Jill Got (More) Mail

Jill received another carton this week, this time from Sherry in Canada.
Here is her post:
http://meanderingmuse.blogspot.com/2008/03/art-in-carton-3.html

And here is the link to Sherry's own post about the cartons she sent out.
The pictures are great!
I'm looking forward to my own carton arriving any day now!
http://espritdart.blogspot.com/2008/03/art-in-mail.html

Beaded Icicle Doll

I'm on a beading fling at the moment. Though I'm no great beader, I find it peaceful and satisfying to do a few rows of simple beading while (not really) watching TV in the evenings. This one is already winging its way to someone, and her sisters are chomping at the bit in the hope of making their own journeys in the near future. Most are destined for Art In A Carton, though at least one will be heading off into the world as a RAK in April.

Art In A Carton RAK

Shakti was AIAC rakked by Jill.Read all about it and see what Shakti received:

http://shaktiji.blogspot.com/2008/03/been-rakd.html

I Got Mail!

Today I received a beautiful Easter weekend surprise carton from Chantal. I wasn't home when the postman delivered it this morning, so he left it with my neighbour, Fred. I unpacked the carton while we were drinking coffee this afternoon, and you should have seen Fred's eyes widen with each little package I unwrapped. (He doesn't pretend to understand artistic types, but before he tosses things away, he does now ask if I can use them...)

The carton contained a Madonna/goddess ATC, a gorgeous tiny handmade journal, and a heart and beads ornament in a classy gold box. The blue envelope in the foreground contains two of Chantal's MOO cards, which are collectable in themselves.

This was a simply lovely surprise for a bitterly cold and snowy Saturday!

Maxi Matchboxes

These is one of two large matchboxes I made yesterday for Art In A Carton. Again, one is posted here and the other on Art Angelix.

http://artangelix.blogspot.com/

Both are decorated with paper and ribbons, wire and buttons. I had quite a few "voyage" images, so the boxes have a loose voyage theme. Each box contains little topic-related surprises for the recipients to use in their own art.

Collector's Chest

This is one of two chests of drawers I finished off today for inclusion in the cartons I'll be sending out on Tuesday. You can see one here, and the other is posted on Art Angelix.

http://artangelix.blogspot.com

It's sometimes challenging to thing up projects that will slot into a carton and still be substantial, but these matchbox chests fit the bill and are fun to make.

Each of the drawers is filled with little surprises the recipients can use in their own art.

Four New Participant Artists

The special email address I set up for the project proved to be difficult to access. When I finally got into the mailbox the other day, I found four requests to participate. I've just added three to the participating artists' blog role on the right (scroll down). I'm still waiting for the fourth artist to send me her address, so I can add her, too.

Marilyn Wells (Alabama, USA)
http://unshelvedwords08.blogspot.com/

Jan Bartlett (Nevada, USA)
http://artastics-threads.blogspot.com

Connie Williams (Hawaii, USA)
http://cettacheese.blogspot.com/

A Post on Jill's Blog

Read Jill's post about the carton she received from Anna:
http://meanderingmuse.blogspot.com/2008/03/art-in-carton-2.html

Carton Received From Jill

Today's post brought not one but two cartons! These are the first cartons I've received, and I'm delighted!

Jill's carton contained a beautiful fabric square with a flower and leaves in shades of pink and yellow. It's difficult to see on the photo, but Jill has embroidered shiny running stitches along the lines for emphasis.

The package also contained a delightful mini book with a brocade cover. It's just the perfect thing to pop in one's handbag to capture thoughts during the day.

And of course, I absolutely adore the goddess paper doll and will find a fitting place for her in my flat.

Carton Received From Anna

Anna's carton was a delight, too. Anna is a fabric artist from England whose work I admire greatly. Her carton contained a little goddess art doll which is hand embroidered.

The carton also contained a hand embroidered fabric ATC, which is going to look just beautiful in one of the clear plastic pockets of my new wall display. (I finally found one of those shower curtains with lots and lots of pockets.)

The third item in Anna's carton blew me away: it's a a gorgeous embroidered pouch made of hand-dyed silk carrier rods. The blues are so lovely and so harmonious!

Be sure to take a look at Anna's blog and see more of her incredible work for yourself. Anna has posted about Art In A Carton on her blog. She also shows some close-up detail from the pouch:

http://annanowicki.blogspot.com/2008/02/wish-i-could-do-one-thing-at-time.html

Sherry's Carton Posts

Sherry, one of the Art In A Carton artists, has written two posts on her blog about Art In A Carton.

This one is about the project in general:
http://espritdart.blogspot.com/2008/02/art-in-carton-wonderful-idea.html

This post contains a psychadelic slide show of what Sherry found in her carton:
http://espritdart.blogspot.com/2008/03/check-out-my-slide-show.html