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

Pup Steps ... Wag More ~ Bark Less please!

Bella and Lexi's pet stairs are just about done!

 

the beautiful handcrafted 'Bohemian Coiled Multicolored mats' (my answer to traction pads for pups) were made by Shelley at Yellow Violet  in East Hartland, CT!  

 I LOVE THEM!

Rog built the steps and a pup toy box that I need to paint too!

it's ALL about the pups (kinda)!

❤

oh and check out what's happening at Paint Party Friday this week ... I know I am a day late ... but better late than never!

Sandy Hook Angels and Paint Party Friday

Remembering Charlotte, Daniel, Rachel, Olivia, Josephine, Dylan, Madelein, Catherine, Chase, Jesse, Ana, James, Grace, Anne Marie, Emilie, Jack, Noah, Caroline, Jessica, Avielle, Lauren, Mary, Victoria, Benjamin and Allison today and every day …

While here on earth they were stars in the eyes of their parents, siblings, spouses, significant others, all other family members and friends and now and forever, they will live in our hearts and shine from the heavens.

 

I’ve tried to represent these 26 precious beings with an assemblage of wood and placed them watchfully on a stairway to Heaven. Six female grownups and twenty little children (twelve girls and eight boys) all taken from this earth far too soon.   

 

Hand and machine crafted shapes along with vintage wood handed down from generation to generation, along with old VT barn wood and wooden Scrabble tiles. 

And the paint … angel white with a touch of pink or blue.  A Sandy Hook Elementary School green heart shaped memorial ribbon adorn each angel.  The yellow stars are painted with leftover paint from a children’s summer piñata I had once made.

 

 

 ... and it's Friday already again!

Where does the time go?  

It's Paint Party Friday!  Visit PPF to find out more about the PPF Auction Blog Hop to Benefit Sandy Hook Elementary School.  Anyone can contribute art, Anyone can buy!

❤ 

 

 

26 Sandy Hook Angels

 pretty passionate about this project ... still needs a lot of work ... but I think it's going to come together quite nicely ... I've changed it's direction a few times ... and I'm taking good care of my little creations ❤

will never forget that day ...

and it's PPF ... so "let's play"

Toad Stool

 So this vintage little stool has been around forever, actually think it came from my Mémère's house.  It used to be red once and white once and I can't seem to ever discard something made from wood, much less something that belonged to my Mémère, so I decided to give it a new look.

 Can't take all the credit for Mr. Toad ... it was Rog's idea ... a stool ... a toad ... toad stool mushrooms ... a 4 leaf clover ... a ladybug ... who could ask for anything more in a vintage little stool?  Happy PPF ... go there and just see what's happening!

And to all ... please consider participating in the Paint Party Friday Auction Blog Hop to Benefit Sandy Hook Elementary School!  Donate a creation or purchase one or both.  I will!

... have a great weekend!

'fabric' Jesus

I sewed this representation of Jesus on the cross over 30 years ago on an old black vintage Singer sewing machine.  Was amazed how well it came out.  It was a perfect travel crucifix and always accompanied me where ever my suitcase went.  Rog took my suitcase for his most recent airplane trip and spent the entire day at the airport.  His airplane never arrived to pick him up causing him to miss his connecting flight out of Philly.  He returned home the very same day.  He had taken Jesus out of the suitcase and left him on the dresser.  I returned Jesus to his suitcase and Rog set off again.  The 1^st leg of his trip was uneventful and took off right on time.  'Chaos' tried messing with the 2^nd leg and I received 2 automated calls from the airline informing me that the 2^nd leg would be detained from 3:45 p.m. to 4:44 p.m. and then to 5:24 p.m. due to maintenance issues from a prior flight.  And then the 3^rd call came saying that the flight had returned to its original take-off time (and eventually landed prior to the original estimated landing time).  Ya don’t mess with Jesus!  I don’t mess with Jesus!  'Chaos' tried but Jesus won!  Rog calls him ‘fabric Jesus’ and you can believe what you want ...

But I won’t ever fly without Him!  Prayer helps too!

❤
thank you Jesus!