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Saturday, September 30, 2006
Meet Maggie
Maggie is a tree spirit memorial doll. She is mourning the beautiful magnolia tree that up until a few weeks ago stood next to my driveway. Maggie is named after the nickname we gave the magnolia tree.

She was made for the GoddessDolls Wrapped Doll Challange. Her base is two twigs off of the maple tree in my front yard. The twigs were wrapped first in cotton batting and then strips cut from a lambwool and angora sweater. I had planned on unwinding the sweater for the yarn, but it's felted in places and won't unravel, so I'm using cut parts of it for various projects. I thin wrapped her body with gold thread to give her a little sparkle.

After I wrapped the twigs I began searching for a face. I looked at buttons, cameos, beads, and my polymer faces. After much debate, I decided on a polymer face I made several months ago. It's a gold and tan face from a mold wrapped in thin clay. I added silver ink highlights on it to give her an etherial look.

The leaves for her hair were cut from green velvet fabric and sewn into place I then finished her hair with green leaf sequins. I wanted her to look like a tree in it's prime. Her body was them wrapped in a swirl of green leaf sequins and brown & green glass beads. Around her base are leaf sequins and bead fringe that ends in green/brown glass beads and leaf sequins. I added additional beads on her body including a decorative bead bra. She is signed on her back and has a hanger to hang on the wall.

I'm really pleased with her. I think she looks very beautiful. I'm thinking of using her in a wrapped doll swap I belong to.
 
posted by Angel at 9/30/2006 11:50:00 PM ¤ Permalink ¤ 0 comments
Friday, September 29, 2006
A Future Yarn

There is this glorious maple tree in my front yard and the fairy that live in it planted a gift for us. This little pokeberry plant is growing out of a knot where the tree Y's. The berries are ripe and sometime this weekend, my hubby is going to see if he can make yarn dye out of them. If I remember, pokeberries make a reddish purple color. I think it will look smashing on sock yarn.

My hubby is learning to do natural dyeing. He loves the idea of coloring yarn with things from nature rather than chemicals. I love handdyed yarn so who am I to complain. As an anniversary gift I'm going to take him to the Mannings for some supplies to get started. My anniversary gift is a ball winder, I've been wanting one for a while. I'll keep you posted on the yarn he creates, he'd like to get to the point where he can start selling his dye work.
 
posted by Angel at 9/29/2006 10:38:00 AM ¤ Permalink ¤ 1 comments
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Back in the Saddle Again
Hubby and I discussed Speedy at the geek store (I mean Computer store) with the guys there and they think we crashed our hard drive. Ugh! So, we purchased a new computer. I'd like to introduce you to Lord Zoom. His lordship is a fast computer who has promised to work hard for me and not die on me.

In a few days, I'll have my camera software installed and I'll post pictures again.
 
posted by Angel at 9/26/2006 12:18:00 PM ¤ Permalink ¤ 1 comments
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Moving Along at the Speed of Snail Snot
My trusty computer Speedy has had a nervous breakdown. My loving hubby hooked me up with my old computer which is now names Snail Snot (actually, I think Snail Snot may move faster). Hopefully Speedy will feel better soon.

Doesn't it just figure, I find my camera cord and Speedy goes wonky. I have had plenty of time to work on stuff now that I"m only online long enough to check email. I finished my first Vineyard Sock, cast on the second, finished 2 wrapped dolls (Maggie and Noel), and planted my front flower bed. I've been a busy girl. I"ll have to share pics as soon as Speedy gets better or I can buy a new puter.
 
posted by Angel at 9/20/2006 09:01:00 PM ¤ Permalink ¤ 1 comments
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
My New Alarm clock

I'm happpily snuggled under the quilts in the pre-dawn chill dreaming about Johnny Depp and chocolate sauce when I hear enough racket to wake the dead. It seems that when you tar a parking lot with loud machinery, you must start early. It also didn't help that the section of the parking lot they started with was less than 20 feet from where I lay sleeping. I don't like my new alarm clock. Sorry the picture is blurry, I took it through the kitchen window as I waited for my oatmeal to cook.

