Pushin' the pause button

Mr. Gadget and I are filled with glee,

because tomorrow we're heading out to sea.

It's supposed to snow,

so it's a good time to go!

We'll be back, but there's no guarantee.

Not that other gecko

I wasn't planning to make another gecko, but sometimes I just come across a fabric that announces to me--right there in the store for all to hear--"I must be a gecko!" The earlier gecko was a special order, but this one will sit on one of my craft-fair tables until someone--most likely a grandma--comes by and says, "I must have that gecko for my grandchild!" If that doesn't happen, I will give it to Tech Guy for Christmas. He loves reptilian things. And he's already got a cage and a food dish...

This gecko isn't quite finished. He still needs some beady eyes. Did you notice the hemostat? Just like surgeons use. These are monster 12-inchers. I already have some 5 and 7-inchers and they are very handy for stuffing things. These biggies are a recent acquisition, and it's all because a new tool store opened up in town.

Mr. Gadget saw an ad in the newspaper for the tool store grand-opening. There's an algebraic equation that goes something like this: Knitters' Heaven is to me as tool store is to Mr. Gadget. So off he went, leaving me happily at home, and he came back with a bag o' goodies.

"Look what I got for only $3.99," he said, holding up something unrecognizable.

"What is it?" I asked.

"It's a car steering wheel puller."

"What would you want one of those for?" I shot back.

"Well, I might need something like this, you know, in the future," he said.

"What are these little blue rubber bands for?" I asked.

"They're not rubber bands," he informed me. "They're an assortment of teflon o'rings I found for only $2.99.

"Yeah, but the package says they're tephlon. That's not how you spell teflon."

"That's cooking-pot teflon," he said. "This is tephlon and it's even better than that stuff." Was it my imagination, or was he starting to look a little sheepish?

"I did get you a little something for your craft work," he said. That's when he pulled out the big hemostat.

"Thank you!" I said. "Those will be very useful, especially for reptiles. And maybe even for picking stuff up off the floor as we get older. In fact, next time you go check to see if they have any 36-inchers."

Is the coffee ready?

I decided to make another morning lady. I found some beads at the dollar store that were just the right size for hair rollers. This will save Mr. Gadget from having to cut a small dowel into short pieces and then drilling through the middles. I just glued the end of the hairs to the roller, rolled it up and glued it right to her head....similar to what they do at the hair salon, although I haven't had that done in a long time and they may have changed things since then....

I've been busy in the Treehouse preparing for upcoming craft shows. The old hotel show over Columbus Day weekend turned out to be profitable. I sold six dolls and one painted cat, plus the half-dozen felted flowers I took along this year. I was happy to see that the flowers were well-received--especially since I have many more I'm hoping to sell. It was a nice show, and the organizer always does a great job arranging and displaying the arts and crafts around the hotel. By the way, here's an article that came out in one of the local papers a couple of weeks ago. It tells the story of the renovation efforts.

A few people have asked me about chef Vinny and when I will find out if he's made the cut for publication in Art Doll Quarterly. It's my understanding that no notification will be given. I'll just have to wait and check the magazine when it comes out next February. This is probably very wise of the editors and will save them from having to answer difficult questions, like What do you mean my Vinny wasn't good enough?

Meanwhile, the life-story writing group has lost some steam. Some of the members have dropped away. Maybe they just thought they wanted to write, but then it felt too much like school. On a positive note, one of the members, an elderly lady who came to this country long ago from Armenia, has entertained us with wonderful stories of her past, and I plan to record and transcribe some of them for her. My original idea was to record oral histories, so maybe this will be what I end up doing after all.

So the latest issue of Art Doll Quarterly arrived in my mailbox yesterday, and I read that the next art doll challenge is to create a shelf-sitter doll. Considering the amount of work I put into Vinny for the bottle-doll challenge, I may just let this one pass me by. Then again, it is intriguing. I guess I'll just wait and see if a bright idea bubbles up. I think I'm hearing a little fizzy sound already.

