Gone to Atlanta

I'm in Atlanta at the AAFP Conference, learning about feline urinary tract disorders.  Be back on Wednesday!

Photo Courtesy of Will Pate (thanks)

The Littlest (and cutest) Acorn

I've been in a fall mood lately, and Ellery seemed to need a fall outfit. I am possibly also planning similar outfits with sunflower, apple and pumpkin motifs. This outfit will be on Etsy in the near future. The dress is all designed and handmade by me, with an original acorn embroidered motif on the bodice, hand-crocheted jacket and acorn hat, and tiny wool felt booties with itsy bitsy acorns on them! It was fun to make and I just love how the photos came out. I took them in the mossy glade behind our potting shed. It was a perfect venue!

Awww, cute dogs!

Awww, see, they like each other! Here is Mia waiting for her mother to come home from Biology Lab this morning.

Afternoon Roses

Lark is modeling a classic style afternoon tea dress in a pattern of vintage roses with a square neckline. I spent last weekend drafting the pattern for the dress and I made it yesterday. The lace is 100% cotton delicate lace that one of my dollhouse friends sent me years ago. I used pearl seed beads to make her a little necklace, too. I didn't show it, but the back closes with snaps that I placed pearl beads over. I just got Lark's cousin, Piper, too. I'm loving these Chrysalis girls! Piper is just too cute with her freckles. I will be making her something new to wear here sometime soon and I'll show her, too.

I ordered Lark some nice pale pink mary janes (please excuse the coral shoes) but they haven't arrived yet. It's surprisingly difficult to find shoes that fit her. I ordered some that were purported to fit her but they are too loose. Anyone have a BJD or other doll that fits a 58 mm shoe? I have two pairs up for grabs for $5 each (one yellow, one cream). Just drop me a line.

Purely lovely...

This girl loves to be photographed! I made the dress Friday from a pattern I designed. I think she'd look good in just about anything.

New Blog Banner and New Etsy Shop

I embroidered myself a new blog banner! If you click on the above image, you'll get the full-size banner to show all the detail, since blogger shrunk my image quite a bit.

I also finally set up my etsy shop. It doesn't have much in it. YET.

New 14" Kish Girl--Lark Creamsicle

I haven't had any chance yet to make her a handmade outfit, but here she is with Bitty Bethany and Belle, enjoying the afternoon sun on this lovely day.

Toby

Toby is nine, just turned, and I just need a forum today to say that he's a Good Boy. He's been very good with having my sister's dog here and seems to just accept it, even though I thought he would try to bite her!

Toby was a research beagle where I went to vet school. He was bred to have a heart defect and was purchased by my vet school's cardiology department so the resident could practice correcting the defect. Once he was corrected, I adopted him, because I was working for the cardiologist. He's been a good dog from day one. The only difficulty we had with him at first was that he was too scared of EVERYTHING, because he had never been outdoors. He wouldn't pee for the first 36 hours we had him because even the leaves blowing in the wind terrified him. Now he loves being outside and pees on everything. :) He gets great pleasure in life out of eating and playing with his stuffed toys. This year, he finally is starting to seem like he's getting old. He's sleeping a lot more and doesn't play as often. But he still totes his hedgehogs (toys) around and honks them when he's happy! And I always get a happy dance when I come home or even when I come in from doing chores in the yard. He's just a Good Boy.


He's even tolerant of Mama making him look foolish. :)


And he loves his kitty.

Kitty Success and Other Things

I would call that a successful gift. Lauren just turned six and she seems to have enjoyed the ballerina kitty! Too cute!

I haven't had much time to make crafts lately, but hopefully will have time again. The month of June was a busy one; I worked three out of four weekends and traveled on the weekend off (the 14th) to attend Becky's wedding shower and visit my family. I also brought my youngest sister Sarah home with me for the rest of the summer. We have been having a nice summer, so far. Yesterday we made a picnic dinner to eat on the deck for the Fourth. Today we are planning on having a crafty day. Hopefully it gets warmer outside, though, I'm freezing!

Vintage Fourties Style Baby Quilt

Done at last...hard to photograph this inside. I'll try a better photo some other time when it's not 90 degrees and humid! It didn't come out as perfect as I'd like...I'm fussy. I think the baby won't mind, though. He was born on June 2nd and is 7 pounds 7 ounces!

Pattern for embroideries are from Patternbee and the print fabric is Merry Bonbon reproduction fabric from Japan via Reprodepot. I may have mentioned before, but the embroideries are reprints of the same ones that were in my Grandma Wood's sewing box that I inherited when she died. I didn't want to use them (I wanted fresh copies) so I contacted Vicki at Patternbee and she had them available and sent them to me very quickly. I worked all winter on the embroidery!

Ballerina Kitty

This sock kitty was constructed with directions from this book and I made her a tutu to make her into a little ballerina for my niece Lauren, who will be turning 6 in a few weeks. Her tutu is made from 6" wide tulle, which I threaded onto a ribbon using a yarn needle and tied in the back. I embellished it with a ribbon rosette or two and a few leaf-shaped beads that I've had sticking around for a while. I need to think of a name for her before I send her on to her new home.

