Wisconsin Winter

The most beautiful hoarfrost graced everything yesterday morning.  But only on the west side of trees, plants, fences, houses, etc.  Truly spectacular the frost stood up on objects and gave another dimension to the eye.  Crystal clear but appearing white as light reflected off of it.  Light does the same thing to white daisy petals too.  Did you know that?  Daisy petals that appear white to the human eye are really clear!

Here you see the arbor vitae that grow along side my home here in southeast Wisconsin.  Now you ask why didn't I take more pictures?  I wanted too but was too busy with my new pup, Bon Bon which I did take for his first walk ( ok...I carried him wrapped in a blanket 'cause he is too small to walk far yet and it was too cold for him outside of a blanket).  By the way I've taken to calling him Bonny some times as a nickname.

Bon Bon and Lace

Just a couple of new pictures of Bon Bon playing with lace on my sewing room floor.  I know.  I know.  You think I'm not working and creating new things.  But, I am in between playing with my dog.  As a matter of fact, the white lace is being used on a heart pillow I'm making .

Bon Bon's New Outfit

Everybody who reads this blog knows that I embroider and make stuff.  So of course, I know you are expecting me to make something for my new dog.  And, here it is!

I made a little cape that is embroidered with stars and my dog's name, Bon Bon.  Bon Bon is small weighing just 2.3 pounds and is very difficult to photograph as he moves if not being held.  But, I still tried my best to get several pictures.  Here are some more:

Oh!  You are wondering what dog is this one?  Well my dog just had his fur color changed!  Just kidding.  This dog is fake.  It's a dog mannequin  that I use when fitting dog clothes.  A stand in just like they have in the movies or like the dress form I use for myself.

Two more pictures of the real Bon Bon are these:

He is hard to photograph as my camera has a slow shutter speed and Bon Bon moves too fast.  But, I think you can see what I made him.  He tells me he wants a complete wardrobe, p.j.'s, pants, t-shirts, bathrobe, etc. AND he says he wants everything either with his name or his monogram.  Sigh, I guess I have my work cut out for me.

Introducing BON BON !

Bon Bon is my new Maltese puppy I just got and is 9 weeks old.  He is a doll!  He fits right into our family and acts like he has been with us for a while.  In reality he has been with us only since Tuesday last.  But already he has done many things with us.

Things like going for rides thru the local Kettle Moraine Forest.  Things like learning to eliminate outdoors in a Wisconsin winter.  Things like playing with us and cuddling on the bed or sofa.  Things like getting dressed in his new blue knitted turtleneck sweater.  Things like sleeping thru the night.  Things like going to the vet and getting acquainted.  Things like watching me bake desserts in the kitchen.  Things like going shopping for treats, food, collar, leash, bed, and toys while being disguised as a baby wrapped in a blanket.  AND...

Bon Bon has just done his first New Year's Day entertaining!  Yes, indeed!  On January 1st (Bon Bon told me he lived to see another year) he helped me ... I should say he stole the show... entertain my good lady friend, Marion. 

Bon Bon and I served chicken noodle soup, spinach salad with dates, apricots, walnuts, and pomegranate seeds, chocolate pudding in demitasse cups and saucers, lemon crunch cake, and delicious coffee.  Marion was ever so gracious and brought a yummy spice cake filled with raisins and nuts.  We had a feast!

Bon Bon's father, Richard was away on a sporting clays shoot...a tradition with him on New Year's.

Bon Bon says he loves to entertain and bake in the kitchen.  And, he asked me what are we doing next?

I've told him that I've set up another play date with Marion so the three of us can go see the houses decorated for Christmas before the lights come down.  I also told him that he should start his diary 'cause I believe he is going to have a long and full life.  Now enough talking...check out his pictures...his first ones!

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AND

Etsy Eagle Team

 It is official.  The new Etsy team that I have created with three other Etsy shop owners is now a fact.  We are all based in Eagle, Wi. USA.  We are planning local events for our little town as well as events that will encompass our worldwide following.

So far ( new members are coming aboard ) what the three of us offer and what some of us make is different from each other.  Of course, that can change in the future.

