A Gift Of Great Meaning

First, let me provide a little background. On Mother's side of the family, whenever someone married, there were always gifts that had an acorn involved in some manner. I still have grandmother's carved bone acorn sewing kit and pictured below is great grandmother's silver acorn jewelry box. (which, as I was polishing it, I managed to break the acorn free from the base....good silversmith, here I come!)

It was heritage, lineage, tradition. It represented long life and prosperity. It was a link with long gone family members....some of whom I have no idea where they were laid to rest.

By the time Gary and I married, acorns were decidedly out of fashion, and mom could find nothing for us. I had some of her serving plates with acorns and that was fine, but we never really received *the gift* of the acorn.

Then, unexpectedly a while back (I am so behind I have been meaning to post this FOR EVER but was having Blogger troubles...) I received a large envelope in the mail from Ces and wondered what on earth it was, and how quickly I could get it ripped open. :-)

I was delighted and surprised and completely touched when I saw below:

An ACORN!!! THE acorn! Gary's and MY acorn! I just sat and stared a while, and then tried to get photos and wanted to write Ces and put the post up and do everything at once......I did get the thank you out quickly as the internet was being cranky.

At any rate, we finally got to talk and I explained to her how much this meant due to not having received the traditional gift, and that the drawing now fulfilled that spot in our life! Of course, when she sent it, she had no idea. Serendipity at work!

Even the signature is delightful! (Ces! I need to put it between two pieces of glass so I can see both sides!)
So thank you C.P. Adorio........sisterfriend, oaken nymph, creator of the Quercus Society of Blogworld, Mental Ninja and slayer of Voldemort! Who makes me laugh until I fall out of my chair and am in need of kleenex from spewing at jokes! Who better to send something like this?
Thank you.
Thank you.
From the bottom of my nutty little heart! ♥♥♥

Pax....

My New Heart........♥♥♥

I hate admitting I cannot remember what day it was or what was going wrong when I decided to reward myself for not going completely nuclear with a bit of Etsy shopping. (on second thought, I think the day involved the throwing of the telephone.....let's stop THERE!)

Anyway, off I went to Marie Segal's Etsy store and what do I find but something that made my heart go completely pitter-patter; a Zippered Heart with a Sacred Heart inside!!!

I immediately heard the words "Take me home....." to which I replied, "Just let me get that wallet of mine!" and I ran as quick as I could.

Marie and I had e-mailed back and forth about ideas, finishes, projects we were working on, etc but I just had not made it over to her store. Boy, am I glad I did! Let me describe how this little gem came in the mail to me.

That black organza bag held a delightfully wrapped package, with a sacred heart sticker holding it shut. I opened it slowly (although every part of me wanted to rip it to pieces quickly!) and there inside was this amazing pendant. It is larger than what I expected, at approximately 2 1/2" long by 2" wide. But the detail in that little space! Please click the photo below......see what a gem this is.

I just sat, holding it and turning it over and over and then got on e-mail and demanded to know EVERYTHING about it! (poor Marie...having friends like me.....) It is just perfect.......perfect. So much care and skill and love in this!
For those of you who have not seen Marie's Blog, click HERE.
For her Etsy store, click HERE.
I can assure you, your time will not be wasted visiting one of the most talented clay artists I have had the pleasure of meeting!
Of course, it's also fun getting those lovely packages in the mail......  ;-)
As to my work, my leaf count for the large commission is up to 97 with the machine still running, if not groaning about it! And I went to order the canvas for the background and it is temporarily out of stock! HA! *Anne-Luck* strikes again! Oh well, I can start the other samples to see how they will work.......
And how has your day been???

Pax...

New Blogger To Visit......

......Let me be the first to publicly mortify my dear friend Jan Brattain, and introduce you to her reasonably new blog, Laughing Dog Arts. No, I did not tell her I was doing this post, so I am sliding on the ice with no drawers on!!! LOL!!!

(this IS the Laughing Dog!!! it's not just a studio or blog name!)

There's substance here, folks.

