Saturday, April 23, 2011

Easter Renewal

Nothing in life is as good as a second chance. It is during the Easter season that we get a glimpse of new beginnings and rebirth...the world is coming alive and the sweet tender greens long frozen are emerging toward the sun. It is good to be alive...it is good to be awake and enjoying all that is around us. Renewing my dreams to be a blogger success, an etsy success, a web site success, a primitive doll maker success.....all of this is possible in this season of growth and new beginnings. I was following my favorite blogs earlier today and read a quote by George Eliot "It's never too late to be what you might have been"....I love it Catnip Studio Chronicles has this quote right at the top of her blog...makes you think...gives inspiration and renews my soul...thanks Kathy. Happy Easter to all of my friends...new, old, and those I have yet to meet...grow, stretch, achieve, and above all....believe you can FLY...

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Simply Primitives

I have been selling on Simply Primitives. May will be my third month there. The other artisans are amazing and I feel honored to be among them. My items appear on the first of the month...so toddle over there on May first and see what is new......I included a sneak preview...stop by and visit. www.simplyprimitives.com

Thursday, April 14, 2011

There's Always a Little Girl Inside

It's been raining in Upstate NY...I do love rainy days and that was something that was taught to me by my mother. She made rainy days very special. In our dining room was a buffet and the bottom drawer held surprises galore. I was allowed to choose one item per rainy day and it was from this drawer my first book of paper dolls emerged. I was hooked...but too little to cut them out...so we sat by the fire place and she cut and I began to fantasize. That was the beginning of my doll love affair. I must have been 3 or 4 years old and I am now 64...long time obsession with dolls and not a chance of it letting up or being cured...as if I would choose the cure!! I wish mothers introduced their daughters to this wonderful world...we loose so much of our imagination. I was an only child for 6 years..before the baby brother..and we lived in Cresson, PA. We were located in a valley between two 2000 ft high mountains (Allegheny Mts.)  The Main Line (Railroad)   moved through Cresson on it's journey to the famous Horseshoe Curve. We lived about 10 miles out of the town on a private lake near the town of  Loretto. My dad worked 3 jobs back then...one was that of a coal miner...any how...It was 1950 and my mom stayed at home and did not drive a car...So she and I spent much time engaged in dolly make believe...I treasure those days. I had my own play room  filled with dolls and teddies...I recall red and white gingham curtains, a tin doll house filled with plastic furniture, a golden record player and oodles of little plastic golden records. We need to remember our roots and what makes us who we are today.. How I sang along to those golden record songs! ...Bibbity...Bobbity...Boo... I cherish the good ole days and appreciate how I have become who I am today....I still sing along as I create my dolls. It really is a GRAND rainy day !!!

Monday, April 11, 2011

Who Let the Cat Out?

OK...am I nuts or what?  I was so pleased with myself that I actually uploaded an animated cat and he was soooo cute,,,those of you who saw him...for one fleeting minute...would agree...HOWEVER when I went to post today...he was gone. Now I ask you, why would a cat be so stupid to leave a warm blog home for the world of cyber space...who'da thunk it?  Well, there is really no use to whine...he is gone and I do not have the time to find him tonight. I am not happy, but am capable of making my own CAT....Here's one with my School Marm doll...Creative???  Well....someone has to go find the poor cat. He's probably cold, hungry, lost...LOL  this is obviously not a good idea...Here, Kitty, Kitty..

Saturday, April 9, 2011

The Kitty Has Come Home to Roost

Happy days are here...I got the Kitty, just by slowly reading the instructions on the photo upload. I don't think that I am any smarter than I was last week...I just think that my intention was high and I have read tons of stuff that now some of it vaguely makes some sense. I have begin photographing for ETSY and have made a few more dolls...all in good time. I have been looking at tons of blogs and I can now decide what I think will be good for me...forging forward.....now I have to figure out how to make it smaller so that you all can see how cute he is.....who makes this stuff so hard? Some wicked wizard up in a tree in the deep dark forest...I am sure ....

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Getting Ready to get Ready

Greetings...I have been doing write ups for what will go in my ETSY shop. I want different things on there as opposed to what is on my site...I am still sewing and creating for the big launch as well. One thing that I have learned is that the more you venture out into cyber space the more people are drawn in. I have numerous circles on  ETSY and I just keep making friends...very social place. Being a blog newbie and just as green in everything else is frustrating. I want to be the Queen of Everything...not the Princess of Quite a Lot..(well, at least the Queen has the power to cut heads off...humm..)  I have also been working on invitations to sell at the historic Dryer House in Victor, NY  It is a lovely gift shop, bakery and tea house. I sell more shabby stuff there. I am cutting and stamping and losing what mind I have left...also putting hair on Lyla (new doll) and a white roaving tail on a prim rabbit...also need to put a tail on a cat. I try to do a little bit of everything so that I will get finished...only to be looking for the cat's tail and losing the needed paint brush. Thanks for coming along for the ride....

Saturday, April 2, 2011

Happy April Fools Day

Well, it is snowing...yes winter is holding on in Upstate NY. I am tucked inside with a nice fire burning and finishing all the last details on my rabbits, eggs and dolls that are going out to the  three shops in which I sell. It takes hours to tag and price...I am a fanatic about tags...they are a part of the art on my creations...always adding to the appeal of my dolls and critters. My customers save the tags or leave them on the items...plus they are wonderful for doll collectors. I always mention special items added ...like vintage buttons, linen thread, eyes...etc...just to let them know that the dolls have more than meets the eye amd are special. I have been following some really wonderful blogs and am awed by the talent that is out there...you know..I am just a small drop in the ocean type thought...that will be in the past 'cause as I said...I am jumping in and I invited you to jump along....I know, I know..if your friend asked you to jump off of a bridge would you do it?  (Do you want to be a popular blogger or not? JUMP). My goal for April is to get the ETSY shop up and running. I am taking photos tomorrow when I get back from deliveries...the snow will be gone and some of the ice will be gone from the Finger Lakes...makes for a beautiful ride. Let's cheer for SNOW!!!!  (not)