Shiva Paintstik and collage

I really do prefer shiva Paintstiks for portrait work. 

Happy 27th Birthday, Ben!!

Things I love about my new Brother Innov-is 950D

I never thought I'd want another sewing machine. My Sears Kenmore lasted 20+ years.  There was nothing wrong with it.  Why would I ever need another one?

But one day I decided I wanted to do free motion quilting, the kind where you sew in any direction using a special free-motion presser foot and putting the machine's feed dogs down. You can do circles or other shapes, follow the lines of the fabric patterns or make up your own design for sewing.  I couldn't do this very well on my Kenmore -- so finally I faced facts:  I needed a new machine.

I started out by checking facts.  Consumer Reports rated the Brother 400 model (Project Runway version) a best buy and it's VERY nice. That's where I was headed.  But I decided to spend a little more and get the one that has programmable embroidery stitches -- my thing was that in case I'm making children's clothes over the next ten years, I'd need it. (You never know what the stork might bring...)

So now that I've been using it for a couple of months, let me tell you about all the little things I love about this new machine.  Like.... When I'm threading the top thread, I just loop it in and around and when I get down near the needle -- no more eye strain to thread the needle.  I push a lever and it THREADS THE NEEDLE FOR ME.  All by itself.  Yes, you read that right.  Cha-ching.

Second great thing:  after I'm done sewing a seam, I push a button and it cuts the thread and lifts the needle.  Heaven.

Third thing - and this amazes and delights me.  It let's me know BEFORE the bobbin thread runs out.  That's right.  It gives me a little message that says, "your bobbin is running low, darling."  Ok, maybe it doesn't say darling, but it FEELS like there is an implied darling in there.  Because in the past I'd be, oh, 3-4 inches of sewing with only the TOP thread before realizing there was no bottom thread accompanying that dance.

You can adjust the speed 3 ways depending on if you are a slowpoke or a speedy gonzales just by using a slider, and there is a little panel in front that tells me what I'm doing.  Best of all, there is a great little book that is totally easy to use -- and I keep it next to me whenever I'm trying something new.  I highly recommend this little doll face.

Now.  If they could make a little housekeeping machine like this to dust and clean while I'm sewing?   I'd be first in line.

Pretty in Pink

This one is from the MOMA Although the origins of Valentine's Day are unclear, the oldest surviving card - from 1415 - is in the British Museum.  Charles of Valois, Duke of Orleans, created it for his wife (Bonne of Armagnac) while he was a prisoner in the Tower of London. (A poet, Charles survived the tower, despite a lengthy stay.) When postage rates became affordable, people began to send Valentines without signing their names.  Some of those anonymously sent cards contained risque verses, leading some countries to ban the practice of exchanging them.      It is said that in the late nineteenth-century, the Chicago post office rejected thousands of Valentines because they were too inappropriate to be carried by the U.S. mail.  Even in the 21st century, Valentine's Day has been discouraged in India and banned altogether in Saudi Arabia.  Pink Ribbons from Anthropologie

True love is a sacred flame

That burns eternally,

And none can dim its special glow

Or change its destiny.

True love speaks in tender tones

And hears with gentle ear,

True love gives with open heart

And true love conquers fear.

True love makes no harsh demands

It neither rules nor binds,

And true love holds with gentle hands

The hearts that it entwines.

-Anonymous

I wonder what it felt like to be the object of THIS guy's affections...

You are my only love. You have me completely in your power. I know and feel that if I am to write anything fine or noble in the future I shall do so only by listening to the doors of your heart. ... I love you deeply and truly, Nora. ... There is not a particle of my love that is not yours. ... If you would only let me I would speak to you of everything in my mind but sometimes I fancy from your look that you would only be bored by me. Anyhow, Nora, I love you. I cannot live without you. I would like to give you everything that is mine, any knowledge I have (little as it is) any emotions I myself feel or have felt, any likes or dislikes I have, any hopes I have or remorse. I would like to go through life side by side with you, telling you more and more until we grew to be one being together until the hour should come for us to die. Even now the tears rush to my eyes and sobs choke my throat as I write this. Nora, we have only one short life in which to love. O my darling be only a little kinder to me, bear with me a little even if I am inconsiderate and unmanageable and believe me we will be happy together. Let me love you in my own way. Let me have your heart always close to mine to hear every throb of my life, every sorrow, every joy.