A little backstory; Jan and I have known each other through the internet for years. I believe we met via the Fabric Forum at eQuilter and casually struck up conversation after conversation. (a disclaimer: with my *anesthetic-head* of late, we could have met on Mars and I would not know the difference! yes, it could have been extra-terrestrial contact....but I don't think so....) A friendship built, we quit commenting on the Forum, as we gradually moved our fiber posts to Yahoo Groups, as both of us became Fiber Pirates, and we still kept in contact via e-mail.
During this communication, Jan would describe where she lived in the deep and old woods of Oregon, and occasionally send pictures. I was smitten. Not only did we share a love of fiber art and art in general (and music) but of the outdoors and I have to admit that more than once I was envious of the exceptional area that she called home.
Old growth forests are pretty much a thing of the past in my neck of the woods---pun intended!---and the gentle and sometimes frantic pace of her life tied in with the seasons made me remember halcyon days spent on my grandfather's farm; where life was dictated by the rising and setting of the sun, and the time of year. I miss that......so much.
I often commented in letters how the way of life she led daily was something that was disappearing at a rapid rate, and for me, how incredible it was to peer into it. Things that were routine for her were triggering all types of wonderful memories for me, and an urge to find a way to pare down this life of mine that was running out of control. Jan's letters put everything into perspective.
I still have a file folder in the computer of photos she had sent; birds, dogs, flowers, Mr. Mel the Peacock, etc. My little glimpse of Oregon.
I once casually suggested a blog but hey, you have to feel that in your bones and know the time is right to start one. I did it on a whim (my normal status for important, time consuming life decisions!) and was happy with how it turned out. But it's work......at least for obsessive/compulsive ME. LOL!!! If I don't post frequently, I am sure my head will explode....
Seriously, it's okay. Laugh!
At any rate, I was feeling in the dumps the other day and get a letter from Jan saying to check a link to cheer me up.
She had started a blog!!! And not told me!!!
I found, illustrated, some of the things we shared in conversations; beautiful nature pictures, fiber art, her group she meets with weekly for art and sewing related items.....it was all there!
So, at the risk of having my friendship skewered onto a lightening rod, I would like to request all who read this to go visit Jan's blog by clicking the link at the top of this post, and it would be very nice if you chose to follow too, because we all have been through that first part of blogdom where each day you're peeking to see if there is a new follower.
Heck, I still do and am still as excited as the first day when someone new signs up to follow!
You will find a gentle and delightful read, exquisite photos of wildlife and the hawk pictures alone are worth the trip over.
And now that she officially has a blog, it is with great delight that I can present her with an award made specifically for a friend like her, a sister friend, a long time, long-suffering being my friend award:

"Friendship isn't about who you have known the longest,

but who came and never left your side."

Because Jan came, and has never left my side. And I am grateful. So please post this to your sidebar proudly!

You are an exceptional friend Jan......and I hope your internet is back up to read this!!! (or maybe not.....LOL!!!)

Now, gentle readers, go make a new friend, and enjoy a wonderful pastoral blog that will calm you from the bedlam of the everyday ruckus we call life.

Jan, are we still friends????   :-D   We are....right? RIGHT???

Pax.

I Was A Winner Too!!!

I should have had this posted a while ago, but in the hustle and bustle of life, work, and my normal state of cluelessness, well, I FORGOT.

The Quilt Rat is one of my favorite fiber art blogs. Jill has more talent in her little finger than I think I do in most of my body---she does some excellent work and is constantly sharing her experiments on her blog.

She had a give away a while back and some of the prizes were the quilted fiber postcards she had made (mine, pictured here). Naturally, I assumed I would win nothing because normally I win nothing but it seems since I started blogging, my luck has improved some! I have won prizes in two give aways and it makes my little heart happy!

(ahem! back to the post Anne.....don't wander....)

Her work is amazing.....the photos of the cards  on her blog are very nice, but the real deal in your hand is quite another story. I have stared and stared at the quality of the work, and by the way---the image on this is all hand drawn.

Yes.

Not a fabric print.

It is a lightbulb, but I discovered if I turned it upside down, the symmetry is such that it reminds me of a bottle, a Southwestern gourd vessle.....and I like it both ways!

If you've not already visited, do check her blog. Even if you don't *do* fiber art, you will be impressed by the art talent!

A very belated Thanks Jill!!!

In public, where all can see! ;-)

Pax.

Artistic Vision: What You See and What You Walk By

I have to dedicate this post to Ces, who has a wonderful blog "Ces and Her Dishes" but it should be Ces and her amazing talent at rendering trees!

I have walked by this tree trunk so many times it is embarrassing. It is on the roadside where I used to take walks daily before the *hip-adventure*. I knew there was a dead tree there. Walked by, glanced at it....nothing more. Kept walking. Too busy looking for who knows what, or worse yet, looking at nothing. Or trying to keep from getting run over......

The other evening when I was out shooting pics, it was the first time I actually SAW the trunk. And when I did, it certainly was a V-8 moment as I mentally smacked myself, saying how could you miss this??? It is sculpture, pure and simple. I clicked off several shots, some I liked better than others but these were the winning two.

