the Fates Keep Smiling on me ... and I am Grateful

I don't know if it's the Universe telling me to keep on doing what I am doing or if I just happen to be sitting directly under the lucky star, but whatever it is, I have been getting showered with some serious mail love ... first as a direct result from this years One World One Heart event.

First up, Waxela (a.k.a. SpiritMama) offered to send an ATC to everyone that opted to follow her on blogger ... that was an easy choice and not long after I received this lovely little ATC (the colors are actually quite a bit richer than they appear in this photograph).

are you feeling the peace?

Plus, I was lucky enough to actually win two different One World One Heart giveaways.

The first from Lorraine over at Love of Collage. Lorraine seems to be one creative crafter! Check out the fabulous little bag & Alice domino charm:



The bag does close, but I wanted to show it open - check out the details. The colors are so vibrant and I just love the way it's stitched together. It should also be noted that "Alice in Wonderland" is one of my all time favorite books, so it's even more special to me. I am so thankful to have been the winner of Lorraine's prize!

but WAIT ... there's MORE!

I was also the lucky winner over at Dot's (Dot's Life & Art) ... she sent me one of her original Amelia dolls - I cannot begin to explain the sweetness of this precious little creature. Her fabrics a scrumptious and she's so lovingly embelished with lots of little beads & stitches.



Dot even filled the parcel with all kinds of extra little goodies that I am still drooling over.

*sighs*

OK, there's one more lucky win ... not too long ago I stumbled across a new blog called Water Blossoms that features the amazing art of Margaret Storer-Roche. She does beautiful illustrations in both watercolor and pen. Recently she celebrated her one year blogaversary and had giveaways to boot ... what are the chances that I would win one? Couldn't tell you, but I did! I won one of her incredible feathers ... but notice that she tucked my prize in a cards with one of her original designs:



The detail she puts into her pieces boggles my mind. I love that the feather is a bookmark (that's my story and I'm sticking to it), because I get to use it and look at it every day.

Also, Chris @ Prism Trail must have really, really liked her cranes, because she sent me a little package with some of her "freshly minted" tiles. I love these little pieces ... go check out more of them HERE ... isn't that a GREAT batch?!?



I am really looking forward to seeing the tiles she received and what she ends up creating with them.

Yep. I'm seriously feeling loved.

In my own art news, I have WIPS without pics, so all I have to share are three ATC's that I doodled at the new job:



and:



and



I hope you enjoyed my little bit of show and tell.

Cheers! ~M~

How Did it Happen?

I've been having issues with this holiday season ... usually I begin preparing sometime in early October and have a bunch of stuff in the works & by December 1 I'm in a baking and making frenzy (believe me when I say that I truly enjoy every part of it, too) ... this year, I never really got started. Strange, really. I have baked a bit, made even less and now it's officially Christmas Eve ... this is so odd. I mentioned in an earlier email that I am hoping that my holiday clock is just set on delay ... who knows, maybe I'll have my holiday burst sometime in March. One never really knows ... I hope that I haven't bummed y'all out & your still with me - this next part is chock full of happy surprises, some pretty pictures (from that trip North) and a super happy face at the end.

A while back Elizabeth Beck (a.k.a. e.beck.artist) was having a giveaway & somehow the lucky gods were smiling on me ... I won an e.beck original! Due to life, art & other such stuff, it took a while for her to make her way to the post office. Even luckier for me as she decided to send me not one, but TWO of her little paintings (and a candy bracelet that my daughter quickly confiscated from me by calling dibs)! Whoa! and hold your horses! Check out what she sent:

I love, love, love them both & am thrilled to have them here in my home ... I may even leave the ornament up all year long (who knows, if I stare at it enough, that Christmas Spirit just might take its bite!). Go HERE to visit her blog & be sure to check out more of her wonderful art.

That's really good and awesome, right? But WAIT! there's more ... the most wonderful and loverly Cathie (a.k.a. Clevelandgirlie) decided that now was the time to send a little cheer my way (did she sense I was suffering from holiday zombieitis?!? I wonder) ... and what a precious little cheerleader I received ... introducing Mz. Meecies (yes, I do call her that & don't blame me if my goober hat shows once in a while - I was born this way & have practiced for years and years!):

Isn't she just the most adorable pin cushion EVER?!? She has a pin for a nose & Swarovski crystal eyes. You can actually put a spool of thread on her tail, too ... talk about a clever, clever design. I adore this little mouse. Right now she is sitting on the shelf right above my PC and just looking at her makes me happy. Go see Cathie HERE - scroll through some of her older posts as her talents are not only with a needle and thread ... plus, she has one loveable Gizmo.