New Kish Kid

This is Audrey (Little Pippi by Helen Kish, about 8" tall, jointed). The pattern for the dress is from Rosemary Ionker's pattern book Fashions for Small Dolls and the embroidery is my own freehanded design.

A Perfect Afternoon

Today is 70 degrees, beautifully sunny, and there's a nice breeze swooshing in the trees. As it's Thursday, it's my day off, and I made my first bento lunch in the box I ordered a few months ago. There are slices of rolled up egg pancake with a tasty sauce, cheese cut into heart shapes, carrots and cucumbers, and the bottom layer has rice and some cherries. It was most delicious!


After lunch, I took advantage of the sun on the back deck to embroider for a while. I worked on the embroidery for my new nephew's quilt. He's due to arrive in a few weeks, so I need to get it done SOON! One more block left (the rocking horse).


While I was embroidering, I noticed a bandito sneaking up in the bushes to see if he could find something tasty beneath the bird feeder. Sorry about the blurred photo--he was far away. I scared him off after the picture--he's not supposed to be out at 1:30 in the afternoon!

Cute Babies

A few weeks ago, I noticed that Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal were very busy entering and exiting a bush at the corner of the house by the living room window. When they were on the other side of the house at the bird feeder, I took a peek and saw three brown-speckled creamy-colored eggs. I was careful not to open that window or disturb them, and today I heard a tremendous amount of peeping and tweeting from that area, so I looked out the window and this is what I saw! Two chicks, fluttering awkwardly from bush to bush, with two frantic parents trying to get them to behave. The parents are feeding them as they bumble about, and I got this rather blurry shot through the window screen. It's cold and raining today, but they don't seem to mind at all.

Last week, I noticed something in the grass behind the deck. It was this tiny baby bunny with two adult bunnies eating grass. He (or his friends) keep coming out every night after 5 or 6 PM and munching the grass by my kitchen window. It's hard to get a photo of him because he won't hold still, but he's too cute for words.








This is either his Mama or Papa; I'm not sure, but she or he sometimes is out with the baby, although I think Baby is pretty much on his own now.

These are just a few of the reasons that I love living where I do.

My little sister...

My little sister, Becky, is graduating from college on Saturday, set to enter one of the most admirable of professions. She'll be a wonderful teacher. She has that kind of patient, open manner that appeals to children, but has the spirit and discipline to guide them well. Best of all, she's one of the smartest people I know and guided herself through a home-schooled high school curriculum and got herself into college and on the right path in life. She's a wonderful mother to Alexis, who's growing into a beautiful young girl. Becky is thoughtful and giving, and I'm honored that she's my sister.

Gift Making

My little niece Alexis turns six in a few days. It's hard to believe that it was that long ago that she was born! I don't get to see her as often as I like because we live too far apart, but I was able to make her a gift for her special day. The bag is blue because her mom says that's her current favorite color, and I made the lions because they are her current favorite animal. Hopefully she has fun with my gift!




I used one of Floresita's Vintage Transfers for the flower sprig on the right of Alexis' name. The little wool felt lion is from a Japanese craft book pattern, and the amigurumi lion is from Ana Rimoli's pattern book.

Margot's News

Miss Margot would like to introduce you to someone.





This is Ringo, Margot's little sister.

Catnip PARTY!

Zoe's birthday was on March 29th and I've finally gotten a chance to upload the photos of her with her presents. We got a GREAT catnip mat from etsy seller MeowWow.

She shared with Brother, too.

First Flowers of Spring

It's simply gorgeous out this weekend. It's supposed to be 81 today, which is rare at best in Upstate NY in April. I'm enjoying every minute of it. The sky is a crystalline, perfect blue and the birds are beginning to match the brightness of the flowers with their colors for Spring.



Besides admiring the first few blooms of spring, I need to get organized with my projects for this spring.

1. Finish the embroidered baby quilt for my brother's baby
2. Make birthday gifts for my nieces Alexis and Jewel, then for Lauren (too many birthdays all at once!)
3. Find and hire a receptionist for work. I have 30 resumes to go through. Not a fun spring activity.
4. Graduation gift for my sister Becky (no hints here!)
5. Wedding gift for my sister Becky (hey, quit reading!)
   
6. Hmm...I'll be adding to this list as things pop into my head.
   

Glove Critters

My sister Sarah and I made some glove critters from Miyako Kanamori's book. Sarah has been visiting since last Saturday. She's 17 (the youngest!) and I remember when she was born (I was 12) so it's strange that she's already 17. Makes me feel really old!

We have also been crocheting amigurumi and Sarah has come to work with me for the day a few times, too. Work has been very busy this past week, with a lot of sick patients to worry about. On Friday I had to perform five euthanasias, the most I have ever had to do in one day. That's a HARD day. It's nice, though, to be able to come back home and work on some nice, quiet crafts.