"Amazing Artisits...Amazing Trades..."

...From Myrthe in the Netherlands...

a beautiful and demure Oriental woman

in a traditional hat...

...A "Menopause Goddess"...

complete with hot flashes

created just for me...from Ang in Canada...
...a hauntingly beautiful
"Protector of Deer" from Lindsay in the U.K....

...From Sabrina in Canada...

a sassy gal who loves her exquisite jewelry...

... An absolutely gorgeous alluring mermaid

and

a wide-eyed sweet jester

from Connie in Michigan...

...A spectacular botanical collage...

complete with multiple complex layers

and topped off with a crackle finish

from Kati in California...

...Fabulous bead work and intricate stitching

and quilting

from Denise in Utah...

...a really fun and funky tattooed chick from

Bob in Texas...

Two spectacular eyes...simply magical to look at...

from Monika in Lithuania...

A joyous tree of light from Robin in Wisconsin...

...A sweet little man in the moon

from Ardith in Alabama...

... A lavishly graphic and intricate floral design

from Erika in Canada...

A energy filled spirit flower and elegant Nautilus shell

from Kathy in Nevada...

..A precious and powerful earth guardian

from Cathy in Vermont...

...A surprise zentangle

potpourri of goodies from Sandra in Oregon...... A sweet tiny tidal pool origami piece

from Carey in California...

...A solitary crow...

made with a hand carved stamp...

from Randi in Tennessee...

...Two teency tiny lovebirds

nested in a bed of intricately designed golden leaves

from Alina in Canada...

... A powerful and soulful Spirit Seeker

from Kathy in Nevada...

...and lastly

a trio of delicate and expressive tree limbs

with beautiful patterned backgrounds

from Nicole in Ohio.

♥

I have been truly blessed to have not only crossed

paths with each of these talented artists...

but to also have in my collection

pieces of their beautiful work.

I know this has been quite a lengthy post...

but I hope you have enjoyed

at least peeking into the creative talents

of some wonderful souls.

Possibly, when time allows,

you might come back and click on their names and

travel to their personal galleries

for even more

delightful eye candy!

No tricks...just treats... I promise you!

"Thursday Already?...More Mail Art!..."

...I begin today with a "Zinnia and Fern" from

Carolyn in Wisconsin...
...then, from Maria Clara in Spain
comes this black and white zentangle garden...
...from Sher-Minn in Malaysia
comes these three custom beauties..each featuring
"water blossoms"...
the first two forming a diptych.
(This is the second set made for me as the first set
was lost in the mail...
an enormously heartbreaking risk of trading art.)
...from Melody in Utah
comes a "Uni Corn"...in a wonderfully layered collage.

...from Anne in England...

a young girl with wings...and a smashing yellow collage

complete with a foreign postage stamp.

...and, lastly, from Erika in Canada...

a magnificent magnolia...she even sent along

the reference photo

she took of the flower just for fun!

(Be sure to click on any of these images to enlarge...

the details in these cards

are amazing!)

Indeed...

beautiful art from art filled spirits has once again

graced my desert mailbox.

I am truly thankful for the joy and smiles

each piece brings.

I am truly thankful also for each

and every one of

your continued individual blog visits...

whether they be regularly on a daily basis

or sporadic...

as time allows...the occasional "pop-in"

just to see "what's up".

It brings me such great joy

(and many smiles)

to belong to such a wonderful blogging community

of art enthusiasts!

For all this I am most thankful!

"An Abundance of Artistic Mail..."

...Two soulful collages of beautiful elegant women

from Anne in England...

(And, as always, click on any image to enlarge

to see details...)

...Some lovely layered stamping and watercolor

from Karen in Indiana...

...A spectacular custom made geisha card

from Lori in Illinois...
...Two fabulous ladies one mysterious...one magical...
from Margaret in South Africa...
...more geisha ladies for my growing Asian collection
from Janet in Texas...
...two spectacular zentangles and two watercolor batiks
from Cindy Michele in Tennessee...

...A sparkly zen and a lofty mountain view with

a cool stitched border

from Veronica in Colorado...

...Multi layers of loveliness

using collage and illustration in two cards from

Amy in Wisconsin...

