Home again

the duties of the Critter Sitter are complete

while my daughter was off on vacation they visited in Yellowstone (somewhere I have never been)

she took some very cool pictures of a lot of neat animals

but the only bears she saw were on these very cool socks

which she brought for me!

I know, it's warm weather right now, but when fall comes and my feet are cold, I'm going to love pulling on these lovelies (made out of recycled cotton, by the way)

and every time I wear them I'll think about her and the week of the Critter Sitter and all it's adventures

thanks kid!

last night after we got home I worked on finishing up this block for the baby quilt

this is block 4 -- the zeba

it was kind of fun doing this out of fabric that was already zebra print instead of either painting or appliqueing all of the stripes -- something different is fun

and this makes 4 blocks complete -- although I'm definitely not doing these in numeric order!
this is what the "fantasy map" looks like now

4 blocks in the places where they'll be when it's done

so now I need to decide which block I'll be doing next

perhaps another big one

or not




in one of the quilt stores I visited while I was away I picked up this fabric panel

(it's all one strip, I just couldn't get a good picture of it that way)

I'm planning on turning this into a Christmas gift for my mother who collects paper dolls and has a couple of sets that I drew for her

this should be fun --

tonight is my quilt guild meeting, so I need to spend some time today putting together all of the stuff I need to take with me (completed charity quilt, show and tell item, door prize, pot luck item) -- time to get movin'

another one done, a gillion bizillion to go

projects, that is

This is the final cover for the Bunnie Paperdolls

This morning, as I write this, my printer is cranking out the final copies (in photo mode for best quality)

So this afternoon I will be assembling and binding and packaging

With this paperworks project complete, I'll be going on to one that is for next Christmas (did I really say that?!), but that won't begin for a while as I still have other non-paperworks items to finish for this year.

When we went to Kansas City for Jubilee, we came home with two cases of teddy bears from Good Bears of the World to be donated to the local hospital. This morning we're heading over to meet with the volunteer services lady to hand them over. I'm taking my camera so we can (hopefully) get some pictures of the exchange for the Bear Tracks publication that the Good Bears print about 3 times a year. This should be fun.

After totally upending the studio, I finally located the manual for the sewing machine, so when we return from our trip with the bears I'll be starting some stitching projects. The coolest thing is that once I set them up and get them started, I can work on something else (in the same room of course), and actually be giving new meaning to "multi tasking"!

So, we're off and runnin'!

Something actually nearing completion!

Ta Da!

The first of several pages of outfits for the paperdolls

Having given up on being nerdy enough to figure out how to do this whole layering of many images on the computer, I resorted to one of my best talents -- scissors and glue!

(must be this whole paperdoll thing is because I played with them so much as a child, and so my fine motor skills for cutting are outstanding!)

Anyway, this page and several others are just about done, now I just need to finish the page with the actual paperdolls and I'll be ready to print up the book pages and stitch them together --- YEAH!

So, let's see what I can get done today

Doing things the "Old Fashioned" way

I know there's GOT to be a way in the program to put these all together, but after fiddling with the software for about an hour, I have reached the "frustration saturation" stage

Soooooo, before I'm throwing things (like the computer monitor!), I've decided that it makes better sense for me to go back to the old stand by -- scissors and glue -- afterall, at one point I pieced together an entire paragraph for a newspaper layout letter by letter that way -- no reason it can't be done again!

(PS: anyone really familiar with either Borderbund's Printshop or Adobe out there? Some pointers here would be greatly appreciated!!)

no tricks, just treats!

Here we are, headed for bed

This will be the last set of clothes for the bunnies

I'll be moving on to working on the backgrounds today, which should be interesting

and I'll admit there is already another "paper craft" cooking in the back of my head that will involve 54 different images -- a project for next Christmas already!!


TA DA!

Last night I put the last stitch in the quilt top!!

I'm thrilled, having finished the top 4 whole days ahead of my goal of having it done by election day

Today I'll be preparing the backing so this evening I can pin the back, batting and top together between trick or treaters (it's actually a good activity to be periodically interrupted so my back doesn't get so tired)

So the quilting will probably begin tomorrow -- I still need to make my marking templates too




I hope all of your door knockers are a real treat tonight!

