Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine art and jewelry for charity
Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been so strong, so brave, and such an inspiration for his people during this time of immense suffering and horror. I knew the minute Russia and Putin invaded and put their revolting plan into action I had to paint him for myself more than anything. I painted him in action with the wings of the stork, the official bird of Ukraine and with the country’s symbolic sunflowers in full bloom in front of him. The background colors are an interpretation of Ukraine’s flag.
Sales of the limited matted print were divided between Bethenny Frankel’s bstrong organization and CORE raising funds for humanitarian aid in Ukraine and Poland, and World Central Kitchen feeding people in Lviv, Ukraine. I also booked an AirBnB from someone in Kyiv so they could get the money right away. That process was a little more complicated, but it felt good hearing from the person I was potentially helping.
After the initial success of that first print I made another original with a more regal look and a print from that piece is also available.
I then moved on to painting the Kyiv Independence monument on earrings to raise more funds.
Next up was an interpretation on Ukraine’s flag in Sterling Silver with semi precious gemstones in two different styles.
And finally I returned to the revered Zelenskyy and put him on some painted earrings. I just feel so lucky that I have an ability to create things that people want. It enabled me to raise money for these causes when I normally wouldn’t be able to afford to help. And that made me feel a little less hopeless over the whole tragedy.
Thanks for looking!
Year 5 Black History Month Hand-Painted earring fundraiser
As the title states, this is my 5th year painting Black heroes and icons on earrings for Black History Month. I started doing this primarily because a huge portion of my painted earring customer base is indeed Black women – as it has been ever since I first started my creative journey years ago on the streets of New York, but also because many of the people I paint are my own heroes. Every year I choose a different charity to support with half of the proceeds from earring sales, but this year I’m choosing to donate again to Taking Ownership PDX, LLC., “a small-but-mighty community collective of contractors, realtors, neighbors, and businesses brought together by Portland musician, activist Randal Wyatt. Together we renovate and revive Black-owned homes that have requested our help, with an emphasis on enabling Black homeowners to age in place, generate wealth and simultaneously deter predatory investors and realtors to deflect the gentrification process. While nothing can undo the decades of harm imposed upon Portland’s Black community via deliberate historical redlining, gentrification and systemic racism, Taking Ownership is turning the tide with a commitment to impactful grassroots change in support of the Black home owners of our city.” – from the Taking Ownership website.
I donated to the same cause last year and watching them do their work to uplift the Black community in my own neck of the woods felt really great and felt the most appropriate. This post features the creations for my first week with links to purchase in the captions. Stay tuned for a new piece each day and come back right here each week for the weekly re-cap!
Lunar New Year lucky color bracelets for all the signs
For this upcoming year of the Tiger I wanted to create a line of sterling silver bracelets with colors that are lucky for every sign in the Chinese Zodiac. All of the pieces are adjustable from 5.5 to 7.5 inches and have sterling silver spring ring clasps and extender chains.
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First up is… the Tiger of course. For Tigers in 2022, orange will help improve success in business, wealth and fortune, black will help improve career development, and blue will help pursue happiness of love. Tigers should avoid brown, gold and silver this year. The orange is represented with spectacular orange faceted carnelian stones, the black with onyx and dark blue goldstone, and the blue with blue coral and lapis.
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Yellow Agate beads and one unique citrine bead are strung on sturdy wire with sterling accents. This piece represents the lucky color for the Year of the Rooster. Yellow will help raise Roosters’ wealth prospects. Wearing yellow clothes or decorating your office/table with yellow will bring good luck.
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And now for my favourite sign (because it’s mine!!!) The Dragon!!! Yellow Agate and white fresh water pearls are strung together for this half yellow/half white beauty. The gemstones represent hope and joy, but they are also the colors to bring Dragons Luck and Wealth during the year of the tiger. Yellow is good for more job opportunities and better luck in making money. White will help Dragons build a more enjoyable love relationship.
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Being close to white will help the Monkey get more opportunities for promotion. Baby blue will bring more luck in love for the Monkey.
The baby blue stones are represented by cornflower crystals and larimar stones and the white is pearl and moonstone!
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Teal Howlite, Iolite, and rich, deep red garnet are strung on sturdy wire with sterling accents. This piece represents the lucky colors for the Year of the RAT. For those born in the year of the Rat, wearing clothes and ornaments in red and/or blue will help ward off bad luck and bring good luck in your career. Red is an auspicious color in Chinese culture, thus it is customary to see red envelopes, red lanterns, and people wearing red coats during Chinese New Year.
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Yellow Agate and rich, deep red garnet are strung on sturdy wire with sterling accents. This piece represents the lucky colors for the Year of the OX. Red will help with better achievement in Oxes’ careers. Yellow will bring good luck to the Ox in the area of love. The single Ox can have more chances to be in a close relationship by wearing yellow clothes.
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Green will help bring more wealth to the Rabbit. Purple is good for a better relationship. Orange is good for smooth career life.
The orange stones are represented with carnelian, the green with malachite, and the purple with amethyst!
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Wearing tangerine ornaments will help single Snakes find a boyfriend/girlfriend and help those inkove strengthen that bond. To achieve more success in 2022, the color cyan will lend you a hand. Silver will bring financial luck to the Snake. The tangerine is represented with spectacular orange faceted agate stones, the silver with silver spacer beads and labradorite beads, and the cyan with blue agate and chalcedony.
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Green is good for Horses’ careers. Blue is good for health. Red will help sweep away bad luck.
The red stones are represented by garnet and red jade, the blue is lapis and blue goldstone, and the green is malachite!
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Vivid Yellow Agate and tiny moonstone beads are strung on sturdy wire with sterling accents. This piece represents the lucky color for the Year of the Goat. Bright yellow will make the Goat more popular with potential partners and is good for a Goat’s love life. Goats are set to have an exceptional time both romantically and financially during the Year of the Tiger.
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Yellow and black will bring luck in raising the Dog’s salary and a high possibility that they will have an expected personal gain. However, it is not recommended to decorate the home or office with too many black or yellow things, as this is not good for a happy mood. Grey is good for a Dog’s love life in 2022.
The gray beads are represented with labradorite, the black with hematite and dark garnet, and the yellow is natural agate.
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Yellow is Pigs’ lucky color for love/marriage life. Green and black will bring the Pig good fortune in his/her career and money matters.
The black beads are represented with blue goldstone and jet, the green with malachite, and the yellow is natural agate.
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