Squiggee-Buns Hendrix's baby brother !

Omar News !

Well, here is the boy after his first hair cut....he actually looked like a real poodle when his Daddy brought him back from the Pet Salon..lol...and he smelled like a French Tart.....with my allergies and Squiggee's skin allergies we use a very Eco friendly non- smelling gentle pet shampoo here at home . So Omar had to have another bath...two in one day....... he will have to take his own shampoo, when he has his do taken care of once a month.

Well you can clip and shave and wash a dog...but he is still in essence a dog...I think he is in his terrible two's like children have..he is into everything...from dragging my panties from the bathroom where I have undressed and into the living room, along with anything that he can find...

His house paper training was just moving along so well, when all of a sudden he has decided that he needs an alternative place to poo...paper is for pee..poo anywhere...so with our brown carpet through out the house, you must now keep up your guard.My husband has a huge flood light ,that he calls the turd light.

He has learned to jump up on things , but refuses to get down on his own...so He whines....the other night he was on our bed and whining so fierce...I thought he was just being a pest...but he had to poo... to our dismay..he did..so that fur throw needs to go to the cleaners....

His favorite toy is an old aspirin plastic bottle with a screw top, that I have filled with some beads .... it makes a noise like a rattle...he is on his second one, since he also likes to chew it...any empty box, cereal or anything like that, will amuse him for hours... he will roll and tear it up... then we have all the old toys of Squiggee ,that have been hard used ..squeakers gone and parts missing....

So now our house looks like we have forty puppies...now just one...

On the plus side...he is a love bug..that sleeps all night and hold his pee till morning...he isn't a picky eater and hasn't barfed once....

he is discovering his voice and when my husband plays a certain note on his harmonica, Omar goes into this howl, that sounds like something deep and out of a horror movie soundtrack, it is so funny....

Omar and Squiggee have become better friends..you still have to make sure that their rough play doesn't go too far and turn into a serious beat-down...

Some of the bonded is due to the fact that Omar just loves Squiggee to death every inch of her and spends a lot of time licking her all over...enough said..after all, they are dogs sometimes to the core.

But generally Omar is carving out his place here in Squiggeeland and does love the studio and unfortunately the canvas, like every puppy we have every had..it must be the sizing that tastes so good....

On another note..if you are having a dull day...take a look at Mr. Squiggee's blog...he has launched himself today...we here, call it doing a nutter....unplugged please !!!!...surely nuts!

Different custom !!!

Ever so often you get a custom order that probably shouldn't even be considered for needlepoint....certainly not 13st.....but there you go....over the years , I have painted everything from soup to nuts...and I do like the challenge...just to prove to myself that I am not pass it...after all, I am among the old girls that still are designing and painting needlepoint...and I am a stitch painter, no blending of colors like in a regular painting
....so trees...water...bushes ....are a challenge...you are basically fooling the eye...of course you can't paint every single branch or leaf....you have to paint to catch the feel or essence of a piece...

This customer brought this photo of a fishing boat he had taken in Alaska and wanted a needlepoint painted to capture it for all time....the finished piece is 13.5 x 18.25" on 13st....and I kept the color palette very simple..the stitching will be hard enough...and I included a separate piece of canvas with a sample of all the colors I used...

It was time consuming and tedious...but very satisfying to have finished and still be in my right mind...not to mention I love boats, and enjoy painting them....

It would be great to rest on your laurels and but I am always on to the next project...and like most artists , I am always behind...

Hope the customer likes it...

The shop I painted this for is The Needlepointer in Everett , WA.

Omar has his first beauty salon appointment !

Well now I have done absolutely everything...I made an appointment for Omar at the new dog salon in our little town this morning...His appointment is Tuesday in the morning....
So I was asked to supply pictures of the type of cut we wanted...
I found this great website that had these drawings of so many types of cuts and clips that I was easily able to pick what I had in mind.....
I really never thought it would come to this...but there are real reasons why poodles need to be clipped...now Squiggee , our Boston is almost hairless..no care but to clip her nails and bath time...but Omar's hair is so dense and for just plain hygiene...he needs to be clipped....and of course to live up to his image of being cool !....
So this is the cut and clip we will attempt to have...the lady said with puppies it takes many sessions to get the basic shapes in play and the earlier the better...she was so friendly and funny on the phone, I know this is going to be a fun place to go........way too funny....this just makes me laugh...and the funniest thing is that his Daddy will take him..the two guys are becoming an item......a man and his poodle....
fyi...this little Town doesn't have a dry cleaners...you have to leave you cleaning at the market and they ship it to WV to be cleaned...but they do have a pet salon...how strange is that !

