Millie Duck

This was my little Millie duck, last June, when I first got her.  I got Millie to be a companion for Daisy, the wee little duck in the photo, who was lonely.  Millie came from a veterinary student who couldn't care for her any longer.

This was Millie, in July, swimming in her kiddie pool for the first time.  Below, she's with her little friend, Daisy.





Millie had a good summer and grew bigger and this was her in the fall, in her new duck run with her pool installed.  She loved to swim and play with Little Duck (Daisy).  She also loved to moodle around with her beak in the leaves and grass.  She loved to nibble on my pantlegs and she liked to quack really loudly.  She knew her name and always quacked a greeting when I pulled into the driveway.




This was my most recent picture of my little Millie duck, taken on March 31st, while she was mucking around in the leaves outside in the new fenced area I had made for the ducks and chickens.  She sort of liked the chickens and would try to roost up on top of their feed bucket so they weren't higher than her.  I'm not sure if she thought she was a chicken, or whether she just didn't want anyone to be up higher than she was.

Today Millie was killed by a hawk, while I was home and just inside, about 50 feet away.  I put them outside at about 7 AM, into their fenced area, where they go every day.  I came back in.  It was raining so I didn't go back out very quickly to check on them.  Millie had been hiding her eggs somewhere the past few days.  I went out around 9 to check on them and fill their feed bucket and Little Duck was walking around but I didn't see Millie.  I thought that I would probably finally be able to find where she was laying those eggs.  Imagine my shock and horror when I rounded the edge of the shed to see her dead on the ground with a hawk ON TOP OF HER.  It was not afraid of me and I had to run at it screaming to get it to go away after I put the chickens and remaining duck back into their run.  It looks like it pulled her out from under the edge of the shed, because her little feathers are under the shed a few feet away from where I found her.  She tried to get away from it, but it killed her anyway.  Poor little Millie.  My last look at her alive was as she marched away from me this morning when I let them out, into the fenced area with her little military gait, stamping around like she owned the yard, as always.

I wish that I had heard something and I wish that I checked on them earlier.  I can't believe that all this happened in the span of about 2 hours while I was RIGHT IN THE HOUSE a few feet away from the yard.  I should never have left them unsupervised.  Millie was a good little duck and I'll miss her and I am afraid to say that her little friend Daisy (Little) will miss her probably more than me.  Little is now all alone with only some chickens for friends.  :(

The Little Naturalist

Luke got to take a walk outside today.  He's outfitted in a new set of breeches, cotton shirt, reversible vest, and hat, and as an added bonus, the new wigs and eyes I got for him and for April arrived, so they are both sporting new eyes and hair.  I absolutely adore the shoes that Luke is wearing.  They're from Boneka and are sized for Bitty Bethany and fit him perfectly.

Belinda gets a new frock

I haven't made Belinda anything in ages.  I was inspired by the thought of blue flag irises when I made this dress:  dark purple and green.

The other doll in the last photo is Tamsin, who I haven't photographed in a long time, but she remains one of my favorite dolls.  I'm disappointed, though, that she seems out of scale with almost all the other Kish dolls of other sizes.  She looks OK with the Bitty sized dolls, and OK with the Chrysalis babies if you bear in mind that some babies are smaller than others!

Best Birthday Present Ever

I finally took some photos of my little Custom House Ange Ai Uri, who I named Luke.  He was the most surprising birthday present (in the end of February) ever--my little sister Sarah gave him to me, and I didn't expect a doll in my birthday presents at all!  I usually buy my dolls for myself, and I don't think anyone has ever given me a doll for my collection!  I was surprised and delighted!

I made the PJ's from a pattern that I modified and enlarged.  It was originally for Riley Kish.  I lengthened the legs and changed the foot piece quite a bit.  The PJ's are actually for Sarah's doll that is the same size, but I wanted to photograph them, so here are the photos.

April and Springtime

My Rosen Lied Beige, April, is wearing a new spring frock that I listed on etsy.  I love it so much I almost didn't want to list it.  It doesn't show, but there is a lining that makes a little petticoat beneath the top, and it has lace on the edge that matches the lace on her bloomers.  

It feels like spring around here today.  I had the day off to enjoy the bright sunshine, blue sky and 70 degree temperatures.  I cleaned the coop and also cleaned out the chicken runs, which were full of wet straw from a long winter.  The straw was so thick in one of the runs, there was still ICE beneath it!  It's already melted.  My red chickens are one year old today.  Hard to believe they went from this:

To this in just one year.

