Available Sundries

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Collecting Satisfactions

A long time ago I read about "collecting satisfactions" on Katie Estvold's blog. She found the original post at Charming the Birds from the Trees. I originally wrote about collecting satisfactions here. This week several things have happened that are worth being thankful for here.

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When we went to get the H1N1 vaccine for our children at the local civic center, it was a thing of joy (and I thought I heard angels singing) to see OUR pediatrician walking across the civic center to give our boys their shots. This is especially meaningful when you have a child with autism, and getting your child a shot is akin to an Olympic Event. The fact that someone who knew him was giving him the shot made it do-able. He did great. This was only possible because Dr. Carmack, GOD BLESS HER, was volunteering on her DAY OFF. My husband described it well "divine intervention and human grace".

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This week someone who is in the Izannah Walker Dolls group pointed out that the Izannah Walker Chronicles was mentioned in the November/December 2009 edition of Yankee Magazine. It was so fun to be able to see a passion of mine - researching and writing about Izannah Walker Dolls - mentioned in a magazine as a resource for those who want to know about Izannah Walker.

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The contractors are done and pulled out of my driveway. Yay! They have to come back in 3 weeks and install shutters and that's it! Yay again! I love the red. Yay again!

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I discovered Greek Yogurt at the grocery store. YES. I love that stuff. It's higher in protein and gives me a little boost in mid-morning and afternoon when I need it.

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I made soup this week. Making soup is one of my favorite things. Partly because it gets better every time you reheat it.

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The fundraising efforts for the 5th grade Boston Trip are coming along. There are lots of parents involved, which makes for light work. I like that!

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I saw a friend's photography last night at a group show. It was fun to see artists displaying their work and having fun. But it is mostly fun to see my friend, a forty-something year old mom, going back to school to study photography. I am encouraged by her reaching toward her goals.

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When someone asked about my artwork last night I was able to pull out a business card. And that was primarily because of my friend the photographer urging me to make them.

My House Project

This project began over a year ago with me coloring over photographs of my gray house with crayons. Last spring we met with the contractor and were all set to get it done in the summer, but the 6 weeks of rain we got put a damper (literally) on those plans. So here we are on October 27th, and it looks like the siding project will be done by the end of the week, or at the latest on Monday of next week. A big yay! The house needs shutters, storm doors, some trim inside and then I think we will be able to wave goodbye to our friendly contractor. I think it looks much better, and will take final pictures after all of the construction wagons are out of the way.

A Gift Out of the Blue

On January 1 of 2008 I decided on a whim to start a blog about Izannah Walker dolls. I had been able to take some pictures of original Izannah Walker dolls, and I thought it would be a good platform for sharing those. I set out to gather links about Izannah Walker all in one spot for those who want to study her work, because when I was trying to find information about her there was a little bit here and there. A Walker family descendant googled Izannah Walker when she found a letter written by Izannah, and when she did, my site came up in the search list. So she emailed me, and then we called, and then she sent me scans of the letter that Izannah Walker wrote to her sister. What a wonderful thing to be able to see Izannah's signature and handwriting. Seeing the handwriting of people who lived long ago is especially interesting to me because it shows some aspects of their character. I included one page of the letter here, but if you would like to see all the pages, click the Izannah Walker Chronicles banner in the sidebar to see the rest. Thanks, Jennifer! What a nice reward for the work I've put into the Izannah Walker Chronicles site. :-)

Pumpkin Carving Time

I have a very vague memory of watching someone carve a pumpkin when I was 5 or 6. We lived in an old house that my sister now lives in. I think my dad was the carver, but I'm not sure. I've tried to do this with a bit of success with my kids each year. This year one of my kids was totally independent in the process, which was interesting to see!

The independent one had an intricate design.
My other guy needed some help,
so we kept the design simple and big.

Worth Reposting...

“Art is never finished,
only abandoned.”

"In terms of art, the only real answer
that I know of is to do it.
If you don't do it,
you don't know what might happen."
(Harry Callahan)


"One must always be careful
not to let one's work
be covered with moss."
(Marc Chagall)


"If I rest, I rust."
(Placido Domingo)

Something Accomplished

I finally got a whole slew
of old family photographs scanned
from my southern family.
The picture above is of
my grandmother and grandfather.

Shelby the Wonder Dog

We have to shut all the upstairs doors
and the bathroom doors.
This is what happens when we forget.

Interesting Comedian

Works in Progress

This doll is one I've been experimenting on.
I'm not sure which direction I will go with her,
but it's interesting to try new things.

This is one of the little dolls I've made
with paperclay over wooden beads on a dowel.
Now I have to figure out how to attach her head on a body.

Queen Anne Doll

A little over a year ago, I visited Lucy's Doll House and saw this Queen Anne doll. She is dated from around 1750 and is featured in the book The Art of Dolls. She is 16" tall, a carved and painted wooden doll typical of the period. A conversation in a group I'm in that focuses on antique dolls brought her to mind, and I thought I'd post her pictures for those of you who love Queen Anne dolls.

She looks so regal, but has the most adorable feet!

And hands!

If there is such a thing as a "nice" Queen Anne,
then this doll is one of those. The mean looking ones
give me nightmares! ;-)

Taking Pride In Your Work

Seeing this doll makes me think about my own workmanship in making my art. I want the creations I make to be something that will have staying power 100 years from now. Now to discover what that means. :-) It means to get my body down to my workroom.



The doll above was made sometime in the 19th century, and was one of the items sold by Skinner at the Richard Wright doll auction. Over 100 years later she is still an impressive folk art creation - whoever made this doll took pride in their work. Isn't she great? And doesn't she look like she has a story to tell?

Richard Wright Auction

Last night I enjoyed sitting in for the gallery talk of the Richard Wright auction. There are some amazing creations at the auction, and it was clear that there is a camaraderie in the room. I met the author of German Papier Mache Dolls 1760-1860, Christiane Grafnitz, by chance. That was a nice surprise. Today is the auction, and I might even bid on something! Then it's back to the land of soccer for this mom. And if you're wondering what the picture above is, I'm using my son's computer and it's a "dragon scale".

Details Make a Difference

The details - the frosting, so to speak - can really make a difference on a project. After getting some estimates on painting our house, and knowing that we need to do it every 4 to 5 years, we decided to side it with vinyl rather than paint, because it would be more economical (and less maintenance) than if we repainted. This isn't the choice for everyone, and I really never thought I'd make that choice. But we did. :-) We chose barn red, which I really like. Anyway, we decided to also get new garage doors. It is amazing what faux strap hinges can do for the look of a garage door.

"The Three Izannahs"

The auction above of Richard Wright's collection is this coming weekand and I am going! There are three Izannah dolls in the auction as well as scores of other wonderful antique doll items. This auction catalog with a cup of tea is the perfect way to spend a rainy day. This collection is quite varied, ranging from the rare to what to some might consider mundane. But it all looks wonderful to me. I will be attending the preview the day before the auction as well as the gallery talk the evening before the auction. FUN!

Work in Progress

I really didn't like where this was at above,
so I added some layers of clay to get to the
state that it's in below. I like this much better!



And here is another creation in progress
which will probably be a snow-person.

Updates

I am experimenting with
dollie heads on dowels.
One of these will become
companion doll for the doll below.

The girl above is getting legs and then a dress!

"Turned a Corner"

I've always wondered where the phrase "he turned a corner" came from. I always assumed it was a metaphor based on driving. But I think it might be based on carpentry, because this week the contractor "turned a corner" on the siding project and it was astounding how much impact it made. Two sides are completely done now, and two sides remain.