The most satisfying and enjoyable part of the holidays, besides getting to spend time with my kids, was making something for a dear friend. My friend Linda is one of the best people I know, and I felt she deserved something special. After all, she has to put up with me every day at work; she listens to my whining and my dumb jokes, and is still willing to help me in any way she can. She makes me laugh every day, a talent which, as a special education teacher, I value immensely. She is endlessly generous and thoughtful; for example, two of her Christmas gifts to me were a vintage brooch and a vintage book of maps! I could say a lot more, but I don't want to get too sappy, so I'll stop there. Anyway, here's the collage I made for her.
"Linda", 6 3/8" x 7"
Ingredients: vintage music book page, vintage map fragments, acetate, hosta bloom, stamps,
thread spool label, watercolor pencil, stamped letters, glass beads, buttons, on multimedia art board.
I tried to include in the collage items and images that are important parts of her life, that make her who she is. She is a seamstress and quilter, and a piano teacher. (How serendipitous is it that I found, in a music book she gave me, a song titled with her name?) She is a gardener, and likes to make beaded jewelry. I also included, (hopefully), all the states in which she has lived.
Making this was a lot fun, and so much more personal than going out and buying some generic gift. I also made my son's girlfriend a necklace, which she seems to like. I've made up my mind to make even more gifts next year- so I guess I'll need to start earlier! Uh-oh.... maybe I should start now...
