A Rare Creature

Johoanna's note tells it all. Opening the package with this page brought a smile to my face for sure. Thank you Johoanna! What a clever idea!

February Already!

It's hard to believe but we are at the end of our swap. I have really enjoyed exchanging pages with everyone and it has been so much fun to see all the pages that have been made. Isn't it amazing what different ideas people come up with based on the same themes?

As I have written to you all, I would appreciate it if everyone gets all their pages completed and mailed by the end of February. I know that some of you are still behind but please make every effort to catch up in this extra month. I know that everyone wants to start putting their pages together into a book so please make sure that you get any late pages sent so that can happen.

If you have good ideas on book construction, it would be wonderful if you posted your ideas. Or if you have questions about how to put your book together, do post and ask everyone. Maybe someone can help out with an idea on book making that you wouldn't have thought about.

If you haven't received a page from someone, please e-mail them to ask about when your page is expected to be complete. If you don't hear back, please let me know which pages you are missing. I appreciate every one's cooperation and hope that all pages will be completed as promised.

Signing off,

Your Swap Mom

Page Received

Well, I received my lovely page from Ann this morning.  Sorry for the bad scan.  I'm really not feeling like taking a photo.  It's been hotter than hades here today (38 degrees celcius).  And on top of that, my housemate had lifted up the door of the garage (it's a roller door) and didn't put it all the way up.  I ducked my head going in but forgot to duck it going out.  Subsequently I now have a headache and shall probably have a nice little bruise in the next few days.

Ann, it's a lovely page.  And you are right, the Goddess within is such a big subject.  At first I was worried that I had chosen something too difficult or too "weird" for some people.  But I have been very happy with each page that I have received so far.

Ruth, I'm sorry but I haven't even started your page yet.  I will get it done in the next couple of weeks and send it off to you.

Senior moment

Mandy, The good news is that I posted your sea page today; the bad news is that I forgot to scan it first so please will you show a picture on the site when you receive it! Thank you, I hope you like it

Doorway to the Napa Valley

Gayle's page arrived yesterday.

Isn't that the most scrumptious looking doorway?!!  She was inspired by a door she saw while visiting the Napa Valley.  I needed a reminder of what spring can bring, since it has started snowing here in Kansas.  Again!!!

A new Sea page!

My page has arrived from Maya. It is so lovely, with such a lot of detail not immediately apparent.



There is a lot of hand stitching, with lots of beads simulating the movement of the sea. The stitches holding the fabric in place remind me of Kantha stitching. There are many pieces of foil, and silk making up the background, all adding to the texture.
The piece is edged in handworked blanket stitch. I wish my stitches could be so neat.



Adding to the detail, there are sequins added in to the back of the blanket stitch edging. What a lovely idea!



Here is Maya's letter, giving some idea of the techniques she has used.



Thanks so much Maya, I love my new page.

Three Pages in the Mail

Three pages are winging their way to Germany, the UK and Greece.

Here's a sneak peek for Ann. You have been so patient.
Kath here's a little peek for you. The page for Kath was the last one on my list.

Mandy here's a little peek for you.

This exchange has been wonderful. Thank you Ruth for putting it all together and for all the others in this exchange who did their bit to make pages for my book of Leaves which is going to be a real treasure. Thank you.

Mama Grizzley

Thank you so much Ruth for the page that arrived yesterday. Mama Grizzley is quite impressive, as the rest of you will see when I get around to posting the pic. THANKS!

To Cobi, Elizabeth, Liz and Debi

After falling woefully behind the past few months, I am all caught up. These four pages will go in the mail tomorrow. I won't tell you who gets which one, but I had great fun working on all of them.

This has been a delightful swap, and I thank Ruth big time for organizing it and for keeping all of us on task. LOUD APPLAUSE HERE!!!

I'll probably upload pictures to my Flickr site tomorrow so I can mentally wrap up this swap. If the four of you don't want to see, DON'T PEEK!

A fairy story and book plans.

A quick teaser. My last page, a fairy story for Trillian, will be put into the post in the morning.

