It's Almost March Already ...enough is enough !

There is snow on our ground , packed in hills everywhere that won't melt ,till our first 90% day ....... I am in a loop of custom Christmas stockings ....please let me wake up....only kidding about the custom work...it buys paint ,pays the bills and prevents me from becoming one of the homeless people........ in between the stockings I am painting all sorts of things...but Christmas just won't die ...but then !!!! Now is the time that most stitchers should be starting their Christmas projects........since time flies and finishers set earlier deadlines for finishing to be completed in time for Christmas giving......... if it wasn't so cold here and I could at least see the ground , then it wouldn't seem like it is still December......God I hate Winter..the older I get the more I hate it....but I do like the change in Seasons........maybe the answer is... Spring-Fall-Spring-Fall would be the best...I also hate the heat...funny how things change with age...when we were kids we would play in the snow till our lips were blue.... I use to love to bask in the Sun like a lizard...menopause changed me into someone, that should be kept in a humidor, dry and at one tepid temperature....aren't you glad you aren't in the studio with me today...grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!......xo397#@^%$$(^&%$

FYI.....this stocking is for a sweet lady that saves cats and sings ..her mother-in-law is stitching it for her..and yesterday I got another custom order for a stocking in the mail.............doesn't anyone like flowers anymore.....lol...only kidding...I have a flower rug that I am looking forward to painting....

I Have Company...

I am not alone in the pursuit of the perfect outfit for ones dog child.....as you can see from the below slide show, it all started with our first dog....Woofie was a mix of Irish terrier and Poodle...so good natured ...he would wear anything I found and look into the camera...and even stay when posed , waiting for the all clear signal from me...Friends got a kick out of the pictures, that became a part of a tradition , to have a dog photo on the family Christmas card....

the Hawaiian babe is Miss Muffet, from Mass....her mother never misses a trick or treat night...the neighbors love it, and people think I am nuts !!!!!...more Halloween photos of Miss Muffet...lol..what a cutie...also a needlepoint angel canvas I did for Miss Muffet's Mom.....dog mothers are in a class of their own...for sure...xoxoxoxo to all

This Explains It All...!

Sometimes Mother Just Doesn't Get It Right !

Yesterday the long awaited package from some pet online store arrived...delayed by the snow and the mess the snow has made of our mail service.....anyway, I opened the box and unwrapped my great find...an all in one fleece sweat- workout thingy for Omar....It took me hours on line to find what I was looking for...something to keep him warm outside in the interim of getting him his dog coat...after all he is growing a such a rate , I wanted to wait till he was at least a year before investing in a coat..they are very expensive , but a good one will last the life of the dog....

our first dog Woofie loved his gray sweat suit and in real bad cold snow days wood wear it under his coat..like back-up warmth..............well like children all dogs have their likes,dislikes and trauma points...Omar was fine , till i put his back legs in the suit, then he went stiff and acted like he was in a vice....outside he wouldn't move ...so after chasing him down when he came inside, and removing the offending garment..he literally sulked the whole morning...bad Mom!....

so I got my good child..Squiggee and put the sweat-suit on her for fit, granted they are a different shape but, where Omar is tall and long...Squiggee is short and plump...anyway it fit Squiggee and she went into her zone ...where she is warm and cozy and in a trance...so she now has another outfit for the outdoors when it is cold and snowy......by the time you return anything , and don't get a refund on your mailing, and after all my efforts seems like a waste of time....so Omar won't be having any garment that deals with his back legs...and I am right back to square one.....he has already outgrown his new tee shirt........ Spring is coming so maybe I will just let him wear Squiggee's coat ,which is too big, but he tolerates...... sadly...if we had children, this is the kind of mother I would be......Omar needs a new collar and harness.....God it is all too much for me right now after the sweat-suit debacle....
FYI...as you can see no pictures of Omar in the sweat-suit, it was all to traumatic!!!

A Little Stitching.....

I have been so busy with custom work since Christmas I haven't had much time to work on any models....mind you ,I have a whole draw full of worked models destined for the finisher for various shows, but I feel that I always need more...afterall..people love to see the finished projects...I am ashamed to admit that these two little Squiggee sweaters are the first such sweaters I have actually worked....I can see why they are popular..they go oh so fast..these are on 13st... I used various fibers and beads , but the main background on both is Baroque Silks....it gave the sweaters a very rich full look.....of course there is always some fibers that sparkle...that is just part of Squiggee's charm....anyway...they were quick and fun...the snowman sweater is destined for a special project..it is just one element and when I finish the others I will reveal all....the ho ho ho sweater will probably be made up into an ornament....we will see...........that is the best part getting things back from the finisher...my favorite part in fact....I seem to be gaining ground on my custom work, I have some large exciting things to paint.......the flurry of orders for my little Squiggee Custom name flip flops is a hint that people are thinking Spring.......I despair..our outside is snow mountains...it looks like the inside of an empty refrigerator , and it has been so cold that one night ,I actually wore my sweater over my nightgown to bed....please... someone turn up the heat!

