take a deep breath and enjoy the coming months ...

for your personal use - peace

“Fall has always been my favorite season. 

The time when everything bursts with its last beauty, 

as if nature had been saving up all year for the grand finale.” 

Lauren DeStefano

virginiacreates' october calendar ...

 

for your personal use - peace

This month, let us never cease from thinking ...

 

...Let us never cease from thinking--

Virginia Woolf, Three Guineas

Thank you Virginia Woolf, for this most appropriate quote for this month of learning, 

September when many are heading back to school and work.  

To me thinking and questioning and exploring is so important for us all ~ 

I believe that we are students all our lives.  

Happy Learning & peace, Virginia

'dear jeff ...' has a permanent home in NYC ....

 Upon doing some research on this blog I have realized that I have fallen hopelessly behind on sharing the ebbs and flows of my creative journey ... but in lieu of explanations and apologies, I just diving in.

'dear jeff ...' had found a permanent home at the
National September 11 Memorial & Museum 9/11 MEMORIAL.

It has not been on exhibit as of yet, as the museum has so many pieces to share and exhibit.  When I delivered it to one of the warehouses in NJ, I was aghast at the shelves and shelves of items that are connected with the events of 9/11.  

At this point in time, nothing is on exhibit as the museum is temporarily closed because of the COVID virus.  But when it does reopen, the museum's administration will inform me when the piece is on view in their galleries.  And when it is I plan to have some kind of celebration gathering in that wonderful city - NEW YORK, NEW YORK (SO GOOD THEY NAMED IT TWICE).

Until then you can see the piece online as well as the many other art pieces regarding 9/11.  Also below I have added some of the notes and comments from the page.

Historical Notes
Hartford, Connecticut, native Amy Toyen lived in Newton, Massachusetts. She and her fiancé, Jeffrey, planned to marry in June 2002. Amy liked writing, drawing, and going to the theater. A marketing employee at Thomson Financial in Boston, on September 11, Amy was presenting at a technology conference on the North Tower’s 106th floor. She was 24 years old.

Curator's Comment
Amy Toyen (age 24) was engaged to be married in June 2002 to her college sweetheart, Jeff Gonski (age 26). The couple was busy planning their wedding in 2001 when Toyen’s life was cut short by her untimely death on 9/11. She had just ordered her wedding dress.

Around the time of the 10th anniversary of the attack, Gonski embarked on an artistic endeavor in honor of Toyen in what he referred to informally at the time as “The Dress Project.” Using a photograph of Toyen's wedding dress for inspiration, Gonski commissioned Virginia Fitzgerald, a Natick, Massachusetts-based artist, to design a replica of Toyen’s dress made from the newspaper clips, cards from well-wishers after 9/11, Toyen’s own letters and cards to Gonski, and other ephemera, such as announcements of Gonski and Toyen’s engagement and would-be nuptials and Missing posters. “It’s not just about Amy and myself,” Gonski told reporters, “but the support that came out of the community after it.” 

Fitzgerald titled the finished sculpture Dear Jeff . . .  . Created on a smaller-than-life-size scale, the delicate wedding dress is composed of largely handwritten notes and ephemera designed to tell a story of a courtship violently interrupted. According to Fitzgerald, “It was this outpouring of love and sympathy that Jeff really wanted to highlight with the sculpture. When we met and spoke about the commission it was clear that this wasn’t to be a memorial to Amy, but a testimony to the power of community and how Jeff would not have made it through this horrible life event without the love and support from friends, family and the community. He spoke about how not only did he survive but he wanted to celebrate the idea that even after such a hard loss, life goes on. To represent Jeff’s thoughts and emotions about survival and recovery I created branches with leave[s] and seedpods coming off the bottom of the sculpture and growing back into the piece. I wanted to capture the feeling of the phoenix, rebirth from the ashes.”


 https://collection.911memorial.org/Detail/objects/118706

February's calendar ~ love is love is love ....

“Love is love is love is love is love is love is love is love cannot be killed or swept aside.”

