Woven letters

Wovenletters is closing!

2010-11-05T06:21:00.002+01:00

Hi all!

This is the end of the wovenletters blog and the start of my new blog:

Lawendula

Please switch over and become a follower! Thank you so much! :)

FM

It has started now!

2010-11-03T08:52:00.000+01:00

Paper Swap has started now, please check your e-mail account, all participants must have an e-mail by now.
If you want to be in the next swap, please sign in soon!

And the collage box #3 has started also.
That is the way it goes:

From Sylvie in Germany to
Olga in Poland
Anna in Poland
Joanna in Poland
Nettie UK
Rebecca UK
Sarah UK
Anne UK
Monika UK
Sheila UK
Petra UK
Jolette NL
Danit ISR
Orit ISR
Susan USA
Judith USA
Sharon USA
Kitty USA
Diane USA
Barbara USA
Kimberley USA
Silvia USA
Kate USA
Anne CA
Nisrin India
Michele AU
Sabine Germany
Ange France
And back to me

Please stay tuned and check my blog from time to time for news!

Tranquility and the joy of nature

2010-10-26T07:03:00.002+02:00

Two very soothing mosaics.

One for Melissa, she wanted to have green, nature, yarn and vegetables.

And one for Sil, who wanted tranquility and purple.

Click on pics to see credits.

Last call for paper swap and collage box #3 and more mosaics

2010-10-25T08:13:00.003+02:00

I am on another short holiday from October, 30- November, 3, so you got time to sign in til November, 2 for both the November Paper Swap "Mail and postage" and for the collage box #3.
You can also sign in for the next swap:

I love the fact, that my mosaics are a joy to so many people. Here some new orderings from friends.

La vie en rose:

Handicapped:

Please click on pix to see credits.
If you want one for you (or your friends), let me know: lawendula@googlemail.com
(It's free- of course)

Buttons

2010-10-23T06:55:00.002+02:00

Made for my friend Mosita.
Please click for larger view and to see the credits.

Do you want your own mosaic? Please let me know. It's totally free. :)

New Mosaics

2010-10-22T05:07:00.002+02:00

This one is for Sarah-Lulu: Serendipity in pink and purple.

And this one for Lady, she wanted to have: wind, beach and the sea.

If you want to order one too, please do so. It's totally free.

(Please click on pix to see credits)

Order a mosaic!

2010-10-21T10:17:00.002+02:00

I am totally enjoying making mosaics with Flickr pix!
And I love that people are "ordering" some from me.

Here one for my dear art sister Eliza in her fav color red with a nice message inside.

And the other one for blogfriend Pomi, who wanted to have the theme "silence is golden".

If YOU want one, please let me know. Choose any color and/or theme you want. It's totally free!

Last call for the Collage box and the Postage swap

2010-10-18T11:43:00.000+02:00

The collage box #3

We still got 8 places left before the collage box will start. Everyone is welcome!
We are now 22 players from 9 different countries. If you want to be in, please make up your mind soon.
The box closes by the end of October or when we are 30.

The playing rules:

If you sign up, I‘ll put you on a list and after the list is closed, I will send a box with 144 (12x12) snippets and cut offs to the first participant. (S)he will take out 12 pieces of the box, what ever (s)he likes and will add 12 pieces of his/her own and send it on to the next one on the list.
At the end the box will return to me and I will take 12 piece out of it and make my collage.
Of course you can take also more than 12 (depending on the size, up to 20), but be sure to add the same number of snippets you have taken out.
After you have taken your snippets, you can start to make a collage (or any other artwork you like, mixed media, altered book, journal page, digital collage etc.), using your 12 pieces. You can of course use other materials, cut offs and snippets too, put please show us the 12 pieces (don’t forget to take pictures) and write in a few words, why you have choosen those.
Make your collage and post it on your blog. If you don’t have a blog, send the pictures to me and I will post it on my blog.

If you want to be in, just send me an e-mail with your name and mailing adress and with your bloglink. Please remember, you cannot sign in twice, if you have been in one of the other boxes, don’t sign up again!
Thank you!

Remember you can also sign in for the paper swap Postage and Mail swap! Just send me an e-mail.

Lawendula@googlemail.com

The heart's memories

2010-10-17T17:29:00.000+02:00

(Please click for larger view and credits)

Live gently upon this earth

2010-10-15T09:06:00.000+02:00

Please click to see credits.

When will you make your life colorful?

2010-10-14T07:19:00.001+02:00

Click on pic for bigger view and credits.

More about Joseph Beuys here.

Steve Reich

2010-10-13T14:00:00.002+02:00

I always was so thrilled by his music. I made this piece of art listening to "Different trains" and a doku about his work.

You really can do whatever you want

2010-10-12T09:01:00.000+02:00

Please click on pic for larger view and credits

Paper Swap: Mail and postage

2010-10-10T10:02:00.001+02:00

Paper Swap in November is all about Postage and Mail. You can exchange all kind of things: stamps, rubber stamps, vintage letters and postcards, new letters and postcards, stationary, artful envelopes, stickers, tags and everything from your local postoffice. Make it playful!

Start: November, 1st.
Please sign in soon.
lawendula@googlemail.com

Credits:
1. envelope reverse, 2. Letters to an English schoolgirl 1936. Family history. (2), 3. bundles, 4. Lovely mail from Poland 1, 5. Laurel Canyon Mailboxes, 6. phal amabilis, 7. Haworth, West Yorkshire, 8. ANZAC Commemoration, 2d Australia, 9. Scarlet letters, 10. a letter to miss ida, 11. Mail Musing Tags x 8, 12. done, 13. Birthday Greetings Postcard Back

Beautiful colors of autumn

2010-10-09T10:05:00.001+02:00

Click on pic to see the big version and the credits!

The vintage swap

2010-09-27T09:40:00.002+02:00

I was swaping double this time.
After Eliza from Poland, my second partner was Sarah from England.
She send me some treasures. I so fell in love with that wooden ruler!!

Please remember to sign up for the October Swap "Embellishment" (see margin on the right) and for the collage box (deadline: Oct, 31).
Scroll down to read more about it.

Just send me an e-mail if you want to be in.
lawendula@googlemail.com

Trust the mess

2010-09-14T16:46:00.003+02:00

Started the new Keri Smith Book "Mess". It is great fun. Remembers me of my first Wtj.
(please click on pic to read the translation and have a larger view)

Saltwater wells in my eyes...

