Winter Mice

They all seem to want to come inside this year...and it is driving the kitties crazy! They go from the livingroom, to the kitchen, to the bathroom, and the laundryroom, opening cupboard doors and scouting around inside! You might reach in the bath closet for a towel, to see two green, glowing spheres staring at you, or reach to get that colander, and come out with a kitten, instead!
For all that trouble, however, we are short three mice! CallieCat caught two of them, and boy, was she proud of herself. It was the low growl at 4am that woke me....she was telling the other two to leave her prize alone!
She kindly let me have them, though, and I tossed the dead bodies over the side of the mountain, off the deck, for the possum to enjoy.
This morning, the Queen, Puffin, had one, and she was not about to give it up, not even to her Mommy- me! I had to lock the other cats in the bedroom, and then light the kerosene heater. She finally came over to toast herself, letting the mouse body drop as she did. I scooped it up in one hand, and her in the other, hiding the mouse from her sight. Tossed that one out the door (thank goodness it is a short deck, with the mountainside right next to it!), and made much of her mousing abilities. She has deigned to sit in my lap while I type this about her!
And yes, it was at 4am, again!
Good thing I am off today!
Happy New Year's EVE, everyone!

Christmas Stocking doll for challenge at BAD

She is finally done, and here are some better shots. I had to delete the entire post to get rid of the old shots!

Come see the Show at the 'Shed'!

Where I work, Watershed Trading Company, Bryson City, NC in its Christmas frenzy!

Another ornament finished!

This one is almost the same pattern, but with a star on top, 'cause the person I made it for loves stars!

It is not netted tightly at the bottom.

Cats at Work

I thought I would show you how hard the kitties work...Yoda is helping fold the towels, Puffin is lobbying to refill the cat kibbles, and Callie is guarding my keys!

New Netted Ornament Gift

I did this one in one day- that is a record for me! About 4 hours ofwork, and that included alot of cursing and pulling out of thread.Netting always has to be adjusted to the size of what you are doing.The body is flat netting, which is done off the ball, until it can bestretched around the ball. Then you add the last row, adding itbetween the first and last, which means instead of having the sevenbeads between the V's, I would put on three, catch the center bead ofthe V on the first row, then add three more, using the center bead ofthat first row's Vs as my middle bead on the last row's V's.Clear as muck??LOL!Anyhow, it has clear 6mm Swars, and some nice AB Crystal drops I foundin Canada, and will make a nice Christmas present. The gold beads areCzech, and I don't know the finish/style, but they look hex, butaren't. Love the sparkle.Now, on to finish two more in silver, then to do my COPS ball.After work, that is.

two new dolls

The first one is The Angel That Bugs Me, a sort of tongue in cheek name, because her 'bangs' look like bug antennae! She was gifted to a friend.

The second is a work in progress, for the 2007 Stocking Doll Challenge at beaded_art_dolls. For some strange reason, our group has become part of the x-rated groups at yahoo, so you will have to use the link at the bottom of my page to find it. Hopefully, our fearless leader, Lynn, will have that fixed in no time!

It is raining- that is good. I am home sick, not so good, as it is concert night at Cherokee High, and I don't think I will be playing on stage, with the kids...pooh!

first ATC

This is for my youngest daughter, Lauren's, birthday....Dec 10. She will be 19 this year. A faery celebrates with her flower scepter and crown, and her friends, the Cat and the Sun, join in the festivities. There is a background of German, which fits right in, as she is taking German at UNC, and loving it...maybe she can translate for me? My printer is almost out of color ink, so it came out this light pinkish-sepia tone....I like the effect.

The backing is a piece of foam board- I can never throw away the scraps, and now have a reason to use them. There is a piece of tulip fabric covering it, to remind her that Spring will come, and with it, the warmth.

The back has a nice piece of green paper covering the seams of the folded-over fabric, and made a good place to glue the 'Celebrate' hearts, as well as the large heart we all signed in.

I think she will enjoy it.

Not sure if this is how to do it, but I had a good time!

Pay It Forward closed

The Pay It Forward has the three lucky recipients, who are also going to PIF on their blogs...BUT-don't let that stop you from beginning it for yourself, on your own blog!

a gift for me!!

I received this wonderful doll from Kathi H, of beaded_art_dolls, named Passion! She came with her own little, homemade bag, which she now uses as her personal rug!

Thanks, Kathi!

Aryd'ell

Gourdia, for Emily

She was created for Emily, youngest daughter of my VA friend, Sherry.

Emily is now a mother, herself.

Like a gourd, Emily has all the possibilities ahead, inside her.

The gourd flowers bear the fruit of her Life.

The pink crystals of her halo show that she is one of the Tribe of Love.

Gourdia, she is for Emily, and Emily is for her!

Pay It Forward, again, Sam

I have been immersed in old film talk for some time now, so....that's how that title came about.

BUT, in keeping with the spirit of the PIF, which I was introduced to via Tammy Crooked Heart Beader, I am offering a fully beaded being, of around 3-4" tall, to the first three persons who respond to this post.

My only requirement/request is that you also Pay It Forward, keeping the Energy and Spirit of this PIF alive, by posting it in your own blog.

Even if you aren't one of the three, please consider this...it is alot of fun.

And, please allow me time to create a OOAK for each of the three who do receive...I hope to have it refect a bit of you!

Where has the Time gone?

