Saying goodbye to an era of online group

Cloth Paper Studio is an online group I've belonged to for years and years.    It is closing up shop as the  owners/list moms are moving on in their lives to other things.    

They are receiving many nice notes from other artists and craftspeople, quilters, felters, beaders, etc. who found a happy home with them for many years.   I am sure they know how grateful we all are for their encouragement, their chiding and teasing, their good humor and sense of fun, as well as the forum they provided for easy exchanges of ideas, techniques, and information.    It's been a great ride.     May first is the closing day, and I for one will be raising a toast to them for the pleasure they brought to me daily online.

Over the years many of the online groups have closed, some because they were related to a particularly hot trend in the altered arts world, and it just plays itself out - and some we just don't know why the interest waned.      This is one group that had so many  varied interests, it always was jumping from one thing to another - and every month at least, I would come away with a new idea, or way of doing something.     You know when we put our heads together, we learn a lot from each other.     One idea leads to another.  And the photos and links to other sites led me to places I never would have visited.     Here is a huge THANKS to Diane, Rachel, Wendy and Sue.     The best group leaders ever.   Now we will have to keep up with each other through the blogs and other new media.   

 I guess it's true the one unchanging thing in the world is change.    It always happens.   Sometimes it makes me sad.   On the other hand, it makes me move forward.    I just joined Trodden  Path, which is a relatively new online group, and immediately came across Evie in Scotland.     An old friend I met through the Cloth Paper Studio group years ago, and whose work I have collected.     Now we are in an ATC swap together.     Here is one of the little cards I just made for my partner.  The theme is winged children.