because...

because we all have those memories...



just added to the amelia mae shop.

Hope you had a nice weekend. Mine was a little exhausting. I'm actually really looking forward to Monday.

Best,
Amy

new things

I've added a few new things to both the amelia mae and the project 8256 shops.

These two prints are now in the amelia mae shop. I love some wood grain. And I really love incorporating text into my pieces. Available in grey/orange and pink/red:



I also have a new greeting card to the project 8256 shop. It says "i miss you so." on the inside. So sad.




And, in the spirit of personal choice, I also created a listing where you can select any five greeting cards for $15. Not bad.




Oh, and the exciting news from before is OFFICIAL, so I can share it without fear of jinxing. I am moving into an adorable little house. I love it. A lot. So the the next few weeks might be (a little) more chaotic. Fair warning.

xo,
Amy

choices, choices

I put a new little offering in the Project 8256 shop this weekend--pick any three prints for $60.00. I like this idea for several reasons:

1. This saves you $15 dollars. I love a bargain.

2. It saves you from those horrible decisions: this one? or that one? Get them both. And then get another for just $10.00 more.

3. I love giving presents. And I, personally, feel that artwork is a fantastic gift. I also love giving presents to myself. Now you can do both with the tiniest bit less guilt.

4. It still goes towards a great cause.







Check it out here. Happy shopping.

I hope you had a good weekend. Mine capped off quite unexpectedly. But in a really good way. But I'm not going to tell quite yet, because I don't want to jinx it. Not until it's official. Then you'll be the first to know.

xo,
Amy

purchase of the year

Hands down. Best purchase of the year. I won't bore you with the details, but I will say this: Last pair left in the store. My size. Rang up for half of what I expected (which ended up being slightly more than my lunch. Such a steal). Made traveling seven hours with my boss IN A U-HAUL totally worth it.




Luckily I have a boss that 1. is enjoyable to be around, despite being IN A U-HAUL and 2. relishes in amazing purchases even if they are not her own.

It's pouring down rain here today. I'm not at all upset about this, because it was supposed to be ice and I got to wear my new wellies to the grocery store.

Off to clean. Enjoy your weekend.

xo,
Amy

AHOPE update

A short time ago, Katie and I sent our first check to AHOPE. We were both really excited about this--and are even more excited knowing that we will be able to give more in the future. Katie received a letter from them today in the mail, which I of course made her read aloud to me over the phone--including the contents of the enclosed brochures. I then made her read it aloud again, so that I could type it all up and share it in my blog. Katie was not all that impressed with my "but I really can type very quickly" abilities, so she typed it up herself and emailed it to me.

So, here is a portion of the letter which talks about how the donation will be used:

"Your gift will help support AHOPE Ethiopia’s two orphanages for HIV positive children in Addis Ababa as well as the community outreach program that assists what is left of HIV orphan’s families to keep them at home rather than having to abandon them to institutional care. It will also help to build AHOPE Children’s Village.

The financial challenges of our building project and outreach program are a big stretch for us, but the need is definitely there- the statistics on the numbers of orphans in Ethiopia are staggering and many of those orphans are HIV positive. Beyond that however, we want to serve as a model of what can be done- and done right. We can’t do it all, but with your help we can make a difference!"

And here are some interesting facts about AHOPE, should you be interested in more information:

"The mission of African HIV Orphans: Project Embrace is to offer a two-pronged approach to the devastation caused by the AIDS virus in Ethiopia

- Provide a nurturing, stimulating, loving home for infected children orphaned by the disease.
- Provide comprehensive, accurate education to families, staff, and local community regarding AIDS prevention and care of infected loved ones."

It goes on to state that Ethiopia has been severely afflicted by the AIDS epidemic that is happening all over the world. As entire generations are dying, many are leaving behind children. Hundreds of thousands of children. Many of these orphans test positive for the HIV virus. Ethiopia has a serious need for more facilities to care for HIV orphans--those both affected by and infected with HIV. There is also a need to better educate the people of Ethiopia, to break down the superstition and misinformation about AIDS and HIV. One of AHOPE's missions is be able to place HIV+ orphans back into the homes of their existing family members when possible. This is currently very difficult as many are reluctant to adopt children whose parents died of AIDS.

"AHOPE for Children Provides:

-Pleasant and well-staffed children's homes that solely care for orphans that test positive for HIV.
- Love, nurture and education for the children in care.
- Comprehensive medical care, including anti-retroviral medication and counseling, in partnership with World Wide Orphans Foundation.
- Ongoing community programs to educate about AIDS."


For even more information:
Visit the AHOPE for Children website.
Visit the World Wide Orphans Foundation website


I have such mixed feelings right now. I'm so excited for the vision that AHOPE for Children has. And I believe so strongly in what they are doing, and in what they will do. But I know that there is still SO MUCH that has to be done. So much that MUST be done.

I am so incredibly thankful for everyone who has supported us on this journey. It's been a pretty incredible one so far. And I'm really excited to see how it all turns out.

xo,
Amy

heart strings, piano strings

Just wanted to let you know that there are two new prints in the Project 8256 shop. I haven't had the chance to add any new prints in quite some time, so I'm pretty excited about this one, which comes in two colorways, spearmint and tan:

The text in the piano reads "it's the songs you sing that break my heart the most". If you look closely, there are copper-colored swirls throughout the piano, to represent the piano strings.

If heartbreak isn't your thing (right before Valentine's Day and all), I forgot to post that I now have a greeting card featuring the "you are the one i want most of all" print.



xo,
Amy

shuffling about

This is (I am hoping) a quick little post to let you know that there are a few (actually, kind of big) changes going on in the amelia mae side of things. My gallery show closed last weekend, and so now I have all these pretty little things to sell and no place for them. It seemed a little silly to be selling original art pieces next to sets of gift tags, so I have now opened another Etsy shop. My original pieces will now all be housed in the original amelia mae shop, but with a whole new look:



And all of my gift tags and banners are (ever so slowly) being moved into my new shop: amelia mae paper goods.




So, have a look if you'd like. I'll be adding lots of new items to the amelia mae shop over this coming week. For the time being though, you can find lots of little silhouettes looking for a good home:



Happy Monday. Hope your weekend was lovely.

xo,
Amy