The night before advent

Cheri recounts the last days before the big reveal:

Well – it is almost here. I feel like it’s the night before Christmas, but it’s the night before we start the advent calendar. Months of work and planning and laughing and tearing our hair out and now we are almost there.

It has been the week of the scissor lift. Who knew it would be so much fun to ride up and down in a scissor lift – next year we could charge for rides! Virtue even got in on the act – they hung three big trees off the old package lifts hanging into the alley. That looks great too!

So as I peer out the window around the OPMH canvas of a giant candy cane, I can see 20 of the 24 canvas arranged all over the face of the building! They are covered in bright drapes, ready to be revealed on their given day. I am so darn happy; it really feels like Christmas morning. Thought me might not pull this one off Nefertiti!!!!

Got to say without Chris Carter and all the guys – Awsin, Luka, Joe and Yuki – we never would have done it. All the girls just took rides – how bad are we.

The Advent Calendar Event continued

Well the advent saga continues! We realized today after one of the canvases blew off the building that we need to get a lift or crane to finish the job! Chris and Joe are having a time of it, but they are starting again on Monday – go guys. (Just rented a scissor-lift; that should be fun.)

Okay – so the latest paintings just get better and better. Our real artists (no offense to anyone) have brought over their paintings and wow! Haley is a staffer here who is also an artist and who knew she was so good – the nutcracker scene is to die for.

Then one of our brunch attendees and I started talking and she was excited about our project. Next thing I knew, Nicki had offered to do a canvas even though she works in fabric as a medium. She created a piece and then had it digitally reproduced on canvas for the advent calendar. It is really beautiful – an angel, that even though it isn’t made of cloth, looks like it is – you can even see the stitching up close! And the colors – you just have to wait to see.

We got a peak, but it went back for final touches, of the OPMH older kids work. It is really good too! Silhouettes of the three kings on camels – it gives me shivers. How do these people come up with these great ideas and then make them look so good? And these are teenagers!

St. Raymond’s youth director came by with their canvas – a hand painted scene of the crèche with the holy family set into a background of palm trees and the star too. So great – I am really impressed with how good these paintings are. I know I keep saying that, but really, it is not as easy as you would think to do a realistic picture.

We are so blessed to have so many fabulous partners in our quest to raise money for Make-a-Wish. Thanks to all of you, from the bottom of my heart. Oh, and we think the date for the auction will be Epiphany (the day the kings arrived to see baby jesus)– first Friday in January. It isn’t definitive yet – keep peaking at website for updates.

Well, I am beat and have to be up at 5:00 am for our first black Friday sales extravaganza. Hope not too many people get up early to shop – I’m not sure I can handle a line at 6:00 am! Bring me coffee – please!!!

Advent Calendar Event

Cheri recounts her journey as she prepares for the advent event:

"Who would have known that making our building into an advent Calendar would change my whole outlook on Christmas. It shocked me.

I have to admit that occasionally I have had a bit too much of Christmas (I am human) after working in a Christmas Store every day for 365 days a year for 39 years. My personal Christmas is always lovely and I try and get excited every year for the coming of the season – it is a bit harder some years than others. But this year it hasn’t been hard at all.

The whole idea of the advent calendar is to prepare yourself for the coming of Christmas. I have been working on putting together this Advent event by gathering groups to paint canvases for the building for months now. After we had no response to our call out to artists to do the canvases (understandable with the economy in slump) I thought of seeing if preschools would be interested and then church youth groups – and they were!

My first school to join us was the Old Presbyterian Meeting House Preschool. My kids went there a million years ago and as a coop preschool, I thought they would like it. Tania, the director, embraced the project wholeheartedly and personally painted the pictures with each class. I was excited to see the result – but I wasn’t ready to cry over the canvases.

Yep, the artwork the kids produced brought me to tears. Sounds a bit dramatic, but to see how they painted outside the lines in such cheery colors simple images that bring Christmas to mind – candy canes, mittens, bells, gingerbread, Christmas trees and stockings – well it was so sweet, I just teared up. The kids have their names on their artwork and the name of their classes too! It brought back memories of working with my kids – now all teens – on holiday projects. I miss those days!

Well – that was just the beginning. I worked with my youth group for two nights first sketching and then painting our two canvases. We had Jennifer’s mom – an artist – help us draw the train with animals coming out of the cars and the girls just free-style drew a camel between two palm trees. They picked a bright yellow background that just makes the picture and we all giggled about how the heck a camel’s mouth and nostrils look. Patrice and Laura and Alece (sp) drew stars in the sky over our Christmas train. We all bonded as we added our finishing touches to the canvases including our groups name and bible verses that the girls thought matched our work of art.

The next day, I got to work tired and cranky until I opened up my email of Maurisa’s son’s preschool – St. Anthony’s pictures. Okay, my favorite is the town of Bethlehem at the bottom of the canvas and a giant glowing light coming from the town. You know, if adults had painted it – it would have a star – but the kids have a bigger than life blob of yellow that takes over the canvas – yes really big, because what is in the town of Bethlehem is really big – baby Jesus. Got to love those kids – tears again!

But wait – there was another picture of Santa flying over brightly colored houses that I would love to buy in the auction. It made a huge smile come over my face and I keep thinking of the image again and again as the day goes by.

Good Shepherd’s Youth Leader, Miguel, dropped off the three canvases they painted later in the day. First off I have to tell you Miguel is a gifted artist. He produced a stained-glass type image of the three kings over the Christ child – spectacular! He had a young woman in his group paint an angel image that is just great and then his youth group worked together to do a simple, effective shepherd with sheep. I was really impressed with the shading on this one—after tying to paint my own background – I realized how hard that is. Wow – these kids are talented.

Can’t wait to see the rest of the art arrive."

Join us on December 1st for the kick-off to the event. The first painting will be revealed! We look forward to seeing you.