Too much work, and not enough playtime...so, have to fit it in where I can...tomorrow is Thanks-giving, and I am already thankful for so much.

What I have been up to lately.

Two dolls for a Secret Santa swap.

A single-color doll for a challenge.

Getting the store ready for Christmas and the Polar Express hordes (for Bryson, 100 people at a time is a horde).

Playing with the kitties.

Actually remembering to feed the indoor plants, and it SHOWS!

Practicing horn for our outdoor gigs in two weeks.

Blowing the thousands of oak leaves over the side of the mountain, where they can decay into soil in peace.

Watching the dogs run through the leaves down the mountainside, chasing them, and themselves!

Sitting in front of the fire with daughters and cats.

Watching the first three seasons of Nip Tuck on DVD ( just a hint- don't go there! it's addicting)

Snuggling into the down comforter with my Honey, and just talking about the day's events.

Eating the season's Honey Crisp and Ambrosia apples with fresh milled almond butter.

Enjoying Jamakinmecrazy coffee again, now that it is cold.

Watching Yoda kitten try to figure out where the sound is coming from on the keyboard! LOL!

Lots to be grateful for, that is for sure!

Frost on the Pumpkin, and everything else!

Oh yeah, I knew it was freezing last night for real, when Callie left the heater for our bed, putting her cold paws under my neck and snuggling into my hair!
The little pansy basket I received as a gift from a good friend is all crumpled, but with some sunshine today, will raise itself from a supposed death! Just another reason to love the little dear faces.
The giant ginko downtown was raining leaves, and they had not turned their usual bright gold before doing so.....all the plants and trees are a bit confused- alot of them think it is Spring now. Our fuschia laurel is blooming, as are the crepe myrtles. The crabapples put out a few puffs of white. Maybe now, with true cold, they will go to sleep, and recover from this awful year.....

Gold fans gently swirl
cover all below their tree.
Fall is truly here.

Finally, November!

I know that November is a tough month for many folks, especially those 'up North', where sunlight becomes scarce, cold, wet winds blow, and that white stuff falls from the sky.
But, here in the Southern Mountains of NC, Winters are milder, and after the horrendously hot days of this year, I am happy to awaken to a grey, windy, rainy day. A day where I don't have to squint, or put on sunglasses, to see the squirrels caching their acorns, or the ravens squabbling over the catfood 'bitings' I tossed out for them. I can see the ridgeline in Tennesse, and Clingman's Dome, through the trees that have kindly dropped their leaves, to allow this cold weather view to happen.
It is a good day, and I am happy to have it off, to enjoy.
Funny how you can really appreciate the growth of trees here in the mountains. Instead of the two dimensional look you get in the flatlands, you are at the level of many of the tree topss. So, when those trees get a foot or so growth a year, you can really notice it.
When we first moved here, there was a clear view of Clingman's Dome most of the year, from our dining room. Now, we can only see it, and then only through the empty branches, after leaf fall. That was a growth of almost 10 feet over 6 years!
Not complaining, though, because when every other person I knew here was complaining of the heat at their home, those delightful trees shaded us from the afternoon sun, keeping temps almost 20 degrees cooler than in town! We never hit 100 degrees here.
And to think that people still believe Reagan's statement, made when he was president, that "trees cause pollution".
I am hoping for a more intelligent president, after this next election.

cool vid

http://picasaweb.google.com/EvaMariaSchoen/HUDancing/photo#s5128701675646221858

Enjoy!!

Harvest Effigy Wrapped Doll

is finally finished. I tried different faces, even a leaf masque, but it just wanted to be the yarn-wrapped face. DH says you can see all sorts of faces in the yarn patterns, so it actually works better that way.

It is totally done with wrapping, and the base is a small wooden spoon, with arms of mountain laurel that had died with the drought, wrapped with multi-colored yarn, and leaves made from grunge for the body bottom.

It is holding beaded raspberrys and beaded Fall leaves at the ends of its arms, and has pheasant feathers, oak leaves, grass flowers, and golden wheat for the headdress.

It was fun, it was faster than beading, but I think I still prefer the slower beaded method of creating...I will have to try another one and see.

The leaves were created as a challenge from imaginationartprompts group ( see link in links section) and the tribal doll challenge from crazyartdollz group (ditto).

Effigies are important to tribal life, as they represent that which is important, and cherished, within that lifestyle.

This effigy shows a bountiful harvest, combined with the beauty that is Fall, and the coming of the Restful Season. It clearly shows great Joy in celebrating these ideas.

Water Garden Elements

I have four of them, which I cannot sink, as I usually do, as we have been renting ( I HATE renting, but it's better than living in one's car!). They are putting out lots of new growth, despite the cold weather. I think they are happy that it isn't 100+ degrees.

The daddy longlegs was hunkering down, hiding from the mama longlegs! Maybe she wanted him to rake leaves! LOL!

The ladybug is the Asian variety that most folks around here curse, as they are so prolific, find their way inside homes, and proceed to die and stink up the place. They have a very specific odor when crushed, dead, or alive. I love them, however, as my home is a jungle, and they keep the aphids away from the impatiens and Key Lime tree.

Elements for a challenge, which grew and grew

Pics of the Russian Leaves, first for an imaginationartsprompts challenge, and now for the Tribal Wrap doll, which has become my Harvest Tribal Effigy....doll pics to come- still have the masque to make

Pics of Fall in the Great Smokies