Surprise Packages

Surprises in the mail always make for a fun day. Ever since I was little I can remember being excited when the mail man came down the street. I was always certain that each little package had something special and exciting inside, just waiting to be found out. To this day, I love to get special mailings, special letters, packages and boxes. Heck, even the dog food that we ship in is like a present!

The postal service world wide has had a fascinating history with many twists and turns. Originally, it was all about government dispatches, with public use of the postal system against the law. The Persian Empire had mounted relay messengers that would ride and stop at placed "post houses" to get a fresh horse or pass a message on to another rider. The Chinese had a posthouse service that had been started sometime between 1122 - 221 BC in a very similar vein, again used to convey official documents. The Roman Empire built an advanced postal delivery system that serviced the whole Mediterranean world - but again, only for official government dispatches. During the Renaissance corporations & guilds set up their own messenger services for business correspondence. Italy, France, Constantinople, and Russia were linked through these services, and then finally, during the later Middle Ages, personal mail & commercial correspondence were carried by private postal services.

Carrying private mail was not legalized in France until 1627 or in Britain until 1635. Private services were eventually forced out of business or purchased by the government, as they felt a strong need to control the flow of mail. There was continued evolution of the services offered, with changes to rates, increased reliability of routes, and the invention of the commercial envelope.

Yet all throughout this history people have looked forward to receiving things in the mail. For me, the BBEST Swaps are one of my favorite surprises to get in the mail, and every time I order things from Etsy it is just as fun, waiting for my precious little packages to come by way of post. The magic of the public postal service is truly amazing, and it is fun to imagine all the places our letters and packages go to, all the hands that bring them to us. Even the care of wrapping and packaging and sending out mail is just as fun.

Recently I received two very cool surprise packages, and these have inspired me to do some fun making, sending, and sharing of my own.


First, I received a completely unexpected package that was sent through the Royal Mail from Chrissie at makeyourpresentsfelt! I had won a contest on her blog many months ago, and the prize package had been lost in the mail. I fretted over this for some time, and I am sure Chrissie did as well - and then, to my surprise, she sent over a second package! I was so excited to unwrap this wonderful package full of fabulous hand made goodies! It was just like Christmas! Chrissie sent me a lovely tag calendar, a wonderful smelling cinnamon sachet, and a beautiful hand sewn heart. What a delight! Chrissie has some wonderful items in her shop that would fit into a perfectly lovely surprise package, including her Colorful Egg Cosies that would be perfect for an Easter surprise.


A few hours later my front door bell rang, and on the porch was a box - addressed to me! I opened it up as quick as a wink, and inside I found a fabulous book about mail art - Good Mail Day.

This book has tons of excellent inspiration to make envelopes works of art, really brightening up the whole letter experience. Many of our BBEST team members send their work in artistic packaging, which makes it like receiving two presents at a time! Some fun cards and envelopes to work with can be found at our own Mr.PenQuin shop, where Judy make very cool sets - some just ready to welcome in spring, like the Silhouette Picket Fence Blossoms.


Also ready to welcome spring is Yarrow1's Orange Iris greeting card - what a colorful surprise!

And speaking of inspiring packages to receive, how about these Yellow Garden Stakes from Artsielady? These are so pretty they make me want to go out and get planting!


YankeeGirl's spring photography print of Cherry Blossoms would certainly be a welcome gift, as would AltheaP's Paisley Silk Bag.


And these Pink Crystal Earrings are just the thing for an Easter outfit, don't you think? What a fun package that would be, from Magdalene's Jewels!


In honor of Pam's great post on Haiku, I will end with this thought -

Pretty little gifts
Handmade delights for the mail
Waiting just for you!

Anfangen ist leicht, beharren eine Kunst

The new year and all its promises of resolutions and changes is almost washed away by the middle of February. How quickly we get wrapped up in the every day moments of life, how soon we allow our plans to melt softly into intention. Winter does that to me, I must admit. Although I do love the winter - all of the whites and sharp contrasts, all of the silence and stillness, all of the wonderful holiday and fun snowy times we get to share - and though winter fills a place of peace in my soul, about middle of February I really feel the longing for spring.

I feel it in my bones. I am ready for blue blue skies, yellow crocus, green grass, buds on the trees and bushes. I can't wait for the pastels of spring, creeping up to surprise me from under the brown fallen leaves. I begin to get antsy for the soft spring colors and longer days with lighter evenings for outside play.

And so it was with great delight that I went looking through the BBEST shops for hints of spring, and found it.

