Blogiversary!

I can hardly believe it! It's my 2nd blogiversary. I figured this called for a special treat, so I whipped up a little something in the treehouse last night. Then, this morning I tried to figure out what setting would best show it off in all its splendor. I finally decided to set it outside on the deck rail surrounded by the six inches of snow (not!) that fell overnight. Weather-predicting is not an exact science.

And here, for your amusement, are the cartoons I drew for our annual Christmas letter. I'm pretty sure all of the cats are safely out of the bag now.

This one probably looks familiar. Mr. G and I are getting older, going to bed earlier, and occasionally taking advantage of the early-bird special at the local diner.

No explanation necessary.

Tech Guy is now doing what he loves most.....tech support. The college degree and the teenage computer experiments finally paid off.

Big City Girl has an exciting job in the big city working for a tour company.

"Tell me what intersection you're near, and then I can give you directions to the bus," she has told more than one lost customer.

"I'm at the corner of One-Way Street and No-U-Turn."

And then there were those nasty little termites that invaded the SoCal condo as soon as we locked up and headed east.

Happy New Year everyone! I'm off to get ready for a quiet New Year's celebration with friends. I've volunteered to be the designated driver. I'm pretty sure Mr. Gadget is going to hate me in the morning......heh...heh...

The City treated me kindly

Mr. Gadget and I have returned from our foray into The City. I managed quite well without any of the coping aids I spoke of before. I'm sure the trip was made easier by our early arrival at BCG's apartment (10 a.m....a/k/a "the crack of dawn" to most young single city folks), and the fact that Mr. G. kept the speedometer down in a reasonable range so as not to jiggle the table around and possibly break off some of his carefully glued and grouted tile.

Not only that, we found a parking spot right in front of BCG's apartment. She and BCBF came down to meet us (I'm getting quite good at this text-messaging thing), so there were sufficient bodies to schlep all the stuff without having to leave anything priceless on the sidewalk.

The table looked smashing in its intended spot, and its triangular shape allows for a nice little pathway into their small yet cozy kitchen.

"Don't you want to sweep up those dust bunnies first....before we put the table up against the wall?" I asked, trying very hard not to sound like the nagging mom of old.

"No, that's ok," she said. "Maybe Dad will build us a vacuum next?"

Once the table was in place, Mr. Gadget retrieved his drill from his tool box (never leave home without it when visiting offspring, he always says), and mounted this:

It's one of her grandfather's architectural drawings...something both she and her brother wanted as a special remembrance. This one was drawn in the early '60's and has a slight patina that is nicely complemented by the pale green wall. It might even have a coffee stain on it.....what a treasure!

Also included in this morning's special delivery was a batch of mom's Snickers brownies and a bottle of Pinot Grigio that dad slipped in at the last minute. They and their gang of dust bunnies will surely have a joyful and celebratory New Year's toast.

We made it home in good order thanks to Carol, our able-bodied GPS. She only messed up once, but then nobody's perfect.

I believe I overheard BCG and Mr. G talking about future furnishing possibilities. There may have been the sound of a metal tape measure being extended. So I suppose we should keep Carol handy for our next trip. Maybe I'll plan to take Betty too. You know, Betty the Bissell.....

Over the pot holes and through the toll booths....

......to Big City Girl's house we go. Mr. Gadget and I will be setting out tomorrow morning for BCG's place in NYC to deliver a couple of Christmas gifts that were too big for her and BCBF to schlep on the train. Our main objective is to deliver this, safely and in one piece:

It's the unusually-shaped table for the unusually-shaped space in BCG's apartment, handcrafted by Mr. G himself. He's quite proud of it, and has wrapped it up in lots of towels and bed pillows so it'll be well-protected from any pot holes we may encounter, as well as those unexpected quick stops to avoid the antics of crazy taxi drivers.

I'm not a fan of car trips into the city. In fact, I begin to get anxious the day before. I'm starting to feel a little queasy right now as I type. Mr. G, although he's never had an accident, approaches city driving like a gladiator preparing for battle. And he drives just a tad too fast for my comfort level. You may be wondering why I just don't stay home. There's a good reason. It will be my job to guard his priceless handiwork, along with a toaster oven and a dish of Snicker's brownies, wherever it ends up sitting on the sidewalk while he goes to look for a place to park.

I've tried to come up with ideas on how to more effectively cope with this driving into the city issue.

I could wear my sleep mask. After all, it did block out several hours of what could have been a never-ending 12-hour flight to China.Or maybe I could just put this Trader Joe's bag over my head.

Or maybe this would be a good time to attack Yarn Mountain, the stash collecting dust on the book shelves here in the treehouse. Starting a crocheted ripple afghan might be a good diversion. Of course, the best solution would be to crochet while wearing the sleep mask, but I don't think that's going to happen.

