Giving Back, Giving Flight

A year ago I started an online creative business course with Kelly Rae Roberts called Flying Lessons and it's been an amazing year since then. I started my own website, ordered some business cards and postcards, created and sold pendants and paintings. I also joined the Summer 2011 Flying Lessons Group aka my Fly Tribe - a Facebook group to connect with others doing the course - an incredible group of creative, inspirational and supportive women. 

Doing the course has given me a lot confidence and courage to display my art and to travel overseas to a Squam Art Workshop in New Hampshire, USA.  In two weeks time I will be flying to New York City and will spend the Saturday with some of these beautiful women touring art galleries and going shopping - it's going to be an amazing experience and I will meeting a couple of them at Squam too.

Here's a brand new painting I created for displaying and selling at a local winery in late October. It's titled The Birdcage - see the bird outside the cage looking at the cat?  Protection vs freedom.

The Birdcage, acrylic on canvas, 36" x 36" 91cm x 91cm

The Fly Tribe decided to celebrate the anniversary by giving back and donating money to send one person on the Flying Lessons course.  We raised enough money to send 8 people on the course and Kelly Rae said she would match us $ for $ so we have 16 Flying Lessons e-courses to give away!!!  Sixteen people will be given flight!!!  That's huge, enormous, wonderful, exciting - I'm so proud of the generous women in this special group and this means that 16 lucky people out there will be able to do the course and give their artistic dreams flight.

Interested???  Here's how...Check out the Fly Tribe blog post and leave a comment at the bottom.  How easy and how awesome is that????

Click on the links below to join in on our Giving Back, Giving Flight one year anniversary blog hop:

Janet Forrest http://www.tatterednworn.wordpress.com

Cat Athena Louise http://www.catathenalouise.com

Stacey Bockness Curry http://starhitchedwagon.blogspot.com/

Kris Lanae Binsfeld http://cherishdesigns.wordpress.com/2012/08/19/giving-flight-giving-back/

Renee Burke http://happilyeverafterbyreneeburke.wordpress.com

Mary Sterk http://www.justmarydesigns.com

Michelle Reynolds http://www.shellsinthebush.com

Constance Rawlins http://livingwithinyourharvest.com/2012/08/19/fly-tribe-anniversary/

Kelly Hoernig  http://www.kellyhoernig.blogspot.com

Cindy Jones Lantier http://www.lantier.org/2012/08/the-gift-of-giving/ 

Kathleen Conard http://newfromoldcreations.blogspot.com/2012/08/giving-back.html

Claudia Dow http://www.claudiadow.blogspot.com 

Susan M. Walls-Beverly http://susanscharmingtrinkets.blogspot.com/2012/08/flying-lessons-and-art-of-giving-back.html

Linda Barutha http://lindabaruthadesigns.blogspot.com/2012/08/giving-back.html

Linda Kinnaman http://lindakaysart.com/blog/2012/08/19/my-dream-journey-one-year-now/

Cheryl Dossey http://www.cheryldossey.com/

Sofia Dabalsa http://sofiadabalsa.blogspot.com

Jill Lambert http://jill-lambert.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-spirit-of-giving.html

Sally Rose http://sallyhow2.blogspot.com/2012/08/a-gift-of-flight.html

Ursula Smith http://EasyScraps.com/blog

Deborah Eaton http://www.deborahgeaton.com/blog/

Lori Leissner  http://www.leissnerart.com/2012/08/giving-thanks-giving-back-giving-flight.html

Creative Clearinghouse http://creativeclearinghouse.com/Online-Class-Reviews/blog/Ursula-Creative-Clearinghouse

Lenore Angela http://www.lenoreangela.blogspot.ca/

Katharina Star http://www.blog.katharinastar.com

Rachél Payne http://wp.me/pWRyw-10P

Sherry Richert Belul  http://www.simplycelebrate.net/cherry-blossom-soup/gifts

Deborah Velasquez http://deborahvelasquez.blogspot.com/

Shannon Etnyre http://www.livingwithumami.com

Live Laugh Love Retreats http://livelaughloveretreats.com

Kelley Miller Artworks http://kelleymillerartworks.blogspot.com/

Wini Dougall http://artloveandjoy.blogspot.com

Carol Bray http://theredpaintedcottage.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-spirit-of-giving-back-by-giving-flight.html

Tracy Yarbrough http://chickpeastudio.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-spirit-of-giving.html

Diane Enright  http://dianeenrightphotography.wordpress.com/

Jamie Burch http://www.dancingdownserendipitystreet.blogspot.com/

Mary Cottingham http://www.barnbugstudio.blogspot.com

Susan Dietz http://flutterbeforeyou.blogspot.com

Lori Moon Studio http://lorimoonstudio.blogspot.com/2012/08/fly-tribe-blog-hop-giving-back.html

Kim Hyer http://www.apaperaddict.com

Tina Carlborg http://www.tinachicky.blogspot.com

Catherine Pistone  http://catherinepistone.blogspot.com/

Mary MacIlvain http://maryart.macilvain.com/

Carolyn Chenault http://carolynchenault.wordpress.com/2012/08/20/the-big-giveaway

Shells' Sunday Snippets

My week in Instagram pics...playing along with {tinniegirl}.

Glass and Bezel Pendants

Last Monday I made 50 pendants and took hundreds of photographs and lost the cable to my camera-computer when it got tangled up in the cords of the printer...now I have found the cable and can show you some pics...

I buy all my supplies from Annie Howes Etsy store and on her website is a tutorial.  I have found Annie's products and service to be excellent and she gave me a $20 discount on postage to Australia.

I had to cut down my business cards to fit into the organza bags...

I am taking these pendants with me to America to give as gifts to people I meet.  Any I have left I will be selling in October when I've returned.

Not everything went to plan as you can see from these rejects - they loose their colour if you put too much glue/Diamond Glaze on them esp before setting them in the trays...what I then did was soak them in warm, soapy water until the cabuchon, tray and paper separated and am making some more.

Shells' Sundays Snippets

My week in pics...

Joining in with {tinniegirl} and {sunday snippets} A collection of photos from your week. No need for words. Let the pictures tell your story.

New Flower Paintings

Here are two new flower paintings I created this week for two upcoming art shows:

Four Flowers, Acrylic on Canvas, 75cm x 51cm

Flowers, Acrylic on Canvas, 75cm x 51cm



Here are some progress shots:

Shells' Sunday Snippets

My week in pics....

Joining in with {tinniegirl}.  {sunday snippets} A collection of photos from your week. No need for words. Let the pictures tell your story. Pop your link below if you're joining in.