Monday, 20 April 2015

Back To Blogging With Some Happy Mail!

Hello Lovelies!!

Yes.....there's been another loooooong break in the posting schedule! Had a bit of an "interesting" few weeks but I'm still here (honestly, I'm as surprised as you) and I have set myself a challenge: a post a day for the next seven days!

I've needed some time to reconstruct my reality, mend and heal. I'm still having difficulties maintaining focus or following a process - any process - from beginning to end and once again I've turned to art to help me re-establish some order in the chaos. SO far it's been a successful plan, if a little haphazard, project-wise. I've had to take time to reach this point, avoiding the internet being a side effect, but I've missed you guys and am looking forward to rejoining the world of bloggy awesomeness!

I've missed blogging. I've missed YOU guys! In fact, if it wasn't for my online friends I'd have had no real positive contact at all with the human race for over a month now. Thank you SO MUCH to those who have mailed or messaged to check up on me - although I wasn't up to responding rest assured that your well wishes acted as precious stepping stones in the turbulence of my life.

I've had some wonderful gifts too. Carmen (whoopidooings.blogspot.co.uk) and I have decided to be pen pals - like in the old days with actual proper snail-mail letters and stuff! She sent me a gorgeous card with two surprises - a truly lovely Mucha postcard (which will totally become a journal cover....oh yes) and a VERY cool and completely hypnotic lenticular FOX card!


Yeah.....That served as a distraction for QUITE some time. And again when I photographed it. Oooooooo... Thank you missus xxxx Carmen's an amazing artist - I'm currently hassling her for a zombie postcard! Her work is so bright and original and she's totally cool - go visit her blog and say hi! xxxx

Lovely Kathy (kathyinozarks.blogspot.co.uk) and I organised a swap of goodies earlier this year. She has been a LOT more efficient that me and I was late posting her parcel to her (it is crossing the vast ocean now I promise!) but she sent me TWO parcels just completely jam-packed with epicness! One arrived a couple of weeks ago - lightning fast - whereas the other crept along via the moon and arrived this morning! Will we ever understand the ways of the magical mailing companies? The first was filled - FILLED - with yumcious lovely things: hand-dyed fabrics, beads, trims, handmade soaps, handspun yarn. I'm telling you, this woman has skills, baby! She's amazing - and she has DEER that visit her! Since I moved house the most exciting wildlife I see would be noisy gulls (I actually very much love gulls so that's ok!) and the occasional dead mouse. I know The Colonel's not responsible - he's more likely to employ mice as minions rather than squish them! Here are some pics I took so that you can enjoy the yummyness:







 Yep....yep....uh-huh....yep.....AWESOME!!! I already have some ideas to make best use of these wonderful things, but I know it'll be a battle not to just HOARD these!  On top of all this, she sent me a separate parcel with some of her handmade paper (oh yeah....she makes paper as well!) which arrived this morning:



 YUM! These have to be art panels.....but I have no ideas worthy of them as yet! I'll keep you posted!

Thank you Kathy! I love EVERYTHING! I hope you like your parcel of stuff when it finally arrives xxxx If you want to know more about Kathy and her amazing skills, go visit her blog and be inspired!

My bestest friend, Feroz, who has put up with me for YEARS and still hasn't run for hills ALSO spoiled me rotten at Easter. He knows me so well and sends me the most amazing treats to cheer me up! We enjoy sending each other happy parcels and The Colonel has a long standing alliance with his kitty cat, Boo - together they'll take over the world, so we have to keep them both subdued with catnip presents! Feroz sent me a bundle of goodies, including some gorgeous G45 Steampunk Spells paper, some wonderful washi tapes  -


- and just for extra awesomeness, some Faber Castell pastels! They're so vibrant! I have to admit that I've always been reluctant to play with pastels unless it's as part of a mixed media project, but these are so lovely that I'm determined to get the hang of them...




