treasures from an angel

I received a box from a friend of mine just before I left for Houston. I suspected that this box was full of treasures that I would not have time to indulge in, so I tortured myself by waiting to open it till I returned. I was quite rewarded.... My friend used to work in a museum and as she says so herself - she "was always a little daffy about things old and their history". Well she has found a kindred soul. As she says -" you have the same illness".. boy do I... So I thought I would share a few pictures and words of what I have received with my other "ill" friends... There are embroidered napkins, doilies and hankies, scarves, bits of lace, hand made and machine made, crochet, silk ribbons, gossamer, embroidery thread, buttons, ric rac.... The list goes on, my mind is racing with all the things that I can do with these treasures. Paint, dye, rip, shred, hand stitch, free-hand machine embroider... I can promise you that you will see bits and pieces of these lovelies in most of my future work. You may not recognize them, but they'll be there... I thought I would give a plug to Elena and her Ebay shop, you will not find these textiles there, but you will find lots of other goodies. Especially if you use paper ephemera in your work, she's got tons of that. Go browse, it's fun...