Doll

these photos are for the family who know where this is-

That’s the roof of the gazebo.   And the island is back to the way it was when I first saw it.  I wonder if the beavers are still in the lodge on the right.

Pieces of the gazebo are now part of the beaver dam-

On the other side of the street, the water is really low-

Lots of water coming through the culvert though- we were surprised the beavers weren’t working on the dam.  We didn’t see any sign of freshly cut wood.

Ben and I went on a daytrip to Logee’s yesterday- so much inspiration!

I love this rust and green slime covered crank-

and this is the ceiling in the bathroom! I couldn’t help myself, I HAD to take a photo!

I made a set over at Flickr with full size images from our visit.

Dolls in progress-

and the first flower pictures of the year-

hellebore-

and crocus-

I love pollarded trees.   It is something one rarely sees in the US.

I noticed a lot of these trees in London- they look like they have ornaments hanging from them.

And here is what I’ve been working on.  Trees on the mind.  I didn’t get much done on my travels.

This photo is from my walk yesterday.  Chilly flamingos!

pictures out the train window-

1/14- leaving Boston

and into Connecticut-

to New Haven- where there was very little snow.

and then it was too dark for photos.

I will start with the most fun thing- On Tuesday afternoon, I visited the Etsy Lab- it was great! I was very unsure about the whole expedition, wondering if it was going to be totally weird, but everyone was very nice and welcoming. I guess what I should have done was to take photos of me with all the people that work there… but I didn’t. Instead-

this is what greets you when you come in the door-

A wall of artwork from Etsy people. I left an atc to add to the wall.

Outside the offices, there is a giant poster with everyones avatar… I couldn’t find mine and I did look for a while!

Other stuff I did- I went to the Museum of Art and Design and saw Pricked, Extreme Embroidery. There were a few pieces that stuck with me- one by Paul Villinski of wings made of gloves. Another by Shizuko Kimura that was sketches done with thread. Also, Andrea Dezso. I have a hard time getting past the fact that this used to be the American Craft Museum and they felt they had to change their name. Please!

Across the street is the American Folk Art Museum- I love that place! They have a permanent collection that I always enjoy. When I visit, I feel like I am seeing old friends. They are having a show that included some amazing papercuts. I’ve been seeing a lot of papercuts in the greater internet world and was primed to really enjoy what was on display.

On Wednesday I went to the Metropolitan Museum- which is totally overwhelmingly huge. I did find the costume show I was looking for, but I think I had to ask 5 different people and it took 20 minutes to get there from when I started out. Wow.

Also, lots of walking, people watching, window shopping, fun, fun fun. Oh, such tired feet!

And then home. This is Penn Station, as we were leaving-

and out the window of the train again-

And home again, very late. I think I’ve been catching up on the computer ever since!

According to my stats, this is my 700th post… wow, who’d a thunk it.

I was down in Providence on Thursday to do my shift. It started to snow around noon. The store got quiet. The roads got progressively worse all afternoon. Getting home was a much bigger adventure then I like, although better for me then many. My waiting time was spent in a train station and not in a car on the highway. It makes me glad once again that I normally don’t have to commute.

We (well, mostly Ben) got the sidewalks and driveway cleared up, just in time for another hit.

Hmm, is the front door going to be frozen closed/open for the winter?

The compost pile has a peaked hat- it usually doesn’t match the garage roof.

And some other white stuff.

On a recent trip to the thrift store I found 4 very large Mens alpaca sweaters. It is one of those things where obviously a store or manufacturer or someone donated a lot of them. They are all never worn and some were obviously seconds. And scratchy. No wonder nobody bought them. $2 each for me!

So, I tried some shibori felting yesterday. This was a test. I removed the sleeves from the white sweater. On the left- I used buttons (mens shirt buttons- you know the size) and put a little rubber band to hold them in place. If I decide to do more of this, I need to find a supply of those tiny rubber bands that are used with braces. They are perfect for this- unfortunately I used up all I had.

