It was a rather hectic week with nothing really to report. I met up with someone that I connected with through the blog vine. We made initial contact when she wrote to me from Australia and now she is living in Arlington!

I did a fabric rescue- found homes for a carload of fabric that probably would have ended up in the dumpster- the idea that it would all be tossed makes me crazy (or crazier?) And, by giving the fabric away, I got to meet lots of interesting local people that I had never met before- everyone was so happy to be getting free fabric and I felt like I was doing a good service. Fun!

Saturday was the Recraft Fair. What a wonderful event. There was a good crowd and everyone was enthusiastic about what I’m doing. It is not just the people that take out their wallet and buy something. It is also people who talk to me and get excited about the work. It is the way people walk by and something on the table catches their eye and they smile or come over. Everybody seemed so cheerful and engaged. I came away feeling recharged by all the positive energy.

I have to admit that doing this sort of thing is way out of my comfort zone, so having it go well was a huge relief. I borrowed a tent- something about the tent makes it all look so much more professional. Here is a view looking in- photo by Ben-

and my view, looking out-

I was right next to the music. For the most part it was fine, even pleasant. At one point though, I thought my head was going to explode! Ahhh, too loud!!! I started to think “I am too old for this!” Thank goodness for husbands’ who say, “I’ll take over now- you go walk around”

Earlier in the week I took Noah down to the Boston Common. I am hoping to finish up with Noah’s summer vacation in Boston by the end of this week. Then I’ll post the photos to Flickr.

Okay, drum roll please- first name- Diane L, 2nd- Shobana, 3rd- Shula, 4th- Kristine Hudson! I will email you to get addresses. Now, for everyone else- I’d like to send you a printed patch, so I will email you and if you want one, you can send me your address.

Everything got a bit too crazy here on the actual birthday. I ended up hardly being home at all! I added the names of everyone who wished me Happy Birthday, no matter what post they commented on, also emails, up to Friday evening, when we finally did the drawing. I couldn’t make myself do it- I had to get my husband. Otherwise, somehow, it didn’t seem fair! Then, the computer got unhappy and I couldn’t post until this morning. Everyone should have gotten their emails by now.
I had a great birthday. I spent the afternoon at the Boston MFA and saw the Edward Hopper show. I brought Noah with me to the museum, but never got a chance to take a photo. I had to run out at the end to go pick up Peter. I turned to snap a photo of the museum before I left. This is what I found when I downloaded the pics-

Isn’t that weird! It was NOT on purpose! Just in case it isn’t obvious- the sculpture is the man walking on a pipe over the entry driveway…

And, I got my very own Ipod… yes! I can’t wait to start downloading all the great podcasts, instead of having to listen to them on my computer.

Then, out for ice cream with Noah-

Isn’t that an eye-popping photo of a hotdog- yikes! Altogether a great day.

Friday, Ben and I took Noah out for iced coffee in the North End of Boston- and I took his sweater off. I couldn’t bear seeing him wearing it- it has been very, very hot and humid here-

This morning, I am off to Northboro for another day of doll making togetherness. Next week, back to my studio… ahhh!

What a week!  I am so pleased to have sent off my fabric for Bitter Betty‘s swap.  And I have been cleaning up a storm in preparation for my workshop tomorrow.

When I got back from vacation last Saturday, there was a notice from the post office that I had a package from China.  I couldn’t imagine what it was.  When I went to get it on Monday, here is what I found-

Noah, the traveling gnome!  Mary has organized a trip around the world for this fellow- a Rosa Pomar gnome.  Shula knitted him a sweater when he was in Australia, but he must be dying of the heat now- it is hot and humid as anything here in Boston!  Next week, I will take him around Arlington for some photos and will post them on his Flickr site.

And sweet Elia has named me a-

Yep, ME- a Rockin’ Girl Blogger!  That has had this 50+ blogger smiling all week, every time I think about it.  This is a project started by Roberta– what a great idea!  Now I am suppose to name 5 people.  That is the hard part because it is always leaving out some totally fantastic people.  Eek, I tried and I just can’t do it right now- I will try again next week.
And speaking of 50 plus- next week is my birthday and I am going to give out some presents.  Let’s say 4 presents.  I’ll wrap up some of the fabric I printed and if I have any idea who you are, via a blog or flickr or something, I try to pick out some stuff from my stash that you’d like.  Leave me a comment or email me – mimik(at)pobox.com.  I will pick out my giftees at random next Thursday- Happy Birthday me!

We had a wonderful time in Ithaca!

