Giving & Receiving

 Hello from my studio! As you can see by my desk, it's been a busy time here. Those little baskets are bits of projects all sorted. (I can't work in a mess!)

 I wanted to share some of the goodies I've received in the mail from friends recently. See that cool little doll perched up there? My friend Michelle made her for me. She constructed the body from paper clay. It was her first time using that medium and I'd say she did a darn fine job of it! It was her gift for a small Valentine's exchange I did with her and Penn. Love it!

Since Valentine's was so long ago, I can't remember if I've shared what Penn sent or not. This is the canvass she made. I love that she went the anatomy route. I really like medical themed things. You can't quite see, but she's sewn nine mica buttons onto it as well.

 

This is the wall about my desk. I just keep adding art to it as I receive it, which is why it looks a little unbalanced at the moment. That's okay, it's a work in progress. It's just nice to look up and be reminded of my friends.

Speaking of friends, this came in the mail late last week from Karenann. She is the queen of layering. When I first got to know her and she sent me a piece of her work, I was completely blown away by her skills at layering. I am nowhere as good as she is, but she inspired me to develop those skills. Sometimes your friends make you a better artist!

Karenann also does Zentangles. She's really good at is, as you can see. Look at the rippling ribbon in the center! WOW! That's elevating the art of doodling to a whole new level.

 

On the giving end, I've been working on these large matchboxes. I'm in an exchange over at Speckled Egg. I have two partners and this is one of the boxes I made. I'm sharing it because that partner has gone out of town and is away from the computer, so she shouldn't be able to see this. *fingers crossed* She's into art journalling, so that's what her box is about.

 

I used a pretty brad as the drawer pull. The box for my other partner is completely different. It's suited to what she likes, but I'm not going to post it because I don't want to ruin the surprise. I've got them all packaged up and ready to go for when I make my next trip to the PO. They're not due for another two weeks, but I worked on them for two days straight and I'm ahead of the game! (Go me!)

In other news, I have some really amazing things happening, which I will share as soon as I can. It's exciting news and I am really pleased.

And one last thing I wanted to add to this post on giving and receiving: I want to give a shout out to one of my friends who did the MS Walk on the North Shore this weekend, even though she's going through a rough relapse of her MS. She managed to raise $800. I am so proud of her! She is an amazing, brave woman and I am so blessed to know her.