Do you shih tzu?

I do.

Rainy Monday--Getting Down

To business, that is. Ahem. I'm working on the last house portrait on my current docket of custom orders--wait for the two little shih tzus who will soon be frolicking (or, you know, feltily perched) on the lawn. And, of course, I cant. stop. sewing. poems.
And one last order of business for today--my new friend Mari is another mom who's trying to reorder her life to put her children and her artwork in more central places. I had a great talk with her over chai (what I like to call my "magic juice") on Saturday, and I feel like she could use lots of cheerleading. If you head over to her blog when you get a minute, you'll see that she's having a giveaway to celebrate her first etsy sale, and I know you're gonna want to get in on this:
Beautiful, right? Thanks in advance for visiting Mari. Y'all are the best.

You're going to get tired of these...

...so you'll just have to hope I do, too. ;-)

Embroidereads

So here's the thing: I'm a writer--a poet. Have been since I could speak, basically. Before I could read, I drew pictures in a succession of panels, comic style, and made all and sundry listen to me narrate the story I'd sketched out. Since all-things-textile turned my head about three years ago, I must admit to picking up the pen far, far less. And really, that's been okay. The most important element in my happiness is creativity, and the other most important element is movement--learning new skills, achieving new goals. I did that as a writer for more than a decade, and more recently, I've been doing it as an artist.
I can't manage to put down the needle--it's just not going to happen anytime soon, folks--but I'm starting, again, to long for the words, so I've decided to embroider some lines from my recent poems, and what a satisfying combo that has turned out to be. I happily committed these lines to some gorgeous white organic cotton last night while Mark watched Memento. I can see a new evening habit forming...

The Good Kind of Mix Up

There's no mantle in the new house, so the deer have been relocated to the top of the library card catalogue, which has been relocated to the dining room (since there's no real studio). I can't say I don't miss the size and privacy of my old work space, but I don't miss it as much as I thought I would. Honestly, I feel a bit more integrated into the daily doings of the house while I'm working, and so far, that's not bothering me. I can play an Old Time Radio Sci-fi program on the computer at my work table, and Annabelle can knit or draw on the living room sofa while we listen together. I can hear her practice her piano while I sew at the dining table. Don't they say the secret to happiness is loving what you have?

And hey--check me out as one of Babble.com's Top 50 Etsy Moms! Their blurb leaves me blushing, and I also discovered lots of other great mom-run shops that are worth a look.

Awash (but hopefully not a wash)

This is what Monday looks like around here as I work on my felt board tutorial for the fall issue of Living Crafts magazine.
I've cut out all the pieces and am ready to finish them up and write the instructions.
Meanwhile, it looks like a party on the dining room table. Or the aftermath of some felty disaster. Poor goldfish.

Possibly the Coolest Family on Earth, Right?

After we hit the beach and still covered in sand and salt and sunscreen, I put the finishing touches on the Graves' combo house-and-family-and-pets portrait. Whew. Worth every minute, but let me tell you, there were a lot of minutes. For reals.
I'm seriously considering pink hair--but it won't make me as cool as Mabs up there, of course.
I got to make my first felt pram, and I don't think it's likely to be my last. Great fun.
And then there's this doggy with his teensy pink ears and his casual paw and his beseeching eyes. I'm going to have a bit of trouble packing this troupe off to the rightful owner--when I work on something for this long and with this much love, I get attached. But I have my own sunburned daughter and my own beseeching doggy, so I'll get along okay. ;-)

Crowe-tel

June is a busy month for guests at what we like to call the "Crowe-tel." My mom was here for a few days (Hey, Mom--thanks for the date night!), and my girl Jen's bringing her brood for a long weekend, starting tomorrow. We will beach and munch and generally be unproductive, so I'm endeavoring to finish this opus today. Tall order. But I gotta say, this chow is killing me:
Right? And how does Sophie feel about my work in progress?
Bored.

Re-nesting

What I don't have in our new home: a whole room with a door that's just for me. What I do have: a spacious foyer with its own closet at the front of the house (and we use the back entrance for ins and outs).
Seems to be working just fine, as I finished up a portrait for the Victory family today in the new work space.
I also don't have turquoise walls (for the first time in about five years), but I think the Victory clan looks just as lovely against the eggshell. I happened to put their dog in profile, and that means she keeps reminding me of Sophie when I'm eating something delicious--she knows she's not supposed to be looking, so she turns her head and eyes me from the side. Clever dog.

Little Pink Light Fixture

When I saw this hanging directly above the spot where my work table would sit, how could I not sign the lease?

Yes--we have a place to live and are, actually, nearly re-situated, with only a few of our bits and bobs in boxes still. The internet only works for about five minutes at a time for some reason even the "professionals" can't seem to figure out. As a result, my blog reader tells me I have 288 posts to read. Sheesh.

Back soon with something sewing-related. Promise.