Kitty's Glitter

Double-Heart GIVEAWAY!..

2011-01-21T11:23:00.000-08:00

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, I thought I would express my affection for my dear fans and friends by hosting another Giveaway! And as I just received my initial product samples from Bethany Lowe Designs, I have the perfect set to share! I am offering my sweet pair of ball-character cherubs that are debuting this year. One says "Love" and the other, "Cherish," and they will arrive signed by me, the designer of this heart-warming duo! To enter to win this signed collector's set, simply leave a heartfelt comment below! Of course, if you'd like to increase your odds, keep reading for additional ways to be entered. I will be drawing the winner on the evening of January 28th, so you have plenty of time to play along and spread the word. Best of LUCK to you!

HOW to ENTER to WIN:
The more ways you enter, the better your chances!

1.) Leave a heart-warming comment for me here at the bottom of this post by clicking on the "Comment" button ( and no worries, you do not have to create a Blogger account in order to leave a comment - you can simply click the "Anonymous" option when leaving your message. But, just make sure that I can somehow identify you if you are chosen! ) IF you are unable to leave a comment here, you can email me, and I'll add your comment for you.

2.) Simply become a "Follower" of my Blog by clicking on the "Follow" button at the upper right column of this page.... (All of my Blog Followers will automatically be entered)

3.) If you have your own Blog and choose to spread the word about my Giveaway on Your Blog, then I both thank you and welcome you to leave a 2nd comment here for a double entry! You can use the following Blog Badge to advertise on your blog's sidebar, or just grab the first, larger image above! Please remember to link back to me!

4.) Join my e-mailing list if you are not already a member. Just click on the "Email Johanna" link, top right of this page. (PS... the kind folks already on my e-mailing list will be entered as well, but I recommend those of you leave a comment, etc... to boost your chances of winning!
{ email: johanna@johannaparkerdesign.com }

5.) Follow me on Twitter & share a TWEET about this fun Giveaway! If you do so, you are welcome to boast about it here in an additional comment for yet another entry at winning. You can visit jparkerdesign ~ my Twitter link!

OK!... So, as I said, there are LOTS of ways to enter!..... I look forward to reading your comments and hearing from you :) I will be posting the winner of this collectible SIGNED set of chubby cherubs in one week!.... Stay tuned and spread the word, and a big thanks to all of my loyal collectors and artist friends who have supported me through the years. Cheers to you!!

* Each cherub is signed with Love....

Will you be the lucky winner?..... Thank you for entering!

XOXO,
~ Johanna

posted by Joh

Johanna Parker is having a giveaway!!

2010-11-17T20:06:00.000-08:00

Johanna Parker is having a giveaway!! Enter to win this charming and whimsical snowman!

Visit Johanna's blog for details!

Tinsel and Treasures

2010-09-18T16:22:00.000-07:00

Back from Tinsel & Treasures, what a beautiful show! Got to see so many good friends, and seeing Sammie was a surprise BONUS!! Colleen Moody's dolls were to die for, wish I'd taken pics.. especially of her tall Halloween witch. Our Whimsy Queen Christy had her wonderful creations, yay it was awesome to see you Crusty! I could have spent a fortune, but had to hold back, though I did find a beautiful charm necklace made by Sylvia Anderson that will go to Germany next week as a birthday gift. Sue Bartolucci had an amazing display of her wild and wonderful art, as did Iva and all of the artists.

I met Gina Gabriell from the shop Tangerine, she was giving out yummy chocolates and yummy gummy treats!

Thanks for putting on such an amazing show Iva, wouldn't have missed seeing you all for anything :). I'll post a few pics later.

Fun Sketching

2009-11-09T21:09:00.000-08:00

I have had to rest my back regularly, and since I cannot do my paper mache right now it has been easy to pick up my pencils and a sketch pad. This is a portrait of my daughter, who I have had fun turning into an elf. It is not done, I'll post the final version.

A Fun Surprise!

2009-10-01T07:56:00.000-07:00

Twilight Companions

I am so thrilled to be chosen as the October cover artist for Wisdom Magazine. Wisdom Magazine is one of the country's largest free holistic publications with 150,000 copies printed monthly in three regional print editions. Wisdom is dedicated to opening people's hearts and minds to the philosophies, products and services of the new millennium.

To the readers of Wisdom Magazine who are visiting my blog, and website for the first time, welcome! I am rather embarrased to admit that I have not updated my website in a good long while, but am working on it. I will list all my available artwork here on my blog over the next several days. Thank you for your patience and understanding!

Martha Stewart's favorite Doer of the week. Vote for Johanna!

2009-09-18T11:07:00.000-07:00

As some of you already know, our wonderfully talented friend Johanna Parker was recently named as "Doer of the Week" in Martha Stewart's Dreamers into Doers contest. She is now eligible for the favorite Doer of the Week award. The voting is very close. Please help by casting your vote today! Click this link to navigate to Martha's website, and select Johanna's name from the column on the right hand side of the page.

GO Johanna!

2009-02-17T12:48:00.000-08:00

I have not posted anything since November, yikes where does the time go? I have been incredibly busy but I do manage to do a little sketching from time to time. Here is a colored pencil piece that I am currently working on. I just love foxes!

Halloween Pics!

2008-11-11T09:43:00.000-08:00

My son's Optimus Prime costume I made from a cardcoard box.

Optimus Prime~transform and roll out!

My little rock star.

The kids ready to head out and pilfer the neighborhood for candy!

Fun Hallow' d Creations!

2008-10-23T16:10:00.000-07:00

I found this wonderful cabinet at Antiques by the Bay in Alameda, CA. It was originally oriental, I pried off the Asian decorations, sanded it and made it my own :). Lucky for me, it now resides with a wonderful collector in South Hampton.

