…Belinda! As an avid gardener and someone who appreciates art, I KNOW you will love these! 
If you will confirm your mail address once more for me by sending it to carolyn@sleepingdogsstudio.net, I will mail the set out to you ASAP…congratulations! They will inspire your gardening, most definitely!
And to Laurie, one last, very special thank you for providing these items. Remember to check out her art on her web site at www.laurieballa.com!
Happy weekend to all!
OK, before I get reported to any animal welfare agencies for this post, I have to explain. A friend passed along this Flickr site to me, and I thought when I first read the title – “Animal Pancakes” – that there could NOT be anything good about having photos of animals made edible posted online.
But this person is an animal lover too, I realized. There was no way she would send me a link to something so horrific. So I looked at it…and laughed, and laughed, and laughed.
You need to check it out for yourself. You can find it at:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/animalpancakes/
And once you check it out, and if you have a pet of your own, you’ll know EXACTLY what it’s about. I was surprised to see how many squirrels do it – but cats, dogs, hamsters, bunnies are also fans. Owen does this all the time!
If you’re still not 100% certain you want to look, take in this little preview, and you should be comforted enough to give it a shot:
Dora - a member of the "Animal Pancake" Group on Flickr
As you know, Laurie Balla of Mishawaka, IN is the generous contributor of this week’s give-away. Thanks so much to her for her generosity!
Laurie Balla
Laurie has a unique style of capturing nature “vignettes” that is particularly captivating to the audiences that see her work at the various art fairs and galleries at which she shows each year. The pieces are often close-ups – a different way of looking at a flower or a bird house that makes you, the viewer, see it in an entirely different way.
In answering your questions, she demonstrates her usual charm and her gregarious nature. I hope you enjoy this chance to get to know her better:
Q: Where did you come up with the name for your art business?
A: I decided to just use my name, so that people would be able to find me easily. I realized early on, that people buy YOU, as much as they buy your work, so I thought it was important to just have my name as the name of my art business.
"Passion for Pinks"
Q: What do you most enjoy about being an artist?
A: I am a people person, so being out and meeting and talking with other people is so much fun for me. I have had so many wonderful comments that suggested that my work was very healing and uplifting to the people who purchase my work, and that really keeps me going.
"Japanese Magnolia"
Q: Where do you show most of your work?
A: I show most of my work at galleries, juried shows and art fairs. I was recently hired as the Director of Sales and Rentals for the New Galleries on LLW in South Bend, so I will be busy promoting my work as well as the work of others for rent or sale in the home and office environment.
"Bird of Paradise"
Q: Can you tell us a little bit about how you started your business?
A: I started my business by showing my work anywhere I could, and telling as many people as I could find about what I was doing. My first big show was at Fernwood Botanical Garden, and I think that was really my career launch. I sold quite a few pieces during that show, and continue to show work there.
Thanks again Laurie for answering all of the reader questions, and for providing this week’s give-away! You can still win a set of Laurie’s watercolor print cards by submitting a comment of “Give-away – 5/21″ before 5 p.m. ET this coming Friday!
We have the nicest stores to work with – really, they are the greatest!
Today, out of the blue, I got this postcard from Artisan Center in Denver, Colorado:
Who ever heard of a store saying thanks for letting them sell your stuff?!?
I shouldn’t be surprised, though…Artisan Center is a special place, and has already won an award for Top Gift Boutique this year. They have beautiful merchandise, and great sales people – check it out if you’re lucky enough to live in their neighborhood! As they suggest, just look for the purple door!
See more at:
I’m sure that many of you have heard of or witnessed flash mobs yourself. By definition, they are: ”a large group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual and pointless act for a brief time, then quickly disperse. The term flash mob is generally applied only to gatherings organized via social media or viral emails.”
It fascinates me that people would converge upon a particular spot at a pre-determined time to have a pillow fight or to perform a disco dance – and typically with people they don’t know in advance, and won’t likely meet again afterwards! These events began as performance art and have grown to celebrate a variety of situations.
They DO have their down sides – some countries have banned them, as on rare occasions they turn violent and/or disruptive – but these below are true celebrations, and fascinating to watch.
Many of you may have seen the various You Tube versions of “Beat It” that were put on by a group in Stockholm, Sweden at various public venues (a public square, the train station, etc.) throughout the day – fantastic.
This is just one of the venues below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3dh0HcnBnw
A new one that took place in Seattle, WA recently is based upon “Glee” – a TV show I’m sure you’ve all heard of, and that our family unashamedly supports – FANTASTIC talent! (Yes, we’re “Gleeks!”)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5PyIVVKoWU
Check out the site above to see the mob’s rendition of a montage of Glee songs. That they could get such a group together to perform this well simply with a text message of dance moves is unbelievable…
Laurie Balla is a talented watercolor artist based in Northern Indiana, whose work has been recognized by receipt of the Indiana Artisan Designation. She shows in a variety of galleries in Indiana and Michigan, as well as in her own Etsy shop. Additional examples of her lovely work can also be found on her web site at:
Laurie comments that nature is her inspiration. “I grew up in rural Indiana, surrounded by cornstalks, woods and wildflowers, and I embraced that rich, rural setting. I feel most at home in that environment, which spawned a natural fondness for places like Fernwood Botanical Garden, where I had my second solo show in April/May 2008.
Watercolor is my medium of choice because of its infinite possibilities. Paint flows onto paper much in the same way water flows over rocks. Its unpredictability guides me in a different direction with each stroke of the brush.”
Our lucky winner this week will receive a packet of five, blank greeting cards with prints of Laurie’s lovely watercolor paintings on them:
The prints include, in Laurie’s own words:
Sign up for this week’s give-away by responding in the comments with the words “Give-away – 5/21″. A winner will be chosen at random after 5 p.m. ET on Friday – good luck everyone!
