Happy Halloween!

I had no intention of passing out candy tonight, but I found some leftover suckers and stuck them in a plastic container on the front porch. But it’s been raining all day, so I’m not sure how many trick or treaters we’ll get at all. (If any!) So the suckers might just return.

I have more craft show stuff to do… that’s what I’ll be working on this evening.

(And I’m trying to figure out why I’m getting shooting pains through various parts of my body… weird!)

Oh my.

I just went back in my archives to see when I ordered the garlic, and found a picture of Loki when he first arrived…

And I took a picture of him today. Boy, he has grown!!

(And I have no idea why Pooh always looks drunk in every photo I take. He just woke up in the picture, if that helps!)

It was so nice and lovely outside today that Mabel and I took my work outside and I crocheted a scarf on the front porch while swinging on the porch swing. Oh, it was soooo nice.

Then I finished the scarf and planted what garlic I have–I still haven’t gotten the other variety I ordered. Not sure what’s up with that. I am definitely ordering earlier or something next year–or finding another place to order from, because I think the whole situation sucks. (The situation is this: I ordered two kinds of garlic in late August. The website said they would start shipping Sept. 19. Okay, that’s fine, but I got the first variety last week. If they’re delaying shipment for whatever reason, I’d sure like to know when to expect it, because I needed to prepare the ground. I never received shipping confirmation, and I haven’t received any notice that I wasn’t getting half the order. I’m not really sure if I was charged for it or not; they didn’t specify. This was Seeds of Change, by the way, and they’re usually exemplary.)

I stuffed all the sewn doll pieces (for the larger dolls, at least) this morning, so now I can assemble them, etc. And I’ve already filled up my container, so I need another one… I do have a lot more than I did last year! Which is good. (Last year I had one small container and a basket. This year, I already have a big container full, and the dolls aren’t even in it.) I also crocheted a scarf last night, so that’s two down, and six to go if I really want 10. We’ll see. The numbers on my list are subject to change, after all.

(I don’t want to run out of room on my table!)

Sadly, over the recent years we have been neglecting our homes or, more accurately, we’ve been ignoring the spirits of our homes. A home is far more than a physical structure; it is a living entity with a soul of its own. In the past the home was honoured as a deity.

All over the globe people acknowledged and venerated their homes, treating them with love and respect. Not to do so would be to bring trouble and strife on the house and its inhabitants. Nowadays we treat our homes poorly. Often we allow them to become dirty, cluttered and neglected. And even when we do carefully maintain and preserve the home, we run into the danger of turning our homes into stuff, stilted places of fashion and decorum – they look good but they don’t necessarily feel good. These “look-good” houses exist because we have left out one vital part of the equation: we have ignored the home’s vital living energy, its spirit.

We cannot achieve true peace of mind and spirit unless we reconnect with our homes at this deeper level. Without a true home we have no barrier between us and the ever-increasing stress of everyday life and work.

from Spirit of the Home by Jane Alexander and also from here–a very interesting entry on the feeling of “home.”

And this is really how I feel, especially about the cookie-cutter houses that seem to pop up overnight in what once were fields of corn and soybeans. (Are the fields sprouting houses now, then?) You get your half acre and a house that looks like every else’s–a box with plastic siding and brick veneer. You get your central air and heat and windows that seal out everything–including the sound of the dawn chorus. And inside those houses, you get furniture from Target or wherever, those slabs of pressed wood that have no soul.

Is it just because I grew up in an old, creaky house filled with antiques that I feel this way? Is it the old creaky house part? I think not; you can have a home with a new/er house; it just takes more time and effort to make it work. (And you can count apartments in here as well–the lady I bought a mandolin from way back when was a musician and you could tell the second you walked into her apartment. It was her home.)

But too many houses aren’t homes. They are just extensions of society’s demands–and products of the fashion magazines. It’s the gleaming, empty countertops, the organized, sterile clutterless surfaces that hide the disorganized clutter of real life. Life isn’t organized. Life isn’t perfect, either.

