Beloved friends, please join me on YouTube!

Introducing the Something to Cherish YouTube channel, which features watercolor and creative wellness videos designed to provide a relaxing break in the day and inspire viewers to live an abundant life. The channel is run by modern watercolor artist Cherish Flieder, who creates beautifully painted illustrations for various gifts, cards, books, home goods, and fashion accessories. Cherish believes that every soul is worthy of love and beauty. The videos aim to wrap viewers in a world of watercolor and encourage them to live their most cherished life.

www.SomethingToCherish.com

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Featuring a special collaboration between Colorado greeting card publisher Leanin’ Tree in Boulder, Colorado and artist Cherish Flieder of Something to Cherish in Golden, Colorado.

These 8 original digital paintings of angels started with just a sketch in Procreate and the spark grew from there. The cards were released at the beginning of the 2020 global pandemic which in the process of isolating so many families at home, it created an even greater need for folks to send a card through the mail with a word of angelic comfort or birthday felicitations. The cards will be on display at Rocky Mountain College of Art & Design’s upcoming Faculty + Staff Exhibition in Lakewood, Colorado.

Designs may be found at specialty retailers nationwide, but certainly from www.SomethingToCherish.shop and at the Something to Cherish section of Heart and Home in Centennial, Colorado. (While supplies last!)

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It is an honor to be included with this distinguished group of women entrepreneurs and featured in Success Sisters Magazine. I’m grateful for all of the wonderful people in my community who encourage me to greater heights everyday. Each day is a gift, I look forward to taking the adventure with you.

Cherish Flieder

Success Sisters Magazine is the new premier publication providing a unique combination of the topics entrepreneur women are interested in today! Business, finance, social media, lifestyle, wellness and of course…fashion! Our Success Sisters contributors are diverse, women from all walks of life makes our publication special, interesting and relevant. successsistersmagazine.com

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by Cherish Flieder – Licensed Artist, Watercolor Illustrator + Product Designer

As seen in Voyage Denver highlighting local hidden gems.

The most important lesson I have learned is also the lesson I need to remember daily. So, I wove it into my art company tagline – “Something to Cherish®, because life is a gift.” 

Every moment is a gift. No one is promised tomorrow and yet most of us waste too many minutes of today worrying about it. This can lead to anxiety. We can’t change the past, but we spend too much time regretting it. This can lead to depression. We want things to be just perfect, so we embrace fear and delay it. This is the overwhelming reality of procrastination. 

Instead, this is what we should do. First, smile. Take 3 deep breaths and be grateful for everything in your life at this moment. This includes the good, bad, and ugly, as they are the teachers life uses to make us who we are meant to become if we will only let them. Keep looking up, have faith, and reach for joy in every circumstance. Be quick to forgive, mend what you can, and let go of what you can’t change or fix. Never lose your ability to laugh at yourself at the end of the day. Spend more time with the beauty of nature and the mysteries of your Creator. Connect face-to-face and heart-to-heart with your people more than your technology. Listen closely and be kind to others as well as to yourself. Don’t wait to sing your song, dance your dance, give your gift, or paint your dream. Be the authentic, original, and best version of you. Start right now. There’s no time in life for do-overs. The way you do it will be just right for right now, as long as you are willing to adjust along the way.

Right now we hold time in our hands. Right now we can use our hearts, minds, and hands to make a difference. Right now, this present moment, is where eternity past and eternity future intersect. This moment is completely yours. What will you choose to do with it?

Links –

Art Portfolio + Blog: www.SomethingToCherish.com

Online Boutique: www.SomethingToCherish.shop

Instagram: www.Instagram.com/somethingtocherish

Facebook: www.Facebook.com/somethingtocherish

Facebook Group: www.Facebook.com/groups/somethingtocherish

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This week marks the 50th anniversary since America landed the first humans on the moon!

Ages of dreaming, imagination and the end of the space race came to fruition as Neil Armstrong set the very first human footprint on the lunar surface. He famously remarks “That’s one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind.” And it was a victory for mankind as well as the hundreds of thousands of men and women who worked diligently on this mission to make it possible.

