Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Sensational Artists Invite You to Fall Deeply In Love

ANNOUNCEMENTS: My piece the "Impossibly Possible Hippo" was included in the Weekly Challenge at Blockhead Radio as was mkc photography's "Sandy Paws.". Please vote for either of us! http://www.blockheadradiolive.com/

Unfortunately I have to run out the door but I want you all to know I LOVE this week's submissions. Many of them made me cry. Thank you for sharing your heart, your talent, YOU! You are the most incredible, talented, professional, amazing, fabulous, smart, funny, passionate artists. I'm deeply honored to be a part of this and to have you in my life.

(If there are any misspellings or things that need to be fixed I apologize and will fix them when I return.)

Now...I invite you to fall in love...









Kelsey, creator of CaffeinatedFrenzy, created this spectacular piece.

"I saw/finished my project for this week's theme on the same day!"said CaffeinatedFrenzy. "It's a quick little project but I hope it will lead to something more. I started knitting stick figures in my insomnia a few days ago. I had no clue what to do with them, I wanted to attach them to a project somehow. When I saw this week's theme, the phrase you wrote "letter to the universe" stuck with me. So I made another little gumbi like character, but this time, he holds a love note. I plan to leave this little guy somewhere for someone else to find. The whole idea is in this blog post: http://caffeinatedfrenzy.blogspot.com/2009/04/love-letter-to-universe.html

Despite my overly caffeinated nervous sarcastic and slightly cynical attitude, I'm something of a hippie. :) Join me in making someone smile!"


http://caffeinatedfrenzy.etsy.com/












Sherry, creator of The Silver Lake Studio, wrote this exceptional love letter and created the gorgeous pendant that Gerald included in his letter to Emma.

"It is 1" tall and 3/4" wide. It is sterling silver with little touches of 14Kt gold in the center of the flowers!" said Sherry.

MyDearest Emma,

I have been thinking of you often today. I always do when I have to be away from you. Today is the seventh day I’ve had to spend without you, and it feels like a month.
I thought this trip to Paris would cheer me and take my mind off missing you. It has done neither.
It’s raining here today and the city is cold and gray. Not at all like it was when you were here with me and you agreed to become my wife. What a glorious trip that was!
Not only do you share my life, but you add so much to it. It is incredible how essential you are to me. And now, you are about to bring a new little life into this world of ours and I am overcome with love.
I live for the day when you will be in my arms again. It won’t be too much longer, I promise!
Until then, keep me in your thoughts as you are in mine.
I’ve included a little gift for you, Darling. I do so hope you like it.
With my undying love for you,
Gerald












Jenjen Furer, creator of GottaLoveMom, created this beautiful piece, Mahal Kita.

"My dh is my love," said Jenjen. "I learn so much from him.He's the reason why I see the positive in life: http://gottalovemom.blogspot.com/search/label/marriage"




As you walk pass my desk, I feel electrified;
As you call my name, my heart jumps with joy;
As you slightly touch my hand, my body quivers;
As I see a glimpse of your profile, my face glows.

Without you I’ll probably be one totally insane person;
Without you, I won’t be smiling;
Without you, I won’t see the joy in life;
Without you, I won’t be having F-U-N (morning and night! Even when I’m sleeping)

Your kisses calm me,
Your hugs erase my anxieties,
Your scent brightens my day,
You voice tickles my heart.

Two continents connected as one;
Two cultures in harmony,
Two personalities compliment each other,
Two but one – that’s who we are!

“Do you want to make it official?” you asked in 1994,
We laughed, we danced, we cried, we strolled.
Four silly adorable crumbcatchers
Joined in our “once upon a time”.


Every single morning when I wake up
Seeing you there on my left side,
Your warm presence only reminds me
that this day is another charming day.

“Mahal Kita”, I love you.









Michelle Ciarlo-Hayes, creator of mkc photography, created this stunning piece titled, "You Hung the Moon"

"'I thought he hung the moon'... my great-aunt's words, describing the moment she met her future husband," said Michelle. "They married at midnight under a full moon, just days before he deployed overseas. He never returned, but she still glows with the memory of their first meeting."

http://mkcphotography.com/
http://mkcphotography.etsy.com/








Jodi, creator of Jodi Horgan created this exquisite piece titled, "Strike of Love earrings".

