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This weekend Big City Girl came for a visit, and while she was in town we both attended an engagement party for one of her best friends who is getting married next spring.  It was held in the yard at her parents' house, where there were tables and chairs set up, and a special rented table for the sandwiches and salads and wine with a recessed area for ice.  I had no idea such things existed, but it's good to know just in case Mr. Gadget and I are ever called upon to do a garden party.  Then again, I'm sure his woodworking table with a few of my craft crates filled with ice and covered with a tasteful tablecloth would do the trick, and for lots less moolah.

I had no idea what sort of a gift to take to such an occasion, and knowing that a wedding gift would also be required at a later date, I decided to go with something whimsical and cheap.  I've known this friend for a long time--partly because of the countless sleep-overs that took place in our basement over the years.  It didn't take me long to come up with a good idea.

As soon as we arrived I handed the gift to her, and suggested she open it quickly.  Like, right then.

Very soon she was overcome with glee. 

That's because I gave her two ziplocked-bags full of homemade burritos.
So much nicer, and much more delicious, than towels or butter dishes or cookie jars.  She could hardly contain herself.

Big City Girl stood on one side and I stood on the other, just to steady her and keep her from fainting away from excitement.

So while BCG was here, I took the opportunity to teach her a couple of important life lessons.  One was how to sew on a button.  "This is a good skill to know," I told her,"because you never want to lose your pants."

Next, I taught her how to get rid of the greasy water in a pan after you've boiled chicken.  "Put it in the fridge overnight," I instructed, "and in the morning the fat will be on top and you can easily scoop it out and put it in the garbage."  Then it occurred to me there was another, much easier option.

"Or, if you're not particularly fond of your neighbors," I added, "you could sneak out after dark and dump it on their rose bushes."

Somebody help me, please?

I need to stay out of rock gardens.

I'm only working on rocks because I need something to keep my hands busy while I watch slow baseball games with Mr. Gadget.  Although, ever-so-ingenious Mr. G. has found a way to make the baseball-watching process more efficient and less time-consuming.  He tapes the games and then fast-forwards through the commercials AND the half of the inning when the visitors are up to bat.  Mr. Gadget thinks he's so clever, sitting there in his man-recliner manning the remote.  He doesn't realize just how easy it is for me to catch him in a nap.

I'm still working on Thelma, but I'm ready to be done with her so I'm ramping up the work-table activity. Here's where she'll sit when she's finished.  

I may have mentioned I was knitting a cardigan sweater for her to wear--all in one piece from the neck down.  Then, as I was putting the finishing touches on it, I realized putting it on her was going to be engineeringly impossible, since her arms are pretty much immovable. 

So I started another sweater--this one in pieces--just winging it as I knitted.  I'll sew one side together, then wait to sew the other side once it's on her.  Planning ahead....what a novel idea.....

So while I've been working on Thelma, Mr. Gadget's been working on a wood project.  He's building a shelf thingie that he will install over the desk in his basement office.  A little while ago he popped into the Treehouse looking very dejected.

"What's the problem?" I asked.

"It's not going well," he said.  "My nail gun ran out of nails and I didn't realize it.  The whole thing fell apart."

"I know just how you feel," I said, reassuringly.  "Sometimes I've sewn long seams and didn't know my machine was out of thread."  Learning that I'd shared his pain didn't appear to do much for his mood.  So I imparted some wisdom.

"You can do what I do when I'm frustrated," I told him.  "Go outside and take a walk, and if you still don't feel better, go browse in the fabric store." 

  

The librarian's salute

I'm making more progress on Thelma the librarian.  She looks a little sad at the moment, but a lip job, an ear job--make that an ear replacement--and a lot of sanding will spruce her up nicely.  Working on a clay project is a little like writing a blog post.  They both require some nipping and tucking before they're ready to invite the world to take a look.

So, yes, I've been on a bit of a rock-crocheting tear.  It's just that I have this big basket of rocks and they all need sweaters.  Not really.  After all, they've managed for eons without something warm to wear.  I just get a little addicted to my projects.  Maybe you've noticed.

