And The Winners Are.....

Everyone! Yep, I'm having an Oprah moment. You get art! And you get art! And you get art! It was really hard to choose just two of you so I think everyone deserves to be a winner.

Of course, only two people can receive the framed art offered in the blogiversary giveaway...but I will send everyone else who left a comment an original watercolor post card. Just send me an email and let me know your address and I will create something just for you. If you have a favorite quote or saying then send that along too. Or just say "surprise me!" and I will.

Here's where the framed quotes will be heading...

I've chosen Shenais to receive Oh Happy Day because she articulated so well the deeper message that those three little words represent. Even though I said it was just a happy little doodle in my post, she "got" it so now she gets it. Congratulations Shenais!

I've chosen Gianna to receive the Howard Thurman quote because of her sheer enthusiasm for quotes in general and this one in particular. She seems like someone who will "come alive" and inspire others to do the same. Congratulations Gianna!

Thank you again to everyone for visiting and for taking part in my giveaway! Please accept my offer to thank you personally with a little bit of mail art happiness. You can find my email address on my profile. I'm looking forward to hearing from you!

Lost and Found: Second Blogiversary Giveaway!

Oh Happy Day!!!

October 1^st marks the two year blogiversary of Lost and Found and I’m celebrating with a great big giveaway! This is my way of letting you know how much I appreciate all of you who stop here to visit and inspire me with your comments, good humor, and positive energy. It doesn’t matter if you just clicked here by accident, googled your way over, visit regularly, or fall somewhere in between—I’m so happy you’re here!

Now--on to the giveaway! I’ll be the first to admit that my giveaway last year was pretty lame. What can I say? I was new and unprepared and offering up a yet-to-be-created original piece of art might not have been the best idea I’ve ever had. I had 8 participants for the giveaway and I’m grateful to each of them for taking a chance on my mystery prize. This year I’m much better prepared and I hope I can double the number of participants for the giveaway. Of course, I’ll need your help to reach that goal.

Since this is the second blogiversary of Lost and Found, I decided to give away TWO original hand-lettered watercolor pieces to TWO lucky readers. All you have to do is leave a comment on this post and tell me which piece you would like and why. I'll make my choices based on your comment--so make it a good one! Be sure I have a way to contact you if you are the winner.

First up is this illustrated quote by Howard Thurman. I love this message! This inspirational quote gives us permission to do what we love because doing so is in the best interest of the entire world. What could be better than that? Seriously.

The second piece is a happy little doodle of a favorite phrase of mine. No deep thoughts here. This one is just for fun.

Both pieces were done with permanent black marker and watercolor and the images measure approximately 6.5 x 8.5 inches which is a bit larger than I usually work. Each one will arrive in a black frame ready to hang on the wall or to display on a flat surface. Here's a peek at how the first one looks framed and hanging on my newly-painted green kitchen wall.

Don’t be shy! Jump right in let me know if either of these pieces would brighten up your life, your home, your studio, or your workplace. Leave your comment by midnight on October 1^st and I will announce the winners on October 2^nd. 

 Good luck and thanks for visiting!

The Many Layers of Happiness

Happiness is having your name drawn as the winner in a blog giveaway!

Extreme happiness is when the giver is the super talented Lori Vliegen from elvie studio! Lori recently celebrated her 500th blog post (yikes!) and she generously offered up an excruciatingly scrumptious, beautifully hand made, doodle journal to one lucky blog reader. As if receiving this magnificent prize wasn't enough, it arrived wrapped in multiple layers of happiness with no detail overlooked. Grab a cookie or glass or wine and come along for the unveiling!


The outermost layer was pretty standard. But there's nothing like the sight of a package waiting patiently on your doorstep after a long day at work to kick start the joy of anticipation. Let the unwrapping begin...


First up is a protective layer of bubble wrap. It's both practical and pretty when a hint of lime green and other goodies is peeking through.


A lovely layer of gorgeous green tissue paper is next with this humorous little tag delicately tied with colorful string. Who is this mysterious inspector #12? If his or her job is to inspect and ensure the quality of craftsmanship on this journal then inspector #12 has the easiest job in the world. The covers are perfectly wrapped. The stitching is superb. With construction this meticulous, inspector #12 might as well eat bon bons all day. Wait! That's it! Knowing Lori's legendary love of chocolate, inspector #12's top priority is probably making sure journals don't leave elvie studio with any chocolate fingerprints!


Another little surprise was waiting beneath the tissue paper. A clear plastic envelope added another layer of protection and was sealed with an adorable elvie studio sticker and another carefully tied string held this sweet paper heart. The heart was attached to a mini glassine envelope that housed a personal note from Lori and an elvie studio business card.


Finally, the star of the show revealed! And isn't she a beauty?


I love the way Lori embellished this doodle print paper with doodles of her own in white.


Look how colorful and beautiful the spine is with all these yummy papers! A black elastic band holds everything together perfectly. I'm going to leave the "Pat" tag on because I think it's gorgeous and because I want everyone to know this journal is MINE.


The pages are a combination of graph paper, ledger paper, notebook paper and envelopes to stash all sorts of secret stuff. Each signature is wrapped in eye-popping paper that adds a nice burst of color throughout.


Last, but not least, the proof that this journal is a true work of art is the signature stamp on the inside back cover. It's obvious that Lori puts a lot of care and thought into her journals and into their presentation and wrapping as well. Can you tell I'm thrilled with my prize? Check out Lori's Etsy shop and treat yourself to one of her journals. You'll be glad you did!

PS The wrapping was even nicer than what you see in these photos. After opening everything up, I re-wrapped it (not quite as nicely) to take pictures. Then I got to enjoy the process of opening it all over again!

A Whole Lotta Lettering Going On

I've been trying to limit my art activities lately to projects that really need to be finished and projects that have a definitive purpose. (As opposed to all those crazy "what if" ideas that are constantly running through my brain!) My Art House sketchbook is at the top of the list of projects that need to be finished. Even though the deadline was extended to January, I feel like I'm running out of steam and would like to be finished with it. The good news is that I finally feel like I've turned a corner and am headed to the finish line. In the meantime, I've managed to sneak a few lettering projects in between sketchbook pages.



A postcard for Kim because we love Seinfeld in this family.



A postcard for Zack who followed his dream to the Big Apple where I wish him success and happiness.



A wedding memento for Bridget and Rick who were married on October 3rd.



A birthday card for Kim who was born on October 3rd.



And finally, the piece I made for Sarah who was the winner of my blogiversary giveaway.

Congratulations to Curious Crow!

Here's a big, bloggy thank you to everyone who stopped by to help me celebrate my one year blogiversary and my 26th wedding anniversary. I really appreciate your kind words and heartfelt wishes. The lucky winner of the mystery giveaway is Curious Crow from the United Kingdom. Congratulations Sarah! Send me an email (mcspud@roadrunner.com) with your address and I'll mail the package off to you. Since Sarah likes surprises, I'll wait to post a photo until after she receives her package. I hope you all find something to celebrate today!

PS Pardon my typo. I guess the excitement of my first giveaway was too much for me.