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You are here: Home / Archives for jigsaw puzzles

Will It Ever Warm Up?

January 22, 2022 at 9:35 am by Claudia

It is so cold here this morning! It’s now 9 am and I’ve been up for 3 hours – Don has been up even longer – and the house is still  cold. Trying to stay positive, but cripes!

It’s sunny in that way it is on very cold days. This particular weather pattern is going to be here for at least 5 days. If we start going crazy here, I’ll be sure to let you know.

I finished the puzzle yesterday afternoon. I LOVE this illustration, which is straight out of my favorite era. The title of the illustration is “Swan Cottage.”

Can I live there, please?

Had to pause to warm up my hands.

Okay. What else? I played with dolls.

This outfit arrived in the mail a few days ago, all the way from China. This incredible seamstress goes by Quilizio on Instagram. Over the course of the past few months, I’ve studied her hip and contemporary designs. I really love them. But as sometimes happens, I couldn’t find a place to purchase them. So I contacted her through a Direct Message. She couldn’t be nicer. I ordered the outfit below.

The jacket has a hood. I cannot tell you how exquisite her stitching is! There are tiny white buttons that actually work, strings coming from the hood, and the white blouse has a beautiful button closure on the back. She made the leggings as well. Also: the boots. You can’t see them well here, but here’s a better picture:

She even scuffs them up!

She’s pretty darned amazing. I can’t conceive of doing this tiny work and doing it so beautifully.

And, just because she’s so pretty, here’s a closeup of Imogen.

Still cold. I’m going to go make some hot oatmeal in a minute.

Happy Saturday from Ice Station Zebra.

Stay safe.

 

Filed Under: Blythe dolls, Imogen, jigsaw puzzles, winter 52 Comments

Frigid Friday

January 21, 2022 at 9:46 am by Claudia

Yesterday’s sunset:

Don’s snowman is still standing, though we found the carrot that had been the mouth right outside our kitchen door. Hmmm…Did a bird try to take it?

Puzzle status:

There’s still quite a bit to put in place, though I managed to cover a lot of ground yesterday. Patience, my friends, it takes patience. If I get impatient for some reason, I get up and leave it for a while.

Don just made pancakes and scrambled eggs. That’s not our usual breakfast, but it’s very, very cold out there and when that occurs, Don often feels the need for a ‘big breakfast.’ This cold snap will be with us for the next 5 or 6 days.

Right now, the sun is reflected in the girls’ eyes and they look like zombies.

But yesterday, Sophie spent some time with me while I was working in the den. She was happily ensconced on my planner.

Marilyn, you’re right. I will  have to use double pointed needles if I want to knit sweaters. Gulp. I ordered some on Amazon. I’m going to have a learning curve, that’s for sure. A note for all of you who think I’m a great seamstress: I’m not. Yes, I can stitch a (fairly) straight seam to put basic quilt blocks together. I can knit, crochet, and embroider. I CANNOT make clothes. That’s another thing entirely. I was dreadful at it in Home Ec class. My grandmother was a seamstress. She could do anything. And my mom made clothes for us. But making clothing and sewing a straight seam are not the same thing. There’s a lot more to it than that. And, let’s add to this discussion the fact that I have no desire to make clothing. None. But I so appreciate your cheering me on. I’ll leave the Blythe clothing to others who are unbelievably talented at what they do. I kneel at their feet.

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.

Filed Under: Blythe dolls, jigsaw puzzles, sewing 18 Comments

Digging Out

January 18, 2022 at 9:42 am by Claudia

We’re still digging out. The snowblower is not working correctly. We think it’s a dirty carburetor, but we’re not sure. At any rate that will have to be dealt with next week. So Don had to shovel, and I, with my bad back, couldn’t help him. He got the driveway done and enough shoveled at the top of the drive so we would be able to get out if we needed to. But he was pretty darn tired and didn’t finish. And then it froze over night, as the temperatures plummeted. So he salted everything this morning and will go back out later. It’s pretty out there, but it’s a pain in the tush.

My back is getting better. It seems to be at its worst at the end of the day. I’m being very careful. I did do a bit of work on the puzzle, but only for brief periods of time.

Another tricky one, but then again, they all are.

I’m deep into Cloud Cuckoo Land  now and am loving it. Anthony Doerr is such an amazing writer. The words, the ideas, the imagery – my heavens, he’s good. He won the Pulitzer Prize for All the Light We Cannot See. I’m back to reading again and it feels so good.

Pippa pointing out the fact that this dollhouse is too small for the girls.

I know, sweet Pip, I know.

Stay safe.

Happy Tuesday.

Filed Under: Blythe dolls, Don, jigsaw puzzles, snow 15 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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