I'm sure Mr. G would be willing to stop off at Starbucks on the way, so I can get myself one of those sweet, gooey coffee thingies. I imagine I'll have to BMOB though (bring my own brandy)........

Christmas unwrapped

Before I get into showing off my own crafty gift-giving, lookee here what my neighbor gave me! It's a beautiful handmade cutting board.

She's new to woodworking, but you'd never know it. Obviously she has special talents. In fact, you could say she's perfectly cut out for this hobby...heh...heh... Occasionally I peek into Mr. G's woodworking shop, so I know there was a fair amount of sawing and cutting and gluing and plaining and sanding and oiling involved in making this cutting board. I only hope I can get up the courage to actually put food on it! Thanks again Jen!

Remember the embroidered rooster I was working on in Grand Cayman? The one I introduced to the pool rooster?
Here it is all framed and ready for wrapping. It was a collaborative effort. Mr. Gadget made the frame and I did the stitching. You may remember I made a bathroom curtain for TG out of the yellow rooster fabric. There's a funny story about this curtain. TG said when he put it up he had trouble fitting the rod through the casing. I was sure I had made it roomy enough too, so this was puzzling. But one day while he was relaxing in his bathroom he noticed the roosters were upside down. Seems he had struggled to get the rod through the hem. It's a much better fit now that it's turned right side up.

Here are Tech Guy and Big City Girl with their new books of special mom recipes and their mom-made aprons to keep their clothes neat and tidy if they ever should actually decide to cook. TG's apron has car racing flames, and BCG's is covered with money. He likes to drive fast, and she likes to buy stuff. Mom is so intuitive sometimes.

And here is the perfect guy gift. It's a TV remote control caddy, with added pocket for TV guide, that fits over the arm of a chair or couch. Mr. G had an old one that was threadbare and overdue for retirement. I also made one for Tech Guy and BCG's boyfriend and, through a masterful work of orchestration, I managed to get all three men to unwrap them simultaneously. They found this quite amusing.

Big City Girl really got into the festive spirit of things.....

.....while Tech Guy tried to toast his buns in front of the TV yule log.

We all had a wonderful holiday with plenty of good food and good cheer. Everyone pitched in to clean up the mess, and we sent the kiddies home with several meals' worth of leftovers.

It was quite enough excitement for one day.

Merry Christmas.......

...from my cast of characters to yours!

"When are the kids arriving?" asked Mr. Gadget.

"I have no idea," I tell him. "You know they aren't planners like we are. If they get here before dark, let's consider it a bonus."
"I put the snow stakes along the driveway this morning," says Mr. G. "Santa will have easy access now, should he decide to bring the sleigh up that way."

"I'm pretty sure they'll just be mud stakes by the end of the day," I say.
"You know those 6 packs of wrapped pennies that have been sitting on the table for months and months?" I asked him.

"You mean the ones collecting dust?"

"Yes, those are the ones. I think Santa is going to put those in the stockings instead of oranges this year. Should weight them down nicely don't you think?

"Poor Santa's going to be pretty tuckered out by the time he gets done at our house, what with maybe having to schlep the sleigh up the muddy driveway and lugging all those pennies," I say. "Maybe we should leave him some of my chocolate cheesecake and a little glass of your Jack Daniels."

"Santa only likes cookies and milk," says Mr. G. "We shouldn't tamper with Santa protocol. Besides, there may be Santa police on patrol later tonight. It would be a shame if Mrs. Claus had to come all the way down here to bail him out."

Have a wonderful Christmas everyone! I'll be back next time with my version of Christmas Unwrapped.

I've been baking!

Afraid not! These may look tasty, but I assure you they would leave a bad taste in your mouth. They're made of fabric and they've been seasoned with my special blend of color and spices, not to mention a healthy helping of fiberfill. I made a dozen of these guys a few years ago, and I stand them up on the windowsills in our kitchen and family room. As I remember, I started with plain muslin and coffee-stained it. After they were done I added cinnamon, but I don't remember exactly how. I know I should write things down, but I'm usually in a big hurry to get on to the next project.

Here's something cute. I found the idea here.

They're small travel tissue holders. I've had fun going through my stash looking for scraps to make some of these. You really can't see the lining fabric on mine, but I used red for the patchwork and domino ones, black for the leopard print, and a yellow corn print for the bees. I've had the bee fabric forever and have often wondered why I bought it. I just thought it was so cute I had to have some. But patience pays off. I think it's the cutest of them all. My neighbor the gardener (who hasn't posted in a while..hint...hint...) told me last summer that bees pollinate the corn. I'll have to see what else they pollinate and then take a look to see if there's any of that in my stash.

So I'd better get back to Santa's workshop. The shopping is all done and the crafty projects are all finished. I see some wrapping in my immediate future, and then maybe some baking of the more edible kind.

