More gifts and cards!

Well, after all it is over 1000 miles from Michigan to Florida so I guess that's one of the issues for our mail being delayed several weeks in some cases! HA  I've received these this past week and wanted to share!

I received this collage card from Karen Stiehl Osborn.   I am so happy to receive one of her cards and it will go in with my collection from artists I've receive through the years.  Thanks, Karen!!!

Karen is a wonderful artist and foster for rescue dogs.  She does amazing work at both of these 'jobs' and I applaud her for all she does.  I've actually purchased her journals which she covers with her collage art work.  They make great gifts too!!!  Take a look at her web site but, also, go to her FaceBook page.   Karen is so devoted to rescuing our fur babies that have been injured and discarded.  I so appreciate what she's done and what she continues to do. 








Next up is a Birthday Gift from our resident baker here in Ocala Palms, Verna!  I've talked about Verna's delicious cakes before (just do a search on my blog and you'll see her beautiful cakes!).  In addition to being a great cook/baker, Verna is also a beautiful seamstress and quilter as well as creating beautiful heirloom work!!!  Check out what she made me for my birthday gift!!!!  It's a velvet bag for shoes and is beautiful!!! 

The embroidery is wonderful isn't it!!!

And look at the lining!  Yep, Verna knew one of my favorite colors the past few years is orange!! 

Thank you so much, Verna!!!  I love my bag!!!

 

This is another Valentine card I received from a friend back in Michigan. 

Marty was one of our founding members for our Complex Cloth Club years ago and has taught several dye and marbling classes (as well as other quilting classes) through the years. 

Thanks, Marty, your collage card will be in my collection with your other fiber cards I've received from you!!!!

And last, but certainly not least...I received this adorable card from my DIL's mom, Nancy!!!  I thought it was so sweet!!!!  

Nancy was so great last summer and fall gathering pictures and documentation for me so I could make a genealogy book for Kris (our DIL).  I told Nancy this summer we'll be meeting up but she won't have any assignments to gather for our meet up!  HA  I am looking forward to a nice lunch and perhaps a girls day outing with our grand daughter as well!  Thanks, for the thought, Nancy!!!  

I'm still knitting and working away on a quilt!  Following a pattern to boot!  How about that!  I haven't followed a pattern in more than 10 or 15 years!  It's for a gift so I can't show it but it's taking time out of my online class!  HA  Tomorrow I will get some class work done since I worked ALL day today on the quilt.  

It's wine time now...so until my next post!  Stay warm folks and for those of us in Florida, stay inside with the AC on!!

A Little of This...A Little of that!

I've been so busy lately I know I'm missing keeping my blog updated.  As I've stated before, this blog is my daily journal!  I want to have memories to look back on when my kids move me to a 'home'!

First, I want to show a very unique Valentine Card I received from Jan B., Laughing Dog Arts!    Isn't this the coolest card!  I love all the different textures/media she used to create it.  Click on the picture to look at it closer.

For starters, Jan is so very talented and one of the best at re purposing.  Check out the envelop she made to hold her wonderful card! 

It's really a sheet of calendar paper Jan folds to make an envelope out of...I ripped this one by accident! 

Jan may not remember but I have another one of her envelopes she sent me!  Yep, I still keep it because it's so unique and has a horse on the back of it!   And I didn't rip this one when I opened the package!  HA



Jan sent me a 'Dooleybobber' she made!  You can see that post here.  She is so clever!  And you should see her art work.  She is an animal lover and that is obvious in her paintings.  Take a few minutes to look at her posts!  Thanks again, Jan!!!  I will certainly keep your wonderful card (& envelopes!  HA). 

I have been knitting and here's a pic of one of the tops I finished.  It looks better in person, honest!  Besides, I'm not a great model!  HA

I also started knitting another top using the same yarn but in a dark blue, which I'm really liking now that I don't stress about the yarn.  It really does just work itself out!  HA

I also started playing around with the Little Cotton Rabbit pattern!  So cute...finished a head and ear but won't post pics until it's finished.  Doesn't look like much now. 

Heading south to see my sister this weekend since I had to postpone last weekend due to Kalee being under the weather.  Vet still isn't sure what was wrong with her...she seems better now but just not drinking much water.  Of course, if I give her chicken broth (no fat/no msg/no sodium) she'll drink...so we're adding water to her food twice a day to make a soup mixture so she gets some liquid.  She also has some high levels of PH and protein in her urine - no bacteria or infection - which we are watching and will reck in a month.  Always a worry...but I think she'll be fine with weekend.  Bob...not so much!  HA  But it's good for him to play 'dad' for a day or two!

Nothing better than friends!

I'm late in posting  some of these but I have thanked each of these folks!  I've said it before, I am so fortunate to have  great friends....via the Internet and in person!  I feel like my  'internet/blog' friends are ones I've actually met in person!  That's how special they are to me, as well as my 'in person' buds!!!  Here are some Valentine's I received....

These cards were made by my Michigan friend, Mary.  They are photo's of fiber cards she made this year.  She had the fiber card photo transferred to post cards for mailing!  I used her idea last year to make my Valentine cards to send out.  Mary is so talented...I've shown some of her work on my blog before.  You can see her Chihuly quilts here.  Also, click on the pic below to see all the work she put in to her Valentine cards!

I love this card Carol P. sent me from Michigan!  Doesn't it look like a painted collage?   Carol and her hubby, Tony, used to live six months here in Florida but moved back to Michigan last year.  Probably after this winter, they'll move back to Florida for the winter months! 

I'm keeping this one to use as inspiration for a future art work project.  No, it won't be for fiber Valentine's!  I'm done with that!  HA

My Florida bud, Susan, sent this card, which looks like fabric!  I love the pattern....so much going on in the design.  Again, I'm keeping this card as well for future inspiration.  I can see some stencil work being done!with some of these patterns!!










I received this card and heart from one of my "Internet buds", Sherry from Createology!  The card is so very pretty and creative and look what's on the heart!

I love this little heart and I attached it to my Origami Owl wrap bracelet!

And look what my Florida bud, Beth made!  It's a heart sachet filled with lavender,
which smells wonderful!  How sweet of her!

I have some pictures I will post soon on some of Beth's recent work.

And last, but CERTAINLY not least....I had a visit with my bud,  Kay, from Quilts + Color last week, as she only lives about 40 min.(depending on traffic!  HA) from us here in Florida.   Those who follow Kay's blog know that, in addition to her talent with fabric and dyeing,  she is one of the best purgers of items!  I was a lucky recipient of one of her recent purges!  HA

These are Japanese magazine Kay had in her stash!  They are beautiful inside and out.  Some color pages, some black and white...and patterns, which I think you can figure out without knowing Japanese!

These are just two pictures from one of the pages from one magazine!  So cool...now to find the time to look through these!  Perhaps on the way home back to Michigan...nope...I won't be able to wait that long!  I've already looked at a few pages!

I'm sure you will recognize the Blue Men quilt by Hollis Chatelain!  I also recognize the quilt in the upper right!!!

And look at the goodies  Kay gave me!!!  Needles, tape measures, threads, etc.  What fun!!!

I'll be showing some of the work Kay has done recently, although, you most likely can see them on her blog before I get the pictures posted!  HA  Thank you all again!!!  So lucky to have each of you in my life!