Hello friends! Hope you are all happy and well. I want to start by saying WOW....what a great response I am seeing for my Giveaway...thanks to all who have left comments and helped spread the word. If you look closely at my commenters, you will see that they come from all parts of the globe...I love that!!
You still have plenty of time to leave a comment and enter (here) and you have a good chance of winning one of my knitted 'Circle of Love' scarves.
I hope to honor my friend Phyllis, who recently lost her battle with cancer and who's company I kept while I knitted them.
These are just a sampling of the scarves I will giveaway...we will have multiple winners!
Ok...now back to my post title. Can a postman be the bearer of Peace?
Why yes he can...especially when he delivers lovely little surprise packages from far away places.
This small box came to me when I needed it most. Just before the holidays, I was feeling very sad and having such a hard time getting into the spirit of things.
When I opened this mystery box, this is what I found inside...
The most wonderful aroma you ever smelled. My very good friend Gretel, who has the most fabulous blog 'Middle of Nowhere' and lives in the beautiful Cotswolds of England, had it delivered to me.
As the return address was from a lovely Etsy shop called OakMoss, I had no clue it was from Gretel.
I have never met Gretel, but I feel as though I have. Her blog is a must read for me. Gretel does not post on a daily basis and you will not see tutorials on spray painting your chandeliers or how she made over her dining room. No disrespect, but those type of posts are a dime a dozen lately.
What you will see is a post filled with long walks and incredible photographs of some of the most historic and beautiful countryside ever.
Once in a while she gives us a peek into her studio and shows us how she creates her fabulous needlefelted creatures or into her world of watercolor illustrations and artwork.
This is 'Oscar'
Just look at the artistry...I'm in awe everytime I hold him. Yup...you heard me right, I own this this blue elephant and a few others by Gretel. She is in very high demand now and getting more famous by the day. Gretel has two books coming out this year. They are pop-up delights based on her wonderful needle felted creations. I will keep you posted on those events.
So a huge Thank You is being sent across the pond to you Gretel...you put a much needed smile on my face and I cherish our 'online' friendship.
As a little gift to you Gretel, I am sending some photos I took this morning..enjoy!
Lovely blue tiled Bluejays
They come and feed by the dozens and love the egg shells I put out for them..the calcium is good for them.
Adorable tiny Sparrow with a little yellow forehead
Love the color on the Purple Finch
And of course your favorite...the majestic Cardinal
So thank you Gretel and thanks to all of you for coming back to visit me.
Now go enter my Giveaway ;-)
Until next time...be kind and stay creative.
Oops...almost forgot to mention...yesterday I got an e-mail from the editor of Altered Couture magazine telling me that they will be featuring my Valentine Felted Vest in the May 2011 issue. How great is that!
16 comments:
Your photos are stunning! And thank you for sharing Gretel. Another wonderful blog to follow!
Cindy
Thank you Janet! It was a very little thing to do for someone I have come to regard as a dear friend - I wish I could have sent more. I can forsee that one day I will have to make a little cardinal bird for you, you have such a bright array of birds compared to our browny-grey types.
I think I can safely guarantee you will never see any tutorials about spray painting chandeliers, though I am quite good at scraping black mound from stone walls. :)
What a sweet surprise in the mail from Gretel. The photos you sent her are lovely. I didn't think to give eggshells to the birds, but will now. Mom feeds them to her chickens all the time for the calcium and strong-shelled eggs. Thanks for the tip. Now I have to go check out Gretel's site...by the way, your circle of love scarves are adorable. Who wouldn't want one? Love Oscar, my he's charming.
BlessYourHeart
Your little birds are just sooooo colourful. Thank you for sharing your photos. How lovely to have a friend like Gretel. What a treasure she is.
A x
I love Gretel's work. She is amazing.
Isn't it interesting how when you are down, blogland always comes through with a little message from one of our many blog friends. This is a phenomenal network of friends that we never met and yet I feel like I know them better than the friends across the street.
Hugs - Marie
Oh Marie...you are so right! I feel as if I have known some of these women all my life.
Hi Janet...I follow 2 of Gretel's blogs...I love her photos of her countryside.
Your bluejays certainly brighten a winter day!
Janet, I was fortunate to meet Gretel last year on a trip to England, and I can report that she is even better in person than she is online. She was a gracious hostess and took us two obnoxious Americans exploring around a bit of "the real England"--the countryside--and introduced us to such delicacies as the Cerney pyramid and properly made fruitcake. I'm now thoroughly convinced there is nothing this woman cannot do if she puts her mind to it.
Thanks for sharing! I love the photos and the vest is too cute! Congrats!!
On my way to Gretel's!
Katy :)
Those blue tiled jays are gorgeous! Our jays just have black bars on blue, not like these pretty things. I must go visit Gretel now, she sounds so delightful and England has always been my dream destination.
Oh Soozcat...green with jealousy!!!!
I have put a 'meet-up' with Gretel and Andy on my 'Bucket List'
She is a delight and a good friend.
Janet xox
Hey janet, lovely post......
Those Bluejays are absolutely spectacular, you keep posting photos of gorgeous birds (feathery sorts!) I can't believe there is such a a stunning variety.
At the moment the cockatoos are wheeling about the sky screeching away. No chance of a sleep in......
So you own Oscar, wonderful, he's in a home where he'll certainly be appreciated. Gretel's needle felting is the best I have seen, the amount of work that goes into it.......... How wonderful to find that parcel in the mail. I can just imagine how that would've cheered you up. Can't wait to see her books, when they come out.
Congrats on being featured in Altered Couture Magazine, fab way to start the year.
Enjoy your weekend, just Tig and I here, the boys are back on the road, there's music to be made.........
Happy dance...I love your blog...thank you for visiting me and leaving such sweet comments.
Your scarves are amazing!! I really love the colours.
Also your blue jays are so different from ours!!!...ours are just two shades of blue with no detail white on the tail and wings.
What a sweet surprise to get such loveliness in the mail...I can just tell by the packaging how lovely the products must be.
Off to read some more of your past posts that I have missed my friend. xoxoxo
Happy Creative weekend to you...and a BIG OLD CONGRATULATIONS on your lovely heart vest!!! How exciting. xoxo
I LOVE YOUR bird photos!!!!!!!
Oscar is just adorable! A good friend is a blessing even when she is from blogland. Congrats on getting published again!
Oh those are gorgeous photos, and I'm going to remember to put egg shells out for the blue jays - that had never occurred to me, even though I know birds get calcium through their diet in very direct ways like that having worked with raptors.
And also...
...holy flippin' heck that elephant is ADORABLE!
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