Santa's helpers

Mr. Gadget and I have been very busy lately in our respective workshops. His is in the basement.....maybe I should call it the cave so it won't be confused with the treehouse. He's been working diligently on a table for BCG. It's not a surprise, but rather a special request, since she has an unusually-shaped spot in her kitchen that could be made more useful with an unusually-shaped table.

I, on the other hand, have been up in the treehouse working on several things that must remain under wraps for now. I've finally figured out why I feel the holiday stress this year, in spite of my best intentions to back off. The universe does not tolerate a vacuum and neither does my treehouse (although I did get Betty the Bissell out the other day to tidy up some threads).

Tech Guy stopped by to do his laundry on Sunday, and while he was waiting on the washer he vacuumed out the fridge. Then he sketched this cartoon of his dad. I think it might be his version of Mr. G about to dish out some advice. Anyway, while he was here I asked him if he might scan and crop my just-finished cartoons for the Christmas letter. And since he's Tech Guy he had them done lickety split. He then gave me a tutorial on how to insert my cartoons into my text and patiently waited while I wrote everything down in mom shorthand. So now it's done and ready to mail. I'll post the cartoons in a few days so as not to let any cats out of the bag.

Here's a pretty winter sunset with our backyard gazebo decked out with a lighted wreath. We leave it lit all year since we think it looks festive. Mr. G and I used to string lights all over it for the holidays, but lately we've decided less is more. I guess we're getting older and aren't as willing to suffer frozen finger syndrome.

Well, enough of this blogging around. This elf must get back to work.....

Snowman ornie

I was first introduced to the word ornie on eBay. Seems like lots of handmade ornament crafters use it. It's a lot easier to say than ornament, don't you think?

Here is the snowman ornie I made for some friends. Mr. G was a little skeptical when I told him I was going to gift it. But last night when I showed him the finished product, his eyes got quite big and I could tell he was going to be OK with it.

Here's the cute little box I'll put him in. It was just over a buck at the dollar store, and it's just the right size. If the snowman looks familiar it's because I copied it for the ornie. I did make a couple of changes: I put his hands on his belly, since I remember what trouble it was to turn Henry the cat's curly tail. I also made him more colorful because it's fun to stitch with bright threads.

So this morning I made a list of all the little things I need to get done before Christmas, and just before I finished I felt a little tap on my shoulder. It was the muse. She gave me some great cartoon ideas. Not only that, she suggested I might like to make some embroidered figures for mantle decorations. They would be about 6 or 8" tall, with stuffing and some weighted pellets so they'll stand up. She thought a small grouping would be nice to start with. Maybe a Santa, a snowman and a Christmas tree. Then she said she had to run. Something about her condo in Florida.....

Snow day

We're in for a bit of snow today. In fact, the mayor, from whom we received a recorded message earlier, says we're due for 10" before it's all over. He says we're under a Level 1 Alert which means people who park their cars on the street should move them (I have no idea where....maybe Florida?) so they're out of the way of snow plows.

Just the other day I took this picture.

This sight always tickles me. Do you remember the Erma Bombeck book The Grass is Always Greener over the Septic Tank? Well, my version is The Snow is Always Leaner over the Septic Tank.

My hairdresser was pleased with the flamingo apron.

She was so pleased, in fact, that she gave me a BIG hair-do....just like her own. No need to share either of them here. I have a lot of hair, for which I am lucky in so many ways. But this morning, after sleeping on the BIG hair-do, I had to throw some water on it to calm it down enough to look presentable at the grocery store. I shouldn't have worried. The crowd of shoppers was so pre-occupied with the snow-that-was-on-its-way that my hair would never have been noticed.

I have to admit now I told a little fib. I said I was going to set the embroidery projects aside for a while to make time for some apron-making, but I've managed to work on both. I have two more aprons cut out, and I've been stitching on this:

He'll be a gift, and I found the cutest little box to wrap him in. I should have pictures of both soon.

So now I really have to get cracking on my Christmas letter. I've decided to do a few cartoons, but not as many as I've done in the past. I would have given up on the whole project altogether, but already we've been receiving cards with notes along these lines: "looking forward, as always, to your wonderful cartoon!" I'm a sucker for flattery. I just hope my muse hasn't flown south....

One more.....

Yesterday I finished the knitting angel. Or the knitting and weaving angel. Whatever. I was going to sew a colorful bead to the top of her hat, but decided to make a small pom-pom out of embroidery floss instead. The wings are tea-dyed muslin and I gave them a coat of Mod Podge Sparkle for a little bling.

Now I will take a break from embroidery long enough to make a gift for my hairdresser, who I will see on Wednesday. I have a wonderful pattern for a butcher-style apron that's quick and easy. What gave me the idea was the one-yard piece of black fabric with pink flamingos I've had in my stash. She and her hubby have a place in Florida. It won't take long to make.....but I'm pondering whether I should just use the navy blue thread I have, or if a trip to the fabric store for black is in order. What's your guess?