From Sassalynne's shop -

Three Thread Selection, Aqua, Lilac, Green, Yarn, Serendipity

From The Filigree Garden - Forest Moonlight

From BytheBy - Pale Green Scarf

From The Creator's Palette -

Garden Flower Hummingbird

These touches of spring bring back my smile and help me get through these still long winter days. My daughter is back from two weeks in Munich, where it remains cold and winter. She tells me of the cold, the numbness in her fingers, her desire to be inside, the feeling that winter is never ending this year. But I persist in striving towards spring, filled up by the inspiration of our amazing team of BBESTers, each of us continuing to create through our own personal dance.

And I feel in my heart the truth of the German saying Amanda brings home to me. Anfangen ist leicht, beharren eine Kunst.

To begin is easy. To persist is art.

Elusive Inspiration

Each new year many of us wake up with a thirst to make great things happen - in art and in life. We have great plans for the coming twelve months and really see that we have the opportunity to be focused, to share ourselves with the world, to create, to be better, and to really shine in our lives. At the same time that we are coming up with great plans, we also tend to remind ourselves that we have to be practical, pragmatic in our dreaming. We tell ourselves not to "boil the ocean" or to try to do too many things at once. We tell ourselves to remember how life can sweep us away without notice. We tell ourselves that the journey is the destination. And as we try to keep ourselves to "realistic and achievable" aspirations, we also try to keep our enthusiasm high, our dreams alive, our spirits engaged.

Managing all this dichotomy can sometimes actually dampen down inspiration if we aren't careful. Combine that with the normal days of a new year that pull and push and move us back into the "every day," and we can nearly lose our joy. Managing through the ups and downs of life while staying true to our artistic core is the challenge for every creative person.

Book Club recently chose a book - "My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey" by Jill Bolte Taylor." What a fascinating story. Though I am more a fan of reading escape literature, this true story kept me very interested. At age 37, Jill Taylor experienced a massive stroke. Blood vessels in the left hemisphere of her brain hemorrhaged and her brain was flooded with blood. All left brain functions were impacted and initially shut down. It took Jill eight years to fully recover from the stroke, and this book is about the stroke, what happened to her, her recovery, and what she learned about the left brain (which typically controls language, linear thought, logic, the ability to get along in the world, etc.) and right brain (creativity, emotion, empathy, joy) functions and the need we have to truly balance that focus - physically and emotionally - to be whole and to maximize our contribution and experience in the world.

Again, the emphasis on finding a way to balance - in our plans, in our creative joy, in our look at the new year, and even in our brains. Life becomes a juggling act in an even more fundamental way than just juggling picking up grand kids or making dinner. Thinking about all this can be overwhelming or delightfully amusing - maybe even inspiring. And I, for one, and constantly in search of the Elusive Inspiration, enjoying it wherever I can find it, teaching myself to hold on to it tightly and use it for every bit of creative juice I can.

As the thoughts of juggling everything to actually make things happen and enjoy them too run through my mind, I have also taken several practical steps to keeping inspiration firmly in front of me. First, I am participating in the "Sketchbook Challenge." Some of you may remember Sue Bleweiss. Sue is one of the leaders of this challenge, so you know it will be fascinating. I figure at a minimum this will keep my hand in something creative every month, and there is very little pressure. (Nice!) Second, I have decided to adopt laughter in every day moments. My animals (2 new puppies, 2 new kittens!) are helping out quite a bit here; however, this still takes a bit of reminding. I am already finding a kinder me for both myself and my family - and this way I am allowing the everyday moments to inspire.

Finally, I am regularly looking through the BBEST Team shops! We share some inspiring creations in our shops every day, to light the creative fires of everyone who sees them. Take a look -

Midnight Jewels Inspiration Book from Judy Nolan's shop

Mini Crazy Quilt ACEO for Pocket Inspiration from Pocket Comfort's shop

Burst of Joy Fused Glass Pendant from Chris's shop

Arctic Sky from SixSister's shop

Ballet Slippers on Piano Keys from Beth's shop

Silk Scarf from Mystic Silk's shop

Don't these beautiful items just make you want to get going and create?

Thanks to all our BBEST team for their inspiring creations, and here is to an inspired 2011 for each of us!

Jolly Old St. Nicholas

Christmas is such a memory filled time for me! I remember singing carols in the car with my parents and grandparents - and for some reason we were always going somewhere through the cold dark winter evenings. To visit friends, to have cookies and hot chocolate, to share presents, to watch the "living nativity" scene at the church, to see the houses all decorated with lights. Do you know the Jolly Old St. Nicholas tune?