I must then set about organising a front cover for my book and start putting it all together. Do not worry if you are working on a page for me and it is a little late. I am planning a book where I will be able to add pages at a later date should I have need to do so.

This has been such a very enjoyable project. Thank you Ruth for organising us all so well.

Juliette's Shoreline Page

Juliette has asked me to post pictures of the page that I made for her. She has finally recieved it after I got a bit behind. Sigh! Anyway I did this page on a background of needlefelting. I needled wool roving ,silk roving, angelina fibers and mohair curls down onto a periwinkle silk fabric. I added in some vintage crocheted lace and sparkling tuille to represent the sea foam at the edge of the wave. I added beads and some collected shells and then added dyed cheesecloth for sea weed and used real sandpaper for the sandy shore. It was not easy stitiching thru the snad paper till I got samrt and punched holes in it prior to stitching with thread!! I wrote out the quote with a Pitt pen on muslin. It says: Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to loose sight of the shore.
For the back of the page I used a piece of my own gelatin monoprinted muslin that I had made using a plastic doily as a mask. This page was great fun to create!
I am so very glad that you are happy with it Juliette!!!

Elizabeth

Hi Elizabeth I recieved your delightful page today, it is lovely you have put so much work into it, which I so appreciate, and it is just what coastline means to me. Sorry I am not able to post pictures but I know you will show it to us all.

the Princess and the pea

On Sunday Kath wrote, that she posted her page for me and today I already got it. Kath made a page with the princess on the pea. Doesn't the princess look unhappy? The page is great, it really brings a smile to my face too sea the princess on the top of the mattresses feeling the pea. Thank you Kath for this fairy tale. Thank you for the book page.

Leaves from Juliette

Thank you for this page Juliette. Its going to be a great addition to the book of leaves which I intend to start putting together next week.

Thank you Juliette

Here is the beautifully simple page from Juliette - and how appropriate she should send me such typically English flowers as bluebells which I can't grow here! Thank you for this wonderful finale to my book.

Window Page From Liz

Today we awoke to a very Kansas sort of winter day. Liz, you know the kind I mean! Everything covered with a sheet of dripping ice, except it is not dripping, it is solid. We had many such days when I lived in central Oklahoma, the state directly below Kansas for those of you not in the states. We had such terrible ice storms that we would loose all power and all one could hear was trees snapping and cracking under the weight of the ice encasement.

SOOOOO I figured that I had better get around to posting a picture of the glorious page that you created for me before I forgot that I had recieved it!!!

I adore this page Liz!! It is amazing how our minds were working along such similar paths as we joined in on this swap. I have wanted to do a Doors page for years and someone has always gotten to declaring that theme before me. So this time I chose Windows, which has also been a favorite theme of mine. Liz told me that her second theme choice , if Doors had already been taken , would have been windows!!! Just a bit of Synchronicity there don't you think???
So this window page is a depiction fo Liz's Fantasy perfect woodland window. It is perfect for me asw I adore the woods and gardening. Come to think of it the door page that I made for Liz was my fantasy woodland door page, if I remember correctly!!
Thank you so very much for my marvelous page Liz!!! And I hope that the winter weather is treating you well!!! Warm Hugs!!

Sneak Peak for Gayle

Gayle, I finished up your page for January. Here's a little peak. I'll be sending it off to you in the next couple of days. I have to find an envelope. I had bought enough to send every one's pages but some seem to have disappeared. How does that happen? So it's a little sad to finish up the last page for our exchange. I will miss making a page each month. It has really been enjoyable and I've enjoyed getting to know all of you a bit better.

At last

Trillian, at last yourDecember page is in its envelope and will be posted tomorrow. I'm sorry for the delay and also that I didn't do so much embroidery etc. for you but I hope it will bring a smile to your face and your book. Best wishes Kath

Goddess on the move

Just a very quick peek at the page traveling to Johoanna. Hope you like it.

Liz

hello Liz I am so sorry I did not let you know your page arrived just a senior moment I think , so thank you very much It is really lovely.
Juliette