Many accounts, books, and movies have been recorded to commemorate this epic event in human history. NASA has a very detailed overview of the mission here if you want to learn/recall more specifics.

Meanwhile today back on the blue planet, also known as Earth or home to us mere mortals, there has been a rebounding interest in Outer Space and all things regarding the Cosmos.

My personal fascination with the galaxies and universes beyond our own was kindled my many trips to the Planetarium as a child. More recently, an epic talk by Louie Giglio—a MUST SEE VIDEO on YouTube—caused my imagination to run wild and it spilled over into my watercolor creation and ideas for designing new star-struck products.

I am blessed to attend multiple international gifts shows each year creating art for many different kinds of gifts, stationery, home, and fashion accessories. Interest in the stars and beyond has been a steadily growing trend that you can see interpreted by all kinds of different artists.

My recent collection called “Elements by Cherish” that I created for StudioM was even featured in the Gifts and Dec article “Out of this world Finds” for their trend sighing at Market “looking to the stars and beyond!”

For me, the Cosmos inspires me to shine brightly, look beyond, make space and dream big. What is it telling you?

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Studio M Launches Elements Fashion Line

The collection includes fashion accessories and gifts designed to empower women through the beauty of nature.

GDA Staff // News & Commentary • December 27, 2018

ST. LOUIS – Studio M, a provider of home and garden products, is venturing into the world of fashion accessories with its new Elements collection designed by Colorado artist Cherish Flieder. Inspired by the five elements – earth, water, fire, air and cosmos – the line includes tote bags, scarves and more.“We’re thrilled to bring our retailers something as fresh and unique as Elements,” said Curt Todd, the company’s founder and CEO. “It’s exciting to dive into new categories and broaden our offering with a variety of nature-inspired gifts and accessories. Retailers can expect to see a lot of exciting new things from Studio M this season and beyond.”
The Elements collection includes canvas totes and zippered pouch sets with genuine leather accents, scarves, ceramic trinket dishes and softbound journals. Each item features Cherish Flieder’s artistic representation of an element – vast watercolor landscapes, light airy patterns and fiery florals to name a few. Packaging for the items includes phrases associated with the featured element.
According to Studio M’s EVP of Sales and Marketing, Tammy Hickel, “This collection was created to highlight nature’s wisdom as well as its beauty, and Cherish captured each element perfectly with striking designs and poignant words. The phrases included with each item are reminders of how much we can learn from the world around us. As an example, the cosmos teaches us to ‘shine brightly, make space, and see the big picture.’”
In addition to Elements, Studio M will launch nearly 20 new collections at markets this winter. Its new product releases range from wall art and figurines to decorative bells and sun catchers.

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I want to share with you a little bit about how I have been growing to experience joy and sadness at the same time. It’s been a lifelong journey (not one I was thrilled to take), but this is where I’m at on the map.

There are probably no “proper” words to express how difficult some seasons can be, my husband Benjamin Hummel who is my business partner and an incredible artist and teacher has been fighting a very chronic auto-immune illness since he was born (PSC-IBD) and it has escalated into several surgeries this summer with many complications. Plus, at the same time, a few other very close family members have been having multiple heart surgeries and fighting cancer. Needless to say, it’s been absolutely exhausting for the patients going through this and their caretakers. There are so many things to talk about, consider, cry about and even rejoice in while going through such difficulty and pain.

You may be going through a challenge of your own and it’s difficult to know which way is up sometimes if you are honest. At least that’s how it’s been for me.

However, one amazing thing God has taught me this last year is how to hold sadness and joy at the same time.

I honestly didn’t use to think it was possible, but circumstances have required me to really look into this more. Because while we are dealing with life and death situations concerning his health, I have also had tremendous breakthroughs with opportunities to bring my art to the world in more ways than I could possibly imagine. (And this is coming from someone with a very wild imagination!)

This seriously caused me to ask myself some questions…

How can I be sad and happy at the same time? What would people think? Wouldn’t my joy betray my reason for sadness and my sadness betray my reason to be joyful? Why does this feel like such a challenge?

I am not sure. However, I have always loved that idea that there is a time and a season for everything under Heaven.

Sometimes those times can be minutes and days crushed up against one another. And that’s just how it is.