2010-09-12T10:16:00.000+02:00

...when I got mail from Poland. A lovely rich package from my dearest art sister Eliza.

I know she is lovely.
I know we are connected somehow.
I know we are sisters.
I know we share so many things.
I know I will hug her some day.

But,
I am always thrilled again by her beautiful work, by her lovely words, her warmth, her generosity!

She made this special artwork for me.

(please click on pic to read the words)

And send me lovely, inspiring things from the vintage swap.

And a great news for all art ladies from Poland. She is making The Collage box (Polish edition). Read all about it here and sign in.

Of course you can also sign in at my box#3, there are 12 places left.
One thing: Please do not sign in when you know you will be away for more than 3 weeks during the next months, because I don’t want the box to get stuck (or even lost) for so long.
And please do not sign in twice, if you have been a part of box#1 or #2, you cannot sign in again! Sorry, these are the rules.

Last call...

2010-09-02T05:49:00.001+02:00

...for the vintage paper swap!

All lovers of old papers, bookpages, ads, photos, postcards etc. welcome. Exchange your stuff with someone from another country!

The next swap theme is: Embellishment. It will start on October, 11.

You can already sign in!

Please notice: I am off tomorrow, will be back on Tuesday.

Preserve your creativity

2010-08-31T13:44:00.001+02:00

Feel free to copy for your blog etc., click to download in all sizes.

Some insights from the Collage Box #2

2010-08-28T06:38:00.005+02:00

It’s hightime for some insights what you have put in and taken from the collage box #2.

The box #2 started its way in Australia with Norma.

Then it flew over to Patti B.

Followed by Joanie
Joanie’s collage.

Still waiting for the pictures of Jeanine

So we take a look at what Linlin has sent

And the it’s Patti Edmon’s part

Thank you all for being so quick in sending it on.

The collage box #2 is now on the way to Sherri. Only two more ladies from the USA, than two from Canada und it will be back on it’s way to Europe. How exiting!

Ah and btw: if you think: how much fun, I want to take part! We still got some places left in collage box #3. (Please don't sign in twice)

Lates news on collage box #1: It's a bit stuck in Australia, because both ladies are now on a Europe trip. Hope it will move on by the end of September! So stay tuned!

Knitting is meditation

2010-08-23T20:50:00.003+02:00

Feel free to copy. Just click on pic and you can copy the html-code.
Please link back to me.

Still room for YOU in the collage box #3 project

2010-08-19T07:26:00.003+02:00

We still got about 20 places left before the collage box rocket can start. Everyone is welcome (but please do not sign in for the collage box project twice)!

The playing rules:

If you sign up, I‘ll put you on a list and after the list is closed, I will send a box with 144 (12x12) snippets and cut offs to the first participant. (S)he will take out 12 pieces of the box, what ever (s)he likes and will add 12 pieces of his/her own and send it on to the next one on the list.
At the end the box will return to me and I will take 12 piece out of it and make my collage.
Of course you can take also more than 12 (depending on the size, up to 20), but be sure to add the same number of snippets you have taken out.
After you have taken your snippets, you can start to make a collage (or any other artwork you like, mixed media, altered book, journal page, digital collage etc.), using your 12 pieces. You can of course use other materials, cut offs and snippets too, put please show us the 12 pieces (don’t forget to take pictures) and write in a few words, why you have choosen those.
Make your collage and post it on your blog. If you don’t have a blog, send the pictures to me and I will post it on my blog.

If you want to be in, just send me an e-mail with your name and mailing adress and with your bloglink.
Thank you!

Lawendula@googlemail.com

(Photo by 2:16)

Lovely illustrations

2010-08-16T13:37:00.003+02:00

Take a little step over to Essex in Great Britain and visit Adele's lovely blog.

There you will enjoy a fine assorted collection of illustrations.

Or just click on Flickr pics to visit her photostream there.

Artwork details

2010-08-12T12:49:00.002+02:00

A little bird told me...

2010-08-10T08:13:00.000+02:00

...we have some space left.
Both for the paper swap on September, 6. (The theme is "vintage and ephemera") and for the collage box # 3 in October!

Don't miss the fun and sign in:
lawendula@googlemail.com

Even my dishwasher is making art

2010-08-09T18:24:00.001+02:00

That's what I found today! And I thought: how artfull! Thank you, Mr. Dishwasher. You are doing great art. ;)

Now I know what to do!

Walking alone

2010-08-07T16:09:00.001+02:00

Please click to see credits

A sad time for Flickr users

2010-08-06T13:36:00.003+02:00

Please go to your account and check it out. Please comment, if you have troubles. Give feedback.
Let's change this crap!

(Click on pic to see credits for the artwork above)

Not so much news

2010-08-05T18:39:00.002+02:00

Only some pix for you to look at.
I am doing fine, happy in love, busy as always.

There is life...

...and death...

...my wonderful daughter (in my darling's garden)...

...bags in the summer breeze...

...a no(i)sy little kitten...

...some art in the garden...

She's like a swallow

2010-07-27T08:42:00.003+02:00

It's always such a pleasure to browse thru the Flickr stuff and make collages of what is offered there.
I did not know where this leads me to, until I found (just by accident) the lyrics of this old Canadian folksong, that gave me goosebumps.
Please listen to the voice of lovely Irish singer Karan Casey.

Click on pic to see credits.

Tempus fugit...

2010-07-24T09:30:00.004+02:00

...amor manet

Swaping and collaging

2010-07-21T12:00:00.001+02:00

Time flies....
You can sign up already for the next paper swap in September. The theme is „Vintage and ephemera“, but feel also free to exchange all kind of papers you like to send away!
Make it playful! Make it funny!

You can copy this icon for your blog, just click here.

And you can also sign in for the Collage Box Project #3!
Due to the great success of the other two boxes, I decided to start another one in October. If you want to participate, please send an e-mail with your mailing adress (and perhaps your bloglink).
Please notice: If you are a part of the collage box project #1 or 2- don’t sign up twice! You only can take part in it once!

You can read about the collage box project here.

E-mail me at lawendula@googlemail.com
Thank you!

The new one

2010-07-20T16:00:00.001+02:00

Federchen (little Feather), 8 weeks old.

LaWendula's world

2010-07-11T15:02:00.002+02:00

Impressions from my garden and my kitchen

Summer days, hot and artful

2010-07-10T07:29:00.001+02:00

Doing some more digital collages.