Tastes a little like chicken

Reading recipes is quite a challenge for Clem,

who's forgotten to ask his barber for an eyebrow trim.

Should he put in some thyme?

And what about wine?

Dinner's at 5 and he's serving cork au vin.

Minding my p's and q's

I used to think chefs should always wear chef shoes....you know, those sensible shoes that a person could stand in all day and spill tomato sauce on without worry. But they're pretty boring. I'd much rather see a chef in more elegant footwear.....you know, something much more in line with haute cuisine.

You may be wondering about the big Costco olive oil bottle. It's empty and I couldn't bring myself to toss it in the recycle bin. I'm pondering doll possibilities. But not now. Later, after the hustle and bustle of fall craft shows is behind me.

On Sunday Mr. Gadget and I took a ride up to the old hotel to see how I was doing. I drove the new car, so there was no need to engage the HWG (happy wife gadget). I'm never in a hurry...and am continually mystified by why Mr. G's blood pressure is low and mine requires medication.

Anyway, a few of my dolls had sold, and several of the felted flowers too. While I was browsing I met Betsy--who was also browsing, and admiring my crafty creations. Come to find out, Betsy is one of my blog readers. Hi Betsy! She and I had a nice chat and I made sure she understood just how hard I work here in the Treehouse cranking out one-of-a-kind dolls and other crafty goodness. Is it time for my coffee break yet?

So now I'm hard at work on a few dolls for the Christmas show, and very soon I'll be getting my clay out to make a few ornaments. Here's my first attempt:

He needs considerable tweaking, but he'll be fine to hang on our tree--the final resting place for my vast collection of first attempts. For some reason this reminds me of the projects I made in my early school years and how graciously my mother wore her silly piece of Mother's Day jewelry, or displayed a misshapen clay ashtray prominently in our living room. Maybe I'll just call my collection of first attempts my summer camp projects.

Doo-dad dealybobs

Today I had a sobering thought. I know there'll come a time when I won't have to look any further than my mirror for a model of a witchy face with wrinkles, bags, age spots and annoying chin hairs.

I'd better call my dentist. I'm overdue. Maybe I can at least save my teeth.

Yesterday Mr. Gadget and I went to the office supply store where I got these neat little dealybobs.

They're about 2 inches square and should hold pretty near all of my doo-dads.

The reason for the trip was to exchange a small tape recorder Mr. Gadget bought me to use in my elder life-story writing workshop. There's an 80-year-old woman in the group who has some wonderful stories to tell, but she's just not up for writing them down, so I've offered to record and transcribe.

Mr. Gadget, who always lives up to his name, got me a fancy digital recorder with all sorts of bells and whistles, and an instruction book that was 145 pages long. I must say I was quite taken by the small size of the device, but when I heard about the how-to book I said, "Stop right there!"

So we took it back and exchanged it for a five-button version: play, stop, fast forward, rewind and pause. And it takes regular ol' cassette tapes. I'll use the 60-minute ones so at the end of an hour I can say, "Time's up....gotta go!" Some older folks have a way of losing track of time. I'd have a hard time sitting there all night like I used to do with my grandpa when he'd get going about his trip to Mexico.

Today we took a drive up to Knitters' Heaven. Mr. Gadget got a new car and wanted to take it for a spin. Yeah, I know. He gets a new car whether he needs one or not. He's a car guy. Just like me with yarn. I'm a yarn gal and I'll buy yarn whether I need it or not---which I did and I don't. But I discovered a feature on Mr. G's new car that I will call The Happy Wife Gadget. It's part of the cruise control and it keeps the car at a safe distance behind the car ahead. It's amazing. No more anxiety medication for me now that we have the HWG!

What ya cookin'?

Betty Sue loves to cook

but she hardly ever uses a recipe book.

She adds a pinch of salt

and a teaspoon of gestalt,

and calls everything gourmet gobbledegook.

Bling

There was a glamorous witch named Lenore

whose boots made her feet awfully sore.

They housed meddlesome thorns

and caused bunions and corns.

All was remedied with a trip to the pet store.

