today definitely takes the meaning "feel good friday" to a whole other level. its been a year since we have been to Africa and as we sit at the airport trying to get in every last bit of Internet service in...emails, emails, emails. i cant help but be jumping for joy inside. never in my wildest dreams did i think i would be a part of fully designing an art center in ghana, west africa for children (amazing lovely vibrant children!) who have been rescued from slavery. yup, slavery still exists folks. being out there the first time around and seeing truly how much these children thrive and grow from the artistry and creativity in their programs was mind blowing! thank god for organizations like art feeds. all these kids need is a marker and a piece of a paper and they are good to go. we could learn a thing or two from them.

the birth of "go team ghana", has been a long journey, a lot of hard work, ups and downs, laughter, times of doubt to times of "holy heck we're really doing it"! it was a side project in our free time and i cant believe we pulled off what we did and in less than 24 hours will be back on ghana soil installing and finishing the most awesome "life sized" lego building ever!!!

we truly took "designing with a purpose" to a whole other level...and i am pretty damn proud of everyone involved.

the art center is in honor of a little boy by the name of connor deal. before he passed away he would watch Extreme makeover: home edition every weekend and tell his mom that if extreme makeover were to ever come to his home, he would want a lego room or a star wars room. wellllll.... building a spaceship in the middle of africa seemed a little too out there, so we decided to design and create what you see today.

it is empty and ready for the design team to get in there and do our thang!

we could not...i repeat not have done this without all of you.

extreme makeover home edition cast, crew and loyal vendors // this project is solely because of the beauty and passion you all represent. the dedication you put in day in and day out and the never ending support of companies who supported us the entire way. you all helped make this almost seem like walk in the park. every "like" of a comment, sharing our our posts, words of encouragement, the texts, the phone calls...it was all overwhelming at times. we love you!

special shout out to // Barn light electric, astek wallcovering, select blinds & new era hd- because of your amazing companies, we are going to have the greatest products hit this art center! look for pics of amazing barn light pendants, art work, canvases, lego wallpaper and so much more!!

to my family and friends // holy wow! i know you support me an all but oh- em - gee! still blown away by the donations, support and love!

and because today of all days is "international women's day" a huge special shout out to the founders of Touch a life, art feeds and connor's song. Pam Deal, Meg Bourne and Nan Deal- yours and your families dedication, commitment and compassion to your ogranization is truly inspiring. cheers to your awesome-ness!

here are some of my fave pics from last years trip...can not wait to post some more.