Presents from Pauline: Lucky Me!

What do you get when you mix creativity and whimsy and a happy outlook on life?

You get a Contented Crafter.

What do I get when I mix good luck with a great blog friend and a cat who recognizes, and wants to reward, an admirer?

I get not one but TWO gifts from the Contented Crafter!

My mail has brought me two different packages lately, all the way from Pauline in New Zealand. I knew, in theory, that I was getting these presents but was thrilled beyond measure when I saw both of the items in person!

First, I got the fingerless gloves inspired by La Boheme. Pauline had saved the black gloves from the landfill and embellished them in bright colors. She offered them to readers—maybe you’ve received a pair, too?

Mine are done in shades of turquoise and they make even me, the prosaic one with her feet firmly planted on the ground, feel bohemian and a little wild. I can hardly wait for cooler weather so I can wear them for real!

Then, more recently, Pauline ran a giveaway for one of her “danglers” or light catchers. Her handsome and debonair cat, Orlando, chose the winner and he picked me. Way to go, Orlando!!

photo by Pauline

The light catcher came in the mail this week and I love it, too!

It’s always exciting to get personal mail, period. But when it comes “par avion,” well, that’s the best!

Peeking inside the box—lovely presentation, with attention to every detail, and a card that’s a small work of art in its own right.

Then the light catcher itself—it looks delicate but is so heavy and substantial and well made! That gorgeous faceted-glass ball on the end anchors the whole strand and a mere breeze sets the parts twisting and throwing rainbow light.

And even better, Pauline added charms just for me!

See that? A heart, a hand, a house? See what she did? Love those hands at home! It’s me! I also got a guardian angel, a little blue doll, a book, and a sweet kitty. And lots of blue and silver.

It’s all so me.

Gigi and I have had a grand time with the light catcher. I wander around with it and look at the world through it and enjoy its prisms and refractions and sparkles. Gigi just wants to get her paws on it. Just once . . .

I will find the perfect spot for it, away from the cats but where even the winter sun will make it shine and remind me of a friend around the world, a friend who is sitting with her pets and making lovely things, even as I do the same here in upstate New York.

Thank you, Pauline, for these lovely gifts and for your friendship. Your generosity is staggering!

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Pauline has recently set up a craft shop section on her blog and she has both the fingerless gloves and the light catchers available for purchase. She also sells original artwork in her distinctive style. Any of these items would brighten your world or would be a treasured gift to a friend. I should know!