Thankful Thursday

Today I'm thankful for this composition by columnist Christine Mason Miller. As the to-do list gets longer and longer, I'm thankful for a reminder like this. It's okay. Just breathe. It's okay.

“We aren't here to make things perfect. The snowflakes are perfect. The stars are perfect. Not us. Not us!” ~Moonstruck

There is something in the air, something that has been in the air all summer but is just now making itself widely known throughout the blogging universe – a feeling of too much and not enough, as in too much to do and not enough time, energy and resources to do it all. On the one hand, this struggle is a nice problem to have, as all the different balls everyone is trying to juggle have to do with things like family, career, travel, creativity and home. On the other hand, I can’t help but wonder why it is so many of us – successful, creative, powerful women – march through our days haunted by the question Am I enough?

... and no matter how well-intentioned we might be, we’re going to stumble through it at times. We’re going to miss lunch dates, disappoint our friends, exhaust ourselves and forget to pick up the milk. We’re human.

What are you thankful for today?

Newsflash!

The first 15 online registrants for Metamorphosis 2009 will get a certificate good for a free appetizer at the T-Rex Cafe in Legends at Village West! Get 'em while they're hot!

I mean, who can resist Pterodactyl Wings or the Nacho Mountain? ;)

Meet the artists, #2.

Genevieve Gail. Oh so lovely. She has a gentle way in which she crafts art that is just so lovely. We are lucky to have a contribution straight from her talented hands to you.



From her site: Genevieve currently creates her own line of designs including jewelry, crafts, illustrations, and fabrics displaying her signature style. Her artwork is an eclectic mixture of patterns combined with fresh color pallets to produce on-trend, whimsical designs. Her goal is to create fun products that puts smiles on people's faces! Look out for her debut collection for Windham Fabrics available in stores Oct. 2009!

Another loyal Metamorphosis contributor is back again this year! Shawna Stobaugh illustrates and designs charming depictions of animals, flora and fauna--and a couple bearded men, too!





You can find more of her work on her Etsy site, too, for sweet little holiday gifts.

We also welcome the generous, talented donor Jill Assman, a collage artist with a heckuvalotta heart.



And a healthy funny bone, too.



Thank you immensely for giving a part of your world to us.

Meet an artist, #1.

Months and months ago, I came across a blog that mentioned the art of one Ms. Julia Pott who resides in our mother country of Great Britain. I found her work to have a refreshing, raw charm. Though some of her topics are for adults only, the delivery of each idea on the page is done with lovely hand-drawn authenticity. And I like how smoodgy her art is. I like that there might be smudges or erasings. I like that the people aren't very pretty. I especially like her animals set in human conditions. It's just truly interesting.





You can even purchase lovely pillows, aprons and totes with her work here. She is certainly an up and comer.

Now I had the pleasure of corresponding with Julia this summer. She not only agreed to donate, but also she so supported the idea of getting rid of pediatric brain cancer that she asked a few of her talented friends if they would mind donating, too.

Hence, Robin Bushnell, a fantastic animator also residing across the pond. He, too, has a quirky yet engaging style that fascinates as he's done here in his "Zoo" piece, a 2:40 animation of "a trip to the zoo ends in mayhem."


He has donated a darling little painting that you'll have to come November 12 to see! I've had the joy of meeting with both Julia and Robin, and I can assure you that they are as creative and caring as their work depicts.

Julia also introduced The Kyrie Foundation to Ms. Gemma Correll, a delightful illustrator who creates pieces like this



and this



and this


Gemma, too, has donated a sweet piece to the art auction fundraiser. I can't wait for you to see their work in person next month!

This Saturday!

Want to come hang with your pals this weekend? Come visit The Kyrie Foundation at this weekend's Girls Day Out!

Saturday, October 10th
10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Sedgwick County Extension Building
21 st & Ridge Road
in the Sunflower Room

Join us and get an early start on Christmas gifts, shop for yourself, bring your girlfriends, and support at-home businesses in your community!

Homemade Gourmet
Discovery Toys
Beauti Control
Premier Jewelry
The Pampered Chef
Entertaining at Home
Scentsy Wickless Candles
Rodan+Fields Skincare
Uppercase Living
Tupperware
Silpada
Stampin' Up!
Tastefully Simple
Biejo Bags
The Kyrie Foundation

We love how this is put together as a little shop of all those home parties. All the great brands and nifty products that you usually have to order here and there in one place. Brilliant! Plus, we'll be there with bracelets and cookbooks and well as a free smiles and open invitations to help us fight children's brain cancer.

Metamorphosis 2009!

Hot on the heels of one fundraiser comes another!

Not sure if you've noticed the countdown on the right sidebar over there, but that is your link to Metamorphosis 2009, The Kyrie Foundation's second-annual silent art+gift auction in Kansas City!

Lots of GREAT art this year from all over: London, Canada, Brooklyn, Texas, Utah, California and loads of great work from artists right here in Kansas City. In fact, tomorrow we'll begin profiling our donating artists so you can get to know their fascinating work.




And, if that weren't enough ... Whole Foods Market is sponsoring a pasta tasting included with the purchase of your ticket! We have a fantastic gourmet on deck to prepare a delicious trio of dishes made from organic ingredients generously donated by Whole Foods Market.



Local brew has been donated by the hip and happening Westport venue The Foundry at McCoy's. Ticket price also includes this as well as wine and soda, a chance to meet & greet attending artists and your name entered into our door prize drawing.

Plus, Bob Harvey from The Kansas City Jazz Orchestra and his group of jazzy merrymakers will be filling Studio 2131 with swanky tuneage.



What's more is that Karli Ritter with WDAF Fox-4 will be our lovely emcee for the evening!

Even more fantastic gifts up for auction, too--the perfect way to get a few holiday gifts for special someones on your list this year.

So you're saying: give the details already, Megan! Okay, here they are:

Thursday, November 12, 2009
Studio 2131
2131 Washington
The Crossroads District of Kansas City

$22 in advance
$25 at the door

5:30 p.m. Event Opens & Bidding Begins
6:30 p.m. Welcome
8:30 p.m. Bidding Closes

p.s.
This event info is posted on The Kyrie Foundation's Facebook page, too, if you want to invite your friends or spread the word!

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for a second wind. You know that moment when you just don't think you can go on, when you think you're spent, when you've given everything you have, when you're too exhausted to blink, when you can't see the finish line, when you're panting for a breath and your muscles are not carrying you but laughing at you? And then suddenly, a small amount of gusto returns, like in the movie Mr. Mom when "Chariots of Fire" begins.

I'm thankful for the grace that carries us through our own shortcomings, for the split-second decisions that whisper, "Don't give up." I'm thankful for the comforting lift that comes from a nice cup of coffee. I'm thankful for the decadent dessert called tiramisu, which in Italian literally means "pick me up." I'm thankful for that Footprints poem. I'm thankful for elevators and escalators. I'm thankful for friendships that weave safety nets that allows us bounce upward when we fall from our tightropes.

I'm especially thankful for the moments when the wind is at our backs pushing us to the finish line, like divine inertia. So good to lean once in a while.

What are you thankful for today?