Am I a Lucky Dog, or What?!

So, how do I feel?



Another day of swaps and gifts from far and near! I feel as if today I should be channeling Julie Andrews and singing "I Must Have Done Something Good."

First, I received my swap Carnival Tokens made of altered poker ships. These were part of the wonderful Carnival Soiree that Lisa Kittell at Faery Enchantment threw a few weeks ago. I love the tokens - and amidst all the sparkle and glitter and noisemaker, there are several of her marvelous paper clay embellishments that I can't wait to paint and use in a piece of carnival/circus piece!

Then, I had mentioned that I was on lookout for some vintage trims and laces and tatwork to use in my collage camp workshop at K.C.Willis' Lipstick Ranch.

Well! Just look what Joyce Stahl from Enchanted Productions sent me! A virtual treasure chest of laces and trims and lovely stained tatting - all ready to be incorporated into new artwork! Is that just the sweetest?! If you're not familiar with Joyce's work, be sure to check out her blog - she makes the most adorable and creepy dolls ever! ... sort of like Walt Disney meets Tim Burton.

And, finally, a fellow member of the Collage Camp, Patti, was in New Haven last week and dropped this box off for me at her friend's business for me to pick up - which I did today. And was completely gobsmacked again. I knew that she was going to share a piece of nest paper with me that we need for our workshop - and which has suddenly dried up on the internet and is not available anywhere. Now that I've seen it, I can't wait to work with it. It's about one quarter to one half inch think, and has bamboo and vines and who-knows-what-all in it. It's gorgeous.

However, in this BOX (I was expecting an ENVELOPE) was a rolled piece of the most lovely fine handwoven cloth - like soft-as-silk burlap (I don't know what it is, but it's gorgeous), and another piece of handmade paper tied up with a lovely piece of trimming.
Just look! The silken burlap was actually wrapped around all these gorgeous pieces of ticking to be used in our work. I had collected a few to use - but none as nice as this! And the handmade paper package was filled with ribbons and trims and ledger sheets and gorgeous vintage sheet music and lace trimmings and pearl jewelry and and and...! Amazing! It is, indeed, an embarrassment of riches. But I'm grateful for every single item! I would never have been able to collect this much beautiful stuff to work with at once! Obviously, Patti has been collecting awhile.

As I said. Gobsmacked.
I am so excited - and humbled - by all these kind generous people, I'm not sure I can cut into these things to work with them ... but I'm going to sit down and look at them and decide what to do.

Have you started making wonderful things yet, today? I'm going to do it. Really, I am!

♥´¨)
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(¸.•´ (¸.•´♥ Tristan ♥