Have you ever seen hollyhocks in person?  I love them.  My parents planted some last year and I was fascinated by the way they stand tall and firm with brilliant color all the way up the stalk.This love of hollyhocks has been with me since the first time I ever saw them as a young girl so it's no surprise that when I was wandering around etsy.com and came across this painting that I jumped on it.Amy (SkyArt) was selling an 8x10 print of her original canvas "Hollyhocks."  The reds and yellows spoke to me and I knew it was exactly what I wanted to put in our family room.  I loved that it was original artwork instead of something that you could find anywhere.  It was bold and beautiful and unique.So, I contacted the artist, Amy (you can do that on etsy.com) and asked her if she was selling her original canvas of "Hollyhocks."  She said that it was already sold but she would be willing to custom paint one for me.  What luck!  She let me pick the size of the canvas and everything!A few weeks later we had her totally original artwork hanging on our wall and it makes me smile every time I see it instead of a big blank space.  I was even more pleased when I realized that the bottom portion had a gorgeous aqua blue color that hadn't shown up in the photos online.  The texture and color and abstract lines are exactly what I wanted.Amy also added a bonus to my package - she sent a copy of the 8x10 version of "Hollyhocks" for me to give away here on my blog.  Lucky us!I have been working on April's content for "A Life Well Crafted" workshop at Big Picture Scrapbooking. The theme for next April is "A Person of Influence" and I think that hollyhocks represent the kind of people of influence that we can all be.  They remind me of so many women I know - women with graceful strength and brilliant color.Who is a "Person of Influence" in your life?  What are you doing to stand tall and strong as a person of influence to others?  What do you love about hollyhocks?  Leave a comment about any of these ideas and I will randomly pick one to win Amy's 8x10 "Hollyhocks" print.Giveaway closes Halloween, Friday, October 31 at 10 pm.  Talk about a great treat!Added on Saturday, November 1 ------------------------------------------------------------

Congrats to our random winner of Amy's "Hollyhocks" print:

9 lisa dWhat a beautiful painting! My person of influence is definitely my parents. Both of them show me daily what being a servant of God is. They raised four kids to know God and to serve Him. They genuinely care about others, whether it be visting their neighbor paralyzed from ALS or my mom knitting hats for the soldiers in the war — they not only influence my but amaze me as well!Lisa - email me at kolette@kolettehall.com with your address and I'll send you the "Hollyhocks" print.  Enjoy!  Thanks to everyone who commented and shared your thoughts.  I was inspired reading them and appreciate you making an impact on us all.