Feroz, The Colonel and I love you loads. I know we tell you all the time but I'm just reminding you and sending you big hugs from the both of us! xxxx

It's really hard being alone here, especially with this irritating and ongoing agoraphobia issue, but the love and support from my online friends, new and long-standing is truly a salvation. Comments here on the blog are a boost and feeling part of a community is vital. Thank you for your encouragement and the inspiration that your creative blogs provide! It feels good to be posting again, and I'm determined to follow my week-long plan and goal of daily posts for seven days. It's a challenge and a motivation! So, that being said, I'll be off now and see you again TOMORROW! Hugs all round! - Shroo :) xxx


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17 comments:

  1. froebelsternchen20 April 2015 at 14:46

    Fab to see you back Rachael! Wish the best to you and looking forward to your daily posts! ♥♥♥
    I so love your art!
    Great that you got so many artsy mail from your friends!
    xxx
    Susi

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    1. Shroo21 April 2015 at 19:06

      It's good to BE back! I MISS it here when I'm away. Yes - the happy mail was wonderful and very VERY appreciated. Thank you for being lovely! Hugs from Shroo:)xxx

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  2. kathyinozarks20 April 2015 at 16:19

    So good to see you posting again-you are Special Rachael-so please remember that-hugs the mail amazes me too-the two packages were mailed at the same time and they both went the same method-international first class packages-a wonder-lol
    So glad you love everything and am anxious to see what you create. I had sent some of my scrap pieces of paper to my jewelry friend Monique-and amazing she made a butterfly piece them can view here http://ahalfbakednotion.blogspot.com/2015/04/alenkas-butterfly-birthday-blog-hop-and.html

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    1. Shroo21 April 2015 at 19:09

      Oh I looked at the paper butterfly - it's SO PRETTY! But then, she has YOUR awesome paper to work with! I hope the photos did it justice, along with everything else - it's so beautiful. You're a genius - you really are - and you AMAZE me with the range of arts and crafts that you excel at woman! Hopefully your parcel will be with you soon and I so HOPE you like the goodies I've sent and I hope you know how much you're appreciated here, lady. Thank you again for being wonderful and for my treats - I'll update you as I use them! Love and hugs from Shroo:)xxx

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  3. Christine21 April 2015 at 08:01

    Well hello there! It's lovely to see you posting again. What wonderful mail from your friends, I'm looking forward to seeing what wonderful things you create from it all.
    The new pastels look especially wonderful, I do love working with pastels, but I must admit I tend to use the ones that have been made into pencils, I get up to my eyes in them otherwise

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    1. Shroo21 April 2015 at 19:14

      Yep, I agree with the pastel pencil thing - there's substantially lower risk of being covered head to toe in pastel dust! I have to say that these don't shed all the foofy dust like others I've caused apocalyptic destruction with in the past. I SO want to get the hang of them and the colours are soooooo yummy....As long as I don't have to break out that hoover then it'l aaaaaaaall be fiiiiiine......
      Thank you for your lovely comment and for having the cutest weapons of cuddly mass destruction on a blog EVER. Cosh.....awesome. Big hugs from Shroo:)xxx

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  4. Valerie-Jael21 April 2015 at 10:04

    Good to see you back with us again, I missed your art and your wonderful posts! Love all the goodies, wanted to reach out and touch them! Enjoy, and have fun using them! Take good care of yourself, Sweetie, you are precious to lots of people! Hugs, Valerie

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    1. Shroo21 April 2015 at 19:18

      Thank you lovely lady!! Oh yes- I've had such fun playing with lenticular foxes and beads and trims and EVERYTHING! I so want to just HOARD everything and hug it all on a regular basis but I've promised to make good use of everything...now I have to put on my thinking cap and get some projects going! Thank you for being completely lovely -sending hugs from Shroo:)xxx

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  5. Patti Vanderbloemen21 April 2015 at 11:22

    Welcome back!!! What wonderful friends you have to send you such goodies! I especially love that handmade paper - that is so cool!

    I will NEVER understand the Powers of any Postal Service -never! When "overseas shipping" is involved, it becomes even more mysterious. Seems like an awful hold this conglomeration has over us...I don't like what I cannot understand!

    Here's to happier times - ALWAYS! Hugs to you!! :) :)

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    1. Shroo21 April 2015 at 19:23

      Oh you've NO idea- that paper's incredible! I took about a milion pics to try and do it justice but I reckon it still has to be seen and hugged to appreciate it's awesomeness!