Millinery

I've been working on a whole waggle of witches (waggle is to witches as gaggle is to geese...I'm pretty sure....) And because I don't want to be accused of overwitching I'm just going to show you a bunch of hats. Make that a haggle of hats. It's been a real scream decorating this year's crop. Old stale designs are easy to fall back on. It's much more difficult to come up with something new and hauntingly haute couture.

The purple flower looks a little like raffia, but it's really plastic--so durable for a witch who is reckless with her broom. I bought it in the big city when I was visiting Big City Girl.

This is one of my own designs. The stamens were store-bought at the same big-city place.

This is one of my own too, made from tulle I purchased at Joann's. Same stamens. The hatband and leaves (with embroidery) were made from wool felt.

Here's another plastic flower with the same orange tulle. I embroidered a spider on the collar. Those eyes might be just a little too beady. I was going for the maximum-scare effect.

Here's another flower design by moi. This witch is dressed-to-the-nines....well, except for the bunny slippers. I felt sorry for her. Those big-ol' witch boots gave her bunions. I love the button on her flower. Sometimes when I shop in the city with BCG I buy doo-dads with no plan in mind for how I'll use them. But it's great fun shopping for them, and they don't cost much. Plus, I don't need one of those big-city shopping bags to carry doo-dads home on the train.

I'll post pictures of the entire waggle soon. I'm thinking of having a bon voyage party for them before they ship out to the old hotel. Then I'll be ready to start my new Treehouse activity--oversantaclausing.

The alumni

One of the perks of being a member of the local senior center--and I really feel a little irreverent saying this--is that when another member "graduates" and moves on to join The Alumni Association, their family members, facing that monumental task of dispersing of the departed's worldly goods, often donate yarn and crafty things to the center.

And if these graduates had a real honest-to-goodness stash like I do, and their loved ones had to dig down through several archeological ages to unearth every last relic--all the better. These are the real treasures. If I were to graduate any time soon, poor Mr. Gadget would have to rent a semi.

Things are going well with the new writing group. Most of the people who came to the first meeting returned for the second. I think that's a good sign. It tickles me how people always tend to return to the same seats at these sorts of things. Maybe it's a carry-over from school days when we were all assigned seats so the teacher could keep chatty friends from sitting together, or to make attendance-taking easier. My mother-in-law, who attended church daily, always sat in the same spot in the same pew--and if someone else, God forbid, was sitting in her seat when she arrived, they were in for the glare. I wonder if she was just a creature of habit, or if she knew God was taking attendance. If the latter is true, I'm in big trouble.

So, I've decided to share my contest doll. The deadline is over, and I'm sure all of the submissions are now being reviewed. As I understand it, none of the dollmakers will be notified one way or the other if their creation has made the cut. It will either appear or not appear in the Spring 2012 issue of Art Doll Quarterly. I'm not sitting on pins and needles. It was a fun project and I enjoyed the process, and it was my first attempt at making a doll using a wire armature. I'll definitely do another.

Here's a close-up of his face. Vinny likes to cook, but he also likes the wine and occasionally takes a nip.

Here's Vinny in the early stages.

I hope he hasn't totally corrupted his shelf-mates at the magazine office. When I left him, his bottle was almost empty--but who knows? There may be an enabler in the crowd.

What's that buzzing sound?

I've been busy as a bee, buzzing and flitting and gadding about. I did get the kitchen floor vacuumed and mopped this morning. I had no choice really. It was crunching when I walked on it. I think little bits of everything fell off of my everything bagel. Maybe I should just buy plain ones....especially now that I'm so bee-busy and housework is such an inconvenient interruption.

I just finished painting a Halloween cat. He has 4 legs so he can stand on a shelf but only if he leans against something. I'll put a hook on his back so he'll also be able to hang around.

Here's the latest witch. The gluing-on of the hat and hair worked well. Not having to sew them on really saves time, and my arthritic finger is much happier. I'm not pleased with the cheeks but I'm probably stuck with these. I tried using one of those dabbers the stencilers use, but I think Q-tips and blush are still the best choice.