Found objects become treasures with a little elbow grease, paint and imagination!

These ghoulish Jack 'o Lanterns were created with paper mache, using a wonderful antique German chocolate mold. The trims were all made using vintage materials. You can find the plain cardboard cones at Michael's!

I made this little Halloween Cat candy container out of paper mache using one of my antique chocloate molds.

Thank you for visiting my blog, have a
SpOoKaLiCioUs HalLowEen!

2008-10-13T18:20:00.000-07:00

What a Wondrous Winter Fete it was!

Thank you Kimberlee and Melissa for including me in your beautiful show, a great time was had by all!

Please Join Us!

2008-10-07T15:19:00.001-07:00

2008-10-07T11:06:00.000-07:00

My Bizarre Beastie, I call this painting "Unleashed".
He is from my 2007 collection and is available for adoption. He measures 16x20. If interested, please contact me for pricing.
Thank You!

Garage Sale Find "Transformed"

2008-09-03T16:18:00.000-07:00

My little elves hard at work sanding

I bought this bookcase for a few dollars at a garage sale several months ago, and finally got the gumption to paint it! It is to go in my son's room, he is a Transformers nut, so of course you can guess the theme he chose.

Still hard at work!

They did the hard part, I got to have the fun part.
Actually, we all had fun! I printed out the Transformers lettering and transfered it onto the bookcase using transfer paper. Then I hand painted the lettering and gradated red and yellow to look like flames.

I drew the flames by hand then painted them in. FUN!

My son was very specific in how he wanted his bookcase painted, he is a very particular customer! Luckily for me, he was more than satisfied :). The best part was that we all did it together!

Thinking "31" Already!

2008-07-29T20:18:00.000-07:00

Is it just me, or are any of you getting the itch to create in black and orange already? I created this vintage style Halloween treat cone using my collection of vintage sheet music and crepe paper. I don't know what I would do without Wendy Addison and Kimberlee Edgar to always provide a wonderful selection of goodies to use in my work!

The crepe ruffles are always so much fun to make, though somewhat time consuming. I like to sew the seams, and do my snipping while watching my favorite television show (Martha, who else)?? It's about the only time I seem to rest these days! I got hooked on making Victorian style folded paper ornaments last Christmas, aren't they fun with the Halloween as well?

My children will be back in school soon, and before we know it the pumpkins will be turning orange, amazing!

Enjoy your Summer months, I am cherishing them.. my tomatoes are turning red and I'll be up to my neck soon with Mr. Stripeys, Mama Mia's, Purple Russians, Black Kirims, and Super Sweet 100's.
Yummy, my mouth is watering..

The Crab!

2008-07-06T18:52:00.000-07:00

YES, born on the first of July, I am officially a crab! I took this crabby pic on my recent vacation to the quaint coastal town of Mendocino. The ocean was breathtaking, the B&B's divine! What an amazing place to celebrate surviving yet another year! To view more of my Mendocino pictures, you may visit my flickr page!

Oops, I need to buy my hands-free cell phone device, it's now the law here in CA!

Happy July everyone!

~Kitty

2008-06-20T20:35:00.000-07:00

Dress Up!

Ahhhh... to be 8 years old again :~). This was an impromptu dress up moment. My daughter was playing with some of my vintage goodies, including this wonderful dress given to me by my friends Kimberlee and Sandra Edgar. The yellow tole tray was a thrift shop find and will soon be hanging in my daughter's room. Isn't it wonderful that our children afford us the opportunity to become young all over again?

It's nearly Summer!

2008-06-16T10:07:00.000-07:00

Peace Doves Candy Container

I made this piece several years ago, and have really enjoyed having it as a part of my collection. It is a 2 piece candy container, as you can see. It is painted in the exact same design on both sides. I had much fun designing this piece, with the pendant flag in the center. Figuring out how to have the flags fold and wave was a challenge!
Can you believe that July is almost here?? Yikes! Happy Summer everyone!

A special visitor!

2008-06-06T10:37:00.001-07:00

Isn't he just gorgeous?

It's been years since we've had a great blue heron in our yard, the kids and I really enjoyed watching him, even though he ate some of our fish!

Miss Madison's Tea

2008-05-07T15:01:00.001-07:00

I am finally able to plan my daughter's 8th birthday party, she and I decided to have a small tea party for her closest friends.

I made these invitations from gorgeous vintage floral papers that I purchased at
A Joyous Spring Fete. A beautiful Spring show put on by my friends Kimberlee Edgar and Melissa Tereck.
The vintage crepe paper was from my personal collection. I am not really finished with the invitations but since I have been missing in action here for so long, I thought I would post what I have done so far.

It's been fun to do something creative again!

Feeding our Western Bluebirds

2008-03-21T16:09:00.000-07:00

I hope you enjoy this little clip. My kids and I have been feeding our wild Western Bluebirds for about 4 years now. They are so beautiful!

2008-03-13T11:31:00.000-07:00

As you may have noticed, I am taking a sabbatical from my folk art, in order to take care of personal matters. However, I would hate to lose touch completely, so I will post goodies here from time to time!

This is my son, singing one of his Mandarin songs for me :).

My son in the news!

2008-02-17T09:28:00.000-08:00

My Son Ray and his Mandarin immersion Kindergarten class are in the newspaper today! He is in the red shirt. There is also a video on the newspaper's website. Very exciting for our little guy!

Here is a link to the article.

Happy Sunday!

2008-02-14T22:12:00.001-08:00

Happy V-Day Everyone!

(the little boy is my son, Ray..
after he painted his own face)!!
And of course, my 7 year old, Madison.

