Saturday, 13 July 2013

Happy Mail and a Journal Page

 Hi everybody, hope you are enjoying your weekend, whatever you are up to.
I got some nice post this week, a parcel from Mexico and another one from Canada.
Christine in Canada sent me a wonderful surprise - 2 beautiful blocks of card-stock, with wonderful colours and patterns, some fantastic embellishments, and a lovely card and an ACEO which she painted herself. The ACEO shows a moose in silhouette, just beautiful.




 Thanks a lot Christine, I will have great fun playing with my new stash, and the picture will be hung in my arty kitchen, so I can see it when I work.

 Donna, a very dear friend,  sent me a parcel of Mexican cotton remnants, with typical, and very colourful Mexican motives. I admired the ones she was using some time back, and now I have my own! Some have Day of the Dead motives, some with Frida pictures, and others just colourful and fun motives. Aren't they gorgeous???




I know I am going to have lots of fun with them, in fact, I have already started having fun!
This beautiful postcard showing one of Donna's paintings came too, and it will also be hung in my arty kitchen. Thanks a lot Donna, you have given me lots of happy hours here!


Last week I started a journal page with Frida Kahlo, an artist whom I much admire for her energy and wonderful work, and all the magic she put into her paintings, in spite of being so ill. I was looking for some ideas to fill the space at the bottom of both pages, and then my Mexican parcel arrived. I used some of the Frida  scraps, and fussy cut some of the motives, which were from the same painting I had used for my Journal pages - Self portrait with monkey. The background for the journal spread was another smear and wipe sheet, to which I added some stamping. I painted the leaves behind Frida's head - which was cut from a postcard - and covered them with some netting, to look like vines. I added the flowers and the leaves, and the quote. The other images are all cut from the fabric.





I had fun making this spread, and it was such a happy coincidence that the parcel arrived just on time. I am linking to Artists in Blogland 'colour this quote':

"The sun is shining...That is the Magic. The flowers are growing--the roots are stirring. That is the Magic. Being alive is the Magic--being strong is the Magic. The Magic is in me--the Magic is in me. ...It's in every one of us." 

 For me, Frida was a person who showed so much magic, and growth, and was so unbelievably alive in spite of all her problems, and I think this quote from the Secret Garden fits her very well.

Thanks for coming by, take care, and have a great day!

20 comments:

  1. Wow, what beautiful friends you have! The package from Christine looks like just your style, beautiful paper pads and gorgeous embellies to play with, I can't wait to see what you create. And the ATC is fabulous too. And Donna's fabric pieces are awesome! Makes me wish I could sew! Those peppers and oranges are gorgeous and so are all the other pieces, I love how they immediately found a home in your work today, that piece is stunning! Love how you added the fabric right into the page, you are so brave like that! Donna's postcard of her painting is gorgeous too. So many beautiful things to see today, thanks for sharing! ~Diane

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    1. Yes I have some wonderful friends in Blog Land, and you are one of the best!

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  2. You are a lucky lady to receive such nice happy mail! I was going to say I see some wonderful art coming soon, but by the time I got to the end of the post and saw these gorgeous pages...well, I see the wonderful art had already come to be!

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  3. Beautiful pages Valerie and I can't wait to see what you will make with all your new gifts, and you have already started!

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  4. Valerie, WOW...your Frida pages are so Frida. Marvelous job on them including the verse. The fabric scraps are gorgeous and I know you will turn each one into something spectacular. Aren't our friends just the best of the best!

    Enjoy your stash; we can never have too much now can we.

    Hugs,
    Carolyn

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    1. How true Carolyn! Old stash is good, new stash is better!

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  5. Wonderful gifts you have there and well deserved I'm sure.

    Your pages reflect lots of what you received and are amazing and the quote so apt for many of us.

    Have a great day Valerie

    Love Chrissie xx

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  6. Wonderful gifts, really lovely surprises, and I love your Journal page about Frida - she was a fantastic woman, that's sure, and you have done her justice here! Hugs, Sarah

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  7. I LOVE,LOVE,LOVE your journal page.. You did a fab job my friend. Enjoy your happy mail...

    Hugs~

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  8. What an absolute delight to receive such gorgeous happy mail. I have been on the receiving end of such love and not least from yourself. It all brings such joy and affirms that our blogland friends really are the flowers we would pick. Your work is as beautiful and inspiring as ever Valerie *hugs* x

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  9. Thank you Mo, you are a sweetie!

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  10. Absolutely stunning and so colourful. Love the pages Yvonne. Hope your health improves. TFS and crafty hugs
    Annie x

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  11. Hmm, I wonder who Yvonne is....

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  12. Loving your gorgeous Frida spread and oh my you have received some wonderful gifts Valerie, hugs Annette x

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  13. Wow, those are some FUN fabrics, Valerie!!!.. And LOVE your journal pages, with their bold beautiful bright colors!!.. Love your word birds too, but I must have missed seeing the first batch somewhere along the way! Hope you enjoyed your weekend, and have a great week ahead! ~tina

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  14. What a great 'haul' - these happy gifts, so full of love, will give you hours of pleasure, I know. All that beautiful paper. I adore what you have already done with the Frida pieces. It is incredible how things show up on time when you need them. The collage you made is just incredible! Take care and hope you are having a really lovely day. Hugs, Donna

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  15. wow valerie,was für tolle geschenke du bekommen hast,du hast echt liebe freunde,aber du bist ja auch so eine liebe,die muss man einfach gern haben,by the way,bitte schicke mir doch mal per mail deine addy und geburtsdatum,ich würde dir auch gern was schicken.
    deine frida page ist der absolute hammer,die gestaltung,die farben,die elemente,einfach genial,gefällt mir ganz irre gut.

    glg jeannette

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  16. A wonderful painting and quotation. I admire Frida and her paintings so much, and yours is a true homage to her. Your wonderful friends are so generous, and it's clear everything is going to be inspiring you even further.

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