I tend to always think that the people with immaculate, spotless homes are trying to compensate for something they think they lack. I’m not sure what it is–whether it has something to do with the way they grew up or some sort of overblown idea of what success really means (and maybe this is it–we are a nation obsessed with some vague idea of success) but I can’t imagine why anyone would need two formal dining rooms and four bathrooms for themselves and their two children. For example.

I want to see some sign that the house is lived-in. That it’s a home, rather than just a place that you sleep and eat. I want to see signs that you’re maybe not the best housekeeper in the world, or that you don’t really mind a spill on the floor or crumbs on the countertop from breakfast. I want to walk into your studio, or office, or craft room, and see works-in-progress or snips of fabric on the floor.

I want to see creativity instead of off the rack, cheaply made junk.

We encourage our children to be creative, but what happens when those children grow up and become adults? Nine times out of ten, I think, those children grow up expecting their lives to be as society warrants, and those lives don’t really involve creativity. (I am talking about the 9-5 jobs, here. Sure, you can have a creative job, but for those of us who do the 9-5 to pay the bills and keep the creative stuff for after-hours, the majority of those in these jobs are mind-numbingly dull when they get home from work.

They get off work and go home, only to leave again to take their children to a soccer game, or baseball game, or whatever. They get home in time to fall asleep, and then it’s the same old same old five nights out of seven. Or maybe seven out of seven.

When can you make a house a home when you’re never home?

Or maybe they get off work and head home, but their favorite TV show is on, and they fill up their evenings watching TV, destressing, of course, and then off to bed. Maybe they’ll plant a couple of plants in the springtime, because doesn’t everyone?

Maybe they’re into scrapbooking or stamping, because isn’t everyone? Or the new fad, knitting! Because, isn’t everyone? (Okay, I can forgive those people because that’s a creative pursuit. I guess. (I’m on the fence about scrapbooking and stamping being actually ‘creative’, though. Knitting can be. At least you’re making something useful, conceivably. And yes, I am biased! And yes, I once got sucked into the stamping craze! But there are only so many greeting cards you can make before you go absolutely nuts and spend all your hard-earned money on stamps and die a pauper!)

To make a house a home, you have to be home. You have to care about your home. You have to work with your home, and maybe you won’t have a perfectly 1920s vintage bathroom, but it will work well enough for your needs. You should buy stuff for your home that matters to you; that reflects your taste, instead of buying just whatever because you need an end table there, so what does it matter?

(And, on a different note, why does everything have to match?!?!?!)

Actually, I think a lot of the issue has to do with money. As in, if you live in an 4000sf house with custom everything and a plasma TV and handmade whatever, then you must be successful and rich, no?

Okay, so this really isn’t going anywhere. I have no ending. I have no solutions. And I really have to start on the craft show stuff before I write the morning away and kick myself later on for not getting more done today.

Just my thoughts for the morning, then.

Oh, and another link to read.

And a small confession: I always say hello and goodbye to my house when I come and go.

So I’m sure those of us with fabric stashes have some fabric that we just don’t like at all. Either it’s Very Vintage, like screaming 70s, or just fugly, but if you buy lots of fabric like I do, sometimes you have to take the chaff with the wheat.

After crocheting a rag rug for the kitchen, I wondered if you could do the same thing with some of the ugly fabric and make something nice. So here’s my first Confetti bear.

16″ tall. Polycotton and cotton fabrics.

One more off the list!

Since we all got up an hour early this morning (technically the same time, but hey, I’m not complaining!) I decided to work on the first Santa before we leave for church.

When Santa is in this stage of progress, I always think he’s wearing red wool pajamas.

Here is Mom’s Santa from last year, so you can see how he will look:

This current Santa has a longer coat and painted boots. Mom’s Santa had a shorter coat and cashmere boots. (I wasn’t all that fond of how they turned out.

So we’ll see how he ends up looking. (And despite what it looks like, he really does have two eyes!)

