FREE SHIPPING ON ZAZZLE!

On Zazzle use code: FREESHIP2DAY

Well how cool is that?! I have a free shipping sale going on and then come to find out Zazzle is too. So now you can purchase ANYTHING of mine and receive free shipping today!

This is for TODAY ONLY. Take advantage of it...I don't think it will happen like this again till next Christmas!

What are you waiting for?! GO!! -->
^_^

Free Shipping Sale

Tis the season to be giving, and this year I am giving free shipping on everything through tomorrow Monday November 30th! Not only that, but I'm giving free shipping to all items on in my personal Shoppe through December 12th!

RECAP
Free shipping on all Etsy items thru Monday November 30th Free shipping on all items in personal Shoppe thru December 12th

ALSO
Purchase an original painting and not only do you get free shipping, but you will receive a free 1x1 inch poppies magnet! Use the magnet as a stocking stuffer or keep it for yourself. This offer ends when the free shipping for etsy ends. Stay tuned for more goodies in the near future!

So Grateful

Today I started my first correspondence to Bristi, a seven year old girl living in Bangladesh. I decided at the beginning of this month to sponsor a child with the funds I receive through my business. A journey I hope many of us can take together.

I had no idea how blessed I would feel just printing out a couple of photos and writing her a five sentence note! I am excited to hear back from her, tho I have learned that will take lots of patience. Bristi will write me three times a year. That's not a lot. I'm anxious to see that frown turn into a smile and learn about her.

This decision came after a long desire to sponsor plus a great service at church that discussed faith with finances and doing more for others. I believe the timing couldn't be any better since this is the time of year that we are to give thanks (in our country). I am grateful that God brought this upon my heart, I can't see my money doing any thing better than supporting this girl. I look around at what I have then read about what she has. I am living like a queen compared to her and her family. My apartment is small and I don't have much in way of money, but that is according to our country's standards...which are high if you compare to the rest of the world. By doing this I know I will die knowing I helped at least her with what I have been given.

It is my hope and desire to sponsor more than one child, but this is a great start. The foundation I'm working with is Compassion International. Brian suggested it when I said I was thinking of going through Child Fund. He has worked with youth groups that have used Compassion and I liked learning that almost 100% of the money I send goes directly to Bristi and her family.

About Bristi
She lives with her mother, father, and one sibling. She enjoys playing with dolls and reading, and attends Bible class regularly. Her responsibilities at home are carrying water and cleaning. Her dad sometimes works as a laborer and mom maintains the home. She lives on the plains of Ophapur, where the houses are constructed of dirt floors, mud walls, and corrugated iron roofs. They eat fish, rice and lentils and the common health problems are malnutrition, viral hepatitis, diarrhea, and skin diseases.

Please pray for Bristi and her family this holiday season, and remember the hundreds of thousands, upon millions of people on this planet that need help from us, the rich.

Prices Reduced

Over on my Etsy shop I have reduced the price of several original watercolor paintings. Plus I still have a few paintings that MUST sell! The reason? I'm running out of room to store them. Awesome prices which make awesome gifts. :) Or if you've had your eye on a painting, it might be the one reduced!

Hidden - Matted Original 5x7 Fairy Watercolor Painting

now only $85




Hollyhock Princess Fairy - 9 x 12 Original Watercolor SPACE LIMITED MUST SELL

now only $125




Shipping on all large format paintings has been reduced to only $7.00.

A Sketch and the Magnet

Once upon a time there was this sketch who wished she could be a magnet. She would wonder around the land saying she was going to be a magnet when she grew up. All of the other sketches laughed and giggled at her, but nodded their heads in most disbelief. One day when the little sketch found a garden full of swirls and color! She reached as high as she could, all the way on her tippy toes, just to grace a drop of color above her. In that instant, the wind blew, the leaves and vines picked her up, and she disappeared.
The land of sketches searched and searched for her, but found nothing but one of her boots. They began to believe the worst, she had been erased. As they all turned to go in for the night, a glimmer of light caught the eye of a sketch. He pointed it out and they all ran up the hill to the garden full of swirls and color. There in the center of the garden stood this majestic and beautiful magnet full of gorgeous colors! As the sketches gathered around the magnet she giggled. "See, I told you I'd become a magnet!"

Lusinga Magnet
available at my Etsy shop
visit for more photos!

Lucky Charms

Er, I mean magnets. :P

So it has finally happened! The magnets are here and the charms are on their way. For the last week I have been crafting one of a kind magnets. Still getting the gist of them, but enjoying it to the fullest! With such large illustration projects going on, these are great little breaks.