I had a fence installed around the half of lawn where their coop is.  They needed to be out.  We had issues all winter with Matilda, in particular, picking feathers from the other birds.  I have tried every trick out there to get them to quit, and managed to reduce it quite a lot, but they do best when they're out most of the time and don't think about boredom and picking.  They're still a delight and are funny, quirky animals, each with their own personality.  The Buffs will be 1 year old in about 2 months (May 31). 

State Flowers Embroidery Project - Maine

Over at Turkey Feathers blog, Vicki is sharing embroidery patterns, one by one, of the state flowers for each of the fifty states.  I read her blog frequently (she sold me the patterns for the embroidered baby quilt I made for my nephew, Noah).  I decided to stitch along, although I'm already way behind!  I have the first one done.  This is Maine, and the state flower of Maine is the White Pine Cone.

Think Spring

This is Riki, by Helen Kish, an 8" Chrysalis baby, dressed in a drop-waisted cotton dress with a wool felt jacket.  I listed the outfit on etsy on Thursday and it sold within 24 hours!  I was surprised that it went so fast.  I'll have to make some more things for the shop.  It seems like the shop is always empty!

Pipos Baha in the same outfit:

Before and After, a testament to a child's love

My niece loves this bunny I made for her last year.  She's loved him to pieces, literally.  He's her favorite toy and she takes him everywhere.  Her other aunt sewed him up and her daddy put a patch on the back where his fabric wore out.  I'm so glad my crafting is appreciated!

This is what I made her for her birthday this year.  I hope she loves him as much as Bunny!

I love....

I love living by a wetland.  Walking the dog this morning was a relaxing experience, as I watched the mallard ducks stick their heads straight down in the water on the pond so that all you see are funny little rears sticking up into the air and waggling duck feet.  I love the cacophony of honks that geese make when they're flying north, the way light comes through white pine needles and cones against a gray sky, and the bright trills of red-wing blackbirds, having returned recently from places south.  Even though it's gray outside, it's still an early-spring treasure of a day.

I have been working intermittently on April Cottage.  The floor is done in the kitchen.  I first started with 1" square tiles cut from the flat parts of egg cartons.  I glued them down with tacky glue.

Here they are all in place.

 Then I sealed the whole thing with three coats of matte Mod Podge.  Do not attempt to grout a floor without sealing it first!  I nearly forgot to seal it and it didn't go well.  Then I sealed it and it worked great!

Next, I used spackling compound, which  I tinted light gray, to grout the floor.  I applied it with my fingers and wiped off the excess with a damp paper towel and buffed it with a dry one.  The room is now ready for the baseboards and wainscot.

Some dress sewing

I find I take a lot of inspiration just from fabric.  And if I don't have any inspiring fabric, I don't feel like creating anything!  I found this fabric at Joann Fabrics and it's just what I was wanting for this weekend's project.  April (Rosen Lied Beige) needed a new, pretty outfit for a meetup in Ithaca in a few weeks.  This fabric was just the right thing for her.  I used patterns from the Londie Phillips book I mentioned before.  It's a great book with patterns for multiple-sized dolls.  I'll have to take a photo of my Effners wearing the dress after April is through with it.

Cottage Kitchen

The April Cottage kitchen is coming slowly along.  I have the stairs in, as seen above.  The floor tiles are ready to be glued down, and then it's time for the wainscoting and trims to be glued on.  It's rather painstaking work!

Kiley and Miki

Helen Kish's newest Riley's World dolls, Kiley (smiling) and Miki (looking sleepy on the right) are having a party celebrating Kiley's birthday!  Zsu Zse is attending.  I made Kiley's dress from a pattern in Londie Phillip's new book.  The fabric is a great vintage piece that was a freebie with an etsy order from Niesz Vintage Fabric and Design.  (Thanks for the great fabric!)  I lined it with white cotton, as the original fabric is quite sheer.  It gathers beautifully for this scale work.

Barnyard Balls

For my nephew, Noah, from a pattern I purchased on etsy.

Finally, some crafting!

At last! I've had time to make something! I've been working on making belated holiday gifts for my nieces and nephew. I still have my nephew's present left to make, but all the others are done. Above is Mitch, the Monkey, made from a Funky Friends Pattern. He's for my two-year old niece who likes monkeys right now. He's very huggable!

Another huggable item is this cutie, made for my niece, Jewel. She's five and has red hair, too. This doll was made from Wee Wonderfuls' pattern for Chloe, Kit and Louise and will be named Julia Mary. It took me yesterday afternoon and evening to make the doll and then today to make her clothing. The hair was a little tricky but came out fine.