Big City Girl and I had a great time on Saturday in the big city. The weather was perfect and the crowds were....well CROWDS. Here is a picture of the tree in Bryant Park next to the New York Public Library.

I got excited when I caught a glimpse of this Bryant Park craft fair booth, thinking they were dolls. But no, they were puppets. That's not me in the photo by the way. Maybe she thought they were dolls too...or was just drawn to the booth for the lack of a crowd.

Grand Central Terminal has a wonderful kaleidoscope show every half hour in the main building during the holiday season.

The images move around the room and it's all set to music.

BCG and I met BCBF for lunch at this little red restaurant on the corner near where they live.

And then we visited her office and I got to see her desk. She picked up the phone to make it look like she was really working. And she showed me where she puts her Starbucks coffee. It was a gingerbread latte. She forced me to have one too.....

So now, as I sit here looking out at the icy tree branches, I think I'll get to work on those flamingos. Maybe they'll warm me up. Of course, a gingerbread latte would probably work too.....

Clean underwear

Remember your mom's admonition about wearing clean underwear just in case you had an accident and found yourself extremely embarrassed in the ER? Well, the same could be said for refrigerators....because you never know when a distant neighbor might have to go through your refrigerator in preparation for a spur-of-the-moment termite tenting and fumigation procedure, and then you might be called upon to explain why you were saving a big can of frozen grease.

Our SoCal six-unit condo building....also called a six-pack....will be fumigated on Monday. The upstairs neighbors have been remodeling and the contractors called a work stoppage when they pulled up bathroom linoleum and found termites feasting at a sub-floor banquet. I guess it's a good time to be in our east coast digs. And I think I'll turn over a new leaf and give up my grease-saving habit.

In other news, I've been working on a knitting angel ornament. I got the idea from Kathy B. who wondered whether there were knitting angels. And if you go visit her blog today and take a gander at her new socks, you'll see that there are indeed.

Here is the ornament-in-progress. She's wearing a knitted hat and scarf, although I'm afraid the scarf looks more like a Mexican serape. But I do know those are woven, so I suppose this could be a knitting and weaving angel.

The small craft sale yesterday was fun and profitable. I collected a check for some previous doll sales, and also sold this guy.

And I found out this one sold a few weeks ago:

She'd been sitting around the treehouse, having missed out on Graduation Year 2006, so I changed the "6" to an "8" and took her down to the shop. Seems a lady bought her for a relative who's graduating next year. She's a non-traditional student in the true sense of the word; she's 80-something. Which makes me realize I was really just a young coed when I graduated at 51.

So now I'm getting excited about a couple of new dolls I want to make. One is a black sheep.... for which I found some fabric last week. I'd like to try attaching the hair using needle-felting. I've noticed other dollmakers have been successful with this technique. Next, I'm going to make a nun, but she won't be a typical nun exactly. She'll be pious but with attitude. And I should think she'll have what it takes to keep these other characters in line.....

Three guys chillin'

The three frosty folks are finished....well, there's always a little bit of a last minute finishing touch required. The disappearing marker I use to draw the face doesn't always cooperate, so I'll have to get the damp cloth out again. And this fella has some threads peaking out from under the back of his hat. Snip, snip, snip.

They each have a nicely decorated hat complete with hatband, holly leaves and berries (see below). This is the first time I've stitched a top on the hat. Usually I just sew across the top, then poke it in slightly after turning right side out. This works well with felt which is sturdy enough to hold its shape. But sewing the top on wasn't difficult, and it looks more like an official top hat. I love to make as many of the accessories as I can rather than buying them ready-made at the craft store.

I like the patchwork print on this one. Since it's not a holiday print, the doll can be displayed all winter. Several people who've bought my snowmen at craft fairs have mentioned they like having him make an appearance in the fall and then hang around till the first day of spring. This guy won't be going along with me to the craft sale tomorrow, since he's the one who's been spoken for. I told the craft sale lady he had been kidnapped.

Here's a look at the hat decor. Sometimes while I'm working on a doll, I wonder what kind of home it'll go to. Will it be near or far? A lady bought one to send to relatives in Germany a while back. Will it be in good company? Another customer bought enough Santas to decorate each room in her house, including the bathrooms. Still another bought several of my characters....one for each season....to sit on top of her computer at work. It's fun to hear the stories.

So now I'm going to do a little baking....very little. I plan to take a few of my Snickers brownies on Saturday when I'll be meeting Big City Girl in NYC for lunch and some craft-fair browsing. She tells me there are some fun and festive holiday fairs this time of year. Then we'll have lunch and she'll show me her new apartment. She moved from Brooklyn to Manhattan while Mr. G and I were out to sea......which is, by the way, a very good place for parents to be when a kid happens to mention the "M" word......