Valentine PFATT Tuesday offering

2008-01-27T14:52:00.000-08:00

Valentine Treat Cone listing this evening at 5:00 pst on ebay

2008-01-21T10:15:00.001-08:00

My little Chicklette!

I made this lil cutie from a borrowed mold, so she is a one of a kind. She sits atop a lidded container which is trimmed in a soft vintage pom pom fringe. Her Sunday hat is topped with vintage milinery flowers.

I am already looking forward to Spring? Aren't you?

Venturing back into poetry..

2008-01-19T13:31:00.001-08:00

I borrowed this amazing photo from a blog I came across.. I was struck by the delicate beauty and resilience of the rose.. it inspired this short poem.

New Ebay Auction Tonight

2008-01-16T14:36:00.001-08:00

Begins tonight at 6:00 pst.
Auction Link

Wildlife Rescue

2008-01-15T14:01:00.000-08:00

This poor little Yellow Rumped Warbler flew into our French door a short while ago.

I didn't want to frighten him, but I did roll him gently back onto his feet, as he was struggling on his back. Here he is still quite dazed.. but appears to be recovering.

A bit better.. not quite so shaky.

Just about back to his old self

Ready to fly!!
He took off just a minute or so after I took this picture. First he landed on our window sill, then flew to our oak tree. A happy ending for this little yellow rumped beauty!!

Happy Valloween!

2008-01-13T13:23:00.001-08:00

Victorian Style Cone..
with a twist..
A Valentine~Halloween crossover piece!

I had so much fun with this! I just love the look of black with pink.. so what's better than a black cat on a pink Valentine?

I used vintage sheet music, silver German glitter, vintage pink crepe paper and millinery sprig.. The handle is made from a beautiful wired French ribbon.

I hope to make more of these!

2008-01-10T07:23:00.000-08:00

Sometimes my cat says it best!

This is a picture of my kitty cat, Bonkers soaking up the sun in my studio window.
I want to be a cat in my next life!!

Creepy Campfire

2008-01-06T12:28:00.000-08:00

Unexpected creepy effect

I took this picture of my daughter this past summer at a small lake in Northern Wisconsin. My brothers, cousins and kids all rowed down to our Aunt and Uncle's cabin in the dark, holding these glow sticks. We had a Harry Potter style sorting ceremony with the sorting hat for fun. We roasted marshmallows, made smores then rowed back to our resort. It was a great time, with lots of fond memories.

Halloween Sale on Ebay

2007-12-30T16:39:00.000-08:00

Fall Items on Ebay!

I am listing several of my original Fall designs from my 2007 line on Ebay this evening. The auctions will begin between 6:00 & 6:30 p.m. pst. The starting bids are much lower than my original asking prices, so take a peek!

I need to make room for my Spring designs, so even though I hate to part with these, they must go! You may click on this LINK to visit my auctions. Thank you for looking!

Have a safe and sane New Year!

~Kitty~

2007-12-29T11:44:00.000-08:00

Just a cute little something to make you smile.

I will post some Christmas pics soon, right now I am nursing a nasty flu bug, ick!
Happy New Year to you all!

2007-12-22T23:23:00.000-08:00

Just a fun video :)

I'll bet that these stir up some wonderful memories! They were some of my childhood favorites!

New Ornaments!

2007-12-12T13:34:00.000-08:00

I am on fire making these paper ornaments! This has been such a great way for me to break out of my "molds" so to speak! I am excited about branching out into Valentines and Easter with my paper creations, and combining them with my paper mache.

These may go fairly fast.. so please email me for prices and dimensions if you are interested in acquiring some of these OOAK original creations.

Thank you so much for stopping by!

~Kitty~

2007-12-10T23:22:00.001-08:00

Please mark your calenders and save the date!

April 26th, 2008

You are invited to join myself and many talented folk artists for
A Joyous Spring Fete!

Organized by Kimberlee Edgar and Melissa Tereck, the response to this new show has already been spectacular.

I will have bunnies galore,
and a wonderful array of Spring creations!

Hope to see you there!

New fun with paper!

2007-12-04T21:37:00.000-08:00

My latest fascination! I just love the look of sheet music and glitter, vintage crepe paper and all of the beautiful mercury glass and trims that I collect throughout the year.

You will find some of these ornaments
at Sweet Magnolia in Danville, California.
Thank you Jill!

If you are interested in ordering some of these
sparkly beauties just drop me an email!
kittyforseth@sweetinvocations.com

Merry Christmas Season Everyone!

HollyDaze pictures!

2007-11-13T13:51:00.000-08:00

Painting on old framed chalkboard.

This painting was inspired by a vintage postcard.
One of several pieces I created for HollyDaze & Vine.

My table!

Paper mache Turkey in silver container.
Notice the beautiful Victorian garland around his neck.

Ivory Santa's in silver sugar bowl, with vintage mercury glass sprig.

Ivory Santa's in silver sugar bowl, with vintage bird decoration.

Ivory paper mache Santa and shoe.
Embellished with vintage watch face and spanish moss.

Everyone wanted my Victorian child's piano.. not for sale!

Luka, the big raffle winner!!!

Sylvia Anderson and Wendy Mullen

The Raffle!

Melissa Valeriotte & her hunny

Kimberlee Edgar's Table

Queen Christy!
Darn, no picture of Ginny!!!

Arbutus Hunter's Table

HollyDaze & Vine This Saturday!

2007-11-07T12:04:00.001-08:00

~A sneak peek at my show offerings~

Please join us for a whimsical, magical Christmas show
this Saturday, November 10th.
9 a.m. - 3 p.m.

HollyDaze & Vine

Show Location: The Petaluma Women's Club

518 B Street in Historic Downtown Petaluma!

Don't forget the raffle! Win original collectible artwork!

