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

The Ubiquitous New Year's post...

It's hard, really, to put into words what this last year has meant to me. And to my family as well. 2007 started out so, so horribly. My sister and brother-in-law were going through something very painful. I was lost and felt like I had no idea where I was supposed to go, what I was supposed to do. And then a course of events happens and one after the other, you begin to realize that it took the agony and the loss and the disappointment to bring the hope and the joy and the freedom. I am doing things I never dreamed I would ever do. Doors have opened that I never even knew existed. And the most amazing part is that while I am relishing in my God-I-am-obviously-not-as-good-at-doing-things-on-my-own-as-I-thought-please-take-over state of mind, I am getting to sit and watch as my sister is doing EXACTLY what she always dreamed of doing.

Katie has talked about opening her own performing arts academy for, well, I feel fairly comfortable saying the last twenty years. For two decades we have talked about what it would be like, drawn floorplans for the dream buildings and so on and so on. And she's finally doing it. And it's amazing. And I'm so proud. It's an incredible thing, a blessing really, when you get to see someone you love do something she's really good at--like how ridiculously patient she is with children--but then you get to see her do things you never even guessed she was good at, great at even--like building a website, and managing about 5,000 things all at once.

And so I'm so excited for what 2008 will bring. I really don't have any idea, and I find that kind of thrilling. I didn't make resolutions this year. But I did make goals. One of them is to really grow and expand my own business. And one of them is to make some serious progress in getting Katie and Michael further along in their adoption process. To start it off, I have added some new products to the shop:



They are sold individually, and as a set. The set comes packaged like this:



I'm trying it out. If it's successful, I might make some batches of some of the other prints. We'll see.

I hope that 2008 brings lovely, amazing and inspiring things to you as well.

xo,
Amy

ups and downs

I've had a hor-ri-ble day. Not for any particular reason, really. Nothing catastrophic happened (thankfully). It was just -- bad. But, luckily, a couple of nice little moments happened, so all was not lost:

1. I had, quite possibly, the greatest-conversation-ever with, quite possibly, the most-adorable-six-year-old-boy ever. He had a hard time saying his s's and couldn't say his r's at all, which I think just piles on the cuteness. It was one of those conversations where every single sentence starts with "Hey! Guess what!". But at six, there are a lot of really, really exciting things going on, apparently. Like--guess what--he has a new little baby sister and she already has her first tooth, and he has alll of his. And--guess what--he's about to start first grade and he even got a card from his new teacher and he can spell his whole name, even though his first name has a silent 'e'. And--guess what--he only got to swim a little bit this summer because his dog chewed the bottom of his kiddie pool and now it won't hold water. You get the idea. Pretty adorable. And certainly a reminder to celebrate the little things in life.

2. I went to Blue 7 today, (the local boutique that is so generously giving Project 8256 some floor space and not taking a single dollar) for my fortnightly restocking of prints. I have to admit that I have been feeling a little bogged down lately, but knowing that there is this other aspect to Project 8256 that requires so little effort on my part is this ridiculously huge weight off of my shoulders. Really incredible. You should go shop there. And buy lots and lots of things of which they do make a profit.

Here are some other little things that make me happy:




1. I treated myself to some new shoes. Maybe a little ridiculous, maybe not so practical. But I like them. And don't worry, they will be worn exclusively with jeans. No skirts.

2. My friend Lauren lent me her copy of Flower Drum Song. We have a mutual, nostalgic, love for a movie musical. I haven't seen it in so long. And I know it is so full of cliches and stereotypes on many levels. But oh, man. My sister and I were raised on this stuff. I only vaguely new about New Kids On The Block, but ask me to recite allll the lyrics to "Gypsy" or "My Fair Lady" or, really anything by Rogers & Hammerstein and I could deliver. What weird kids.

3. Packaging for amelia mae. I printed it on graph paper. And graph paper makes me really, really happy.

I've also really been enjoying St. Vincent's "Marry Me" album. It has a lot of layers and textures, which I really like. But not in that over-produced "my seventeen-year-old brother just hooked me up with his casio keyboard and his new "killa beats" cd" kind of way. If that makes sense. I especially like the title track, Your Lips are Red and Landmines. So check it out. If you want.

Okay, so my day is seeming a little less gloomy now. Plenty to be thankful for. Hopefully for you as well.

xo,
amy

old and new

I'm not entirely sure how I seem to only blog on Sundays. It isn't intentional. Or planned. Or certainly not written down, because I do so prefer a mental note. But anyhow, it's Sunday. Again. And here I am.

