Just artin' around...

I found this little paper mache elephant.  Added a little paperclay for detail, gave him a stripey circus ball on a stand, a polka dotty hat, two mice and a feather.  Why not?

Baby Elephant (sold)

Do you wear shawls?

I do.

Not to Wal-Mart or while I'm out gardening.  I don't know how our great-great-grandmothers managed to do so much in them, given what a pain in the butt a shawl can be.  I've crocheted a few shawls for myself, and have a ridiculous number of patterns for them.  Not sure I'll ever make them all, but I love having the patterns, love thinking of the fuzzy, slinky, or wooly yarn I'll crochet into them.  (An even bigger fantasy: I will KNiT one and PuRL two!)  But I wear them, and love them.

Here's why: they make me be still.

Aside from practical considerations--did you ever try to put a load of laundry on to wash while wearing one?--a shawl is for sitting still.  Perfect for early weekend mornings...for evenings, when dark rolls in and the chores are done.  A certain frame of mind is necessary to wear a shawl correctly, in my never-has-been-humble opinion.  A willingness to sit, unencumbered by feelings of guilt FOR sitting, and doing whatever you want to do while you sit...whether it's hand-sewing, watching TV, watching birds from the porch with a mug of tea.  

Perfect for doing nothing at all...for being still.

Do wear shawls?  Why?  When?

Fun with Vintage Art

Lately real estate has eaten my life again, so I haven't had any time for art.  But as Yoborobo reminded me today, life balances out, so one of these days I'll get to spend hours at a time in my room, sculpting, painting, sewing, whatever.

Right now, I'd like to share a link I found this morning, for Vintage art--old postcards, etc.  Please respect their terms of use, and avoid copyright problems.  Some lovely stuff, though.  I plan to play around with it, once I get the chance. 

Vintage Holiday Crafts

 Cheers.

On the road to Austin tomorrow...

Well, if you're reading this on Friday morning, then I guess that's on the road "today".

Worked my tookus off all day, getting these guys finished.  Took admittedly horrible pictures, because these dolls, being less expensive, sell fast at the shows and I wanted to have a record of the ones I'd made.  (Yes, I am that optimistic.)

So, real quick, here are some of the dolls I finished:
Blogger messed with zoom, so either click once for slide show or right click and open in a new tab for a real zoom.  Sorry.

See everybody next week.  :~)

A little doll news.

Making dolls like crazy to finish in time for Oct. 15 in August.  Then no more shows until next February.  I posted one of them here, and news about Rue...

 
The division between a family blog and a doll blog is still in its infancy,
so I thank you in advance for your patience with cross posting for a while...
Cheers.
Jan

The Hermit's Garden is Open For Business.

Well, it has been for quite a while, but now it's on Etsy.  Phil and I spent something like two & a half days photographing all his notebook covers, belt buckles, purses, belts, archery gear, etc. etc. etc.   I gotta say he's MUCH more organized about it.

Now I'm putting the listings together, so his shop is really starting to look more like...a shop.  Essentially, he has a day job, and so do I.  But while he's stuck at a desk all day, I get to make dolls, manage the stores and do real estate paperwork.  Okay, that last bit is probably not my favorite, but I'm lucky to have so much flexibility and variety in my work.

But there are so many more listings to go!  I try to post one every day, but I think I'll have to start adding more per day to get it all up in time for Christmas shoppers.

So next time you're on Etsy, drop by the Hermit's Garden  

and take a look, "favorite" something, or just say hi. 

Have a fabulous weekend!

Diet is a Four Letter Word.

That's not original, I know.  And I'm not suffering at all, but any change in routine can domino into the rest of life.  And while I like to imagine myself as a spontaneous, live-in-the-moment free spirit, the reality is I like my routines, well, routine.

Last year, late March of 2010, the doc announced that my cholesterol and blood pressure were high, and my waistline was headed toward "metabolic syndrome" width.  This (and the complete lack of exercise) explained why I generally felt like warmed-over dinosaur turds.  On a good day.

On top of all that was a reeeelly messed up insulin response (after years of yo-yo dieting and disordered eating) that made any kind of low-calorie (read carb filled) diet a disaster for me.  So I embarked on a low-carb, moderate protein, moderate (okay, high) fat diet.  You may know it by Atkins, but please don't scold.  Lots of people worry about folks on Atkins, and given the conventional medical advice over the last five decades, it's no wonder.  But some of us thrive on it.
It's a mystery.

The good news is that within a month, my blood pressure was down, the waistline slimmer, and insane cravings GONE.  Now, a year and a half later,
I'm still livin' La Vida Low Carb, and doc was crazy-happy with my latest blood work--my cholesterol, triglycerides, etc. were all in the absolute optimum range.

The bad news is that over the last four or five months, the record heat (and, yes, pure-dee laziness) has allowed me to both dismiss exercise and slide back into some old behaviors that sabotage what is essentially very good health.  I've only gained back five pounds, even when eating an average of 3,500 to 4,000 calories a day, but still...there was way too much alcohol, too many high-carb slip-ups.   SOOOO it's back on "induction", the Atkin's version of Weight Watcher's Jump Start thing.  Which is great on one hand, because it cuts out pretty much all but 20 grams of carb a day, lets my system get back to burning fat instead of carbs for my daily energy, and reminds me what it feels like to feel good!

The not-so-great effect is that I have to think about it so much.  By that I mean the necessary planning, counting carbs, journaling what I eat, etc.  It takes longer to make a salad than to grab a handful (bowl) of nuts.  Nuts are fine on Atkins, but not by the cupful.  :~)

Now I make a breakfast every morning (eggs and bacon, anyone?), a big salad twice a day, topped with filling protein and fat, and have a lovely snack at Tea Time. (Hello, heavy cream in my tea!).  My tummy is happy, my energy is up, and my jeans don't hate me anymore.

So diet is a four letter word.  

So are love, life, and laff.  

Yeah, the last one is dumb, but I do laff more now.

Hope your Wednesday is fabulous.