The other three Etsy shops are;  promisespromises.etsy.com
                                                 scrapbookingforever.etsy.com
 and                                           debsdetails.etsy.com


Now, a little about each shop.
promisespromises is a shop that features two artists...actually a mother & daughter.  The mom, Sheri creates extremely interesting horse totems.  I am still learning about the totem meanings, but from what I have seen of Sheri's work it is all handmade and painted with the symbols and meanings of what I take to be American Indian lore.  Very fascinating.  Sheri does keep horses on her property so she has first hand knowledge of the animal that she observes on a daily basis.  Eagle is a bit of horse country (many people keep horses here).  Her daughter, who also shares her shop specializes in mixed media and especially pet portraits.  Alyssa can paint a portrait from a snapshot...this enables her to paint for people worldwide.  Alyssa's portaits are engaging and beautiful.  Be sure to check out this shop and tell your friends about it.

scrapbookingforever's owner is Angie.  Angie like me just opened her shop this past November.  Angie carries hundreds of scrapbooking supplies many of which I have not seen before.  She also specializes in making up custom scrapbooking pages and custom calendars.  When you are short of time or don't have the know how or creative abilities that she has contact her and see for yourself what she can offer you.

debsdetails is a shop run by two sisters that in their spare time teach belly dancing!  Deb creates and has just started getting into cement and her sister, Cindy paints. They also sing together as a music group called 'Fallen Angels'.  See their unique items in their shop.  You don't know what you might find!  All very creative I might add.

When you access their web Etsy stores be sure you find an item or two that you like and please 'heart' these items.  This always helps a shop owner because it allows the shop owner to get a handle on what interests the public as well as helping to make that shop more active.  With 170,000 Etsy shops local artists such as ourselves need all the help we can get.

Happy New Year!

A Good Friend's Geranium

Do you like geraniums?  My good friend Marion does.  She does so much indeed that she wallpapered her kitchen in a gorgeous rosy geranium print many years ago.

Here the wallpaper is.  I call them scatter geraniums because it is almost like someone cut a handfull of geraniums and tossed them into the air...and, then they were painted that way.  It's so artistic!


She has collected geranium prints, flowers, books, recipes, knick-knacks, etc. and continues to do so.  See below two beautiful prints hanging in this room.

I, several years ago made a gift to her of a 3 dimensional rosy geranium pillow that she perches on the kitchen's bow window padded seat.  What do you think?

Hand Eye Coordination

The first question 99 out of 100 people ask me when I show them something I have made is invariably , "How long did that take you?"  And, they almost seem to me to imply that I am crazy for putting time into an artistic endeavor.  Do you really suppose that when Michelangelo completed a sculpture that this was the first question on everyone's lips?  I don't think so and by the way I am not comparing my work to his.

But that question does give me pause and I have actually come to hate it.  This innocent question rankles me because a creative and artistic piece of work SHOULD take time.  It probably should take a lot of time!  It's just that in this day and age, with all of our technological  wonders that can mass produce items very fast... the handmade is not common any more.  Indeed it is less expensive by far to accumulate the cookie cutter items in life.

All of this brings me to the reason I am writing this blog.  In the December 2009 issue of Forbes Life magazine, ( this is a special issue ) editor Gary Walther has devoted the entire issue to handmade luxury.  As he writes, "The desire for the handmade and handwork is the hallmark of luxury now, and reflects a longing for all the adjectives on Ms. Glover's shopping list."  Priscilla Glover told The New York Times in December 2001 , "I don't want some brand trophy right now." 

Mr. Walther adds, "For decades, luxury had denoted scarcity, quality, pedigree, authenticity, and class  (  in the Gary Grant sense of the word )."  And then, since the 1980's "boundaries have blurred and logos have blossomed.  A cotton T-shirt could be marketed as a luxury garment with the right label  inside and a few spoonfuls of sequins sprinkled on the front.  Up until last year we were living in an era of luxury inflation that not even the tech-bubble bust could halt." 

He makes the point that this "mass luxury" has now made connoisseurs of former consumers.  Again, Mr. Walther quotes Ms. Glover, "I want something original, special, beautiful, charming, and even precious..."  He calls to one's attention that his December issue is not about things, but it is about "the mind, eye, and hand of the artisan that imbue an object with the spirit of authenticity." 

I could not agree more with Mr. Walther.  It's what I do in my work.  Do we really all need the next mass produced item that our neighbor also has?  And, I am also like Ms. Glover; I would rather have something original and special and charming and meaningful to me.  Let's face it.  Our homes and lives are stuffed with stuff.  People are now beginning to reevaluate (I think the economic times have brought this on fast) what means the most to them and what they can live without and actually don't even really want.  As the slow food movement has gained steam and is going mainstream; I believe the true luxury of an original handcrafted work ...for one to possess... will mean more to the consumer...to more consumers in the near future and rightfully so.  This is why I joined Etsy.com, the headquarters for the handmade movement.