For my niece Lauren, I have made a pincushion and I will be giving her a sewing book and some other sewing accessories so she can learn to sew. I hope she enjoys it as much as I do. The pincushion pattern is from Pretty Little Pincushions. I love that book--it has GREAT patterns!

And for Jenna, I've made a carrying case for her crochet hooks. She's learning to crochet! I've also gotten her a crochet book, too. The pattern for this hook caddy was from Sew Darn Cute.
I used buttons to embellish the front.

And for Alexis, I've gotten her a book to read and made her this little friend to read it with. The pattern is from Ami Ami Dogs, a Japanese crochet book.
I just have a chicken toy left to make for my little nephew, Noah. I have already gotten him a storybook about a mother hen!

A Year in Review and Outlook for Next Year

Toby Being Cute

It's been a big year. Time for a little reflection. My main resolution from last year involved trying to manage my time better so I am less stressed. I have to say, I've still got some work to do on that, but I've made a great start. I decided to buy the practice I'm working in so I can set my own hours and manage the place the way that I will find to be the least stressful for everyone. So, I've been temporarily MORE stressed but I see light at the end of the tunnel. And I've also found that the amount of stress that I feel is greatly dependent upon my outlook on things. If I feel in control of the situation, it doesn't stress me as much.

Another big accomplishment this year was adding the chickens to my household. Every time I reflect upon what my perfect life would involve, it involves more ethical sources of food and increased self-sufficiency. The chickens were a GREAT deal of work to start up this year, but I enjoy having them both for the previous mentioned reasons, but also because they're just plain funny and fun to be around. The ducks were not a planned addition, but they are pretty comical, too, and I'm glad we have them all. Somehow, I ended up with 11 chickens when I intended to have three or five, but hey, the more the merrier!

Zillions of fabulous eggs

Things that have not gone as well this year: I haven't practiced the dulcimer as much as I would have liked, and I haven't done much artwork or crafting. I haven't had time to visit family ALL YEAR. This practice transition has been very time consuming and stressful.

I have, however, started on my dollhouse that sat for almost a full year as an unopened kit! It's going to be great and large and just what I always wanted.

So for this next year, I have a few goals:

1. Have a successful starting year for my new veterinary practice
2. Make time to craft lots of things and keep my etsy shop stocked.
3. Visit my family!
4. Paint my darn craft room! I intended to do this last year, but it never happened.
5. Work on my new dollhouse
6. Eat more vegan meals. I'm uncomfortable with the lives that dairy cows have in this country, and as a vegetarian, a lot of the fat and calories in my diet come from eating milk products. I think that eating more fruits, veggies and grains will help me be healthier overall. I've gotten Vegan Lunch Box for Christmas so that will help with this goal.
7. Continue to play my dulcimer. Perhaps get a new music book because I am bored with the few I have.

So Happy New Year and I'm hoping we're off to a good start!

Hope Chests and Hexagons

Isn't that beautiful? My little sister has a new blog, Reclaiming the Hope Chest. She will be displaying lots of handmade items that she will use to fill her hope chest!

In other news, I apologize for the blog silence but it will probably continue until at least the first of the new year. I have been very busy buying a veterinary practice and the transfer date is Dec. 31/Jan 1.

Chickie Fabric Fun

When I saw this fabric at the fabric store, I knew I had to have it and I knew it would make a great pair of overalls. It's actually more dark red than orange. My camera had a hard time picking up the color properly. I'm also quite proud of the mock turtleneck I made. I hate using knit fabrics but FINALLY I seem to have gotten the hang of it, and so I present a non-bunched, decent-looking shirt! Simple, sure, but it does the trick.


I love this photo. Tompkin looks like a little kid from yesteryear, playing with his train. I used the sepia and soften filters on Paint.net to change my original photograph. Paint.net is a great program and it's FREE.

All Grown Up

My little chickies are all grown up now. The big floofy bum in the foreground belongs to Prudence, who laid her first egg in the middle of the garden on the weekend. So far she's the only Orpington laying, but she's laid one every other day since she started, and nicely in the nest box since that first one. I think it surprised her!

Super Cute!

I forgot how much I loved my Ringo until I got her out and made a new dress for her. She's just too cute.

Etsy update

I made a second copy of the dress I made for my Effner girl, but I embellished it more and put it on etsy. Hopefully someone will enjoy it for their Beige or similar-sized doll. I particularly enjoyed the embroidery on the petticoat (closeup below). I used an embroidery pattern from one of the Japanese craft books that I got in Seattle in July. I'll also be putting a cute little green dress for Ringo on etsy later on, too.