"An idea for this week's theme came easily," sai Jodi. "I thought about that first hit of love. It's like an arrow to a bullseye. I knew that I wanted to create a pair of earrings. I wanted them to be big the same way that love is BIG when it hits. I also tried to use something new. I've had this sequins trim for a while and this provided the opportunity to incorporate it into the design."

http://www.jodihorgan.etsy.com/












Salvaged Expression created this lovely piece titled, "For the Love of Letters."

"This idea went through many iterations before I finally decided on this whimsical bag," said Salvaged. "I decided to make this my love letter to mail and call it, "For the Love of Letters."












Samantha, creator of Jeans and a Sweater, created this wonderfully vibrant "Love's All Around" purse. Here's the link - http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=23411851

"I loved this theme, sorry, no pun intended," said Samantha. "I've been trying to figure out how to use this pair of overalls for a long time, and this week's theme finally inspired me to make it happen. I didn't even need to go to the store for any part of this purse, I've had it all along. The more I create for the Thursday Sweet Treat, the less I like any of my previous creations. The themes have made me challenge my mind more than it has been in a while."

http://jeansandasweater.etsy.com/











Cindy Hayes, creator of Cidtalk, created this unforgettable piece titled, “The First Time We Met”.

"The first thing I thought of when I saw the theme, The Strike of Love, was when I met my husband," said Cindy. "We met online in 1998, before it was so common to use a keyboard and computer to find love in this world. The feeling then was dangerous, adventurous, and a whole new way to get to know someone. Every time you typed something, hitting (striking) the enter button was a scary commitment.

Type the wrong thing and it could all end without so much as a face to face hello or good bye. Type the right thing and love might begin from thousands of miles away. (My husband in England, me in the states.) I guess I typed the right thing. We’ve been married 9 years."










Iris, creator of Iris Design, created this stellar piece.


"The strike of love…when I first read it I thought it’s going to be difficult ‘cause I immediately had lots of ideas running round my brain and which one do you chose?" asked Iris. "For example, I’ve been watching the pigeons across the lane and how the male is very, very busy trying to get the ‘bird of his dreams’ and the little dance he does every time a female comes to join him on the roof. Priceless, really. But, there’s been a lot of stuff going on in my life, not all of it happy and mostly to do with the recession. So I looked a wee bit closer at what I’m doing and what makes me happy and it was fairly obvious that I am enamored with the little houses I’m painting these days. So I decided to do just that for the challenge.


After I finished the first one it occurred to me that what I really need is my own village to preside over so I created another two. And when I saw them lined up I just fell head over heels in love. Hope you like them too. Not quite sure why I call them ‘wee’ houses as they are really ‘tall’ houses but the name got stuck and that’s what I have now: a 3 hill wee houses village. And all mine. And I will have some in my Etsy shop soon...watch this space! More of my houses can be seen on my Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/irisdesign/








Lorrie Veasey, creator of Our Name is Mud, created this simply fabulous Liquid Love Goblet.

"Anybody who knows me, knows of my deep love affair with a good bottle of chardonnay," said Lorrie. "Now I can get my drunk on AND increase my self esteem. This Liquid Love Goblet has an interior that reads: You're incredible, You're Awesome, You're Amazing! You Are Loved! (I obviously ran out of room to add You Are Pickled.)

It is earthenware with underglazes. I didn't get a chance to check comments til just now and just wanted to thank you for your kind words for last week's treat: I love when you guys get me."



















Agathe, creator of Meherio 68, created this phenomenal pendant.

"This pendant is my version of what has been a French traditional love token for a century," said Agathe. "The stamping says "aujourd'hui + qu'hier et bien - que demain".

They come from these lines of a poem by French poetess Rosemonde Gérard, wife to playwright Edmond Rostand (he of Cyrano de Bergerac fame), for whom she wrote this poem, entitled "L'Eternelle Chanson" (the never-ending song), in the late nineteenth century:
"Car vois-tu chaque jour je t'aime d'avantage,
Aujourd'hui plus qu'hier et bien moins que demain."
(For you see, everyday I love you more,
Today more than yesterday and much less than tomorrow.)

In 1907, a jeweller had these words engraved on a pendant he called "Médaille d'Amour" (Love medal). Huge success! The rest is (jeweller's) history.
The way I see it, when it strikes, love strikes everyday.