Hope to see you there :).

~Kitty~

It's Open Season on Christmas, let the tinsel fall!

2007-11-04T08:25:00.000-08:00

I have to toot the horn for all of the amazing and talented artists whom I have crossed paths with.. some have become dear friends and others are people I look forward to becoming better acquainted with in the future.

This week was very special.. I took a few hours out of my hectic schedule (preparing for HollyDaze & Vine in Petaluma this coming Saturday) and visited the Christmas open houses of some dear friends. I feel so fortunate to have acquired this stunning piece from my friend Connie Govea Stuart.. doesn't it look amazing hanging in the center of my Victorian iron grate??

It could not get any better than this! My friend
Christy Meyers graced the American Harvest Christmas Open House with several of her magical Whimsies.. They take my breath away..

Thank you Christy for leaving Corporate Hell, and filling our lives with Whimsy!!

I think this Doll by Sandra Everston speaks for itself! What more can I say?? For a detailed description of each and every layer, please visit Sandra's blog!

I look forward to this Christmas season.. the magic is already in the air! Every surface in my studio has the sheen of mica, my face is sparkly and my hands covered with spots of paint. All is good!

Thank you to Sweet Magnolia and American Harvest for hosting such beautiful Open Houses! You make your guests feel most welcome!

Please come visit myself and many talented artists at HollyDaze & Vine. Saturday Nov. 10th! The show is in Historic downtown Petaluma.. it should be a beautiful day, and the antiquing there is beyond compare! Plenty to do after the show!

2007-10-31T09:34:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday Johanna!!!!!
Our Halloween Queen!!

xoxo

Happy Halloween everyone!

Visit my friend Sammie's (Sam I AM Creations) Blog for a chance to win some goodies!!

Shakin and a Rollin by the Bay!

2007-10-30T21:46:00.000-07:00

Tonight we had a not so gentle reminder of the power of nature as we experienced a 5.6 earthquake. This was the largest since Loma Prieta, and the first our children have experienced. All is fine, I quickly grabbed 2 of my original pieces that I nearly have done for a collector.. then dove under my desk where my daughter was already huddled with her arms covering her head. I guess those earthquake drills at school really do work!

Here is a rather interesting link to the USGS which shows recent earthquake activity. You will see one large quake, and several after shocks.

I love California, but one can never be quite sure when the next earthquake will hit. I will be buying our earthquake preparedness kits tomorrow!!

God bless,

Kitty

Annual Pumpkin Party!

2007-10-22T18:58:00.001-07:00

It's that time of year.. the pumpkins have turned a deep orange and some of the vines are beginning to wither.. It's the time of year when we open our home to all of the little witches and goblins from our children's classes. There were some wonderful costumes, and the children were enchanting.

I worked my fingers
to the bone!

(see my wonderful Johanna Parker originals behind me)?

I shamelessly showed off my good friend Johanna and her artist feature in Better Homes & Gardens' Tricks and Treats issue!

Booth Babes we have been called, hee hee..

I also showcased the two gorgeous Stampington covers adorned by another wonderful friend Colleen Moody. Aren't these girls amazing?

A display of my Fall originals in our front entryway
(yes, the cabinet is shipping to my collector, I got to keep it awhile longer
and my entry is so empty now)!

OOPS, the punch isn't made!

I made Martha's spicy chai punch and my kids made gooey eyeballs by inserting maraschino cherries into lychee nuts. The kids were grossed out, and one girl even screamed when an eyeball fell out of her cup and onto her lap!

My Headless guest!

The Mantle
I made the creepy crawly spiders, and chain with pipe cleaners. Also, my bloody candles were another Martha idea (Thank you Martha)!

Pin the tail on the cat!

The night before the party I was cutting out cat tails for my pin the tail on the cat game at midnight. This was a really fun project! I flattened out a large box and made a rectangle.. I then covered it on both sides with brown kraft paper. I hand drew the Halloween cat onto heavy illustration board, based on a cat I had previously designed. Drew the other various shapes, cut them out and then glued them on! I like the vintage look of the cut paper silhouettes.

Could she be any cuter?

This is one of my daughter's friends bobbing for apples. They bobbed for hours!! I had to produce stacks of towels, some kids were soaked from head to toe! Luckily for us, it was a hot sunny day.

Craft's Table

I purchased plain handle bags.. and a slew of fun things to adorn them. There were feathers, pipe cleaners, jiggly eyes, peel and stick leaves.. crayons, you name it! Each child made their own goody bag and as they left, I filled them with glow sticks, pumpkin bubbles, stickers and of course candy!

Also, each child got to pick out a pumpkin from our pumpkin patch and take it home, the smiles on their faces made everything so worthwhile!

My own little Cheetah Girl!

My brother is going to kill me for this!
(what are sisters for, hee hee)

The party is over.. all the little witches and goblins have taken their goody bags and pumpkins home. I saw the beautiful golden light on my kitchen display from the setting sun, and had to snap this pic.

I really can't believe that Halloween is not even here yet! I seem to have lived it over and over!
I love this time of year, and it will be gone all too soon!

I can't wait to creep out the trick or treaters with my spooky cheesecloth ghost!!
Hi eyes glow and twinkle... sooooooooooo eerie!

I think it's time that I run to the store and buy yet more candy!

A Cottage Boutique

2007-10-02T08:56:00.001-07:00

A peek at my Halloween offerings.. and those of my talented friends!

Connie, I need a pic of you and your table!!

A few of my goodies

Halloween Serving Tray designed by me.. not from a stencil!
sealed with an indoor outdoor varnish ~ wonderful for your steaming cups of witches brew!
$89

Raven Display Cupboard
$245
Sold!

