Art and Drawing

 

 

Last week I won a contest over at Daisy Bisley's blog! It arrived yesterday in the mail and I am really excited to start using my new pencils, drawing pens, ruler and sketch book! That is, if my daughter will let me. She kind of took over my sketch book and has been busy making her own artwork in it.

 

As much as I wanted to keep the sketchbook for myself, I couldn't stand the idea of not allowing her to draw in it.

 

Sidney loves drawing! She draws maybe 20 or more drawings every day. On the weekend she'll produce over 50 drawings. To say we go through a lot of paper is an understatement. It's a lot of paper, but why should I prevent her from expressing herself creatively?

 

I know from my own experience that art is an amazing hobby (or career if you're lucky ;) )!

 

Making an art piece takes a lot of work, discipline, concentration, creativity, skill and confidence. I'm not even exaggerating. If you have ever taken the time to complete a drawing, painting, sculpture, etc. you will know what I'm talking about.

 

Maybe later this week I will post some of the portraits I did at D3 Artworks Inc. And I hope to have some new drawings to share with you, too! Because I'm actually planning out a couple of tattoos I would like to get.

 

Do you enjoy art? What medium do you prefer?

 

Thanks,

Cole

Admitting to Myself - I am a Writer

This is a special post for the 'Writing Contest: You are a Writer' held by Positive Writer.

 

Warning: It's a bit lengthy!

 

When I was just a child, not so long ago, I used to write short stories with my cousin. We would get a spark of inspiration from anything as simple as three letters written on the side of a truck, or someone we noticed standing in line at the store. Right where we were, we’d start throwing ideas back and forth, coming up with some silly story we would later on write down.

At the time I never thought much of it. My cousin and I both loved to read. We would spend our summers side by side reading novels and then switching when we were done. I never realized that I actually loved to write as well. I just assumed I had a bit of a wild imagination, that my silly stories would make my friends and family laugh and that was enough reason to keep writing them.

As I got older and I began to change not only physically but emotionally, my short stories changed, too. Certain things had taken place in my life that were not exactly thrilling and as my world began to change so did my writing. No longer did I write my silly stories about big nosed principals, or talking mosquitos. I became a horror fan, and I loved to kill off my characters. No more happy endings. Everyone must die.

A lot of the writing I did was for school. I loved English class and even when I didn’t have to submit a short story I still wrote. All through grade 7 and 8 I wrote in my spare time. Still, I didn’t think anything of it. I wasn’t a writer, I was just someone who liked writing. It was a great way for me to deal with my emotions and the events that took place in my life.

When I entered high school I found more interesting things to do then sit around by myself writing fictional stories. I began going out with my friends more, staying out late, getting into trouble. Nothing too serious; let’s just say I was never brought home by the police or expelled. We were just teenagers having fun.

I had a baby when I was 17 and dropped out of high school. My daughter became my whole world and everything I’ve done since then, I’ve done with her in mind. I knew that graduating high school would be the best thing for her, so I did it. I knew that having a good paying job would be the best thing for her, so I aimed for that.

There was a problem though, I wasn’t happy in any job I found and it showed. I went through so many different jobs, everything from being a banquet waitress, construction labourer, cashier, sales associate, bookkeeper, etc. No matter what I did, I would eventually quit, sure that there was something better out there that would pay. Besides, my boyfriend, who is Sidney’s father, made good money and I could take the time I needed to figure things out.

Well, he and I broke up a couple of years ago. I was completely devastated, but when things just aren’t working what can you do? By this time our daughter was four years old and starting Kindergarten full-time. I was on welfare, too upset to even look for work. So I did the only thing I could think of – I began writing down my feelings, not just in my journal like I’ve always done, but I began writing short stories about love and heartbreak. I wrote while she was in school, I wrote every night, I wrote whenever I had time to myself because when I wasn’t writing all I could do was pace and stew. Heartache turned to anger, and the best way to channel those emotions was to write.

We were separated for 3 months. It was one of the most difficult three months I’ve had to go through. I had never been through a breakup before then, but I finally knew what all of those movies and books were talking about. It was like grieving his death, except I had to see him for a few minutes every Wednesday evening and every other weekend whenever he picked Sidney up and dropped her off.

Eventually we worked things out and Sid and I moved back into our old apartment. Things were different though, not just between Nick and me, but I had changed as a person. For the first time in five years I had been on my own and allowed myself to think for myself. I felt selfish, but maybe I needed that.

I told Nick I wanted to be a writer. That nothing else could do. I didn’t know if I would ever make money writing, I wasn’t sure how it could support our family financially but I finally admitted to myself that through all of the doubt and self-criticism, I was in fact a writer. Writing made me happy.

Fast forward two years from that crucial moment of finally saying, “I am a writer” and here I am today. Even in those past two years there has been doubt, and criticism and wondering. I don’t have anything published. I don’t even know what kind of writer I want to be, do I want to write fiction or non-fiction? Who knows? Who cares? All I know is that I want to write, and that I do write almost every day.

Maybe no one ever reads what I’ve written, it’s not about being noticed, not right now. All that matters is that I write, because I am a writer.

Thanks,
Cole

Save Our House and Enter to Win!

Raising Money

A few weeks ago my mom and I sat down together to try and come up with ways to get enough money together to  save our home. You can read my mom's full story here. 