As you can see, the expression of love on the sterling silver blank has made it vulnerable. Luckily, its copper partner has its back... You can also notice the sunrise symbol at the top and the sparks at the bottom, and, of course, an entwined ring for a bail."

http://meherio68.etsy.com/
Meherio68blog : http://lebarduvent.blogspot.com/













Patti, creator of Peacoxcreations, created this brilliant card.


"As you probably know, "Love" is such a great theme for those of us who make greeting cards!" said Patti. "Perhaps some of your readers have seen my "Penguin Love" and "Moose Love" note cards. They're great as gifts and appropriate to send to any one you love. I've also designed this striking black and white anniversary card, that's topped off with a read and white bow. "Happy Anniversay" is the sentiment inside."














Kelly, creator of Backward Glances, created this magnificent piece titled, "Bonds of Love."


"This challenge inspired me to pull out a UFO and finally finish!," said Kelly.

Bonds of Love -

Starting and ending together (with any luck!), running in parallel and twining round each other; stuck tight in the end, such are the bonds of love....

This is a pair of loomworked bracelets with magnetic clasps. The looming technique involves forming a base, which breaks into multiple bands - some of these bands are braided together while still on the loom and a final base is then created. I used the smallest seed beads still being produced, size 15/0, and embellished the outer sides with a picot edging."

http://www.backwardglances.net/
http://www.backwardglances.etsy.com/
http://www.mackin-art.blogspot.com/
















Ceridwen, creator of Wanderlust Bling, created this exceptional piece.


"I didn't think about this theme as much as I usually do," said Ceridwen. "I was out for a walk with ideas of what to do with my bead stash running around in my head crashing into each other when this design took control. It's a simple and striking lariat necklace with one bright, ruby jade as a focal piece. The gem reminds me of love not only because of its rich fuchsia color, but because it is singular, a bright, yet grounding element."















Kelly, creator of kpdesigns07, created this awe-inspiring piece.


"This weeks challenge really struck a cord with me in a different way," said Kelly. "My husband and I are expecting and we recently went to get our ultrasound. I really felt like writing my letter to our unborn child that hangs out with me all day, yet I don't know. Sometimes I just wonder what he or she will be like. Will our baby have my eyes and my husbands nose? Will our baby have my horrible feet and bad eyesight? Sorry llittle one, but we both wore braces - your doomed! So this is a love letter for my little one that is happily kicking around inside right now. Can't wait to know you....."














Amanda, creator of Persistent Green, created this magical 10x10 original mixed media artwork piece titled, "Love, Shakespeare".


"I am so grateful for Sweet Treat and our fearless ringleader, Natasha! This week was truly transformative. At the beginning of the week, I had a clear image of what I wanted to create, and a very specific way I wanted my piece to turn out. No surprise that it was a complete flop, right? I totally forgot the whole point of Sweet Treat--effortless play and creative experimentation. When I boxed myself in with that original idea, instead of letting the work flow, I ran myself right into a corner. Well, today I was just disgusted with what I'd done so far. Then I remembered a canvas board on which I'd pre-painted a background (I love having a bunch of backgrounds ready to go, so I have a starting point from which to leap off). I decided to start with that and just let myself play. The end result was so fun and inspiring to me. I layered torn pages from Romeo and Juliet (isn't Shakespeare the essence of love?), splashed watercolor, then played with another of my favorite elements--twine. I'm not quite finished with this one yet, but it'll be up for sale soon. Thank you, Natasha, for keeping me and my artwork fresh every week!"

http://persistentgreen.etsy.com/







Felicia Kramer, creator of Another Bright Idea, created this extraordinary piece titled, “Brown Eyes and Hon”.


"Before my parents were married in late 1937, my Dad was in the Army and my Mom stayed back home waiting for him," said Felicia. "During that time they carried on quite the romantic correspondence and fortunately I still have some of those letters. In each letter, their sweet secret was to write little love notes on the inside flap of the envelope, often quoting “their” song, Red Sails in the Sunset,” or the initials R.S. I’m fascinated with that time in my parents’ lives, when they were young and in love and hadn’t yet become burdened with the strains of marriage and children in their later years. Here’s my sentimental tribute to their “strike of love.”"

http://anotherbrightidea.etsy.com/












Bird, creator of Kitty Hawke, created this dazzling pieces.


