Beautiful Work

I fell behind in my blog posts in December - lots going on including a trip to New York with my daughter. At our annual holiday party, we had so many beautiful things to share and so I thought ...why not, it's never too late to share.

Denny has made several of these beautiful bags for holding all kinds of things - the perfect size.

She color codes the different sections with zippers which is such a smart idea - pink for needles, beige for buttons etc...you get the idea.

Mary showed us her latest big piece inspired by her large Japanese fabric collection given to her by a friend. Mary doesn't love Japanese fabric but she does a beautiful job working with these very high energy fabrics.

Our wonderful girlfriend Val (this is her birthday picture) announced that this would be her last meeting with us. Due to health issues, Val is backing out...we're hoping it's only temporary. She has brought so much happiness and inspiration to our gatherings...it won't be the same without her. At our gift exchange, I was lucky enough to get Val's gift and can share with you all the wonderful things she made. We've always said she has magical hands. I often get to be next to her at a meeting and follow what she does, hoping my piece will turn out just a little like hers...but not gonna happen.

First thing in her bag of goodies, was this beautiful handmade book done with Eco prints. Val got us started with this technique, setting up the Eco pot etc. at one of our outdoor meetings at her house.

For these books, she uses a very heavy paper - Khadi paper great for eco printing. These are some of the inside papers in the book.

Val is so clever and innovative in her use of materials - here a doily is popping out as part of a page.

And some trim on the other side.

 The inside of the book is just as magical...

 I loved this book with the unusual closure...

 and beautiful hand painted papers she created.

 And another booklet, each one was more beautiful and interesting than the one before.

  The back and inside...

I love to take them out and keep them close to where I'm working so I can pick them up and soak in the magic. 

This was probably my favorite as she used tissue paper thin paper as a cover and some wonderful hand stitching on the binding. It's very delicate. Most of the inside papers are blank and can used for anything....thoughts, quotes, a small journal.

I was fascinated with the paper that Val used and did a search to see if I could track some down...first place - Dick Blick as they seem to have everything and ....success!

So of course I had to order some.

They are beautiful, luscious and a little bit fragile.

but hopefully, I'll find a way to use them. In the meantime, I'll just drool over them on my studio design wall.

And our super Fiber Junkies group...Love those gals!