“Clothe Yourself” by Becky
Clothe yourself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. —Colossians 3:12
Who Sent It? This is another postcard that has been sitting on my “to be blogged” list for far too long. It is a collage postcard made by BeckyG56, a swapper in the “Christian Friends” group on swap-bot. It was sent seven years ago with a note from Becky sharing that she is trying to put on the qualities of Christ and live this verse. Me too, Becky. Me too.
“We Are Worthy,” Collage Art by Suzette R.
As she took the journey back to her wings, she embraced the truth that she was worthy and that she was enough, just as she was, imperfections and all.
Who Sent It? This gorgeous collage postcard was crafted and sent by my pen friend, Suzette R. She sent this one about four years ago. She shares the inspiration for this and two companion “We Are Worthy” pieces on her blog: Notes from the Road. Have a restful weekend!
“The John Lennon Wall.” A public art display honoring John Lennon and the Beatles. Located in Praha 1, Prague., Czech Republic.
Who Sent It? The handmade postcard above featuring part of the John Lennon Wall was sent to me by swapper Philippa D (papercaper) on swap-bot. It was sent 12 years ago for a “Simply Love” postcard swap. Since the wall is always changing (as people draw and write over existing art and words), I really appreciate this little bit of what it was.
“Women’s History Month.” Designed by SunsetGal55 on Zazzle. From Kathi G.
I’m back today with more purple!
Since purple is the color associated with women’s movements and social justice for women and since we are at the end of Women’s History Month, I am sharing the purple postcards and inspiration I received from pen friends this month in celebration of International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month.
From Lori Ann W:
Behind every great woman, I pray will be another great woman, whispering “you’ve got this” in her ear.
From Rae L:
Stay smart!
Stay strong!
Stay beautiful!
From Christine B:
Fight for things you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you. —Ruth Bader Ginsburg
From Suzette R:
To tell a woman everything she cannot do is to tell her what she can.—Spanish Proverb
Finally, from Gerda H, a new friend from the Netherlands:
When the power of love overcomes the lover of power, the world will know peace. —Jimi Hendrix
These beautiful souls filled my mailbox with purple love and flowers galore. Lori Ann and Rae even included seeds so I can sow my own purple flowers–columbines, morning glories, and wildflowers! Of course, they’ll find their way to the Pics and Posts when they bloom!
Until till next time…
“Find Joy,” Monica C for Global heART Exchange
Hello there! I am dropping in with a quick reminder for the weekend:
Find joy in the small things.
Life isn’t meant to be grand all the time, and it isn’t wise to spend our moments seeking or waiting for the grander ones.
Participate fully in the small.
There is always joy in the small moments–the way the sun paints the sky just before evening falls, crisp fall leaves crunch-crunch-crunching beneath our feet, a child’s infectious laughter, warm hugs, holding hands while walking and talking through the woods, an unexpected visit or call from a friend, a cozy fireplace, an afternoon nap.
Each day holds many opportunities for joy. Don’t let the “ordinariness” of the opportunities cause you to miss them. In fact, look for them. Joy is certainly there.
About the Image: The “Find Joy” handmade postcard above features the work of Monica C. She was one of my “receive from” partners in the September Global heART swap. Her postcard arrived on a gloomy day, the only piece of mail in my lonely post office box. The card was made with chalk pastels, ink, and a whole lot of joy. Thank you, Monica!
may i grow
so tall and bright,
so free and wild,
so brave and vibrant
that when you see me
standing
you think i am
a sunflower.
About the image: I received such beautiful cards and messages for International Women’s Day/Women’s History Month that I decided to share some on the blog this week. The sunflower above is from Diane W, one of my Love Notes friends. Her card was the first to arrive, and it was such a pleasure to open her sunflower-adorned envelope and find the sunflower inside with other goodies–the poem above, a “Horned Poppy Fairy” postcard, and positive affirmations neatly penned on daisy-shaped cutouts. Diane enjoys making cards using postage stamps, but this was her first time making sunflower cards. This unique beauty is on its way to my sunflower wall!
Artwork by Lori-Anne C.
Peace is the beauty of life. It is sunshine. It is the smile of a child, the love of a mother, the joy of a father, the togetherness of a family. It is the advancement of man[kind], the victory of a just cause, the triumph of truth. –Menachem Begin
Despite the disappointment and sadness in my heart today, I am dropping in to bring you flowers. If you are a United States citizen, you need to turn away from the television, put down your phone, and spend a moment with the pretty.
About the Image: The featured art is the work of my Love Notes friend, Lori-Anne C. She makes some of the most exquisite sunflower art. You can see more of her beauties here: Envelope Full of Sunflowers and You’re Entitled to You. Like the other two, the piece above was sent in celebration of women. The purple tulip and sunflower are especially special to me, since they’re symbolic of my relationship with my sister (also named Lori Ann), whose favorite flower was the purple tulip.
Pooh and friends on the bridge watching as Eeyore floating beneath. Artwork by Susan Alena.