Vintage Style Papier Mache Jack 'o Lantern

The JOL was made using cotton fiber paper pulp
pressed into an antique ice cream mold.
The base and conical hat were designed and hand painted by me.
Ruffles are hand made using vintage crepe paper
and jol is trimmed with vintage millinerie flowers.
$125

My table at A Cottage Boutique

Happy First Day of Fall!

2007-09-23T22:11:00.000-07:00

Me in front of my table at A Cottage Boutique

What a wonderful show! So much talent surrounding me.
Please check back, as I will be posting more show pictures!

My Munchkins!

2007-09-08T22:26:00.000-07:00

Here are my lil darlins! We're just heading off to a party at my husband's 100 year old Grandmother's retirement facility. I couldn't resist setting up the 'ol tripod and taking a pic!

Nice Matters!

2007-09-04T09:33:00.000-07:00

Thank you to my sweet and talented friend, Elaine Thomas for presenting me with the "Nice Matters" award! You made my day!

In turn, I would like to send it to 6 other wonderfully nice and talented ladies! Colleen Moody, Iva Wilcox, Sylvia Anderson, Kimberlee Edgar, Christy Meyers and Sandy Wood!

I feel honored to have such wonderful friends, thank you!

~Kitty

A new Fall line!

2007-08-29T19:07:00.000-07:00

My Fall Line!

I apologize for my absence here! Summer has wound down now, my children are in school, and I am gearing up for my favorite time of year! I am offering a new Fall line which features bright apple greens, purples and all the most beautiful shades of Autumn. I have not yet been able to update my website, so I will list my most recent offerings here on my blog.

Big Tom Container
7" tall 5.75" long
$195

~*~*~*~*~*~

Tiny Tom Container
4.75" tall 3.25" long
$85

~*~*~*~*~*~

Autumn Leaf Ornament
Painted on both sides
.50" deep ~ with wire hanger 10.75" long ~ 3.75" wide
$55

~*~*~*~*~*~

Large Grape
Cluster Ornament
9" long ~ 4" wide ~ 3.75" deep
$60

~*~*~*~*~*~

Witch Cornelia
5.75" tall
$95

If you should have questions, or are interested in purchasing one of these items,
please either email me: kittyforseth@sweetinvocations.com
or simply call me at 510-885-0188.

Thank you!

Kitty

A summer paddle on Lake Chabot

2007-08-29T18:39:00.000-07:00

Enjoying my most recent fascination.. Kayaking!!

I'm on You Tube!

2007-08-10T16:20:00.000-07:00

Well.. I finally tried uploading onto You Tube.. just a little slide show.. but fun nonetheless!!

Angels for Brianna ~ WHAT a WEEK!!!

2007-07-14T14:53:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

Wow! Who Knew? WHO KNEW?? Who knew that the efforts to raise funds for Brianna’s family would result in a variety of art communities coming together to form an event so amazing?

THANK YOU.

Thank you to all the artists who poured their hearts and souls into their angel art and produced beautiful keepsakes. We were hoping to gather up 20 artists and little did we know how this would spin out-of-control in a very wonderful way.

Thank you to the bidders. Without you...opening your hearts and your wallets to help...we wouldn’t have been able to have such success.

Thank you all for your patience with all of our “technical difficulties”. It did work out in the end and we were able to fix our glitches and continue onward.

A final thank you to Stephanie Stargell.

When we began this process it was just the 3 of us. The night before we were to go “live” we realized that we were not going to have enough hours to do all that needed to be done. When we shut our computers down at 3:45 am, Stephanie was just logging in to finish up where we left off. Stephanie had not been involved in the beginning stages of this effort and when we realized we were in trouble she happened to be knocking on our back door with a “can I help?”…I don’t think she realized just what she was getting into but she stuck with us through thick and thin. She has never met Brianna or Iva yet she was a trooper throughout this whole process and we couldn’t have done it without her.

Because we have raised the amount of money we have, Iva and John are thinking of starting an art scholarship in Brianna’s name. I spoke with Iva on the phone this afternoon and she couldn’t say enough about it all. The funds raised are more than she could have ever imagined and she made this comment…”I want to paint the world with Brianna and you are allowing me to do it”. Enough said.

Our sincere gratitude to you all,

Colleen Moody
Sylvia Anderson
Kitty Forseth
Stephanie Stargell

P.S. We will happily welcome cash donations for one more week. Just email us at angelsforbrianna@gmail.com if you are interested.

The Final Statistics

$18,441.10!!

14327 total hits

7471 total unique visitors

**~Link to Angels for Brianna~**

Thank you!!

Kitty Forseth

Auction Day!!

2007-07-08T01:15:00.003-07:00

The day is finally here!!
Our Angels for Brianna auction will launch today at 10:00 pst.

Please visit the auction to view and hopefully bid on beautiful hand-made one of a kind angels by top artists from across the country, including Nicol Sayre, Johanna Parker, Pam Garrison, Melissa Neufeld and many, many more!!

The auction will run for one week, ending on Saturday July 14th at 6:00 pst.

Anniversary Roses

2007-07-03T07:36:00.001-07:00

Roses from my husband for our 10th wedding anniversary.
I arranged them in this silver urn which I purchased in June at Antiques by the Bay!

If you do not see me posting new work lately, it will happen! I am putting my energy at the moment into our Angels for Brianna auction. After this, I have a deadline for my licensing and then I am off to a lake in Wisconsin for a week with all of my crazy relatives!

Starting off the summer with a bang!

2007-07-02T17:39:00.000-07:00

My Daughter, Madison at a local lake today

The USS Hornet, we visited here after the Alameda Pt. Antique's Show on Sunday

The new location of Antiques by the Bay
at Alameda Pt.