But I've always loved going to the library. I've had well-used library cards wherever I've lived.  When I was in elementary school, my classmates and I (holding hands two-by-two) would follow our teacher on a walk to the town library every two weeks to check out books.  I was usually drawn to the biographies.  I've always been fascinated by what makes people tick.  In fact, living in a couple of condo neighborhoods provides me with plenty of subjects to study without ever having to step foot in a library.  But that's another story....

So last week Mr. Gadget asked me to look over the movie selections on the Netflix website so I could replenish my queue.  I usually have to struggle to find something I might find entertaining.  That's because I don't like blood, guts, scary things, or the over-use of the F-word, and that leaves precious little to choose from.  But then I found the documentary category.  There's lots of good stuff there I discovered.  And concerts. Last week I watched a very interesting documentary on Eleanor Roosevelt.  And before that--a Neil Diamond concert.  He's still just as wonderful as he was back in the 70's when I saw him in person at the Greek Theater.....in spite of his recent marriage to that young floozy. I hope she doesn't wear him out before he has a chance to write a few more songs.

There's one in every crowd

Back to the regularly scheduled programming next week.

Pick of the litter

Friended

Forging ahead

I thought I'd share my sculpting process.  Just be warned.....it isn't pretty.

I started Thelma's head by wadding up paper towels and applying masking tape to keep it all together in kind of an oval shape.  I often use aluminum foil in place of the paper towels and it holds itself together with no tape needed.  Since Thelma's head is larger than other ones I've made, I used paper mache pulp (Celluclay) on the back (under my thumb) since most of it will be covered with hair.  It's less expensive than clay. I'll also use pulp to cover parts of Thelma's body for the same reason.  Her clothes will hide it.

Next, I flattened out a piece of clay and applied it to the face area.  I smoothed it out, but not too carefully because I'll do a better job once I've added her features.

Usually I start with the nose.  It's pretty much in the center of the face and everything else spreads out from there.  Then the all-important eyebrows.  Sorry for the blurry pictures.  I haven't mastered the art of snapping photos with a sticky hand. Then I do a rough placement of the eyes, and move down to the mouth. 

This involves applying a small clay oval and pushing and prodding with my clay tools till it looks like a mouth that could possibly go "shhhhh!"

After all of that, I applied a bigger oval to the chin area and worked it in.  And since she's an older lady, she needed jowls.  I didn't have to look very far for a model..... just a short stroll into the bathroom and a quick glance in the mirror. 

Now she'll rest a while until I have a chance to get back to her.  One of the great things about paperclay is that more can be added to a piece that's already dry by just brushing on some water.  Also, clay that's dried thoroughly can be removed by chipping away and sanding.  So even though at the moment she looks like a third-grade art project, when all is said and done she should look very similar to the librarians I remember from my youth.  Here's hoping anyway...And don't laugh!  Thelma doesn't like gigglers either.  

Tweeter

More birds.  I just love surrounding myself with feathered friends.  This was made with a free pattern from a wonderful doll designer in New Zealand.  I plan to make more, but I'll tweak the pattern just a bit.  I think it's legal to tweak your tweeters, isn't it?  At least it used to be....

Here's the new guy next to the clay robin.....who isn't exactly thrilled that this slightly disheveled character has moved into his neighborhood.  "Just deal with it," I told him.  "At least you won't be fighting over the worms."

And Thelma and I are at odds at the moment.  I picked out some shoes for her yesterday and she wasn't at all happy with them.  She kicked them off immediately and back they went into the bag of clay.  She had some harsh words.

"Can't you at least give me a head before you start making me wear shoes?"

Well, I guess she has a point.  It's amazing, though, that she was able to say that to me, don't ya think?  I did make a new, larger form for her head--with wadded up paper towels and plenty of masking tape.  I'll start applying the clay tomorrow.  When I'm finished she'll have a personality and I hope it's not too unpleasant.  She needs to be a librarian who is kind to children who return their books on time, but stern to those who insist on chatting in the library.  The way I see it, it's all in the eyebrows.