Kindness

My luck with raffles and such is woeful.   I did once win a bamboo back-scratcher when I was about 10 years old.   Whatever happened to that, I wonder.....?

However, Cathy from One Pink Goose had organised a GiveAway on her blog and although I rarely jump on the bandwagon, I so love her work that I thought I would throw my hat in the ring.   (Takes some doing, simultaneously jumping on a bandwagon while throwing your hat in the ring.)     And, lo and behold - I didn't win!   However, Cathy has such a generous nature that she not only had a main recipient, she devised a way for several lucky runners-up to receive prints of her work.   So I am now the more-than-delighted owner of The Hen Collector.   Isn't she just great and wouldn't Fanny, Madge and Hilda love to be carried around in little baskets?   Thank you Cathy.

Cindy, who lives on the coast in Northern California, is another of life's naturally generous folk.   She's a fellow pebble fanatic and bought some handmade felted versions from my Etsy shop and we had some lovely correspondence as a result.   Isn't it funny how you can know you like someone even from the briefest of emails?  

Anyhoo, Cindy was desperately keen to send me some real pebbles from the shore near her home and although the postal service spirited away Cindy's first package, the second one arrived this morning.   Aren't they beauties?   I couldn't love them more - a heart, a coal black one, one with a kiss on it, three that are perfect for stacking and two very special agates with exquisite markings.   All the way from the Pacific Shore - magic.   I wonder if Cindy looks like me when she's beach-combing?   Bent over like a half-shut knife so as not to miss anything on the way out and bent over like a half-shut knife with the weight of pebbles in the pockets on the way back.   Thank you Cindy.

And I hope Lesley (her wonderful blog:  PrintedMaterial) won't mind me showing you the most magnificent hand-made notebook she sent me.  It's been a very inspiring little book and is now my very favourite.  It goes everywhere with me, so that I can quickly jot down notes and ideas before they vanish in that gaping cavity between my ears.    I've never been very good at working through creative ideas in a lengthy way, most often just jumping in and getting on with it, but Lesley's beautiful book with its tempting pages has helped me work in a different way and one I'm really enjoying and benefitting from.     It even came to the V & A with me last week!

And, gulp, some adorable buttons - did I mention before that I go weak at the knees at the sight of mother-of-pearl?  OK, maybe once or twice I did.   And a humungous bundle of luggage labels - which is leading to a little project that I have in hand - all the notes for which are safely stored in my little blue handmade notebook.    Thank you Lesley.

So much kindness in the world, isn't there?

Hope you're all having a wonderful week, whatever you're doing!