I didn’t get everything on my list done yesterday, of course, but I’m planning to work on it more today and just keep on getting things done. I did work on the rag crocheted bear a bit last night before bed, but I ran out of fabric, so I have to cut more.

At the moment, here’s what’s left to do:

3 or so pairs of earrings, once I get to the store to buy more earring wires.
2 large primitive dolls
2 large primitive Santas (1 in progress)
1 med. primitive doll
2 med. primitive Santas
4 cashmere/wool dolls (13″)
4 small dolls
3 rag crocheted bears (might drop this down to two; 1 in progress)
12 wool mice
crochet hats and scarves (I want 10 of each total, and I already have some, so I need to count)

I need to print off more business cards, make some signs, and price everything too. And my pictures from Snapfish came, so I will have a House St. Clair doll gallery photo album at my booth as well. (Once I get a photo album, that is.)

There are 12 days left until setup, including one whole weekend. Barring any major calamities, I should be able to get everything finished. (Knock on wood.)

Flower pincushioins
(Does anyone use pincushions anymore?)

The pincushions are done, the stockings are all almost done (I have to do the tops and the hangers, but they’re sewn), and onward!

(I need to buy more earring hooks, since I only had enough for a total of nine pairs. But I have nine pairs of earrings now.)

It is beautiful outside today, but very, very windy. And the wind’s coming from the West, so my one office window (that is very leaky) is a constant source of fresh air.

Hmm. I might need to fix that before winter.

(But the wind doesn’t usually come from the west–really!)

Okay, all the stockings are cut out, and all the flower pincushions are cut out. I’ll be sewing them next. Then I might just do the earrings and them the mice–that would leave me with the dolls and crocheting left. Which sounds good to me!

Sweater Bag

I wasn’t going to make any of these, but it actually only took about 20 minutes total. I have two other sweaters I can use, I think–the only drawback is that they use most of the sweater.

I like these, because they make great project bags to stick your current projects in so you don’t lose anything.

This one is much nicer in real life. The bottom is a darker pink than it seems in the picture. 100% wool.

EDIT: Okay, so I made five total. That’s all I’m going to make!! They weren’t on my list!

Flower pins/brooches are finished. I’m going to make five flower pincushions. I have one done. I’m starting to pack up the container; I’ll definitely need more than one this year.

Okay. Today is crunch day, or “let’s see how much I can really get done in one day” day. I have a rather long list, but here’s what I’m aiming for:

–Finish primitive style dolls (I need to make 2 more. Fabric is cut out and sewn together, they just need to be stuffed, assembled, and then I get to make them pretty.)

–Finish large Santas (I need to make 2. Same pattern as primitive style dolls–fabric is cut out and sewn together, they need to be stuffed, assembled, and then I get to make them Santas.)

–Finish sm/med. primitive style dolls (I need to make 1 more. Pieces need to be cut out, sewn, and stuffed, etc.)

–Make sm/med. Santas (same pattern as the sm/med primitive style dolls. I need to make 2. Pieces need to be cut out, sewn, etc.)

–I need to make a total of 12 prs. of earrings, if I’m going to have earrings. (I have some already, but I’m not sure how many yet. I need to count and see.)

–I need to finish the flower pins. I have two flowers done, I need 10 more. And the pin backs need to be glued or sewn (or both) on.

–I need to make 10 more stockings. I’m doing two of each fabric pattern. I have 8 finished, 2 almost done. They do go fast. That’s what I’m working on now. (I’m aiming for 20, total.)

–I would like to make 12 mice.

–Do the dishes.

–Finish up laundry (table coverings from RenFaire.)

Tomorrow’s list depends on how today’s list ends up–I have the interior pieces for the 13″ cashmere/wool dolls sewn, so I will probably start on them. (I’m planning to make 4.) I also have to cut out the pieces for the small cashmere/wool dolls, and sew and make them. And I have to crochet some stuff, like hats, scarves, and the rag bears. (I want five hats, five scarves, and three rag crocheted bears. I’m almost done with one bear so far.)

So we’ll see how things go today, and then I will revise my list for tomorrow and Monday.