Another wonderful and witty woman decided to send a little something my way ... imagine my surprise when this sweet package arrived:

Chris (at Prism Trail) sent the box full of hand made tags (when in the box, the lid doesn't close, but you get this amazing hand decorated box brimming with colors and ribbon galore - it's so sweet, but I wanted to show off all the pretty little tags & beads). Visit Chris HERE ... don't be surprised if you find yourself giggling for much of your visit.

You'd think after receiving such lovely gifts I wouldn't still be suffering from Christmas Avoidance Syndrome ... I wonder if there are meds I should be taking ... perhaps some Mint M-n-M's ...

You all said such nice things about the photo's from West Virgina, I thought I would share a few more:

And just for the sheer pleasure:

That's Secret. She's the miniature pincher that lives with the peeps we were visiting in West Virginia; she enjoys the ride from the house to the cabin quite a bit. :)

May you all be treated to a holiday filled with

love, laughter & good cheer!

Soul Journal - Days 7, 8 & 9 ... Plus a Charmed Sneak Peek

Did you think Sadie and I had thrown in the towel on our Soul Journals? Nope, just put them on pause for a bit.

Day 7

We were instructed to journal (in small writing with a ball point pen) on two pages using the prompt, "I forgot to tell you". Once done, we covered the entire two pages in tape (Sadie and I used plain masking tape, blue painters tape and duct tape). Somehow I forgot to take a photo at the completion of Day 7 ... oh well.

Day 8

We sanded the tape to scuff the surface, put a light coat of gesso on and then painted (with a dry brush) and wiped off the paint - I used yellow and pink to make some sort of seriously Easter egg-ish washy finish. After the paint dried, we sanded the pages some more. This is how mine ended up:

oh! we also picked a flower and pressed it somewhere in the book ... hmmm ... wonder where it is.

Day 9

Time to revisit the pages started on Day 6 ... we were to add a lighter color (I actually chose three - magenta, a really light powdery blue and a glitter paint) - wiping and dabbing along the way. Once the paint was to a point that we liked, we had to grab a pen or marker and write: 8 words describing your pictures, circle one picture, draw a messy square around four, draw a dotted line around two and draw a broken "stitch" line around one. Work them till satisfied ... I started off with my handy dandy fine point Sharpie. I thought I was done when I finished the prompts ... UNTIL ... I saw the white Uniball that Sandy had sent along with the Mad Hatter Winning Package of goodness ... oh, I do believe that I am in LOVE ... ok, here's Day 9 fini:

and a close-up to boot:

... and it should also be noted that Sarah asked how many of us found and put together the word "ART" ... uh, guilty (yes, I have been known to state the obvious on occasion)

And for the Charming sneak peak

... this is where I am with the Michelle original designs/glass/Sculpy prototypes that I am working on for possible inclusion in Amber Dawn's latest Black and White Charm Swap:

Not so easy to photograph ... If they don't end up working out (or making the cut for the exchange) I know that I can easily turn them into little tiny magnets ... something about them appeals to me.

... Remember ... you can click on any image to see a larger version ...

... and all Large Itallic words (except these two) are actually links ...

Here's hoping all is well in your little universe!

Good for the Soul ... Journal, Anyone?

A while ago Kathryn from Collage Diva celebrated a milestone birthday - she turned 40!! - when she discovered that this year I celebrated my 40th too, she wanted to send me a little somethin ... look at the sweetness that I received this past Saturday:

The lovely collage is printed on Chinese Dupion Silk.

The gorgeous lighthouse photo of Marshall Point Lightin Maine

is a Kathryn Antyr original photograph.

AND

The little moo card is simply adorable! - click on any photo to see more details.

Then today I came home to another piece of mail love:

How sweet is that packaging?

- uh, not the flowers ... I added those to keep the address's private -

Inside was a print from Elizabeth Beck of e.beck.artist

:

She had a contest (check it out here) & I lucked into being one of the winners (for asking the most questions - lol). I was able to pick out one of her prints - to see the set, visit her Etsy Store here - and have it customized ... I asked for "happy is as happy does" ... you know something ... I'm glad I did. When I look at this print I'll be riminded of that simple thought and who knows ... maybe I'll just do more happy.