So, on the heels of finding out that they want to give Benjamin another liver transplant since the one he had as a teen seems to be failing (long, long story… you are welcome to watch the video here), I have been working with some amazing companies to develop exciting new fashion accessories, home decor and gift products that will be making their way to market in the coming months and years.

And then the art licensing group that I am honored to lead, ran a Birthday Greeting Card Art Challenge with DESIGN DESIGN® this summer and just found out that my card was top 6 challenge winner! (Check out some of the stellar designs below, I am honored to be in this grouping of talented artists.)

Another thing that helps is the pure joy of knowing that every day is a gift and taking the time to physically breathe in that gift is of vital importance.

How do I do it? I believe in taking it one moment at a time and leaning on the goodness of my Maker who is more loving and stronger than I am. That helps me be and do what I need to at any given moment. I get through each day knowing that at the end of the day, even if the worst thing I fear happens, I will be OK (at some point in the future) because I am wrapped in an unconditional love that transcends all time and trouble.

And, guess what! It’s OK to embrace joy, even in the ER room. It’s good to make the Drs and nurses chuckle while they are doing their best to keep my husband stabilized. (Mainly Benjamin is the one cracking the jokes, that’s one of the reasons I love him so much is his ability to embrace humor through thick and thin.)

A little laughter diffuses a lot of stress.

I also try to remember that, for the most part, people are doing their best. Giving an unmeasured amount of grace to any situation is essential… because things do go wrong. But in God’s grace, they eventually go right again, too. We just need to be very patient and keep our eyes peeled.

By the way, you know life is a gift when you were told by the Drs that there was no hope for survival. That happened to Benjamin just before his last transplant at age 16 and he just celebrated another birthday this month 26 years later! And this week we celebrated 18 years since he asked me to marry him. I still say “yes” and “I do!”

So cheers to another day to celebrate being alive and a pretty little card I designed that reminded me that it’s OK to embrace multiple emotions at the same time.

XOXO

Beloved, do you have a story of how you deal with happy and sad things that come to you at the same time? I’d love to read about it in the comments here or in our private Something To Cherish Facebook Group (mention this blog when you sign up so I know it’s you!)

A LITTLE HEATH NOTE: So many people ask me about this and are eager to share their health knowledge so I thought I’d cover this here. There are many modes of healing available out there and we live in an amazing time where we can find the best remedies from around the world. We do and have been seeking out the best medical wisdom, Western, Eastern, traditional, non-traditional for the past 20 years. We believe in an integrated and holistic approach to healthy living. We read a lot of clinical research papers and our Drs are top-notch and working with the latest research and consulting the Mayo Clinic. Benjamin is actually a pretty well-known transplant survivor and has been discussed and highlighted at major medical conferences, so we must be doing something right. ;) Let me know if you want to read more about what we have found that makes a difference, we have a lot to share especially regarding liver health. As Benjamin always says, “If you want to be a-liver, you need to take care of your liver!” I told you he has a funny bone. ;)

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Dala Horse Ribbon by Cherish Flieder

 

More about this Dala Horse Ribbon Design

This Swedish Dala Horse ribbon was designed by artist Cherish Flieder of Something to Cherish® was inspired an iconic symbol of Swedish identity and customs called the Dala Horse. This horse has been considered a holy animal in Sweden since Viking times. Early early horses were carved as children’s toys from the clock case industry scrap wood. Originally, the horses were painted solid colors like red, blue, and grey. The Kurbit gourd vine theme flower pattern was added after the 1800’s and comes from the Biblical story of Jonah. Cherish recreated this traditional pattern incorporating the story of its roots using her “Something to Cherish” embroidered watercolor style.

Traditional Swedish crafts include linen wall hangings; embroidered cushions, clothing, and coverlets; fancy knitted mittens; carved wooden boxes and kitchen utensils with decorative painting; and carved stamps for cakes or cookies. The most pronounced living folk art tradition of Sweden is the pine carved Delecarlian or Dala horse. In Swedish, it is called Dalahäst from the province of Dalarna in central Sweden. Dala carving and “kurbits” painting skills have been passed down for hundreds of years. They are still made the same way today as they were in generations past, taking nine people to hand create each horse.

