Brian and I were out to dinner last night with Ryan and Lindsay Guard.. When Ryan leaned over and said “hey congrats on the nomination.” hhaa. and I was like… “for what?” He proceeded to tell me that Flowerdust.net did a blog post mentioning that her and I were the ONLY FEMALES represented in the nominations for Collide Magazine Readers Choice Awards for 2009. Flowerdust (Anne Jackson was nominated in the category of theology/ministry)

I was really humbled and honored to have been nominated under the Faith & Arts category. Because I am just writing what is on my heart and the projects that I am excited about. So even the fact that I was nominated is a real shock to me and I am quite grateful for that. Collide Magazine has a BIG heart and I am very thankful for them. They graciously featured the Art For Huruma Project numerous times to help get the word out. They are rock-stars. They have extremely interesting articles, great layout/design, and culture relevant content. Super RAD!

If you have been encouraged, inspired, or have enjoyed participating in the conversations on this blog, would you please take a minute to vote for my blog over at the readers choice awards? You can click on the banner above or go HERE to vote. Voting will remain open until Monday, December 14 at 9am CST. Winners will be announced in the January/February 2010 issue of COLLIDE.

I know this is kind of a weird request…but I would love to hear your thoughts about how this blog community has inspired/encouraged you in anyway… if any. What has been your favorite blog post here?

The posters and t-shirt have been shipped, and the numbers have been calculated. I am very excited that $2530 gets to go to the Huruma children’s home in Kenya Africa. This project was a great first trial run. and I am very pleased with the result for this first time. Thank you to everyone for ordering, and spreading the word about the project.

A few people have contacted me saying that we were featured in the new collide magazine… and I FINALLY got one in the mail to seee for myself. HAHA. It’s so fun to see a project so dear to my heart featured in a magazine that i deeply respect. I know by now, you guys are probably tired of hearing about Art for huruma. haha. Well it’s almost over. BUT I seriously had so much fun working alongside barton damer and using our gifts and talents for the greater good. I encourage everyone to try a project similar to this, thinking outside the box to give to others with your art. SO fun. It is awesome that a project like this can help bring awareness in a fun way, while giving, using our talents/ abilities, then resulting in actual funds to send to the orphange.
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Hey blog readers. I was soooo impressed with the t-shirts that Victor from INVartistnetwork printed for the Art For Huruma project that i wanted to take a minute and tell you guys about them. I think alot of the artists in this community would love the opportunity to get their work printed purchased and worn by others… right? Well INVartistnetwork if the BEST place to start… especially because they are still pretty new. Thats good for us. I am sooo excited and thankful for companies like this…. encouraging artists to pursue their passions while giving us a practical way to do that.

INV is short for invironment, or the inner environment of our being, a person’s heart and soul. While they are concerned for the environment, they believe more importantly that the preservation of all things must first start from the inside. INV Artist Network is a design contest website where artists will upload t-shirt art and the community votes for their favorite designs. INV is community-driven and seeks to bring people together through art, faith, and culture. Artists will have the opportunity to win money, gain public exposure, and collaborate with other artists both locally and nationally. Their desire is to ignite creativity through design contests and to become the predominant hub for phenomenal Christian art for both established and emerging Designers. Having a community based, contest driven website keeps the artwork at a high level…. cool, huh?
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I am really excited to write this post because the Art for Huruma t-shirts came is as well as the poster prints. You guys have been very patient with us through the ordering and receiving process and we are very grateful. We were able to send most of the money raised to Huruma because we were taking orders and shipping them out all on our own….. which obviously takes time. haha.

My most favorite thing about being an artist is seeing the final product printed and finished. OH MY GOODNESS it is a wonderful feeling…. almost as good as a paycheck. haha. It is like the birth of a dream.. and now our ideas and creations are a reality not just a thought anymore. SOOO FUN! I took some photos as everything was unpacked. I even tried on and modeled the t-shirt for you. And i took a few photos of Brian in the T-shirt as well. He is looking studly… i know. hhaa.

I am very pleased with how everything came out. It is all thanks to INVartistnetwork. In your package you will receive some info goodies from INVartistnetwork.
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ALRIGHT!!! I am back from seattle and in the dark depths of catching up on emails, planning, designing, photoshoots, and all the crafty sorts. haa. It’s all good though. So it really seemed like you guys like my 5 things post last time. So i decided to do it again today. Again big stars for elsie because i seriously doesnt know how she does it every sunday. GEE WIIZZZ!! haha. Here are the 5 things.

1. I LOVE that i have loved painting since i was little. It’s really cool to go back and look at my life and realize that I am still the SAME person as before. That even when I was 2 or 3 you could see traits in me that i have now. haha. I know that could sound dumb, but stay with me. Things that i had thought had developed over time were really there all along.

One thing is… people laugh at me because i can get over excited about the little things in life… litteraly ooo-ing and awww-ing over chocolate covered macadamia nuts, my favorite song on the radio, a goofy facial expression, or even a victory dance after I toss & score a wad of paper in the recycling bin. Being back at home this week my mom told me that i was ALWAYS excited about everything when i was little. haha. and i still am now. thats funny. Here is a photo of me painting. Check out that style too, right? vintage dress and bracelets. Not to mention the STYLISH HAIR CUT!! hahaha.

2. I scored these white moccasin shoes at Savers for 5 bucks about a year ago. I LOVED them so much. i thought i had lost them, but YAY!!! I found them again in seattle at my parents house. good to have them back. nice and comfy, easy to slip on, and unique.

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I do not have much time to write…. BUT i wanted to say that we have under-estimated the power of OUR art. Today I have been really encouraged and inspired to continue to search for ways to serve my community and the less fortunate with my art and creativity! We painted a large mural on the wall as one of our work projects.. and i am so excited to show you later how it came out. and I also got the opportunity to teach a photography class to some orphan teenagers! They loved it. Check out this cute video of the Huruma kids welcoming us to their home. They were SCREAMING with excitement.
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WHHHAAATTTT UPPP!!!! Thanks to all who have been following and supporting the progress of Art For Huruma. Your tweets and blog posts have helped to spread the word all over the place. Barton, and I are thrilled to be able to use our God-given talents to help raise money and awareness for the Huruma Children’s home. We are making a limited run of prints and tees. We would’ve loved to leave it open for months beyond August, but that is not possible from a logistical stand point. If you do not know what this project is all about… please read THIS.

ORDER and pay now for your tee and/or print. We’ll be taking orders during the rest of August. We will only print whatever is ordered during that time. You’ll receive your tee and print by the middle of September. Why must you pre-order and have to wait that long? Because if we were to order a set amount of tees ahead of time, we’d run the risk of having extra shirts lying around and costing money if they never sold. Money that could’ve been donated to Huruma. This way we can reduce additional costs. I will be heading up a shipping party where all the tees and prints will be sent out once they arrive back from the printer. We’ll keep you posted on the progress. Read the full story