Brazilian Butterflies Saving the World (English)

Awesome Moment

After organizing and defining each quilt, it’s literally time to be hands-on as almost everything in my life, there is a tight deadline for one more incredible event.

This time the event/project is called Brazilian Butterflies Saving the World!

My quilting studio it’s now a Butterfly Conservatory! Wonderful!

I have lots of amazing butterflies, wonderful energy coming from all over Brazil and also from some lovely Brazilians that live in Mexico, EUA and Canada.

I know I always say this and it’s probably the “king” of the clichés “I have no words to thank you, for all love involved in such a noble cause”. However this time I have words! Actually the words come from the bottom of my heart and get transformed into tears and gratitude. I am very grateful to each and one of you that opened your heart and trusted in my project, OUR project, as each of you dedicated time to execute with love, wonderful butterflies. Butterflies full of Brazilian spirit which defines who we are, our heart, our faith and the gift of falling and standing up without losing it. The gift of speaking closely, smiling with our soul which expose us without shame; the gift of making friends on the bank line or groceries line or any line; the gift of smiling and keep fighting even on dark days; the wonderful gift of treating all like brothers, true love and fullness to the next. And that’s how you did, my dears.

I only have gratitude and love and I owe this to each and one of you who dedicate to this project with your heart. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

During months, butterflies came and after opening the envelopes and admiring them, they were put away into a drawer. I remember the times when the butterflies would’ve arrived almost every day. It was an incredible anxiety! It soon became a habit: wake up, open the front door and let the butterfly fly in. And why butterflies? Where did I get this inspiration? Many asked me! And that’s why I decided to tell a brief story with pictures and full of emotion.

I was on my way to meet the dreamy St. Jacobs Farm when I saw this sign on the road. All of a sudden something inside me became alive, I yelled enthusiastic that next week I will come back to this place.

When I got to St Jacobs, I instantly got a friendship with this cute in the picture. A wonderful ride through all historical places that shows the Mennonites’ life.

There is a market with merchandising and crafts made in the area. All was born within the Mennonite community and expanded thru the years. It’s a wonderful place for tourism and shopping. My focus stayed in this little store. Not sure why? Lol. The store is located inside the market. I don’t know you, but I always lose my mind in this type of local stores. This particular one is wonderful with a superb customer service. I recommend it! And it was exactly on this little store that I got a flyer about the quilt event at the end of May. It was early May!

As promised, on the next week, I was there on the Butterfly Conservatory and simply in love with.

                                                                       

At that time, I posted this picture on my Instagram. It was a magical moment of love and lots of reflection on the heart of the Butterfly Conservatory. I saw butterflies been born and instantly got a sensation of fullness. It made me reflect about the process and its meanings. The TRANSFORMATION that comes towards my life slogan, BE THE CHANGE, be the change. Something was been born inside me without me knowing it but unconscious I was receiving signals. Lol

In this link, you will take the wonderful journey with me inside the Butterfly Conservatory:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VB7A7XKMr44

And finally the day of the event is here!!!

Wow! It was the most incredible and divine event I participated in a long time. It was 4 days of “Wow” in each step I took! I was enchanted by all the beautiful, wonderful, fantastic arts! I even talked with the lamp post as I wanted to know all about this place. I was in a quilt ecstasy! You got it!! I was feeling super excited!

I saw Divine Quilts inside a divine place, a Mennonite Church.

In this store, the attendant was charming! While she was talking with me, she was doing a gorgeous quilt! She explained to me how the place works. Few cities on the region get together and organize a quilt exposition where all quilts will be sold in auction in a live event on Saturday and Sunday. It was still Thursday, I was crazily excited and I had seen only 1/3 of the event. 🙈🙈

There are Quilt stores in every corner. Even without the event, this charming place must be visited! And knowing there are some special stores, this place deserves more than one visit. In my case, I almost live there as I go quite often. It’s a place I felt in love! What I love the most is to go there to drink a special coffee and admire the arts!

If you know me well, you know I love simplicity! And that’s one of the reasons I immensely admire Amish, Mennonite and Quakers. That’s my dream life; simple and full of love, complicity; safe and free. What? Yes, free to have my cow, drink her milk, and make my bread, coffee. Then pick up eggs on my hen house;  make homemade bread or cake; fresh orange juice from the tree; take a bath with my own homemade soap with an incredible fragrance brought in an exotic trip to Himalaya; And with candles! Lol. Spend the day sewing and painting and when I need a break, run thru the field or ride a horse or simply see the snowfall and let the whiteness clean my soul. And when some vitamin D is needed, go to a beach on South France or Santa Catarina or Caribe. Quiet and calm life! Places like Waterloo region are wonderful for dreamers and life’s lovers. Full of emotions and great pictures!

