So there are days when I go out searching for treasures, and then there are days when treasures come to me!
I delivered Pierre to Amy this afternoon. Pierre looked pretty good, after his multiple coats of whitewash... Even though I was a little sad to see him go, it's so much easier for me to create things and let them go if I know that they are going to a special home from the beginning. I left Pierre after a good visit and headed out to my Dad's.
At Dad's we watched a DVD of their trip to Mexico - I'm so inspired by the colors and spirit of Mexico! The folk art is really tremendous, and I was the lucky recipient of some beautiful rocks that they collected for me - granite, quartz, and a piece of coral! I was very excited about the rocks, but Dad was being mysterious, and handed my sister the camera - he wanted her to catch my expression when he handed me something else. I held the plastic bag in my lap - it was pretty heavy, and rather cumbersome. As I unwrapped the plastic from the treasure inside, a horn appeared atop a perfectly gorgeous cattle skull. Are. You. Kidding. Me? Apparently they'd been sleuthing in a few places in the local areas on their visit (including an artist's residence where my uncle held a *not-quite-finished* one... It was a little... meaty... still...
But they remembered that I'd written it on my Christmas list, and have been pining after a skull for a while now (much to my husband's chagrin). But the one that Dad and Kmom found in a little local shop in Mexico (and brought all the way back through customs!?!?!) for me is so beautiful. It has the teeth, and a partial piece of the nasal cavity bone, but the color (bleached by the sun) of the bone, and the dark horns are just lovely. Yes, I'm weird. I know. But if you could just *look* at the curves of the bones, the hollows of the eye sockets that look like ghost caves, the smoothness of the skull cap... You would have to note the beauty that lies in the opposition of simplicity and complexity residing within... *sigh* I am a happy girl.
After lunch we headed to Grandma M's (my step grandmother, who is just a sweet woman, delightful and a *really* great quilter) to look at her collection of quilts that she's made. I thought we'd see about 12 or 15 quilts. But she kept disappearing into the back rooms and bringing out more. They were all so stunning! I've only ever made one quilt, and it was a rather sophomoric effort. I have a great deal of respect for people who can not only do them well, but also *continue* to make them once the initial period of interest for me would have worn off. M's quilts are full of color - her use of brilliant fabrics and vivid and unusual color combinations communicate a modern and artistic vibe. They just kept laying the quilts out - one after another, they were vintage quality with a modern look, and the juxtaposition of the vintage and modern elements bowled me over! These are quilts that belong in an art gallery! I was floored when she said to pick my favorite. There were two that just spoke to me, and when I said it was between those two, she told me to take both. Again - I don't know what planets lined up for me today, but this was just a special day.
Finally, when I arrived home, I was so excited about the quilts and skull that I sent a text message to Amy. Knowing full well that she was running all her last minute errands, I never in a million years expected what happened next - Amy spent the weekend with the flu (not just her, but also her son!) and her daughter had 7 friends over - so her recovery wasn't the easiest. And she's flying out to NoLa tomorrow morning. Early. So her day was spent cleaning, catching up, and trying to get ready. But despite all that, she *still* came over to see the treasures... And she brought me MORE! Amy and I are trading Pierre the Stag for craft supplies, and even though she was so busy, she and her sweet children gathered up some delightful little treats for me! Woo hoo! I can't even list all the things that came to live with me, but there were papers, embellishments, stickers, transfers, buttons, brads, diecuts, gaaaaaaah!!!!!!!!!! I filled up my button jar, and I am so so so happy at these sweet things!
Two gorgeous handmade quilts! Cattle skull! Crafty treats and treasures! What in the world?? Thanks, everybody. I feel *very* loved today.
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