Enjoy One of My Hand Painted Vases in Your Home

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All aboard…The Christmas Treasure Train is leaving the station! Anitra from The MamaZone and Angie from Laughter Does the Heart Good are thrilled to be your conductors on this wild ride for gifts and cash!


This giveaway hop is a little different than most because it has the added element of a cash treasure hunt! As you hop through entering the giveaways on these fabulous blogs, keep your eyes open—you just might find some hidden cash!  Here’s how it works:

• Visit each blog listed below and enter to win.
• After you enter on a blog, look for the image of the Christmas Treasure Train.
• If the train contains a three digit code, make a note of it.
• Once you collect all 10 randomly hidden codes, enter here to win the Grand Prize of $100 paid via PayPal.
• As an added bonus, if you enter every giveaway involved you’ll earn 25 extra entries into the Grand Prize drawing (Sweet!).

The hop and hunt will run November 21st-December 5th and the Grand Prize winner will be announced on the 6th. Ready to win?  Here’s what I’m giving away:


You know how much I love sharing my art with you, so I'm giving you the opportunity to enjoy win one of my hand-painted vases. They are available in my studio and retail for $25. If you'd like to bring one home with you, simply enter using the Rafflecopter form below. Give it time to load, then click the link that says "Click Here" or "Click For Instructions." Follow the instructions then complete each task and click "I Did This." You may choose to complete as many of the tasks as you like to earn additional entries. The contest is open to U.S. residents.

Now, visit the other great blogs below!

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The Laborious Journey

"Where Dreams Grow" by Eleatta (c) 36x48 acrylic (SOLD)

Where Dreams Grow was created as a tribute to the wonder  in which the human heart cultivates a dream.  Conceived in the secret place of the soul, it is nurtured through thoughts of hope and faith. Due to the power of it's innate life within, it pushes through layers of obstacles. Because of it's laborious journey, it's resulting fruit is humility.

In preparing for the Durham Dreams Reception Gala, I have chosen this painting to summarize my thoughts concerning the sincere lives represented in the DURHAM DREAMS series. 

Below, I have posted images  of some of the "dreamers" featured in Durham Dreams.                                                                     

                                   

Pepper Fluke, Durham artist

Bill Shore, Director of US Community Partnerships for GSK

Kelly Bryant, Durham historian

Cora cole McFadden, Mayor Pro Tem

Rev. Ernie Mills, Founder of the Durham Rescue Mission

Sherif Hill, Durham County Sherif

Mary Ann Black, Director of Community affairs at Duke University Health System

 Bill Kalkof, President of Downtown Durham Inc.

Evelyn Schmidt, Founder and CEO of the Lincoln Health Center

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Significant Things

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'" Growth" by Eleatta Matted 5x7 oil pastel ($65)


Significant things take great time to grow; the power of love is their most potent fertilizer.

I created this little oil pastel about a year ago as I was in the middle of creating my DURHAM DREAMS  series. Highlighting an assortment of Durham leaders' "dreams" for their  beloved city, this body of work is comprised of a dozen 36 x 48" paintings. 


The genesis of the series was the amazement I felt as I began hearing the transformation Durham has undergone over the last 15 years. Upon holding a studio space in Golden Belt in-Downtown Durham, I became enamored at the story of revitalization.

This small work pictured above,"Growth," is a snap shot of the monumental effort, commitment and dedication.
It also became a source of encouragement to me personally, as I persevered through executing the series.

DURHAM DREAMS is now on display in the Strickland Gallery inside the American Tobacco Campus in Durham. Dreams Become Reality is a tribute to the amazing people in this unique city. The exhibit is open to the public through Oct. 31st.

The will be a Durham Dreams Reception Gala on Oct. 25th in Bay 7 from 7-8:30. Free and open to the public, all are welcome to participate in a special evening of reveling in the power of dreams when they become reality.

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What's Your Secret?

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"Be Still" by Eleatta (c) acrylic on 11 x 14 canvas

Adopt the pace of nature:  her secret is patience.  
~Ralph Waldo Emerson


I've been thinking about the difference between trusting and fretting. The way I see things is that the practice of showing patience and forbearance holds untold possibilities and fruitfulness.  
In contrast, however, fearful striving leaves one feeling empty and unfulfilled with vanishing narrow options.


Life holds ample opportunities to be tested and vexed. I don't have magical answers but there are a few things I've seen to be true.


One is that I believe It's better to be patient with what is before us because we can not see the big future picture.

The other is the secret power of showing kindness to those in our sphere of influence. This simple practice has an amazing way of buffering us from much of life's tempestuous winds. 

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A Choice

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"I Dream of You" by Eleatta (c) acrylic on 36 x 48 canvas (sold)

When I  stop to think how much my daily level of joy truly depends on my responses to life's challenges, I'm humbled by the responsibility.   


"Happiness, like unhappiness, is a proactive choice." 
 Stephen R. Covey (The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People)


"Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be"  
Abraham Lincoln

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