It's A Boy !

Well here he is ...our new pup...three months old today..he was born 10/11/2009 right here
in PA. His AKA registered name is ...Omar Squeek Hendrix....
He arrived here Friday and within that short period of time has managed to turn our little house into a dump...we have a crate in the living room...his main abode and a smaller one in the studio. we are lucky that we have a supply of dog stuff from former pups...but oh my God...you forget the turmoil that a puppy creates, until he is fully house trained.....
Squiggee was curious at first then excited and now like all siblings that has been the baby of the family has decided, that he should go back to wherever he came from...pronto....
Squiggee has not had the pleasure of breaking in a pup, so this is a new invasion of her space...but at least she isn't lonely.....
No blood has been let, but it is just a matter of time...Omar adores Squiggee and followers her every step...like being stalked...eventually all will calm down and they will be the best of pals...it always works out...we thought Bubbles was going to eat Squiggee alive when we brought her home the first day...we didn't dare leave them unattended...this is not as bad...but Squiggee does come off as a grumpy older sister.....
meals and treats have to be monitored...I almost was bitten in between a small piece of chicken the first night...puppies have no manners and grab at everything....Squiggee is teaching him that certain behavior will be met with a sharp bark and snap...it all sounds like a small war...but really not so bad...but my husband and I have had no rest the last couple of days.......
Omar is a very bright all black miniature poodle with a tiny white goatee....he is the first dog that we will have to have groomed...a new experience.......i have been planning his cut....he has tons of hair and I can see why he needs to be groomed.....no bows or red toenail polish for this little guy...
he was named after our favorite character in an HBO show called "The Wire"....Omar is a very cool black hood that robs the drug dealers, he is charming and follows a Robin Hood kind of code..and he is gay....the British actor that plays Omar is way to charming in real life...
our little Omar is just as charming ..and playful, and very smart...his house training is going great....
and he responds to his name ....but my living room still looks like the dump...oh well...

Our first baby !

That is to say...our first puppy!...Our sweet Mr. Woof Woof, part poodle and Irish terrier, was 8 weeks old when we adopted him from the local animal shelter. Like all new parents, for we had never had a dog before. I read books about puppies and was overcome with so many helpful suggestions on what diet he should have and all things pertaining to house training , collars and all the rest. Woofie was such a surprise, just how much you can love a dog and what an integral part of the family he would become. Since all was new to us, every detail of raising him was a struggle. First he had kennel cough and like all first time mothers , I was at the vet all the time. Worrying myself to the point of distraction. After walking him for 30 minutes, trying to get him to pee and poo, he would save it all for the minute we got home . Slowly we made progress and in between ,I spent hours teaching him commands on the leash in the backyard, with my pocket filled with Cheerios for reward . I read the cheerio tip in a dog magazine, and to this day I can't look at a box of Cheerios without thinking of Woofie!
I was freelancing , starting Festival Designs, and Woof Woof and I spent every hour during the day together. I had a little yellow VW bug, with huge speakers in the back . My husband removed the back seat and put the back down with a comfort . This was Woofie's spot . He would ride , swaying to the great tunes ..... the best companion .At least once a week we would do the Mickey Dee drive-in and have lunch in the local park. My success, at freelancing , working all alone in a studio ,was never a hardship, because Woofie was there.
The tradition of our annual Dog Christmas card started with Woof...he was a natural model and would stay still, dressed in any silliness I came up with and look straight into the camera.
He started it all. Our house will never be dog free. Our dogs are so much a part of the rhythm of the house, it would just terrible to be without a pooch. Over the years we have had a combination of two or three dogs. We never thought twice about children, with all the time I painted and pursued a career, children just weren't in my big plan. Any of that nesting mothering found it's home with the dogs, and unlike children, once they are pass the pooping and peeing, they do nothing but add joy. We have never been hated for just being us . Our Dog children have never been embarrassed by our silliness, asked for a car, or announced they were quiting school to marry someone unsuitable...no unplanned pregnancies and they always are glad to see us.
Woofie is the one reason we love dogs to much, he started it all. He was the best companion and sweetest soul , and we feel so blessed that he came into our lives.
We have a new pup as of Friday evening...take a look at Mr. Squiggee's blog...
more on the new baby later.....
FYI...it has been 9 years since our last pup.....you forget what a drama it is...lol...but oh so well worth it in the end...

