I saved a Beanie Baby

Yesterday, I was working on my list of loose ends again, exchanging a wrong item I grabbed at the store, picking up things I meant to pick up and didn't, finally ordering a pair of pants and a sweater since the ones I wear all the time are getting too shabby. On the way home from the stores, I saw one more little loose end. I have driven past this poor Beanie Baby for maybe two weeks now. He was lying on the road, all wet from the rain. At first we thought his kid might come back for him, but yesterday, I could stand it no longer. It was just too sad. I pulled over and wrapped him in some paper (he was gritty and grimy). I took him home and gave him a good washing in some warm water and Tide Free.

I sewed up his shoulder seam using some thread I had just picked up. It, oddly enough, matched his fur. I set him to dry, and then combed his ears. I looked him up online, and found out his name is "Spunky", born January 14, 1997. I don't know what he has been up to since then, but now he is a new man. I've never had a Beanie Baby before, but, like Charlie Brown's Christmas tree, he needed me.

I'm having a sick day today, and since I can't do much for now, I thought I'd share two of my Christmas present books. Crocheting on the Edge by Nicky Epstein is a book of crocheted edgings that you can add to anything you like, in the size and yarn of your choice. So far, I'm fantasizing more than I am experimenting. I'm thinking of lace collars on sweaters for our art dolls.

Alphonse Mucha: The Spirit of Art Nouveau by Victor Arwas is another loose end of sorts. I had wanted it when I first saw it, and I decided I'd get my own copy at some point. I picked it out with a gift certificate a friend gave me for Christmas. I've been fantasizing too about making some Art Nouveau-inspired original art quilts, and more Art Nouveau-inspired floral watercolor paintings and fairy art.

Primrose and Quill (1899-1900) color lithographs by Alphonse Mucha

Study for a Decorative Panel 1902 by Alphonse Mucha

As I've been in bed part of the day, I was watching some TV too. I don't know why seeing these crocheted creatures searching for love tickled me, but it did:

Folk art cat dolls in progress, and making progess in general

Here is a sneak peak at Max Bailey's and my collaborative original folk art cat dolls. The one on the left will be a Siamese, and the one on the right is a tabby cat. The tabby is very cute, but I don't want to give too much away before her entire ensemble is complete. She has a gorgeous pet companion as well.

I have so many little loose ends that I'm trying to tie up, and that includes making my way through the pile of books I intended to read. I'm still working on E. M. Forster, and I'm reading A Passage to India right now. I think that might be the only one of his novels I've read that hasn't been turned into a movie starring Helena Bonham-Carter.

Other E. M. Forster novels I've recently read are Where Angels Fear to Tread, A Room with a View (scene from the movie above), and Howard's End. I'm sure none of these will compare to CSS: The Missing Manual, which I ordered today. That's by Brian McFarland. It promises to be "crystal clear". If I still can't efficiently absorb CSS after that, I think I'm just going to live without it, knock on wood.

Merry Christmas and happy holidays!

Happy holidays, everyone! This is Mr Happy Christmas Tree. He's an original art toy I made by hand from my own design and pattern. I used a blanket stitch and some embroidery floss to hand sew on all his ornaments and his gold star.

His ornaments go all the way around. He's made from poly fleece. I attached a knot of green yarn "hair" to the top of his head. He's been given as a gift, and is overseeing Christmas from his new home, where I hope he will be loved and bring some cheer.

We opened presents this morning. After our first day of holiday shopping, where my mom and I came home with only wrapping paper, we were pretty sure we were the most inept shoppers ever. However, we mustered some courage, and headed out again. We were proud of ourselves to just come home with something! We usually don't participate in the shopping part of Christmas, but my dad was feeling nostalgic for some presents.

Then, I went Christmas shopping with G.B. too, where I did my best to give gift suggestions at Dick's Sporting Goods. This may not seem funny to you, but really, it is to me. Not only do I have difficultly even saying "Dick's Sporting Goods" without getting completely tongue-tied, but I have absolutely no knowledge of anything sports-related. Still, I think I did okay.

G.B. took me to a bike shop and got me this pretty red bike helmet for Christmas. The owner helped adjust it to my head, because, of course, I was fumbling trying to figure out how to do anything with it. He helped to snap it under my chin when I got confused about that also, which he found amusing. But, hey, now I know! :)

I went for a ride this morning. This guy was very excited about the opportunity to bolt out the back door while I was taking my bike out. This is an new game here. You catch one kitty, and the other runs out. That's the warm-up part of my exercising. Then I picked up my little dog friend along my way again. Fortunately, he took himself home this time when a bigger dog barked at him. As sweet as he is, I worry about his running here and there while I'm riding.

Well, I need to go make some apple crisp for dessert tonight. Have a great holiday!

Happy birthday to me!

Today is very nice so far! Look at my beautiful birthday bike! My dad somehow managed to stow it away in the trunk of his car, and my parents sneaked it into the living room without my even hearing them. I was on my way down the hall and caught sight of some handlebars with ribbons all over them, and was so surprised! They were so pleased to have surprised me. They have been trying for years.

I took a ride which was really fun. I picked up a cute little dog who was beside himself with joy at the sight of me on a bike. He just kept running in circles and jumping up and down. I walked him back to his house later, which pleased him to no end as well.

I was treated to pizza last night, and tonight there will be Chinese food and cake. I was sung "Happy Birthday" at one minute past midnight, over the phone, last night, and I've received lots of nice birthday messages over the Internet too. Thanks to everyone for the good cheer :)

"Don't Blink" Treasury on Etsy

My "The Fairy and the Dove" print was featured in this "Don't Blink" Etsy treasury today. Thanks Denise!

