Across The Universe ...or at least Across The Pond!

Some days "Kari-The-Mail-Carrier" fills my mailbox with bills and junk-mail...
Some days she knocks softly on the Dutch-door and leaves a bit of magic behind...
Those of you who read my blog regularly may have come to notice the sweet and often funny comments left by Kate who goes by "PlumCrafty".
Kate and I got to know one another via Craftsters.org - a cool on line community where artists and crafters share their ideas, tutorials, and a lot of support.
Kate lives 'across the Pond' and she has become like another daughter to me.
A bulletin board above my art table shows off the numerous postcards Kate sends me from her adventures around Europe - or right in her own backyard of the London area.

A long white mailing tube proclaiming "Royal Mail" arrived the other day and I was smiling before I even opened it!

IMAGINE my gasp and surprise when I unearthed this treasure!!!

On John's sleeve I placed the IMAGINE 'dog tag charm' that Kate also sent along. It is already on my key chain... each time I look at it I IMAGINE the wonder of the Internet and the friends and 'family' it has given me!

THANK YOU SWEET KATIE...I can't IMAGINE my world without you in it!

I Have Such Cool Friends :)

Tomorrow is my Dad's 92nd birthday. I got this crazy idea of how I would love to have an old photograph of my parents done as a painting for his gift. Of course I am not that kind of artist.

So, I turned to my wonderfully groovy talented friend, Ellen - who is an amazing artist. Ellen was two years ahead of me in high school - and we never knew one another. We did share the same art instructor...and Mr. Cochrane would always share Ellen's work with me when I was taking his Commercial Art classes. I was a huge fan of Ellen, and she didn't even know it!
Years...hmmm...okay...light years later...I was playing around on Classmates.com and I came upon our high school message board. Lo and behold - Ellen had left a post. I quickly replied to her telling her how I was so happy to have found a way to let her know, years later, that I was in awe of her artistic ability.
And a friendship began.
I LOVE the Internet!

So, a few weeks ago I scanned a favorite photo of my parents together. This was taken in 1938, six months after my parents were married in Los Angeles. The photo was taken on the steps of the courthouse in Santa Barbara, California. The coastal town of Santa Barbara has always been a favorite destination for our family all of my life. It is filled with fun memories of long summer days on the beach, walking around the eclectic shops, and savoring all the rich history of the area.

Ellen took a look at this photo and worked her MAGIC...

Thank You Ellen -- you ROCK girlfriend!