in the form of these wonderful little 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inch ATCs is one of my favorite things to do. And I have recently received some beauties I want to share. First is the Second Annual Valentine ATC Swap (with goodies) hosted by the very talented Amy.
Such a lovely collection from Deborah, Meg, Rose, Mary and Sarah. Lots of beautiful stitchwork and collage in these ATCs. I love all of them! And am so grateful to Amy for finding the time to host yet another amazing swap. The card in the middle came from her, filled with lovely surprises as is her tradition.
Another Valentine ATC surprise came from my dear friend Julie, who I met through this swap. She doesn't have a blog, but often shares photos of her projects. She is so talented and creates such beautiful things out of paper, I really think she ought to start her own blog so more people could see her amazing work. Julie sent me one of her beautiful pieces, this is so sweet...thanks so much Julie!
When I saw one of Tina's ATCs on the Wednesday Stamper site, I commented on it and we arranged a trade. She sent me one last December, then the other as a Happy New Year greeting. Her collage work is so lovely and inspiring. She even creates artfully designed envelopes to send these in which is so exciting to see among the other mail.
This next wonderful trio came from the very thoughtful, spiritual and always generous Teresa who last year challenged herself to make three ATCs for 25 of her blog friends. A huge endeavor that I believe she has come close to finishing. Teresa and I had met a few occasions on swaps, so we were familiar with one another, but I was so impressed she took the time to learn more about me so she was able to carefully select three words that came to mind when she thought of me. She knows I travel a lot for my work and here is what she came up with. These mean so much to me.
There's more! I've become a HUGE fan of some artists I've met at Flickr. When someone posts an ATC that is "up for trade" I'm always eager to swap. This is how I got these two original artwork pieces from Annette in Norway. I love everything that Carambatack creates. She posts new ATCs daily and it's so hard to resist wanting to trade for ALL of them. These are both so beautiful.
This next one is from Emmy in Holland. I LOVE all of Cramzy's textile work...I could browse through her Flickr photos for hours feeling so inspired. This piece is so gorgeous with all it's color and texture and you'll just have to believe me because this photo does not do justice to her amazing work.
Another textile artist I just can't get enough of is the amazingly talented Ruth Rae. I first found her at flickr and have now become a huge fan of her blog as well. She turns paper and fabric and lace and other interesting materials into such magical works of art. She is involved in so many interesting textile swaps I can only dream about. I just marvel at her creative mind. Some of my favorite works of hers can be found here, here and here. But there is so much more, just explore all of her photos. We did a little trade and now I have my own piece of her work to marvel at. The Tree of Life.
Finally, my most recent addition to my vast collection arrived in the mail yesterday. I'm not sure if I can express with words how meaningful these cards are to me. They were given to me by Marianne as the sweetest gesture of "thanks" for being supportive of the creativity I see on her site. I love both of these ATCs. Both are beautiful collage works with original ink drawings. The Japanese girl doll is so sweet and the tree, well, you must know by now how much I love trees.
Thank you ALL so much for sharing your beautiful artwork with me. I treasure every one of these.