So over the last week or so..I've been toiling away at this:



and this...



The close-up is on the right. There's still a bit more to be done. The shapes were cut from the pages of an old novel--from the blank space that is at the end of each chapter. The book is perfectly musty and water-stained. Or was, rather. It's now been pretty much cut to bits.

AND...this week I got a very exciting parcel in the mail from a very talented (and new) Etsy seller: lucky me beads



It's a pulley. On a necklace. I couldn't resist. And I couldn't be more pleased. So, should you be interested in repurposed vintage jewelry, you should definitely check her out. (Photo from luckymebeads.etsy.com)

So overall, a rather nice little week. And to top it all off, I got to hear little stories of people gifting or receiving my prints for wedding gifts, birthday gifts. That really just warms my heart to near bursting. I take gift giving very seriously--as in focused, on a mission, seriousness. So it means a lot. a lot. to know that someone has selected something I did as a gift. And to know that, on top of that, there are others like my sister and the kids at AHOPE that then benefit from that, well that's pretty much splendid.

I hope you all had a lovely 4th. And a relaxing weekend. I am off to c-l-e-a-n. Much overdue.

xo,
amy

get ready...

So here is some of the most exciting news to date regarding Project 8256...

The following little gems are all available for purchase at Blue 7 in Oklahoma City. I am so entirely overwhelmed by their generosity that I don't think I can really do it justice in this little blog. It's important to know that they are not making a profit of any kind from this, but are instead giving us exposure in an incredible, exciting boutique as a way to help us generate more support. So nice. So here's what you can find:




Framed originals of "Completely" and "I Liked John" as well as the original of "Take Wing". The other four are all new pieces. The majority of the prints in the Etsy shop will be available at Blue 7 as well.

So, should you live in the okc metroplex, be sure to go by Blue 7 (5028 N. May Ave.) and check it out. But, should you not live within driving or short-road-trip distance, then don't fret because the Etsy shop will still be around.

I'm feeling such a range of emotions right now. I'm, of course, really excited and hopeful, but I also still feel so new at all of this that I'm a little nervous, a little anxious. But mostly, overwhelmingly, I'm just extremely touched and just so, so thankful.

xo,
Amy

(insert something incredibly clever)

What a weekend. Michael, (of Katie-and-Michael, my sister and brother-in-law) graduated from college this weekend. So, naturally, much planning and preparations went into a celebratory dinner. I thought the night went off quite well, but the memories will just have to remain in my head as I once again failed to take any photographs. So no record of the 8 dozen cupcakes that were baked for the festivities. No photos of the admittedly clever, and rather cute, centerpieces. No documentation of how lovely my sister and I looked in our dinner party outfits. Nothing. I did manage, though, to take a picture of this:



Yes, that's right. A turkey. A wild one. I saw something walking on the deck on the back of our house and fully expected it to be our neighbor's cat. But no, it was a turkey. Which actually walked fairly quickly and made more of a squeaking noise instead of a "gobbling" noise that I expected. Other lessons I learned this week, besides the mph of a turkey:

1. Cooking. When cooking, it is very important to follow the recipe exactly until you, oh, know something at all about how to cook. It is also important to use the ingredients listed and properly look up the correct conversions for others until you, oh, know anything at all about cooking. I'm just saying.

2. Gratitude. When we started Project 8256 I did not really think about the affect that it would have on me personally. That wasn't really the point. But a mother of two adopted sons emailed me, saying that she had purchased two prints to give to her sons' birthmothers for Mother's Day. I cannot really explain how touched--how honored--I am by that. I am so thrilled to be a part of that in some small way, and am really so, so thankful that she chose to share that with me. Sometimes it feels like we will never sell enough to make this work, but then something like that will happen and it reminds that it is worthwhile, and keeps me motivated and encouraged.

That's really it, I suppose. I am planning on locking myself away on Tuesday in hopes of creating a few new prints and perhaps some originals. We'll see.

xo,
Amy

EDIT: So, my father just read this post and informed me that this isn't actually a turkey. It's some other bird, of which I've already forgotten the name. Apparently that's why it didn't "gobble". So much for being a wilderness girl. And I planted flowers on Earth Day and everything...

Farther to Go.

My goodness, it has been an awfully, awfully long time since I've updated. So sorry. But I do have some exciting news regarding Project 8256. I rather like lists, so here it is:

1. I am now selling originals in the shop. Well, currently it is "original" - singular - but hopefully more will emerge in the future. This one (pictured above) was quite fun to do. I painted the canvas orange with the intent of doing something completely different than what it ended up as, but am quite satisfied with the result. I will not be selling prints of this one, for various reasons, so once it's gone, it's gone.