Jolly Old St. Nicholas lean your ear this way!
Don't you tell a single soul what I'm going to say:
Christmas Eve is coming soon; Now, you dear old man
Whisper what you'll bring to me; Tell me if you can.

When the clock is striking twelve, When I'm fast asleep
Down the chimney, broad and black, With your pack you'll creep
All the stockings you will find Hanging in a row
Mine will be the shortest one, You'll be sure to know

Bobby wants a pair of skates, Suzy wants a sled
Nellie wants a picture book, Yellow, blue, and red
Now I think I'll leave to you What to give the rest
Choose for me, dear Santa Claus; You will know the best.

Oh, my grandmother always emphasized those last two lines - and oh, how that made me want to be just like the singer of the tune. Trusting in Santa, never asking for what I really wanted. I thought that the only way to be truly good and sweet was to never ask for anything. Of course, I was only little and bound to disappoint, and my Christmas Lists were always long letters filled with dreamy big toys that I mostly didn't get - but I learned that it was ok to dream big, and that giving is honestly as wonderful as getting - many times even more wonderful.

As we come into the holidays I find that I appreciate more and more the gift of family time and the great tradition of giving that we are fortunate to share. Today, at our house, we celebrate St. Nicholas Day (December 6th) with little gifts. We talk about how St. Nicholas lived a tradition of giving, and that he gave in secret. We chose names and then do secret things for each other all through the month, to teach our littlest ones the joy of simple gifts and simple giving. For example, last year several times during the month the cat litter was clean when I went to clean it, and sometimes the dishwasher was unloaded. One evening I even found a pretty neat hand made bookmark on my pillow. On Christmas Day I learned that my grandson had been my secret "St. Nick!"

Joy in giving and graciousness in receiving are two of the wonderful things we experience all through our lives, but these seem to have more focus during the holidays. I rejoice in these gifts whenever they occur, but like many of us, I absolutely love the opportunity to renew family traditions and spend time with loved ones. Our BBEST team members have created some wonderful goodies that really make sharing the time honored traditions at my house even more wonderful, allowing us to enjoy the moments for -

Playing games,

Tic Tac Toe from SixSisters

Crayon Caddy from Stitches By Julie 4 Kids

Making cookies & sharing treats,

Trinket Bowl from Chris1

Making gifts,

Mini Fold Book from MisterPenQuin

And sending Christmas Cards - every year our list gets longer!

Christmas Note Cards from PFDOriginalArtworks

I hope you all have time to enjoy yourselves this holiday season, and wish each of you much success and good days the whole new year through!




And psssst! St. Nicholas, if you really must know, these have stolen my heart. :)

Ruby Heart Earrings from MagdaleneJewels

Happiest of Holidays to you all!

Tools

We all have many specialized tools that we use in our crafting, and I think we most likely love each of them. It is wonderful to know that the right tool can make us more effective at developing our creations - and especially fun to know that tools on hand can make fabulous art! The BBEST team certainly uses their tools well to develop arts and crafts, and bring amazing skill to their creations - as anyone who browses ETSY with the BBEST tag can see.

One unexpected tool that I can't live without in my crafting is Adobe Photoshop Elements. This is a less expensive version of the Adobe Photoshop, and has been sufficient for many different aspects of digital crafting - as well as helping me manipulate pictures and do online marketing and blog work. Even this "limited capability" software package is very powerful, and despite being able to do some standard photo manipulation I really didn't know how to take advantage of the capabilities of the package. Too many papers to read, too many complex concepts.

Then I found Jessica Sprague. Jessica Sprague is an online scrapbook instructor, and she teaches digital scrapbooking leveraging Adobe's products, among others. I want to introduce you to Jessica's courses - even though they are scrapbook oriented - because they provide some amazing advantages.

First, the online classes are provided for you to take in your own time and schedule. I took about 6 courses (about 8 classes per course) before everything was over, and did about one class session each week.

Second, the classes include a video that you can pause and resume at your leisure, where Jessica shows you every single step of what she is doing with Photoshop. I had the video up and running on my computer in one window, and had Photoshop Elements up in another window. I could stop the video and follow the instructions, restarting when I was ready to go on to the next step.

Third, the classes are available in a variety of formats. For example, I learned with Photoshop Elements, but you can take the classes with Photoshop as well. Even if you take the courses leveraging one format, you can come back later and go through them in the other format, free of charge!

