from the Heart

I have alot to be grateful for.

I've been selling my art online since 2007 and I'm lucky that I have customers who love my work. I've also met some amazing people online who have given me friendship and support.

I can honestly say that I would not be here today, progressing with my path of hand made art, from my heart, if it was not for my friends.

Now I make sure that my birthday presents and Christmas presents come from artists on etsy.

Because I know that the majority of them are on the same sea as me, in their own boat, paddling away, trying to stay afloat.

Above is my first inanimate art assemblage that I lovingly took into my home. It's by Paula from PaulaArt on etsy.

It sits beside my treasured original clay painting of two spots by Pey from PeyLu on etsy.

Paula is going thru rough seas at the moment.

So she is having a fundraiser to help weather the storm, with the option to choose a prize from -

the Wonder Horse II, a mixed media assemblage, or

Wall Dancers, a mixed media with photo assemblage

This piece reminds me of hares reaching up! I can see at least 3!

The winner will be able to choose between these two original pieces of art and Paula will ship worldwide.

To participate please visit here, and read more about the works and fundraiser. Suggested donation to enter the raffle is $15 or more.

It ends in a couple of days.

Paula uses discarded and unwanted metal and wood in her creations. I have always loved wood for it's tactile quality and beautiful appearance. I also love metal that is textured, hammered and has 'weight' to it.

Like this ring holder above!

I really like the base with the cog. Cogs always say to me 'pick me up, turn me around in your fingers!'

I could get all my rings on this too and it would double as a paperweight.

For those green of finger and thumb how about an amazing pair of Bromeliads!

These flowers are everlasting and would brighten your garden, or window box, or terrace, all year round. And when you are gazing out across the ocean in the dusk, the petals on these beauties will still be open. Day and night flowers!

and for the minimalist - a single Bromeliad

perfect!

if you aren't so savvy at telling the time from the sun, or the night sky planets as they ascend and descend the heavens, then a clock is essential - especially to remind you of afternoon tea time!

and if you have house rabbits, er, I mean boat rabbits - then you will have to stock up on your clover supplies - like this everlasting Dusty Gray Clover

not sure if Arabella or Wesley will approve, but it will last a few nibbles any way.

and because the time was right and I have calm seas at the moment, I studied Paula's wood assemblage collection, above, and chose my 2nd Inanimate object

this piece 'spoke' to me as my eyes scanned the pieces.

It's made up of two parts that fit together perfectly but on their own are perfect by themselves.

It also has alot of history and once this tree would have been home to many birds and insects, maybe even squirrels and opossums? feeling the rain and sun, greeting the stars every night, before it became a structure for humans and was then perfectly refashioned by Paula's hands and eye!

~ from Paula's heart ~

sure, sure! said Arabella - just let me sniff it first!

Yup! I want a look in too! said Wesley

and ofcourse it will be getting the house rabbit whisk of approval! Here is Arabella saying hello to Assemblage No29.

It may even be claimed by both of them? (whew! just as well there are 2 parts!)

~

there are only a couple of days left to enter Paula's raffle, however her etsy shops are always open

and I hope that the stormy seas are not too hard on her and wish her a safe journey from my heart

~

her friend Bai, in her own boat on the high seas, did a post for Paula - please Visit Here

and I have copied Bai's summary of links, below,

- Paula’s Etsy shop for found object flowers: Click here.
- Her Etsy shop for home décor items from recycled objects: Click here.
- Her blog: Click here.
- Her personal website: Click here.
- Participate in her fundraising giveaway: Click here

thank you

guess where she has been?!

the other day Arabella my art-accessory occasional bag arrived back from her photoshoot

she was pretty hungry and a little jet-lagged, ..yawn..

and not up to going out anywhere

so we stayed in for dinner ...

meanwhile Arabella received a delivery of hays to sample to see which she would prefer to munch on daily

the advert said 'you will find a hay guaranteed to please even the fussiest of eaters' ...

I'm not fussy! exclaimed Arabella, tucking into another leaf of green ...

Arabella even has hay in her own heart shaped bowl. Eat in style I say!

and in my bowl I have a mixed vegetable broth. (I got a set of 4 for £2 in a thrift shop).

Mixed, because it all depends on what the rabbits are having for dinner that day, and I eat the bits they don't like, or, er, don't get to eat. Such as broccoli stems, which cause a little indigestion.

Besides, it really doesn't matter what I put in this gorgeous heart shaped bowl - it will all taste superb just being served in it! ... mixed hay perhaps?