 Lin-Manuel Miranda

Feel free to download and print out this calendar for your personal use this month.

wallpaper for your phone

AND if you would like to receive these calendars into your inbox, 

please fill out the below form & you will be added to a monthly calendar list, ONLY!! 

and/or if you want to print at home, open up the calendar image by clicking on the calendar, then with two fingers click on calendar and your should get a menu and select download file. 

Once it is downloaded you can print as usual.

This calendar should  fit on an 81/2 x 11 piece of paper, however I always click the printing option "scale to fit". 

(see picture below)

subscribe to receive my monthly calendar in your inbox! and

only my monthly calendar, scout's honor!

* indicates required

Email Address *

Email Format:  html text

And for the new year, your January calendar!

HAPPY 2019!!

Feel free to download and print out this calendar for your personal use this month.

p.s. if you are having problems downloading or printing the calendar, 

just leave a comment & email and I will send you a PDF.

thank you and peace and 

Happy New Year!! 

AND if you would like to receive these calendars into your inbox, 

please fill out the below form & you will be added to a monthly calendar list, ONLY!! 

promise!! scouts honor :)

can be a phone wallpaper

for your computer desktop image 

Subscribe to receive the monthly calendar from virginiacreates in your inbox!

* indicates required

Email Address *

It's Cyber Monday!! I'm spreading the word :)

tapestry on society6

knapsack on society6

HAPPY CYBER MONDAY!!!

aline dress on redbubble

Just wanted to send out the links and sale codes to my online shops as today is Cyber Monday.

zipper pouch on redbubble

I have two online shops where you can find a myriad products featuring my designs, one is Society6 and the other is Redbubble.

I have the LINKS to my shops as well as some photos BELOW.

Each site features some different products and there is a variation in designs as well.

My shop on Redbubble included my illustrations and patterns, as well as some of my 'from the land of dragons …' & 'lilith contemplates …' photos and many of my images from my 'dailydress …' blog.

Society6 features some of my most recent work, my collages. 

small zipper pouchon society6

Some of these products make great gifts for groups,  the 'get thee to the library ...' small zipper pouches makes a nice gift for your book group members.  Many of the designs would make great teacher gifts, a mugs with books or a 'let it go ...' mug.  I also have some designs that work for men,  'dapper dad ...' and 'man of the hour ...'.

'dapper dad ...' coasterson society6

Sadly navigating these sites can be confusing, however these sites are the best way for me to get my art out there, until I set up my own online shop (something I have wanted to do for YEARS!!)

coffee mug onsociety6

I'm hoping to make them as clear and easy as possible, 

however if you have questions, please leave a comment and I will help guide you as best as I can.

Hope that you had a lovely Thanksgiving holiday and sending much love and peace for the coming weeks.

** the description under each product picture is a direct link to that product's page.

Cyber Monday @ Society6:

Cyber Monday promo (up to 50% off and free shipping on almost everything)

 with code: CMSHIP

Virginia Fitzgerald shop on Society6:

https://society6.com/virginiafitzgerald

hand towel on society6

totebag on society6

Cyber Monday @ redbubble: Use code 30CYBER

Expires November 26, 2018 at 11:59pm

Virginia Fitzgerald shop on redbubble:

https://www.redbubble.com/people/virginiacreate?asc=u

aline dress on redbubble

here is redbubble's a-line dress, a dress that I own and LOVE,  with an image from my 'from the land of dragons …' series.

Here are the redbubble leggings in my 'live, laugh, love …' design which is a BIG favorite in my yoga class, with Maggie Sky!! 

leggings on redbubble

Again, thank you and peace,

XXX, Virginia

www.virginiafitzgerald.com

for your sunday pleasure .... Sale! on both Society6 and Redbubble!!!

'brenda's flowers ...' throw blanket

Over the summer I have been adding new designs to both my Society6 online shop and my Redbubble online shop and today they are BOTH offering sitewide sales!! 