~ James Joyce (1882-1941). Written for Nora Barnacle on 25 October 1909.

Hmmmmm.....slightly creepy, though also very flattering. 

Acrylic on Coldpress Watercolor by Me

(I know, not really pink)

Anyway, if you want to write your own Valentine poem, I paraphrased this from Hubpages:

Think about when you met, and your first times together. R

emember those first days when you were crazy about each other?  (No? well make something up) List the things you like about your sweetheart.

Make a list of sensory data. Descriptive words make poetry more interesting, and it is easier to write with a list at hand.   (sight, sound, emotion, like butterflies in stomach, room spinning)

Based on what you have written, choose a theme of your poem. Is it going to be a story? Do you want to tell about her beauty, why you respect him, show appreciation?

Avoid clichés. Unless your sweetheart has awful taste,  she will not be as impressed with all too common clichés. Examples include: “You are so beautiful, fell in love, true love, rest of my life, words can’t express.” 

Revise. You can use a rhyming dictionary and look up synonyms in a thesaurus to find better word choice. Look for parts that are unclear or don’t fit with the rest of the poem. 

Have someone else proofread your poem. Use someone you know will be objective to give you feedback. Remember, people have different tastes, so have an idea of what you think may need improvement and ask them specific questions. 

Figure out a great way to present the poem. Do you want to just hand them a piece of paper, or do you want to send flowers at work with your poem, print out digital pictures with it, make a bookmark, make a children's book with you two in it, etc.

And what if you don't have a "sweetheart" this year?

Well then you can join the club.  Lucky you!!  Take yourself out for a spa day and celebrate all the angst you are not having trying to find the PERFECT gift and the perfect way to celebrate.  Treat yourself royally and enjoy the day.

The Story of A Doll and Two Friends

This is the story of friends. One who told a story, and one who helped me complete a vision.  

"I had a smock apron when I was young (probably 4-5 years old).  It had two large pockets on the front.....one had "Penny" embroidered on the pocket.....and the other had "Candy" embroidered on it.

Since my maternal grandmother  lived across the street from us and she and my mom were really close, my grandmother always walked over to our house each morning as my mom was cleaning up from breakfast.  I usually had the honor of letting her in (since I was usually watching at the screen door for her).  She'd come in and put a penny in my "Penny" pocket and a peppermint in my "Candy" pocket if I was wearing my apron (which I was more often than not) and then take my face in her hands and give me a kiss.  Her hands always smelled like oranges."

That's Ellie's story.

And this doll is for her.

  In my version, I painted little oranges on a pink smock, and I kept the Penny Candy letters very juvenile, as a child might paint them, rather than literally embroidering them on there.  I used daisies for trim because that was a popular 70's print. I painted her legs with stripes and then sanded and distressed them to imply the passage of time.  I removed her hair, them trimmed and dyed it with three shades of Ranger alcohol ink.  I didn't make the face on this doll - I used an existing doll and trimmed off the eyelashes and repainted her.  Below are a few pictures of her transformation.

 I tried over and over to make the shirt and shorts, but

I am not a pattern maker. My friend Rosie saved the day. 
She helped me by taking lots of time creating special patterns just for this
doll. I couldn't have done this without her. When I cut them out and
sewed them, they fit perfectly. So now Ellie's doll has her own custom-made
clothing, specially designed for her: blouse, shorts and apron.

But there was only one problem...

Roan, my cat, fell in love with her. He

kept stealing her every chance he got. 

I often found him sleeping with her,  or I'd discover her 

secreted away in one of his hiding spots under the bed.

"Roan's Dolly" became the joke of the house for

the several weeks I was working on her.

I guess I'll have to buy him a kitty Barbie.