Mother Nature

Today I am thinking of everyone on the East Coast.

Praying for the safety and well-being of all....

 

We had a taste of winter this past week...

Can you see the little white snowflakes in the photo?

The flakes were actually quite large, and the strong northern wind was relentless...

 A little taste of winter in October.

 

That unexpected snowfall made me stop....listen to the wind...

watch the magical flakes perform their silent acrobatics...

I was overcome with reverence and gratitude....

 Leah Flores

Take care and be safe, dear friends....

From Russia With (Paper) Love

I hope everyone is having a great start to the week...
As you can see, Autumn is in her full glory here...
I am constantly in awe of this colorful miracle of nature.
With a chill in the air, I am thinking of the upcoming holidays...the entertaining, the gifts, the snow! :)  
Are some of you in full-blown planning mode? 
When it comes to giving presents, I have become more aware of my desire to gift handmade treasures. 
Thanks to brilliant artists like Anita at Castles Crowns and Cottages, I have an increased appreciation for paper artistry. I try to create my own cards, but anything beyond this is still mysterious and challenging for me! 
Enter my kind and talented niece-in-law, Maya....

Maya lives in Moscow, and to my delight and surprise, she has been busy creating these paper confections! I had no idea that she had this gift until I was introduced to her blog here. It is in Russian, but a translate tab should open up at the top, if you would like to visit.

They are all so beautiful! As I was admiring from afar, and wondering "How does she do that?", she surprised me with these treasures delivered to my doorstep....

An ornate, gorgeous little box....

A lovely holiday card....

A precious Birthday card...look at the sweet crochet work...

Stamped on the back in Russian
"Made With Love"
Indeed it was.


Thank you lovely Maya!

Have a beautiful day, dear friends!
xoxo