So the other day Mr. Gadget and I were sitting down having our lunch. We each make our own lunch--which is so important for saving a marriage during the retirement years. I usually have a sandwich, and he always has cereal--a mixture of two kinds--with fruit. Sometimes I have a salad or some leftovers, but Mr. G. always has cereal no matter what.

"I have something important to tell you," he said as we were about to sit down.

"Uh-oh," I said while bracing myself against the counter. "Is it good news or bad news?"

"It's neither really," he said. "But you might find it surprising."

"Ok, lay it on me."

"I'm thinking of changing one of my cereals," he told me with just a hint of sheepishness.

"No!" I exclaimed.

"Yep," he said. "I think I'll start having Cheerios with my Raisin Bran instead of Basic 4."

"You know, this is really going to shake up my grocery-shopping routine," I told him.

Living with Mr. Gadget reminds me of that line from Forest Gump. Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you're gonna get, but it's pretty much always milk chocolate with a creamy nougat center.

Dizzy Knitter

This is my current knitting project--a scarf made with sock yarn. I was hoping to get a picture of it nicely draped to give you a sense of its true allure, but it can't be done. So you'll have to wait till I finish up that ball of yarn to see it in all its glory. Someone from my knitting group in California shared the pattern. It's super easy, but she didn't warn me to have Dramamine on hand. I'm making it with sock yarn I had in my stash. I'm pretty much over socks....or maybe I should say oversocked.

Yesterday was the first meeting of our new condo craft group. There were 7 of us--2 knitters, 1 crocheter, 1 photo-organizer, and 3 who just came to socialize. I'm not sure if it will take off, but we'll give it a few weeks.

During our conversation someone asked if anyone knew about the senior center in town and what kind of activities they offered. Various things were mentioned--cards, exercise, ceramics, knitting, etc. Then someone said, "Oh, I saw that they are going to have a life-story writing group starting up soon."

"Yes, and I'm going to lead it," I chimed in.

Well, they were all taken aback, as was I. Funny, eh? While I was at the senior knitting group on Wed. I checked to see if anyone had signed up, and so far I have 3 suckers...heh...heh....I'm sure we'll all have a lovely time, and I suppose I should think about putting a plan together for it.

This weekend will be a busy one. Big City Girl and Tech Guy are coming tonight. Tomorrow Mr. Gadget's older brother is coming to visit. He travels all the time, so I'm hoping he won't want to do any sightseeing. There's not much to see anyway. Well, I guess there's the old barn down the road and a couple of antique shops. I do happen to know there are football games on TV this weekend, and both men know how to operate the big-screen TV. I'll just plan to hang out in the Treehouse, but I'll leave my instructions for them just in case they forget something.....or drink too much wine.

The instructions

Here's the second of my two clay witches--now awaiting hair and other accountrements. She is also neckless, but alas! She has a chin. You'll have to look hard. She also has a mole on her nose. All witches should have moles. It says so in the instruction book.

And speaking of instruction books, the other day Mr. Gadget asked me if I'd like some instruction on how to operate the big-screen TV.

"After all," he said, "we've had it now for a couple of years and you might want to watch something when I'm not around."

So I went to get my blank notebook--the one I set aside and labeled How to Operate Things in the House for Dummies. Well, it wasn't totally blank. The first page has instructions on how to get into Mr. G's computer and retrieve all the important info in the event that he exercises himself to death.

"The first thing you should do is get some small stickers that you can write on," he said. "Label them #1, #2, and #3." Then he told me to stick them on the small remote, the silver remote, and the black remote respectively.

"Turn the TV on with #1, then the cable box with #2," he said. "But use the power button on the left, not the one on the right."

"You've got to be kidding!" I shouted. "Don't you think this is complicated?"

"No," he said.

"Tell you what," I told him in my most assertive voice. "If I kick the bucket before you do, I'll make things real simple for you. You don't even have to take notes. Just get a bulldozer."