Muuuuuuch better

finally back to what resembles normal here at the "masion de lunes"

and a lot more got done yesterday

the bunny paperdolls are progressing

these are the "back to school" outfits all colored

I have the pjs drawn and hope to get those colored today

then it's on to the backgrounds



and these are the beaded medallions (with all of their lovely threads still attached which will be needed to string this whole thing together)

this picture was taken before I started working on this project yesterday, and I did 3 more of them after that

my idea right now is to make the necklace center basically as these are laid out then more up each side to complete the necklace

So far no two of these are alike (on purpose!), and I think I have enough of the seed beads to continue that entire theme through the whole necklace

as often happens, while I was working on this I had an idea for another piece that will use some of that Rocky Mountain Beach Glass that I was talking about a while back

I'm going to try to get the stuff pulled out for that idea today to make sure I have everything I need for it before I get too excited about it

Since I'm so close to having the quilt top finished, we decided to go yesterday and try to find something to use for the back

this was the fabric that was the final decision

I love this stuff -- it reminds me of crackle finished paint

and I got the winter green quilting thread to do the quilting which I've decided will be something that looks like bird's wings over the entire surface, beginning at the top left corner

each quilt I've made I've quilted in a different pattern and technique -- I don't know if I'm just getting better at it or if I'm making better choices about these projects, but each quilt has seemed easier than the last -- maybe it's a bit of both

So, we're off and runnin' !

the oddities of life

One more page of paperdoll costumes colored

this one could be titled "evil bunnies" -- the Halloween costumes were fun

So now it's on to school outfits, then maybe Christmas ones and pjs


These arrived in the mail on Friday

2 dozen plastic squeakers -- 1 dozen small ones, 1 dozen larger ones

the larger ones are intented to be used first to repair some dog toys that belong to our dog and our grand dog, both of whom seem to just love that sound (someone should explain to me why a big lab thinks that "squeek, squeek, squeek" is so attractive)

every year at Christmas I make the dogs some new toys too, which is why I ordered the economy priced pack of each size

I'm even considering putting some on my Etsy store

I went into Michaels yesterday just to look around (I was hoping to find a copy of Belle Amoire or one of the other Stampington publications -- had no luck there)

I did find these however!

The bottom one is a nice stamp that says "Thank you" which I intend to use on the bottom of my receipts (I'll stamp up the whole book shortly), so it goes to each customer

The other boxes are different alphabets -- and each box of 30 stamps (26 letters plus some symbols) measures less than 2 inches by 2 inches -- these babies are SMALL

No doubt the DH and I will be discussing who gets to use which one for what in the future!

The best part? Oh yes, all of these were in the "goodie basket" (as my mom calls it) of things that had been marked down -- they cost $1.00 each!

These were also in the marked down bins

these will be used to create a Christmas sock, and the rest used for afghan squares for charity

I love it when I can get some nice yarn for a cheap price!







and this is why I'll be knitting another Christmas Sock

this is my new grand dog -- now I have 2 grand dogs (and a grand bird)

Tonks is her name (all you Harry Potter fans should know where that came from!) -- cute is her game!

I haven't actually met her in person yet, as my daughter just got her on Friday, but I'm looking forward to it!


While I was in Michaels I also got some new double strand clasps with the idea of using them for the necklace I want to put together with those floral looking medallions. I was all set to work on them -- had my delicas, had my color coordinated beading thread -- when I discovered that the holes in the purple glass beads are so big that the delicas just slide right inside them --- BOOOOO!

I've been thinking about it, though, and I think I can still do the medallions, it will just take a few more beads -- when I do that first round I'll just string up enough more beads to let them run through the center. I'll be trying that today.

time to go play!!

paper works and bead works

in perhaps a more traditional kind of bunny costumes, here are the latest

Easter Bunnies!

of course these will be surrounded with baskets and eggs and little stuffed critters on a Spring background

finished the drawings of the next costumes too -- the halloween costumes -- cute too -- but I haven't done the coloring on those yet

Perhaps today!

finished these yesterday

also did some medallions with a black bead center and some AB finish gray beads

very vintage looking

should get those onto their earwires today

then it's on to the last pair of earrings I'm planning to do before I try out the necklace

movin' right along on these!


Last night I finally finished the first of the free flying birds on the quilt, and started on the second one. My goal is to be ready to start quilting this by election day (that will give me something to work on while I'm watching the returns!)

other beading and knitting projects are moving right along too

time to get busy

Bunnies at the beach?

I know, it sounds nuts

afterall, there's no evidence that bunnies like to swim (that I know of)

and if they did they obviously would not wear swim suits

in spite of all that, the bunny paperdolls will

So we have swim trunks and a tank top for the boy and a suit with a little hip ruffle for the girl

meantime now I'm "researching" pictures to do the background drawings from for this one -- sand buckets and shovels, swim fins, floatie rings, star fish

kind of fun!