Tweet Tweet !!!

When Hell Freezes Over...!

Ok...snow...cute for Christmas maybe...but after the holidays it is just too much to handle....it is not enough that , we never got our flu shots, because we weren't old enough or young enough...... by the time it reached our area...I already had the crude that has been on the move all around our area and never seems to completely go away........ just when we could actually see the ground we had a massive snow fall, and today the God's thought it might be fun to top it off with another 3 to 4 inches...the cherry on my day....our new pup , Omar, was just starting to go out to pee and poo...then the snow....this has now so confused him it is a crap shoot inside, as to where he will do his business....this morning he stood right in the middle of the living room on the oriental carpet and peed to my horror ............ this evening he pooed on the paper where he should have peed this morning...... that sent us into claps and rapture...how sad is that......he has become one of the family in record time..he is nuts... growing so fast.....I say too much too much protein....gruel..that will slow him down...lol..(only kidding)...he likes to empty the puppy chow on the floor , eat it then wander around with the bowl in his mouth like Oliver Twist looking for more...feeding him now ,is like trying to fill a bottomless pit.....he is a heat seeking missile to anything that has fallen on the floor , a living breathing Hoover, his favorite being Kleenex......Omar can jump up on anything , but once there, refuses to jump down...so he whines and one of us has to rescue him.....so we have to keep the bedroom and office closed as well as the studio until he gets it...can't be too soon for me...he is a sweet lovable dog , but with the snow and being couped up inside and the house in disarray....I am now nuts...or more nuts than usual.......... I have had a rash of Christmas stockings to paint.......I officially hate Santa! .....I am behind in work , hate all my work clothes that are faded , covered in paint and holes...what else...I just need to be able to take a walk in the nice warm Spring air without wearing so many clothes.......it is like being in Hell ,if Hell was cold and snowy..........not my time of year to sparkle..... I need more new socks....I bought all new socks a couple of months ago and they have been washed so many times they now look old....I just need some sun...I crave it...I am one of those people that need it.....but then I hate the real hot weather...so by and large I am happy with the weather maybe 4 to six weeks out of the year.......the above picture says it all ..it expresses my feelings completely...

you know you have had it when, the toilet paper reaches the dinning room and your official scent is Vick's Vapor rub........

Some Designs never go out of Fashion !

These are designs I painted/created between 2000-2003....they aren't flashy with very complicated boarders or patterns that seem the rage right now....I have a great love of dogs and cats , my aim was to create a dog or cat portrait that would give you a view of the personality ..... that something that every breed has that is unique.... a design that will stand the test of time....not seem dated.......just a very simple expression of the dog or cat......it is very easy to add a background stitch and counted boarder...my emphasis with animals is the most important aspect of these designs...I always start with the eyes ,nose and mouth...once you capture the expression ,then the rest of the dog just falls into place.....

Cubbie time in Squiggeeland !

This is what happens when you have to share your cubbies...these are strange little dog beds that I bought for Squiggee...she loved the first so much I had to get second for the studio....now that she has a baby brother...Omar, we have had to put the two in the living room and will have to find something else for the studio....Omar and Squiggee use these two beds as their staging area....they play, nap and drag toys in them...Omar loves to dive in and flip around all by himself like he is wrestling another dog......all of Squiggee's toys have become Omar's too...but for the small rubber soccer ball, that Squiggee and her Dad have to play a game at night...for this, I have to hold Omar , so he doesn't interfere....he wants to do everything Squiggee does..eat and sleep with Squiggee ..he is stalking her....

she has warmed to him with each day and the growls and snarls are less and less....Squiggee has never had a playmate the same size before to roll around with....I have taken to serving their dinner on a big oval platter with the food spread around the rim...it works well...they eat at the same pace and seem to enjoy it...two dishes were out of the question...Omar would end up eating out of Squiggee's dish...they really need a troth.....

I use to think we found just by sheer accident found crazy dogs...I now fear they come into our house as normal and run amuck when they live with us...it rubs off...

they are fun to watch and Squiggee seems to be enjoying it all........meanwhile , Omar is in the process of going pee and poo outside , this confuses him , when he comes in so we have had some puppy accidents...all in all he is doing great...and growing so fast...

A Squiggee Custom FF

This is one of the little Squiggee Custom Name flip-flops...but worked on 10st. large enough for Sasquatch to wear..lol....I worked it all with wondeful shades in Baroque Silk( sold by Dream House Ventures) and the metallic is three shades of Caron Snow....I added little square pearly shiny beads to the background( will have to look up they were) and along the thong crystals and pearls....It really sparkles and shiny ...nice mix of textures....it is off to my finishers to be made into a purse ...will keep you current...it is the first model for our planned Squiggee Custom trunk shows we will offer shops later this year....I plan to have many models that use the custom pieces in various unconventional ways......after all it is Squiggee !

FYI...Mr. Squiggee is at it again ...check out his blog... a link to the left.....