Playing with things

Let my daughter be my art teacher

Spinning and knitting in the garden

Accomplishing my 6th WTJ

The Collage Box Nr. 1- some more insights from the inside

2010-07-08T18:01:00.004+02:00

I love to see what items are now to found in the box: feathers, lace, bottlecaps, jewelley, cords, buttons...just great!

Here you can take a look at Mary-Jo’s stuff (out/in).

This is what Kay has chosen.

This is the link to Janet’s posting.

And here are lovely pix from Faerwillow.

The next stop will be Robert as the last participant from the States, then the box will go off to Canada, then Australia, New Zealand and back to Europe into my happy arms!
I am so excited to see what will become of it!
Thanks to everyone for being so quick and so playful with that, you really make this a joyful experience!

In the flow...

2010-07-06T17:06:00.002+02:00

Creativity-flow, how I love that feeling!
Digital collages are one of my favorite works.
Take a look, please.

Please click to see credits.
Please check out the website of Meredith Heller, who wrote the poem on the last piece. She is also a great singer/songwriter.

Be good to yourself

2010-07-06T00:17:00.001+02:00

Eat slow food

Put fresh (wild) flowers on your table

Don’t believe people who tell you, that your treasures are worthless.

Get to know the meditation in knitting.

Try something new every day!

Make childhood last

2010-07-04T23:57:00.002+02:00

Learn how to fly.

Take life in your hands.

See the beauty in everything.

Create your own world.

Live among the elements.

Keep the secret.

Survivors of the misogyny

2010-07-03T09:47:00.001+02:00

Please click on pic to view in large and see credits- thanks!

Have a nice weekend!

Art failures and a weekend in the Netherlands

2010-07-01T19:04:00.003+02:00

The art failure swap brought some nice stuff from Deb Eck from dryadart.

I used some of her things for another page in my wtj #6.

Last weekend I’ve been to the Netherlands. It was a nice trip, but the weather was too hot.
Zaandam, near Amsterdam is very pretty, lots of nice little houses and a funny bridge.

In my darling’s garden the roses are at full bloom. Such lovely sight!

More hot weather is expected for tomorrow and the day after, up to 33°C. This is not my cup of tea. I think I’ll have to stay indoors.

Believe (it or not, it's another summer day)

2010-06-23T20:13:00.002+02:00

At the baltic sea

2010-06-22T20:37:00.004+02:00

It's a lovely place, my favorite spot at the baltic sea. Svea was enjoying her time and -as always- making art with all that's around her.

Summer solstice bags and a very special journal from a very special friend

2010-06-21T15:29:00.002+02:00

Summer solstice.
It's nine month since the One tribe-one (he)art project has started. All bags are doing well, you can't hardly see them in the full summer tree now.

The decay is not going that far, I like how the colors slowly fade...

If you want to know more about the project, please check it out here.

And my dearest Eliza has sent me a selfmade journal as a surprise package.
Isn't it lovely? Isn't she lovely?
Thank you so much, my siostra!

Lovely summer days in Mecklenburg

2010-06-19T17:49:00.004+02:00

I'm living in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, north-eastern Germany, near the Baltic sea.
My beloved CHH lives at the North Sea in north-western Germany.
Thrilled by our lovely landscape, he took some beautiful photos.

Sparrows at my house, nisting in the rooftop.

View from an old bridge.

"Let me bring you love from the field:
poppies red
and roses filled with summer rain
to heal the wounds
to still the pain..."

We have many storks here.

All photos by CHH
Lyrics from "Songs from the wood"

I'm at it again

2010-06-14T06:54:00.002+02:00

Long time my creative energy was sleeping. But now I feel it is coming back. This is such a good feeling. I started making some collages, I'm making photos, writing three different journals etc.

Please also take a look at this wonderful photostream on Flickr. So inspiring. (Thank you siostra for leading me her way!)

Free for one summer

2010-06-13T09:35:00.002+02:00

Let us be free
for one summer
be together
live and thrive
writing our journals
just be alive

(Please click to see credits)

Summer pleasures

2010-06-10T07:50:00.002+02:00

Oh yes, it's just a year ago, that I started my first "Wreck this journal", now I'm at number 6. I think this will be the last one.
But it's still a pleasure to do free, easy going art in the garden.

Or just to relax outside on a huge pillow

And to watch the bees, buzzing around my chimney in their endless dances

Nature Hand

2010-06-03T09:40:00.002+02:00

My daughter loves hands. Most of all hands in art.

This is what she has created yesterday.

My beloved and me

2010-06-01T08:25:00.003+02:00

Here we are in the beginning of our lives.
Me (on the left) in deep sleep, him wide awake looking at the world with his beautiful brown eyes.

Our mothers with us.

On the left: Him, afraid of the flash light from the camera with his mother in 1969.
Right: Me, 1966 with my mother. My mother was 26 then, his mother was 33 years old.

Our fathers with us.

As small children.

School kids.

Places in the world, we love:

Me in Dartmoor/UK

Him in Australia

Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.
~Emily Brontë

Wind power

2010-05-19T08:57:00.002+02:00

My daughter on a wind power station. It's 120 m high.

The landscape we live in from above:

Art failures- last paper swap before summer vacation

2010-05-12T08:59:00.000+02:00

Please join us now!

„What I have come to understand is how important it is to EMBRACE mistakes. And in some ways, this lesson has been one of the most important I have learned.“ (Seth Apter)

You can use any art you like (it does not has to be on paper). Be brave and share it with others. Be playful and alter what other’s wanted to throw away into your own art.
Share your thoughts about art and art mistakes. Embrace your mistakes and exchange this experience with others.

Read more about Seth's art and embracing art mistakes here.

Please send me an e-mail if you want to play along: lawendula@googlemail.com

Daughter

2010-05-08T18:03:00.003+02:00

Oder eine Wendehaut, Töchterchen, was meinst du. Klopfen sie mir an die Tür, wendest du deine Haut und springst mir als Wolf aus dem Fenster, fliegst mir als Spatz aus dem Fenster, was meinst du.
Wenn sie mir das Haus durchsucht haben und nichts gefunden, wenn sie kopfschüttelnd weggegangen sind, wendest du deine Haut wieder und kommst zurück, Töchterchen. Eine Wendehaut wäre gut.
Allerdings: zum Schlafen kommst du dann nicht mehr. Die Wendehaut, die hält dich wach. Da eilst du als Wolf, da fliegst du als Vogel; da hast du keine Ruh. Da stehen dir die Füße nicht mehr still, sie zucken und müssen laufen. Da tust du kein Auge mehr zu. Eine Wendehaut also besser nicht.