I have been doing crafty things to relieve the stress. I've been busy working on my socks and I'm now at the gusset decreases. Yeah! I'm also working on my wrap doll for the Goddess Dolls Wrapped Doll Challange and Swap. Her name is Maggie and she's a tree goddess. I'll show pictures as soon as I get her done.
 
posted by Angel at 9/12/2006 11:39:00 AM ¤ Permalink ¤ 1 comments
Monday, September 11, 2006
And Then Life Goes Absurd
Ok. When we last talked, I told you all about the group of Larry the Cable Guy clones (henceforth refered to as the Larrys) that were doing work for the resturant next door. Well, the Larrys managed to take out another tree besides the magnolia. They downed a stately silver maple that shaded my carport. The area where the trees were has been paved, two stately trees provided 3 additional parking spaces that will only be used two or three times a year. On Friday, the Larrys had to share their job with professional tree removers who removed the Silver maple on the other side of the parking lot entrance. I don't know what this resturant owner has against trees. Well, the Larrys are still out back working, today they are laying mulch on the hill.

Yesterday, the family made its trip to the York Interstate Fair. I can only handle one day a year of the fair, unlike when I was a teen and would spend lots of time there. We ate lots of fair food (I have a weakness for sausage sandwiches and cotton candy), checked out the agriculture building (Princess loves the working beehive at the honey display and the giant vegetables), the crafts building (some year I really do need to enter some of my work), petted the animals in the animal barn, and let Princess ride a few rides (she rode the Wild Mouse which is the new Roller coaster at the fair this year, she's such a daredevil for her age). Daddy took Princess out to ride for a little while I sat in the crafts building and knitted for a little. I while knitting I was asked 3 times if I worked there, had several people come up and watch me work, and had lots of old guys flirt with me. What is it with men over 70 that they want to flirt with anyone holding knitting needles? We had a wonderful day and all of us got a little too much sun.

Now for the absurd part of my life, I now have a black and white woodpecker that has taken up drum solos on the side of the house. It's nothing like working on the computer and hearing this hammering on the wall next to you. He's a cute little guy who doesn't want his picture taken.
 
posted by Angel at 9/11/2006 02:23:00 PM ¤ Permalink ¤ 0 comments
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Farewell Magnolia
A truck pulled up this morning and dropped off a backhoe right in front of my house. Funny, I don't remember ordering a backhoe, that's just one of those things you think you would remember doing. While I walked Princess to the busstop, the backhoe went to work clearning weeds from the parking lot next door. Ok. I didn't order the backhoe and they are going to get rid of the poison ivy. Groovy. I also found out today that Larry the Cable Guy has been cloned, several times judging by the guys working next door. They are all wearing trucker caps, flannel shirts with no sleeves, jeans, and untied workboots. It's scary. It's also this really weird game they play, only two guys can be working at any one time, the other four must be standing around talking. Around lunchtime, they decided to kill a bunch of weeds growing in the middle of the parking lot with a flamethrower. I kept expecting one of them to pull out sticks and a pack of hot dogs. Ok, boys will be boys and they were doing a good job. Until this afternoon. There is this beautiful magnolia tree between my driveway and the parking lot. It belongs to the gentleman who owns the parking lot. Sadly, they toppled the Magnolia. I stood at the window and cried. She was such a beautiful tree, she added beauty and grace to the area. But alas, she is no more. Princess is going to be heartbroken when she gets home. She loved that tree.

Bless the stately trees,
So regal, so tall.
Mourn the trees
Who are no more,
When there is no shade,
And the air is poor.
Twas the vain folly of man
To topple the trees and strip the land.
-Angelvista, 2006
 
posted by Angel at 9/05/2006 04:55:00 PM ¤ Permalink ¤ 1 comments