The Gift of Friendships

I have been blessed with wonderful friends my whole life. I've known Becky since I was 5 and she seems more like a sister as a friend.  She and I had a nice long conversation this evening....and because we have a shared past there is a depth of understanding that goes beyond the words we share. 

And one of my newest friends is Lynne who I got to know through this blog. I still have not met her in person but feel connected to on so many levels and I just got a little package from Lynne with a few of her creations. She knows I am inspired by her art...and she is very tuned into the many layers that are happening in my life these days...her gift came at just the right time.

And...there are dozens of amazing friendships in between who foster my creativity, lift me up, and make me laugh or smile right when I need it. I am truly blessed with friendships.

Lynne's gift included 4 beautiful homemade cards she made from torn floral images collaged over  painted background pages from a repurposed art journal. The torn edges against the textures of the negative space create a wonderful effect! I'm going to borrow the idea!

Lynne's package also came with a note on the back of card #57 of her 67 Day Project inspired by my 100 Day Project a few years ago.  I told her 67 was the perfect place to stop.  The 67 Day Project has a nice ring to it!

Without hesitation I trimmed up her card and stitched it into my Sketchbook Challenge book that I started a little while back....it paired well with one of my first gel print experiments I had already added to the book.  The print was done on a map using a piece of string as a mask.

I added a cutout from another gel print in the crease of the page tying the two pages together. 

I love that Lynne's note is still visible on the back....and something "Lynne inspired" will go on the opposite page. Oh how I dream of those endless days in the studio!

But for today....I'm grateful for the gift of friendships.

Then this showed up at our door this evening from Janice (delivered by her elf husband Jay)! How lucky are we! It's pretty clear what we'll be having with my morning coffee! 

Gotta' love the gift of friends! JOY!