Last Day of July?

Okay, where did July go?

I can't believe it is almost August. Time is flying by.

It has been the rainiest, gloomiest, foggiest time here in the NC mountains,

 I can remember since moving here in the late 70's.

We have had so much rain!

The last couple of days have felt more like fall with temps in the 50's at night.

Pog and I did a marathon day of yard work yesterday before rain came back today.

It is like living in a jungle because of so much moisture. 

The yard has been mowed twice a week when it is not wet and the weeds grow overnight. 

There is just no way to keep up right now.  

We are still cleaning up storm damage from June.

All the work we did yesterday, weed eating and cutting up trees

 has made for sore backs and legs!

I think we are getting too old for that type of work. 

Maybe it is time we started thinking about moving out of the woods!

We have had a couple of visitors to our woods.

The deer is welcome, even if she is eating my hosta's 

but this guy is very unwelcome.

Here he is checking out an empty bird box on the tree in our back yard.

We are rethinking getting another big outside dog now, 

especially if he or she keeps coming back!

I've had to take a break so I can clean house for company coming this weekend, so I will leave you with one more hint of the new door greeter I am working on.

Oh! Almost forgot to show you this great bag of wool remnants, 

I got from http://www.heavens-to-betsy.com/

I love getting remnants like this for my dolls and stitching!

This is very nice wool and on sale right now.

 

I'll be back next week with pics of the finished door greeter.

Wishing you a great weekend!

Lips and Wings

Just a hint of what I am working on!!

Butterfly Wings

Kissable Strawberry Lips

Door Greeters

Back before tour frenzy hit the studio, 

I gave you a little hint of what I was working on. 

Remember this?

I finished them on the Saturday of the tour and hung them on the doors separating our 

living space from the studio.

 I am sorry it has taken me so long to show you the results. 

They didn’t get much reaction on the tour to my disappointment but I love how they turned out! One person told me they were “too spooky”. 

 Hmm…I didn’t think they were that spooky.

I found the spider fabric in her skirt, in an Asheville fabric store and loved it on sight. 

From that point on I just made them up as I went along which is how I like to work. 

They were labor intensive with lots of steps along the way, but I am very happy with them. 

You would not have to hang them on a door; it could be a cupboard or a wall.

I don’t have individual names for them, all I could think of was “Door Greeters”. 

Yeah, I know not very creative.

The lady pumpkin greeter is made with my own hand-dyed wool fabric, embroider face, “moth wings” with stitched covered wire for shaping, vintage buttons and belt ring on back for a hanger, black netting slip, and her own little stitched black kitty.

The gentleman pumpkin greeter is also made with my hand-dyed wool fabric, embroidered face, “bat wings” with stitched covered wire for shaping, vintage buttons and belt ring, 

and his own little stitched pumpkin.

Now I am brimming with ideas on others to make! How about a strawberry or tomato head or Uncle Sam/Lady Liberty or Santa/Snowman? 

The list could go on forever. 

 What do you think? Should I make more of them? 

Is this something anybody else would go crazy over like I have?

 Feedback is important to me. 

I get wrapped up into my own world and need to hear what other people think.

Thanks to everyone who made a comment about our losing Monica.

 It helped so much. I appreciate each and every one of you.

 It is going to take time to adjust to not having a dog in the house for the first time. 

We will love again one day when the time is right, and we meet that special little soul that needs a loving fur-ever home.

Independence Day

 

 

Woolly flags made by me!

Wishing everyone a safe and happy holiday weekend! 

Happy Fourth of July America!

From Louise, Pog and Sadie

Sadness

With great sadness, yesterday evening, we decided to let our big girl Monica go.

She was part Malamute and as Pog would say laughingly, part Black Angus.

We were blessed to have her for 17 ½ years.

No one has had as loving and gentle of a big dog as we had in Monica.

She had become completely deaf, was losing her eyesight, had lost 20 pounds

 and was in kidney failure.

 About a week ago we had a visiting black bear and she was terrified.   

We kept her in the basement on her pile of rugs at night but I think it was just too much for her. After a bad week we decided that it was time to let her go and not suffer anymore.

We will miss you so much BBD (Big Black Dog).

Tell Chester and Kit hello for us.

I know that you three are running free and playing together now with no pain or suffering.

Love Mom and Pog