"My friend Honour is a medieval costumer and, among other things, makes cloaks to sell to fellow medieval re-enactors," said Bird. "When she moved back to the Northeast last year, among the other moving gifts she gave me were the scraps from the various cloaks she'd made over the years.


Fast-forward to various TST challenges & Jodi Horgan's awesome, awesome pieces. My Muses & I were all intrigued by those gorgeous pieces and wondering how we might put our own spin on that technique. Fast-forward again to rescuing our basement items from the spring rains and rediscovering the wool-nylon scraps. And finally, fast-forward to remembering that I had all these lovely, if not-at-all-regular, beads strands I'd bought as a lot a few years ago. And w/those pieces in place, an inspiration was born! :-)


Here are some of the results, with many more to come in future, as I had a lot of fun making these, and still have many ingrediants with which to make more.
These are a 70%-30% wool-nylon blend, adorned w/real semi-precious gemstones.


RedHat Love - amethyst on wool-nylon blend fabric


LineLove - amethyst, quartz, jasper on wool-nylon blend fabric


Life Love - amethyst, citrine, aventurine, lapis, various jaspers on wool-nylon blend fabric attached to a copper framework


Blue Love - aventurine, lapis, citrine on wool-nylon blend fabric


How these tie in to the theme, besides the titles, is the fact that I've been feeling a bit sorry for myself of late, between the cold assaulting my body and the money worries assaulting my spirit. I'd pretty much decided that I wasn't going to participate this week, to give myself a bit of a break and let myself catch up with myself, but then I felt the need to pamper myself and play. Allow myself to do what I wanted for a bit, instead of what I felt I 'should' be doing. And then the inspiration began to flow. :-)


Now, I have created beautiful things and scratched that creative itch, finding along the way a new way of creating that I really like, and I feel much better, both physically & mentally, far more ready to tackle the next things - so now onto taxes! :-D"


http://www.kittyhawke.etsy.com/




Blue Love - aventurine, lapis, citrine on wool-nylon blend fabric







RedHat Love - amethyst on wool-nylon blend fabricLineLove - amethyst, quartz, jasper on wool-nylon blend fabric




LineLove - amethyst, quartz, jasper on wool-nylon blend fabric



Life Love - amethyst, citrine, aventurine, lapis, various jaspers on wool-nylon blend fabric attached to a copper framework







Bird, creator of One Earth, One Tribe, created this excellent piece titled, Gem Love.
"I loved this part of Lissianblue's comment on the "You're So Awesome" Post (http://thursdaysweettreat.blogspot.com/2009/04/you-are-awesome-for-just-being-you.html) so much that I went ahead & created this digital collage based on it. :-)"
"You are a gem! We all are gems! even on those days we don't feel so shiney!"













Lada, creator of Works and Finds and Lada Works, created these superb pieces.

http://www.worksandfinds.etsy.com/

http://www.ladaworks.etsy.com/




Are you not completely in love?

Please share your thoughts, ask the artists questions, leave a comment and some love here. Then, go visit these artists at their shops and blogs, share some more and tell a friend! Thanks so much for visiting!!

28 comments:

Phoenyx Ravenswing said...

Greetings!

Will be back in just a bit to actually leave comments - just wanting to post and say that everything looks awesome as ever!!! :-D

Bright Blessings & Good Fortune! :-)
-Bird

giraffelabel said...

at first glance, everything looks so amazing! i am totally sad, though, that i did not get anything in this week. i love being part of this, and can't wait to come back and really look at everything later!!

Lorrie Veasey said...

Wow- I'll have to come back a few more times to totally take all this great stuff in!

MCK- I lerves your work So Much. That story just got to my little iron clad heart. You are the cat's pajamas.

Iris-- I am in love with your houses too, and I hope things improve for you.

Awesome job the lot of you. High fives and pats on the back all around.

lifeartdesigns said...

Awesome again you guys!! Even though I couldn't play this week myself, it is so great to be back and be able to gorge myself on everyone's treats! Lorrie's entry last time cracked me up because that was just where I was, and i could hear "them" saying, dance monkey, dance! Now, this week's is the same thing, lol. I can feel her enthusiasm in her work.

Iris, love your buildings!

Cindy, love that picture! Very cool.

Salvaged, love the way you presented yours! I hope you display it the same way in your shop.

