How rare is that we receive something in the mail that makes us smile, that makes us happy? My mail usually consists of junk mail, the grocery store circulars and bills. Not much there will bring a smile! The last few weeks have been extraordinary! I barely could wait each day to see what the mailman placed in my box! Why? I participated for my second time this summer in Liberate Your Art Postcard Swap with Kat at Kat Eye Studio. We were to send Kat five postcards that showcased our art. Kat sorted them all and mailed them over a period of weeks! As we received our postcards, we shared them on a Facebook page. That was so much fun, checking it daily and seeing beautiful artwork! Some of the art included knitting, quilting, collages, paintings, sketches, watercolors, photography, felt work, jewelry and much more! Each piece was created, photographed, and made into a postcard. This year there were 193 artists from 11 countries who participated in the exchange. The post office was flooded with almost 1,000 postcards of art!
I'll start with the ones I sent. I sent five for the swap and then sent Kat one.
The quotes from left to right:
- Black and White Cosmos - "Only in the still of nature is my heart open and strength renewed."
- Blanket Flower - "Just living is not enough. One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower." Hans Christian Anderson
- Drew drops on spider web ~ "Everywhere water is a thing of beauty gleaming in the dew drop singing in the rain." John Ballantine Gough
- Clouds ~ "The sky is the daily bread of the eyes." R. W. Emerson
- Bradford Pear - "Sometimes just looking up and seeing the light is enough." Terri Guillemets
- Yellow cosmos - "How wonderful yellow is, it stand for the sun." Vincent Van Gogh
Now on to the mail that bought me such happiness! I photographed each postcard, so the backgrounds they are laying on are mine.
Postcard # 1
from Cyndy who lives in Vancouver Island, Canada
Instagram at cyndyib
Cyndy's card is a beautiful pot of lavender with gorgeous bokeh in the background! It must be wonderful to smell lavender as you step out the door!! On the back Cyndy says "Happy Summer. I hope you enjoy my favourite summertime drink!" and she included a recipe for Lavender Lemonade. I visited Cyndy's blog, she is taking photos each day and posting them. A great way to keep a record of the small moments of everyday.
Postcard #2
Instagram at michelle gd
Michelle's card is of beautiful farm eggs in a pretty dish! This lovely card captures warmth and home! On the back she says "So happy to be sharing in this art swap with you. Hope this finds you on a good and brings a smile to your face." I visited with Michelle through email and also visited her blog. She posts lovely photos and inspiring thoughts. I noticed a post on being in the moment. How wonderful!! That's my One Little Word for this year...moment!!
Postcard #3
Terri has photographed a gorgeous Iceland Poppy that reminds me of the gracefulness of a ballerina! Don't you just love the color? On the back there is a quote "Which of my photographs is my favorite? The one I'm going to take tomorrow." ~ Imogen Cunningham. She also adds "Hope you are having a great summer!" It's a very small world. I know Terri through online photo classes, photo groups, and blogging. She's a wonder at photographing flowers! Terri has a lovely personal blog and she and 10 other girls collaborate on a wonderful blog filled with daily inspiration and photo challenges at Focusing On Life.
Postcard #4
from Becs who lives in the United Kingdom
Becs' card has a very delicate shadow of a heart. The quote on the back is "Let your heart guide you. It whispers, so listen carefully." Unexpected hearts always make me happy! I emailed Becs to find out what had caused the shadow. Her daughter had posted a sticky note on a glass door. As it began to curl in the sun it left this shadow on the wall. Becs is a fabulous photographer! I also know Becs through photography classes and blogging. Becs' blog is filled with beautiful photographs and pieces of her life. I always enjoy visiting her and she always lifts my spirits!
Postcard #5
from Linda Owens who lives in Texas
Linda's card is a beautiful field of bluebonnets and Indian Paintbrushes with pretty buildings in the background. I really like the way the roofs of the buildings match the flowers. On the back is a quote by Henry David Thoreau, "Its not what you look at that matters, it's what you see." Linda's photography is always beautiful!! It's really unbelievable, but I know Linda, too! She and Terri are part of a group collaboration blog called Focusing on Life. I've also know Linda through online classes and photography groups. Linda's personal blog is full of happiness through her photos and thoughts about her life.
As a special treat Kat sent each of us one of her postcards. Kat has a way of finding beauty everywhere! You know I love Kat's blog, her classes and this art swap! Visit her blog and check out her wonderful site!
Now you can see why I was impatient for the mail! My thanks and admiration goes out to Kat for all the hard work she has done to put this swap together! It has been wonderful!
Kat even took the time to make video with all the art featured! You can find it here. Isn't she amazing!!
Kat even took the time to make video with all the art featured! You can find it here. Isn't she amazing!!
What a lovely collection of cards, Cathy! My favourite quotation is the one by Hans Christian Anderson:"...one must have sunshine, freedom and a little flower." Yes!
ReplyDeleteCathy, I love the way you showed all of your cards first, then wrote such nice things about each card you received. This was so much fun, I can't wait to do it again next year!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful post, Cathy! And such a coincidence that you received cards from some of the same people I did -- Becs, michelle gd and cyndyib and also received one of mine! Awesome that you talked about each one and linked to Focusing on Life too. Thanks so much for that! I have my postcard blog post all finished. Just need to figure out how to do the blog hop. Heading over to watch Kat's video now!
ReplyDeleteSuch a beautiful post, thank you for your kind words about my photography and blog. It's lovely to think that one of my cards made it to someone I know. Apart from mine, I think I got cards from the same people that you did, how funny! I loved the swap so much, can't wait to do it again next year.
ReplyDeletebeautiful to give and get!
ReplyDeleteWOW, how fun to get happy mail and see these beautiful photos!! I enjoyed each one and thanks for sharing the links to check out. I will be checking them all out and maybe next year join in on the fun!!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the ones you sent out too, always love your photos!!
Such a beautiful display! Your photos are just as lovely. I've had a lot of fun with this swap.
ReplyDeletexo
lynn
This blog was over the top with ART. I love the pictures. I love how you displayed the post cards you received.
ReplyDeleteyour whole post was a delight... your cards were wonderful and I loved some of those quotes... some have made it into my quote book... thanks for taking so much time to make such a wonderful post...xx
ReplyDeletePleased to meet you; the swap was such fun. Your postcards are lovely...both given and received. See you next year, I hope.
ReplyDeleteThese are fun...looks like a wonderful project.
ReplyDeleteWhat amazing cards and quotes. Seeing what everyone sent and received is filling me with ideas for next years swap already.
ReplyDelete