Happy New Year!

It's another New Year, with another list of Resolutions. Always at the top of my list is to (1) lose weight and (2) get in shape. I want to look and feel better on my 50th birthday in February than I did on my 49th. So I decided to get a head start in December - not really abstaining from holiday goodies but being a little more aware of what I put in my mouth, and focusing more on being more active.

I took the plunge and bought the P90X 12-disk program. I've got a few friends that have been doing it and I'd while I'd heard that it was really difficult, it also yielded some pretty good results. Yesterday was the first day of my 5th week of doing the program, and I'm down 10 pounds and am a bit more toned. Many more pounds to go.

My other Resolution is to complete the 8 or so unfinished dolls that have been gathering dust in my studio. Last year that number was a bit higher, so I made some gains during 2010. It's also been quite some time since I designed a new doll and published the pattern, so that's on my list.

I think that's about it. It does me no good to make a long list of Resolution, because I'm just setting myself up for failure. I think I can do this.

Looking for the Right Hair

Averill number 3 (of 4) is nearly done. Just have to go through my several drawers and baskets of doll hair materials and pick somthing suitable. Once I find the right stuff, she shouldn't take long to finish.

Then I really need to get a start on my annual Santa doll for our ER holiday party a little less than 2 weeks away. I promise not to wait 'til the last minute this year.

Check out retromummy's flower sugar giveaway!

Photo Courtesy of Retro Mummy


Here's a terrific blog giveaway! Just head on over to Retromummy Blogspot for a chance to win these juicy fabrics. The drawing will occur on New Year's Eve. Good luck!

I see this fabric and think of all the pretty things I could make for my baby granddaughter.

retromummy: flower sugar giveaway

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all who celebrate the birth of Christ, and Happy Holidays to those who observe the other celebrations of the season.

I'm headed for work this morning (and will work tomorrow as well), which means we will have our get-together and gift exchange with family in January. Most of my shopping is done, so this buys me just a bit more time to tie up some of the loose ends.

Slow Progress

My big plans to get this particular doll done have fallen by the wayside. Other things have gotten in the way. But today I had a moment to finish the face and finger/toenails. I find I really need to use my Ott light and big magnifying glass to do the painting nowadays. So sad. The nails are still drying, so I'm headed downstairs to do my workout ~ thought I'd get a jump on the New Year's Resolutions.

I still haven't started my annual Santa Claus yet, so that's next on my list.

In answer to a question...

In answer to a comment/question regarding an earlier post, I wanted to explain the beads in the hands and feet (elbows and knees, too) of my Averill dolls. These beads provide some structure to the wrists and ankles when employing "buried bead joints." This doll is one I made earlier in the year, but you can better see the joints in this photo as she doesn't yet have her clothing.

I've been tidying up my blog this morning, adding some tabbed pages under the header. I haven't used this feature before but I like it, as I can add some photos to the links without making the blog more cluttered than it already is.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wishing you a very happy, safe and warm Thanksgiving!

I'll be cooking a turkey today, and as it will just be the two of us here the rest will be pretty simple stuff as well. I've gone all-out in past years, but that's more like a 2-day endeavor.

It's now 6:22 p.m., and I'm stuffed. Cooked much of the afternoon, but didn't get crazy about it. That being said, there will be still be lots of leftovers. Mmmm...turkey sandwiches.

Fingers and Toes

It's an unusually frigid day here in Astoria and since the furnace has decided to work only intermittently, my studio is one of the warmer rooms in the house. Despite my cold and stuff fingers, I decided to get some work done on the hands and feet of my current Averill doll.

Each piece has a wood bead inserted. The fingers have chenille stem armature, and the toe divisions are hand-sewn. As soon as I make another cup of coffee or hot cocoa, I'll be adding the nails.

Open Mic at Street 14 Coffee

Astoria may be a small, rural Oregon town, but it's a very artistic community. I love living here. Saturday we attended (and participated) at the Open Mic at Street 14 Coffee. This was one of the talents, Manasseh David Israel, a fantastic musician and vocalist. You can see Chris and I in the crowd as the camera pans, at 1:58.

Sparks - Manasseh David Israel from Cabell Tice on Vimeo.

Here we are, nervous as all get-out and doing our thing at the Open Mic. The premise is that if we do this often enough, the nervous butterflies and jitters will decrease. I don't know why I put myself through this torture, but I guess I enjoy it on some level. Mom, you should be proud of the fact that I played the accordion for the first two songs. And no one threw fruit and vegetables.

Why can't Websites be as easy as Blogs?

Today I spent way too much time updating my website. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, as I haven't done it since JULY! While it's not nearly as easy as a blog (click, click and you're done), I am very happy that I don't have to rely on someone else to do the work.

While my website has lots of photos (very important to showcase lots of dolls), it's pretty rudimentary overall. IF I had all the time in the world, I think it might be fun to take an actual class on website design.

Now that I've done as much as I can do on the website, I'm going to try to get more done on my 3rd Averill doll while my grandson naps. Next, is stuffing and inserting beads into her hands and feet - then I can use some of my specially mixed acrylic paint to give her fingernails and toenails. I recently found it's much easier to match the paint to the fabric skin tone by painting a swatch on the lower hip area, as the paint darkens a little as it dries, and it's not in an area that'll be seen when the doll is done.

I've also got to give her some facial features. She'll be the only blue-eyed doll of the 4.