Sherry, omg, just beautiful - your piece and the poem. Both together about made me cry.

Kelsey, that is to cute!

Jenjen, very nice, and so is your blog - I'm still reading...

Okay, everyone's was great! I'm leaving out more comments or there will be no room for other's...

I look forward to tomorrow's theme. I'll try to play if I can keep these bouncing balls in the air long enough ;).
Janie

Amanda Fall - Sprout editor said...

Another "sweet" Sweet Treat! A few I have to mention in particular:

-Kelsey's project for spreading love & happiness like wildfire. Awesome. Check out her blog! :)

-mkc's "You Hung the Moon"--so dreamy and ethereal. I love the soft colors of the background and the subtle glow from the moon. Masterfully done.

-Iris's wee houses...so charming and colorful. I love the flowers towering over the houses.

-Kelly's ultrasound piece--now there's a tearjerker! What a precious gift to show her baby years down the line.


I'm off to admire some more... thanks, everybody :)

SalvagedExpression said...

I see that I wasn't the only one who was struck with the idea of a love letter to the universe. So many beautiful stories and submissions this week. Thanks again Natasha for making this happen!

meherio68 said...

WOW!!!
Isn't it great that so much visible beauty was generated by the mere mention of this beautiful feeling?
I love it that no amount of calculation and marketing can beat the human factor...

Lorrie Veasey said...

Tasha- why did you put on comment moderation?

Did you know blogger has an option where all comments can be emailed to you and you can actually reply to individuals via email?

Unknown said...

Yes, I'm quilty of not contributing anything this week (again)-

except in a round-a-way by Bird's creation with what I said about us all being gems! Thank you Bird, I feel so honored, and love what you did with it!
love letters to children in waiting - Kelly - that is so sweet,
inspirations from parents, aunts, love that survived a war - I love the "he hung the moon" Michelle - cool photo - so said he did not return, and the collage of "Red Sails in the Sunset"
Kelsy - I love the little stick figure with the love note! Amazing what comes out when sleep deprived!
Jenjen - obvious you are still so much in love - how wonderful - love the crumbcatcher line!
and just so I don't write a whole new blog - just know that all of you have created such wonderful creations, I so enjoy reading and looking at what everyone has done.......hopefully next week I'll actually finish mine and submit it!

CaffeinatedFrenzy said...

I was soo excited to see the work for this theme!
I have a lot of favorites :), but these are a few.
You hung the moon - A beautiful piece, like a mix between photography and a collage. I love it's simplicity of just a hand and the moon, a big, bright circle looks so powerful, making the hand holding it appear to have the whole world in his hands. It's like he's offering hope to the world in the dark of the night. And what a cute story to go with it :)
The Liquid love goblet - This is just fun. I love the spirals at the neck of the glass, and I love the idea behind putting compliments on the bottom of the cup. Some read tea leaves at the bottom of a cup, but I'd much prefer to read this.
KPDesigns letter to her baby. That's so sweet, and I think everyone I know wants to talk to their child. Everyone I know who's been pregnant has spoken to their belly in the wish to get to know their baby. The ultrasound in this piece is like the moon in the first one, a powerful, hopeful message.

I can't wait to see what these wonderful artists come up with next!

Jennifer said...

These are really wonderful creations!

Sherry said...

Hey Natasha....This has been the best Sweet Treat EVER! What I mean by that is every entry is so fab that it's hard to choose a favorite. So, I couldn't come up with one. So after narrowing down to 6, and then 3, I finally decided that my absolute favorite was....drumroll please............
"The First Time We Met". Wow, what a great entry was that!!!
Natasha, I think you have the best blog ever! And there are so many talented artists that you feature!
I know that we all thank you for your hard work and all that you do for us! Girl, you rock!!
You are a true inspiration to so many of us!
Thank you from the bottom of my heart!
Sherry

Michelle (mkc photography) said...

I'm really a little choked up right now: the authentic, beautiful work here this week is humbling. I think the award for most incredibly detailed/intricate/lovely goes to Kelly for "Bonds of Love," and the "made me laugh/smile/reach for my corkscrew" honor once again goes to Lori - I think we have a mutual admiration society, lol! (you know, my mother-in-law bought us one of your bowls a few years ago and every morning I have a "big bowl of self esteem"...now I know the artist behing it all!).

