Today's mail brought cards from Brandi in Mt Vernon,IN amd Merna in Victoria.
Brandi's card is a cool glittery affair of sequins beads and yarn.just what you need with our summer weather.
Merna's card features folded teabags as the back ground and a (hybrid) FME'd flower.
I heard of another Victorian friend using teabags to make flowers but this is the first I've actually seen.
Looks as though I NEED to start drinking tea doesn't it! 
Some months back,QA magazines did a feature on "secret treasures"
citing a Balinese influence for the four petalled shape.
I had this carved agate leaf which I felt lent itself to being a Secret Treasure.
I attempted to create a treasure within treasures!
The outer layers of both 'boxes" are an upholstery fabric;A tone on tone cream leaf pattern echoing the shape of the agate leaf.
The smaller "box" is lined with reddish orange dyed silk;
the larger container lining is a cotton quilting fabric.
Both containers were embellished with chunky antique gold FME.
Can you imagine.........a very dear friend gives you a gorgeous brocade fabric and says
"I thought you could cut it up and use it in your CQ"
The "it" in question she acquired when living in Japan a couple of years back;
"It" is a sample of Obi fabric from a sample book,much like we Occidentals are used to seeing upholstery samples.
When you look at the reverse side of the brocade,and see the count of silk threads used to weave the pattern on the front,you are" blown away" by the intricacy of the weave.
No way will I ever be "cutting it up".
The fabric is 12 inches wide...........when I think of the Haiku that refers to
"A folded fan of autumn is inserted
In the obi hard like a board"
It makes me wonder,just how uncomfortable a twelve inch sash around the waist would be!
I still dream the improbable dream,that "one day" I might get to visit Hokkaido and northen parts of Japan and experience for myself a culture that has long fascinated me.