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How exciting it was to see one of my custom designed washi tape design packs selected as “Editor’s Choice” on Better Home’s and Gardens website shop along side of many of the other designs I’ve created!

How do you like to use washi tape? I use it in my day planner and card making mostly, but there are SO many ideas. Here I show you how you can use washi tape to decorate paper items for a party. Or here is a demo that shows how I’ve used it to create plant markers in my garden. Hope these demos inspire you. Don’t forget to follow my “Washi Tape to Cherish” board on Pinterest for even more inspiration!

While these designs were only featured on BBHG for a limited time, you can still get the Gold/Silver Goddess Washi Tape set on Amazon.

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It is an honor to share with you that my “Heart-Full” watercolor pattern design was selected by Robert Kaufman to be in the Top 6 Designs for the Art Licensing Show Valentine’s Day Art Challenge!

This print was inspired by some of my favorite winged insects and birds as they carry a message of love to their Valentine. Loose watercolor brushstrokes touch on some of the emotions that arise at that special time of the year. And then there are the flowers and hearts, it’s not Valentine’s Day without flowers and hearts. <3

Thank you to the team at Robert Kaufman for judging this fabric design challenge and choosing my design. Also, a special thanks goes out to Valerie Hart who organized this challenge with ALSC and encouraged me to enter! Bless you!

Check out all of the other AMAZING Valentine’s Day art from this wonderful art licensing community.

If you are an artist that is interested in participating in future art licensing art challenges, you can check out how to become a member of ArtLicensingShow.com community here. 

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I am excited to announce my very first “pop-up shop” for Something to Cherish®, hosted by Pottery Barn!

Over the past couple of years, I have been exploring some diverse painting styles and approaches to art making. I am thrilled to be invited share this new artwork with you at this premiere event.

August 20, 2016
Pottery Barn at  Park Meadows (address and more)
10 am – 6pm

This is a one-day-only event. My brand new art prints, artistic decorative pillows, tableware, cards, journals and other surprise items will be for sale. Everything will be created in very limited quantities, so get there early for choice selection.

If you are in the Colorado area, it would mean so much to me if you can come down and say, “hello!”

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Around the World with 80 Artists: A Creative Art Academy Arts and Crafts Adventure

 

This is an incredible collection of craft ideas from around the globe. I am honored to be a contributor and applaud Mahe Zehra Husain for her vision to unify creators around the world with a beautiful spark of inspiration and a heart to make a difference. No matter what your craft skill level you will certainly find many projects and techniques you will want to try.

Am INDIEGOGO fundraiser is in the works for the printed version: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/around-the-world-with-80-artists-book-crafts#

Around the World with 80 Artists is an arts and crafts book like nothing you’ve seen before. We have 80 artists from all over the world contributing to this amazing creativity book. You will find information for the beginner to intermediate to the advanced crafter and artist, but most of all you’ll be able to see that creativity is something that holds this earth together and brings us all closer together.

The projects will range from coloring pages to mixed media to scrapbooking, card making, cut and create and much much more!

Through this book we will introduce you to many various art techniques, many countries of the world and many creative folk who love to use their right brain. The range and depth of arts and crafts projects is something that has surprised me. I am astounded at the variety of things that are in this book and quite frankly I can’t wait to play with my copy too!

The reason I came up with this project is the fact that we see more and more hate make it’s way around the world. We read about terrible things in the news and at times we forget how beautiful this world is. This book is an attempt to highlight the theme of creativity around the world. You’ll be meeting so many new artists and creative folk who have all come together to work on one project with love and creativity flowing in from many different countries of the world.

20% of the proceeds from this project will go to The Malala Fund to help girls gain an education. Girls who might otherwise not get their chance at a basic human right.

~Mahe Zehra Husain

And a few sample projects from my crafting friends from around the world!

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Enjoy the Simple Things: A Holiday Coloring Book for Kids 1 to 92 is a holiday celebration coloring book designed by 70 artists who are members of ArtLicensingShow.com. Each page is unique and designed to bring the most amount of holiday cheer. Together we want to embrace the spirit of reduced stress and overall happiness and healing that can come along with the simple act of coloring.