I have such a soft spot for mixed media collage and I have to say that I adore Amanda and Felicia's work.

Thank you *so* much for all the lovely words said about my piece. My great-aunt's love story is a heartbreaking legend in our family, and I'm so moved that I was able to convey the emotion I felt when I created it.

Thank you for all the inspiration and laughs this week, ladies - can't wait until our next meeting! And everyone should vote for Natasha's fantastic card in the artisans challenge!!!

Natasha said...

I have so many things to say and share...but it's late...it's been an extraordinarily long day and I can't keep my eyes open...I will write tomorrow morning...till then, much love to you all..thank you for making me think, laugh, cry and fall a little more in love...night :)

Pepper said...

What wonderful creations! I keep missing the deadline or getting distracted. Now that I've seen all these wonderful things, I have an idea of my own! I'll write it down so I can make it when I have the time and the resources.

I DEFINITELY have to participate next week. No matter what!

Natasha said...

Phoenyx Ravenswing - all your pieces were fantastic. I have a special place in my heart for the Life Love (love the colors) and the Gem piece. Lisianblue's comment struck a cord with me as well...I love how you brought her words to life.

giraffelabel - you were totally missed!! How are you?? It's so amazing to see you cheering though and I truly hope this week's theme inspires you to play!

Lorrie - your goblet is as amazing as you are! I need it in my life...just like I need you..awesome work...and I agree with you mkc's piece totally knocked me down..and Iris' houses...well, I want to live in them!

lifeartdesigns - I have..we all have missed you TONS! It's so great to have yoy back and cheering...I agreed with all of your comments and hope those balls in the air magically disappear so that you can play...also send a link to your new shop so that people can see it when you have a chance...

Amanda - Your piece was brilliant! I love the way you made Romeo and Juliet dance off the page...it was moving...it brought literature to life in a whole new way...I'm a fan and I totally agree with all of your choices....incredible work!

Salvaged - For the Love of Letters was fabulous. I absolutely love that little bag...I want to put all my treasures...my heart inside of it...your work shines time and again!

meherio68 - I loved your piece. That poem was phenomenal (I love that I always learn something new with your work) and the piece you created was sensational...I especially love the sunrise...what magnificent work

Lorrie - I actually wrote myself a note to turn it off as I had a feeling I might be gone all day but ran out of here in such a mad dash I forgot...sorry everyone...

lisianblue - you were missed!! How's it going? So great to see you cheering everyone on..the pieces are fantastic I agree. I hope next week's theme inspires you...that theme is wide open for people to lose themselves in and I hope you and everyone else does that ...really play!!

Natasha said...

Frenzy - I LOVE the character and the note... thought it was absolutely adorable! I sincerely hope it does lead to more...did yo leave it somewhere? AND I agree with Amanda's suggestion...your blog is awesome everyone should check it out http://caffeinatedfrenzy.blogspot.com/

Jennifer - welcome, welcome, welcome! How are you? I love that you are here cheering folks on..that's awesome. I spent some time over at your blog this morning..what fun ..you have such a happy, bubbly, infectious personality...I totally think you should come and play! So nice to have you here :)

Sherry! - thank you so much...your piece this week was stellar. I loved the letter ...it was touching and the piece was so gorgeous. The flowers combined with I love you ...oh it was filled with such magic. I'm so glad you are part of this...I'm so glad everyone is a part of this...this place is magic because of all the talent and amazing personalities here!

Michelle - your work completely knocked me down. I cried and then shared it with my husband..what a beautiful, moving piece. What a way to capture the aching beauty of a story forever..you never cease to amaze me...never ....I loved it...I loved it and won't ever forget it...and I agree with all your choices. This week ..this week moved me in an amazing way ...it changed me, added more to my life...and all for the better.

Pepper - how fabulous to see you here!! How are you?? I love the way you celebrate all the work here...I'd love to see you come and play and add a little of your own pizazz (wink) hope this week inspires you ....the next theme is a test of your own limits...break free of them!

Felicia Kramer said...

Ah-h-h-h - this week's entries made me cry! Such emotions expressed ... mkc, Cidtalk and Kp designs had me reaching for the tissues! Salvaged's "envelope" was sweet, reminding me of my fascination with my parents' letters. Then Iris's houses, Lorrie's mug, and Lada's lips got me smiling again.
Beautiful work everyone!