Fourth, the classes are available to you FOREVER. So you can come back to them years after taking them to review a particular concept or remind yourself how things work.

Finally, the classes provide lots of free downloads that give you additional digital materials to work with and even extra support capabilities with Photoshop and associated tools.

I really recommend these digital classes, even though scrapbooking may not be your cup of tea. They are a great way to learn how to get around Photoshop if you are not already super strong with the tool set, and they certainly help to improve your photo handling capabilities as well as give you creative ideas for more!

The classes that I found most informative were Up and Running with Photoshop, Now We're Rockin' with Photoshop, and Digi In Deep.

Leveraging some of the things I learned, I was able to pull together a couple different tributes to the BBEST team's Autumn offerings - and as they say, the possibilities are endless!


Autumn comes alive through the work of the BBEST team, and inspires us to find great gifts to share with all our loved ones. Happy Fall!



These two tribute displays showcase work from the following shops - Asian Expressions, Big Island Rose Designs, ZudaGay, SixSisters, Beth Peardon Productions, PFD Original Art Work, The Creator's Palette, the Knotty Sheep, Aroma Fields, Designs by Christine, and Bags 'N More by Pam.

Summer & Beach Inspiration

“Don't grow up too quickly, lest you forget how much you love the beach.”
-- Michelle Held

Sand Castle beach scene bookcover, by BookWraps (Whimsey's newest shop!)

Inspiration abounds in the wonderful warm days of summer. Gardens are blooming everywhere we look and everything is green. Even in the hottest days, we find delight and creative ideas in the colors and sounds of the ocean and beach, the warming sun, bright beach umbrellas, garden flowers, green grasses, and palm trees. As Henry James once said, "Summer afternoon - summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language."

Many of our team members are at their BBEST in the heat, and here are some of my favorites for you to enjoy.

Handmade Pleated Shoulder Bag, by Whimseys

Sea Treasure - Beach Glass and Coral Earrings, by NightSkyJewelry

Watercolor - Waves on the Beach by YankeeGirl

We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in an ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop. - Mother Teresa

Blue Dolphins Folding Cotton Sun Hat, by AltheaP

Summer is the time when one sheds one's tensions with one's clothes, and the right kind of day is jeweled balm for the battered spirit. A few of those days and you can become drunk with the belief that all's right with the world. ~Ada Louise Huxtable

Sea Shell by the Ocean, by Chris1

Summertime Summertime SumSum Summertime, by LaughingOtterJewelry

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. - Mark Twain

The Beach, by BethPeardonProds

On the Cheap

As the economic challenges continue around the globe, we are tightening our personal budget at my house. We want to be generous with our family and friends; yet find a way to hold on to every bit of change for as long as we can. What a dichotomy!
When I reflect on everything, I know that this frugal focus is a good thing. We are taking the bus, limiting trips, searching for bargains, clipping coupons, eating or freezing leftovers, reusing. We feel a lot better about doing things that are better for ourselves and the environment. And we feel like we are setting a positive example for our children.

There are great resources on the web to help gain perspective and find better balance while moving in a frugal direction. A great article on enjoying your life while reducing your spend can be found here. And two web sites that I refer to often these days are "Fabulessly Frugal" and "Frugal Wine Review."

It is also delightful to see this trend growing in the handcrafted and artistic environments. Many of our BBEST team members have been creating fabulous items with materials they have on hand, reusing and recycling and being an amazing example.

But from a practical perspective, I often have the dilemma I have today. Several birthday's and a baby shower are coming up in the next few months, and a few little hostess thank you gifts are needed as well. Additionally, my cousin has been sick and could use a little pick me up.

And so I sat down to see if the BBEST shops on ETSY could help me out. I assumed a $5.00 limit, not including postage, for each item I needed. And just look at all the goodness I found!

First, there are the cards -

Pink Parrot Tulip Greeting Card

This lovely card is from Colors and Textures shop, and just the ticket for a cheer-up message.

Note cards - Fern Leaf in Blue

And these cards from PFD Original Art Works are perfect for regular little notes to, oh, everyone! Have you noticed how getting something in the mail is like getting a present? Taking the time to write with a pen might be old fashioned, but it is also creates a wonderful treat!

From Big Island Rose we have this excellent Scrunchie, that would be absolutely perfect for one of those little surprises - and perfect for the budget, too!

Rosie's Green Scrunchie

Button Diva's made some retro buttons/magnets that are both fun and a reminder of simpler times - and they would be great in any format! Haven't you seen things - not as cool, of course - in gift shops for, like, $18.00 for the pack? What a bargain!

