Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Artist Trading Cards...

Remember these?  I traded them with blog readers for whatever they thought they were worth.  (One of the only stipulations was that they not send me a dirty gym shoe!)  CLICK HERE to see the original post.

The cards were sent across the country from sea to shining sea.  Here's what I got in return:

Erin of Every Heart Crafts, claimer of #1, sent along some of her lovely ceramic leaves, tea, a green aventurine, a cute little calendar and an assortment of lovely beads.

Lorelei Eurto of designs by Lorelei and owner of #7, put together a package of an amazing little watercolor she did of an owl friend for me, a lampwork owl by artist Payton Jett, and a rocking assortment of beads.

Lisa Harrington of Lucid Moon Studio, who got #2, sent YUMMY Godiva Chocolate, a coffee substitute, lots of seed beads, shells, an origami owl, a set of grilling cook book cards, information about a sea turtle agency she volunteers for, various beads and some stickers.

Stephanie Townsend, an artist out of Tucson, Arizona and owner of #3, put together a package of a silver bird, an assortment of beads, a cute little wicker basket, lots of Chinese coins (the kinds with the holes in them), and a cross-stitch of an Ottoman design.

Pam Ferrari, the claimer of #5, sent along her favorite candy - Good & Plenty, lots of lampwork and dichroic glass goodies, and some silver beads.

Snagging #10, Gaea Cannaday of the amazing Gaea Pendants, sent some super good smelling coffee, a book of poetry her mother wrote and she helped illustrate, and some of her phenomenal ceramic goodies!

Grabbing #9, the enchanting Nancy Schindler of Round Rabbit, put together a package of two of her own artist trading cards, a spice dish she made, and lots of her ceramic goodies.

Wonderfully delightful Norma Lewis, the owner of #8, arranged with the very talented artist Anne Choi to get me this much coveted Dancing Stag Beetle Bead, which reads, "Silver moon upon the deep dark sky this sleeping world you wander by."

Cristi of 2 If By Sea, and owner of #4, sent along this very tasty chocolate covered popcorn (which was really amazing), a couple of her favorite CDs, some vintage glass beads, and some PMC charms and beads she made.

I wanted to THANK everyone who participated and sent in their goodies.  I really appreciate it.  Everyone was really generous and simply awesome!  Each day there was a surprise waiting in the mailbox.  The experience was very good and I hope to do more trades in the future.  THANKS again everyone!

23 comments:

Anonymous said...

I LOVE the cross-stitch Stephanie sent.

Joan Tucker said...

Andrew, what clever and sweet goodies! I adore the Anne Choi piece,
we have some giant beetles in our yard and they amaze me with their pincers.Have fun with the treasures. Joan T

jentong said...

i don't think i have plans so far (for christmas)... give me a call if you want to get together!!

Lorelei Eurto said...

AWESOME TRADES, ANDREW! WOW! You got some great stuff! And even Anne Choi! WOW!
It was fun. I'd do it again in a minute!

Cristi Baxter Clothier said...

Thanks again for your generosity, Andrew! What wonderful goodies you received from everyone. Be blessed and have a Safe and Happy Holiday!

Andrew Thornton said...

Hey Kate... isn't it nice. I'm trying to decide how to hang it or if I want to somehow incorporate it into a plush item. Not sure. Though mostly it'll be a decoration in my studio. She put a lot of work into it.

Andrew Thornton said...

Hey Joan! I'm a smitten kitten. I feel really lucky. Everyone who sent stuff in was really kind and generous.

I know that this might sound morbid, but do you ever find the dead ones? I told you... morbid. I used to collect them when I was a kid, but those collections have since disappeared into the wind of yesteryear. I think I'm going to make a series of pendants that trap specimens and maybe embeds them resin or under mica. We'll see.

Okay, happy holidays!

Andrew Thornton said...

Hey Jen Tong! I'll call you tomorrow. That'd be nice if we could get together. Do you know anyone else who doesn't have Christmas plans? You know, no one should be alone for the holidays.

