Making New Friends....

Sometimes, when we LEAST expect it, the Universe sends someone across our path that really makes a difference in our lives. Sometimes it's a small kindness that makes your heart sing. I recently met a sweet, wonderful woman who helped me ease the transition into a new experience.

I have been an accountant for longer than I care to admit and I really enjoy what I do. In March of 2008 I was laid off from a job I had held for 6 1/2 years. I loved my job and I loved the people I worked with and it was so sad to think I wouldn't be seeing them on a daily basis. I took some time off and then started looking for another position.

Mind you now, my working outside of the home is merely in a effort to support my mosaic addiction and something I would NEVER let get in the way of my passion. But a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do, right?

I interviewed with a local company a few week ago and last week I started a temporary Accounting Manager position at this company. I had spoken with the receptionist briefly when I had interviewed. However, when I walked into work on my first day, there was another woman behind the reception desk. I had forgotten the last name of the person the agency had told me to ask for so I gave the new receptionist only the first name of the person. She looked perplexed and asked me if I knew the person's last name. She told me that she was filling in for the receptionist who was on vacation and this was her first day. I told her that it was my first day too! She told me her name was Linda. Linda figured out who I was supposed to report to and she let that person know that I was in the lobby. While I waited to be escorted to my new desk, Linda and I chatted for a few minutes about how it was the first day at a new job for the two of us.

I was a little nervous to be staring a new job, with a new company and with new people. Linda made me feel comfortable and I liked her immediately, in that way you bond with someone who is sharing something similar in life at the same moment you are. We chatted occasionally during the day and I learned that we lived very near each other.

This morning I arrived at work a little earlier than usual and Linda was waiting outside the door. She had forgotten her door key so I opened the door and held it open for her as her arms were full of stuff. I noticed she had a cute little box with her and I asked her what was in it. People who know me say I'm kinda nosy like that! Linda opened the box and showed me a bunch of WONDERFUL 4th of July postcard that she had made. They were so PATRIOTIC! I asked her more about her card making and asker her if she would mind bringing in more cards for me to see. Well, this darling woman went home on her lunch hour (half hour actually!) to bring me a TREASURE TROVE of things that she had made!

Here's the 4th of July postcard that caught my eye:

CLICK PICTURE TO ENLARGE

With Linda's permission I wanted to share some of her other beautiful creations here. She probably thinks I'm nuts but I was so enamored of her work that I just had to show it!

Here's another of Linda's vintage inspired cards. She even makes the envelopes, which are beautiful in themselves.

CLICK PICTURE TO ENLARGE

Here's a little bit about Linda and pix of her cards:

Linda has been crafting since childhood & she loves to learn new techniques & skills. She will try pretty much anything that catches her eye! Her skills include rubber stamping (which she's been doing for about 18 years), decoupage, card making, crepe paper flowers & "firecracker" boxes. She also makes jewelry - bracelets & necklaces from "found objects" and old re-purposed jewelry. Linda recently learned to solder. She makes boxes & frames that she decorates with shells & sand. Last summer, she learned to do mosaics (which was a life long dream) and enjoyed it very much.

CLICK PICTURE TO ENLARGE

Linda's main focus is making and selling greeting cards and envelopes utilizing everything from old photocopies photographs, lace, antique buttons, collage, rubber stamping, old sheet music and just random things that she finds. In the past few months she started selling her cards and has sold about 200 cards at $5.00 each. Her goal is to use up all the supplies she's collected!

CLICK PICTURE TO ENLARGE

Every year, Linda participates in the "Dia de Los Muertos" in her area. This Mexican celebration means "Day of the Dead" and is a day to remember & honor our ancestors. This year running from November - December 2008, Linda is proud to be part of an exhibit called "Columbarium" at the Oakland Museum in Oakland CA. She is currently working on a piece of art for the exhibit.

CLICK PICTURE TO ENLARGE

Linda is always busy cutting or gluing something. She has a room in her home that is dedicated to her crafting and she spends a lot of her time organizing it and says her biggest challenge is keeping everything in its place!

CLICK PICTURE TO ENLARGE

Linda - I want to thank you for your friendship those first few days at my new job. You made it a lot easier to get through it! I'm so glad that I got to know you and learn about your art.

If you want to contact Linda to inquire about her cards you may email her at LMarglon@gmail.com

Mosaic Redeux

Have you ever mosaicked a project & then pried off EVERY tile & started over?

I had a coffee table that I'd been using in my formal living room & I decided to mosaic it with china rose tiles. I spent hours gluing at least several hundred tiles in a random pattern all over the coffee table. There were at least 20 different patterns of china and all the tiles were very small so it took me a LOOOOOONG time to glue them all down.

When I was done with gluing down the rose tiles I started to fill in between the tiles with white china filler. When I'd gotten about 1/3 of the table filled in, I took a trip to visit my parents in another state. After I got back I decided to finish mosaicking the table. However, when I looked at it I just DID NOT like the way it looked!

I decided to leave it for a few more days to see if the design "grew" on me but the more I looked at it, the more I HATED it. Here's a picture of how it looked.

CLICK PICTURE TO ENLARGE

Soooooooo, I got the BRIGHT (?) idea to remove all the tiles & start completely over. I was able to remove all the tiles & only about 10 tiles shattered in the process. I'm now done re-gluing those tiny rose china tiles back onto the table. One thing I've learned is that random patterns do not appeal to me. I am an organized person (some would say anal retentive but what do THEY know?) & in most aspects of my life I need neatness & order.

I started by drawing different size circles onto the table. Some of the circles intersected with some of the other circles & some circles didn't. Then I sorted ALL THOSE tiny rose tiles by pattern & decided to mosaic the outside of each of the circles with a different pattern. I originally was going to do the remainder of the table in only white china filler. My idea was that the circles would stand on their own but later I decided to glue china focals in the middle of SOME of the circles. Here's how it looks today:

CLICK PICTURE TO ENLARGE

I'm much happier with the way the table is turning out the second time around. The brown spots you see are where the white laminate tore off the table when I removed the tiles from the first attempt. Once the table is tiled & grouted, you won't see the brown.

I'll post pictures when it's finally done!