Or a changing skin, little daughter, what do you think. If they knock on my door, you‘ll change your skin and jump out of the window as a wolf, fly out of my window as a sparrow, what do you think.
And then when they have searched the house, have found nothing, turned away, shaking their heads, you change your skin and come back, little daughter. A changing skin would be nice.
But: you will never sleep no more. The changing skin will keep you awake. There you hurry as a wolf, there you fly as a bird, you have no peace. Your feet are not resting, they quiver and must run. You never close your eyes. No, not a changing skin, better not.

(From Rahel Hutmacher „Tochter“ (Daughter))

Art and work in the garden

2010-05-02T09:35:00.002+02:00

Every garden is a declaration of love

Wanted! One last player for the Color Paper Swap!- Thank you!!!

2010-04-30T10:24:00.001+02:00

So, we're set now! Thank you all for being so quick in your help!

The May Paper Swap is closed now and I will send out the pairing lists today!

If you are in the mini book swap and want to show, what you have done there, please send me the link to your blogpost or your pix! Looking forward to see, what everyone has done.

xox

The Collage Box Nr. 1- Tammy, Pat, Kavindra, Patty and Joy

2010-04-28T12:39:00.006+02:00

Here are the next participants. We are still in the USA and our box is now hopping from state to state.
I really had to look on the map to see, which state is where. I’m not very good at it, but doing this, I learned a lot. (No, Washington state is not where the town Washington is!)

Switch over to Tammy and see what she has chosen

Then it’s time to look what Pat has made of it

Kavindra’s lovely posting about the box

And also her neighbour Patty’s wonderful posting

And here are the outtakes and inputs from Joy

Now the box is on its way to Mary-Jo and so this means, we still have got 12 more stops and it will be back here! Everybody is doing such a great job!
There will be a third box after summer vacation. So watch out for it in September or maybe by the end of August.

And a big, big thankyou goes out to Sue from Australia (without a blog unfortunately), who has sent me this beautiful and rich "junk journal" (haha, it's no junk at all!).

The old pear tree

2010-04-27T06:43:00.002+02:00

Wanted: a good home

2010-04-23T21:03:00.002+02:00

For sale now! Felted birds, any color you like!
Just send me an e-mail! lawendula@googlemail.com

Svea's working space

2010-04-20T07:10:00.003+02:00

I'm always inspired from the things, my daughter's "working" at: Her aimless playing with all kinds of nature things like clay, wood, adobe, stones, sticks, bones.

The Collage Box #1 - the next 5

2010-04-16T10:42:00.003+02:00

Overseas the box started with a visit at Judy’s. That’s what she has put in:

Then over to Seth.

Then it arrived at Deb’s.

Laura’s out takes

Tammy’s

That’s the whole way the box will take:

LaWendula
Imke (Germany)
Mosili (Germany)
Tara Anne (Germany)
Eliza (Poland)
Lien (Netherlands)
Carine (France)
Jill (UK)
Judy (USA and all follwing too)
Seth
Deb
Laura
Tammy (the box is now HERE)
Pat
Kavindra
Patty
Joy
Maryjo
Lois
Kay
Candy
Janet
Faerwillow
Robert
Lee (Canada)
Sue (Australia)
Jacky (Australia)
Lisa (New Zealand)
LaWendula

Thanks to all of you, for sending the box on so quickly, you really make this project a pleasure!!!

Xox LaWendula

Paper Swap reminder

2010-04-14T10:52:00.002+02:00

Join us now!

Everyone can play along. You just need to be a paper lover, open for new things & people, willing to send oversea.

Rules:
If you sign up, I will pair you with someone from another country (if possible) and you will make contact and exchange all kinds of papers. The May Topic is „Mad for colors“, which means every colorful paper, selfmade or bought, small or big, also tags, mini books, gift paper, book pages, stamps, doodles, vintage ephemera, cut-offs, ads, what ever you like.
In the first days of May, I will sent out e-mails with the pairing list, so you can contact your swap partner then, make an appointment about how much etc..
No rules, no limits, just free creativity! And receiving lovely papers from another country.

So sign up now!
lawendula@googlemail.com

Gran Cacao- the art of Corina Alvarezdelugo

2010-04-13T17:28:00.003+02:00

Corina from the USA with roots in Venezuela has joined the swaping tribe and I was so thrilled by her artwork, that I want to share some of her pieces with you.

More pictures on her homepage or her blog.
You can read more about her life and work here.

Muchas gracias, Corina!

Please notice: ©All images copyright of Corina S. Alvarezdelugo, the artist. Any use, reproduction or publication, including, but not limited to internet or other digital or print use of any image contained herein is a violation of copyright law and is strictly prohibited.

New collages

2010-04-11T08:43:00.003+02:00

Not really back yet, but on the way: my creativity.
I have done some new collages lately.

Using a Chinese Newspaper with ink drops, rolled up and hung out for a couple of weeks.
Then I uncoiled the whole thing and that was what was coming out. I glued it on to a Polish poem, my art sister Eliza sent to me. So I used two languages I don't understand a word of.

This is a kind of metaphor for life in general: sometimes it all talkes to you in languages, you cannot understand and it seems you can't stand this any more, because you really want to understand and you are longing for someone to help you to do so.
(Thank you Seth (Chinese Newspaper) and Eliza (the poem)!)

I'm dreaming

2010-04-09T22:21:00.002+02:00

I’m dreaming

You and I live in a world
Of little meetings,
of tininess.
A glimpse, a shy smile.

Inside the rigour,
the narrowness around us,
we try to let
our birds fly,
my shy glimpse,
your smile streaking me.

And all these tininesses
Are spreading before me
Nightly
When I lie awake
Listening to your breaths
Very far from me
That changes night’s symphony
With a little nuance

Which I cannot hear
Only feel.

***

Writing poetry in a language that isn't your own is very difficult, because poetry is an art where every word counts. The poem above is only the translation of this poem I wrote today.
Maybe some of you can read enough German to read the original. I think the translation is very clumsy, I'm always amazed how difficult translation of poetry is.