The Good and Bad of 2009 !

Where to start....this year has been hard in so many ways, with pockets of wonderful tucked in........and since I am a person that usually sees the glass half full......I try to look on any bad parts as making the good so precious....
It is not easy changing your whole life around.People expect you to follow the same path you have been on for so long....change is scary , but also it opens you to such possibilities that it makes you forget that you really are an old fart !....well maybe that is a little harsh, but until 2000, I was just in my own little world painting for one shop , and oblivious as to what was happening in the trade.....
when you start making changes, it is like a snowball effect...people that I had had a relationship for years , took offense...how dare I go my own way...sometimes people feel that an artist is a possession...no ambition to stretch...
when you do what is best and fair for yourself, you really do find out who values you as a person and not just the last canvas you created.....
In the space of one year there is not one aspect in business that I have not made major changes... a new distributor Dream House Ventures, new shops to paint custom for .....the prime shop being The Needlepointer in WA...what a shop ! ....my husband ,becoming a part of the business...and our whole world revolving around my business.....I have come into contact with some of the nicest ladies this last year......these shop owners are the backbone of the business....
the editor of Needlework Retailer, Megan....she really loves the trade and I hope in the future to write an article about being a needlepoint artist ...it is a part of the trade that seems to go unexplored.......yes everyone sees the end product...but it is a very tedious time consuming process to turn an idea into a well executed needlepoint canvas....
the richness of what is available in fibers, just blows me away....like night and day from when I started in 1972..........
of course there is always the sad part that can't be brushed aside...losing a family member...and yes. our dogs are just that...they add so much to my studio life...each puppy has been raised in the studio...chewing up paper, paint pots, and very expensive paint brushes...I have even lost the occasional needlepoint canvas...they like the sizing....we are in pursuit of a puppy now, because
all our dogs have always been raised with dog brothers or sisters...Squiggee is lost these days...she spends way too much time waiting for her sweet Bubbles to come back......I wish !!!!....
but soon we will be consumed in puppy poo and all that goes with it......we have laughed and recalled so many stories about our dog children since Bubbles died...over the years they have added so much to our family life...each one being so different....
our favorite puppy story...
one purely uneventful Monday morning, I was vacuuming in the bedroom while Squiggee was loose following me.....when I started back from the other side of the bed.....I vacuumed up a pile of soft puppy poo before I could stop the machine...it was like nothing you can imagine....... one of those things that I just couldn't handle....in defense, the rug is a dark brown and Squiggee had just been out and did a big poo...so it was unseen and unexpected......I got a large garbage bag and put the poo end of the vacuum in and sealed it up and decided that it would leave it for my husband to deal with when he came home that evening from work.....this is what my husband really excels at...he seems to know when it is important to take charge and he did... the vacuum had to be taken apart and cleaned...he didn't grumble he just laughed and said this kind of thing only happens to me.....I do have a way for making the bizarre happen.......if I had been single I would have just thrown the vacuum out....really...!!!
a special kiss kiss to Margaret, Donnelle and Georga Dee...for the great models they have worked for Squiggee this year...and of course my most wonderfullest finishers, of Stitchery Square....Michelle G and Michelle S...they have given Squiggee a very polished professional look...my extended Squiggee family....What's The Point,in Dublin Ohio...The Needled Canvas, in Marrietta Georgia...... The French Knot, in Raleigh, NC.....The Needlewoman East, Falls Church, VA...Waste Knot , in Arlington, VA...Kelsey's Needle Krafts, in Placerville, CA....Pins and Needles in Princeton, NJ....Absolutely Needlepoint, in Cincinnati, Ohio and lastly...The 3 Kittens Needle Arts, in Mendota Heights, MN.... we here in Squiggeeland love new people...we hope our extended Squiggee family increases in 2010...what fun !

So all in all I guess I am really blessed...with a husband that will work for me, and is my biggest fan...Squiggee, my little sweet Boston and a group of friends & colleagues that make life so rich......
Seeeeeeeee I can be sweet !...not just the Queen Bitch I feel it requires to take care of business these days...I have become a little hard and driven...I always was... (not my fault...the Irish/Scottish mixture that rules my heart and mind).......it has just been put the test this last year....come to think of it...my glass is just overflowing....
xoxoxoxox
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INTRODUCING...The Bride !