Snow

Snow

Snow

Not here yet so we have to create some

Santa Claus is coming to town

video post 3

I'm lost in youtube land

Finally getting to the cookies

and thinking of vigilia.

enjoy

Christmas, getting closer

I have started shopping. I did a little bit on Tuesday with my sister and have family things pretty much done.

And I decorated the tree. (in the newly painted dining room)
dirty snowman to the right of the mouse king.
It looks much better in person.

The next thing will be making cookies, I've gotten all of the pizzelle ingredients. I think that will be Saturday.
Then a visit from Melissa and Nina.

Little bits are happening in the studio, I might even be making a sweater.

I secretly already knew this

Which Historical Lunatic Are You?
From the fecund loins of Rum and Monkey.

Thanks Rabbitch

The dining room is painted.




(walls - green, very very light, trim light light lavender, and the ceiling an even paler violet) the effect is lots of white on white with variation in tone)

Ok. so this photo shows that it's not really done, That mustardy colored trim on the left, that's what everything in the house looked like, I'm trying to find a color to paint just this one wall of windows....... I'm thinking a slightly darker green hardly a green at all.

The fire place is working, and the house is a mess.

I know none of this post makes any sense...... It's just the mood here at the moment.

Post Thanksgiving

This year Thanksgiving felt very uneventful.

The food was good and we had fun. The only strangeness was the weather.

The rest of the week has been about me getting images of my work out to galleries. I think it's time for me to show. That's a statement that has been taking a long long time for me to say. Now I'm working on it.

Today I feel ..... Ho-Hum.

Time to paint the dining room ( you would think I would have had this done before people came for turkey).

Mary Walker Phillips 1923-2007

photo: Glenda Arentzen

I just want to note the passing of this fun and funny lady who probably influenced me more than either of us will ever know.

The Mitered Square

In between getting the house together and preparing for the shows this weekend, I've started a "thing" using mitered squares. I'm not sure what it will become, some type of blanket.

See I am still knitting. Oh, this week I managed to get my work table set up in the studio (I decided to leave The walls purple for now) I hope a decision I don't live to regret.

What have I been Doing?????

Moving moving and moving, and then there is the little bit of trying to make some money thrown in. As I was writing the previous post (weeks ago) Fran walked into the room and informed me that we could do a 5 day show a the UPenn archeology / anthropology museum. I said "Okay" and we immediately began running around like maniacs to get stuff together. What made the entire show really interesting(ironic) was that,
1. We were doing it at the last minute, and there would be a gala preview party, a "hard hat" preview party, and the show hours were 11-8 Fri-Sun..
2.We had to have our entire inventory out of the Connecticut shop, with no where to put it except the house.
3. Our plumbing at the house was backing up and the Sewer repairs guys were there ripping out the basement floor and digging out the front yard.
4. The chimney repair crew was at the house to restore the fireplace to it's original working condition.

So, what happened?
The show went well, we sold a few things and I even sold one of the knitted recipes I had done. The Parties had fabulous catered food and drinks and we hobnobbed with the Philly elite(well, the Main Liners anyway).
Fran made it to Connecticut and in the process changed his name back to Francis, We managed to unpack the van after the show hours and it sort of fits into the house.
The plumbers were great and it ended up that things weren't as bad as we had feared and the bill (while still a lot) was thousands of dollars less than we thought it would be.

and..... the fireplace, It's weeks later the guys are still here.

They have promised that it will all be finished today and ready to go. It seems they had ordered the wrong length of liner, forgot to order a top, oh, forgot to put in the damper, had to order a new cap since the first one ordered was the wrong one. We'll soon know if we have a working fireplace.

There has been some other stuff ... the new studio
Yes, it is purple, no I haven't unpacked things. The loom won't fit. It's an attic with sloped ceilings, I'm working on it.

I've done a teeny little bit of knitting. one hat and the start of a second. (I also bought a little bit of sock yarn) which I've hidden since I've told Francis I'm getting rid of most of the stash.
That's part of the last 2 weeks. To everyone I owe emails to...... soon really.

Oh, boy

I have been trying to get myself to sit down and write a little for.... well I guess it's been weeks.

Moving is taking it out of me. We still aren't settled in even though we're comfortable enough. We've already had a visit from the in-laws. and I have been painting and Fran's a spackling expert. This week the chimney is suppose to get restored and the roof is being redone. There has also been a little extra glitch... more money flowing out, the lines to the sewer are nearly or maybe they are collapsed so that is another big expense. I guess this must be the week for spending.