Way back in February—it seems eons ago, right?—I went to my mailbox a few times to find Winnie-the-Pooh goodies. There were envelopes filled with stickers, letters, postcards, tags, bookmarks, and even earrings. I was über busy when most arrived, so I oohed and ahhed over them for a moment and placed them back in their envelopes to enjoy later.
Later came today.
Pooh makes a great themed mail package–as the not one, two, or even three, but the four Pooh packages I received prove.
First came the envelope from Tess E (Vontak on swap-bot) filled with Baby Pooh stickers, washi tape, and note paper.
Aren’t they cute?! I am using these to send letters to a few baby nieces this week. I was supposed to write these letters weeks ago, but life really gets in the way of the fun stuff.
Then, a gorgeous Red Bubble envelope arrived with four Pooh postcards from Geraldine J (NannyDino on swap-bot). [Click an image to view larger]
I thought that was the swap, but a week or two later I received a fun package of even more Pooh goodies from Geraldine. [Click an image to view larger]
The handmade storybook envelope was packed with a Pooh birthday card, homemade stickers, and miniature classic Pooh book covers for crafting–all enclosed in a red polka dot envelope bedecked with Canadian Pooh postage. That’s a wonderful load of Pooh!
Then, surprise! My swap-bot-“Cup and Chaucer”-artist-blogging friend, Holly M sent a handmade tag and card “just because.”
Holly has the neatest Pooh supplies. Check out the stamps and the hand-lettering. Her stamping skills almost inspire me to pull out my rarely [and/or never] used stamps and put them to use. Almost. I really don’t like the cleanup part.
I recall Holly was kind enough to send some adorable Pooh mail a couple of years ago: Holly Art!
Finally, Susan Alena (postmansdaughter on swap-bot) sent a package that floored me. All of it:
The hand-drawn art on the envelope.
The shrinky dink bookmark…
and earrings.
The watercolor that leads this post? Also, created by Susan.
If you ever wondered how much Pooh-love can be packed into an envelope, now you know. A whole lot.
Each sender gave her envelope so much time and attention. I know some people see it as “only mail,” but the mail often tells a story about the person’s heart. And–I do not take for granted how incredibly blessed I am to interact with so many beautiful people.
Some of the most exquisite sunflower postcards in my collection were made by Love Noter Lori-Anne C. The intricate details of her paint and ink cards always fascinate me. The card she designed for International Women’s Day 2019 did not disappoint.
“Better the Balance, Better the World.” Art by Lori-Anne C.
I did not miss her message about balance:
If you have the power to make someone happy, do it. The world needs more of that. Know that the “someone” can be you!
I’ve noticed [lately] that women, in particular, must be constantly reminded to take care of themselves. All my life, I’ve watched women put their needs and desires on the back burner while they pretty much served up every part of themselves to everyone else. We extol the virtues of sacrificial mothers and wives as if martyrdom is necessarily their calling, as if any attention to self makes them less selfless–or, worse, selfish.
Some of us are wired for such giving of ourselves, but just in case you have convinced yourself that everyone is entitled to all of you and all of your time, let me be clear: It’s not selfish to put on hold for a moment all the things and all the people vying for every bit of you. It is imperative that you pour some of your time and energy into yourself–to do something that makes you happy, that frees you, that heals you, or makes you giddy.
You can’t help others with only bits and scraps. You have to be balanced and whole–well, healthy–to help others, and you won’t be if you’re only serving others.
So go on. Plan to do something just for you–even if that means doing absolutely nothing.
The world around you is not going to fall apart if you take a little better care of yourself. –S.C. Lourie, Butterflies and Pebbles.
Alcohol Ink Sunflower, Made by Christine B.
I’ve been receiving sunflower cards all year, and there are many I have yet to share on the blog, so I’ve decided to end NaBloPoMo 2019 with Sunflower Week.
This is the perfect day to begin, since I ended my last Sunflower Week exactly a year ago.
The card above was made by Love Noter Christine B, my most prolific pen friend. She seems to always know when to send a sunflower, when I need a reminder of Light. This one came right at the beginning of the academic year as I was navigating a lot of stuff.
A couple of weeks before receiving Christine’s sunflowers, another pen friend, Eileen V, tagged me in a Facebook post about sunflower behavior on cloudy days. Whereas sunflowers turn toward the sun when it is shining bright, the poster, Jodi H, announced–skeptically–that sunflowers turn toward each other to share their energy when there is no sun.
Jodi went on:
Now, let’s apply this reflection to our lives. Many people become low-spirited, and the most vulnerable ones, sometimes become depressed. How about following the example of the beautiful sunflowers, i.e., supporting and empowering each other.
This is a beautiful thought and it creates a moving image, but it is not accurate. Sunflowers do not turn toward each other on cloudy days. Instead, they face the direction of the sun regardless.
See these “sciencey” articles for more information:
There is truth in the idea that we don’t have to walk through dark moments alone. We can turn to our loved ones and friends for energy and light when we face difficulties. And we can be sure to make ourselves available to help others as they go through their own challenges.
Whenever I receive a sunflower, it serves as a reminder to “face the Sun.” It is also a gift, an offering of strength and light.
Pics and Posts 