Moooooo

My husband goes to the gym here at the condo complex where we stay. Then he reports back on the cast of characters he encounters. There's the man who exercises for 10 minutes and showers for 30. And the woman who works out while making weird whistling sounds and slapping herself--maybe to get her blood flowing at 5:30 a.m.

I'm much more comfortable hanging out with my own characters. They're mostly quiet (except for an occasional croaking frog) and sedentary.....and they don't get up at the crack of dawn. Then, they usually get me laughing when a face turns out a little crazier than I had planned. Sometimes people walking by my table at a craft fair will chuckle and remark at how my dolls have personalities. Believe me, I don't plan it that way.

The cow is one of my bean bag characters. One of the cutest ones I made was dressed in a lime green fabric with a little white milk carton print. I should have bought a few yards more. It's always a guessing game. I've stocked up on fabric that I thought would go like hotcakes, only to end up making lots of bean bags!

Cows are collectibles. So are frogs. They don't sell as quickly as snowmen or santas, but when someone comes by who is a collector, or knows a collector, they sometimes jump up and down with glee. So I've learned to always have one sitting around just waiting for that magic moment.

For me, making dolls is an ever-evolving process. When I first started making cows, I was painting black spots on white fabric. Then I found fabric with the cow print already on it, and it's quite a time-saver. I learned right away to stock up on that one because it's hard to find except at Halloween. Now I'm starting to paint the eyes on rather than use black beads. I'm able to get more expression on the faces that way. I've been practicing cow eyes on my sketch pad. I know they have to be big and brown and friendly-looking. I'm pretty much a city girl, but I've seen pictures!

So, as soon as I can get my stitched cat to moooooove over, I'll start contruction on another cow.