'wonky wildflower waterfall ... 'A-Line Dress

https://www.redbubble.com/people/virginiacreate/works/29334712-wonky-wildflower-waterfall-multicolor?asc=u&c=804288-patterns&p=a-line-dress&rel=carousel

On Society6 : 30% Off Everything Today with Code S6FAM 

On Redbubble: 20% off sitewide with code STUDYUP

Below are just a few of the products you can find in my online shops on both sites!! 

a harlequin party in pink! Backpack

https://society6.com/product/harlequin-pink-party_backpack?sku=s6-8963668p63a209v733

tango in blue ... Tote Bags

https://www.redbubble.com/people/virginiacreate/works/33087820-tango-in-blue?asc=u&p=tote-bag&rel=carousel

'LOVE squared ...' zipper pouch

https://www.redbubble.com/people/virginiacreate/works/24246484-love-squared?asc=u&c=804288-patterns&p=pouch&rel=carousel 

'blue vine madness ...' greeting card

https://www.redbubble.com/people/virginiacreate/works/33087440-blue-vine-madness?asc=u&p=greeting-card&rel=carousel

'tiptoe thru the tulips ...'

https://society6.com/product/tiptoe-through-the-wildflowers_bag?sku=s6-8519682p29a26v196

'rainbow peace ..' totebag 

https://society6.com/product/rainbow-peace133746_bag?sku=s6-6296616p29a26v196 

https://society6.com/product/brendas-flowers_throw-blanket?sku=s6-6023744p49a64v437

click for:

Society6 online shop

https://society6.com/virginiafitzgerald

SaveSaveSaveSave

a gift for you ... Happy July!

Feel free to download and print out this calendar for your personal use this month.

p.s. if you are having problems downloading or printing the calendar, 

just leave a comment & email and I will send you a PDF.

Artist page of FB

www.virginiafitzgerald.com

peace

Happy October, or for some ... Inkober!!

So it is officially October,  and with a new month comes a few things ...

First, your 'just-for-instance' gift, a printable calendar for your personal enjoyment: 

(if you have issues with downloading the image, email me and I will send you a PDF)

Feel free to download and print out this calendar for your personal use this month.

Secondly,  a mini moth-in-review mash-up.  Somehow I missed doing a 'best-of' August so I have combined the best of August AND September from my Instagram. 

 I am always interested to see which and what images of mine make the 'best of'.  One of the reasons that I participated in the #100day challenge was to see which of my different art interests would be most prevalent.  As usual what I discovered during my #100daysofvirginiacreates is that I am drawn to many, many artistic endeavors.   Another plus of participating in the #100day challenge was that it made me conscious of creating each day.  At first I thought that I didn't need the 'challenge' as I am usually 'creating' something every day.  

However when I reached my 100 days and the pressure was off, that when I realized that I needed the 'challenge', not so much as a reminder to 'make something' but as permission to create every day!  The desire to make art and the ideas are with me ALL the time, but unless I have some kind of exterior demand, such as a gallery opening, a due date or even a casual challenge, I tend to let life outrank my art.  

(I believe this stems from my catholic upbringing, if I enjoy doing something just for myself, it must be WRONG?!?!? anyone else familiar with that thought process?!?) 

So with my new awareness of the importance of some exterior commitment, I am jumping on to the #inkober bandwagon.  

After doing some research I have found that Inkober was started by Jake Parker,

 "I created Inktober in 2009 as a challenge to improve my inking skills and develop positive drawing habits. It has since grown into a worldwide endeavor with thousands of artists taking on the challenge every year."   To learn more check out his Inkober post. There is a video, more information, a list of inking materials and so much more. (mrjakeparker.com/inktober.)  And who knows you amy want to join in TOO!!!  

He also has set up some 'rules' and an official prompt list: 

Inktober rules:

1) Make a drawing in ink (you can do a pencil under-drawing if you want).

2) Post it online

3) Hashtag it with #inktober and #inktober2017

4) Repeat

Note: you can do it daily, or go the half-marathon route and post every other day, or just do the 5K and post once a week. What ever you decide, just be consistent with it. INKtober is about growing and improving and forming positive habits, so the more you’re consistent the better.

That's it! Now go make something beautiful.

 So let the fun begin.  

I will definitely posting my drawings on Instagram and FB and I hope to post them here as well.  

Please join me in this creative endeavor, as I so strongly believe in the benefits of creating 

EVERY DAY!!!

#thisismyreligion

peace, 

virginia