My Little Shoppers, Madison & Ray

The evening of my birthday dinner
at the ranch where my brother, sister in law and niece live...
BEAUTIFUL!!

Hiking at the ranch

2007-06-28T20:37:00.001-07:00

Angels for Brianna ~Fundraising Auction

2007-06-22T09:32:00.001-07:00

Angels for Brianna

We are ramping up our auction with over 53 artists already signed up.
Details to come soon!

A new Angel in Heaven..

2007-06-20T08:17:00.000-07:00

Heaven has received a true angel
Brianna Lauren Grant
Jan. 12, 1990 - June 15, 2007

I am at a loss for words.. no child should go to heaven before their parents.
We mourn the loss of this beautiful and intelligent young woman.
Please pray for the family of Brianna.

Colleen Moody, Sylvia Anderson and myself will be hosting a fund raising auction
to help offset expenses for the family.
The auction is to be held in approximately two weeks.
Please contact Colleen, Sylvia or me for details.
I will be posting a link to the
"Angels for Brianna" blog soon.

God bless you Iva, the strongest woman I know.
John, Iva and Trevor..
our prayers and our hearts go out to you.

Halloween in June!!!

2007-06-07T20:13:00.000-07:00

Vintage Style Halloween Peg Shelf

I have just completed my Halloween display shelf for the Pfatt Marketplace Halloween Extravaganza! Join us on June 10th to view Halloween work by MANY talented artists! Door prizes will be given out!

Puss 'n Boots!

2007-05-30T09:00:00.000-07:00

Puss 'n Boots is done!

Busy week here in my studio.. I just listed this fun painting on ebay last night, and will be listing one more tomorrow night. Puss 'n Boots is my creative challenge piece for my PFATT group's PFATT Tuesday. Our theme this month was Once Upon a Time.

Takin it easy!

2007-05-27T16:08:00.001-07:00

It's a Cat's Life!!

My kitty cat, Bonkers enjoying a lazy yawn while soaking up sun in my studio window. He is good company, and loves bird watching as much as I do. I don't want to eat them though! I have an antique urn outside one of my windows and one bird has finally discovered it. I had a Brown Towhee eating thistle seed from it yesterday. He is quite shy, but I think he'll get used to me :).

I am enjoying having help from my husband this weekend, I have been able to concentrate on my painting. I should be done with my latest painting by tomorrow. In keeping with this month's PFATT Tuesday theme of "Once Upon a Time", I am painting Puss 'n Boots. He will be listed this Tues. evening, around 7:00 pm, west coast time. I will post a sneak peek picture here if I have time!

I hope that you are having an enjoyable Memorial Day weekend!

~Kitty

Almost Finished!

2007-05-25T09:27:00.000-07:00

My Bat Beasty Guy nearly completed

I have yet to name him, but will come up with one soon :). I will be listing him on ebay next Thurs. for the EHAG Full Moon Challenge, once in a blue moon. Today I am starting on a new painting for my PFATT Tuesday ebay listing next week! The theme is once upon a time.. should be fun!

That's all for now, I have children crawling on me, lol.

~Kitty

I've been tagged!!

2007-05-24T16:29:00.000-07:00

Sharon • Christy • Sammie
Pfattie visit to American Harvest

Okay Sammie... here ya go! Seven random things about me.

1. I come from a long line of artists, my Grandfather was a well know artist in Marshfield, WI. I have several uncles who paint and nearly all of my cousins are very talented artists.

2. Believe it or not, I was President of the Orinda-Miramonte chapter of the Future Farmers of America. I rode in the color guard at the county fair, and raised a steer which I sold at fair.

3. I once worked at a radio station. I wrote and produced radio commercials, and sold advertising.

4. The comment made about me in my 8th grade yearbook was that they would miss my horse drawings on the desks!

5. I am a nature nut, always have been. I rescued and raised a baby Stellar Jay.. and took countless animals to the wildlife rescue center over the years.. including a baby green heron and a cormorant!

6. I am a singer.. I love Phantom of the Opera and sometimes crank it way up and sing while I work. I have performed on stage with live bands (about a million years ago) and have soloed at midnight mass.

7.I have two WONDERFUL children! Madison is 7 and Ray is 5. They keep me busy.. drive me crazy, and keep me young. I wouldn't trade them for anything!!

So, hopefully you now know a little more about me!!

~Kitty

My Studio!

2007-05-24T15:13:00.000-07:00

A few pictures of my studio..

Work Table

Display Shelf

Light/Display Table

Table Close Up

Victorian Grate & Antique Clock Face

Bird Bath

That's all for now.. I need to shoot a few more pics when my camera battery is charged!!

~Kitty

Another day.. and a little further along.

2007-05-22T17:02:00.000-07:00

Can you tell that I was playing in Photoshop??

I managed to paint today, in spite of my daughter being very ill with the flu. She and my son were good company.. watching Netflix movies on my Mac while I worked. It was a good movie day!

I think I should have this beast done by tomorrow. It's a much larger format than I am accustomed to, so it's been quite time consuming.

My friend Sammie of Sam I Am Creations has tagged me, so my next post will be me telling 7 random things about myself. Look out, I may tag you next!

Have a happy evening, I am off to fix dinner :).

Kitty

A work in progress!

2007-05-21T16:58:00.001-07:00

My messy, and colorful work space :).

My friend Johanna suggested that I post this on my blog, now you can see my somewhat organized chaos!

I hope to have this painting done in the next few days. Not sure where he came from, just my doodles, and aimless wanderings I guess! I may list him on ebay.. perhaps PFATT Marketplace in June.. we'll have to see. Naming him should be interesting, he is certainly a product of my imagination! I'll post pics of him here when he's done. I hope also to post pictures of my studio soon. Lots of projects in the works!

