A Chorus Line

Well not really, but the picture was fun.

I've been hard at work on a doll commission.  Finished the dolls themselves, now to make their dresses.  They're wedding dolls, you see.  To be carried by the nine little girls attendant in a wedding this coming December.  They're also to serve as Church Dolls, given that the wedding is a Catholic one and the mass is lengthy and little girls might be angelic, but they're not likely angels.  :~)

I've made an extra one for the bride...her dress will be different, of course. 

In the commission deal with the groom's mom, I asked for: eye color, hair color, and a one word description of each little girl's personality.  So it was a lot of fun to paint expressions to try and reflect "shy, bold, outgoing, sweet, smart" etc.  The dresses will all be the same, but I'm hoping I hit the mark on the little girls' basic likenesses.  One more round of pictures once they're dressed.

Cheers!

What a difference a day makes.

I met some people yesterday...and today I am different because of it.  Technically, I already "knew" one of them, but up til yesterday, I'd never met Edyth in person, nor had we a chance to really visit in any substantial way.  I've enjoyed her blog, her generosity with lessons and tutorials and patterns...but knowing someone online can be pretty limiting. 

We'd been planning a visit for a while, but the stars didn't align until yesterday.  I drove up to where Edyth O'Neill lives, about an hour and a half north of me in the rugged Texas hill country.  Enjoying the autumn beauty, I would have readily conceded the drive was the highlight of a really crazy last few weeks.  But I would have been wrong.  The high light was to be my visit with Edyth and Jack.  

My first impression of their home was one of warmth, grace, and the patience of time.  Yeah, okay that might be something you'd assume when entering the home of serious antique collectors, but simply having old stuff around you doesn't necessarily cut it.  I've been in the homes of antique collectors before, and have felt afraid to come all the way into the room for fear of upsetting something.  Not at the O'Neill's.  They live in their home, well and truly.

Warm, vibrant, genuine, richly colorful but calming...balanced spaces, shapes, patterns and textures. A perfect blend of beautiful form and practical function.  That's what you get right away.  Not so surprising that the two people who created that space are warm, vibrant, genuine, and calming.  I felt welcome, and just so bloomin' happy to be there.  Generous with their time and their shared passion for history and folk art, Jack and Edyth became part of my tapestry yesterday.

Never take a day for granted...because you never know when one will change your life.