Ich träume

Du und ich
lebten in einer Welt der kleinen Begegnungen,
der Winzigkeiten.
Ein gestreifter Blick, ein scheues Lächeln.

Innerhalb der Starre,
der Enge
die uns umgibt
versuchen wir unsere Vögel
fliegen zu lassen
mein scheuer Blick
dein Lächeln, das mich streift.

Und all diese Winzigkeiten
breiten sich wie Perlen von mir aus,
dann
nachts
wenn ich wachliege
und auf deine Atemzüge lausche,
die irgendwo sehr fern von mir
die Nachtsymphonie
um eine winzige Nuance verändern.

Was ich nicht hören
nur fühlen kann.

Serpent's bag

2010-04-06T13:35:00.001+02:00

I've made this with homespun yarn, the serpent is a feltwork with mohair embroidery. The appletree wood Button is selfmade by my daughter Svea, who is now proud owner of this bag.

The Mini Book Swap

2010-04-03T10:25:00.000+02:00

Dear Paper Swapers!

I have closed the swap today, because we have reached an even number now (which is very important for this project!).
36 participants will take the challenge to make mini books and notepads for trading. Thank you so much for playing along and check out your e-mail account for further details!

Our next theme is: „Mad for colors“- ha, I know you will all love this one!
So if you want to be in, sign up now. You can collect all kind of colorful papers. No rules. May it be selfmade or bought. Make it playful!
You can sign up til the end of April.
On Flickr you can find and copy the icon for this swap. Feel free to use it on your blog.

You can also join the Paper Swapers Group on Flickr!
http://www.flickr.com/groups/1323649@N21/

Xoxo LaWendula

The Collage Box Project #2 is closed now!

2010-04-01T15:18:00.004+02:00

Here it comes: The Collage Box #2 is now closed and will soon take off to Australia.
This time I will start the other way round: From Australia to the States, then Canada, France, England, Poland, Finland, Germany, back to me.

So every one who's signed in, get your snippets and cut-offs ready! Thank you so much for being a part of it!

Happy Easter days to everyone! Enjoy spring! :)

PS: Box #1 is now on the way to Laura!

Move

2010-03-29T16:19:00.000+02:00

Standing still in some kind of creativity block, I am thinking a lot about moving.
Pina Bausch (Germany’s famous choreographer) once said: „I’m not interested in HOW people move but more in WHAT moves them.“

„I’m moved.“
What I fabulous expression. Because that’s what it is. Emotion- MOTION- moves you. When you block your feelings, you can’t move, can‘t be moved.
So I let myself be moved.

I start spinning and knitting and of course I’m totally moved. Round and around it goes. The spinning wheel. And knitting, this ever constant movement of making loops and purls, it reminds me of the wonderful work „Dance“ by Lucinda Childs.

The difference is: my knitting dance is creating. It’s becoming visual and you can also touch it, a dance turning into something smooth and warm and cocooning. That’s moving, don’t you think?

They survived...

2010-03-21T15:32:00.003+01:00

Here they are again: all 12! Happy survivers of Germany's hardest winter since years!
Waiting for spring time now and in the tree since 6 month now!

Projects going on...

2010-03-20T08:41:00.001+01:00

Here a little update on the latest projects of Woven Letters.

Box#1 has now landed safely in NY- how lovely!
If you’ve missed the post about Europe, you can follow this link.

Box#2 has now only got 5 seats left, before it’s ready for take-off. So if you want to be in, you have to decide quickly.

Here you can get to know all about it.

The April Swap has got 23 players right now. You can still sign in til the end of the month. Just send me an e-mail.

Please, by all means:
If you are posting pictures from what you’ve sent or got, make sure, you don’t show any personal informations, not even the first names!!!

If you sign up for one of the boxes, please make sure to check out this blog from time to time to see „the news“.

And if you are sending to foreign countries, esp. Australia, please make sure you don’t use any papers with fibers in it, I think some countries are very touchy about that.

You may ask, what is old LaWendula doing all the time, no collages, no pictures?! Well, I can’t say, really. I’m not working on things that are to show in the moment.
Just writing a lot (for myself), dealing with other things, waiting for spring to come (rain again today) and being chairwoman of the procrastination club again, I’m afraid.

The 5 rhythms

2010-03-18T10:30:00.001+01:00

I’m practicing the „5 rhythms“ by Gabrielle Roth since more than 15 years now.

Follow me on a trip around some of my fav dance songs for the rhythms of
Flowing
Staccato
Trance
Lyrical
Stillness

Flowing: „Let the sun shine“ from Sainkho (from Tuva), one of the best women throat singers ever

Staccato: Ruslana (from Ukraine) with „Wild dances“, a little bit mainstream, but a very nice dance song

Trance: Ole Lukkoye (which means Sandman) with „Invisible Gottliebe“- My favorite band from St. Petersburg (Russia)

Lyrical: Somi from Africa and her beautiful song „Ingele“

Stillness: „Shanti“ from Sheila Chandra (UK Singer with roots in India)

Collage Box Project #1: The box has left Europe!

2010-03-16T12:09:00.003+01:00

So, dear participants of the Collage Box Project #1 (and dear lovers of collage art), the box has left Europe and is on its way to the USA.

And here you can see what people have taken out and put in so far:

Starting with Imke (Luna) in Germany

And Mosili in Germany

And Tara-Anne, again Germany

Then Eliza from Poland

Angeline in the Netherlands

Etoile-filante in France

And Jill in the UK

It is overwhelming to see how wonderful it works! Everybody is so quick in sending! And it’s so lovely to see, what everyone has chosen (to take out and put in) and I am very pleased. The box is like a well of treasures and surprises, flowing in all directions and leaving a magic trace!
Thank you all, you really rock!

So, if the box arrives at your home, don’t forget to take pictures (let me know, when you are posting them, if you don’t have a blog, send them to me or the Flickr group), don’t forget to sign in and please send it on as soon as possible! Thx.

Box#2 is still open to happy participants! So come on, play along! :)

Happy Birthday, Siostra!

2010-03-14T09:00:00.001+01:00

That’s for you, granddaughter of Jasia! Thanks for being my siostra! Happy birthday!!!! Yours, granddaughter of Elsbiéta

All from Flickr (click to see more)

Paper Swap in March- Things from Ange

2010-03-11T07:36:00.001+01:00

Things, that Ange sent me for the March Paper Swap! The theme was „ABC and numbers“.
Merci beaucoup, ma chère! You are outstanding!
I love all these calligraphy things!

