Sunday, January 04, 2009

Gifts from and for friends...



Remember when I made a doll for a trade with an amazing young (10 years old) artist? Well I was lucky enough to have her here for a visit over the Christmas holidays.



She is an absolute delight, I enjoyed her company very much while she was here. She came all the way from Texas by car with her family and hand delivered the painting she made for me.


It is my favorite Christmas present.

I have another friend, Anne, she lives in Minnesota and is talented in so many different mediums. She draws, paints, sews, quilts, knits and most recently has taken classes in felting.



Such a wonderful surprise when this beautiful felted bowl landed all wrapped up on my porch. Am I lucky or what? The dimensions - 7 inches in diameter and 4 inches tall - or is that deep?

I love the colors and the flower in the bottom is the perfect touch. I really like how it feels in my hands. I can't adequately describe how pretty it really is in person.


And the detail... look at the outer edge, I think the next time we visit we just might have a felting day planned!



Last is the doll I just finished. This for a special friend I met not long ago.


The doll form is 5 inches tall and was made by Ronda Kivett, she also made the polymer clay face. Her doll forms and faces are available for purchase on her website if you would like one of your own to bead.



There are so many thoughts that ran through my mind while beading this form, thoughts of when I met this sweet person and the time we spent together. Many nice memories woven into these beads.



I don't know if she has somewhere she can stand the doll, so I added a loop to hang it up if she so desires.



Here she is - making herself at home in my new felted bowl.

17 comments:

Lisa Peters Russ said...

Wow..a 10 year old painted that? When can she start giving me lessons? Delightful blog today Grace!

Anonymous said...

Is the beading on the doll done by stitching or glue? I am not a beader so am in wonder at all the sewing involved if it is indeed stitched.

GraceBeading said...

Hi Lisa... you and me both, I'd love some lessons from her! Glad you enjoyed today's post.

SuSaw - Nice to see you here! I hope you come back to read the comments, I was going to respond to you personally via email, but there wasn't one available. Each and every bead is stitched to the doll form, sometimes one at a time, sometimes more than that - never more than 4 beads at a time on this particular doll using a small variety of stitches. I could not bear to dip my precious beads in glue and possibly limit their sparkle (okay, well I did once for a project using a clam shell - that's a few posts back). This doll is about 5 inches tall, and took about 1/2 of an 80 yard spool of beading thread to complete. Feel free to ask away if you have any other questions. There are also several links to tutorials on my blog listed over on the right hand side -------> about half way down the blog.

Lynn said...

Oh Grace, what amazing gifts! That painting makes me sigh and your bowl is so sweet. Your doll is wonderful. I love that touch of blue you added.

flyingbeader said...

Okay that painting is AMAZING! Can't believe a 10 year old did that. Love the doll, but then those ARE my favie colors.

dot

GraceBeading said...

Thanks Lynn... thanks Dot! Sometimes I feel like the luckiest girl alive by crossing paths with so many nice (and talented) people.

Carol- Beads and Birds said...

Hi Grace
Well, you had a wonderful Christmas. The gifts are especially nice because they were made for you. And how wonderful that you have this special relationship with a 10 year old artist.

Happy New Year

Ellen said...

What wonderful treasures you have shared today Grace. The painting is delightful & all the more so because the artist is so young, she is very talented. That felted bowl is fantastic, I love the flower inside & the edging on the outside is a perfect touch to give it a little class. Of course the doll you made is lovely as are all your dolls - I have one on the top of my bead nest that came from you ~ smile ~ So I know how beautiful your beading is

Dulcey said...

What a wonderful group of pictures - I love your doll, adding the blue was an excellent choice!

Timaree said...

Sounds like you have a real budding artist little friend. She looks like she takes her art very seriously which is really good.

Your doll looks super as usual and I am quite sure she'll be well appreciated.

What a different bowl to enjoy. Lucky, lucky you. :)

Pursuing Art... said...

Oh Grace...what a beautiful picture you received for Christmas from a very talented and beautiful young girl! I remember the doll trade and the pictures she made for you before. Wow...just amazing and she's only ten! I bet she was fun to have over the holidays and I'm sure she enjoyed spending time with you!

