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Wednesday, June 15, 2016

Sounds Like a Deal!

Each summer we go to The Independence Place fundraiser, "The Sounds of Summer".  For a $40 donation per person we are treated to a meal, over 2 hours of live entertainment, and have the option of bidding on donated items in a silent auction.  Every year I bid and every year I am the high bid for a couple of items.  I am very selective about bidding on "things" mainly because I have enough "things",  and any services or gift cards I bid for have to be something I will seriously use.

This year I found a few things I genuinely wanted. The first was this print by local artist Don Stewart.
I have 2 other prints by him in my house and thought this would be a nice addition to those. He calls his works "The Visual Humor of Don Stewart" I love an artist who does not take him/herself too seriously. This title is "Fast Food". In his usual style the components of the picture are made of elements of the title of his work.  It is kind of like looking at a Highlights Magazine's hidden picture, except every single pen stroke is something altered and morphed to create whatever he is currently seeing in his mind's eye. Look carefully and you can find it! He even includes a cheat sheet in the packaging so you will know what to look for. I had rather just study the print and enjoy the process. I just really like his style, sense of self, and perception.

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 So yay me for learning how to stalk whoever is bidding against me  navigate a silent auction successfully!

My second win was this hand carved Santa. I bought him for my granddaughter and I hope he becomes part of their Christmas tradition, though it is entirely possible he will wind up in the bottom of her toy box, instead of being carefully placed in the perfect spot each year. (cringe!)



 And my third and final silent auction "win" is a 40 dollar coupon to my local Carmike Cinema. It was good for only the theaters in my little burb, which worked out great for me. It is less than 2 miles form my house!  I bid the opening bid which remained the only bid for the entire evening. The community that houses Independence Place is about 35 miles across town from my house and most of the attendees were from that area.  They couldn't see bidding on tickets to a theater so far from home.  Score!  15 bucks bought me 40 dollars worth of movie time. I am going to start using them tomorrow!













14 comments:

  1. I found some of the fast food and will look later. Love it. The Santa or movie tickets would be my choice. Congratulations on good wins.

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  2. I have one print of his called Dem Bones. It is of 3 trombones drawn entirely as bones. I really do love his mind and oddness.

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  3. What tremendous wins for you.
    And yay for anyone (artist or not) who doesn't take themselves seriously. Mind you, his talent (and no doubt effort) ARE serious.

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    1. His talent is incredible and not all of his artwork is humorous, but these are the ones that I am drawn to.

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  4. I see what you mean about the print. I like it. Let us know what movies you see with your gift card. Congratulations on your successful bids.

    Love,
    Janie

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  5. I found a pizza-of course I did. I love silent auctions- a little fun for charitable purposes, and I never feel to bad when I get out bid, as I probably shouldn't be spending any way. We could have gotten in trouble though as I once kept bidding on an MLB baseball bat and it went to several hundred-fortuneately someone in the last minute bid higher and got the prize. We did take home two signed NFL footballs though that DH insisted would go up in value-never di, and we spent a hefty amount. He wouldn't have sold them anyway, so I guess that is ok.

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    1. Yep, I hear and understand! We go to many charitable fundraisers with silent auctions. Through experience I have learned to only stalk those who are bidding on something I really, really want. (That being said once we did pay entirely too much for a Ted Williams signed baseball which I didn't want at all, but TheHub loves it)

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  6. Fun wins! Love the Santa and that is a great deal on the movie money!

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  7. Yes I was very happy about the movie deal!

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  8. Great deals - I tend to go for the Gift Certificates myself at that kind of thing. Good for gifting too.

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    1. They are! These were mostly hair and beauty care product gift cards from an area of town that is out of my way so I would not be likely to use them. If they had been restaurant gift cards I would have been all over them!

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  9. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the print. I bet they will be worth quite a bit in 10-15 years. Things like that seem to catch on.

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    1. I don't know if it will be or not, but I love the way he draws! I try to snag one whenever we are at a silent auction. I could buy them directly from his studio but I think I like the thrill or the hunt!

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