...A funky cool pink lady

(who actually reminds me of one of my neices)

from Lindsay in the U.K.......An perky origami grasshopper perched on bamboo

from Carey in California...

...Three rich Oriental collages from Marianne in Denmark...

And lastly...two delightfully sweet little collages

from Cheryl in Utah...:)

My! Oooooh MY!

I am so thankful for the beauty and the friendships

that art has brought into my life...

Each and every one of these artists

has a whole treasure trove of goodies awaiting

your perusal

by a mere click of your mouse.

I hope you have the time...if not I hope you have

enjoyed what has been posted.

Thanks for stopping by for a visit today...

Big smiles from me!! :)

I leave you with my favorite quotation,

which especially lately,

has proven to be my mantra:

♥
“Art washes away from the soul

the dust

of everyday life.”
~Pablo Picasso

"A Delightful Duo..."

First, yet another geisha from the "Geisha Queen" herself...

Janet in Texas...
And second, a masterful "OM"mantra card
made entirely in ball point pen
from Lisa in Arizona.
Lisa and I have made plans to do a Moly_X art trade...
(a.k.a. Moleskine Sketchbook Exchange)
Can't wait!
What fun it is to continue to receive
such tiny treasures
and trade talents with
kindred spirits from all over the world.
I am very thankful indeed!
(As always...click on any image to enlarge...)

"Beautiful Mail Art..."

...From Julie in Florida...

...from Melody in Utah...
From Debi in Illinois...
from Sabrina in Canada...

from Dana in Michigan...
from Lisa in Indiana...
from Anne in the U.K.
and from Carey in California!
(click on any image to enlarge...)
What a treat to have these mini art pieces
awaiting
my homecoming!
It's soooo good to be back in the warmth of
Arizona...
and back to the flow of an everyday
routine...:)

"Thankful Thursday...(#16)..."

I begin this week with this "Shattered Heart" ATC

drawn in pen by Lisa in Arizona.

Lisa is currently in a Moleskine exchange

with several other artists (check out her work here)

...and...the two of us

are actually pondering the possibility of a 2way

exchange of our own!

What fun, eh?

This beautiful card is from Minami in Virginia.

I "met" her through Illustrated ATCs.

I really love the style of this card...

which was inspired by the artist Alphonse Mucha...

who, thanks to Minami,

is now becoming a favorite of mine also :)

And...speaking of favorite artists...my ATC cards

expanded by four with these beautiful beauties traded with

Marianne in the Netherlands.

Marianne is so amazing...her art is so joyful and bright.

Her imaginative compositions and designs delight me to no end.
My collection sparkles with her magic!

From the far northwest in Alaska

come these charming beauties from Patty.

I also have several of Patty's cards in my book...and each one

is so completely different from the next it is amazing.

Patty is a woman of many talents.

I am so delighted she is a bloggy friend too! :)

These three "Little Indians" are part of a series designed
by Tim in Belgium...(we also "met" through Illustrated ATCs.)
I am in love with Tim's style...and his wonderful composition.
Hopefully we will be able to trade many times more...
As a matter of fact,
Tim suggested we might collaborate making a card!
He and his daughter have done it.
Hmmm...an international collaboration!
I will keep you informed.
This happy trio is from Shayna in Alabama...
She has a cool technique using a henna applicator to apply
her white paint over a watercolor background.
So unique...and so much more controllable than brush strokes!
From Emma in England came this delicate little zentangle...
We found each other through the gallery at Illustrated ATCs...then
we set up this private trade...what fun!
Even a postal strike in London couldn't keep this trade down!
I hope to make many more in the future.
Emma has designed a series of whimsical houses I love!
Finally, the last card to arrive was from Rainie in California...
A TOTAL surprise!
I have been a fan of Ranie's zentangle work for quite
a while now...and had simply commented about a piece like this
on her new Flickr site (click here)...
and "Voila!" one like it arrived in the mail days later!
Hip Hip Hooray!
Check out Ranie's new group site here...
it is just for ATC art you DO NOT want to trade...
but still might want to share!
Cool Idea!

Thanks again everyone for a week full of artistic magic!
AbraCaDabra!
What a fun week it has been!