Carina and I share memories and inspiration

I have been waiting to open this parcel from Carina for more than a week.  It was a huge comittment not to, but my mail art had gotten away from me and I knew I needed a weekend to enjoy Carina's post, so I let it just sit on my computer table, along with a few others and wait.  The wrapping paper is actually wallpaper made by one of Carina's friends in Finland.  I LOVE IT.  That goes in my collage box, but not my school collage box!

On the back of Carina's trash rug is this message. The cut off word is:  'traditional'

OK, so you expect mail artists to share certain things in common, a love of post marks, the joy the sound the mail person brings when you hear their footfall up the path, delight in particular glues and stamps... but this revelation from Carina took me completely by surprise! To demonstrate how much Carina and I share inspiration, look at the pictures below and read the captions.  I have placed Carina's trash rug on various floors in my house.

Carina Granlund's trashrug on piece of my mother's (faded) geometric hooked rug.  She cuts the strips using a particular method which I know. I grew up with my mother hunched over the hooking frame, surrounded by balls of home-dyed and hand-cut strips.

Carina Granlund's trashrug on the painted floor of our bathroom.  

Carina Granlund's trashrug on a Chinese dragon rug bought by my mother at the Long Melford antiques sale .  I walk on this rug daily and it reminds me of my mother.

Carina Granlund's trashrug on the rug my mother hooked for me as a wedding present, inspired by tradional textiles, using symbolism to describe me and my life and my marriage to Patrick.  This rug is very fine and should be on a wall, but I step on it in bare feet, daily, often, and it reminds me of my mother.  My brother and sister have their own wedding rugs.

Carina Granlund's trashrug on a rag rug I began but didn't have time to finish that mymother completed when she visited last Christmas.

Carina Granlund's trashrug on the rug Patrick and I bought in Turkey on our honeymoon (with money my uncle gave us for our wedding).

Carina Granlund's trashrug on a rug that my mother gave me when she moved out of our  NYC westside apartment.  Everytime I see it I think of NY and my father.  I think it was in the green room.

Carina Granlund's trashrug on a  rug bought as a gift from my parents when we lived in Singapore.  We went on an oriental rug course and fell in love with this rug.

I don't know what more I can say except that Carina's gift is a very special one, one that will need a place outside my box of mail art.  I love it and I love that it has helped me to understand Carina and myself more.  I don't know if Diane's mother also made rugs but I can't help being sure there is more than just the postal thing that connects us all.