On the right, I clipped the fabric with bull clips. Not a success. It doesn’t look like anything. I assume if I throw it back in the washing machine, it will felt up evenly, but we’ll see.

And Christmas production.  I am making everyone who gets presents from this house, reusable shopping bags.  I have loads of fabric that I will never find a better use for.  This is a two-fer good thing.  1. I am using rescued fabric- would have gotten tossed if I hadn’t taken it.  2.  I am making bags which will hopefully keep plastic out of the waste stream.  Well, and then there is 3.  If I use up enough fabric, I will have space to replenish my stash…  that’s the dessert!

I needed to make some more of these school picture atc’s. I’ve been thinking about boys, which I pretty much left out of the last batch, and glasses.

They should be done by tomorrow. I hope to post them and also the 2 moustached tattooed guys to Etsy tomorrow.

A story from when I was in Chicago for Thanksgiving- I was walking around in the neighborhood where my daughter lives. Down a side street, I saw an awning that said Toy Gallery. I got SO excited- a Gallery! for Toys! I rushed over to get a better look. It was a sex toy store… I still cannot believe how disappointed I was! I think in the nanosecond between seeing the sign and figuring out what the place actually was selling, I had developed a whole fantasy of what would be there- my fantasy best ever art gallery. Oh well… it amuses me every time I think about my reaction.

I had the pleasure of visiting Danny Mansmiths studio while I was there. I didn’t take any photos because he is always posting great pics of his studio at his flickrstream. I kept him away from his sewing machine for an hour or so- it was so much fun to see everything close-up and get to see the textures and layers of the fabric and the sewing. And gab.

I also connected with Brandy for a second… she was participating in a craft fair on the day we flew in. I really wanted to meet her so I went over. But, of course, meeting someone when they are at their booth at a craft fair isn’t exactly ideal conditions for craft/blog/get-to-know-someone-better talk. It is great for getting to see a bunch of someone’s artwork though, so that was wonderful!

We have had unusually wintery weather since Thanksgiving.  Right now everything is coated with a glaze of ice.

the boxwood-

and alyssum-

I was so pleased to receive this photo.  What a beautiful baby.  I love to think that a doll I made will be part of her life.

Fall was late to arrive this year, but when the leaves finally started to change color, they were amazing.  I need to collect my photos here and I can remember, now that the trees are bare and the leaves are brown. Of course, we still need to rake them before the snow.

this was in Chicago- Eleanor’s feet-

Well, it’s over… we had our first frost last night.  I’m glad I got the photo of the nasturtiums last week.

This baby has been a hard one- why do I keep thinking of it as the colicky baby.  It is the baby I started with but kept having to put aside.  The base fabric is a rather loosely knit sweater.  It didn’t felt when I washed it, but I still wanted to use it- I like the texture and the color.  It was very hard to work with.  The wool fabric just didn’t hold it’s shape and I felt like I was wrestling it to get the right shape.  In retrospect, I should have used an inner-lining as a stabilizer.  And, actually that was just one of the problems.  Originally, this baby had a brown face.  When I was close to finishing, I stepped back and realized there was not enough contrast.  The brown face disappeared into the pile of leaves- so… face-ectomy (that’s a little gruesome pandering to the whole Halloween week heehee).  And I won’t go into the problems of getting the face right.  But, now it is done-

I loved embroidering the leaves.  Every time I went for a walk, I would bring some leaves home for inspiration.  Now I have a pile on my desk.

Bunny on the bottom-

I took the extra face and made a new body for it, so it has worked out for the best.  I have 2 more babies to finish before moving on.

Two more ladies done. I’ve posted a group shot over on flickr.

I’m rather liking this ruffle-edged suit jacket-

And this lady below has a hat that was inspired by someone I saw when I went to pick up my husband at the subway.

Here is what is next- babies, and random hands and legs for more lady dolls.

And the garden… puff of fluff. Butterfly weed is in the same family as milkweed and it is obvious at this time of year.

These chrysanthemums are the last flowers to bloom in my garden. I think they are called “Clara Curtis”.