Hug
November 7, 2013 § Leave a comment
There’s only one thing left to say.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
The book launch at Blossom was a tremendous success. It was beautiful to see all the models – women I felt I knew because I had been living with their beautiful portraits for so long.
Thank you to Mora for opening Blossom’s doors for us and for helping me to set up for the party. Thank you to Lynn, Hillary and Kathleen for running sales and the reception table.
Thank you to everyone who helped clean up at the end of the night.
And thank you – models, photographers, donors – for making taking a little tiny idea and turning it into a big beautiful reality.
A few business items to wrap up…if you bid on a silent auction item or if you participated as a donor or model and have not received a copy of A Woman’s Face please contact me.
With More Gratitude Than You Know,
Mimm
Silent Auction Items Numbers 10, 11 and 12
October 26, 2013 § Leave a comment
Wild Life Photography
by
Meggi Raeder
Meggi is happiest outdoors, camera in hand. These images prove it.
This image is double-matted and framed.
Retail Value $150.00
Minimum Bid $75.00
These images are matted and ready to be framed.
Retail Value $80.00
Minimum Bid $40.00
Bids on all silent auction items opens at 5:00 PM PST on 2nd November 2013
Correction: In earlier posts all bids had to be delivered by 7:00 PM.
Bidding will now end at 6:30 PM PST on 2nd November 2013.
Silent Auction Item #9
October 22, 2013 § Leave a comment
Dreams
A Giclee Print by Photographer/Artist Dea Burmeister
(yes, THAT Dea…she’s an acupuncturist, too)
This print, on archival paper, measures 30×18 inches.
The depth of color and intricacies in design make it a stunning addition to any art collection.
Retail Value $800.00
Minimum Bid $400.00
Silent Auction Item #8
October 19, 2013 § Leave a comment
Porcelain Sugar Jar
by ceramist
Marian Slattery
This lidded sweet porcelain jar stands five inches tall and has a three-inch diameter.
It holds about 2 and ¾ cups liquid volume.
The delicate pale blue glaze references artist Rene Magritte.
Retail Value $60.00
Minimum Bid $30.00
Silent Auction Items #5, #6, #7
October 18, 2013 § Leave a comment
One Hour of Bliss
Massage Therapy with Paul Crowl
Craniosacral Therapy with Joanne Brohmer
or Harmonic Resonance Therapy with Devin Begley
at
Samyama Yoga Center
Paul Crowl has been a massage practitioner for more than 20 years. He was formally trained at Cypress Health Institute in Santa Cruz in Swedish massage and reflexology. Later he studied deep tissue bodywork with Michael DiBenedetto. His dedication to refining his craft and background in yoga and the healing arts has made him one of the Bay Area’s most notable therapists. With an intuitive touch and ability to read your breath, Paul will help you melt away tension and relieve stress.
Joanne Brohmer is a Reiki Master who offers Integrated Energy Therapy, craniosacral therapy and intuitive reading as powerful methods for supporting individuals as they access and activate their healing process. Joanne is also a yoga teacher and Family Constellation Facilitator. “I am,” she says, “here to wake up, love and help others wake up to their full human potential and to move beyond the ego’s limitations.”
Devin Begley combines breath work, sounding, tibetan bowls, tuning forks, acutonics and a gong bath to guide you towards increased inner awareness, physical and emotional release, movement of energy, nitric oxide production and sublime relaxation. Lines of connection will be made as your natural healing ability is triggered and the mind-body merges with harmonic vibration. Every session is unique and designed to meet your specific needs and intentions. You can utilize the experience to tap into the creative power of your subconscious and fully harness its limitless potential.
Retail Value $100
Minimum Bid $50
Silent Auction Items #3 and #4
October 13, 2013 § Leave a comment
1-Hour Private Yoga Instruction
with either
Amy Rogg or Mimm Patterson
at
Samyama Yoga Center
Effervescent, knowledgable, energetic.
Three words that describe the wonderful Amy Rogg.
Humourous, sincere, skilled.
Three words to describe Mimm Patterson.
Spend an hour with either one of these talented instructors in Samyama Yoga Center’s beautifully appointed private studio. Fine tune your technique, learn to modify problematic asanas, develop a program to assist your recovery from illness or injury. Or perhaps simply begin your yoga journey. Amy and Mimm are offering an hour’s lesson at Samyama Yoga Center, 2995 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto.
Retail Value: $100.00
Minimum Bid: $50.00
Bids for our Silent Auction open on
Saturday 2nd November at 5:00 PM PST.
Silent Auction Item #2
October 12, 2013 § Leave a comment
The Wednesday Daughters: A Novel
autographed by the author
Meg Waite Clayton
In the tradition of Kristin Hannah and Karen Joy Fowler, Meg Waite Clayton, bestselling author of The Wednesday Sisters, returns with an enthralling new novel of mothers, daughters, and the secrets and dreams passed down through generations.
“The present and the past intertwine beautifully and inevitably in Meg Waite Clayton’s winning follow-up to The Wednesday Sisters. From the beguiling Lake District setting, to a completely charming (and spot-on) portrayal of Beatrix Potter, to the way the Wednesday daughters strive to unpuzzle both their own choices and their mothers’ legacies, every layer of the novel delivers. The Wednesday Daughters is utterly rich and satisfying.”—Paula McLain, New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Wife
Retail Value: $45.00
Minimum Bid: $20.00
Meg Waite Clayton is the New York Times bestselling author of four novels:
The Four Ms. Bradwells, The Wednesday Sisters, the Bellwether Prize finalist The Language of Light and The Wednesday Daughters. She’s written for The Los Angeles Times, The San Jose Mercury News, The Miami Herald, Writer’s Digest, Runner’s World, The Literary Review, and public radio, and for Ms. and Forbes online.