We encourage those who have this book to share these coloring pages with their local community groups — children’s hospitals, nursing homes, recovery support groups, counseling centers, shelters, study groups, schools, places of healing and hope, and anywhere where people gather. Get the free PDF download so kids from 1 to 92 (and beyond) can enjoy this special gift.

Free Coloring Book Sample Pages

~ABOUT THIS PROJECT~

Dala Horse Christmas Coloring Page – Free Downloadable Illustration by Cherish Flieder of SomethingToCherish.com

Nutcracker Ballet – Free Coloring Page by Cherish Flieder of SomethingtoCherish.com

#Repost @sarafranklindesign ??? So excited to finally show you this #coloringbook page I drew for @artlicensingshow ! You can get your free coloring book just google art licensing show coloring book and join the fun ??www.color.artlicensingshow.com #coloring #artlicensingshow #holidaycoloring #colorwithalsc #artlicensing #freeadultcoloringpage #coloringforgrownups

A photo posted by Art Licensing Show (@artlicensingshow) on Dec 8, 2015 at 2:50pm PST

Christmas Coloring book work in progress (my son 8 years old) . If you want to color this page (page 10 Kelli Lewis ) just download the 92 free ALS Christmas Coloring Book https://artlicensing.leadpages.co/coloring-book-count-down/ !!!! #colorwithalsc #colora #bambininatale

A photo posted by deborah (@dedadesign) on Dec 3, 2015 at 5:05am PST

(Can you tell what the quote is?) Snippet of my page in the Art Licensing Show Coloring Book! Download your’s for FREE here: www.color.artlicensingshow.com #Hope #artlicensing #artlicensingshow #coloringbook #colora #christmascoloring #coloranatale #coloringpage #artistheart #doodle #colorwithalsc

A photo posted by Gaia Cornwall (@gstercc) on Dec 17, 2015 at 9:04am PST

Free Coloring Book Samples – 92 Total Pages of Stress-Free Adult Coloring Fun

Ellie- my favorite pointe shoe ballerina modeling with our free Nutcracker Ballet coloring page and Scandinavian Santa coloring page after her first season performance.

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It wasn’t long ago that chalkboard lettering and chalkboard art (especially on the classic blackboard) became a major trend. I’m sure you have noticed, it’s everywhere, especially at art supply stores, home decor studios, and gift shops. Plus, Pinterest is out of control with numerous, wonderful chalk board inspirational sayings. While I love studying trends, and sometimes let them influence my work, to be honest, this is one that I was going to let slide by without dipping my brush into it. I guess I was just feeling a little overwhelmed with the sheer amounts chalkboard art going on in today’s society.

Then, this summer I was asked to create some blackboard chalk illustrations and designs for a very special non-profit ministry that I care for deeply. It’s called the “Holiday Hoopla” and is a pop-up gift shop that happens once a year in effort to supporting women and children’s projects around the globe. And then I got to thinking about how much I love pastel and chalk art in general. In fact, my husband and I have been travel around the US for the last 3 years creating custom 3-D chalk art illusions in which we lovingly call ourselves People of the Chalk. So, I thought, why not give this chalkboard art technique a try?

I agreed to make the visuals to promote this year’s event and I am happy that I did. It’s a hybrid approach, but I created all the illustrations on an actual chalkboard and the lettering was done on the computer. (Right now I am a much better typography designer than calligrapher, but I’m working on that.) I had a lot of fun both illustrating and designing this little marketing campaign for our local community papers, flyers, social media friendly graphics and such. I am including some of the campaign graphics below so you can see how it turned out.

If you are local to the Denver-metro, Colorado area, please feel free to stop by. The selection is HUGE and beautifully arranged, I know the organizers shop the major gift marts across the US and have selected some wonderful items from unique watches, princess dresses, jewelry, ornaments, home decor items and much, much more! You will certainly find some wonderful gifts to exceed your Christmas gift shopping wishes and be supporting a worthy cause at the same time. See you there!

P.S. If any one else is on the fence on whether or not to try making chalkboard art, just go for it! I’m sure you will be amazed at the results.

