Making the Holidays

Annabelle and I began the "making season" (if you don't count halloween, which probably you should, because sheesh--we made a washer and dryer for pete's sake) on Wednesday, and while the sewing on the new place mats and napkins is wonky, all those fallish fabrics made the table quite festive. There's no pretending, though, that the star of the day (if you don't count my vegan pecan pie, which you probably should because sheesh--I got it set up without eggs for pete's sake) were the toadstool place card holders, conceived, sculpted, and hand painted by one Miss A.
Hope your day was yummy and filled with clever girls and happy, handsome husbands and pretty sisters who showed up in purple dresses and little dogs who remembered the smell of Tofurky from last year and followed you around until you set their Thanksgiving bowls, steaming, on the floor. Or--you know--a scenario equally as nice, you-style.

Owly Jul

This snowy little guy is in the shop, and I'm off to the kitchen to try my hand at making the elusive vegan pecan pie. My Texan husband will love me either way, but I sure hope it comes out something like he remembers it!

Meanwhile...

We had absolutely no light here today. It was like a total eclipse for hours and hours, people. Okay, that's a wee bit hyperbolic, but it felt like a day-long dusk in my apartment--hence, I'm eating too much (yup--winter darkness and overeating are a married couple for me--TRY and SEP-er-ATE them) and sharing old-but-suddenly-pertinent photos of the galleon hoop I made for the current issue of Spoonful, that darling little "Happiness Companion."
I'm pretty pleased with myself on this front and have been wanting to show it to you for ages. Magazine's out! No light for new photos! All the stars aligned! (Forgive me--I may be having a chocolate-chip-cookie-induced mental break. Mmmm--cookies.)

Inspired

Annabelle and I have been distracted, er, I mean inspired by some of our favorite online artists in the past few days. We've both been admiring, nay, drooling over, the magical doll-making of Elsa Mora. If I didn't know this woman is one of the warmest, loveliest people on the planet, I'd swear she's sold her soul to the devil because how do you get this astoundingly much talent? I'm asking.
At any rate, she has spurred doll making in miss A., who sculpted this head from paper clay and then spent a good deal of yesterday painting the face with the teensiest brush on earth.
And this morning, after a Bayou Kitchen breakfast with the fam (go, Veggie Homie Plate!), I got right to work on the car from Sam's brilliant book. I'm thinking some of the figures (if sized down a little perhaps) would make very cool Christmas ornaments. At any rate, the book is terrific and, paired with a little pile of felt, would make the perfect gift for the sewists on your list (or even someone who wants to learn--the projects are doable for beginners but still fun for the more stitch experienced). I swear I'm not making any money off this thing, folks (from the devil or anybody else)--it's just good.

Nearly Done

Just so you know I'm still here, dears--a couple of rainy-day, afternoon, losing-the-light-in-Maine shots of what I've been working on.
Soon I will have a finished portrait of thirteen folks and one doggy in a boat on Boston Harbor. If that doesn't entice you back, I don't know what would!

Happily (Hopelessly?) Off List

I can't say a single item has been crossed off the official "to do" list today (though I did make vegan cream-of-mushroom soup for lunch!) since these came in the mail. They're the hand-carved wooden bezels (some for necklaces and some for brooches) that I ordered just a few days ago from Bright Color Art, and they're as lovely and as inspiring as I hoped they'd be.

I may have spent a couple of hours experimenting with them. (Nothing up there is glued down--I just keep making little inserts to try out--great fun!) I may spend a couple more hours. But I swear I'm going to read submission manuscripts for Beloit after that. No, really.

Clever Girls (Or "Commence Patting!")

Yes, I mean you. I owe huge thanks to all of you who commented with so much encouragement, empathy, and pluck on the "mental" post. Honestly, just reading your messages gave me more energy, and you reminded me of lots of tips that really work--make lists, set a timer (brilliant!), take one thing at a time. Drink. (Just kidding!)
And also helpful--"just do it" (not to be confused with "just say no"--to chores--which adage I had accidentally been employing for days and days). Shortly after posting, I cleaned the house top to bottom, and that truly helped. Then, with the outside looking pretty tidy, the inside started clamoring for order, so I made that list you mentioned and was able, before last night was over, to cross one thing off: finish those darned ornaments (twenty-two of 'em) that are littering the place. Done!
My persistent problem, though? Going off list. When an idea pops into my mind (a decidedly popable mind, if I do say so), I usually can't resist trying it. Hence that new sachet design up there. I didn't fill it, though. I put it aside and went to bed, in order to be all the more ready to get back to the list today! Pats on the back are welcomed. Ahem.

Orna-Mental

It's not just the ornaments (which have taken over the house and, kind of, stagnated)--I am feeling a little mental. Here "mental" means "overwhelmed," "sluggish," "bewildered." I think it might be partly owing to the early darkness, which tends to make me want to go to bed before I've put down my dinner fork.
It may also be owing to a sudden sense that Christmas is weeks away, and before it arrives I have custom portraits to finish (huge, cousin-laden portraits), a craft fair, an on-line semester to wrap up. When the to-do list gets big, I get. . . lazy. Awesome. I've been taking a lot of baths, letting the dishes pile up, staring into space. I'm pretty sure that doesn't help. Anybody got any good tips to kick start my can-do attitude?

In which I invent the word "craftership"

An adorable gentleman asked me to embroider this bit of Yeats' "When You are Old" for his lady love. Sweet, huh?
I kind of have a crush on these new pansy-esque flowers (though I am, as some of you know, afraid of actual pansies--see? All things are better with felt!) and kind of want to sit around all day sewing them on stuff, but instead I need to return overdue library books, go to the post office, and vote. Not so much craftership today, but lots of citizenship!

On the Hunt for Laundry--er--Candy

Finally finished and ready to don:

Testing, testing:

A little cord action in the back (which, the girls said, means the machines are haunted--they work even though they aren't plugged in. Mwah-ah-ah!):
Ready to hit the streets (with hats and mittens--it was, like, 30 degrees here last night, folks), laundry sacks in hand:
On the aforementioned streets, all lit up:
The neighbors kind of freaked out over these two--lots of laughs, many exclamations of "fabulous," and family after family calling all members to the door to look at 'em. Jen and I had a wonderful time watching them trick or treat, despite our frozen fingers and toes. We were aware of the ghostly presence of future-Grace and future-Annabelle who, perhaps, might be too big for this kind of thing, but we banished the thought quickly. We ain't afraid of no ghosts.