I Feel Special!

One of the blogs I stumbled upon during the One World One Heart event was Li's My Thoughts My Voice.

Li was offering up an adorable crocheted kokeshi doll and I wanted to be the winner so badly. But I wasn't. :(

I contacted Li and asked her if I could buy one. She told me absolutely not - she would make me one - just because I asked! How special is that?!?

Well, she arrived safely at my doorstep all the way from the Philippines and she brought with her a handful of wishing stars.

How sweet is she? I just can't stop looking at her! Every tiny stitch is perfect. Look at that flower in her hair - what a perfect little detail! And speaking of her hair - it is perfectly straight. Amazing. Li is a super-talented woman!! Not to mention a huge sweetheart :)

Now, back to those wishing stars my little wee one brought with her....

Li tells me it was a magical night and these stars just came tumbling in so she caught some in her jar and is sharing them with me. Really? How fun is that! They are light as air and definitely hold magic, I can tell.

I was so drawn to this little kokeshi because I have 2 dolls that were given to me when I was young and they watch over me as I bead, perched upon a china cabinet-turned beading cabinet. The tall girl is from Vietnam and was given to me by my uncle in 1969 for my 5th birthday. The wooden kokeshi was a gift from my dad who was in Seoul, South Korea, on business in 1976. I always wanted a third doll to join them, since I'm 1 of 3 sisters and I have 3 daughters, it just seemed like I should have 3 dolls. They needed a little sister to join them and Li's wee one was a perfect choice.

But I can't bear to see her so far away from me, so she gets special treatment and will sit right on my beading table surrounded by her magical wishing stars.



Li - thank you from the bottom of my heart! I will treasure her always!!

Look what came in the mail today :)

From all the way across the world, my One World One Heart giveaway came! Thanks to Britt Fairchild, I was gifted these goodies:

A handmade card......

Oh, look at that lace maker - what a head covering, huh?

And a handmade ATC card . . . . .

With a touch of tatting tacked on, too! I've taken a tatting class and after 4 hours I ended up with a piece the size of the ring on this card. Needless to say, I haven't picked up the shuttle since. I know my limits. I'm sticking with the bobbins.

And finally -- whoohoo-- . . . . .

The most adorable neckpiece! It is the perfect size for holding my row counter, scissors and cable stitch needle while I knit! And when I'm not knitting, it's going to make a great accessory to my outfit (which, today by the way, will be chosen specifically to coordinate with this beauty).

Just look at the fine detail Britt stitched on - I love the beads placed in each opening of the chain and the beaded arches over the fuzzy fiber and the tatted flower and the french knots and the beads added to the loop tassel and look at how the cord strap is made by braiding the finer thread around it. Amazing - just adorable! And it's from an Australian Lacemaker - come on, how cool is that????!!!!!

Thanks Britt - you are a fantastic stitcher-lacer-spread the love maker :)

Bye Bye Post-it-Note

The first thing I did this morning was check my blog to pick a winner of the One World One Heart Giveaway. I was planning on doing it the old fashioned way - print out the comments, cut them up and pick one by hand. Ummmm, 41 pages of comments, of various sizes, some split onto the next page. Ok then. That's not going to work. Fine, I'll go all techno and do the random number generator thingy. So without further delay, the winner is:

CONNIE of SHE DREAMS BIG! Congratulations Connie! Stop by her blog - it's great, and so are her creations.

And Lucky Me--I won a stunning necklace from Bridget, a lacemaker from Perth Australia - I've never had such a fun Monday morning!

A big thank you hug to Lisa for organizing this event. It was huge and no way did I get to visit all the blogs I wanted, but the new friends I did get to meet are just great and the wealth of creative souls out there is astounding! What a fun ride it's been. I have new blog friends to follow and new friends following me. Couldn't ask for a better 'prize' :)

This is so Neat!

I received so many hugs from all the OWOH bloggers! Thank you all so much for your kinds words. This is such a blast!

Sandy, a polymer clay artist, told me about Operation Beautiful. Its premise is to help other women remember that they are Beautiful! And my friends, get this--you spread the message by leaving it on a Post-it-Note in places where women can find them (washrooms, dressing rooms, etc.)

Ok, now how perfect does my OWOH giveaway of a Post-it-Note holder fit into that! :D

Thanks Sandy!

One World One Heart

I have been gliding on my own magic carpet meeting new artists and being constantly reminded of the wonderful spirit of fellow bloggers. I couldn't let another day pass without joining in as a participant giver of this kind-hearted project created by Lisa Swifka.

In case you haven't heard, One World One Heart is simply a way to spread the love and meet new people. And what better way to do that than give a handmade gift? So my friends (both old and new), leave me a comment and include a way to contact you - either your blog name, email address or both!




If you happen to be the name I randomly select, I will send you a refillable Post-it-Note holder that has been completely hand stitched and beaded by me! It will be a pretty little addition to your desk or purse.

Even the back has been embellished, because-well, you know, sometimes its just hard to stop beading once you get started!


That's my little logo on the inside (its supposed to be a bleeding heart stem)

So if you could use a handy little note holder,

leave me a comment by Midnight on February 14th

I'll post the lucky new owner on February 15!

And then click on the 'ticket' in my sidebar and take your very own magic carpet ride to other wonderful blogs! But be warned - it may be a long (but happy) journey....... on last count I saw over 800 participants! I would have to say this should be called One World One BIG Heart :)