2. Project 8256 has ventured even further into cyber-land and now has a MySpace. I know. I debated about this for a while, but decided that it could, potentially, be an excellent way of getting the word out. My hope is that people will not only by "friends" with Project 8256, but will include us among their "top friends" so that our exposure will be increased. I'm ignoring my own personal feelings about inviting someone to be your "friend" and crossing my fingers that this just might work. So if you have a MySpace, request us as a friend. It will be greatly appreciated.

3. Very exciting. Project 8256 has now reached 17 sales. Now, I realize that this is not an astonishing number. And I most certainly realize that we have many, many items that need to be sold in order to reach our goals. But these 17 items represent sales from Colorado, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, California, New York, Ohio and even the United Kingdom. Some purchases have been from family and friends and some have been from complete strangers. Every sale has brightened my day and has encouraged my entire family. So thank you all.

Hope everyone is doing well. Thanks again for all of the support.

xo,
Amy

a list...

I thought I would take a little mini-break from writing about prints. Not for any particular reason. But I am really very, very sleepy and I am a little afraid that it might not be all that coherent. So instead I thought I would share 5 things that are making me really happy right now:

1. I ordered this little gem from a favorite etsy artist of mine the other day. Her name is Mati McDonough and I have already two of her prints. One of them is among my favorite items on my wall, because how many people, really, can say that they have a painting of a kitten wearing boys underpants and tube socks clipping feathers from a bird to add to his angel wings? Who among you can claim that? That's right. I love her work because, and this is intended as a compliment, she paints like a child sings. You know: free, unafraid. Anyway, it's currently in transit and I am really excited about getting it. Don't you love the anticipation of packages?

2. I visit my bestest little Beth in only three weeks from tomorrow. I probably could have listed five things that make me happy centered on this trip alone, but we'll leave it at that. I simply adore this girl, and as we seem to only get to see each other once a year, I am all a-twitter with anticipation.

3. The weather has been absolutely gorgeous lately, and I am fully confident that Spring is finally here. As much as I love to layer -- and I do -- it is nice to not have to put a thousand things on before walking outside.

4. I keep revisiting my Margot & the Nuclear So & So's album. You should give them a listen if you haven't already. I'm particularly enjoying the tracks "Skeleton Key" and "Paper Kitten Nightmare". We will ignore the fact that I am really -- not at all -- a cat person, and that kittens have come up twice in this list. We will also ignore that I could do several lists just on music that is making me quite happy right now. You could click on the profile link to the left of the screen for a short list, if you're curious. And I'm serious about the suggestions. Should you have any.

5. I have gotten to reconnect with several old friends since launching Project 8256. Which also means that I am checking my email even more compulsively than I already did. I am also meeting such lovely people through etsy as well. I am anxiously awaiting another very special package from a different designer on etsy (who, unfortunately, must go unnamed for the moment, because it was ordered especially for someone's birthday - see #2). She took the time to look at our etsy site and write a sweet little note. So nice.

So, all in all, not such a bad week. Hope yours is happy as well.

amy

exhaustion/gratitude

I am really quite tired. It's the good tired, though. The kind that you get from working all day at something. The kind that is equal parts exhaustion and accomplishment. Katie came over this morning to work on a big shop update and we worked solidly all day, stopping only for a family dinner at my aunt and uncle's. Then back to work--Michael joined us and we were all able to get quite a bit done. As much as I would rather not look at glue or sharpies ever again, I know that it will feel so much better during my work week to know that so much is finished. And it was so nice to spend time with Katie. It's rare to spend a solid 12 hours together these days.

Thank you, thank you to all of those who have supported us either with purchases (which is matched only by unspeakable gratitude), or with kind words and well wishes (equally immense gratitude). I can't even tell you how incredible it is to check my email and find a little bauble in my inbox. And I know that Katie and Michael feel that. I know that my whole family feels that. I had a friend (so unnecessarily) apologize for not being able to contribute financially. But his words of encouragement--that moved me to work a little later into the night. And, more importantly, to get up a little earlier in the morning. And to anyone who knows me, well, they know the remarkable importance of that rare incident.

So, I'm off to bed. I'm starting to realize that it's really a whole hour later and, once I hang up all of my newly clean clothes, my bed is going to look awfully comfy.

Sweet dreams,
Amy