Ahem! so where has Arabella the bag been? enquired Arabella

Yeah! c'mon! let's hear - spill the broccoli! er, I meant beans!

shall publish the good news in a week's time :)

Nice to Know

Over the last couple of years I've been able to help make a small difference to two rabbit rescues that I support by donating my art instead of money. There are two winners in this scenario, infact three winners - the rescue, the prize winner and me, because everyone is happy with the result!

Last winter I donated Mother Hare Ermine, the white one, and

beautiful Mother Hare Fortuna.

I don't always find out who wins the art I donate, and in most cases I don't get to 'meet' the winner. So it was a heart warming surprise when things were familiar this time!

As well as my hare donations, there was also this cute-as-can-be doggy bag by Eline, a good friend!

And the winner happened to be my niece! Here she is very proudly showing off her new bag!

Eline is not just a friend, she is also a very talented lady indeed - just look at the detail on this very delicate lacy capelet in her etsy shop.

The good thing about getting to know the artist is that the prize becomes so much more meaningful. A bag is not just a bag. It is a bag made with love by a person you know and admire.

My niece is very much a lady loving pink, and strong willed, so I knew that I had to get her the perfect gift last year.

What could be better than a hand knitted super kitty hat from Ama?

Wow! not just warm, but fun and with attitude! not many hats can attest to that!

and not just any hand knitted hat, but made by a lady on etsy who helps her local animal rescue and who won the very first Arabella art-accessory bag that I donated to a rabbit rescue!

Now isn't that a nice connection?

Thanks Ama! I love your work on etsy and your huge heart - and so does my niece!

So when I heard that the winner of Fortuna happened to be my good friend Debbie from ShadedMemories on etsy, I was so pleased!

Here is Fortuna saying hi to Rosie and asking her all about the roses in her name. Fortuna was brought up in rose bushes by her mother and just loves them. Now isn't that a coincidence!

and here is Debbie with Fortuna and Bogart. I can see lots of kisses being shared!

Debbie has been a super supporter of the raffles I have been in and she kindly donated art for the rescue rabbits as well! many thanks Debbie!

this is one of her photographs - Snuggle Sweet Nothings, and I proudly own this piece. Not hard to see why I love it so much eh?

and this deer - the Sweetest Visitor, is my favourite piece! (I have it too ofcourse). I just adore deer and antelope and if my home was big enough I'd have a few!

when Ermine went to her new home she made a new friend for me! Infact she made 5! She went to live with Sue and her 4 small sighthounds, Sweet Pea, Farf, Pepie and Precious Gemma .

Here she is with Sweet Pea! Cute as a button eh?

have a look at the next photo then -

this is Sweet Pea is a doggie snug. do I hear an 'aaawww'?

I love to meet the fur friend winners too, infact I think I just may have more fur friends than human friends now!

Sue is a very big animal lover and she makes beautiful pendants and pin brooches for her shop. I love the gentle expression on this dog.

and a playful cat too!

Being surrounded by canines doesn't mean you can't dream about felines, or lagomorphs or cervines right?

so, I'm not just giving - I'm receiving too - and my small act of kindness has linked so many caring hearts together and made a circle complete - and that's nice to know.

this Easter please make your rabbit of choice a chocolate one, or, er, a soft sculpture one :)

34! Lucky 34!

In the movie Sex and the City I, Carrie and Big are viewing a very disappointing apartment, number 33, so Carrie says to Big '34! lucky 34!' as they walk out and find themselves heading up to the luxurious penthouse pad .....

... well I had very good news for Mother Hare Eolande last week because in the latest issue of Scottish magazine Homes and Interiors, on lucky page 34 ...

... there she was, Mother Hare Eloande, looking oh-so glamorous with every hair in place!

as soon as I brought the magazine home Eolande immediately left her conifer encyclopaedia and research papers on the floor and jumped up onto the chair to pose by her picture

then she called over her friends, Venus and Morgana, to come and have a look

they all ooooh'd and aaaah'd until Morgana mentioned that the caption said 'Hop It' ....

hmmmm

surely it was meant to say Hop To It? thought Eolande? after all, hop it is rather a, er, dismissive term is it not?

then as she read thru the article she noticed that my website address was spelt incorrectly

Instead of Dragon House of Yuen it was 'Yeun'.

Gosh! no-one will find me! said Eolande concerned. I said not to worry, as they had my name there and if someone really, really wanted her as their hare then they would google me.

Whew! that's a relief! said Eolande as she sat there pondering this, then she happened to look down and noticed a wolf at her ankles!

'Goodness me!' she exclaimed 'just as well they had Hop It as the title, what with a wolf at number 35!'

Eolande and I want to say a big thanks to Kat at Homes and Interiors Scotland for the super feature of Eolande - we both approve leaps and bounds!