My Fall 2008 line was sent off to ESC a few weeks ago, freeing me up to concentrate on my originals. The challenges of licensing.. I have my fingers and toes crossed that it goes well. My first reproductions will be seen this July in Atlanta at Americas Mart.

Thanks for visiting,

Kitty

Finally, a new Camera!!

2007-04-30T19:50:00.000-07:00

It seems as if I've waited forever to replace my camera, and at long last I can take pics of my new work :). Meet Darling Darlene, dressed in her Sunday best! I will be offering her for sale on my new PFATT Marketplace Gallery page in May.

I look forward to posting more Halloween paintings on ebay soon.. I just have to get through my Fall '08 ESC deadline first. Lots of exciting new things coming, I can hardly wait.

A little good news from Iva, BIG HUGS to both she and Brianna! Those lungs are healing, we just know it! Baby steps.. they eventually add up and make a journey.. to health!

Have a wonderful evening,

Kitty

Brianna taking baby steps toward recovery

2007-04-26T22:44:00.000-07:00

Baby steps toward recovery.. one second, one minute.. even one breath at a time.. we thank God for them all. I love this picture of her with her beloved friend, Winston. We all want to see her home with her family, with this big puppy in her lap, kissing her face with that big tongue!!!

Keep fighting Brianna, we love you!

2007-04-24T18:52:00.000-07:00

Brianna Fights for her Life
in Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

I ask all of you who might happen upon my blog.. to visit my friend Iva's blog and pray for her daughter who is this very minute fighting for her life in the pediatric ICU at Lucille Packard's Children's Hospital-Stanford.
http://iva-and-family.blogspot.com/.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Iva, Brianna, and their entire family.
We love you very, very much!

Thank you..

Kitty

Preparing for Fall

2007-04-12T15:03:00.000-07:00

I know.. it seems crazy, however it is time for us artist types to start thinking in shades of orange and black. Deadlines and Fall shows are looming, and I am catching the Halloween bug.

This is a painting I finished yesterday, it is acrylic on an 8x10 art board. I currently have it listed on ebay, you may click anywhere in this sentence to visit my auction. I have several paintings planned, and will work on them as time allows.

Unfortunately, I am still without a camera.. so I am unable to list my Spring pieces :(. I am doing my best to make enough money from my auctions to buy one. At least with the paintings on canvas, they can be scanned :).

That's it for now.. Back to a big piece I have been promising someone for ages! Thank you for visiting.

Kitty

Spring warmth brings renewed hope!

2007-03-30T14:13:00.000-07:00

I am rejoicing that my friend, Iva's daughter has received GOOD news this week! The power of positive thought and prayer is a wonderful thing. Go Brianna, you are a brave soul! I can just visualize those white blood cells churning out.

Still no new camera for me, I am so sad that I cannot post my latest Spring inspired pieces here, or on my website. I hope to have a new digital soon.. I apologize that you are still seeing Christmas and Fall on my website, my camera was quite inconsiderate to die on me now :(.

Today was gorgeous, my children and I met my sister in law and niece at the Oakland Zoo.. it's now our weekly treat.. what fun! We were fortunate enough to have the river otter come and play with us on the other side of the glass, it was amazing!

I am off to finish a few orders, but I may have to take a few breaks to walk outside and enjoy this amazing weather.

Pray for Brianna

2007-03-23T23:37:00.000-07:00

All of my thoughts today, and prayers are for the beautiful daughter of my dear friend, Iva. I pray that God heal her.. that they are able to cure her lung infection without surgery.. and that her bone marrow transplant is not rejected, for her white blood cells to grow and fight this infection. I ask all who read this, to please take a moment and pray for this family. You may visit Iva's blog by clicking on this link: http://iva-and-family.blogspot.com/.

Thank you and God Bless,

Kitty

Tuesday, March 20th

2007-03-20T15:21:00.000-07:00

Well, today was no exception to my busy schedule as of late. I drove my daughter and two of her classmates to a wonderful dance performance called "People Like Me". It was held at The Performing Art's Center, at Holy Names College in Oakland. There were dancers performing traditional dances from across the globe, my daughter was on the edge of her seat the entire time.

These pictures have no bearing on my day.. but are from a recent trip to see the Monarch Butterflies at a local historic farm. This is my little guy getting a work-out pumping water into a large watering trough. I am reduced to posting old pics since my camera is no longer working.. but it gives me an excuse to show off my beautiful son :).

I have many ideas for new projects, Bunnies, Halloween hats, Easter Eggs.. where is my time going these days?? I wish I were two people at times.. know the feeling?? I hope to have a few new Spring pieces on my site soon, I'll let you know.

Happy first day of Spring to you all, enjoy!

Kitty

Sunday, March 18th

2007-03-18T10:22:00.000-07:00

I know it's been a week since I've posted, my how time flies! It was a week of field trips, special projects for my 6 year old's class.. etc. The Leprechaun trap was fun to make, and the kids can't wait to get into class tomorrow to see what they've caught.. I'm a bit curious too!

My camera is still not working, which keeps me from listing things on ebay, as well as shooting my work for my website. I think I may have to bite the bullet and buy a new camera. I'm liking the Canon EOS Rebel, but ouch.. it's expensive! I'll have to get busy and get that Spring line done to pay for it!!

My hubby and I are taking the kids to the zoo today, we all need to get out and have some fun. I think we'll buy a membership, the zoo is so close and it's a great place to go on a regular basis. I want to start taking my daughter there to sketch the animals, it'll be a great mother-daughter experience, as well as an enriching one for her :).

I must run now and get everyone ready to go.. I'll do my best to get back soon!

Kitty

Sunday Evening

2007-03-11T19:50:00.000-07:00

Happy Sunday evening to you all!

