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Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Love.

"A Friend is a Gift You Give Yourself" ~ Robert Louis Stevenson

When I started this blog adventure, one of the first blogs I followed was Windrock Studio.  My reasons were simple.  She lives in Colorado and her posts are lovely, thoughtful, and from the heart.  And she and her guy make beautiful art.  From those humble beginnings, the roots of a friendship took hold.  My life has been forever changed by her kindness, humor, and sincerity.
She is Susan.
If you haven't been to her blog, you should go.  Her husband Larry makes clay people that ooze with personality.  How he captures the vibe of real people in these characters is the true artwork.  It must come from  years of observing people in their everyday environments.  Susan works primarily with fabrics and lace, adding ceramics, charms, branches, feathers, photos, whatever the artwork needs to be complete.  Quotes are used in the vast majority of Susan's pieces.  She will quote anyone, as long as the saying is relevant to the feeling of the work.
In the past, Susan worked with leather and made THE most beautiful bags (Go!  Look!  FRINGE!!!!!).  Recently, she has moved from leather into denim and is making bags that are functional art.  She took all that was good in her fabric wall hangings, her knowledge in how to make a good bag, added a lot of denim as the main support, a touch of those magical charms and details and quotes, and voila ~ Love Note Totes!
The girls and I received a surprise package back in June and this superlovinggoodness was in it :




 For The Sunshine Girl







"There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it."  ~ Edith Wharton

That is the quote on the Love Note Tote Susan sent for the Sunshine Girl.

From the day it arrived, Sunshine has kept a book in it, along with chapstick, a ponytail holder, and occasionally her eyeglass case.  When it is not out and about, it is right where I photographed it ~ in her room, on a hook, waiting for the next outing.










We love this sweet back pocket!



Sunshine Girl loves tiny things and this was right up her alley :-)




















For The Bug





This is what Susan sent the Bug...this quote is PERFECT for her personality.  And the photo is too! The little piece of antler dangling off the strap is the added touch that completes this  bag.  The Bug loves this bag and really loved the thought of someone whom she has never met took the time to make this for her :-)







For Me

I got a little teary when I opened my bag.  There were a few reasons.  The quote is one I live by, though I never heard it until this tote.  I am shaped by what I love...not external pressures of trends, finances, or keeping up with the Jones'.  The Garden of the Gods, the rocks in this picture, is one of my favorite places to go to in Colorado.  When guests would come visit me when I lived in Colorado, it was an easy place to get to so they could see something beautiful but walk easily as they acclimated to the altitude.   That would usually be a Day 1 place.  I saved higher elevations and more strenuous walks for later in the week :-) The lace leaves...I love leaves the most.  Flowers are Lovely but give me leaves any day!!!  And the last teary reason was in the receiving of something that had come from Susan's warm, loving hands.
I keep beading books, beading magazines, beading supplies in mine.  And a book of Leonard Cohen Poetry :-)




If these three beauties weren't enough. Susan included beads, feathers (! i love them like i love leaves !),  couple ceramic leaves made by Larry, and a few copies of the Pikes Peak Bulletin.  Larry is the editor for that newspaper.  The handwritten note meant as much to me as the Love Note Totes ~ there is something about seeing someone's handwriting that excites me so!  


Please take sometime to go see what makes Windrock Studio so special.  It feels like home...the kind of home with the sun shining in every window, a whisper of a breeze blowing through the front porch, and a welcoming warm hug that greets you just as your eye catches the margarita pitcher. 


10 comments:

Amy S. said...

Wow!! These items are spectacular and so super thoughtful!!! I popped over to Windrock Studio and added them to my blogfeed. I think I'll enjoy them a lot too! :) Thanks for sharing these lovely gifts for all of us to see!

windrock studio said...

You are just the bee's knees, my friend! What a pure surprise this morning to get a glimpse of the totes in your home ... thank you for all this, so much, I'm going to go look at it all again.
and thank you, Amy!

AntiquityTravelers said...

what an amazing friendship you guys share! you can tell by how you wrote this, and how individual each gift was to each of you. absolutely wonderful post!

Maryanne said...

What a wonderful friendship you have! The totes are wonderful and so individual to each of you. This was a beautiful post and it was a great way to start my day!

Unknown said...

What a lovely post, the bags are amazing, I love how personal they are for each of you. Spreading love a beautiful thing!

Therese's Treasures said...

Hi Christine,
This is a wonderful post so full of love and a lasting friendship. Susan did an awesome job on the love totes capturing you and your girls personalities perfectly. Gifts that will be cherished for a lifetime.
Therese

Alicia said...

Love is indeed the subject of this post - and the root of your beautiful friendship. Enjoy your gifts and their simple love!

Honey from the Bee said...

How wonderful that her friendship and thoughtfulness touched each one of you so profoundly. The totes are really beautiful in so many ways. She surely is touched by your post, too.

Patti Vanderbloemen said...

Funny...I thought I commented when this post published...I must have forgotten to hit "publish"..ugh....

I just loved reading this-with so much negativity "out there", it is so refreshing to read about this very special friendship across the miles. Wonderful, handmade and "personalized" gifts that will summon the memories of friendship through the years!

Miss Val's Creations said...

What a talented couple! I just stopped by their wonderful blog. :) I love you and your daughters' bags. They are perfect for so many uses.