Natasha said...

Felicia - your piece was deeply moving. I love the colors, words..the idea that this was your parents..you captured them, their love for one another right here was spectacular. Gorgeous, moving work...and I agree with all your choice...I laughed, I cried...what an amazing week!

KaTie said...

too many pieces to try & rave of my love and admiration of each piece! I'm going to try a little though...
silverlakestudio: love it! simple & beautiful... just like love.

jodi horgan: those earrings are stunning!! the pattern and color theme is like 'wow!! x's 50'

cidtalk: talk about romantic! who couldn't love this ?? and so close to your heart at that!

iris design: beautiful! I saw these and thought "someday those would look perfect in my daughter's nursery". To me, that's love. I am loving a daughter I do not even know! thank u!

liquid love: ha ha... nothing better than a love note @ the bottom of a good drink.

peacoxcreations: stunning use of colors!

backward glances: bonds of love... genius!! and gorgeous!

wanderlust bling: I applaud you're easy effort in creating this piece. It's like love, don't over think it... just let it come to and be on it's own!

kelly (kpdesigns07): simply precious!!!!!!!! I wish you and your growing family all the love and happiness. I know you're loving every day 'getting to know' your little one more and more.

another bright idea: oh, I'm such a sap for true love! I see the love coming off the pages. I hope someone conveys my husband and I like this someday far off in the future.

thanks to everyone for sharing your love. Hopefully I'll submit mine for the monthly! Life is crazy lately... but, full of love all of it's own. ;)
Thanks for compiling all of this amongst your busy/crazy schedule Natasha!

Marja/Glass Elements said...

Feeling the love this week for sure! :) My fave is Lorrie's -- I could fill that mug with some wine, some coffee (my liquid love, for sure!). So cute!!

Ceridwen said...

Oh no, my comment was lost in the ether! I was astounded, as always. Love, love, love Bonds of Love. I love the photo of them over the gloves - very elegant. All beautiful work!

Rowena said...

So many wonderful things. I wish I wasn't running to catch up with myself so I could participate more often. Maybe this week I will get it done on time.

Jenjen @GottaLoveMom said...

Hats off to everyone and especially to Natasha for putting this event together. So much LOVE.

I keep coming back and re-reading everyone's artwork and linking back and forth to their sites. (Its messing up my lent promises -lol)

But since holy week is about the greatest Love of all...Reading and re-reading everyone's posts and comments are just - LOVELY!

Thank you for everyone that took time to read and be loved - and at the same time shared the love back to us (me).


I'm so glad I'm here.

Natasha said...

j.US.t chatter - wonderful to see you here..how has everything been? How did everything go?? Please share! So awesome to see you cheering and as soon as you have a moment please send the love this way so I can include it in the Mini-monthly!! I hope you can play again very soon and keep sharing...it's always good to hear from you...yes the week was a little more than I anticipated but this was one of the highights for sure...I love this place...

Marja - you're awesome for cheering!! I'm right with you....Lorrie's cup runneth over with good wishes, love and fun - what a great mix..she rocks....I hope you are playing next week!!!

Ceridwen - your piece was STUNNING...what wonderful color...truly uniqie design...just great...and I agree the photos of them over the gloves just made my jaw drop..

Rowena - BIG hug I love seeing you here...don't worry you will catch yourself and if you need anything just holler - we are here! I do hope you can play this week but if not we will be here ...awaiting your return and ready to cheer when you do...you're so wonderful to be cheering right now...

Jenjen - I am - we all are SO glad you are here...your work, your prescence is a lovely addition to the Sweet Treat...thank you for sharing from your heart and I sincerely hope you will be playing again this week...it's fantastic to have you here :)

CaffeinatedFrenzy said...

I did drop it off, but I didn't attach a note asking the finder to pass it on. I didn't think it would survive the snow.
I hope more people join me in spreading the love though! :) Thanks!

aquamaureen said...

I have so enjoyed seeing all the pieces, reading the text that goes with, and then smiling through all the lovely comments. MOre and more each week, the comments are (in my opinion), equaling the art work in their beauty and expressions of love. I hope to have a piece on this theme for the mini-monthly. I'm having to admit to myself that I'm sorta mad/sad over how some of the love in my life has exploded . . . but I do NOT want to let that blind me to the love that is blossoming--so I commit to persevering on this week's theme. Love to all of you.