Web Slider: Holiday Hoopla Chalk Art Campaign Illustrated and Designed by Cherish Flieder

Poster: Holiday Hoopla Chalk Art Campaign Illustrated and Designed by Cherish Flieder

Flyer: Holiday Hoopla Chalk Art Campaign Illustrated and Designed by Cherish Flieder

Colorado Community Print Ad: Holiday Hoopla Chalk Art Campaign Illustrated and Designed by Cherish Flieder

Denver Post Hub Print Ad: Holiday Hoopla Chalk Art Campaign Illustrated and Designed by Cherish Flieder

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Paul Sullivan, Art Director for the animated film “Book of Life” and fellow RMCAD Illustration Grad will be on campus at Rocky Mountain College of Art & Design on Friday, Nov. 7!

He will give a lecture/presentation in the Mary Harris Auditorium at 12:30-1:30 followed by a Q & A on the movie. The community is invited to join us for this FREE event. He will also be taking orders for autographed ART OF THE BOOK OF LIFE books!

It is self-evident that Paul had a spectacular vision for this movie and brought it to life using his stellar illustration skills. The images are so fanciful and a feast for the eyes. (Check out a few early images and reviews on his blog here.)

Book of Life Movie Concept Illustration by Art Director Paul Sullivan © 2014 TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX

Book of Life Movie Concept Illustration by Art Director Paul Sullivan © 2014 TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX

Also, one of our mutual professors Larry Kresek, also contributed his mad illustration skills to a help out with some colorful, digital illustrations.

Book of Life Movie Color Concept Illustration by Art Director Paul Sullivan and Illustrator Larry Kresek. © 2014 TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX

I couldn’t be more proud of a fellow RMCAD Alumus. Way to go Paul!!!

More about The Book of Life Movie

From producer Guillermo del Toro and director Jorge Gutierrez comes an animated comedy with a unique visual style. THE BOOK OF LIFE is the journey of Manolo, a young man who is torn between fulfilling the expectations of his family and following his heart.

Before choosing which path to follow, he embarks on an incredible adventure that spans three fantastical worlds where he must face his greatest fears. Rich with a fresh take on pop music favorites, THE BOOK OF LIFE encourages us to celebrate the past while looking forward to the future.

www.BookOfLifeMovie.com

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2014 Biennial Faculty + Staff Exhibition, Even After Everything.
Philip J. Steele Gallery 
Rocky Mountain College of Art & Design
October 9 – 29, 2014

The rich, creative accomplishments of our online and on-campus faculty and staff serve as a strong foundation for our college. The exhibition showcases art and design works created by members of our RMCAD community with themes that range from investigations into the peculiarities of nature to art commissioned for Mercedes-Benz.

I am happy that I could be a part of this art exhibit in the gallery named after our founder. I am so grateful that Phil Steele and the Steele family had the courage and tenacity to start and continue a world-class art college here in Colorado. During my time attending and teaching at Rocky Mountain College of Art & Design, I have meet the most incredible artists and mentors that have shaped so many ways of how I think about and practice art. Some of them are still there and their incredible work can be seen in this exhibit.

It has truly been an honor to serve as adjunct faculty member in the Illustration department for the past 6 years. Working with students one-on-one on their illustrations, branding, and marketing has been a privilege and inspiring experience.

However, my favorite RMCAD memory is a particular day during my freshman year when I met my future husband, Benjamin Hummel. We have now been married for 12 years and he has been who has been super encouraging to me in developing as an artist and entrepreneur. I can’t tell you how grateful I am for him. Benjamin is an accomplished illustrator and art teacher. You can see his work below.

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A simple message of hope created for everyone who sees this banner “You are a blessing.”

You are a blessing. Banner of Hope by Cherish Flieder of Something to Cherish

I sewed and painted this 8″x12″ Banner of Hope on New Year’s Day as a response to an invitation to the professional Designer Members of the Craft & Hobby Association and the non-profit art program called Charity Wings. It will hang at the upcoming 2014 CHA Winter Show and after that Charity Wings will work to coordinate a traveling exhibit of the Banners of Hope to be displayed in public locations to benefit those in challenging circumstances. The project will provide a message of hope at hospitals, veteran, children’s and senior homes/centers across the country.