One more day on my birthday countdown, and I'm doing okay. No more carrying on. And I've got my rain check for dinner later too. So, time to cheer up.

Pre-birthday syndrome

My mom and I went out today. My birthday is in less than a few days, and I tried to find something I would like as a gift. I'm being such a big baby this time around. Every year I resolve to take my birthday well, but this year I must have the birthday equivalent of PMS...PBS? It's so embarrassing, and definitely not my norm. Everything reduces me to having a sob fest. Boo-hooing while at the mall, while walking down the street, while reading my email. I'm hoping that I will become philosophical about it within a few days, or that this will just pass. I can remember, back in high school, my French teacher turning red, wiping away her tears, and trying not to cry in front of us over her birthday. I felt bad for her but I didn't really understand back then. It didn't seem like a big deal at the time.

So, I wasn't a good shopper today, but I did get a new book on crocheting, the crochet version of the knitting book I just got and liked, 200 Crochet Tips, Techniques, and Trade Secrets by Jan Eaton. Unfortunately, I also tried to get a "rain" check for a date I had tonight, earlier, by email, because I felt too awkward for a phone call and wasn't sure of the details, but he called later from the coffee shop where he thought we were meeting, having never gotten my message. I'm glad he didn't sound angry, and I'm glad I didn't cry! Hopefully, tomorrow I will enter a cry-free zone and things will be normal again. I don't want to become like Holly Hunter's character in Raising Arizona. It's too ridiculous.

A gaggle of slugs

I'm on a finish-what-I-started mission, at least when I can fit it in. The way I jump from one project to the next, that could take years to accomplish, but I'm trying to make more of a focused effort. These little slugs have been waiting for their embroidered parts for a long time.

This group is made of baby blue polar fleece, which is soft and cuddly. Their fuzzy hearts are each different shades of pink and red.

I gave them all French names. Why? I don't know. Does it give them an air of sophistication?

I almost named them after The Brady Bunch after arranging them in these composite photos, but then I couldn't think of enough Brady Bunch names. I didn't really relate to that show as a kid, but then I was an only child. They seemed pretty strange to me.

I positioned their pupils so that they would be looking this way and that. I find the upward-glancing ones particularly amusing. They are either rolling their eyes, or praying for assistance. I'm not sure which. Both maybe.

The others seem very curious about everything. This group is a pear green color. They are also French.

I modified their hang tags to say they may be spot cleaned with cool water. Poly fleece seems to do better with cool water. They can be set to air dry if necessary. I prewashed and air dried the fleece I used to make them. They should not go in the dryer! Yikes! They would be scared, but that is also bad for fleece. It melts with heat.

I am listing my available soft dolls and art toys here on our Ruffing's site. I'll be listing fleece "Hug Me! Slugs" in my Etsy shop as well, with some options for naming your own slug too.

We are still putting together our first original folk art cat doll collaboration too. I don't want to give away any surprises though. Time to go catch up on some more stuff...

Knitting, crocheting, and sewing

This is a cat doll-sized sweater I have been knitting. I might try to crochet on a collar. I adapted the pattern from a Fuzzy Mitten cardigan pattern. Barbara Prime has so many adorable knit animal toy patterns. My knitting skills are very basic, and so I also got myself a helpful book, 200 Knitting Tips, Techniques, and Trade Secrets by Betty Barden.

I had a couple of knitting and needlework books that just had drawings in them, and some of the techniques just weren't clicking for me. The photos in this book helped me compare what I was doing to what I was supposed to be doing.

My Grandma G. was an avid crocheter. I had wanted to learn how to knit and crochet when I was younger, but I was too shy to ask her to show me. That's her above with my dad and my aunt. You can see she had her hands full with them back then.

Grandma G. used to crochet, and possibly knit (I'm not even sure), ponchos for me, like these two. That's me above in a ship my dad made for me from a refrigerator box. I'm searching for land with my kaleidoscope-telescope. My mom made the hat.

One time when Grandma G. was babysitting me, she secretly took several of my dolls who had lost their outfits. The next time she came over, she replaced them on their shelf wearing all new crocheted dresses, while I wasn't looking. She never said a word about it either. I just discovered them there.

These are both of my grandmothers at Christmas time. When my Grandma F., on the right, used to babysit for me at her house, we would sew. I learned to sew from my mom mostly, and a little from Grandma F. too. Grandma F. and I would make doll clothes together.

She would use her sewing machine, and I would try to sew on her tiny antique Singer sewing machine. It didn't work very well, and I would usually end up sewing my doll clothes by hand. She gave it to me before I moved here. I just unwrapped it to photograph it and it still smells just like her attic, where we used to sew.

This is Grandma F. with my grandpa. Grandma F. is still doing pretty well. She's become more lucid since she's moved to the home, where they can regulate her diet for type 2 diabetes. My grandparents had all been incorrigible sugar fiends. Grandma and Grandpa F. would eat like little birds at meals, and then they'd snack on cake and brownies with gingerale. Grandma G. would keep a bag of candy in her purse.

Anyway, Grandma F. is doing better. Last week, while talking to me on the phone, she asked me how Liz was. She had just confused me with my mom who had just talked to her, but I felt good that she was asking about me. She says it's nothing special where she is, but she has friends to talk to and she is doing well. I have been trying to get someone to make the trip to see her with me by car for a very long time now, and I am still hopeful that I will make it up there some time soon. I had a little hope a few months ago when the guy I was dating was going to a college reunion across the river from where my grandma is. He took a scrapbook I made to her, and he took some photos, but, unfortunately, he didn't want to take me. I've been trying to talk my mom into driving (she doesn't) so we could spell each other. It's just something I'd like to do with some company.