Today was one of those days that when i open my eyes i tell myself "Tomorrow morning you will wake up and it will be all over!" It's a strange coping mechanism i have developed over the years. We have been in the process of remodeling our home now, for the last three years. We are almost done, and the worst of it is behind us. However, the longer it goes, the less i can tolerate it! Today we had the siding guys pull up before seven am, and the guys from the gas stove company come in right behind them. I had done all the prep work i could last night. As the stove guys had to get down into the basement(especially in the room where i keep my doves and my two guinea pig sows) I made sure to move their cages out of the way and to give them extra treats and cover them with sheets so they wouldn't be too upset by strangers walking in and out of their space. My parrot, Safou (who has pretty much the run of the house during daylight hours) was locked in his cage and covered too. He is a little fearful of tall men and squares-boxes, packages, etc...Since there would be both tall men and boxes going by his cage, i thought he's be more comfortable not knowing that. The dogs were happy to be out in the yard barking at the neighbors and sitting in the sun as it was a very nice Spring day today. After i was sure everyone was ok and settled, i slipped upstairs into my studio to do some straightening and maybe even get a little work done.
I made a few more "Lollidollies" and nestled them in the basket for a photo. I started another sock doll, but got called away before i got very far with that project. I did take a few more pictures. Here is a picture of the first glove dolls i made, and used the suggested patterns in the book "Sock and Glove" by Miyako Kanamori.
The white dog was the first glove doll i made and i named him "Archie". The little pig i named "Willem" My granddaughter Lola likes him a lot. After i learned the basic steps to make the glove dolls i started making my own little creatures. The little black bunny below is named "Bunnita" and the tiny pink striped mouse is named "Fiona" Fi needs a nose. I just haven't found the right button yet....
I took some pictures of some of my old dolls too. The big dolls sitting on my bed are almost as old as my children. I made these old girls when my children were very small, using my own pattern. The teddies sitting with them were mine when i was a child. The big bear i got when i had my tonsils out when i was two, and the little bear we named "Hunny", was given to me when i was born. Now that is an old bear! Both bears were loved so much their fur was rubbed off, and the little bear, Hunny had to be re stuffed.
And then there is my favorite doll of all...My Raggedy Ann.
My Grandmother Mary Stopera, gave me this doll right after i turned 19, as a Christmas gift. As you can see, Annie has the same problem as the old teddies. She has been with me a long time- 34 years this past Christmas. She has been chewed on by a few puppies (long gone now) and age has hardened her stuffing and made her body fabric very fragile. (I can relate!) So part of what i did today was make new leggings for her out of a piece of material i had here, and i will whip stitch them onto her legs soon. I just hope there is some sturdy material left to stitch them to! So tho the day was hectic, i did accomplish some things.
The siding is almost complete, and
we have a lovely cast iron stove too! Zinnia especially appreciates the extra heat. It was a busy day. I'm glad it's over....
This is my new glove doll. His name is Arlo, and he is a donkey...
He has a very nice tail and a full black mane
And WHO could resist that face! Hopefully he will find his Soul mate once he gets to The Paper Sparrow and is seen by the passers by....
And this is Clementine! She wears her Valentine!
She has bright orange painted hair and a very nice smile. She has a skirt on now...
but under that skirt she has a very pretty pair of shorts on... She will be looking for someone to love at The Paper Sparrow too, but it will have to be someone who understands her true nature, as she comes off as being a little "stiff" at times.... We'll see....
I call these little guys "Buns". They are made much 
maybe 
This little sweetie is one of the recipients of the Mother Bear project... Any knitters out there want to help? They have a pattern for crochet too! Their motto is: "Make a Bear-Make a Difference"
This is a close up of the dog's face. His name is 
I made her for my sister in law Ann, who is struggling with Alzheimer's Disease. She has always loved stuffed animals and cats, so i hope this little one will bring her some joy...In the meantime i am working on the embroidered faces, and i like them better than the painted ones on the sock material. What do you think? 
My friend and fellow bonsai enthusiast Scott, gave me some seeds to try to sprout and here are a few of the babies-little Jacaranda trees! It's hard to believe these little guys have the ability to grow 30 feet high!
And i thought i would include a picture i took this morning of my little gas stove working away! We had some torrential rains and very heavy thunderstorms move in last night, and this morning the air was chilled just enough to trigger the stove to kick on. This will probably be the last time this will happen until Fall, as the hot and humid weather is set to move in tomorrow. Here comes Summer!
In this picture the black bunny's ears have been untied and let down into a "lop 
