Matryoshka Dolls (nesting dolls)

Charlotte will be 4 in a couple of days and she will be getting these nesting dolls. I made them after wet felting (my first try) some wool roving. Each one really does fit inside the other, though my initial thought was to have 6, going from cool to warm, but by the time I got to the green one it was already so small. Next time I start with small and go to big. The idea is not my own, (check out the work of Sara Lechner), but the handwork is all mine, well, you might recognize some of Deborah's 'y' flowers on the middle lass.

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Symbols

I started out to write a post about learning and this symbol...but the "we learn something every day" sounded so banal and unimaginative I deleted it. I wanted to say something about the way some really new interesting things just bump into us in the course of the day, and wouldn't it be interesting to keep track, just for one day, how many new things we learn. So, this symbol:

This is what I learned yesterday during our book group discussion of Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. It means good and kind woman. It was used during the depression by those looking for food as a signal that the woman of the house would feed you. Simple communication. I think I may use it in some of my artwork.

Beautiful

For nearly 25 days my New Years resolution to be in the moment has served me well. Until I saw these beautiful tulips in the store. This happens every year. Come the end of January I find I'm ready for some warm weather. It's called SPRING. And it's been hard these last few weeks with the temps hovering around 10 or sometimes way below that. This morning I thought the thermometer said 17, but looking closer it was really -17. Walking has been a chore instead of the joy it usually is. Some days I don't even venture out. BUT! We're heading in the right direction on this side of the world...spring WILL come and while we're waiting we can continue to enjoy casual dinners in front of the fire, and warm chocolate chip cookies right out of the oven on those snowstorm days.

Nearly a Series...

I seem to be stuck on birds these days. I absolutely love watching them at my feeder when I happen to be standing at the window. The day before the temperature dropped to 25 below, the chickadees and nuthatches were voracious. Guess they needed to be.



So, I've done realistic warblers and a chickadee. These are the other end of the spectrum. Fun. I made them from a pattern I downloaded from the web from Spool . I added legs of formed wire and some wings, along with beads on the crown of the head. They kind of bounce when you bump up against them. These are nice, but check out my friend Hannah's blog and see her little bird.

Moon versus Sun

I think people just like to grumble. It doesn't matter that Obama hasn't even begun his term yet. A man behind me in the market line, complaining about how things are NOT going to work the way he thinks. He says, "They promise you the moon, and then (with a shake of his head) give you the sun." I'm still scratching my head and saying, "Huh?" Is there something wrong with the sun? Except when it's cloudy or nighttime, isn't it there all the time, unlike the moon which only shows up 1/2 the time? And come on people, no matter WHO you voted for, give the guy a CHANCE!!! There. I feel better.

Cleaning up 2008

Done.
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Done.

Do you block your pieces? Makes a huge difference.


Done.

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Moving into 2009 with a clean slate...well, almost. I think everyone will always have some unfinished projects packed away.

Hungry?

...just making sure it gets done correctly.

One Last Time

My last cup of hot chocolate before I put my favorite christmas mug away till next year. Thank you again, Deborah.