Fun in the Mail

I love it when fun things arrive in the mail. Not bills or junk mail, but really fun things. Sometimes they're things I've ordered, since I do a lot of online shopping (I'm so lazy when it comes to visiting stores), and sometimes they're things I'm not even expecting.

One of the coolest things that showed up recently is a print of an illustration by the very talented Athena Workman, the artist who created Miss Millificent's World - and a wonderful world it is! Athena recently held a giveaway on her blog, and I entered. Her art is so whimsical and spooky at the same time that I couldn't resist. I don't really enter very many giveaways, so the odds of my winning one are probably pretty slim. Well, I won. And a few days after I won, I received this print in the mail.
Isn't that cool?!?!? The print is entitled Mistaken for a Real Fish, and if you think it looks neat in the image here, you should see the full size (8.5" x 11") print. It's such fun!! Check out Athena's blog to see her newest illustrations that feature lemurs. They're adorable!!!

The other neat stuff that showed up in the mail is my order from Amazon. I love books. I have hundreds of them (you can check out a small listing of them on the Shelfari graphic at the bottom of this page), and I read all the time. I use books and magazines to teach myself how to do things. I'm much more comfortable sitting down and reading a set of well-written instructions than I am sitting through a class. I've learned how to knit, crochet, beadweave, and all sorts of other things from books. They're truly an addiction.

I don't know right now how many books I have on beading, but it's a lot. That didn't stop me from ordering new ones though. Books are a constant source of inspiration for me. They're like my friends. :-)

Wanna see which ones I just received in the mail?
This one: Bead International 2008 & Beyond Basketry
And boy, is it filled with inspiration!!! It almost makes me want to take up basketweaving in addition to beadweaving, but I'm going to resist.

And this one: Creative Beading, Vol. 3: The Best Projects from a Year of Bead&Button Magazine
Even though I have a subscription to the magazine, it's kind of nice having a bunch of projects in a single book.


And finally, this one: Masters: Beadweaving: Major Works by Leading Artists (Masters (Lark Books))
This one, as you'd expect from reading the title, is filled with unbelievably beautiful beadwoven projects. If you're ever looking for inspiration, pick up a copy of this. You won't believe your eyes. In fact, if you're ever looking for an inspirational book in arts and crafts, check out the Lark Books. They're all wonderful (I own quite a few of them, and I'm even going to have something published in one that's due out this fall!).
Time to look through my new books!
:-)