The extreme weather zone...and a new bear

We have had 24 hours of rain in the past 24 hours on top of all that frozen snow. Tonight it will plunge to 17 F degrees...more extreme weather. It has caused a great deal of flooding in the state. It could have been snow, so I guess we are lucky.

We stayed close to home through the though we did meet friends for coffee and bagels.

I took along this little guy I had just finished.

He is about 3 inches tall and from the same pattern as the elephant from last week and made from velveteen.


Yesterday I made him a felt hat so he is now much warmer!

It is still raining and I may go out in search of mud boots later. I think this could be a muddy spring and my old mud boots are ancient. And I definitely need another cup of coffee. The temperature has dropped 22 degrees since I got up a few hours ago.

As always, whatever your weather,

enjoy the day!

Little critters...

A dear blogging friend asked recently if Edie ever gets to meet the critters that seem to invade our household. Well, yes, she does. In fact, there is a serious case of over-crowding!

As some of you may know, I have been drawing little figures that I call "be happy" for almost a decade. Figures similar to mine are everywhere now. It is like a collective unconscious thing...but I do know where mine originated. Many years ago, there was special little book out by a brilliant artist named Rie Anahara.

I fell in love with Anano Bear and bought the Japanese books a long time ago. They were pricey but are even pricier now. I would love to say my figures just sprang from my own imagination but they didn't. I was inspired by Anano and started drawing all kinds of bears, cats and other creatures. Many artists make and sell very similar animals to Anano but I wonder if they know the origins of these sweet little animals? I discovered Anano in 1998 on the internet.

Do you have a favorite artist who influences and informs your work?



Of course, I have made my own little figures based on the particular character I draw most. I had one here for years but it seems to have become lost in the shuffle. It sat on the lap of this doll but must have fallen off. Over the years she has had many dolls on her lap. I am working on another velveteen figure which I hope to finish today.

Is it the weekend yet? Yes, it is nearly here. Hope that you will have a good one! As always,

enjoy the day!

A parcel arrives!

A parcel arrived at our home the other day!

We were given instructions to open it right away since there were Christmas related items in it that we could enjoy now. My little friend, CT Bear, decided to help.



He was able to get all the packages out of the box and promptly jumped into the box. The "packing popcorn" looked like snow and was just TOO irresistible!



The box was filled with wonder! A gnome, a mushroom, a Yorkie, a sock monkey snow globe.... so many wonderful gifts from Martha's Gramma.

There were two packages we didn't open.

CT Bear pointed out one was for me... and the other for Martha. So...we placed them in the stairwell out of harm's way since we do not have a tree up yet. Every time we go up and down the stairs, we are CURIOUSER and CURIOUSER!



Meanwhile, another wonderful day of "merry madness" happened with my friend. (If you remember, that is the annual shopping event my friend and I share.)

The weather is bitter cold as if it were February. It snowed a few inches and melted. The first day of winter is not far off and then Christmas, Kwanzaa, New Year's Eve, New Year's Day. Time flies when you are having fun!

As always,

enjoy the day!

Listen to the mockingbird...

My dear friend the mockingbird started his song at 3:3o this morning. This is how I am feeling now.

No, he is not the bluebird of happiness. He is a lonely guy looking for a mate. Last year he treated us to operas from May to August. Please send thoughts this way that he finds a lady friend soon.



I am hoping to feel much happier later today, though the prospects seem questionable. It will be in the mid 90's today which is way above normal for us here in May. I refuse to turn on a/c in May and have resolved to stick it out with fans and the curtains drawn against the sun. Wish me luck!


Nevertheless, I am resolved to make the best of the day. I think I need more coffee, though. I hope that happiness will find you today, too.

As always, and in any weather,

enjoy the day!

Sweet little bear....

Meet a new little bear. He was made by me from a kit that I purchased from Vivianne Galli who has a shop on Etsy. The little bear is about 5 inches tall and is unnamed as of yet. The name of the pattern is "Chopper" but it doesn't seem to fit this bitty bear. He is keeping company with the pin cushion I made last week. I must say the pattern/kit is great.

