Some of my critters

Birthday Lunch

Today I took my nephew to lunch. Tomorrow is his 15th birthday. They grow up so fast! My nephew, Billy, my sister-in-law, Renee and I headed south to a shopping area called "The Avenues of Viera". Billy's favorite place to eat is a restaurant called Steak and Shake. Basically a hamburger place with milk shake specialties. We hit several shops - giving him a chance to spend some of his birthday money.

Now---I have to admit to an ulterior motive. There are 2 craft stores in this shopping area and I had a list of needed supplies.

We had a great time and I came home very tired and full(a hamburger and a dark chocolate shake with added fudge bits).

Now back to work on those patterns I was working on last night.

Idea Traffic Jam

After that relaxing day at the beach I had a great nights sleep and woke up with a lot of new ideas. I am anxious to get going on all of them. Tuesday night was spent sketching. Last night was spent drawing patterns. Deciding what kind of arm, what length of leg and what style head I want for each new idea. I already have the mohair for most of my new projects. My list of other supplies is growing. one of the things I am hoping to find is some ultrasuede or other paw fabric in a nice light yellow.

Shopping day tomorrow--I can't wait!

Beach Day

A beautiful day at the beach! Boy I needed that! Just a little less than 20 minutes from my home are several miles of beautiful natural beaches. They are part of a National Park wildlife preserve. The bonus is-from the beach you can see the launch pad for the space shuttle at Kennedy Space Center. On the way to the beach you can see many types of large birds as well as occasional gator.

I'm not sure why, but I am drawn to the beach. The smell of the ocean, the sound of the surf crashing on shore, the feel of the sun-all reach my soul. I didn't grow up near the ocean, although my mom grew up on the Maryland shore of the Chesapeake Bay. Still I am drawn to it and after a beach day I feel at peace and ready to face the world again.

Some feel that way on a mountain, some in a busy city, some in rolling farm land. Just make sure you get to your place every one in awhile.

Deja Vu Project

I'm not sure why I named this project Deja Vu. It was the first thing that came to my mind when I decided what I was going to do. At some point I thought I would call it something else, but I kept seeing deja vu. It turned up in books, tv, and newspaper so I stuck with it.

It was in response to a "Call for Creativity" in a magazine called Art Doll Quarterly. Using a bear pattern as a starting point add collage pieces, vintage items, or ephemera.

Deja Vu is a shadow box frame. The panda is the smallest bear I have made in mohair. I used sparse matted mohair for a vintage look. She is wearing a pink gingham dress(I struggled getting it to fit). The photos are of me around age three. I am dating myself because you can see the actual date on one of the photo edges. The panda is holding a carnival trinket I made for my dad. It is stamped "To Daddy from Nancy". Attached to the bow near the top is a locket I wore as a child. It is in the shape of a Bible and has photos of my mom and dad inside.

This was my first attempt at any kind of scrapbooking. I'm not sure if I am going to submit it to the magazine. They want the whole thing mailed to them not just a photo. I'm happy with the project anyway-it's a nice little memory box for me.

BTW-I started over on my website. Then I changed one page. I will do one at a time now!

New Dog Food

I won't even mention my website-it is not going well. Don't look at it right now-it looks like a crazy quilt gone mad. I needed to step away for awhile so I thought I would post.

Thanks to all the pet food recalls I have decided to try a new dog food for my girls-Lexi & Lucy. They are both small dogs so I figured I could spend a little more. They are 10 & 12 yrs so I bought the mature fomula. I have always fed them dry so I wasn't too concerned but the recalls have me looking more closely at labels. That's Lexi checking out the new food.

I finished my Art Doll Qrtly bear challenge piece. I will try to take photos tomorrow.

I need some supplies for the other thing I'm working on. I was hoping to go to AC Moore when Bill went to a Dr appt nearby, but his appt was canceled. It's a 40 minute drive and we have to conserve gas whenever possible. Maybe I'll look online for the things I need. Nothing like shopping for relaxation.

