leanara Gallo was killed near Bakersfield, CA, where she had recently moved to from L.A.. Leo was fierce woman, a beautiful person, and a queer activist, and as such her family has asked that commemorative gifts be made to the L.A. Gay and Lesbian Center, where she had done some work in the past. The L.A.G.L.C. is a multi-service community center that supports the GLBTQ community in L.A. To find out more about the services they offer please visit their website at www.laglc.org

 

Once again, I would like to thank you a million times for your help with this event. I am so happy to be able to take this opportunity to support these endeavours before leaving the city, and I couldn't possibly do it without you. 

 

Donations from KeepSake's Crafts:

 

3 Greeting Cards:

 

 

 

3 4 X 6" pieces of Small Art:

 

 

Mixed Media Piece:

 

 

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 150

It's a Wednesday... that's fer sure...

Before I start to prattle don't forget to go check out the other spots  at:

Stamping Ground

This was taken early this morning.

 Today has not gone at I had hoped... 

Spread about today are the journals I'd planned to work in when I got back in from my morning workout: Book of Days and Soulistry. In addition there's some artwork and business cards out that I was packing up to send off to a charity event that's going on tonight downtown. 

There should be a post coming soon after this with more deets about that...

 Today I came home to a rather garbled message from our house guest as a result of a rather garbled message left with him by my Dad. Long and short of it: My Mother was crossing a rather busy street a 1/2 block from were they live, she had the right away and was in the cross-walk when a driver turned left quickly and she was struck. She bounced up and across the front of the car and fell off hard on her left side. Luckily though her left side is quite battered up, only her nose is broken, it was partially torn but able to be repaired. She is now at home but my husband and I spent the majority of the day with her at the hospital. 

So that's been my Wednesday.

 

 

Update and more info here:

http://keepsakescrafts.blogspot.ca/2012/04/book-of-days-april-19th-praying-for-my.html

Contact for the WOYWW Card-Crew:

sarahccooper (at) rogers (dot) com

Book of Days: April 13th - 15th

Bit of a photo catch-up to do...

April 15th:

Full Spread

 

April 15th:

Used bits leftover from make the Boudoir Row Houses: A pictures that was only partially printed (dog tripped on the printer cord, mid-print *le sigh*) and extra heart punch out and a spare Gem. 

Today I am VERY thankful for my Sisters of the Book. 

They know why...

 

April 14th:

Full Page Spread, Dedicated to the 100 year Anniversary of the Titanic Disaster.

We were lucky enough to go to a Preview of Titanic: The Canadian Story, produced by CBC, here the Science and Tech Museum. It was wonderfully informational! The high-light of the evening was the Grand-daughter of a survivor talking to us before the show. She had family pictures and added a true 'human' element to the whole presentation. I then spent the evening, with my husband following the @RMS_Titanic_Inc feed on Twitter. Over the evening they posted live-time what happened the night the Titanic went down. It was so quiet, serene... almost a 'holy' atmosphere, very profound experience. Lots of clip-art-y images and on the left is the 'timeline' for the evening of April 14/15th 1912.

 

April 13th:

Friday April 13th... youngest was home sick, Poor lil'dude was a vegetable. 

Dipped into the Happy Mail: He was just *tooo* perfect for today. 

April 13th:

Full Spread

Row-Houses: Boudoir Style!

A few Sisters in Book of Days got a little randy and decided we needed a few 'Boudoir Maisons' in our BOD Wisteria Lanes. *wink wink* So a mini-inside the swap-swap was started!

Instead of just sending to the person on top of me, and under me (ho ho! bad gurls...) I made one for eeeeveryone in the mini-group. 10 total including one for my street. 

The roofs were by far the hardest part: Eyelets and Ribbons for a 'corset' look... hell on earth to thread and tie a pretty lil'bow with gouty-arthritis-y fingers I tell ya. Labors of Love these are, and they turned out just as I'd pictured them, poi-fect.

Main 'walls' are more of that gorgeous 'Romantica' Wall Paper (I used to bind my Soulistry Journal)I'd found a whole book 2nd hand. Shimmery, textured and VERY feminine.... yummy. Lightly outlined with a black sharpie for a bit more *pop* and definition. 

The hearts are sponge painted in three purples, two pinks, a light blue and a silver over bright pink paper... then punched out. Purple as the main color was inspired while I was working on these along side today's Wild Art stream with Effy. Many of the women in BOD deserve a Purple Heart, these 9 are getting one!

Inside of each heart is one of the de-golded jewelry finding I got from a metal salvager years ago, with an iridescent green gem in the center. Ba-Bling! Gotta have some!

Then... when you lift the 'wall' you have a Sister, holding a book for the Book of Days Sisterhood. Gold heat-embossed all the edges.

Hopefully these are well  received on their new 'streets.