Work on the bird quilt continues -- one more bird's tail is now complete, so the next work is to attach the free flying birds to the strips around the center block

The knitting projects are coming along (10 inches done on the very complex cabled vest!) and I did some more beading on some other things too

Today, being our payday, we will make our monthly trip to Costco -- need things like cheese and eggs and vitamins

time to roll!

just a quickie

consider for a moment the idea of bunnies in snowsuits --

ok, they must be snow bunnies!!

let us say I may be having WAY too much fun doing these paperdolls

visualize these little costumes on a background of snowflakes with little pictures of sleds and snowmen and all that around them --- I'm workin' on it!!

aside from that, nothin' to show for yesterday's work on things -- but there are things being done

Coco and Goldie

these are the colored versions of the bunnies

That's Coco (the boy) on the left and Goldie (the girl) is on the right

the DH, who raised rabbits for years says the easiest way to tell the boy bunnies from the girls is in the shape of the face -- the male face is broader --

okay, for paperdolls this may not be important, but why not be correct




Along with playing with the colored pencils yesterday, I did start setting together the quilt. This is a somewhat slow process as I'm trimming each of the appliqued blocks as I go along, and doing the additional applique of the round blocks, the free flying birds and the parts of the blocks that extend into the stripping. I'm mid-way through applique of the first round block right now.

I have been working on a new piece of jewelry too -- it looks like a fat tube and is made of 3 mm copper beads and turquoise colored seed beads in size 11 and 15 -- the technique is pretty easy (once you get it), and I think this will be a really nice piece. It's about 1/2 done right now.


The giraffe is in his box. This is an example of why one should never throw a box away -- the box from the printer I had BEFORE the current one was a perfect fit. I'm just waiting to get an address confirmation from his owner before I mail him off.

guess it's time to go work on stuff!

must be the squirrel influence

For some reason yesterday things in the studio just seemed to click and things got done!
new earrings!

the centers of these are 18mm Swarovski Crystal Rivoli -- this is a new goodie available from Fire Mountain Gems in a number of colors

I did beaded netting around them and added the silver french hooks

not bad, and they worked up really quickly (about an hour for the pair)

Next!

with lightening speed!

this is the replacement voice box for the Steiff giraffe I'm repairing

couldn't believe it when I opened the mail box and there it was!

So now I can finish him up and try to find a box to pack him in (that will probably be the hardest part!)


The last and biggest block for the parrot quilt is now complete

I finished this about 9 last night and took the picture right away so I could post it this morning

So now I will be working on cutting the stripping and setting the whole thing together

It's getting pretty exciting

And while I'm working on that I need to start thinking about what sort of pattern I will quilt into it (no, I am NOT going around each of those little feathers again!)


the new and improved bunny drawing

aw, much better

so now I need to decide just how big the paperdolls will be and start working on backgrounds and costumes

mmmmm -- chocolate bunny, easter bunny, snow bunny, beach bunny, evil bunny -- yup, lots of possibilities for costumes!



I did spend time working on a new banner for my Etsy store, some pencil sketches and now I need to work on doing the photo collage in the computer program to create it

time to get back to that

completed mystery project and a reward

Here it is!

The second completed "mystery project" with in a month

Let us say I'm getting a "leg up" on my Christmas work

(and I ordered the yarn for the next one today!!! YES!)

now you can just wonder and imagine what that little square might be a piece of......



The month of May is gone and I for one am glad to see it gone, as it has not been any fun at all

To reward myself for having SURVIVED the month and for having "been good" by walking every day for almost 2 weeks, I made a little trip to our local Michaels.

Here are the goodies:

2 packages of wooden beads (little ones -- to be covered with size 15 (!!!) beads)
1 package of wooden spools (also little ones for size 15 bead covering)

(those items are so I can try to finish the piece of jewelry I'm working on after my attempt at making tube beads without support didn't work out for this particular project)

2 skeins of yarn that were on sale -- these are to be knit into afghan squares that will go to Close Knit Hugs

and the big treat -- the latest issue of Art Doll Quarterly -- I love these magazines -- and I keep them for future review



In this particular issue there is a challenge to do a paperdoll -- they provided the template (shown here)

I'm thinking about playing with this idea --

if I like the results, I may submit them (hey, the worst thing that will happen is another rejection slip for the wall!!)