A graduate of the University Michigan and its law school,
Meg lives in Palo Alto with her husband Mac and dog Frodo.
Bids for our Silent Auction open on Saturday 2nd November at 5:00 PM PST.
Silent Auction Item #1
October 10, 2013 § Leave a comment
Quartz Crystal Mandala Pendant
by artist
Kathleen Fitzgerald Mistry
A spiritual symbol representing the universe, the maṇḍala is used for focusing the attention, as a spiritual teaching tool or for establishing a sacred space. Gazing at a maṇḍala is a comfort and an aid to meditation.
Kathleen’s beautiful, hand crafted necklace features a 30×40 cm maṇḍala pendant. The center maṇḍala is enhanced by a quartz cabachon which is bezel set in textured and patinated sterling silver. Strung with amethyst, quartz and honey jade, this unique and eye-catching necklace is 18 inches long and features a sterling silver toggle clasp.
Retail Value: $175.00
Minimum Bid: $75.00
Kathleen Mistry is a jeweler and a painter. She received her BA in Art at San José State, but now lives and makes work in Charlottesville, Virginia, where she is president of C’ville Arts, a cooperative Gallery.
Bids for our Silent Auction open on Saturday 2nd November at 5:00 PM PST.
The Home Stretch
October 4, 2013 § 2 Comments
A detail from a giclee by artist Dea Burmeister. Dea is donating a similar giclee to our silent auction.
If I had it to do over again, what would I do differently?
I have to be honest. Not much.
I certainly made mistakes. A couple of them were pretty big. But we don’t need to go into that now.
If my goal was less about money and more about community, then A Women’s Face was a success the moment Meggi Raeder said “yes.” After I spoke with Terri van de Sande about my idea for A Woman’s Face, and after she gave me her full support to use her image and story as inspiration, I met with Meggi. Meggi was the first photographer on board. After our meeting I began to realize A Woman’s Face was possible; that I actually hadn’t bitten off more than I could chew. Once I began to not only know it was possible but believe it was possible, then it all began to fall into place.
And so, here we are. A beautiful community has formed of photographers and models and donors and supportive friends. We’re strangers for the most part and yet we have this one wonderful thing in common. The image of a woman’s face.
The truth is, though, that as much as A Woman’s Face is about community, it is also about money. We need to sell two hundred books and we need to get the highest possible bids on our auction items. I have a ‘dream figure’ of how much I would like to give to the Support Network and Arbor Free Clinic, and this figure is within the realm of possibility.
Online sales of the book will open after the official book launch, on Monday, November 4th. Books will also be available for sale at Samyama Yoga Center.
And while I have your attention, I really need to make you aware of Blossom and the work they do. They are an incredible resource for pregnant women and mothers. They offer childbirth classes, playgroups, parent and baby classes, yoga classes and more. Blossom Birth has a library, a birthing tub rental and Blossom Beanstalk, where gently used baby and toddler clothes are offered for sale at very reasonable prices. Blossom also offers doula training.
On Sunday, October 27th Blossom is sponsoring the 19th Annual California Avenue Blossom Halloween Carnival, featuring trick or treating, a performance by children’s musician Andy Z, a costume parade and contest, carnival games, story time, world drumming, mask making and more. So if you’re attending the Farmer’s Market that morning be on the lookout for little ghosts and goblins.
I have to thank Executive Director Mora Oomman for her continued support and willingness to help A Woman’s Face. She has provided ideas, insights and the space for our book launch. Blossom is an amazing resource that until this past spring I never knew existed. When you’re considering your next charitable donation (after you purchase a copy of A Woman’s Face, of course!) please consider Blossom.
A Woman’s Face
September 8, 2013 § Leave a comment
Elizabeth and Maggie Photograph by Meggie Raeder 2013
I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again. I didn’t expect anyone to notice when I asked for fifty models and five photographers via a Facebook post. It still astounds me that you did.
And now, here we are, just a few weeks away from our book launch.
My apartment is filled with boxes of books and promotional cards. I’ve been busy this week gathering items for the silent auction that will take place on November 2nd. I’ve organized online sales of A Woman’s Face so that fundraising efforts might continue long after our book launch is over.
Has it been worth it? Am I happy you took notice of my Facebook post? Will I do it again?
Yes. Yes. And….probably. I don’t feel I have a choice but to do it again.
The worthiness of A Woman’s Face is not judged by the amount of money raised. The worthiness is found in the proof that a few individuals can make a positive difference in the lives of others.
A Woman’s Face, on the surface at least, is a simple fundraising project for the Arbor Free Clinic and the Shelter Network for Battered Women. But when you saw the Facebook post, and when you said “yes, I’ll help,” it became way more personal. The truth is A Woman’s Face is less about fundraising (although I’ll be very happy to hand our charities two big, fat, checks) and more about connection, community and compassion.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a single woman living in a small studio apartment or a married woman with a house full of family – it’s still easy to feel isolated and alone. My inspiration for this project, Terri van de Sande, is a woman I felt connected to the moment I met her. And yet I failed to reach out to her.
So I needed A Woman’s Face more than anyone. I needed A Woman’s Face to pull me out of my self-imposed isolation. I needed A Woman’s Face to remind me again of a woman’s strength. I needed A Woman’s Face to teach me to ask for what I need and to release the assumption that because I live alone that I am alone.
I am so proud of what we have accomplished. I can’t wait to see you all on November 2nd.
Ps…a little teaser for next year’s service project…I’m thinking of a one-off literary magazine called Food for Thought that includes personal essays, poetry and artwork around the theme of mealtimes. Our charity? Local food banks. You in?
Pss…dang…did I just type that out loud???
A Woman's Face 