With a Little Help from my Friends no. 2

This week's featured artists are very near and dear to my heart..as well as talented!  Please meet my good friends, and fellow Texas artists, Gwen and Pat Knieff.

Gwen is a woman of many talents, which she currently showcases in her BaiBai Emporium shop on Zibbet.  She creates adorable little fairies, just bubbling with personality.  The tiny details that she paints on their faces are amazing!  She pours the molds, paints and fires them, then dresses each fairy and gives it a home and a personality!   This is Fairy Joan

                                        and this is Geraldine Showing off her Crystal

Gwen's equally talented husband, Pat, is a photographer who sells his art on Fine Art America.  You can find him at Pat Knieff Art.  
His works range in subject from stunning beauty to downright funny!
Here are a couple of favorites:

                                                                    Delicate Flowers

Beautiful Fowl




                        




               And this fine piece to make you laugh:

                                         Unique Hair Piece









Gwen and Pat are new to the online world of arts and crafts.  Stop by their shops and show them some love!  Tell them Texas Eagle sent you!

With a Little Help from my Friends no. 1

Have you missed me yet? 
This poor old blog has been sadly neglected for many months.  I'm hopeful that my plans for a new weekly feature will get me back doing what I truly enjoy - sharing beauty and inspiration through this site.
First, as an excuse, I'll explain that our house burned down last November and has been a constant drain of time and energy for 6 long months.  But, as usual, the blessings outnumber the hardships:  1)nobody was injured;  2)we already had a new home under construction;  3)the rebuild has created a fresh new space; 4) the kindness of friends and neighbors has been overwhelming;  and on and on. 

 

With this major task behind me, I'm pleased to announce my plans for a weekly post featuring one or more of my amazing artisan friends.  I take much pleasure (and find sanity) in creative endeavors.  These folks inspire me, advise me, and promote our works.  I'm pleased to start this first edition by featuring the wonderful and varied works of my friend Becky West!

  Rockers III 

Refreshment

Lighthouse VIIII 

Sample Bag

Build your Own Necklace components

So grab a cuppa tea, sit and enjoy the wonderful creations that Becky has available.   You can find her at Body & Soul by RWest Designs, Rebeccas Jewelry, and at Rebecca West Art on FAA.

 She's one amazing gal, I can vouch for that!

 

Finding Christmas

Words can't begin to explain the Joy and Peace we've been given this year for Christmas.  You see, we have FRIENDS all over the world, and Friends are the BEST Presents!

2012 has been an unbelievably hard year for our family.  Our son Chris (born on Christmas day many years ago) lost his battle with diabetes in March.  We spent our last few weeks with him while also dealing with a house that had been flooded by a backed up sewer line.  Nine days after he left us, as the house was beginning to take shape again, a second flood was forced upon us and we had to start over again.  Another son took over the refurbishment, and we continued our quest to build our dream home in the piney woods of East Texas.  Building a home is stressful under the finest of circumstances, but progress was made with my hubby's endless energy and persistence.  Then came that dreaded call in the night telling us the family home (yes, the one with 2 floods already) was on fire!  Praise God - our son, a friend and the pets were able to escape.  Morning brought visions of charred rafters and ceilings now covering the floors.  Thankful, but tired, we began the dreaded business of insurance claims, clean up and rebuild.   And so it continued.....but then it hit me - the fire had stolen what little Christmas the year had left us!  Forty years worth of decorations had been in that attic!  All the handmade projects - the thumbprint mice on wooden spoons, the painted and glittering pine cones, the salt dough treasures lovingly crafted with tiny hands.  They were gone, or totally covered with smoke and soot!  So it was decided - NO CHRISTMAS this year!  No tree, no lights, maybe not even any presents. 

But then our family and friends stepped in.  An enormous second-hand tree was supplied by our daughter, along with thousands of lights.  My fellow shop-owners at Zibbet.com began shipping ornaments on a daily basis. Other online friends read my joyful posts and soon joined the effort.  The postmaster declared the good news of more boxes arriving to a crowded lobby, so soon my neighbors joined in the giving.  The outpouring of love is beyond amazing!  It has rekindled our spirits, awakened a lost hope, and brought unknown joy.  And now we have the most amazingly beautiful "Friendship Tree" to remind us forever of our blessings.

We have always given to others - it's just "what you do".  Our kids were raised giving blankets and singing carols at the nursing home; going with Papa to deliver baskets to the poor; selecting an angel and buying gifts from their own allowances; dropping every bit of change in that red kettle.  Giving and Christmas were one and the same.  Now we've experienced the joy of being on the receiving end, and what a blessing this has been!  My friends have given up beloved treasures, crafted one of a kind delights, and most importantly - shared their hearts.  We are blessed beyond measure.  Our cup runneth over.  Thank you dear friends!

Merry Christmas!!!!

Joy to the World!

These are just a few of the many gifts of love we've received.  You can see the whole album on my FaceBook page here.

Two Dogs, A Cat, and A Goat

Life's little lessons are all around us - just ask the animals! 

We live in a wildlife preserve in a small community in the East Texas Piney Woods.   Watching the native animals is one of the delights of living here.  Deer, fox, mountain lions and bobcats are as common as cats and dogs.  But it's those cats and dogs that caught my attention in the last few days.

Our kitten Molly, a "gift" from a building contractor, has grown up with our pup, Keely.  Miss Keely is an Australian Shepherd mix weighing in at nearly 70 lbs and is full of spunk and energy.  She can pull me down in an instant.  And even though she often carries Molly in her mouth, she's as gentle as can be!  They roll and tumble but both always come out unscathed!  So last week I catch them in the pantry; Molly on the top shelf opening the bag of doggie treats.  She reaches in and helps herself to some broken pieces, then gently nudges a whole treat to the floor for her partner in crime. What teamwork!  I punished them with more treats and pondered the idea of animals sharing and loving each other.

Around the same time, I started hearing tales of a stray dog in the neighborhood - a splendid Great Pyrenees. It too has a loyal companion, a goat!  The two have been sighted numerous times over the last two weeks, and always together.  They've been seen strolling calmly down the lane, hiding in garages on cold nights, and wandering through the woods.   Nobody knows where they came from, what bonded them together, or even where they will end up.  Undoubtedly they work together to survive. 

This odd couple brings to mind the lovely friends I've made.  Many of you come from totally different backgrounds, even different parts of the globe.   Our religious and political views could not be farther apart.  Yet, still, we honor those differences and work together as friends.  We promote each other and our favorite stars. We share inspirations and sorrows.  We lift each other up.  We walk together down life's pathways together.

 What would I do without my friends?  

Reflections on Life

Last week we lost a 3 year old cousin in a terrible accident.  We graduated a grandson from high school.  We hospitalized my father-in-law.  It was a week of highs and lows, a real roller-coaster ride.  It was also a time for much reflection on the important things in life, and these 3 stand out: Faith, Family and Friends.

Faith brings that peace that passes understanding; knowing the family will hold that sweet child in their arms again some day.  Family joins hands and shares hugs and tears in joy and sadness.  And friends make life sweeter with their words and prayers of kindness.  I am blessed with all three in abundance, and I am thankful for those that walk with me in this circle of life!

Sending a note of Thankfulness and Blessings to all my friends and loved ones. This cold and dreary month of February is a perfect time to take stock of life's priorities. Faith, family and friends come to the forefront for me. I'm very blessed to have them all - in good measure.

Take some time to tell someone how much they mean to you. It will bless you both.

Notecards available at our shop - www.texaseagle.etsy.com