This weekend flew by. Although my camera was frequently with me, I was so busy that I just didn't get around to taking photos. We spent some time at the shoreline in CT and a day in MA. The temperatures returned to more seasonable weather and it was delightfully breezy and comfortable. We also went to the last indoor soccer game of the season...outdoor soccer starts soon for grands.

I usually post on Monday but I am going to be out of the house early tomorrow. So, I wish you a happy Monday in advance...

and enjoy the day!

Snowy day in New England...

It's snowing here...again. The actual temperature is 16F but the windchill factor make the "real feel" 9F.

So, we are in the for the day. In fact, except for brief excursions out to the store to shop, we have spent most of the weekend home. The roads are slippery; accidents are abundant. It is a good time to stay indoors.


Even Bear feels the cold! He is still wrapped up in his Christmas gift quilt! I rolled him over closer to the fireplace so he could enjoy the warmth. Hank, our Yorkie is asleep on a nearby chair. Do you think I could get even ONE more thing on the mantel?


We had "cafe mocha" and French bread for a late brunch. I mentioned to my husband that it reminded me of drinking hot chocolate and bread and butter as a child. Sauce for pasta is simmering on the stove for much later.

Hope you are cozy wherever you are!

Happy Sunday!

...enjoy the day!

In any language, a universal message...

glückliches neues Jahr!

Новый

¡feliz año nuevo!

godt nytt år!

gleðilegt nýtt ár!

bonne année!

laimīgu Jauno gadu

Buon anno!

新年好!

Happy New Year!

Enjoy the first day of 2010!

Some doll stuff...

On Monday I went to doll club and you can see the dolls I took to show. The one below I bought at doll club from a member. She is a sweet Edith Flack Ackley doll.

The program was on Teddy Bears and this big boy came home with me. He was made by a talented bear artist, Lynne Pierce. Yesterday I bought him a shirt at the dollar store. He seems to fit into size twelve months. How did he come home with me? When I picked him up he hugged me and Lynne gave him to me.

As you can see, he is already into mischief.

He hasn't told me his name yet but I think he will be a handful!

After a stormy weekend , we have a return to beautiful weather. It was a pleasure to open the windows again and turn off the furnace. We ordered some new windows months ago for the upstairs bathroom. They took months to get here and we are hoping we can get them in while it is still warm. There are always things to do before winter.

As always,

Enjoy the day!

The saga continues...

Right after Pinto made his appearance on Friday, we received a letter from Lily via her roommate, April.

It seems that sweet Lily

has a crush....

on you know who!

Could anything be cuter than these two made by Peng Peng? Dear, sweet Pinto is sitting near me here and he is such darling little bear--who wouldn't fall in love with him?

We have a new gardener who made his debut on Friday but was lost in the excitement of Pinto's arrival. He is my own creation. Edie always appreciates friends who are 4 inches tall. I needle-felted him to be a friend for Blanche Souris and Rat T Rat and the Sock Monkeys.


Such is life around here. The weekend flew by in a blink of an eye. We were only home to sleep. I didn't take out my camera even once as we dashed about from place to place catching up with shopping and errands long overdue. The weather was just perfect! It barely reached 80F and it was 50F this morning.

Right now I have to dash off myself, so...

Enjoy the day!

Love at first sight...introducing Pinto...

Buddha Bear extraordinaire made by the talented Peng Peng...

and won by me in her very generous blog giveaway. ( I never win anything so I am still in a state of shock.)

Let me start by saying Pinto is so wonderful that I am at a loss for words. Pinto is so well-made, so whimsical , so cute! I cried... and then smiled... when I opened the box.

For many, may years I have been a fan of Peng Peng and her bears and her sock monkeys. Her web site has been a link on the side here since I started this blog.

Peng Peng also has an Etsy shop and has been on HGTV.

Peng Peng, I cannot thank you enough. Pinto is so dear! Pinto will be treasured forever and fit right in here with plenty of "playmates" for company. But, for now, I don't think Pinto will leave my side......truly, it is love at first sight.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart!