Well, my friend, Laurie, has done all of the work photographing this FUN swap, so I’m going to send you over to her groovy blog to see what goodies we participants received:
Archive for Silver Bella
Farewell, Silver Bella; Hello, Art and Soul
I have officially registered to attend Art and Soul in Portland this fall! Not only do I get to learn new crafting skills (more to come on the classes), but I get to stay with the ever-fabulous Joan!! And, Amelia is joining us! Can I use any more exclamation points before the exclamation point police come after me?!
While I am still sad about Silver Bella, I am excited about Art and Soul!
Karla’s “Cut From a Different Cloth” Giveaway!
I was so excited to be the winner of Karla’s giveaway on her Cut From a Different Cloth blog!
I am SO thrilled with the contents of this package!
While the rick-rack, lace, medallions, ribbon, buttons and hooks and eyes are fabulous in-and-of themselves, it is the FABRIC that makes my heart go pitter-pat. Look at those TEN scrumptious pieces of fabric! They are calling my name. They want me to embroider them! Just look at them. Look at their textural variety. YUM!
The additional fun associated with this giveaway was that, since I am in Karla’s neighborhood once a week, we planned to get together instead of her mailing my fabulous gift. That ended up being easier said than done because of illness and unforeseen circumstances, but this week, we were able to meet up at her house. AND I had the bonus of seeing Lynn. It was a mini-Silver Bella reunion!
And that reminds me: I am still sad about Silver Bella’s cancellation. I met Karla and Lynn through Silver Bella. My Google Reader is filled with the blogs of women I met at Silver Bella and who I now consider friends. I can honestly say, without drama or exaggeration, that attending Silver Bella changed my life. I met so many women who also have the desire to create art. Through these women, I made connections with other women. These relationships encourage me to keep making art, even if it is challenging in my responsibility-filled life. Through these relationships, I have discovered resources that help me prioritize art in my life: instructors, classes, supplies, books.
So, I even though Silver Bella is canceled, I want to keep the momentum going in my creative life. I did a little searching around and I think I have a plan. Stay tuned….
Silver Bella 2011
Thanks to generous gifts from my children, I am signed up for Silver Bella! Whoop! And Amelia is going with me this year (and, we hope, Joan, too)!!
This is TOO exciting!
Art Journaling
While the past week has been filled with family events and responsibilities–including snuggling with this Darling Person–
I have managed to begin working on the art journal for Teresa McFayden’s Windows to My World e-workshop. My “title page” turned out like this:
I really enjoyed combining fabric and paper and using the sewing machine to attach everything. Since the title page was to set the tone for the whole journal, I wanted it to reflect what I’m learning in my life right now. This hymn is meaningful to me and William Cowper is one of my favorite hymn writers. Have you read his story? Have you read the words to this particular hymn?
I especially appreciate verses three and four:
3. Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take;
The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy and shall break
In blessings on your head.
4. Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
But trust Him for His grace;
Behind a frowning providence
He hides a smiling face.
As I move through this e-course, I’ll try to share some more art journal pages with you.
Valentine Swap
When I opened the second package that I received the other day, this is what I saw:
(Isn’t there something encouraging about seeing valentines addressed specifically to you?)
Our Valentine Three-inchey Swap hostess, Jeanelle, really outdid herself and I savored unpacking the box, finding goody after goody.
First, Jeanelle’s contribution was peeking from her envelope. (And here I should probably mention that I photographed these nestled in the pink tissue paper in which they arrived, so the colors appear rosier than in real life. If you want to see some more-true-to-life photos, check out Laurie’s blog.)
I just love this!
Mollie’s was also “peeking” through the envelope.
So sweet!
(And, I found this little gal in Mollie’s envelope, too.)
This awesome woven ribbon heart was from Jami.
Eeps! I love the colors. And I wish you could feel the ribbon!
Connie contributed this wonderful crazy quilt square. (Learning to make a crazy quilt has LONG been on my to-do list, so I am appreciating this technique.)
Can you see that the central piece is filled? And what about those roses?
And what was in Lynn’s envelope?
This little feast-for-the-eyes! (Every time I look, I see something new.)
Laurie’s little package held…
…this awesome portrait!
Can anyone resist Mr. Darcy? Certainly not I!
I almost hated to break the seal on Tammy’s envelope.
But I’m glad I did because this is what I found (in addition to some Dove chocolate)!
And to top it all off, Jeanelle added more Dove chocolates, a vintage valentine AND this fabulous fabric book in which to display our treasures:
What a special treat! I can’t wait to participate in the next swap.
P.S. Just in case you missed my contribution, click here.
Gifts
For some time, now, God has been showing me something, teaching me something, through a series of challenging circumstances. Sometimes I catch a glimpse of what I think He is showing me, teaching me. Sometimes it is so elusive that I think I’ll never see it or learn it.
One tool that He has been using in this process is John Piper’s When I Don’t Desire God: How to Fight for Joy. Lately, through what I’m reading in this book, I think that the glimpse of what I’m being shown and taught has to do with everything, everything being a gift from God. Now, I’ve given intellectual assent to this concept for years. What it seems that God is showing and teaching me has to do with wholeheartedly experiencing and accepting that everything is a gift from Him.
So, I’ve been thinking a lot about the idea of gifts lately. I was even talking about it quite a bit yesterday as my older kids gave me the gift of their time while I talked. And, I have received some important gifts lately from my parents who are also listening, amidst their own challenges, to me.
Consequently, with “gifts” on my mind, I was delighted to receive two packages in the mail yesterday! The first was a package from Sheila. (Shelia made my fabulous charm bracelet for the Silver Bella swap and I wear it all of the time.) I was chosen as a winner in her Valentine charm giveaway! This is the adorable charm I received:
Don’t you just love it?
And what made it even more special was that, when I first saw it on her blog, it reminded me of this:
This is the first ring that Joey ever gave me.
He bought it at James Avery the summer of 1981. We hadn’t seen each other for quite awhile because he had been hiking for two weeks in the middle of nowhere and I had been serving as a Fish Camp Counselor. When I got back to the A&M campus, he was there to pick me up and he surprised me with this ring. I wore it on my left ring finger until he replaced it with my wedding ring a year later. What a special gift!
It seems that yesterday, God was reinforcing the glimpse that what He is showing me, teaching me has to do with His gifts.
Lynn is Having a Sale!
Remember this adorable item?
I’ll bet you want to make one yourself, don’t you? Or at least own one that’s already been sweetly dolled up?
Well, then, I am happy to say that Lynn is having a sale at her etsy store on her cutie patootie baby booties. Check out her blog for the details (and lots of inspiration!).
Fabric Valentine Envelopes
I made some fabric envelopes for my Silver Bella Love Chapter Swap and really enjoyed the results. I thought I would try some smaller versions for my Valentine 3-Inchey Swap.
I loved the fabric that I had on hand with which to make them.
And what can beat a felt heart for pure sweetness?
I’m really looking forward to receiving the swap next week!
P.S. Since my post last week, our family has dealt with not only the Darling Person’s move, but my father’s medical diagnosis, our son’s mental health issues and some critical decisions concerning our business. So, at some level, it seems trivial to me to even post about my adorable fabric envelopes. But, then, crafting and creativity do serve as stress relievers for me. I process thoughts while I work with my hands and, ultimately, add beauty to my life. Maybe my adorable fabric envelopes aren’t “trivial” at all!
