Show and Tell

I have been receiving so many fun things in the mail, and have kind of let them spread out around the house.  As I've been tidying up, I put them all in one place, and here is the delicious pile of artiness:

I have already featured some of these treasures, including a fun clip from April and three colorful Rolodex cards from Chris.  Many others, I haven't shared with you yet.

First, my fabulous Pay It Forward gift arrived from Roni, of Bad Jones Rising.  In preparing her gift, she said that she asked herself, "What would I myself like to receive?"  That's the best question to ask when working on a gift, I think!  And this is what she came up with:

She created a handmade accordian-fold book for me, with an envelope of goodies for creating my own journal.  She also included an envelope to decorate and hold the book, and a beautiful watercolored card to use any way I wish.  She created a brief video showing the contents of the gift, and even featured the one she sent to ME in the video.  Check it out!

I've also been receiving postcards from Shannon's postcard swap:

Teresa, in Texas, sent me this photograph, embellished with glitter and a sticker.  It is a photo of the sunset from "The Oasis" in Austin, Texas, "sprinkled with pixie dust so all your dreams will come true!"  How sweet is that?!

Next came this collaged and stitched card from Chantel in British Columbia, Canada.  Love those colors!

Then, I received this artful postcard from Jeanne, wishing me a happy spring.  Her background is a beautiful, almost iridescent, deep red.  She used an awesome "Winged Post" stamp on the back, which I would love to get my hands on! 

Finally, I received this little piece of the natural world from Melissa, from right here in Pennsylvania.  The back reads, "May you always walk in beauty."  Lovely!

I already blogged about the first three cards I received in the swap; you can see that post right here.

In February, April Cole sent me an unexpected Valentine treat:  this pretty heart-adorned altered Rolodex card.  What fun!

Side one of Karenann's Rolodex card

And another unexpected treat arrived from Karenann:  a gorgeously altered Rolodex card in a style I just love!

Side two of Karenann's Rolodex card

Finally, Chris of Parabolic Muse wrote the nicest post in response to mail art I sent her way recently.  If you would like to read her post, you can check it out here!

Have you shared any creative love by mail lately?  Let's keep the creativity flowing!

Who Loves Art in the Mail?

I do!  I do!

I have been receiving postcards as part of Shannon's International Postcard Swap.  Participating in swaps means racing to the mailbox every day, hoping that today is one of the days when a fabulous postcard appears!

Here are the three I have gotten so far:

Beth sent this first card---with an absolutely gorgeous subdued color palette.  I was really wowed by her college (one of those things that looks even more spectacular in person).  The back of her postcard was super-fun, too:

I loved the exposed stitching on the back, similar to the exposed stitching on my own postcards!  Be sure to check out Beth's blog.

Next came this postcard from Judith:

I love that drawing of a Gothic building!  She had fun with the back of her postcard as well:

There was no Internet contact information for Judith, so I hope that she will run across this blog post to see a big "Thank You" from me!

Most recently Trish sent me this colorful beauty:

And more color on the back:

You can see more of Trish's projects at her blog, Lost Muse Journals.

You can see the postcards I sent out as part of this swap in this post from last month.

I am also doing an altered rolodex card swap with Chris, of Parabolic Muse.  In the midst of a million projects, she created these fun and colorful cards from...guess what?!...paper towel!!

Side One

Side Two

All of the card have fun designs, but I like that top one best of all!

So, do YOU want an original handmade gift in the mail over the next couple of weeks??  If so, please check out my most recent post, about the Pay It Forward Project.  I need two more people to sign up, and I will send a gift to you in the next couple of weeks. 

Be sure to leave a comment on yesterday's post if you are interested!

Happy Thursday!

Pay It Forward, with art!

Erin from art-is-try has started a fun project that will allow participants to both give and receive handmade gifts, spreading the love across Blogland by threes.

I found out about Erin's project from Roni, of Bad Jones Rising, and immediately wanted "in."  (Roni's post about the project is here.)

If you would care to join me, here's how it works:

1. If you would like to participate, please leave a comment on this post. The first three people to commit to the project will receive a handmade gift from me!
2. Post this project on your own blog—feel free to cut n’ paste. Gather three new participants and be willing / prepared to follow through with the “Pay It Forward” part!!! Please link back to this original post, and I, in turn, will include a link to your post so that we can follow the project from its origin.
3. E-mail me (aleakaskey@yahoo.com) with your full name and address, and I will send a small, simple, heartfelt, handmade gift.  In turn, you will give small, simple, heartfelt, handmade gifts to your participants. Let the joy grow exponentially! 
4. If you are interested in participating but are not one of the first three to comment on this post, come back after I have listed my three participants here, click on one of their links and sign up under them (or if they are full, click on their links etc etc etc until you find one)!

*NOTE*-any and all handmade gifts are okay! We are trying to keep them small, and heartfelt. A small painting, poem, collage, etc, but with a touch of your own personal heart and creative side! I also haven’t put a time limit on my post, but I would hope they would all be made/given in a timely matter. As long as you make some kind of agreement with your gift-receivers, your deadline should be up to you…

So, to help clarify, here is an example to follow:  I commented on Roni's blog, so Roni will send me a gift.  I am posting the project on my blog so I am waiting for 3 comments. When I get them, I will send 3 gifts. Those people will post to their blogs, and send out 3 gifts of their own! I hope that makes sense, but if not, feel free to email me (aleakaskey@yahoo.com) with any questions, or visit Erin at her blog.

We hope you are encouraged and motivated to participate.

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My participants and their “Pay It Forward” blog links:

1. April Cole, of April Cole's Studio
2.  Laurie, of Lone Black Bird
3.  Jo Murray, of Jo Murray--Art