For all of you, who want to show what you’ve sent/got, please also use the paper swap group on Flickr.

She isn't a musician, I am not a painter

2010-03-10T08:58:00.005+01:00

This is what my daughter calls treasures. I really learned to see the (art)world with her eyes and the more she lead me into the "realms of rust", the more inspiring it is.
(Thanks for the X, Seth!)

As I looked on the weathered page, I had to smile. My eyes caught this one sentence:
"She isn't a musician, I am not a painter."

Don't miss the fun!

2010-03-09T12:02:00.001+01:00

The coming paper swaps, you can already sign up!

In May we will all become very „mad for colors“, which means, you can exchange all colorful paper, self painted or bought, feel free to play and live out your inner child!

In June it will become a challenge! Art failures!

And please don’t forget, it’s still time to be in the April Swap! (You can sign up til the end of March)

And in The Collage Box #2! (You can sign up til April, 1st, but it will close, when 30 are full- we are 20 now!)

Don’t miss the fun! Send me an e-mail: lawendula@googlemail.com

Credits for the textures of the icons: please see Flickr (click on pix)
You can copy them for your blog!

Flying and crying

2010-03-06T11:19:00.003+01:00

Oh yeah, I really love this,

Two little old ladies recounting their dreams

@ the diner on Cadman Plaza in Brooklyn

lady in yellow hat: I was flying.

lady in blue hat: I’ve had that dream.

lady in yelllow hat: I went to Jersey.

lady in blue hat: I always go to into city. I shop.

lady in yellow hat: You shop in your dreams?

lady in blue hat: I always shop.

lady in yellow hat: I just fly. Nude... Totally, gloriously, nude.

lady in blue hat: Me too! Well...except for my shoes, I always fly in my best shoes... and a hat. I never go out without a hat.

lady in yellow hat: You always were the better dressed than me.

lady in blue: But you turned the boys heads.

lady in yellow hat: Maybe next time you should leave the hat at home.

Found here.

One day I listened to the conversations of two girls in the Berlin Subway (U-Bahn) talking about crying.
Girl 1: I am really loud. I'm sobbing!
Girl 2: Me too.
Girl 1: I'm whining. My brother always says, I'm nuts. But I love whining and crying.
Girl 2: Me too, I love listening to sad music, so that I MUST cry. It's wonderful.
Girl 1: I am a bit ashamed too.
Girl 2: Yes, but when you are alone it's lovely.
Girl 1: Do you cry in the cinema?
Girl 2: I ALWAYS cry in cinemas.
Girl 1: Me too. Sometimes I'm crying so hard, it feels, like I will never stop.
Girl 2: I'm trembling, all over, right to the bones.
Girl 1: Me too!

The Collage Box Project- THE SECOND ONE!!!

2010-03-04T11:08:00.003+01:00

After so many requests about Box #1 (which is about to fly overseas by the end of next week), I decided to start a second Collage Box.
You can participate, where ever you are, just send me an e-mail (more details below).
Please only sign in, if you are NOT participating in the first box project.

What’s it about?

Snippets, pieces and cut offs and –you know me- connection.
And collages of course.

What are the rules?

If you sign up, I‘ll put you on a list and after the list is closed, I will send a box with 144 (12x12) snippets and cut offs to the first participant. (S)he will take out 12 pieces of the box, what ever (s)he likes and will add 12 pieces of his/her own and send it on to the next one on the list.
At the end the box will return to me and I will take 12 piece out of it and make my collage.
Of course you can take also more than 12 (depending on the size, up to 20), but be sure to add the same number of snippets you have taken out.
After you have taken your snippets, you can start to make a collage (or any other artwork you like, mixed media, altered book, journal page, digital collage etc.), using your 12 pieces. You can of course use other materials, cut offs and snippets too, put please show us the 12 pieces and write in a few words, why you have choosen those.
Make your collage and post it on your blog. If you don’t have a blog, send the pictures to me and I will post it on my blog. (I will put up the link of all of your blogs on my blog)

Start: now. You can sign up til April, 1st.
You can make and post your collage whenever you’re ready, no time-limit. But please send the box ahead, as soon as you have chosen 12 pieces and added your 12.

I hope this will be a lot of fun!

You can sign in below, but please also send me an e-mail: lawendula@googlemail.com
Please send me your mailing adress, blog adress and country!

Important!!! I will close when we are 30, because it would take too much time to send the box round, if we are too many participants.

PS: I will not send out the wooden box, it might be too heavy, instead of it an airmail friendly cardboard version.

PS 2: As soon as Box #1 has left Europe, I will show you here on my blog what we Europeans have taken out and put in! So stay tuned!

Bad times

2010-03-03T11:58:00.002+01:00

Never open the wrong e-mail, as the song "Bad times" from "Laika" shows us here:

If you recieve an e-mail with the subject of 'Bad Times', delete it immediately
This is the most dangerous e-mail virus yet
It will re-write your hard drive
Not only that, but it will scramble any discs that are even close to your computer
It will re-calibrate your refridgerator's coolness settings so all your ice cream melts
It will de-magnetise the strips on all your credit cards
Screw up the tracking on your VCR
And use sub-space field harmonics to render any CDs you try to play unreadable
It will give your ex-boy or girlfriend your new phone number
It will mix anti-freeze into your fish tank
It will drink all your beer, and leave it's socks out on the coffee table when there's company coming over
It will put a dead kitten in your back pocket of your good suit, and hide the car keys when you're late for work
Bad Times will make you fall in love with a penguin
It will give you nightmares about circus midgets
It will pour sugar in your gas tank
And shave off both your eyebrows while dating your current boy or girlfriend behind your back
And billing the dinner and hotel room to your visa card
It will seduce your grandmother
It does not matter if she is dead
Such is the power of Bad Times, it reaches out beyond the grave to sully those things we hold dear
It moves your car randomly around parking lots so you can't find it
It will kick your dog
It will kick your dog.
It will leave libidinous messages on your boss's voice mail in your voice
It is insidious and subtle
It is dangerous and terrifying to behold
It is also a rather interesting shade of mauve.
Bad Times will give you dutch Elm disease
It will leave the toilet seat up
It will make a batch of methamphetamine in your bathtub
And then leave bacon cooking on the stove while it goes out to chase high school kids with your new snowblower
These are just a few of the signs
Be very, very careful

Paper Swap in March is closed now!

