It's Time For One World, One Heart!!!

I'm so excited- it's finally time for OWOH again!  Last year was the first year I participated and I met so many wonderful people, folks that are now part of my daily life in Blogland.

 Let me start by sending a heartfelt thank you to Lisa Swifka who dreamed of the event and made it happen five years ago- what an enormous undertaking!
Lisa asks us to introduce ourselves and so, here I go;

My name is Stephanie and I am a visual artist who likes to dabble in mixed media.  I have three children and one husband  ;) and along the way, I put my art on hold to be a stay at home mom- a choice I have never regretted!

We moved to the Caribbean when the kids were 5, 3, and 1 and stayed for seven years.......as they got older and needed me less, I started doing a little art again but when I realized their school had no art program, I started a mission to create one for them. Next thing I knew I was teaching 80+ students from pre-K to 8th grade- even though I'd never taught before!  I loved it- the students were so inspiring to work with and the more I worked with them, the more I knew I wanted to be a full time artist again......

We moved back to the states in 2007 and since then, I find myself painting, painting and painting some more!  It nice to work from home and arrange my schedule around the kids'!  I enjoy playing with altered books and collage, so I do that too!
My first painting inspiration is my garden- I love flowers and color and the way light affects both....at first, the majority of my work featured flowers.  But I studied to be an illustrator and I found myself wanting to paint people again....so women started appearing in my work, and I now have a nice collection of both!
For my prizes, I wanted to offer a collection that represents me and the friendship I am offering to you.  Working from home can be lonely at times, and my bloggy friends are a HUGE part of my life!  It's so nice to have other artists to talk to on a regular basis.
I like to hope that my friendship brings color and light to my blog friends; new and old- so I'm choosing a series of pieces that reflect on that....
Thank You Gift 1 
is a print of my painting, "Parrot Tulips en Masse"

 

The print measures 15" x 20" will high quality color and detail and will be shipped rolled up in a protective cardboard container

Thank You Gift 2

is one of my journals with a collaged cover based on my painting; "Infinite Spring"

This is the front cover

 and the back signed, dated and commemorating OWOH!

 To get an idea of what my journals look like, check out this blog post.

Thank You Gift 3
is a 5" x 7" canvas with a collaged print of my painting; "Metamorphosis 1- Beyond the Veil"

 I have painted the edges of the canvas to extend the details and give the impression of an original painting.

Thank You Gifts 4 & 5:
For my final two gifts, I am offering 2 sets of cards.  
The winners may choose any 5 cards they like from my Etsy shop (the link is in my sidebar) the images I have shown are are only examples!

 

Now on a final note- let me go over the rules and regs:
1. Although you do not have to participate in the event, you MUST have a blog to be eligible for the giveaway- otherwise this event is open to anyone, anywhere in the world.

2.My giveaways are "door prizes" as a thank you for stopping by- All you need do is leave a comment and a way for me to get back to you should you win- please don't forget to include your email in your comment if it is not on your blogger profile!

3.Comments will close at 10 am on February 17-I will be using Random Number Generator to determine the 5 winners.

4. I will notify the winners via e-mail- important: if your profile page doesn't contain your e-mail address, or you are not an active blogger, please include your e-mail address in your comment.

5. Since we must mail these gifts out within three days after the event, once I have notified you, you will have 48 hours to respond with your mailing address. That means I must hear from you no later than February 19.
Thank you for visiting and good luck! 
Stephanie