You are a lucky girl! The felted bowl from Anne is gorgeous...love the colors, the flower and the scalloped edge too! She is so talented! Grace, I hope you don't mind...Hi Anne! This felted bowl is beautiful! You are so talented!! I wish you'd start a blog and share with us!!! ~wink~

Your new doll is as beautiful and sweet as ever!!! I love the colors and the hint of blue you used...YUM! She is delightful and I know she'll be loved and adored.

Hugs to you...~Lisa ;-)

Murphy said...

Hi Grace,
Your new doll is beautiful!
I love those boobs...they make me think about little bundt cakes!:-)
What beautiful gifts you got there too! Your young friend is incredibly talented!
I have a question:
How did you keep the furry kids from being part of the Christmas tree ornaments?
Oh and since I'm just catching up with posts, I just have to tell you how much I love the pics of the ice storm. I have never seen anything like that in real life.
You live in a very beautiful place!
I'm so sorry about the damages, though.
Those close up photos are amazing too!
Thank you so much for sharing all these beauties!
I wish you a Wonderful 2009!
Purrs & meows,
Saby

girlgonethreadwild said...

gaga over that bowl and painting!

Thank you for spreading the love yet again Grace!

I always have a FULL heart when I leave here...

Zorana said...

You received really wonderful gifts! Isn't it amazing when kids are so talented! What a painting! And the felt bowl must feel as nice as it is to look at. Your doll is amazing! I can't imagine how patient you have to be to work with beads like that. The details and texture of it is just beautiful. xo

Robin said...

Oh Grace, this whole post, everything about it, just warms my heart! I love your trade and the picture you received, that you got to spend time with her, the bowl and your latest doll! Your heart glows!

Robin A.

Dot said...

Oh my goodness - your 10 year old friend is so talented! I am sure she loved spending time with you.

And the beaded doll you made for your friend is beautiful (I am always amazed at how your designs and the beads you use are gorgeous).

I am buying beads every week now - my beading addiction has well and truly taken hold :)

GraceBeading said...

Ha... I try so hard to keep up, I really do! Thanks Carol, I feel just as you described, so special to know such a talented little girl.

Ellen - SO good to see you out and about, fun stuff, huh? I have to pinch myself sometimes to make sure I'm awake. Sounds like the doll I made for you has a nice spot for bead watching - lucky little thing.

Thanks Dulcey, glad you like the blue addition.

Timarree - the little girl is truly a joy!

Lisa - I was just telling Anne today about your comment, she will be coming back to read it I think, can you imagine if we talked her into starting a blog???

Murph - the boobs, the girl I made the doll for, referred to boobs as 'chesticles', it gave me such a giggle I had to include some sort of boobs that stood out. The furry kids and Christmas ornaments, hmmmm well, I did find an average of one a day on the ground far away from the tree. They just couldn't resist. The amazing thing... not a one was broken and I had several big hand blown glass balls. I actually found one of the cats climbing the tree trying to get to the angel on top. And it's a FAKE tree! The ones I caught I did squirt with a water bottle (our form of punishment around here). Next year we may have to use fishing line to secure it to the ceiling otherwise we could have a disaster on our hands.

Monica - thank YOU!

Zorana - so good to see you here, I think the very same thoughts when I look at your artwork!

Leaves of Grass

This is what you shall do: Love the earth and sun and the animals, despise riches, give alms to every one that asks, stand up for the stupid and crazy, devote your income and labor to others, hate tyrants, argue not concerning God, have patience and indulgence toward the people, take off your hat to nothing known or unknown or to any man or number of men, go freely with powerful uneducated persons and with the young and with the mothers of families, read these leaves in the open air every season of every year of your life, re-examine all you have been told at school or church or in any book, dismiss whatever insults your own soul, and your very flesh shall be a great poem and have the richest fluency not only in its words but in the silent lines of its lips and face and between the lashes of your eyes and in every motion and joint of your body - Walt Whitman