Gifted

Tuesday 4th November. 11:30am :: the postman arrives.

He has a Special Delivery package for me, and I know immediately who has sent it.

Because the Sender has forewarned the Addressee (thats me) that a little something is on it's way.

But even though I know who it's from, I do not know what's inside.

It's mind-blowingly. stomach-flippingly exciting, and I don't say that lightly.

I feel fit to burst, like a million tiny bubbles of excitement are trying to escape out, via my heart.

Like I say, I do not know what lays inside the beautiful wrapping....

....but I have a feeling I could guess what it might be.

I open the package and am faced with a piece of grey cardboard.

I dance around, hopping from foot to foot.

I am SO Humungously excited that I cannot stand still for one second.

I photograph the grey cardboard.

I touch the grey cardboard.

Yet I cannot bring myself to turn it over.

So I run upstairs and back down again. 

You know, just to try and calm those bubbles.

Hop about, hopety-hop and go to look out the window.

Over to the laptop to check my email.

Go back to the grey cardboard.

And finally...........

I flip it over, just like that.

FL-IP.

And there it is.

It's My Painting.

The painting that I secretly hoped would be mine one day when I first saw it in the Summer.

The painting that I had so desperately wanted.

The painting that I have been saving up money to buy.

The painting that I have not been able to stop thinking about.

The painting that has now so generously been gifted to me.

I start to cry :: drip-drip, the tears fall and hang off the end of my nose.

I am so happy, and feel so hugely blessed but drip-drip I cannot stop the tear drops.

I find this painting so utterly charming, beautiful, simple and sweet.

It tugs at my heart strings in such an unexpectedly forceful way.

In fact, all of Vanessa's paintings do this to me.

She has such an amazing talent, this friend of mine.

When she chose to share her very first flower painting with us on her blog in January, I was smitten.

Really totally smitten.

I follow Vanessa's blog daily, and have done since the very beginning.

My day isn't complete without a visit to Do-you-mind-if-I-knit.

I love her style, her creativity and her humour.

Her love of colour rivals my own.

In fact, you can thank Vanessa for inspiring me to begin writing at Attic24.

She applied equal measures of arm-twisting and encouragement until Attic24 was born.

In the summer, I was lucky enough to make a visit to her beautiful home.

We drank coffee and chatted for hours, as if we'd known each other forever.

And I got to see inside her fantastic work studio.

And so we have become friends.

And I am so very glad.

xxxxxxxxx

Comments

[gardenymph]

So lovely, I can see why you were smitten with it when you first saw it. I will go on over and check out your talented friend's blog. So glad you have it now. :~) Oh, and so glad that your friend encouraged you to start Attic24! :~)

[Alva]

I'm so excited for you! That painting is indeed extraordinarily lovely. Enjoy!!!

[Ali]

What a lovely thing - your post, your friendship and your new painting!

[Kitschen Pink]

I hope there was no drip drip on the picture! It's very beautiful. Happy birthday you colourful lovely! t.xx

[Danette]

How wonderful for you. I am sure you deserve it completely.

Now, I will go see about your friend's blog.

[Anne]

What a beautiful painting and gift - hope you have a wonderful birthday. You are such a wonderful person and all your readers love you!!!

[sarah]

What a lovely picture...wished I could paint...hopeless....the log burner your friend has installed is the one we are getting...skip arriving tuesday argh! No pain no gain x

[Daisy Steiner]

Totally gorgeous. What a kind person.
Oh and happy birthday.

[kathy]

Lucy what a lovely reaction to a really beautiful present, Vanessa is indeed a very talented lady. Am v. jealous that you have seen the inside for real of her studio - lucky you, I just drool over it via pics! Am soooooo looking forward to seeing you on Saturday - I am the short one looking v.v.v.v. tired!! Kathyx

[driftwood]

it's beautiful xx

[Rachel]

DONT CRY ON THE PAINTING! =) What a sweet and thoughtful gift. The generosity of blogland inspires me SO much!

[Krawuggl]

For me it´s always again overwhelming how warmhearted and generous blog-friends are. And it makes those friends so very 'real', not only being a blog and some mails here and then anymore, no, suddenly you know that there is a lively wonderful friend behind the screen. And without blogs we would have never ever met, and that´s the most fantastic thing with all the blogs. Your present is a gem, it´s absolutely charming and I love the way you are saying "thank you" here.

[simone]

That truly was a wonderful gift. So much better for knowing the artist too.

[Joanna]

Hi Lucy, I have also benefited from Vanessas genersoisty and know exactly what you mean about her paintings. I keep looking at the depth of colour in the flowers and can't quite believe its mine! happy belated birthday.
Ps I adore you fabric pictures aswell so if you are ever in need of tooth fairy pillows.........!

[Lesley]

oh what a lovely gift you got and what a nice friendship to read about :-) even better to get a belated present just when you think your birthday has been and gone:-)
Lesley x

[Fiona]

Oh it is absolutely beautiful. I can totally see why you fell so in love with it. For one awful moment I thought you were going to tell us your tears dripped onto it! phew! I'm going straight over to visit Vanessa's blog. Enjoy looking at your lovely new painting.

[do you mind if i knit]

Thankyou Lucy! Gosh............... I'm completely overwhelmed by your generosity ...................... but I think my strongest feeling is one of sheer happiness at your reaction to my gift................... the perfect reaction, and I think the sort of reaction that most people would hope for, but would very rarely get...................... And you say such lovely things about my blog, and have taken some great photographs of the painting............. and, and, well............. gosh!!!!!! The only other time someone cried over my paintings I gifted, was when I gave my Brother-in-Law three portraits I had done of my Niece, his daughter............... It was Christmas day, and he opened the gift, and promptly burst into tears infront of all the family, and sounded pained................ I was astonished that he felt so moved, and felt a bit guilty at the same time................ but also torn, because there was something very flattering about him crying over my gift.............. he did like the pictures by-the-way.............. he wasn't crying because he disliked them! I'm so, so glad I had a very good excuse to give this to you as a present Lucy, and I'm so thrilled you love it..........................A late Happy Birthday!