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You are here: Home / Archives for Blythe dolls

Tuesday Potpourri

October 4, 2022 at 8:42 am by Claudia

• I won’t be mowing today as it’s raining. I somehow missed the fact that rain was in the forecast but then again, I don’t remember checking it at all yesterday. Lots of rain today and some rain tomorrow, as well.

• It was so cold and gray yesterday. Once again, Don and I found ourselves feeling a bit blue. I miss summer. The zinnias are blooming which gives us a little splash of color. Some of the phlox is still blooming, as well as the butterfly bush, and of course, lots of autumn wildflowers.

• I know I’ve mentioned this before but I was a camp counselor for two summers when I was in college. It was a camp in northern Michigan affiliated with the Lutheran church – Michi-lu-ca. Sadly, it was sold a few years ago, which made all of us very, very sad. I had always wanted to show it to Don as it meant so much to me. I recently connected (via Facebook) to a fellow counselor from my second summer there. I suddenly wondered if there was a group of former counselors/staff on Facebook as there seems to be a group for everything under the sun. Sure enough, there is. It looks like it’s predominately more recent employees, but I found – or they found me – 5 or 6 fellow staff members from 1973. It’s been fun chatting with them SO many years later. Those two summers were extraordinary experiences for me and I remember them fondly. In those days, there were no cell phones or computers, so we really were cut off for the summer and it was quite magical.

• A coat arrived for the girls yesterday. A Blythe friend has been making lovely coats from felt – they remind me of swing coats. (I had two of them myself and loved them.) Since I only had one coat for the girls, I ordered one in red.

Red is notoriously difficult to photograph and can change dramatically depending on the light. Case in point:

Madeleine, photographed in the late afternoon light shining on the porch. The coat looks much brighter than it actually is. It’s a deep red.

Zoe, photographed in the darkish house. This is much closer to the real color (though a bit too dark) and of course, Zoe always looks great in red. Isn’t the coat adorable? Melissa calls them ‘adventuring coats.’

I also received a little hand knit beret from another artist in Ukraine. I’ll try to get a photo of it today.

• I’m working on a new puzzle and spent a nice chunk of time on that yesterday. I’ve also been reading The Ink Black Heart  for long periods of time.

I’m grateful to be home with my husband and feeling rather cozy.

Stay safe.

Happy Tuesday.

Filed Under: Blythe dolls, jigsaw puzzles, life, Michigan 18 Comments

A Big Seasonal Change and Harper

October 3, 2022 at 9:01 am by Claudia

Yesterday was very cool and cloudy. A seasonal change had clearly settled in. Today is much the same. The leaves are turning, the limelight hydrangea is turning pink, the skies are gray and we have to turn the heat on in the morning. It was a rather melancholy day for both of us. Suddenly, we found ourselves looking ahead and talking about buying a snowblower that is more modest in size. Our current machine is very, very heavy and I can’t even push it. Don has trouble with it and with his hand problems, I think we need something either of us can navigate.

I always hope that my small paycheck can go into our savings account, but it looks like some of it will go towards a new snow blower. A good investment, for sure, but isn’t it always something?

I took it easy yesterday. I sent out notes to the actors, read a bit, took a short nap.

And I decided it was time to change Harper’s clothes. I came up with this:

Having mint green hair does have an impact on color choices. I put the outfit on her and then started going through my hats. This one was perfect.

She’s really, really gorgeous. I wish you could see her in person. Ferro Dolls are – to me – exquisite. The hand painting that she does is so detailed. Tiny little red veins in the cheeks, shadowing around the eyes, beautifully drawn eyebrows. I could study her face for hours.

I never thought I’d go for mint green hair and planned on finding a scalp replacement for her, but now I love it. Her previous owner told me she tried various other colors but none of them worked as well as the mint green. I get it. And Ferro Dolls clearly painted the face with the hair color in mind.

Still fully immersed in The Ink Black Heart.

Netflix magically came back. I had been checking on it every few days and suddenly, there it was. I signed back in and now we’re finishing the series we had been watching.

I suppose it’s time to mow again, but I really don’t feel like it today. Maybe tomorrow.

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.

Filed Under: autumn, Blythe dolls, Harper 21 Comments

A Green Hat

September 29, 2022 at 9:34 am by Claudia

I ran across this yarn when I was decluttering the office and closet and immediately thought of Sophie’s eyes, which have been this color lately. So, I crocheted this little hat for her. It doesn’t match her dress, but I like this dress on her and didn’t want to change it.

A little crocheting keeps me calm.

I’m going to have to go into the city tomorrow or Saturday to watch a run-through of the show. They go into tech rehearsals next week so I won’t be able to see it again until October 9th. That means I have to figure out the Covid protocol – do I need to test myself before I go, how do they want me to submit the test results, etc. And then, of course, I have to figure out the logistics of getting there. The theater is not far from Union Square – actually, I think it’s quite near the Strand Book Store.

I think I’d prefer to go tomorrow so I can get the notes to the actors before they run it again on Saturday. We’ll see.

Meredith and her family are fine. They didn’t lose power. Some branches and a hibiscus are down, but they’re okay. It’s still very windy there. My heart goes out to everyone in the path of this monster hurricane. I never watch the Weather Channel but I was glued to it yesterday. The video of the storm surge was shocking.

Grateful for my family’s safety, but sad for so many Floridians who have lost their homes and businesses.

Realization: I always carry a book with me, especially when commuting to NYC. The Ink Black Heart is so large and unwieldy that I’m going to have to find something else to take along on the bus ride. I don’t want to have to carry a heavy script and a heavy book!

Stay safe.

Happy Thursday.

 

 

Filed Under: Blythe dolls, coaching 25 Comments

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Welcome!

Welcome!

I live in a little cottage in the country with my husband. It's a sweet place, sheltered by old trees and surrounded by gardens. The inside is full of the things we love. I love to write, I love my camera, I love creating, I love gardening. My decorating style is eclectic; full of vintage and a bit of whimsy.

I've worked in the theater for more years than I can count. I'm currently a voice, speech, dialect and text coach freelancing on Broadway, off Broadway, and in regional theater.

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