Gout no doubt

I'm a gal who can walk and chew gum at the same time, but just barely. What I can't do is drive while telling you an interesting story. Neither can I add ingredients to a pot of stew and converse with Mr. Gadget simultaneously. And now I've discovered I'm not very good at writing blog posts while sewing and gluing and trying to remember to do the laundry. I always have good intentions. September promises to be a busy month, what with crafting in the Treehouse, the condo craft group starting up, and the senior center writing group that I've volunteered to lead. Maybe Mr. Gadget can do the laundry. I'd bribe him with another apple pie, but there's no time to bake.

Here's one of my witches-in-progress.


I'm trying something new with this one. Usually I sew the hair to the head (ouch!) and then sew the hat to the hairy head (double ouch!) This time I glued the hat to the bald head, and I'll glue the hair on just below the hat. I don't know how well it will work, but gluing is much easier than sewing with an arthritic finger....you know, that little finger problem I'm going to keep secret from my doctor when I go in for my physical later this month. You know, that doctor who finds reasons to send me to a variety pack of specialists all over town, thereby reducing my available crafting and blogging time even more.

I was going to put bunny slippers on this witch, but I've decided it wouldn't be nearly as whimsical as if I put them on one dressed to the nines in black evening wear. I'll be working on her next....if my finger holds out and my doctor doesn't call.

Hurricrafting

I'm happy to report no problems here from the hurricane. We were feeling rather smug all day Sunday, watching TV and playing with our appliances while many around us were losing power. But then, around 8:30, our comfy little world got dark and quiet. Mr.Gadget, who always plans ahead, had our gigantic supply of flashlights in good working order and strategically located around the condo. The power company's assessment, in the form of a generic recording, was that we could expect restoration on or before Saturday.

We both tried our best to settle in for the long haul, but by early Monday morning I was feeling the pangs of caffeine withdrawal. Mr. G, bless his heart, rescued me by firing up the grill and heating water for some tea and Taster's Choice. Around 10 a.m., as we sat in our recliners sipping hot beverages and wondering just how much Scrabble we could play, the power came back on.

The frightful weather was just the thing for working on frightful things....like a witch without a neck. Maybe I could learn how to scrunch down like she's doing to hide my neck. I'll bet the turkey feathers would tickle.

While pondering whether this poor witch could wear anything around her neck of a decorative nature, I started some new ornaments. This is just a trial run....wherein I just slap something together for later tweaking. That's not unlike my blog posts. My creative process is a mystery to me. No matter what I'm creating, the first version is usually one of those slapped-together thingies. Then, later, I go back and carve and delete and add a little here and there, and maybe throw in a pinch of salt. Then it's good to go. But of course, your opinion may differ.

These slapped-together Santas will require lots of tweaking. I may make them bigger. I will use a different shade of pink on their faces. I will give them eyebrows and maybe some nostrils. I will outfit them in red hats with a tiny bell on the tip.......unless I decide it's just easier to let them wear thimbles.

Preparedness

Mr. Gadget and I were all set to get outta town ahead of the hurricane, but then we decided to hunker down instead. I feel confident we're ready.

The deck chairs are safe and harmless inside the condo.

We've got batteries.

We've got a radio.

We've got yarn.

This should hold us for a week or so, don't you think?

Perusing

Today, while I've watched news about the approaching hurricane, I've been perusing my stock of doll fixins to see what I might be able to whip up for the old hotel craft show this fall. Whip up as in what can I make with a minimum of effort that will look well thought out, nicely color coordinated, and guaranteed to sell. I probably should have started earlier...

I have several witch hats awaiting accessorizing.

I have a nice stash of witch shoes.
Can't forget these.


I've got some interesting witch fabric. This one calls for a bone necklace.

The perusing is fun. So is making little piles of possibilities. And I definitely enjoy the character building. Soon I'll be throwing the factory switch to get things up and running.

So Tech Guy is coming over this evening to have dinner and do some laundry. I get the feeling he's not taking this hurricane business very seriously, and I have no intention of inviting him over to hang with us. The thought of two people in the house going through serious testosterone-laden electronic withdrawal is more than I want to experience. He can suffer through it in the privacy of his own apartment. But at least he'll have clean clothes.

