Since the last time I posted I have a new granddaughter, Amanda Rose, born on December 1, 2010. She is so beautiful and so tiny! I forgot how tiny newborns are. She was three weeks early so she really was a tiny little thing...5lbs, 13 ozs. I saw her being born and it was the most beautiful site! I didn't think I could handle it, but it happened so quickly I didn't have time to get queezy or anything! My son cut the cord and DIL held her. She has beautiful blue eyes, long eyelashes and auburn hair. Her big sister, who just turned 3, is thrilled too! In November we had a baby shower for her. Amanda's due date was December 25th so I painted pink Christmas ornaments with a lace design and put her initials on the bottom for everyone to take home. I think they were a big hit.
My online group, Art4Mail, had a pincushion swap for December with a holiday theme and I received some really wonderful pincushions from my swap partners. Aren't these adorable?
I made each of them a cardinal out of wool felt, sitting in a nest, holding a pom-pom snowball. It was rather large for a pincushion but I had seen a decoration similar to it somewhere and re-interpreted it into a pincushion. I made several muslin patterns for the body before I got it right. Then, of course, legs were out of the question because it wouldn't make for a very steady pincushion. So I had to come up with something to set the cardinal on that would steady him (it had to be a him...they are the colorful ones!). The hat was made from an old felted sweater. The snowflakes were punched out of felt. The beak was a challenge. I took some tim-tex and used a black permanent marker to color it black and cut out the beak shape, upper and lower and glued the pieces together and onto the face. The one in the photo is one I made for myself to keep. I made a total of four of these little guys and it will be a while before I make anymore. They weren't hard, but they were quite a challenge to figure out. I'm still trying to move my scrapbooking/painting room from the first floor down to the basement and turn that room back into a bedroom for guests and for my granddaughters to stay in overnight. I've been working on it for months, it seems, but it's difficult to take everything I had in the little room and build the shelves I need in the basement, while trying to work around the stuff that's still in the basement. There is just too much "stuff" in this little house and I know I need to purge some of it, but that's a very difficult thing to do. Now mind you, I have carried out at least 4 huge garbage bags full of stuff from the little bedroom, but that's still not enough purging. I come from a family who has a history of saving "things". My father had a three-car garage and could only fit one car in it. When my dad passed on, my brother spent a year cleaning out that garage and a lot of that "stuff" found it's way to brother's garage. You can't even fit a car in his garage.
I'm working on a dragon right now. I found a pattern for a wonderful little dragon (doll) when I was up north this fall with my friends. I don't usually make dolls, and this is a jointed pattern made with chenille for the fingers and wire in the body parts so they can be shaped. It's been quite a challenge. As soon as I'm finished, I'll post a picture. I'm learning quite a bit making him. I might even be inspired enough to take out some of the other doll patterns I've collected over the years and try to make those.
Till later.....
