Christmas Present for A Girlfriend

I've been really busy this Christmas making a few presents, and this is one of my favorites that I made.  My friend Sue is an art pal gal and her nickname that she made up for herself and has on her business cards is Suzela.So I wanted to make her a sign for her space where she makes her art.  Neither one us has a studio, but both of us have cluttered rooms where we keep our art stuff and sometimes work.  We are both thrift store junkies and love old children's ephemera (which I think is a fancy word for "thingies"). 

Actually I knew I wanted to get her something from this store that is a mutual favorite of ours--a  great place in Minneapolis called Hunt and Gather--but wasn't sure what I wanted to do with it until I started looking.  I was collecting letters and then picked a few cards, but wasn't sure how it was going to come together.  Then the heavens opened and the angels sang and there was the tray.  Hooray!  From there I knew exactly how it should look.  The clown head was also a key feature I was really happy to find.  I already had some wire and knew I'd glue some letters and then attach the others with wire somehow.

I was really happy with the finished piece and she was ecstatic, said it was the best Christmas present ever.  Aw!  It's so rewarding to make something for someone you love and know that they're going to get great enjoyment out of it.

Now I have to go finish working on another present, this one for my sister--I know, I know, it's after Christmas!  She doesn't mind though, and it will be worth the wait, believe me.  Pictures to come...