We chose to set up a fundraiser page on GoFundMe and even though it was extremely difficult to do, we both wrote a blog post about our situation. Afterwards, Kim from 2JustBYou contacted me with a fabulous idea; set up an Etsy Treasury that people can enter to win.  

The first Treasury winner was Sandra over at Sandra's Card Shop. Then she went ahead and asked all of the donors of the prizes to donate the value of the prize and postage to my family and I instead! Can you believe how generous and kind she is? Thank you Sandra. :)

The outcome of that fundraiser was incredible! Many people purchased items from my shops, and donated money directly to our GoFundMe page. 

And then luckily my mom was able to get our mortgage deadline extended so Maya and Kim decided to start another Fundraiser Treasury to help donate more money, and the outcome has been amazing!

The Results

As of right now we have raised $548 on our GoFundMe page, and sold 8 items between our two shops. 

Then something else happened that just blew me away! An anonymous donor has offered to match every donations dollar to dollar up to $1000! 

When I stop to think about all of the support, donations, generosity and kindness that others have given us I honestly start to cry. I never expected this to happen, and I can not even begin to express the amount of gratitude I feel. All of the thank you's in the world don't feel like enough. 

If you can, I would love if you could support all of the shops that have donated items! Please take the time to check out their shops and promote them because seriously, they are all so awesome.

Right  now, my mom is getting all of the money and information together to see if we have made it. We won't have the final yes or no for a few days yet, but I think we're going to be okay thanks to everyone involved. When we do find out, I will let everyone know!    

Another Chance to Win

The rules are simple:

Win 25 Entries for buying from either of my two Etsy Shops:

• Little Shop of Treasures 
• Amity Arts and Crafts

All proceeds are going towards Save Our Home fund. Message me your trans # with the amount spent.

 

Earn 25 entries for donating just $5, AND an additional 10  entries for each $5 increments for the cause at:

• http://www.gofundme.com/saveourhouse. 

When donating please leave a comment with your Etsy username (if you have one), and your transaction number so we can make sure you get your entries.

Now, today is the last day to enter to win this treasury:

'WIN this FUNDRAISING treasury!' by bkinspired

Red Swarovski Crystal H... justByou $12	Crystal 16ss Enhanced ... RhinestonesEtc $6.5	On Sale Pink and Yello... HairFlair11 $7.65	Reserved - Blue and Red... SusieBDesigns $25
Reserved listing - Blac... Lollydollops $25	Reserved for Team Treas... TexasLils $18	On Sale Fingerless Glov... CherubsGarden $11	Reserved for PCF Fund R... THEODORADESIGN... $25
reserved Pink Squared d... hbjewelrydesig... $14	Harris Tweed change pur... LifeCovers $12.5	RESERVED for PCF Team T... WendysWonders1... $25	Mustache Card Hand embr... SandrasCardSho... $5.5
RESERVED for Fundraiser... jayciMay $16	Reserved-burlap flowers... darlyndax $24	RESERVED 4x6 Picture Fr... bkinspired $10	Reserved--crochet '... karenhannaross... $10

Treasury tool supported by the dog house

Thanks, 

 

Win THIS Treasury!

From  now until Thursday, April 4th you have the chance to win every item in this treasury!

All of these lovely handmade items were donated by members of the PFC team on Etsy to help raise money for my family and I, so that we will be able to pay the outstanding amount on our mortgage and save our house. You can read more about that here and here.

The rules are simple:

Win 10 Entries for buying from either of my two Etsy Shops:

• Little Shop of Treasures 
• Amity Arts and Crafts

All proceeds are going towards Save Our Home fund. Message me your trans # with the amount spent. Each $5 increments earns you 10 entries.

 

Earn 10 entries for donating just $5 for the cause at:

• http://www.gofundme.com/saveourhouse. 

When donating please leave a comment with your Etsy username (if you have one), and your transaction number so we can make sure you get your entries.

 'Win THIS Treasury!' by pcfteam

Yes, you have the chance to win all items in this treasury! Read Page 1 for full details.All items are from PCF Team members. Read more about the team here:https://www.etsy.com/teams/10036/promoting-creative-friends

CUSTOM Natural Hemp Bra... AmityArtsandCr... $11.5	RESERVED - Pretty Purpl... ACCrochet $9	RESERVED for PCF Fundra... CreationsByJan... $15	Reserved for PCF Fundra... MoanasUniqueDe... $10
Reserved Wooden Bookmar... bkinspired $14	Persian Beauty Mood Key... justByou $7.5	Reserved for PCF Fundra... THEODORADESIGN... $10	Apron - Half Apron - Re... ChristieCottag... $15
Black and White Dandeli... AlwaysPrettyPa... $15	RESERVED Fused Art Glas... hbjewelrydesig... $18	Mini photo cards / your... SandrasCardSho... $10	RESERVED PCF TEAM Earri... TAKUniqueDesig... $11
Reserved for PFC Fundra... SpecialtyBouti... $15.99	Toy Big Wheel SUV 4x4 ... Tigerseyecraft... $12	Three Mexican and Tex M... ToppyToppyKnit... $6	RESERVED -Heartfelt De... PuddleDuckCott... $12

Treasury tool supported by the dog house

My family and I would like to thank everyone involved in this fundraiser for taking the time to set up this treasury, as well as all of the talented people who were kind and generous enough to donate items from their shops, and thank you to everyone who enters this contest by either buying an item or donating money! I can't express enough how thankful we all are!  

Thanks,