A Little Christmas in Squiggeeland

Another Squiggee Basket

This is the second basket in a new Squiggee series.....I always feel like a series is taking shape when I design the second...and in my think tank..aka the shower...at least six designs came to mind...oh dear there I go again...Squiggee is off on a basket bender...

fyi...the leaves are these great sequins I found ...I think it adds the right zip...and easy to be left off, like all Squiggee embellishments...some people would rather not, so I design the canvas so it can stand alone...I myself like the little extras...but then I am crazy...we all know that...lol

Needlepoint Ornaments to Match

I have a wonderful customer , that sends me a Christopher Radko glass ornament
every year and has me paint a matching needlepoint ornament .....
this is a challenge, because the ornament is three dimensional and shiny....
so I try to come as close as i can to the ornament itself, in size , shape and color
she gives these as a gift...the ornament and the needlepoint...a very unique
gift...I am a big fan or Radko ornaments and have bought several since I started to do these for this customer...lol...
FYI...I just have the ornaments , not the matching needlepoint...let's me real...lol

New Squiggee Series

This is the first in a new Squiggee series ......little baskets, that will be filled with
flowers..goodies.... who knows what...you know how crazy Squiggee can get...
this canvas is painted on 13st 5" round...and 3.75" on 18st..........

Squiggee Has Crabbies Again ...oh my!

These are two new crabs that are perfect for everyone...the patchwork , for stitchers that want to practice a new stitch , and use there stash of leaf over fibers...and the crazy quilt crab, for stitchers, who like a little more structure .... they can use different stitches or straight basket weave...both will give that crazy quilt bounce, that this crab has in abundance...

seriously...I had tons of colors mixed and left over from painting custom orders, so it was a great opportunity to use them...mixing paints is one of my less favorite chores...lol...

notice the patchwork crab, is just the crazy quilt crab without the crazy...two crab designs...only one crab painted and a picture in between...tricky or lazy ????...lol...

I think tricky.....

A little Jane Austin !

I am not sure when I painted this canvas...it was on 18st, and reminded me of an illustration right out of a Jane Austin novel.........you can almost imagine the polite conversations and muffled giggles......when ladies were truly ladies....

Restoring Great Grandmas Needlepoint

This was a project that was a challenge.

The original needlepoint ( pictured)was a very old ,damaged, faded stool top cover that a customer's Grandmother had worked. She wanted to replace the piece but still retain as exact as possible the original design. The original was painted on Penelope canvas , but worked 10st, so that was no problem. The cover was so faded it was hard to tell what the original colors were, so I used the back (pictured )to get a feel of the colors. The back too had it's problems, faded and messy , with layers of fibers covering other fibers......so I just dug around and made a judgement call. The last problem after it had be copied,painted stitch by stitch, when measured , the piece was not round...so I added what was needed to make it symmetrical...this is not an unusual problem when counting...your count does not always measure the same , horizontally or vertically, on the canvas..after all it is material and you should always check, and make any adjustments...I have a feeling the the count was off in the original to begin with, because I had to had an inch horizontally...the original was so out of shaped who knows....anyway, I came pretty close to the original in feeling and color....a nice way to honor Great Grandmas original project...it is always nice to save the original piece , but sometimes it is just too damaged , so a replacement is in order..........that's why you should watch out for the sun!!!!you can't replace the colors when faded...

Santa Goes Green !

Although Squiggee loves pink....( flamingos especially) we here in Squiggeeland are trying to be PC and earth friendly....so our brand spanking NEW round Santa has gone green ..literally....
from his green attire to his sweet little sun charm ...and of course his wind generator ....
you can't see it but he also sports green jockeys...lol...now we are just being silly...put GREEN !

Squiggee Round Santas

Basketball Santa

I just love when a Squigger..( that is what I call a loyal Squigger Buyer) completes a piece and sends me pictures....this round two sided Santa, is a gift for a coach of a girls basketball team....