Buffering

I'm back in the Treehouse and Mr. Gadget is back in his basement office, and we are luxuriating in our respective spaces--conveniently separated by the main-floor buffer zone. Somehow we always manage to leave the small, single-story two-bedroom Calcondo (sadly bufferless) just one day before I send Mr. G out on an extended hike. We get along famously for the most part, and I know I'm a lucky woman, but after several weeks of togetherness his nudginess begins to wear. The good thing about the Concondo is that when he shouts something up two flights, I just say, "What? I can't hear you. Let's talk at dinner."

The flight back was fine except for one small annoyance. No sooner had we sat ourselves down in seats 17A and B when the pilot announced we would be staying put for a while because of an earthquake on the east coast. Just to be safe, he said, the JFK control tower had been evacuated. An hour later we were in the air, which wasn't too bad all things considered.

So now that I'm back in the Treehouse, I've added my California strawberries to my Connecticut strawberries....
.....and my west-coast dishcloths to my east-coast ones....
....and the hearts are hangin' with the birds.

I may be making more of these in the days to come because we're expecting a hurricane. And no doubt the power will be out for a long time and I'll be forced to forego any kind of housework. I've never met a hurricane, although I was teased by one once. That was in south Texas. That's where they belong. Not here. We're blizzard people.

So if you don't hear from me for a while, you'll know why. I'll be here doing handwork by candle light and eating cold soup.....all the while trying to keep Mr. Gadget calm and reassured while he's in the throes of electronic withdrawal.

Scarfing it up

I finished the scarf I was knitting from the cotton boucle yarn I bought at the sidewalk sale. I was expecting the yarn to stripe, but it tweeded instead. I wanted it long enough to wrap a couple of times around my neck--thereby insuring that my turkey-like features would be well hidden. When all was said and done, it measured 74".

Mr. Gadget and I will be packing up soon for our return to the east. Incredibly, our departure date is one day before I was preparing to turn the whole place over to the ants. It's a little like when the kids were home from school for summer vacation. The day school started was always, miraculously, one day before I planned to put them up for adoption.

I have to say, we've made some progress in our war against the ants. Any kind of food, once opened, goes right into the fridge. And as soon as we're finished with a meal, I hop right up to clean and start the dishwasher. This is so against my nature. But the ants have driven me to it with their surprise attacks, devious tactics, and unwillingness to negotiate.

I'll have a lot on my agenda when I get back to Connecticut. There's the old hotel craft show to prepare for. I'm going to start up a ladies craft group at the condos and a writing group at the senior center. Then there's my physical. And I can't forget the dentist. And I should make an eye appointment because I know my doc will ask.....again.....if I've had them checked. Maybe it makes better sense just to stay here with the ants...

Doll delivery day

Yesterday Mr. Gadget chauffeured me 'n Vinny down the 405 to the Stampington magazine offices in Laguna Hills. Vinny, who finally told me his name and that I should never refer to him as Vincent, is the contest doll that has been stewing in my craft rooms for the last few months. While Vinny was in residence, it became quite clear that he's fond of vino. Good thing we didn't let him drive.

We arrived at the Stampington headquarters shortly after 10 a.m. and met with Jana, the managing editor of Art Doll Quarterly. She had graciously offered to give us a tour of their offices.
That's Jana on the left and me on the right.
She introduced us to many of the staff members--who were hard at work in their offices that all resembled the Treehouse when I'm in a creative frenzy. There were bits of this and that everywhere, stuff piled up on tables, thingies stuck to the wall, and even danglies on the doorknobs.
We peeked into the prop room. Putting a magazine together is a big production.

Before we left, I put Vinny on a shelf in the doll room. I suddenly felt a lot lighter knowing that someone else would be in charge of him for a while. He looked lonely, but soon he will have bunkmates. It reminded me of leaving a kid at summer camp. Thankfully, I didn't have to stay up till the wee hours labeling his clothes.