And then you keep walking and see this!!! I am telling you, this place is amazing!

Quilt everywhere! In signs, barns, schools, streets, houses, everywhere! You know that sensation you are in Paradise? I didn’t die but I was in Heaven! I keep walking and got into a modern and contemporary exhibition with a divine tea included! So… lol… I almost had a heart attack and I took millions of pictures or close enough! Lol

In every table, there was a cute decoration. It was so many details: thimbles, messages, and vintage sewing stuff and antiques sewing machines. And the overall decoration? Only live you were able to see such cuteness!

The exhibition was a charm; gorgeous. Actually, each art more beautiful than the other. It’s impossible to see the whole place only in one day. I decided I would go every day to the event to see all the places and also there were 300 quilts to admire plus the individual exhibitors and the stores!

This butterfly got my attention! Are they chasing me? Or is me chasing them?

It was unforgettable days! I made lots of friendships; I taste different foods; I had so much fun; I saw wonderful quits donated by incredible talented people; I heard touching stories… Everything was magical! And to finish with a grand finale, early on Sunday, I was there for the famous auction. I had no idea what it really was… people explained to me but I couldn’t picture it…

💚💛💙

Video links showing what I am talking about it. Enjoy it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwcJ2L_FBII&t=627s
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWdqwzOrCOk&t=2s



And the Grand Finale is here!!!

Once I got there, I was in a wonderful park with happy families doing picnic. 8 hours of: nice music; local yummy food; foods like poutine, hot dock, pull pork with mashed potatoes and the famous pie which I couldn’t resist to it! Lol. It was really yummy! There were also some booths explaining who the event and donations work. During the event, some books explaining the history and culture of the region where distributed to us. Also in this place, money, especially coins, are donate with love and compassion.

Action!

… and I got inside a warehouse and saw this!!!

It was for sure one of the most incredible sensations I ever felt. I was in a quilt auction where 300 arts/pieces were donated from wonderful people to be auctioned! The arts were all exhibit in the places I walked thru the last few days! OMG! I was finally sinking in all the information people were giving to me. People were literally fighting to buy the arts. The arts became even more enchanted than they were before.

I decided to inquire about the event organizer and I had the pleasure to meet some of the organizers and volunteers. We talked and talked and I said I was going to make an amazing quilt for 2017 and donate to the event. Then I stopped, thought a bit longer and improved my idea. I will invite all my students and Brazilian friends to make a block send it to me and I will assemble it and quilt so they don’t have to spend too much money in mailing it. They thought my idea was marvelous! And I asked questions after questions: How many pieces do I need to donate to have an individual exhibition from our group?  Do I need to pay to donate the quilt? What is the final date for donation? Will someone be available to help me assemble the blocks when I get them? They were dizzy with so many questions and information. However, I left that place walking on cloud 9 and with ideas popping out of my head.

Note: I watched the whole auction! I only blinked when I was eating my poutine and pie.

By the end of the day, when I left, I was certain I wanted to be part of that event…. I was certain I was 

BE THE CHANGE

On my way home, I had to pass in front of the Butterfly Conservatory where I decided to stop for a coffee. Looking at that ocean of butterflies and feeling that energy to transform blocks in love; blocks in arts; in changing someone’s life that buys it at auction and specially the people that get the money after the quilt auction. All these thoughts were screaming inside my head and all of a sudden all connected and created the BRAZILAIN BUTTERFLIES SAVING THE WORLD.

Yes, my dears, your blocks can change the world; together we are the driven force! It’s said we are all angels with one wing and we only need to unite to each other and fly! I can guarantee you are in from of a happy person who will be a fulfilled person each day, in each stitch, in each butterfly that arrived and solidified the hope to a better world!

It’s been 8 months and I have tons of quilts from people that made, finished and sent them to me. I have almost 150 blocks to join together and create wonderful pieces of arts.

Rest assure these arts will be the most beautiful ones in the whole world! And my wish for next year is that we continue to create the blocks and I can keep following the dream and making it come thru with lots of love and donations!

Gratitude and Butterflies

See You Soon!