Both photos should enlarge; it is worth the time to do it just to see everything that is going on with the state of decay of the wood, the weathering, the lichen growing......textures and lines, light and shadow....all sorts of exciting things an artist should not miss!

What is wrong with me? (rhetorical question...no answer necessary)

The only thing I can think of in my own miserable defense is this:

Normally I would walk in the mornings, with the sun coming bright from behind the tree.

I was late the other evening getting out, so the setting sun was full on the cracked and creviced trunk, and maybe that was what made these eyes open.

There is always room for an artist to reassess how they see things; what catches their eye, why, how we process the information. Making yourself look in locales that you are accustomed to what is there is a fun exercise. I had a ball!

I highly recommend it, no matter what medium you work in or where you live. There is more to be seen than what we see.

For other amazing trees, you need to check out Ces's blog and see what she paints and also an amazing exposed root structure of a nutmeg tree that I hope is in her sidebar still. (maybe not...)

Okay, go open your eyes and find something wonderful!!!

Pax.

Delightful Give Aways and Wonderful Prizes!

Oh, today's post is fun because I get to talk about the generosity of fellow bloggers! First off, in the photo above you will find the current items being offered up by gypsylulu at gypsylulu delights in honor of her 100th blog post!!! What a way to celebrate your first 100 and let your readers enjoy the excitement too! Just click the highlighted names or on the photo and it will take you directly to the give away requirements!
Go.
GO-GO-GO!!!!!
Sign up now!
Secondly, I won second prize in a wonderful give away from Our Victorian Cottage and I had to post all the things I found when I opened the box. (remember, this is the second prize...)

A darling cup and saucer pin cushion adorned with beads, baubles and flowers......

.....Vintage and modern fancy laces, handmade lace and a bevy of retro buttons.....

....A retro hankie (which matches a couple of retro dresses I own and wear and will be carried with me when I wear them!) and a darling hand stitched needle case,

and saving the best for last......

...a child's handkerchief with bunnies playing hockey! And why is this so special?

Because my DH grew up in Detroit and played hockey for years, even after moving here, and he taught a kids hockey class (where he lost his front teeth...another story!) so when I see this big bunny and the little guy, I think of him! :-)

I don't know how I will use this, maybe not at all--just have it where I can see it, but the Bunny Hankie had to be the sentimental prize in the lot! Thank you Marilyn!!!!

Aren't bloggers the best? Are we just too lucky to have met in this manner and seem to keep pulling good people to our sites? Isn't it too much fun?

I hope you all have a good, happy and creative almost-Fall day and I think I will photograph some of the leaves that are slowly beginning to turn, and sew.

Pax.

SURPRISE!!! An Award!!!

I was trying to go around to the blogs I keep up with daily and found, as I traveled to "Enchanted Revelry" that my dear friend Tristan had bestowed an award upon me! (kneeling properly in front of computer, even with the bum leg!) Let me tell you a bit about it:

All awards are special and great fun to give. The Renee Award is relatively new and was created by Bella and Ces in honour of their friend Renee, an incredible lady who in the face of a frightening life battle is tackling each new day with great spirit and courage. Please check out the blogs of these three creative women.

Here is what Bella says of the award:"This is a brand new award and I have the pleasure and honor of spreading the seed, watching it grow. I hope it finds its way to those who are like Renee: the acorn, a small package becoming a tall and sturdy oak, giving more acorns, becoming tall and sturdy oaks, giving acorns..."

Wow. This is a tough act to follow and I encourage you to read Tristans post. Now my job is to pass this on to eight fellow bloggers that make a difference in my life daily. There is no particualr order in how I post these----everyone is on the same level for me. Friends, people who inspire me, reading I enjoy, folks who are working hard to make creativity a living, folks who just are working hard with life. I salute you ALL!!!

Vicki Miles at My 2009 Project 365

Sara Hopp at Manto Fev

Marion Barnett at artmixter

Gayle Pritchard at Uncommon Threads

Leslie at Leslie's New Works and Thoughts

Julie Z at High Fiber Content

Elizabeth Golden at The Last Door Down The Hall

Mary Kirwin at Queen Magnolia Blossom

For those of you who visit here on a regular basis, I encourage you to check these other blogs and enjoy their content. They give back in all different types of ways, and pass on joy to those who read. For those who have businesses too, I have found they pass on that bit extra to their customers.

Now bestowed bloggers, please pass this on to eight other bloggers who have brightened your days, encouraged you, been creative, been supportive, or planted that seed of hope in you when you were in fallow ground!

Please take the button and add it to your blog and proudly display the fact that your blog, your words, your work makes a difference even on days when you might not feel that it does. :)