Today is the day for the drawing…..i wrote all the names on slips of paper, folded them up teeny tiny and tossed ‘em like a tempest into a teacup….

Reached in and plucked out a name……. and the winner is……….

Laura from My Little Orange Kitchen! Please email me your mailing info and i shall get your goodies off to you.

Hope all is well in Bloglandia….big love to you all!

xoxox

Remember this? The tree embroidery that i started about a year ago?

I am thrilled to report that i am FINALLY DONE with it!

I am quite sure that thre are no fewer than one billion stitches  that make up the tree design, and if i had to calulate how many hours it took to get this thing done, i’d probably have a nervous breakdown. But DAMN it feels good to have FINISHED something. It a way, it’s kind of re-ignited my “mojo” and i feel like making things again. I have too many WIPS hanging around here, and getting the BIG one done feels like nothing short of miracle.  I’m getting back to my dollies…one Lady Wormwood for the most wonderfully patient girl i know, and a frosty snowflake skelly too, among other things. I dried out some orange peel in my oven to make the vanilla patchouli orange soap i’ve been planning, and  trying to figure out how to make my own flared bellydance pants so i no longer have to BUY them. I love ‘em, but man are they spendy. How can i call myself crafty if i don’t at least TRY to make my own, right?

Speaking of bellydance, yes, i am still obsessed!  Last week, i got bumped up to the intermediate level of my American Cabaret bellydance class, and to celebrate, i decided to finally get myself out to the tribal fusion class. This was a HUGE deal, as some of you may know, i am kind of agoraphobic and i am terrified of driving, especially at night and into areas outside my local comfort zone. However, one of my “resolutions” was to stop being a weenie and take up an Auntie Mame attitude…you know…”Life is a banquet and most poor bastards are starving….Live Live Live!”  So i gathered all my courage and did it, and loved it, and plan to keep on going. If i did it once i can do it again! Go me! I won’t be starving anymore!

Hoping you are all well and wonderful!

xoxoxoxo

I do wish that creativity was a nice, consistent flow for me! Alas…..It’s feast or famine. I am either so immersed in making things that i can’t mange to do anything else, or, on the flip side, the well seems dry and i just don’t have the will or energy that i need to make something worth telling you guys about. Hence my absence YET AGAIN. Le sigh. I can pretty much always make doll, but i prefer NOT to work on them when my head is not in the right space. I believe very strongly that my energy flows into my work, and if the energy’s bad, then how can good work come from that? Making dolls is a weird process for me and i refuse to do a half-way job of it. So i am trying to be patient with myself and keep the kindling dry and ready for when the next creative spark flares up and causes the bonfire that consumes me again I’ve also started the slow and painful task of organizing my craft room. Sometimes my best ideas come when i am sorting through my embarrassingly huge stash of stuff, so maybe cleaning will invite the Muse.

Meanwhile, my sorting process has caused me to decide that i need to thin my stash alittle. I have a huge collection of random bits and bobs that i have hoarded for ages, since a million years ago when i was doing mostly ATCs and collage work. I know that i won’t ever use it all so i’ve decided to share the stash. I am not sure how many of you guys do much paper craft and collage, but if you ARE interested in a big old collage ephemera bundle, i invite you to leave a comment by January 30. I shall then draw a name and send a huge pile of odds and ends to whoever the winner may be. There is all kinds of things here…map pages, book pages in foreign languages, weird game pieces, clip art, joss paper, fabric scraps, ribbon-bits, old photos….you get the idea. One could make a a thousand ATCs with this funky mix, i have no doubt. It’s obvious that i never will, so it’s time to stop hoarding and pass the fun along to someone who will actually use it!

Well, i am not dead

However, my poor Mac mini is (moment of silence) hence my loooooong absence, partnered with family illness and an assortment of other wacky little plagues.

We just got the new Mac yesterday and now we are trying to recover some of what we lost. So if you’ve emailed me and i have not responded, please please re-send! I am not ignoring anyone on purpose, i’ve just had minimal contact with the blog-world and i am trying to get back on track. I’ve lost all my email contacts and address book! Help a sister out if you are so inclined by emailing me your contact info so i can get back to the business of boring ya’ll with my babbling! I have not spent much time in the craftroom…the heat is still broken and it’s bloody cold up there! I have to plan in advance and get the space heater crankin’ so it’s bearable. i miss my sewing machine. I have poor abandoned dollies sitting in the cold wondering if i will ever return. One of them, in fact, is totally inspired by being frozen and i am going to have a drawing for her once she’s done, so stayed tuned!

I hope the holidaze were good to you all….ours was….interesting. One of the most challenging on record, i think. However, the good moments were blindingly marvelous and i’ve had so much time to ponder and think about what a wild ride 2007 was, which made it alittle easier for me to let go of some of the self-loathing i was feeling when i stop and realize that we’ve been thru an awful lot and i am not superwoman.  I think the computer breaking was almost a good thing. I’ve needed to take a break. I used the time off for other things i love that i’ve neglected in the frenzy of my constant stitching and babbling online.  And i got to read alot of books and practice bellydance more seriously with the awesome DVDs i got from Santa as well as my usual cabaret class (and hopefully a tribal class soon too, if i ever grow the spine to actually GO!)  I got to spend some wonderful time with my friends and re-connect with my life. I got to bake a ton of fabulous goodies and eat obscene amounts of chocolate and cheese (still having happy dreams of the smoked gouda cheeseball….mmmmmmmmm) I drank almost an entire bottle of horrible champagne with slices of oranges floating in it to distract from the horrific awfulness  on New Years and had the best time flopping around on the couch with my fam as the ball dropped and i realized that every single SECOND of happiness needs to be savored and cherished, no matter how small it may seem at the time.

ANYWAY….2008. A new mac and a head stuffed full of ideas about what i want to do and things i want to learn and try.  I have resolved myself to being less of a weenie about alot of things. And mostly to keep up with you guys in blog world better than i have been. I miss you! Now, i plan to spend some time trying to get ’round to some of your blogs and see what you’ve been up to and how you are doing! It’s great to be back!!!!

xoxoxoxo