1. Ithaca Falls, 2. Tree roots 1, 3. Taughannock State Park, 4. Buttermilk Falls, 5. Buttermilk Falls, 6. Buttermilk Falls, 7. Butterfly and yellow echinacea, 8. Buttermilk Falls, 9. Ithaca woods, 10. Taughannock Falls, 11. maidenhair fern, 12. Lucifer Falls from above, 13. Stairs and more stairs, 14. Lucifer Falls, 15. Treman State Park, 16. Buttermilk Falls

We walked and saw lots of waterfalls and beautiful woods. We were mystified by the lack of buzzing, biting insects. Enjoyed excellent weather.  I’ve posted tons of photos over on Flickr.
We saw Hair at the Hangar Theater– we loved it!  And, of course I found some places to shop-

I got these treasures at a little antique shop. I also found the local Salvation Army store- there is nothing like a thrift store in a college town- wow, it was fantastic!

We ate a delicious dinner at the Moosewood Restaurant-  We had to go- the Moosewood cookbook was so much a part of being young in the 70’s.
I got Peter to play Scrabble with me- he beat me both times!  And I got a little work done on my tikis.  I brought a ton of magazines with me- ones I never seem to get around to reading.  I went through them, tearing out inspiration, recycling what I didn’t want.  That felt like a big project accomplished!

Now that I’m home, I’ve got to get onto my fabric printing.  I’ll show something about that tomorrow.

I am leaving for vacation tomorrow- I’ll be away for a week. As a result, I have a big long list of things to get done and the piles all over the house are actually getting looked at! Then there are the things I am suppose to get done online- the emails, etc… Alyssa over at penguin & fish tagged me recently. I have never done one of these before, for any number of reasons… one of which is because they are really hard! Anyway, I figured it was time to give it a try.

so, 7 things-

– I did not get onto a computer until 2000. No email or anything. It was my new millennium resolution. Luckily I had a 9 year old boy in the house to help me out when I couldn’t figure out how to turn it on or off!

– I am 4 out of 5. My mom is 15 out of 18. (Sorry about the picture, Tina!)

– I have a 5 pointed star in the middle of each palm.

– My interests at 10 years old- dolls, needlework, gardening- no change.

– I lived in London for a year when I was 9 years old. That year had a huge impact on me. I didn’t want to come home. Life in Connecticut was just not as good. I have made choices in my adult life based on the experiences of that year- the kind of house and neighborhood I wanted to live in, my relationship to an urban area, gardens and roses. It also influenced how I wanted my kids to interact with the place they lived.

– If my life had a soundtrack, it would be an audio book. I listen to books all the time when I work. I have books connected in my head with certain art works and visa versa- dolls with stories.

– hmm, one more thing… well, I don’t watch tv. We have one, but it can go for many weeks without being turned on. I’ve never seen Survivor, the Sopranos, West Wing or Sex in the City.

Okay, that’s it. Wow, like I said- that was hard. I am not going to name anybody because I think everyone else has already done it.

I am taking 2 tikis with me on our trip, since they are mostly handwork. That means I might have something to show you when I get back. Also, I still have some space in the doll workshops- July 28 and August 4. Let me know if you are interested. I will be emailing and confirming with everyone who expressed an interest. I am really excited about it!

Thanks so much for all your supportive comments- I am so touched and completely blown away! I guess that is one way to delurk people! Just remember though, positive feedback for whining? Probably not a good thing… at least that was the mantra when our kids were little. And who knows where this blog might end up if you encourage it. Hee!

I have been thinking a lot lately about validation. That is, what I personally need in my day and in my life to continue to feel that my art is worth doing. I don’t get the classic American style validation- ie money. For many people, that’s the only validation worth respecting. But I HAVE to do what I’m doing. I think I’d go completely nuts if I couldn’t do my artwork. My blog has become my validation- knowing that people come and read what I write, look at my photos, leave me comments, understand and appreciate what I’m doing. Yes, someone, many someones, are interested, and it turns out that that is enough. I make stuff, I show it online, people look at it. Isn’t that what it’s all about as long as there is food in the fridge? Now if I was making all these things in secret and stowing it away in a closet for my children to discover when I died of fabric poisoning, it would be a better story, I’d fit the description of an outsider artist and I really would be nutty!
The other part of this thought cycle is about “worthiness”. I used to worry a lot about being an “artist” and worrying about how other people defined the term. Now, I don’t worry so much and try not to set myself up to be judged (see last post- ahem) although it is unavoidable to a certain degree if I don’t want to drown in finished dolls. That is the beauty of the blog- I put it out there, you come and look if you want. I am not asking anything of you. But really I have gotten so much. It has been very interesting for me to think about how my reasons for blogging have changed over the 3+ years I’ve been doing it. It has been an on-going and changing positive experience for me. Thanks everybody!