Happy Fribetheweo!

That's "Happy Friday Before the Week of Thanksgiving", a new holiday inaugurated by my friend Kai, and the attitude adjusting thought I needed to face this weekend. Our church is once again hosting it's Christmas Bazaar... oh, excuse me, "Holiday Gift Market". Once again I have a table, and once again I know in my bones that nothing will sell, LOL! Jake and Lydia are manning the table for me today as I have to work, which is nice because I get stressed trying to convince people that my prices are not only reasonable but cheap, compared to the work and materials I use.

Ok, Ok, I'll stop now. You didn't come here to read me ranting!

This year outside vendors were invited to participate, so my little table looks a little small compared to their displays, but I am still proud of my offerings. I hope some of it sells -- I'm running out of room to store stuff!

This little person is "Pin-elope", another pattern I am testing for Jacque Uetz. Another fun and playful design I might add. I know it's a feminine name, but my little guy "feels" male to me. He is ready for his embellishments, but I've been too frazzled to concentrate. Maybe this weekend!

Bad photo, but cute doll!

I am so happy with the way this little girl is turning out that I had to share a quick progress update photo. I want to varnish her hair yet (the flat matte paint doesn't look quite right) and take up a few tucks in her skirt so her lavishly embroidered bloomers show up a little better.

I have had so much fun creating her costume out of some vintage embroidered pieces. It was a challenge to find usable pieces that avoided holes and stains from some of them. If you look very closely at the bottom of her sleeve on the right you will see a rather large grease stain. Someone did something really nasty to what had been a beautiful table square...

Oop, I just noticed that I haven't finished her shoes yet either. She will also have a blue ribbon sash around her waist, but I don't have what I want in my stash so will have to make a shopping trip.

Bits and Pieces

After a week spent being in all kinds of places where I *had* to be, doing things I was *supposed* to be doing, I TOOK the time to play with dolls this afternoon. Jacque Uetz is letting me test a few patterns for her, and I have been bouncing from one to another all week, working on one while bits of another are drying. Lots of layers to let dry on these pieces!

It's just the kind of "crafter's ADD" style of working that I usually indulge in though, so I am happy as a clam. Today I painted the body and face of a very sweet little vintage-style doll named Emma. Emma is very different from my usual style, but I am satisfied with the way she is coming together.

She stands about 15" tall, and will be dressed in vintage linens. I bought some cutter pieces on eBay last week, and now the fun part will be deciding which ones to use for her clothing.
Here is a close up of her face. Hmmm... need to work on that hairline a little. Lydia says she looks like a little Japanese girl... The original painting design does not call for eyelashes, but I drew some in anyway. Now I am wondering if I should paint them out.

Maybe I was just in a strange mood when I answered the questions...

You Are 5: The Investigator

You're independent - and a logical analytical thinker. You love learning and ideas... and know things no one else does. Bored by small talk, you refuse to participate in boring conversations. You are open minded. A visionary. You understand the world and may change it. At Your Best: You are sharp, inventive, and creative. You have the skills to lead the world. At Your Worst: You are reclusive, weird, and a bit paranoid. Your Fixation: Greed Your Primary Fear: Being useless or incompetent Your Primary Desire: Being competent and needed Other Number 5's: Bill Gates, John Lennon, Kurt Cobain, Bjork, and Stephen Hawking.

What Number Are You?

Kitty Update

The calendar may say November, but yesterday afternoon felt more like September. A few people have asked me for an update on the abandoned kittens, so I took the opportunity of a beautiful afternoon to grab my camera and a handful of kibble and hunt them down. They had just been fed a little while earlier however, so weren't much interested in the kibble. "Amber" flat out declined to rouse from a nap and wouldn't come out of the calf house.



"Onyx" wondered why The Food Woman suddenly decided to lie down flat on her stomach. I imagine that, were I in his paws, I would be curious too!



The bugs in the garden were much more interesting however. He is by far and away the most energetic of the trio -- NOTHING is safe from his pouncing games.



"Pemberly" was the little shy one who hid from me under the floor of the calf house. He would NOT stay in a position for a photograph where he wasn't backlit, so we had to resort to a posed photo.

Thanks for your interest! I'll be back with a regular art post later in the week.