2010-02-24T10:40:00.002+01:00

I decided to close the Paper Swap for March today, because we have reached an even number now.

I’ve already sent out the e-mails, so please check out.

Here is the pairing list:

Tammy USA and Faerwillow USA
Judy USA and Barbara T. USA
Angeline NL and Laurie L. USA
Robert USA and Deb USA
Seth USA and LayHoon Malay
Ange F and LaWendula D
Patty USA and Judith USA
Lois USA and Michelle PL
Sherri USA and Lisa L. CA
Jill Doyle and Jaqueline NL
Jilly USA and Eliza PL
Candy USA and Donna Johnson USA
Mendy USA and Kay USA
Alyce USA and Chyril Mauri.
Cynnie D and Christine Edwards USA
Angie AU and Sherri Levek USA
Kathryn USA and Maryjo USA

If you haven’t received an e-mail, please let me know (and check your spam folder).

Thank you all for making paper swap such a wonderful project!

Our next swap is in April, so if you have missed this one, maybe you will join the next.

You can copy this icon for your blog:

Any questions?
Lawendula@googlemail.com

PS: As for the Collage Box: it's on its way to Angeline in the Netherlands now. I will post pictures of what people have took out or put in as soon as Europe is done. Stay tuned!

The child is playing

2010-02-23T09:26:00.001+01:00

Memories of last summer. Svea in her little world.

Mini Book

2010-02-21T14:09:00.000+01:00

Lovely mini book from Bookbinders in Tallin.

Every detail is wonderful. Vegetable tanned calf skin. Handmade Indian paper. And on the inside Hahnemühle hand torn Ingres Paper.

Looking forward to the Mini Book Swap in April. If you want to be in, sign up!
Just left a comment or send me an e-mail. Please include country, e-mail and blog adress. Thanks!

Unica Zürn

2010-02-18T05:23:00.003+01:00

Unica Zürn was an artist, born in Berlin in July, 1916, died (from suicide) in Paris in 1970.
Her style was very extraordinary: strange drawings, anagramm poetry, obsessions about numbers and words. She spend a lot of her time in clinics in France, suffering from varies kinds of mental diseases.

You can find some of her anagramms here, they are hard to, in fact impossible to translate, but maybe some of you will understand a bit German.

I also find her drawings very inspiring.
More to be seen here

(All images by google image)

Collage Box and Paper Swap Update

2010-02-17T13:05:00.004+01:00

Just a wee (I love this word, does anybody use it still at all?) update now:

The Collage box:
Snail mail...*smile*, the box has arrived safe at Tara-Anne and went out to Eliza in Poland today.

A note to all participants: Please take photos of you are taking out and putting in, this will be more fun!
(You can post them later when doing your collage)

Paper Swap:
How is crazy swap going along? Send me your photos/blogpostlinks! I’m curious! Feedback is very welcome!

You can still sign in for the March Swap: Alphabet and numbers! We are 31 now.

But also for all the following til summer break:

April: Tiny journals, Mini Books, Notepads
May: Mad for colors (all colorful papers)
June: Art failures

Just send me an e-mail to lawendula@googlemail.com

Ah and please note: be careful with fiber-papers from Japan, Tammy had her mail back, as she wanted to send it over to Australia, because the fibers were „unidentified“. Please use „safe“ papers instead.

I wish you all happy creating, what ever you are at now! And thanks for being a part of my projects!

New Collages

2010-02-15T11:51:00.001+01:00

The red of flowers

2010-02-14T17:24:00.001+01:00

This is German music with medieval roots. The language is the old German language. I do not understand everything of it. It’s about the red of the flowers in spring and the fragility of love. Lyrics by: Konrad der Junge (1252 – 1268)
Hope you'll like it!

Knitting, felting

2010-02-13T08:23:00.002+01:00

Vintage spools- this is the whole lot I’ve got now.

One of my favorite pillows in the snow

Knitting is meditation!

This is what I’ve started a few days ago.

And this is what it looks like now. First knitting and then putting it into the washing machine. Now it is very tight (much smaller of course), but a wonderful texture.

Crazy Swap

2010-02-11T17:05:00.002+01:00

My Crazy Swap.

That’s what I have received from Patty. Thank you so much, dear!!!
She made two special ATCs for me. Very nice. I love that dear face the little boy has.

Cold days, warm colors

2010-02-10T16:25:00.001+01:00

Ready to be spun...

I love making this „rover yarn“, made of leftovers and old yarns, fibres from felting in school projects etc.. I mix it all up and then I make little rugs out of it for Svea to play with or wrapp something up.
It’s such a soothing work, all warm and cozy and the colors always cheer me up. I need this to get through another winter’s day without sun and more snow to come.

Nobody, not even the rain, has such small hands

2010-02-09T16:25:00.002+01:00

I did some spinning and knitting today. A lovely thing to do to manage another grey and cold winter’s day.
Watched „Hannah and her sisters“ while doing that, what a nice movie. I so love that e.e. cummings poem, Elliot is giving Lee in that movie.

(i do not know what it is about you that closes
and opens;only something in me understands
the voice of your eyes is deeper than all roses)
nobody, not even the rain, has such small hands

This is a photo, my friend Karin has posted some month ago. Isn’t that great? Ok, I bet the guy does not know how to knit in reality, but it really gaves me a laugh.

The box is on the way!

2010-02-08T20:14:00.000+01:00

That’s what it looks like now.

144 pieces are waiting to be sent around the world for collages adventures of 30 participants from 8 countries.

And I am curious to see: will any of my originally sent pieces be still in it, when it comes back to me? It will be great to see the snippets come up in the work of others and it will be like seeing old friends, when some „shelf warmers“ will return.

Closing the box soon

2010-02-07T13:36:00.002+01:00

Last chance to sign in The Collage Box Project, because I decided to close up at 30 (we are 27 now) , so it won’t take too long to send the box around. So if you want to be in, please send me an e-mail now.

For the Paper Swap, of course you are also welcome to sign in til the end of February and play along in the March Swap: Alphabets and numbers.

And if this sounds quite not so interesting, maybe you like to join the „Mini books“-Theme in April?

Our other swaps will be:

In May: „Mad for colors“
In June: „Art Failures“

If you have received something nice already from the Crazy Swap, please let me know and/or post a photo in the Flickr Group „Paper Swapers“.