Here's a detail:

(remember, you can click on any image for a larger version)

Finally, Sadie and I have taken the plunge and are making our very own Soul Journals.

First a little background ... Kathryn had mentioned the soul journal project and then within a day or so I saw it again on Grrl+dog's blog ... they had come across Sarah from Caspiana and were joining her challenge. Part of me wanted to jump in, too, but I resisted. The next thing I know nearly a month had passed. Well, I recieved just the nudge I needed (in the form of - "do it anyway!") ... so, I am ... and Sadie is, too. I went back to Sarah's original post ...

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Soul Journaling-

I’ve been dreaming about a project I’d like to do with you all for quite some time. It is part journaling, part mixed media or visual journal. I have been mesmerized by all the visual journaling that I have come across lately. I have lots of trouble starting projects like this…the ever feared blank page and not knowing what to write. In good old fashioned creative writing they use prompts to help you get started. So why not start there? I’d like to give you daily prompts to journal along with me. There will be both writing and mixed media prompts. You can choose to follow me exactly or break free on your own and just use my idea as a starting point, it’s up to you. So without further a due… I’m challenging you to start a Journaling journey with me!

Sadie and I went out and bought our books (Sadie has given me the OK to talk about her part in things, but I am not allowed to show the pictures of her progress). She picked out a red crocodile-looking-leatherish book and I picked this one:

Once we had our books picked out we were supposed to glue random Dictionary or book pages to the first 3 pages in your journal. They could be ripped or hanging off the edges or neatly trimmed. We don't have any old dictionary's or books to use ... instead we printed a bunch of random stuff and collaged the pages (how does one count the pages? is front one, back two, next three? or is the spread considered a page ... after this first part, I beleive each side is a page on its own ...). Here are my three (double page spreads) collages:

I thought it was interesting that Sadie and I gravitated to a lot of the same stuff.

Next: start writing on the first page over your dictionary pages. Start with the prompt: “Today I feel…” Write for at least 5 minutes and circle or rewrite any words that catch your eye in your text that describe how you are feeling. If you run out of things to say, just say what’s in your head…”today I feel stupid for listening to Sarah about this whole journaling thing…” Rewrite the prompt “today I feel…”every time you get stuck or start a new thought . Write for as long or on as many pages as you want.

so, we did ... here are two of my pages all written over (double page spreads):

That was it for the day. The next prompt is to gesso over all the written pages and to CLAIM our books (we're already there, but I don't have photo's at this time ... and am not really sure that I am quite done with the first attempt at claiming my book - Sadie, on the other hand, has claimed hers and it looks REALLY terrific). Tonight we'll be starting on Day 3. As soon as I post this, we'll be picking out our armor!

If you've ever found yourself wanting to work on an altered journal, but didn't know where to begin, this just might be the thing for you ... in case you didn't click the link above, here's the first Soul Journal Post from Sarah ...

... happy is as happy does!

Cranes, Cranes and ... more Cranes

When in doubt, fold cranes ...

lots and lots of little cranes ...

you don't have to count them ... there are 52 cranes ... or ... 26 pars of matching cranes

matching cranes? now, why would a girl do that???

The Mad Hatter Made My Day

And to tell you the truth, he couldn't have picked a better day to show up. It's been a hard and sad past few days ... I've been feeling a little drained; raw, really ... and my ISP is having some serious server problems and is holding all my incoming and outgoing emails hostage until tomorrow afternoon at the earliest ...

at one of my darkest moments there's a knock at the door and the Mad Hatter is right there:

wrapped in its own brilliantly colorful festiveness

... and I smiled my first real smile in days ... and that was before I opened the package to find:

a party happening inside!

... Remember Vanessa's most excellent Mad Hatter Tea Party? ...

Well, somehow the luck fairies were on my side ... I was drawn as the winner over at

ART TEA LIFE

(check out her contribution to the party HERE - I promise you are in for a treat)

Take a closer look ... that looks like more than a tea cup, tea and cookies ... hmmm

Oh my! This is the gift that most loverly Crabapple had offered:

Isn't the tea cup simple precious?!? This is my very first pretty little tea cup - and with a saucer, too. The pattern is so sweet - pretty little roses, a bit of gold trim and a beautiful soft blue kissed edging ... so very lovely. I will definitely feel like a princess when I'm sipping my tea from this perfect little piece ... and I will forever be reminded of the woman that gifted it to me.