It was a busy day yesterday.. my kids and I stopped at a thrift shop on the way to a 4 year old's birthday party at Pump it Up (my son calls it Pump a Dump..) He's 4, we just laugh whenever he says it. Anyway.. we found a few fun items, I bought a large Tuscan Vase and the kids got a new (old) movie. By the time we were through with the birthday party, we were ready to come home and watch the movie.

Today, we had PBS on the entire day watching Rick Steve's travels through Italy. We plan on going to Tuscany next year for a full month so the timing was perfect! I cooked as I watched the shows, having fun with my new Tuscan cook book. I made Tuscan flat bread, and drunken pork chops for the first time, what fun! My 6 year old daughter helped knead the dough.. it was a great kid recipe. She was amazed to see the dough rise and double in size, though in her estimation it took far too long!

I listed a few of my vintage ornament finds on ebay today, I'll give you the link if you would like to see them: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=015&sspagename=STRK%3AMESE%3AIT&viewitem=&item=250093468507&rd=1&rd=1.

A few days ago I found a vintage pink quilt rack, my daughter fought me for it.. and now it's in her room, ha ha.. It was a great score.. maybe she'll share it with me sometime :). I have no new pics to share today.. I'll have to shoot a few things tomorrow if I get a chance. I really need to buckle down and get back to work. I have orders to fill, and my Fall ESC deadline end of next month.. and it is NOT too early to start creating pieces for my Fall and Winter shows. I do plan on creating Spring pieces for my website, so I will inform you as I am ready to launch an update.

Have a great Monday, remember to set those clocks ahead if you haven't done so already :).

Chat soon,

Kitty

A few more pics..

2007-03-07T14:46:00.000-08:00

I couldn't resist taking a few more pictures once my camera was recharged.. enjoy! The bookends and crystal beaded swan, I purchased at Alameda Pt. for my daughter's room, and the bottle brush tree, I found at the White Elephant Sale, ooh la la!

Sunday Treasure Hunt

2007-03-06T12:02:00.000-08:00

After my marathon day Saturday, I announced to my husband that there was "NO WAY" that I would make it to Alameda Pt. the following day.. my feet and legs were shot, and I was just done in overall. However, I awoke at 6:00 Sunday morning and decided that I couldn't stand to miss yet one more month of my favorite show so I rolled out of bed and was out the door by 7:00 once again!

I have a pretty good vision of how I want my living room to look now.. so I was in pursuit of garden antiques. My first score was a 5' white iron topiary.. absolutely perfect! The seller wanted me to take the matching 4' topiary.. but I had far too many other items on my list. I found a large glass apothecary jar to house my new collection of green mercury glass balls, then at Addison's booth, I bought a few Victorian ornaments, a vintage buckle, vintage crepe paper and more that I can't recall at the moment. A white shabby shelf was a find at $5.00, that will go in my studio. I also found a small white shabby table top display piece with a swivel mirror.. that will be great for product shots, as well as for my show tables. Later on I found the perfect antique urn to go under the topiary.. I'll plant it with a small leaf ivy. I already have a nice ivy plant, so I'll just start a new one from cuttings.

I stopped by the booth of my friend, Kimberlee Edgar and her wonderful Mom. I bought some cool beaded black ribbon, then Kimberlee unloaded some vintage crepe paper on me.. plus lots of fun things she wanted to clear out, I'll share with a few of my local girlie friends :). (Thanks Kimberlee).

I found too much to list.. but those are some of the highlights! That's all for now.. I'll post more pictures soon.

Saturday treasure hunt

2007-03-05T15:06:00.000-08:00

This past weekend's treasure hunting was especially fruitful. Saturday, I was up at 6:00 and out the door by 6:30 to get in line for the Oakland Museum's annual White Elephant Sale. I was about 15th in line, and when the doors opened at 9:00 I was the first person in the bric a brack department. I bought every pink and green piece of mercury glass that I could find.. several vintage picks, beaded garlands, an entire lot of very unusual vintage ornaments made up of crepe paper and pussy willows (see pic)! Amazing, aren't they?

My favorite vintage find was a gorgeous bottle brush tree, on a stepped base covered in felt. The tree is decorated with all kinds of beautiful pieces.. children, angels, snowmen, etc.. amazing! I will be certain to post a pic once I get a chance. I found several glass lidded jars to display my mercury glass balls, a Pottery Barn rug for my son's room, several cars for him.. and for my daughter, a gorgeous salmon colored Italian wool suit and several darling tops. I also found a wonderful lighted display cabinet to house my collections. I had no moving blankets to get it home, so I had to buy a rug! I found a nice wool rug to put under my kitchen table, needed one anyway!

I found some vintage crepe paper in the craft's dept. and some cool trims in sewing. I'll never miss this sale again, it was fabulous!! Ohhhhh.. I nearly forgot my big basket! I found the biggest Easter basket that I have ever seen! It's 26" across and 28" to the top of the handle, $5.00!! I'll either line it with plastic, and plant it with bulbs and annuals, or use it for a special Easter basket.

I know that I am forgetting things.. I'll post pictures soon, sure I'll remember things as I scour my house. I'll post soon about my Sunday at Alameda Pt. WOW, what a great treasure hunting day there! That will take some time, so I'll pop back in as soon as I can to jot that all in :).

Talk to you all soon,

Kitty

Something new...

2007-03-05T14:39:00.000-08:00

Here I am in the 21st century.. and find that I am out of touch. Though I do have a website, and check my email daily.. I had no blog! I plan to drop in several times a week and bring you up to date with my current projects, cool vintage finds, and fun events!

Thank you for joining me, and I hope that you will come back often :),

Kitty