I am a lucky girl!

Please be sure to read this whole post - I know it's long, but there is an award at the bottom I want you to be sure not to miss.

I told you it's been like Christmas around here. I've received so many lovely things in the mail recently, some in trade and some just because I know very sweet generous people. The first few pictures show two lovely pieces I got in the mail from Becky of Heart in my Hand blog. I've been drooling over her dolls and I think I might have hinted a bit about how I'd love to have one. Becky still doesn't have an Etsy which I hope you all will help me convince her she should open. I cannot thank her enough for this lovely surprise out of the blue. I am so touched. I put some detail shots below each main image. Here is the lovely doll I received from her.



So beautiful . . .



And, this is my favorite part . . .



And this is the second piece I got from Becky . . .





Look at the stitching . . .



Here are a few of the lovely mail pieces and collages I've received from several artists.



Starting from the top left and working clockwise, a postcard collage from Cathy of Cathy Parmelee's Art + Life, a postcard collage from Donna of Donna's Inky Corner, and two wonderful little collages from my buddy Tracey (aka Angellea) who is blogless but has a wonderful flickr you should visit at http://www.flickr.com/photos/28757002@N03/ Tracey, this is where I would be giving you a mini-feature IF YOU HAD A BLOG! (some of us keep trying to get her to start one so we can bother her more but maybe she is being smart - maybe we would bother her too much.)

These next two pieces were sent from Melissa of Honey Girl Studio and also known as Tootieu on flickr. This is a very lovely collage on canvas that I again commented just enough to sweet talk her out of it. As a surprise she also sent me this beautiful pendant made from a poker chip!



I received a package of loveliness from Kate of The Kathryn Wheel as well, but I'm saving it to post when I finally make her some trade pieces, which I have just started trying to figure out.

And then one of my newer friends, but one that I have been so lucky to have had lots of recent conversations with, Pam of Yoborobo, sent me this gorgeous print of one of her collages. I am going to feature Pam soon on my blog so I will save some to tell and show you later.



Pam also recently gave me this lovely blog award, The Renee Award. I am so proud of it. You can see what she wrote about it on her post at http://yoborobo.blogspot.com/2009/05/renee-award.html



Snipped from Pam's post about this award, “The Renee award was created by Bella and Ces in honour of their friend Renee. In Bella's own words "this is a brand new award and I have the pleasure and honor of spreading the seed, watching it grow. I hope it finds it's 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…” I, too, went to see Renee's blog, Circling My Head, and agree it is worth every second of investigation. The art images she shares are incredible only to be matched with eloquent and humorously real writing.

So, I am to pass this award onto 8 others. I could have given it to about a hundred. I settled on 9. If any of you 9 have an award-free blog, no worries. Just enjoy my little thank you for sharing all you do. I chose to share some new blogs I've discovered recently and have enjoyed visiting in hopes it will connect you with some people you might not have met yet. To me, connecting with folks all over the world with all kinds of voices and things to make, sing, write, and do is one of the richest experiences we can enjoy in our lives. If you know these blogs already, you can enjoy them again as I do many times a week.

Sunshine Dew (New Zealand) Pherenike writes some of the most beautiful posts I've ever read. She reminds me to appreciate and find the beauty in everything and to be looking for it always. I especially love her thoughts of gratitude at the end of each lovely post. She serenaded me, in a way, in one of her comments and I am still singing to myself, "every little thing is going to be okay".

Sophism Press (Australia) I've told Chrisy that she is officially one of my appointed Life's Tour Guides along with Ginny's Small Studios and Linda Crispell who are all the best at finding beautiful things and people and art and places that none of us should miss. Be sure to check out her very cool Etsy while you're there. I want her Anatomical dishware but I have several of her pieces on my wish list.

Lumilyon (United Kingdom) I've just met Lumi and I must admit I'm shallow. I was attracted to her images and art before anything else. I'm a visual gal first I guess. Turns out she also has one of the sweetest souls ever so it makes it that much more wonderful to enjoy her beautiful work. I wish I could have a bit of her style in my work, I love it so much. We have connected in our metamorphosis philosophy and I have enjoyed our writing back and forth and sharing our journeys.

Francis MK (Brazil) Another artist whose art I am in love with. Maybe you will see some similarities in the work of Lumi and Francis. There is some sweet melancholy surrealistic dreamy quality to their work that takes my breath away. Francis is a poet too. Since I do not speak or read Portuguese yet, I have not had the chance to appreciate this talent of hers, but someday we will find a way for me to appreciate that as well. Francis also has a kind and beautiful soul and I have so enjoyed our messages to each other.

The Kathryn Wheel (UK) Kate is someone I've recently met and fell in instant love with her art and wonderful personality. I go to her blog for pure instant visual gratification. I love the sewing details she adds to many of her pieces. Her colors are rich and her images fun and endearing. She is always one of my favorite and first visits to make.

Donna's Inky Corner (UK) Donna is someone I've been getting to know the last couple of months. Again, her blog and artwork delight me with her whimsy and creative style. She collages, paints, draws, you name it. I love all of her work and gaze at it for long periods of time trying to pick up just a bit of her expressive quality.

Broken Heart Art (New Jersey, USA) Susan is just my kinda gal. She is s Jersey girl and I mean it in the most complimentary way. I just left a job that had me working with some East Coast gals for several years and let me tell you, they have such a perfect way about them - real, bold, funny, true blue, and in her words "take names and kick butt" approach to life. I need me some of that! I have enjoyed our offline messages as much as her blog, but you can enjoy her take on life and cooler than heck art on her blog too! Some of us are trying to convince her to open an Etsy - see what you can do.

Creative Chatter (Illinois, USA) I'm not sure how I found Shari. I found her flickr first and had to write her a note about her work. I just adore it. Her work has a vintage quality I cannot recreate though I would love to. Her buildings, especially, just entranced me. I would love to combine her vintage beauty with Lumi's and Francis's surreal melancholy and I think I would have found the voice I've been looking for. Anyway, Shari and I connect in lots of ways with our trying to make art after long dry spells and in the midst of a lack of confidence and artistic searching. Be sure to tell her how amazing her work is. It is!

Queen of Arts (New Hampshire, USA) Last but not least, I present to you Kim. Kim's blog attracts me in so many ways. She is on a journey, maybe more than one. She is so good at writing about what she is thinking and pondering and I relate to almost everything. She is good in connecting other writings and music with her own story and uses them perfectly. Her art work is personal and gorgeous and a reflection of her journey that she bravely shares with everyone. She has even started a movement. She sells and leaves rocks with messages on them everywhere she goes and has many people that share in this mission of paying good thoughts forward. I just know one of these days I will find one. I certainly need to leave some.

I leave you with these connections to make or to reconnect with again. I hope you enjoy them all as I have. Thank you, Pam, for the award and the opportunity to bring the world a little closer. In that light, later tonight or tomorrow I'll be sharing the Playing for Change videos on my blog which coicidentally I found on Shari's Creative Chatter blog while preparing this post. It is so relatable to this idea of connecting, it made me tear up when I watched it.