And please move over to Seth’s, he’s got the most interesting secrets on his blog as always on Sundays.

Give me more!

2010-02-05T13:02:00.001+01:00

Joy!

Books!

Music!

Things to trade!

Needlework!

BUT NO MORE SNOW PLEASE!!!!

(All from Flickr, click to see more)

The Collage Box Project

2010-02-03T06:01:00.001+01:00

What’s it about?

Snippets, pieces and cut offs and –you know me- connection.
And collages of course.

What are the rules?

If you sign up, I‘ll put you on a list and after the list is closed, I will send a box with 144 (12x12) snippets and cut offs to the first participant. (S)he will take out 12 pieces of the box, what ever (s)he likes and will add 12 pieces of his/her own and send it on to the next one on the list.
At the end the box will return to me and I will take 12 piece out of it and make my collage.
Of course you can take also more than 12 (depending on the size, up to 20), but be sure to add the same number of snippets you have taken out.
After you have taken your snippets, you can start to make a collage (or any other artwork you like, mixed media, altered book, journal page, digital collage etc.), using your 12 pieces. You can of course use other materials, cut offs and snippets too, put please show us the 12 pieces and write in a few words, why you have choosen those.
Make your collage and post it on your blog. If you don’t have a blog, send the pictures to me and I will post it on my blog. (I will put up the link of all of your blogs on my blog)

Start: now. You can sign up til March 1st.
You can make and post your collage whenever you’re ready, no time-limit. But please send the box ahead, as soon as you have chosen 12 pieces and added your 12.

I hope this will be a lot of fun!

You can sign in below, but please also send me an e-mail: lawendel42@web.de
Please send me your mail adress, blog adress and country!

PS: I will not send out the wooden box, it might be too heavy, instead of it an airmail friendly cardboard version.

Needlework

2010-02-02T09:35:00.000+01:00

This is what I am just working on.

My treasure box.

I really love vintage spools!

Are you ready for the next swap?

2010-02-01T05:35:00.003+01:00

I have changed the rules a bit.
I will now send to everybody who has joined a swap an e-mail with the list of the partners and their e-mail adresses and their blogs.
If you don’t have received an e-mail from me by now, please let me know (and check your spam folder).

And here is what you have to do for the Crazy Swap:
Take an envelope in your usual paper swap size, go through your house (studio, office etc.) and collect all kinds of things one can make art of. No hestitation, it also can be bills, receits, notes, maps, tickets, paper bags from shopping, newspaperpages or –cut offs, flyer, packages, sheets, doodles, labels, stickers, leftovers, cut-offs, ads, napkins, photos, what ever you want and what ever has to do with paper (more or less, feel free to use fabric and other things (buttons or ribbons, fibers, yarns, strings, cords, beads, office supplies etc. too!). Have a new look on the things while doing it. See art in everything, look for interesting scriptures, lovely color compositions or a funny outlook. Have in mind that things from your country are so exciting for people from other countries!
Be brave and ad some art failures too, your partner might love them!
Please don’t do this for days, do it right now, sponteneously, don’t think about it!(„Can I really send this?“ „What has this got to do with art?“)
I hope that this gathering will be a lot of fun for you all and I am so curious what will come out of this! So thanks for playing! You are very brave!

Our next theme is THE ALPHABET and NUMBERS and starts on March, 1st. You can gather anything that has to do with letters and numbers. Selfmade or bought, b/w or color, anything that has to do with paper (more or less).
You can already sign up, reminder will follow in a week.

Feel free to copy the new Paper Swap Icon.

If you sign up, please leave your e-mail and blog adress or send both to me via e-mail.

And I’ve put up a Flickr Group for Paper Swapers, you can show what you’ve sent or got and what you’ve made of it.
Please send me an invitation request, if you want to be in.

If there are any problems, please let me know.
Have a great swaping time!

PS: A small hint from Lucky Dip Lisa: Don't use the term swap partner if you contact your paper swap partner, because this will end in the spam folder...;)
Maybe you will get along fine with "Paper swap", if there is a connection between paper and sex, I only can say: Honi soit qui mal y pense... ;)

Finish and start

2010-01-31T08:29:00.000+01:00

I finished my „Wreck this journal“ # 5.
It was more a work book for collages than the real wtj, but it was so much fun. Here you can see (nearly) the whole book in a slide show.

Svea has started her first one. With the same enthusiasm as her „altered book“. And I sit and watch.

Paper Swap #4 is done. 40 participants, who have all received an e-mail yesterday. Tomorrow I will put up a special post for this.

An by all means switch over to Seth’s page today. You can share your art secrets there!

If I have loved you, it would have been because of your hair

2010-01-29T08:42:00.002+01:00

I’ve got this little blog award by Faerwillow these days.

When I was new in blogland, I was very happy for every award, but as I thought about this longer, I became aware that it reminds me of the story with the rice on the chess board. It starts with one, giving it over to seven others and every seven giving it over to another seven and so on, and then in about no-time, the whole blog community has got the same award. And that doesn’t make sense.

So thank you, Faerwillow, but I won’t pass it on. If you want to know seven blogs, I admire, please look at my blogroll.

Another part of the award:
Seven things about me, that others might not know. Well, ok, I can do this.

1. I have no driver’s liscence
2. I am vegetarian
3. I don’t like mountains
4. I don’t like dolls
5. Although it seems strange, I am very lazy
6. I am always reading 3 oder more books at the same time
7. I love goat cheese

This is a digital collage about hair, using a self portrait from some years ago. Since I was a child I was touched by Frida Kahlo and her art. This one has a strange fascination. She uses the quote (from a famous song): „If I have loved you, it would have been because of your hair, now that you are bald, I don’t love you anymore.“
Cutting your hair is such a strong symbol of self-denial and this was my „NO“ to women’s self destruction.

Svea proudly presents....

2010-01-27T09:51:00.000+01:00

There is a very proud little girl who likes to present her first altered book, all done now:

Books inside the book, more and more secrets to discover...

Madonna on the leaf and a rusty nail, this is one of my favs...

Whenever she finishes a book, may this be a diary or a doodle book or this first „big project“ she says: „I have to leave this world now, but I will come back whenever I like to. It was a great time! Thanks for being my book.“ (She always talks to things.)
I like the thought, that books and journals are worlds you can go in and out to and you can enter whenever you need it or just feel like it.