January 31

My first attempt at just eyeballing it without instructions. I'm going to make a few with non-button eyes to give to the wee ones I know. This one seems just the right size for a certain little man who'll be turning 1 this year.

January 30

Since getting a cold a week ago all I've wanted to eat is vegetables. I've been vegetarian for a year, so it hasn't been a big change, but for a week now vegetables have been pretty much the ONLY things I've wanted to ingest. Veggie soup, curried veggies, salads, and tonight, a ragout of baby potatoes, asparagus, carrots, pearl onions, artichokes, shallots and garlic. Ahhhh.

January 29

January 28

The eighth and last pattern in John Murphy's book, Stupid Sock Creatures. I think this one's my favourite so far. Now I'm ready to branch out into my own designs. I like making them because (a) they're fast: about two hours from go to whoa when entirely stitched by hand (b) they're free (well, OK, I did go to Big Lots a few days ago and get some dollar pairs of socks) and (c) they elicit smiles from myself and others. What's not to love?

January 27

Josh and Lauren attended the peace rally. I made a stupid sock creature. Funny, I used to be a big activist in my teen years, but the idea of marching with thousands of people just doesn't appeal to me anymore.

January 26

Nineteen years ago, while the rest of the country was parading and barbecuing, I was celebrating Australia Day in the labour ward of Gold Coast Hospital. What a great day that was. When her father first held our third child, he gazed at her, then at me, and whispered in awe, "She's perfect!" Happy birthday, darling Rhea.

January 25

January 24

January 23

January 22

I'll take a better picture tomorrow when I have some natural light.

January 21

This fella's as yet unnamed. Suggestions?

January 20

January 19

Meet Frazzle.

January 18

Home again.

January 17

January 16

January 15

Dallas. Brrrr.

January 14

And this is Oscar. He's small -- only 10cm (4") high. I'm ready to graduate to adult-sized socks!

But for now I have to stop sewing and address my "must-do" list. I'm going to Dallas tomorrow for a press check, so I need to clean the house, cook some meals, and pack my winter woollies. There's an ice storm warning in effect there.

"SIGNIFICANT ICE ACCUMULATIONS ON TREES AND POWER LINES MAY CAUSE THEM TO BREAK AND FALL. PREPARE FOR POSSIBLE POWER OUTAGES. STAY AWAY FROM DOWNED POWER LINES AS THEY MAY STILL BE LIVE. ROADS...BRIDGES...AND OVERPASSES WILL BE SLICK AND HAZARDOUS. IF TRAVEL IS NECESSARY...EXERCISE EXTREME CAUTION AND KEEP AN EXTRA BLANKET... FLASHLIGHT...FOOD...AND WATER IN YOUR VEHICLE IN CASE YOU BECOME STRANDED".

Oh joy.

January 13

I had fun tie-dying all those kid's white socks last night. So today, may I introduce you to Fran. I know her tail looks like it's way too high, but when your crotch is level with your armpits, your tail sprouts out between your shoulder blades. It's just the way it is.

January 12

I made my first stupid sock creature, from a child's sock. She's the apple of my eye ;-) I think she needs a tutu. Something about those stumpy legs says "ballerina", non?



LATER: Lulu now has a name, and a tutu.

January 11

Dawn in my garden.

January 10

This orchid lives happily at my kitchen window, where it produces a flower every year. A few weeks ago I accidentally closed the window on the new flower stalk, chopping off the growing tip. I wasn't sure if it would recover, but it seems to be sprouting anew from the end. Who said orchids were hard to grow? This one's unstoppable!

January 9

A new series of cards is in the works. I have a whole bunch of males on my birthday list, so I'm trying to make something a little masculine.

January 8

Today's art is still too wet to scan or photograph, so instead I'm sharing a piece Lauren brought home from school today. She's very excited about the possibility of a trip to New York this summer. In case you can't tell, that's the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty.

January 7

Walk 7 in Walking L.A. explores the beautiful campus of UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles). Apparently the outdoor sculpture garden is the largest on the West Coast. You can see all the photos here, though unfortunately the last of them, taken in the botanic gardens, were corrupted. We detoured into the Fowler Museum but my camera had to stay in my checked backpack while there. I'd like to return with a sketchbook to the current exhibitions, especially the "Intersections" exhibit. There's also a gallery of fancy dresses made from zillions of condoms that's worth a visit for the wow factor!

January 6

A little different for me ... but I'm liking it!

January 5

Between Powerpoint sessions today I built up many layers on a bunch of backgrounds. You'll be seeing a few finished pieces with a similar colour scheme over the next few days.

January 4

You can read Ali's post here. What's YOUR one little word?

January 3

Making backgrounds ...

January 2

Mid-afternoon, I took a break from PowerPoint (was there ever a more boring program?) and went walking. I'm examining different places where I can actually sit down (preferably not on the ground) to draw in my neighbourhood. I have quite a few bus stop seats, but I'm not that impressed with the views around them. Today I discovered that the Home Depot garden center, which is currently quite empty, has plenty of places to sit, both on actual chairs (for sale) and on benches and stoops that will be covered with potted plants as spring approaches. Round trip: 3 miles.

January 1

Josh and Lauren left before 5 a.m. to drive to Pasadena for the Rose Parade, leaving me to wake up at a leisurely pace and spend a lovely morning by myself. I really treasure alone time, so for me it was a perfect start to the year. After pottering and doing a little cleaning up, I donned my backpack and headed out into the wind for some groceries and other stuff.