The stitcher Margaret Travis , lives in Oklahoma, a busy working mother with two lively children.... Margaret has done numerous Squiggee canvases....she always adds her special touch to any project...you give her a painted canvas and she runs with it....I especially love her treatment of his hair and beard...it makes his basketball outfit stand out..and of course you can't help but smile...the basket ball on his back sports all the girls names on the team...a great way to combine the two and have all the elements that make it so personal...and of course Margaret is such a great stitcher, it is a pleasure to have her work a Squiggee design...who wouldn't be thrilled to get such a one of a kind gift, stitched with love...that is what makes needlepoint so unique...the fun of the project .....

Attention all Squiggers......Squiggee sends..xoxoxoxoxoxox

New Design in Squiggeeland !

This is the new shaped gingerbread house ...and it is a Coo-Coo-Clock.......

my husband would say...not a big stretch...since I am Coo-Coo...lol...

this # 20 in this ongoing series....when I loaded the picture it didn't come up...for the first time the blog seems to be having problems...oh well, goes with the rest of my day...

Mrs. Robbin makes herself at HOME !

Ok...we might not have all the beautiful flowers growing around us out here in Squiggeeland,too hot , but we have birds galore....Now this Spring rolled around and a Mother Robbin decided to make her nest and bring up her family , on our front porch , in the top of the light.....well we watched her babies grow and then fly away...when the nest was abandoned, my husband removed it from the top of the outside light and pitched it in the front yard........a couple of days later when he went to find the nest to dispose of of it...it was gone...low and behold, it was back on top of the light... clearly it was too big for just one bird to lift...spooky.....then the Mother Robbin was back and using the nest again... then a new batch of three babies appeared....clearly, Mrs. Robbin needs birth control...
so this is a photo I snapped this morning of the babies, waiting for Mom to return with breakfast...you can see her circle with a big juicy worm hanging from her beck....
they are getting fat and big, so should be flying soon......I fear that the light is a permanent home, so we will just leave the nest alone.....after all they are family now!

Born on an even year !

Well it is finally here, my birthday. I turn 58 today at exactly 11:33 pm...note how important the time is , but when you are a woman starring at 60, all of a sudden time seems to be zipping by.
Now for some that are starting to get a little long in the tooth, a terrible saying....a birthday can be disturbing...but being born on a even year 1950, gives an advantage , depending on how one looks at it. Every New Year, I am reminded of my age, so I have always just taken on my new age, so today I have been 58 since January 1st. I think this started when I was small, all I wanted is to be older, and after so many years , has become a habit . I am now considering maybe I should change this, because for some reason, facing sixty seems older than I personally can wrap their mind around......we will see in two years....30, 40, even 50,didn't phase all , but sixty...please.... sounds pretty old to me. My husband turned 60 two days ago, and it doesn't seem to bother him...but face it men live in their own worlds and think they are a great catch till the lid slams shut, and they hear dirt...but women have a harder time of it. No matter how vane you don't think you are, there is always that little voice that says...woooooh, when standing in bright light and looking into a mirror... that is why it is so important to have other assets to offer the world, such as a good sense of humor, talent, the ability to laugh at yourself...this last one is key...
I feel very lucky myself, to have made a career choice that makes me happy, a good marriage and fairly good health. Of course there are the aches and pains after a nights sleep, it eludes me, how you will wake up sift and sore some mornings ...Bottom line...I think when 2009 come along, I am just going to stay 58 till July rolls around...why , I am in no hurry to get that older, I want to stick around a till they come and drag me off...everyday is a gift, true, but without wrinkles, gray, hair and glasses, might be novel...lol...I have always told myself that when I reach 60, I can relax, go gray naturally, and not worry about looks...who am I kidding, as a woman you want to make the best of what you have till the very end.....so I plan to find really old woman, Friends that will consider me a child...that's the ticket....just kidding...........
fyi...in the photo I am three..or four ..it all depends...

Flowers and more flowers

A Floral Tapestry

This is a companion piece to a tapestry I painted in 2006...it is 21" x 31" on 18st....
and for the moment I am flowered out...after a intense project like this , I usually paint some very simple fun things....a little of this type of painting goes a long way...you would not want a steady diet of it...lol....statisfying when finished , but not many giggles when painting it.....

HAPPY 4TH

Patriotism is alive and well in Squiggeeland.....K A B () () M...............the sizzle of firecrackers..sparks...weeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!