Paint Party Friday Auction Blog Hop to Benefit Sandy Hook Elementary School

Welcome to my auction post for the Paint Party Friday Auction Blog to Benefit the Sandy Hook Elementary School!

 

When I was a little girl I remember my mother telling me that I should be good because Santa was coming. I believed in Santa for a very long time – I still believe in Santa and enjoy painting him at every opportunity I get on any surface that allows paint.

 I LOVE Christmas and I am always scrambling to get everything done before this holiday. I painted this Santa in 2011 on a Chinese bottle gourd born and raised in the USA.  At that time I was trying to focus more on being good and doing good things for others.

 I really liked the way this Santa came together.  He sits on a Paperclay base with the stamped words GRATITUDE, PEACE, HOPE and HEAL. Vintage sheet music snowflakes adorn his coat. His sack is filled with children’s toys and a painter’s palate and there is a Christmas tree ready for decorating.  In his hands he holds a banner reminding us to "be good ❤ do good".  He stands approximately 14" tall, not including his stem.
 

 

 

 

On December 14^th 2012 while I was busy scrambling to make Christmas lists and write Christmas cards and painting Santas, an incomprehensible event took place at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut and time stood still for so many of us. Christmas lists and cards and Santas seemed insignificant and Christmas will never be the same for me. I will always have GRATITUDE for my many blessings and I will continue to pray for PEACE, and I have HOPE that there is a plan for all of us, but it will take forever to HEAL from that day.

 

I am very thankful to Kristin and Eva of Paint Part Friday for organizing this auction and I have selected this Santa gourd as my auction item. 

Auction Details

My auction will run from Friday, March 15th, 2013 until Monday, March 18th, 2013 at 11:59 pm EDT.  (I am in CT, to find out what time that is where you are please click here).

 

Shipping anywhere is on me!  If Santa is shipped internationally, shipping is still free BUT the buyer is responsible for any duty/taxes/etc. 

How to Bid

Starting/Opening bid is $25.00 please

1. Place a bid  (with a way to reach you) in the comments section.

2. Bookmark this page so you can easily check back to see if you have been outbid and need to make another bid.

3. If you have the winning bid I will contact you.

4. Payment will be made from YOU to a Sandy Hook Elementary charity (see below).  I will NOT personally be collecting any money.

5. Once you have made your donation to the charity, please send your proof of donation (a forwarded receipt) to me at: gerchouinard(at)comcast(dot)net

6. After I have received your proof of donation in the form of a forwarded receipt (and you have supplied your mailing address), I will mail Santa to you! 

 

Please remember as you contemplate your bids, all proceeds go to very worthy causes.  Please check out the below charities where donations can be made and pick your favorite.

 

http://www.mainelovessandyhook.com/

... a beautifully crafted memorial honoring the 26 lives lost December 14th, 2012.

http://www.thesandygroundproject.org/

... an endeavor to create 26 playgrounds (living memorials) "to provide a symbol of hope, recovery and return to normalcy".

 

https://newtown.uwwesternct.org/

 

http://newtownmemorialfund.org/

 

 

 

... any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.  Enjoy the auction and thank YOU for participating if you can ...

***THIS AUCTION IS NOW CLOSED***
Congrats to Eva for her winning bid and thank YOU so much for supporting the Sandy Hook Elementary School charities!  Thank you to those who participated in this auction with bids, words of encouragement and acts of kindness. Santa will be moving to Ottawa soon!  Thx all again!  ❤

 

 

Paint Party Friday & a weeks worth of paint

 

so Rog cut this awesome Shamrock for me from 3/4" pine and I painted it all up and will hang it on our front door ~ with Irish wishes for HOPE, LOVE, FAITH and a little bit of LUCK for all who visit (the little shoe will not be staying there, just set it there for the photo)

 

              

acquired this peculiar little hand carved (reportedly back in the 1970's) wooden shoe from ETSY and turned it into a little Leprechaun shoe I'll hang it on our St. Patrick's Day tree.

... more snow today in CT, so I'm building a forever snowman from a Chinese bottle gourd, my little hat I made in my first knitting class and Paperclay carrot nose, buttons and lumps of coal for eyes and mouth.

 

 

painted a piece of CT shore driftwood with some Caribbean 'frolic' colors

for my Great Hammock Beach peeps (mostly because I need some Summertime)

 

Head on over to PPF to see what is happening there and don't forget ... Friday, March 15th is the PPF Auction Blog Hop to Benefit Sandy Hook Elementary School.

 

Happy St. Patrick's Day

teeny tiny mini WIP's

Making the Littles ...

and thinking maybe it's time I have my glasses updated :)

 

(unpainted white painted gourds will be Santas and snow peeps)

 

have a colorful, sweet, creative, Blessed weekend!

... and happy PPF to all!

Woodstock the Ghost and ...

 

"Art is a collaboration between God and the artist,
and the less the artist does the better."
~ Andre Gide,  French critic, essayist, & novelist (1869 - 1951)

Like the way this 'peace' came together and LOVE the above quote.  Although, I know planning is important, this 'peace' just materialized from one of nature's Chinese bottle gourds and my God given gift to express myself with a little bit of paint and a brush.  One of my life's blessings (for which I am very grateful) sprinkled into the craziness!  

I call him Woodstock!

he has some slightly invisible friends that always accompany him ...

gotta have a spider to eat the bugs!

need a witch on a broom and a harvest moon!

... and a scary old tree and bats and pumpkins!

 

and PEACE, we gotta have PEACE!

just in time for Paint Party Friday too!  See ya there!

Hand Painted Halloween Kettle Gourd ...

 ... has all your Halloween favorites!  Bats ...

 and Ghosts

 and Spiders and Webs

 and a sweet Halloween message!

should make it to Etsy tonight!

Paint Party Friday Check In and ...

 It's PPF's week 5, year 2 check in!  Check out featured artist, Marcia Beckett and the works of many other artists.

 The Ladybugs have landed!  Sunflower bird cottage in the morning sun. 

 LOVE Ladybugs!

 Will add a wire hanger and embellish with some beads

 Had to share pics of my NEW Easel ... It's the BEST!  Did a lot of research to spend these pennies and I am very pleased with it.  Very well made in the USA and very sturdy.  Husband says, "now you can start producing some quality art."  What the heck have I been producing until now?

 playing with painting on driftwood and LOVING it! 

The canvas is next ..

have a sweet, successful, healthy and creative week!

Artful Bird Cottage & PPF #46

 i was amazed the first time i saw an apple gourd ...

it looks just like a giant apple!

 a perfect critter cottage for my bird friends

has a 1&1/2 inch centered hole

about 3 inches above the floor

wire hanger with wooden beads

a natural twig perch

 "an apple a day ... keeps the Dr. away"
somebody said!

heart shaped apples in the tree

finished with organic shellac to seal the surface

complete with 4 drainage holes
in the critter cottage bottom!
up for sale in my Etsy studio soon!

Visit Paint Party Friday where artists have been gathering for 46 weeks (painting and partying!).  Kristin and Eva's creation!  I've been there since the beginning!  Sure I missed a few weeks ... and I really missed them during those weeks.  Wish every day was Paint Party Friday!

Have a GREAT weekend!