      Oh post - don't get me started! It's like they've HEARD of "logic" and "reliability" and "schedules" then just all gathered their little post officey asses together in a big room, got as drunk as is humanly possible and then thrown ALL the planning and charts out of the windows and re-routed via MARS just for a laugh! RAAARRRR! That having been said, I'm pretty sure that things would be a HELLUVA lot worse if I had to deliver trans-Atlantic by my own inky hands! HA!

      Thank you for checking up on me and for being an inspiration. Sending big hugs right back atcha missy! - Shroo:)xxx

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  6. Unknown21 April 2015 at 20:18

    Boo and I send our love and hugs! x x x x x x x Keep up the awesome wonderful blog posts! x x x x x x x x x x

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    1. Shroo22 April 2015 at 22:15

      Thank you for all your much-needed and greatly appreciated support! You be awesome, so you be! We loves ya loads xxxxx

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  7. Deborah Weber21 April 2015 at 21:20

    Such a delight to see your post. And how fun to peek at the treats that made their way to you. I have a theory that the postal stream likes to hold on to the fun packages and let them circulate in the stream longer to help spread the joy. Bills and junk mail get delivered promptly because they're just not fun to hang on to. Welcome back!

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    1. Shroo22 April 2015 at 22:22

      Aww thank you lovely lady! Yep - that's a good theory.......it beats my own one which is that they're all devious little imps who like to play 'Parcel? What parcel? I see no parcel....oooo look, is that the Pope behind you? heh heh heh' . OR they're saving on running costs by strapping parcels to unwary and unfortunate pigeons then faffing with their inbuilt sat-navs for fun... I'm so jaded! Thank you for bringing sunshine with you - hugs from Shroo:)xxx

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  8. Carmen 22 April 2015 at 16:30

    I wish I could tell you how MUCH this penpal thing means to me but I just don't have the words to articulate it. It brightens not just my day but my whole week when the postie brings anything from you - it's like opening a package of sunshine. You are a very special and wonderful person and you've gone and made me go all mushy!

    I shall have to go draw zombies now to get over it ;) And yus - the very next one will be yours. Can't wait for the godforsaken maths to stop hogging all my precious precious time. Can you imagine, I start school in September, he told me to fill up my sketchbooks at the interview "so.... what did you draw?" "Well, I can show you forests and forests worth of stupid equations. Taking over my whole house! How amazing is THAT?" Can you be fired from a course? On your first day? :P

    Fabulous(Awesome x Amazeballs) = Shroo (See what I did there? *g*)

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    1. Shroo22 April 2015 at 22:29

      Hey mushy mush :) I LIKE doing the penpal thing! Thank you for joining in with your awesomeness and addictive hypnotic fox cards. Hope the last offering arrived safely...I think I included mad fish....crap, I can't remember further back than lunchtime...I hope some twised post womble hasn't had off with it! Grrr.... post wombles.....grrrrr Feroz and I refer to them as 'wombies' - zombie wombles. It seems accurate! Speaking of zombies - PERFECT antidote to algebra. PERFECT. *grins* Fill up your sketchbooks with them and your tutor will INSTANTLY know who's boss! INSTILL THE FEAR!!! MOOOWWAHAHAHAHAH!!!! (Doctor Doom laugh) Soon you can paint over your forests of equations....you can impress him by having the nerdiest cool backing paper in the world everer.

      Sending hugs cubed! - Shroo:)xxxxx

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  9. Forgetmenot52525 April 2015 at 16:33

    wonderful to see you back, hope you are feeling better and more on top of stuff now. I've been absent for a while too, been staying at daughters for the week and now posting and catching up again. Looking forward to seeing what you turn your parcelss of epicness into. I also have some of Kathy's hand made paper, every time I think I know what to do with it, I don't for fear of the project not being 'special' enough, will have to just go for it soon and do SOMETHING with it. Anyway...........wonderful to see you back, great that you are posting again, all fantastic posts as usual, now I'm going to check them all out :-)

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