Phoenyx Ravenswing said...

Greetings!

Congrats, Natasha & mkc!!! :-)

Caffienatedfrenzy, that is just the most marvelous idea!!! Cleveland's not SO far from Ann Arbor now.... ;-D Yes, I admit it, I checked your shop to see if I had a chance of stumbling across him! :-D

Seriously, that is an awesome piece! :-) I hope you are led to do more in the series. And I simply adore the 'spreading the love' thought. This World can use a lot more of that kind of thinking. Yay, you!!! :-)

Sherry, what a wonderful story & piece both!!! All I can say is "awwwwww!!!" :-D Most kyoot! :-) And I think I shall be showing this to my husband at some point - hints never hurt ya know! :-D

GottaLoveMom– another 'awww' factor!!! Love the pics & the poem, love your blog, too. So much loving wisdom there. :-) Glad you found a good one to share your life with! :-)

mkcphotography, how touching both your story & your pic are!!! Sad that he never returned, but good that they got to know each other, even if it were only for that short time. Thnx for sharing! :-)

Jodi, love the imagery of your earrings. And the workmanship is exquisite, as always! :-)

SalvagedExpressions, what a very kyool idea! Love the embroidered stamp – it really makes the piece for me. :-)

Samantha, I love that purse! Such wonderful colors. I also love the fact that all the pieces were right there already. Isn't that kyool when that happens??? :-D

Cidtalk, I know what you mean. Didn't find my hubby that way, but found some lasting friendships through the Internet and it's a very similar thing, the type-it-right it will stay, type-it-wrong it will not aspect. Glad it's worked out for you! :-)

Such kyool houses, Irisdesign, and such a kyool way of dealing w/the doldrums. If you're not happy w/your current village, create one! :-D As a writer, I like that. :-P Good Fortune on coming out of your recession-based doldrums soonest! :-)

OurNameIsMud, your name is also Awesome! :-D Love the goblet – something similar may have to come into my life at some point. Don't drink alcohol a lot, but love the idea of drinking in self-affirmation w/whatever liquid I was happening to imbibe at the time. :-)

Meherio68, I love the symbolism you have put into your pendant, from words to materials to symbols to workmanship. Such a beautiful expression of the strike of love. :-)

Peacoxcreations, I love the card! Black & white & red, bold & subtle, together & apart - all at the same time. Such a wonderful way of expressing all that love is. :-)

Backwardglances – wow! :-) I'm in admiration of anyone who works w/the little guys and in such a complicated piece too! :-) And yay, you for finishing an old project – a wonderful act of self- love. Love is just bustin' out all over w/this piece! :-D

Wanderlustbling, so simple & elegant! :-) Wondrous proof that a piece does not have to be complicated to get its message across. Red for the heights of the heart & grounding that love into reality, the pearl for the seas of love, sterling for love's sterling qualities, the pieces separate but together because that's how it should be in the best kinds of love. Or at least that's what it means to me. :-D In any case, another amazing piece!!! :-)

KPDesigns, what a kyool piece! I love the design & the story both, and the colors are just so gentle & comforting. Your little one is truly blessed to be coming into such a welcoming space. Bright blessings to you all! :-)

PersistentGreen, I know what you mean! You can have a great idea, but clinging to it too rigidly is just about a recipe for creative disaster. Glad to read you noticed what was happening & chose to change it. Love the results, and can't wait to see the completely finished piece! :-)

And as a completely personal note, I love the fact that Romeo's line (which I didn't know he made, how very kyool to discover it here) “I would I were thy bird.” is in the loop of the 'L' of love. My husband & I have happily been each other's birds for many years now, so it was a very kyool personal postcard to see here. :-D Thank'ee's for it, and for sharing both your story & your piece! :-)

AnotherBrightIdea, such a wonderful story! :-) I can just see the two lovebirds writing each other, putting those scraps of shared communication on the envelopes, a language that just the two of them shared. Love the way you combined the elements together to tell the story visually as you had told it in words. A fitting tribute indeed! :-)

Lada, an awesome triptych of love! :-) Flowers, the green of growth, a lover's kiss. Simply amazing! :-)

And that does it for this week! :-D Wondrous works, all! :-) Thank'ee's for sharing! :-)
Bright Blessings & Good Fortune! :-)
-Bird