Annie Tames the Eighth Dragon

Happy Birthday our darling!
You are eight years old today.
We're so in love with you Annie!
You dazzle us, challenge us and make each day full and rich and brilliant.
Today we celebrate that you were born and that all the stars in the sky pointed you right to us.

Oh happy, happy day!

Give Us Stray Dogs

When I got home from working on Saturday, I found these signs plastered to our front fence and on the tree in front of the house! I got a huge tickle from them! I love how her line drawings are turning out these days. I find a lot of character in them and I can see much progress and refinement in her work. I found the first dog sketch on my light/tracing box. She must have drawn the first one, traced it, then added the fur to make the second. Clever darling!
Annie reminds me so much of myself at her age! I drew a lot, especially animals, and I would have done anything for a dog. Anything. I would even pretend I found a "lost" (neighbor) dog and bring it home and beg to keep it. Annie loves all animals, and even though we have dogcatfishsnakeguineapigcanarieslayinghens, she still yearns for more.

And by the way, don't give us stray dogs. Please.

It's Raining, It's Pouring...

Pose #1- No Hood!

With this new, stylish rain-slicker there's no excuse not to take Jasper out for his daily walk. I bought him a XL rain slicker recently and it was way too small, so I copied the pattern (then brought it back to the store, tags intact) and proceeded to make him this custom one. It sports a hood, a velcro belt, and a large buttonhole at the neck so that I can hook his leash to his collar. He loves it! I have about 2 or 3 more yards of the fabric. If you are attracted to the fabric, let me know by emailing me or leaving a comment. I'd love to pass it on.

Pose #2- With Hood!

Pose #3- No More Photos, Let's Walk!

Jasper the Wonderdog is a 2 1/2 year old Aussie Doodle. He weighs 111 lbs. and is a big sweetheart.

Birthday Gift

Annie's been invited to her dear friend Grace's birthday. The theme is turtles. Annie's so excited! Grace is one of those kids that is as comfortable in water as she is on the back of her pony. A real joy to watch! I've made this small watercolor as her gift. I'm never sure what to do for birthday gifts? Ak! Buying gifts, yuck! I don't want more stuff, does anyone else? So if I can make a gift I will. I hope she isn't disappointed that it's not a toy.

68.

1. Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 18, find line 4. Write down what it says: Consciousness is seeing; it is the awareness of whatever truly is.

2. Stretch your left arm out as far as you can...what do you touch first? My datebook.

3. What is the last thing you watched on TV? A documentry about adopted girls from China that live in Sweden.

4. Without looking, what time is it? 6:30

5. Now look at the clock, what is the actual time? 6:52

6. With the exception of the computer, what can you hear? Penelope (a canary) hopping around her cage behind me.

7. When did you last step outside? What were you doing? We bundled up against the rain and wind and went to the Oakland hills for an appointment.

8. What are you wearing right now? Robe, cozy, grey boiled wool slippers.

9. What did you dream about last night? Unless I recall them early in the day, they are lost to me.

10. When did you last laugh? Just now taking photos of myself!

11. What's on the walls of the room you're in? A large 3.5' x 5' framed print of Boticelli's Venus et les Graces. (Thank you Sara! I treasure it)

12. What's the most memorable experience you've ever had? It's a toss up. Being with my mother the last days of her life and watching as Patricia delivered Annie right into my arms!

13. What's the last film you saw? The Widow of St. Pierre. Fantastic costumes, story and setting.

14. If you became a multi-millionaire overnight, what would you buy first? Find a wonderful house by the sea in a semi-remote area and move in. Oh yes, and body work-massage, facials, etc.

15. If you could change one thing about the world, what would you change? Restore the health of the planet.

16. Do you like to dance? Yes. Privately.

17. Imagine your first child is a girl. What would you name her? She was, and she is Annie.

18. Boy? We liked Leo & Thomas.

19. Would you ever consider living abroad ? Yes, but not permanently.

20. What time did you get up this morning? 7:00 a.m with a crick in my neck.

21. Diamonds or pearls? Pearls.

22. What's your favorite TV show? I don't have "a show." I do like Antiques Roadshow.

23. What did you have for breakfast this morning? Steel cut oats.

24. What's your favorite cuisine? Fresh and thoughtful anything.

25. What foods do you dislike? Fried.

26. What is your favorite chip flavor? Not a big chip fan.

27. What's your favorite song at the moment? Singing "Fix You" in my brain.

28. What kind of car do you drive right now? Saab Turbo Wagon

29. What was your first car? I bought a Chevy Nova Wagon with my first student loan for $500. Blanch was her name and she was great for years.

30. Favorite sandwich? A sandwich Billy makes. Chicken breast, roasted bell pepper, and pesto.

31. What characteristics do you despise? Despise? Hmmmm.

32. What is your favorite article of clothing? A boiled wool chocolate brown coat by Eileen Fisher. Toasty and cute. Thanks Jane!

33. What color is your bathroom? A variety of whites and creams.

34. What is your favorite brand of clothing? Mmmmm.

35. Where would you/did you retire to? See question #15.

36. Favorite time of the day? No favorite.

37. What was your most memorable birthday? My 30th stands out for me.

38. Where were you born? Berkeley.

39. What fabric detergent do you use? I'm using Trader Joe's powdered.

40.Were you named after anyone? LaLa.