Vintage Typewriter Advertisements

And just in time for protection from the summer sun, I found these yummy lip balm's from Get Lathered.

Buttercreme Pucker Polish

I am simply delighted to report that there is no excuse for letting the economy stop your generous spirit - thanks to the great work of the BBEST team! Hooray!

From sad to glad - a journey to creativity

I have been away a long time - and will probably continue to be away for a long time to come. And I miss you, every one of you. Even those of you that I haven't met. I miss the camaraderie of the BBEST team, the support through trying times, the delight and joy of sharing a history, and era. I miss talking to you all, knowing how you are and where you are in your lives and in your creative journeys. I miss my friends who remember real rock and roll and macrame plant hangers and curtains. I miss sharing song lyrics and jokes.


Work is crazy busy, and I tell myself that I am lucky to have a job. That I need to "suck it up" and "stay the course." That this should be for just a moment in time, that soon I will come back to my heart, to my creative core. That working from 7 am to 8 pm is not going to last much longer, that I am taking steps to resolve it, that things will get better.

And all the while, with my determination, I pray that I am telling myself the truth. I long for balance, for the opportunity to paint and play and paste and glue and write and think about art. I want more time to spin and knit and crochet and felt. I wrap a wrist brace around my hand, sore with carpel tunnel from too much computer work, and walk through the craft room to admire the new acrylic paints that I bought - 18 months ago.

And I feel alone. Not that my DH doesn't love me and help me - or sympathize with me - but that he just doesn't understand. He doesn't understand the connection with my internet creative friends. He doesn't understand my need for time to create. But you know, even if he did there isn't anything he could do. No one has found that time machine in Harry Potter - you know, the one that allows Hermione to be in two places at once? I want one of those. I have more to do that I can say grace over.

So here I sit, preparing to write this blog, and pouting. Thinking that I don't have any new techniques to share with you, like Six did in her recent post, nor have I had the opportunity to teach, like Altheap. Browsing through the many many wonderful things in the BBEST Team shops, checking out your blogs, wondering what I might have to say that would interest you all, marveling at the creativity in your lives, and pouting. I think about how inspiring you all are - and how I say that each time I post - but I don't know if you know how much you all mean to me, and so I wonder if my words sound trite. So pouting. Geez. I absolutely hate myself when I pout. I feel like an ingrate, someone who does not appreciate all the wonderful gifts I have in this life.


Seriously, Shame On Me!!!

I know the drill. I know that Help Is Not On The Way. If there is one thing that I get, it is that my life and my time are my own. And pouting garners nothing. Nuuuuuuuuuuuttttttttthhhhhing! As Sergent Shultz used to say.

**********************

So I did a little searching, knowing that laughter is the BEST medicine, and found a lot of good clean laughs out on the internet - here is one for you. :)

Know your Apples

Here is the scene: The children were lined up in the cafeteria of a Church elementary school for lunch.

At the head of the table was a large pile of apples. The nun made a note, and put it on the apple tray...

'Take only ONE. God is watching.'

Moving further along the lunch line, at the other end of the table was a large pile of chocolate chip cookies.

A child had written a note, 'Take all you want. God is watching the apples.'

Hehehe! Delighted that God is watching the apples, I took my jillion thoughts about posting here (should I write about my cat, my search for new kittens, all the cool cat items in your shops? should I write about spinning and how, when I get to spin I meditate on peace? should I write about spring and how, when I get outside my heart fills with joy? should I write about the struggles as we get older? should I write about antique sock knitting machines? new books? writing? should I pontificate on civility? how about paints or what happens when I type in "BBEST spring Red" in the search engine? maybe I could opine on my generation, filled with peace and kindness and creating less than that in our lifetimes? should I consider the financial mess, or history? egad.) and made myself get up and take a walk to get some perspective. I took the camera along, and came back with the pictures that you see scattered through this post.


They are my gift to you, a little something from my yard to your eyes, with hope straight from my heart that they may inspire you and give you a smile. You wonderful people do that for me.


It is a gift to stop in the rush of this time and think about creating. A gift to have a chance to share with you - and to take advantage of what you always share with me. I am grateful for this commitment of occasionally guest blogging here. It is a reminder that the creative life is close to me, that I have not lost myself completely. I adore you all. And with the gift of your inspiration, I am going downstairs now, giving myself an hour to create, to smile, to bring peace to myself and my home, to spin.


Much and much love.