Anyone who knows my story knows that I am no stranger to “challenging circumstances.” Practically every month since childhood, I have spent time in hospitals and doctor offices… more time than I can ever possibly recount for close family members, my husband and even myself. (In fact my husband was admitted to the hospital with an unusual pneumonia the day after I completed this project! That’s no way to start out a new year, trust me. Poor guy, we got him back out and he is feeling better on a lot of antibiotics.)

At the end of the day, through all of life’s pain, it is important to remember that you are filled with life, a life that is a gift and a blessing. What you do with that gift is up to you, but it is my prayer that you will use whatever energy and resources you have to reach out and encourage others. The secret to happiness is unlocked when you can use your gifts to bring joy or relief to another human and when that happens you know for sure that you are a blessing!

“Banners of Hope” Project at Craft & Hobby Association Winter Show 2014

The first project of the Fabric Arts Council, the “Banners of Hope” Project, will be launched at the Craft and Hobby Association Mega Show (CHA 2014), held in Anaheim, January 10-15, 2014.  The “Banners of Hope” Project features fabrics-based banners in a 10′ x 30’ display. All the banners are created by CHA Designer Members, Charity Wings Volunteers and by attendees during the CHA Show to express messages of hope and encouragement in a subtle artistic format.  There will be a construction zone at the CHA Show to make banners and offer advice on how to replicate the inspirational Charity Wings program in cities across the U.S. and internationally.

At the close of CHA, the Banners of Hope project will move to the Charity Wings Art Center located in San Diego, CA. A second event will take place on January 15th and 16th, over a 24-hour period involving the coordination of 48 crafting demonstrations based on the Banners of Hope project and a myriad of crafting techniques. This event will be broadcast over the internet in the Charity Wings Art Center to an international audience.

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Did you tie-dye your summer? Technically you still have about a month left. What a great way to celebrate a new school year with some DIY apparel designed by you and the kids!

Last week, I had the honor of visiting 3 Hobby Lobby stores to demonstrate how easy and fun the Tulip Tie-Dye Kits are to use. People had a blast and I met so many kids (of ALL ages) who wanted to learn how to tie-dye. I love teaching art and crafts. I grew up as the eldest of 6 kids (plus foster siblings), so have been doing it my whole life. Doing crafts with kids enriches the whole experience I think. As you can see from the picts, tie-dye can be so much fun.

If you want to try your hand at this, check out Tulip’s site where they have over 300 tie-dye ideas and lots of tips to make sure your next tie-dye adventure is a colorful one!

Tie-Dye Demos at Hobby Lobby

Spiral Tie-Dye in-progress

Cherish showing the Ombre Tie-Dye technique

Also, if you HURRY, you can still enter to win a free iPad Mini and Tie-Dye Party!

Tulip Tie-Dye Ideas

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Spring is just around the corner. So, how do you find inspiration for your art and craft projects in the springtime?

This is exactly the question that I was asked to answer in the current issue of Bella Crafts Quarterly along with some of my favorite craft designers. Also, check out the artist feature on Claudine Hellmuth.

Download the spring issue for free to read it now…

Bella Crafts Quarterly is the #1 digital craft publication that is always free for readers to view online or download. BellaCraftsQuarterly.com

The post Bella Crafts Quarterly – Trending Thoughts appeared first on Something to Cherish® - art, fashion, gift + home created by illustrator Cherish Flieder.

Have you met our 7K Art of Licensing group members?

This week the art licensing community on LinkedIn reached over 7,000 members. Among our members are many of the world’s most renowned art licensing artists and manufacturing companies working today. The Art of Licensing group (ArtOfLicensing.com) on LinkedIn was opened July 22, 2008 by Cherish Flieder artist of SomethingToCherish.com and creative entrepreneur of Cherished Solutions, llc. Today it has grown to be a truly international group and a vibrant community of creativity.

To celebrate this milestone Cherish will be hosting a “Link Party” discussion so members can better aquatint themselves with one another. If you want to join as a member, get art licensing resources or want to learn more about the group, please visit ArtOfLicensing.com.

The post Art of Licensing Group Reaches 7K Members appeared first on Something to Cherish® - art, fashion, gift + home created by illustrator Cherish Flieder.