41. Do you wish on stars? Sometimes.

42. When did you last cry? Yesterday.

43. Do you like your handwriting? Yes, if I focus on it.

44. If you were another person, would YOU be friends with you? If I would have me.

45. Are you a daredevil? In many aspects of my life.

46. Do looks matter? I enjoy beauty in all forms. Beauty matters to me.

47. How do you release anger? I shut down sometimes, try and identify needs met and unmet, talk to friends, yell.

48. What were your favorite toys as a child? A two-sided doll made just for me.

49. What class in high school was totally useless? High school.

50 Favorite movies? Akkkk! Too many to name.

51. What are your nicknames? Trees, and in the past Punky or Punkin.

52. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? I hardly wear laced shoes.

53. Do you think that you are strong? In many ways, yes.

54. What's your favorite ice cream flavor? Coffee.

55. What are your favorite colors? Too many to name.

56. What is your least favorite thing about yourself? Over thinking.

57. Who do you miss the most? My mom.

58. If you were a crayon what color would you be? Burnt sassy orange.

59. Last person you talked to on the phone? LaLa

60. What is the first thing you notice about the opposite sex? The good stuff.

61. Favorite drink? I dunno.

62. Do you wear contacts? No.

63. Favorite day of the year? I do love holidays... but I don't know about one favorite.

64. Do you prefer your endings happy or sad? Give me happy!

65. Winter or summer? Give me Spring and Autumn.

66. What is your favorite dessert? Too many to choose from!

67. What book(s) are you reading? I'm reading about EMDR and I'm reading poems to Annie.

68. What's the furthest you've been from home? Indonesia.

Yes She Can!

(Not that I 'd wish for her to work in that "industry".)

Make your own at Obamicon.me

Love is Everywhere!

Sniffles

Annie and I are getting over a light case of the sniffles so we canceled our plan to go visit Pop at work, and instead we tinkered around the studio all day. Since talking about our Fairy Village in my last post, I decided to take some pictures of it. I was also inspired to do so because a friend of mine in Santa Cruz called up wanted to get a few pieces for her little daughter who has a imaginary fairy world going on in their backyard.

All the structures, furniture and belongings are created by Annie and I. All of the fairy characters shown here are made by me, and I completely credit the brilliant Salley Mavor. I bought her book Felt Wee Folk years ago when Annie was tiny and have made dolls based on her patterns since. I went on to make my version of Mermaids, then created my own Frida & Diego dolls from there.

Our Fairy Village expands and contracts all the time. Annie is always adding stuff. I've sold pieces, given them as gifts, and Jasper has eaten whole townships. We have a amassed a huge amount of 'building materials' on our hikes and I think we might be entering a new fairy building phase. Click on the photos to see close-up details.

Nuts About Miniatures

I love miniatures. I'm drawn to anything that has an unusual scale. Evidence here. I also love working with nuts, twigs and leaves. Annie and I have an ongoing Fairy Village that we are always working on and collecting for. So when I saw this recent post of Ulla's my heart skipped a beat. Not only are they miniature, they are made from acorns, sticks and twigs!
Now Annie and I want to try our own kitchen goods display!

Ulla credits this find to the Japanese Nut Craft Shop and to Haute Nature: D.I.Y. Projects. You may want to brew yourself a cup of tea and explore this treasure trove. I bookmarked it so I can return to it.

New Kid on the Block or Get a Grip

I encourage you to make your way over to LaLa in LA. My one and only dearest LaLa has started her own blog, chronicling life in the city of angles, the wild antics of two new kitties and her distinctive hand-made purses. LaLa (Patrice is her real name, my namesake, and she goes by Pat) has always awed me as a designer. Her craftmanship is top notch and innovative, her knowledge of the dressmaking and jewelry trades gives all of her work texture and polish, and her joy in every challenge/project is evident. The last time I visited I got to pour over some of her more recent bags that she's done as R&D and for commisions, and they are breathtaking! The silk pockets, the closures, and just the way the bags sit on your hip make them real works of art. She's just starting out and her SiteMeter isn't working yet so kindly leave a comment so she knows you've visited!

Fresh!

I Miss Winter

Yes this weather feels fabulous. Yes I've been gardening, leaving doors open, taking walks without putting on five layers, eating avocados, I've even worn my sun hat a few time.

But I miss winter!

Cold, wet, stay-in-the-house-all-day-winter. My hens have even been laying plenty of eggs. They must think spring has come already.

Self Tagged Post

Since I have not one idea for a post recently, I decided to call myself tagged based on Laura's most recent post. The idea is to use the fourth photo out of the fourth photo folder on your hard drive, then post it and eight random things about yourself. So the photo above was taken out of my "idea" photo folder. I can't remember who posted it but isn't is a great felting idea?

1.) I'm not that random. I like to plan things out.
2.) When trying to make a decision I will often employ the "eeny meany polka beanie, you, are it" method.
3.) I keep a pair of Annie's panties in the glove box of my car because she forgets to wear them so frequently. I'm tired of doing a pantie check before leaving the house. Besides, she'll say yes even when she's not wearing them.
4.) I'm very uncomfortable putting a hat on a bed. I know it's a superstition, which I normally don't subscribe to, and yet it's one that feels icky to me if I do it.
5.) I hate the style of grooming where a dog has had it's coat cut short, but the tail and the ears are left long. They look shameful and trashy to me.
6.) It's almost impossible for me to start a project without finishing the last.
7.) It's also almost impossible for me to start a new project without being on top of my household chores. It's limiting. I know.
8.) I don't like raisins in savory dishes.

Like Laura, I don't tag, so please play along if you would enjoy!