Last night I created some package design too. Brian buys a lot of altoids throughout the year so we have tons of altoid tins sitting around. He came up with the idea of using them to ship my magnets and charms in. I'm so excited because with the package designed everything comes together so beautifully! Not an expert yet, but wow, I might actually keep up with these! Pray people, pray that I do.

Visit my etsy shop, there are four magnets up at the moment, and more will be uploaded tomorrow along with three charms for scrapbooking or jewelry!

http://sarambutcher.etsy.com

Feelin' Crafty

{ silver fish | magnet | 2009 }

I'm in between projects at the moment...not wanting to continue on one of my paintings because I will be starting another next week that is priority. So with that what do I do with this week? Remember the charms I mentioned on my site and in my newsletter a few months ago? I feel out of my league. I didn't realize the intensity of making a 1x1 inch charm, if I was going to do this, it would take honing in a skill.

Yesterday I was led to visit Hobby Lobby. While I was there thoughts were racing through my head. I saw magnets and there it was, the thought that made sense to me. I love magnets...I love filling my fridge with them. They're like little mini collectibles and everyone has at least three.

After the accident with my charms (water spilled, they fall, some break, etc.) I decided to salvage what I had and make them into magnets. I want to add more than just an image. I have tons of little beads and want to use them. I also ADORE scrapbooking or any other kind of decorative paper. This way I can use both. Now cut me some slack, I'm no pro at these nor have I fully figured out how they will ultimately look as for design. But I have all week to work on that! I will be posting them on Etsy. I think that might tell me how I'm doin. :)

http://sarambutcher.etsy.com

Nothing for Us?

So I got a Christian Book Distributors catalog today and thought how cool that I get to see who the publishers are of childrens Christian books! I found some names and started researching online. The only submissions listed are for writers. The sites they get their writers from are only for Christian writers. Authors, writers, etc....what about us? What about the illustrators? I'm a bit discouraged. The thought of sending a postcard to the editors has crossed my mind, and what would it hurt? But it sometimes feels like the illustrations are the farthest from their minds.

The online groups I have found for Christian illustrators aren't large or well known. If you know of one and I missed it please let me know! But if there are great big sites for writers, why not at least one for illustrators? Is it assumed that it doesn't matter the illustrator, as long as they can paint what the publisher wants?

I don't mean to sound rude, and if I do please do not take it personally (publishers, authors), but as a Christian illustrator I would like to be part of the club too. I think there are enough Christian illustrators out there to fill an online portfolio directory! If I could, I would create one.

A Challenge

Don't challenges just frustrate you? Do you run away from them? Or are you like me, you welcome them and half way through you're wondering if accepting was a bad idea?

I welcome challenges because I know they will help me grow, especially in character. And lately, life has been all about choosing to take the easy road or the challenging road. It seems nicer and simpler to take the easy road...but in the long run you just keep desiring more feeling unsatisfied with the life given to you.

I take the challenge because it reminds me that I'M ALIVE. As much as I struggle and grit my teeth over it.

The sketch you see here is the result of something very challenging. Two weeks ago I spent hours fussing, erasing, critiquing, and sighing over the piece "Scepter in the Lake". Working on perspective issues, flow, technique, etc. It's a long list if you didn't get the idea. But now this is the follow up piece. I created a small storyboard for this story...that I am making up as I go...and this new drawing is three pages down from "Scepter in the Lake".

Don't get me wrong, this was not walk in the park either...working with more demanding one point perspective. I challenged myself. But things clicked faster and I feel this piece is stronger! All because of the headache involved with "Scepter in the Lake" (which happens to be one of my favorite paintings btw).

Embarking on a Spiritual Challenge

In the last month or two, there has been other challenges whispering in my ears. My faith is no secret and it is a big part of my work. It's where the light stems from and the rhythm drums to. During the prep for the wedding, and even after the wedding, my time wasn't spent with God. I went on a retreat and was renewed! But it fades so fast.

Now, about a month later I find myself desiring what I heard, saw, and felt at the retreat, but not knowing how. I set what I want to do, but it's very hard for me to keep motivating myself and sticking with a routine. Yesterday morning during coffee before church I was led to Proverbs 31 Ministry for women. I was in search of devotionals to maybe jump start my routine again. What I found was a great devotional! Today's was about reading God's word and challenged me to read the Bible in one year. Never done it. Too afraid to I guess because I can never keep a routine. But this one sounds exciting and maybe doable. There is a blog where the woman who I think started this, named Wendy, writes thoughts on each day's reading, then others from around the world who are also doing this make comments. I want to try it.

So I ask for you to pray for this journey I am preparing for. That the Lord will provide the materials I need for this challenge, for my heart, that it will be guarded from lies and that I will find strength in Christ, for through Him all things are possible. :)