I have been feeling the need to get into the studio, but that doesn't really exist yet. I had a little bit of a freak out this morning when I realized that it's been one year since I dismantled the Hudson studio, and the machines still aren't set up.

It seems that business and money and moving are always there and the time for my own work isn't. To start getting back into it I've begun some small knitting. I started a sock, and a hat and some drawings for projects.

I think that for the past year I have been in a sort of depression. Life has revolved around money and trying to have enough to live on while still making art. and the art is losing out. evidence of that is this blog. It's suppose to be documenting what's happening in the studio and there hasn't been much of that, right?

We still have a few months of money and time juggling coming up. (the one store is closing and we won't have a new location until December (hopefully) but probably January) and the other shop is slowing down now that the season is over. The NYC shows seems very iffy, but we'll be doing 2 in November. Fran will have a regular booth set up and I am going to try a booth of "outsider" and anonymous art more of a gallery thing. Who know's what'll happen.

There are good things. I love the house and neighborhood in Philadelphia. We're in the Mt. Airy section and it is famously diverse and has worked at being that way since the 1950's. While I was thinking about diversity and the area and looking for interesting Mt. Airy things to link to I ran across this. The artist isn't from here, but somehow the work reminds me of Mt. Airy, and it's fun, too.

Yes, I am still here

What can I say, Moving takes a lot of time. We are in Philly, the house is great. It just needs some work, and a major cleaning.

Right now every room is just filled with boxes. and we're painting and cleaning around stuff. It all seems so boringly time consuming that I haven't posted about it.

No knitting, no photos.

To that certain someone who has asked in the comments twice about her room. - Back of the house third floor on the right is the guest suite.

I couldn't resist

You are Betty Grable

The ulitmate girl next door You're the perfect girl for most guys Pretty yet approachable. Beautiful yet real.

What Famous Pinup Are You?

I have no idea where I got this from. Sorry.


Anyway I thought I would be more of a Garbo,


How about you?

What have I been doing?

It's been busy around here with all of the house stuff. Packing packing packing and a quick trip to NYC to the Gift show to visit with Carole, who was exhibiting.

So the closing here is on Monday the 20th......

And we have an offer in on a place in Philadelphia......
With a few days of homelessness and then (fingers crossed everyone please) a move to this.

An actual single family house in the City of Philadelphia. Needs some work and updating, but it doesn't appear to be a money pit. I'm already seeing an English style cottage garden in the front.
So who knows how much I'll be writing here. There with be sporatic postings and then I hope back to the full Blog in mid September..... right before the trip to Mexico. This is what turning 50 did to me.

Things are moving along on the house front

No real news to report, but, we'll be in Philadelphia soon.

Maybe then I'll have the time to knit and blog about it. unti then
I thank Rabbitch for this non-thinking time waster.

I'm off to do some more packing (closing here August 20th).

Your Life Path Number is 7

Your purpose in life is to find truth and meaning You are very spiritual, and you are interested in the mysteries of life. You are quite analytical and a great thinker. You have many theories and insights. A life of solitude is perfect for you. You need time to think and do things your way. In love, you are quite charming. You attract many with your confidence and wit. While you enjoy being alone, sometimes you take it to an extreme. You can become too isolated, shutting out loved ones and friends. Express yourself a little bit more, and you'll be surprised where it takes you!

What Is Your Life Path Number?

What do you think?

This is the back of the house I like in Philly.

Another day another trip to Philadelphia

We're off to look at more houses. Last week we looked at ten and liked none. This week we have 13 scheduled, but first we're making a trip to the Hampton's shop to add some more inventory oh, and just to add another 3 1/2 hours to the driving.

So.... wish us luck, the closing on this house is August 15th, and we don't have a place to live, we haven't even started to pack. Is this what a breakdown feels like? or was the breakdown 2 days ago when I just layed down and before I knew it it was 6 hours later, or is the breakdown my calve muscle tearing and my leg swelling up to double the size and turning a nasty looking bluish yellow? If I was a certain Canadian Blogger ... you know who I mean , the one who sent you here, who I'm too lazy to link to ... I'd have a photo of the bruise up and I'd be swearing it was the exact shape of the former Soviet Union or Switzerland. But I've lost my creativity.........

So until who knows when.....

need a distraction?

You Are The Star

You represent the ultimate in truth and purity. Insightful and illuminating, you provide guidance for others. You also demonstrate unselfish, unconditional love. You posses many spiritual gifts, including the ability to heal. Your fortune: Your future is looking brighter by the day. The near future will be a time of both hope and healing. Luck is about to come your way, perhaps the best luck you have ever seen. Life is about to get a lot easier and much better!

What Tarot Card Are You?