What Would We Do Without Friends!

I've always said that the arts and crafts community on the web is the best there is.

It's not just because there are so many phenomenal artists and crafters doing business on the web. It's because all of these artists and crafters are so willing to share their time, knowledge, and enthusiasm with other artists and crafters. They are always willing to help where ever they can.

Everyday I see evidence of my motto: "What helps one of us helps all of us!" and this Sunday was no exception.

You see, on Sunday morning I woke up to a bunch of emails from a friend of mine, Katherine Ann Johnson Lees who is affectionately known as "Kat Lees" or "Kat."

If you don't know who "Kat" is - let me tell you. She is a wonderful and extraordinary woman of enormous talent and generosity, who also happens to be a phenomenal doll artist and doll pattern creator.

She's been a cloth doll artist for over 25 years and designs, teaches, and sells her handmade dolls on her Designs By Kat blog, her Kat's Holiday Shoppe blog, her Christmas Designs By Kat blog, and her Designs By Kat Etsy shoppe.

Kat's dolls can range from the smallest to life size renditions. Kat is such an amazing artist that she has been commissioned several times to create portrait dolls for some of her customers.

She is both an artist and an illustrator with whimsical creativity beyond measure. Her dolls bring immense pleasure and smiles to the faces of everyone who sees them.

But, she is also an interior designer and this is very evident in the pictures of her home, especially the pictures with the holiday decorations. Kat transformed a bed and breakfast that she ran at the holidays to be every little girls dream. She created a wondrous environment for her family, friends and guests to enjoy and when you see the pictures of her decorations you can't help but feel her enthusiasm.

You see, Kat LOVES Christmas and the holidays and loves to create Santa's, Elves, whimsical creatures, etc. But, she also LOVES to inspire others to create. To try different avenues, different styles, different mediums. Her greatest joy is to watch her students as they realize their own hidden talents and watch the wonder in their eyes as they create some of her doll creations. To share her LOVE of creating and LOVE for life is a gift that Kat bestows on everyone she encounters whether they are students in her home, students taking her online classes, or students who buy her CD's and E-Patterns.

It is also a gift that she shares with her friends and which I, on Sunday morning, was the recipient of.

You see, the numerous emails from Kat were filled with her "Sherrie - The Poinsettia Elf" e-pattern, her "Connie - The Doll Maker Elf" e-pattern, her "Fiona Blue" decorative pillow e-pattern, and one of her wonderful tutorials on "Creating Faces With Chalk."

I, to say the least, was astonished. Kat had sent them to me "just because" and I was not only utterly surprised, but speechless.

Kat's e-patterns and tutorials are filled with hundreds of step by step pictures and instructions for creating her amazing dolls. And, her tutorial is filled with step by step pictures, instructions, and worksheets for learning how to create and paint faces with chalk. I could not believe how much time and effort went into producing each and everyone of Kat's e-patterns and tutorials. To say they are worth every penny of their cost is an understatement.

What Kat did not know was that her generosity created a beautiful morning of recollection for me. While looking at Connie, Sherrie, Fiona, and her tutorial I couldn't help but think of the fun my beloved step-daughter and I would have had creating her dolls. My step-daughter was a gifted artist and we often talked about dolls that I would create and dress and which she would paint the faces for. But, that was not to be.

However, looking at Kat's e-patterns filled me with beautiful memories and recollections of discussions with my beautiful step-daughter. That is a priceless gift and one for which, Kat, I will always be grateful. I decided that I am going to make all three of Kat's creations. It might take me a long time to do so, but I know that when I do my beloved step-daughter will be looking over my shoulder and encouraging me.

Thank-you, Kat, for your generosity, for your enthusiasm, for your enormous creative talents, and for being my friend. But most of all thank-you for giving me a beautiful day.