It would have been enough all on its own, but lets not forget the tea - tea posies, infact! When brewed the posies bloom into lovely little flowers (my husband and I agreed that we'll be saving this for a special moment to share ... let's hope it's sooner than later ... and that I have my camera at the ready to share what an incredible site it makes) and cookies! Melt-in-your-mouth buttery black and white shortbread-like dreamy little bits of decadence (uh, can you tell we didn't save them for that special moment mentioned above?) ... and there you have it, right?

WRONG!

She also included a tin of Jasmine Hard Candies from France (which I had never had the pleasure of trying before, but will certainly be keeping my eyes open for ...) check out the sweet tin they come in:

but wait! There's even more! Five little beauties to be used in ART (perhaps while I'm drinking some lovely TEA and simply enjoying my LIFE) and a white uni-ball Signo pen (little does she know that I have been dreaming of the day that I break down and buy one for myself ... because if you know me, then you know in reality I wouldn't buy just one which requires the saving of a few pennies for a day of shopping for "tools"). Imagine my delight!

Bet you thought that was it, didn't you? It's already too much ... and yet ... there is one more:

Do you see it at the bottom center of this picture?

Here's a close up (notice the Jasmine Hard Candy tin, too):

Not quite close enough? Here, try this:

or this:

Could they be any more adorable? AND they are the same blue as the blue that kisses the edges of the tea cup and saucer.

This was SO much more than I ever could have expected ... with each little treasure I discovered I felt myself pause and appreciate the generous heart of the woman that took the time to assemble such a kind offering. She had no idea where my head (and heart) would be when I received the package and couldn't have possibly known the impact her thoughtfulness would have. She helped me remember that even in our darkest hours there is ALWAYS a ray of light that will shine on us, warm our hearts and remind us to live and to love ...

... S, this is one instance when being late was actually perfect timing. My heart will forever hold a spot especially for you.

Thank you.

Party Favors

I had a great time putting together the party favors for my big 4-0.

Above is a photo of goodies that were included in each little box: stickers, temporary tattoos, a few plastic beads, a mango scented candle, plastic drink critters (for use at parties - each person gets a different critter to help remember who's glass is who's), a God's eye, a mini loaf of lemon poppy seed bread, a beaded bracelet (swarovski bicone crystals beaded on elastic thread), an assortment of 2"x2" washi chiyogami papers, a paper crane and a two sided pendant. Not pictured: a glow in the dark skeleton key ring and a dark chocolate truffle ... that I really should have known better than to send - I received word that at least three melted somewhere in transit ... ick. Hopefully they didn't cause toooooo much of a gooey mess!

Not too long ago I made a beaded God's eye that wasn't quite so simple and was more time consuming than I had anticipated. For the party favors, I decided to get back to basics. I used little skewers and 100% cotton embroidery thread. Making them brought back a lot of good memories and were quite relaxing to do. Here's the complete set that I made (only 5 were actually shipped out; I'm still trying to decide if I'm going to embellish the remaining five ... time will tell).

I also wanted to make name tags for my guests, so wrote their blog names (with the exception of e.beck's - couldn't resist gettin "groovy" on hers) on a 4x4 piece of Bristol Board and doodled all around their names with my handy dandy fine point Sharpie (a favorite past time, dontcha know). Once the doodles were done, I decided that it would be cool to add a lil sumpin, sumpin ... I stitched over their names with embroidery thread. I think it added a cool little element:

Finally, I had so much fun making my first set of charms for the Black and White Charm swap that I wanted to try my hand at another charm type thing. I decided that a pendant would be good. Each pendant is two sided. The image on one side is a Sharpie sketch that I had done of Audrey Hepburn's eyes and the other side is the first Mandala I painted:

If you are interested in the steps, it was pretty simple. The squares are pieces of craft wood that I cut to size and sanded the edges smooth (slightly rounding the corners). Next I painted both sides with Mars Black acrylic paint. I attached my miniature artwork (just printed on 60 lb high gloss paper) with Modge Podge (believe it or not) and then applied about three coats of high gloss varnish. Once the varnish dried, I poked holes through the wood (with a needle), added the jump ring and strung it on the black cord. Viola! Simple and yet effective. :)