My Website

I'm still working on my website. I have only had a little time each day. Yesterday I tried to make some changes to one page and messed it up terribly. I spent a lot of time trying to undo the damage then I remembered if I close the page it asks if I want to save changes. All I had to do was click no-DUH!. I keep looking at other sites just to see how they do things-not to copy-but for inspiration. I also need to get more traffic to my site. I, at least, need to sell enough to feed the addiction(Teddy Bear making). I haven't been sewing much this week. I need to upload the changes to my site and get back to creating. I actually have some Christmas ideas rolling around in my head.

Old Dog

I spent several hours yesterday working on my website. I have microsoft frontpage and it's mostly plug in text & graphics but I want my site to be interesting and attractive. I wish I was more knowledgable about all the bells and whistles you can add. My site is pretty simple and I don't know anything about writing code. Of course too many fancy things and the website loads too slow and people lose interest.

I guess I'm an old dog trying to learn new tricks. I don't have access to a teenager. A lot of this stuff is second nature to them. I could not, in my wildest dreams, imagined the tech things that are available today. Now I'm showing my age-time to go to work.

I will post when the changes to my website have been uploaded.

My Puff Pet

I finished my "Puff Pet" for Lisa's challenge. His name is Mooch the Mutt. I made him using cotton string fabric. I have had the fabric for a long time and I don't think it's available anymore. I used to make Dog Patch Puppies from it. It's kind of like long and loopy terry cloth with a cotton backing.

All pieces of Mooch were from a pattern using the punch out section of a Puff's tissue box. I used the full piece for the 2 sides and using a print program, stretched and squished the Puff section to make the other pattern pieces. I am pretty pleased with the way he turned out.

Now, on to other projects. Tonight we are going to Applebee's for dinner. I had an ulterior motive for suggested it as their is a Hancock's fabric store nearby. I'm sure Bill won't mind if I stop in "for just a minute"

Too Busy

Well, I had hoped to post almost every day but there just aren't enough hours in the day. We have had company 3 times in the last 2 weeks. That means putting away most of my projects and cleaning. The one advantage to having all the visits close together is only one major cleaning. I have been trying to finish my project for a challenge in the Art Doll Quarterly magazine that Lisa of Twin Cubs posted in the Edinburgh Community forum. I finally have all the elements finished-I just have to put them together. The Teddy Bear that is the center of the project is the smallest mohair bear I have ever made. I am pleased with the way she(that's right she) has turned out. I spent all day Sunday trying to fit her dress. I will post a photo when the project is finished.

I am also working on another "Lisa's Puff Pet" challenge -making a pattern using the tear out portion of a Puffs tissue box. I have it cut out waiting to be sewn. I will post a pic when it is finished too. Check Lisa's Twin Cubs blog to see her "Puff Pet".

Dog Patch Puppy on Bid4Bears

Bid 4 Bears is having an Artist Power Campaign from now until June. There are some really great artists with Bears and other critters up for auction. I didn't join the campaign but I thought I would list a Dog Patch Puppy to take advantage of the increased traffic. It would be great if Bid 4 Bears would become a powerhouse for Teddy Bear auctions.

My Dog Patch Puppy has 2 days left on it's auction-no bids yet but I keep checking.

http://www.bid4bears.com

I'm blogging!

Well, I have joined the crowd-I am blogging! I spent this morning reading other blogs-trying to decide how to do mine. I went to Lisa's Twin Cubs blog and clicked on some of the blog links and then clicked on their blogs links and so on. There are some very creative people out there. It is sometimes so overwhelming to know there is now a way to contact them. The 20 somethings and under take the internet for granted but it really is an amazing tool.

Seeing other artists amazing work is a double edged sword for me. It is all so wonderful and varied it sometimes makes me doubt myself. But then the inspiration takes hold and I'm off with a new idea.

I think this is a good start for my first post. I will try to post regularly although there never seem to be enough hours in the day.