I hope everyone had a wonderful family-filled and friend-filled Thanksgiving! Mine was very low-key, which was exactly what I wanted.

The fires in Northern CA have left us all speechless. Quilters have been wanting to figure out how to help…can they make quilts for people? Well, some 14,000 residences are lost, so multiply that by the people who are still displaced and have no home to go to and currently living in shelters or temporary housing. Money is what is needed and will be for the foreseeable future. So what can quilters and artists do right now? One option: maybe spend a little time making something that we can raise $ for at Craft Napa, about 100 miles away from Paradise, CA. We have been really successful raising money in the past, and if we can raise a few thousand bucks at our retreat…it is something.

Many families have surrendered their pets to Wags and Whiskers in Chico, CA, which is overwhelmed at the moment trying to take in pets that were lost/found after the fires, and those newly homeless who surrendered their pets because they can’t care for them anymore.

So here is what I am proposing:

The Stay Pawsitive! Pt 2 Art Fundraiser 

How to participate:

1. Make 1 or 2 (or 3, 4 or more) 4″ x 6″ fabric or mixed-media postcards where all proceeds will go to Wags and Whiskers and also to other organizations helping displaced families, their livestock, and pets. These pieces of art can be made of fabric or paper, watercolor, acrylic, mixed media, quilts and stitch, metal, recycled bits, or even a combination of all the above.
2. Think theme! We are open to any theme for the artwork: they could be animals or fantasy creatures (unicorns anyone?), abstract works, depictions of dreamy landscapes and escapes, floral-themed pieces, mini modern quilts, graffiti-inspired work, or whatever your imagination dreams up! (Please, however, be mindful of copyright laws and create original art.)
3. These works do not need to be bound or mounted. Ideally we want to fit these works of art into 4″ x 6″ slim plastic casings for display, but if your work is thicker and won’t fit, we still welcome it!
4. On the back side of your artwork, please sign your name, title, and leave your social media info (i.e. website, blog, Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest handle). Contact information is optional.
5. We will sell the 4″ x 6″ pieces for $20 each at Craft Napa 2019, all of the proceeds will go to charities, including Wags and Whiskers to benefit fire victims.
6. The art should be received no later than Friday, January 4^th, 2019. Please note: this is a receive-by date! We will of course accept artwork during Craft Napa but want to have a large starting bank of artwork so would love it if you mailed them far in advance!
7. You can mail as many pieces of art as you would like, but please place them in a padded envelope. This way they will stay in pristine condition to be displayed at Craft Napa.

Please mail them to:

Crafting a Life

Attn: Stay Pawsitive!

PO BOX 10368

Napa, CA

94581

8. Come to Craft Napa to buy as many pieces as you are able! Just think: if you bought four (or more) and had them framed, it would make for a very nice collection!

As soon as we start receiving artwork, we will post examples online and in social media channels.

There will also be a silent auction, and we will try and make this part of the fundraiser open online, too, during live updates on Facebook.

We hope you will get creating!

~ Pokey