Andrew Thornton said...

Hey Lori!

Yep! I sure scored. I'm happy that you participated. Now I have a piece of your art and you have one of mine.

Andrew Thornton said...

Hey Cristi! Thanks for participating. I had a wonderful time. It really was the highly of the holiday season for me this year. I haven't been in a particularly holiday-filled spirit and this really did a lot to improve it. Thanks!

Joan Tucker said...

Andrew, I will keep an eye out for insect carcasses; once in while I find something interesting. Joan T

Round Rabbit said...

What a score, indeed! It was a blast to participate. :)

Erin Siegel said...

Thanks for sharing! Love the map! It's a delight to see what everyone sent and from where! You received some lovely packages! All different with their own feel to them.

Anonymous said...

andrew....how did i miss this??!!! i thought i was a faithful reader of your blog....
what a wonderful thing...
hey...i have a wonderful resin bracelet with dead (of course) japanese beetles in it....i adore it. and find it unusual that it creeps some people out.
i think you should explore this idea!

merry christmas....paula

Joan Tucker said...

Andrew, Guy and Jam-e at Wild Things have some very unusual bug jewelry.
All kinds of bugs cast in resin.. check them out in Tucson. Joan T

Cynthia Thornton said...

Hey Bro- looks like you made out like a bandit! Ok, now i want to do a trade! It looks like so much fun! You know I love getting presents in the mail, even if I order them myself.

Andrew Thornton said...

Hey Joan! Thanks for keeping an eye out. I'll take a look in Tucson. I don't think that I want to get them already in resin though. I think I'd rather do something on my own to make it a little different and unique. We'll see.

I saw some really cool beetle shells that had the most beautiful blue and green shimmer and sheen. Maybe I'll come across some of those.

Andrew Thornton said...

Hey Nancy! I'm glad that you got to participate as well! You're awesome. And you know, before this, I didn't really know you. I mean, I'd occasionally check out your blog and see your name pop up here or there, but this has really been a great opportunity to get to know you and become friends. I feel really lucky. Sure, I got a lot of cool stuff in the mail, but most importantly, I made a lot of friendships and connections.

Andrew Thornton said...

Hey Erin! Yeah! I found it really intriguing to think about where the cards would end up and where things come from. I'm always fascinated by how things travel and move. You know, every object and person has a story. It was great seeing what people sent. That was most fun. To be surprised by what people would put together. It was ALWAYS a thrill!

I like the idea of exchange. Here is a part of me for a part of you. I like the idea of sharing and getting to know people and learning about their lives and who they are.

Andrew Thornton said...

Hey Paula Best! Well, the trade was up for only a few days. And you might have seen the picture and thought it was a re-post from an older post I did about the cards? I don't know.

It was a great experience.

I'd love to see the bracelet. Bring it to Tucson if you remember. It'd be interesting to check out. You know, I can understand the creepy feeling a little bit, but am fascinated by creepy things.

Happy Christmas to you too, Paula Best!

Andrew Thornton said...

Hey Cynthia, it was a lot of fun and I'd totally do again and will probably do one here now in a little while. Though the trade that's coming up is pretty special. I can't say more about it now, just that one (or more) really big trade is coming up.

I think it'd be fun to do it. You never know what you're going to get. Maybe after you finish off the book, you can do one. Okay... Happy Christmas. I'll call tomorrow to chat with you all.

Stephanie said...

Trading with Andrew felt like getting the best artistic juju!

An iridescent blue green beetle lands in Tucson during Monsoon Season (July, August). They are indescribably beautiful. If I am lucky I will find some beautiful bug shells for you!

Andrew Thornton said...

Hey Stephanie! I'm glad that I could pass along some good juju! In life, that's one of the things that I strive for... pass along the good energy and good vibrations and hopefully inspire and lead people to inspiration.

Thanks! Keep an eye out for me!