OWOH 2011 Wins

In this year's OWOH I've been blessed to win 2 prizes from across the oceans!The first masterpiece to arrive was truly awesome!
I'm so very honored to receive one of Rosie Schirrmeister's art work from Germany. Her blog is here.
I've never seen an ATC book before so this is really special. It's so beautiful and brightly colored with provocative laminated ATCs inside. I don't know how she made the images, if it's drawn, printed or stamped on because they are all so evenly black.The back page is my favorite. It says "There exists a place within each of us that holds the secre to transmuting the normal and boring into unique ecstatic frenetically chaotic beauty. What is the landscape of my being?" and "embrace imperfections" at the bottom.Yes this surely got me into thinking as I've never before about the landscape of my being. If ever, I'd say it would be filled with trees beside streams of living water from my favorite Psalm 1 (and for sure cats are darting all about it!)

She also gave me a handmade postcard with a picture of an angel-like intellectual being melded into a sun background. Thank you so much Rosie!
The next prize arrived at almost the same time. It was from Tatting Goddess herself Gina Brummett from Indiana, USA. Her blog is here. When I received these intricately made tatting earrings, I was wearing something yellow so everyone said it matched and that it arrived at just the right moment! Don't you love it when those kind of things happen?
Along with the pair of earrings was a delicate pink tatting bookmark that seems too exquisite to use!

They're so beautiful up close, trust me. Gina you are so talented and luckily for me, generous too!
Thank you ever so much for yet another wonderful OWOH experience Lisa Swifka! I now have so many more sites to follow (and discover) and very much look forward to the new event next year!

Blessed Sunday everyone!

Braided Beads

How are you all? I'm hoping you're right smack in the middle of a lovely day. I am. I'm resting from usually jam-packed weekends with back to back appointments.I had some time this morning to fiddle around with bits of beads and strips of recycled material (this can be anything really, leather, plastic, cloth). Here's what I made. First came the anklet. It's waterproof yey!Then came my fave piece, something I call the purple paradise bracelet. I love these little beads that I purchased in an assortment all tied up together in a beads shop.
By this time I was totally hooked! I thought how would it look if I added paper beads that I made previously. The color scheme could be improved I know but I only worked with what I had.I was pretty sleepy by the time I was finishing up my last (quite simple) piece which has 4 instead of 3 strips to braid. A very addicting craft project that would be a lovely memento to give to a friend. Something of a variation on the Friendship Bracelet. Indeed all our lives are intertwined in some way and we have the gift to share the joy as well of sorrows of others.*My heart goes out to Japan nowadays and pray for the rebuilding of their devastated cities. May we all do what we can to lend them a helping hand.

Be blessed!