More Pics

I've been busy with a commission and I'm just now back to posting. Sorry about that. I will continue to work on it. But here are some more pics of my mini-vacay up north. Below is one of the inns on Mackinac Island.

St. Anne's is one of the churches on the island. They moved their cemetery to the preserve part of the island because the space on the main strand was needed for tourists.

This is the three horse carriage we took into the preserve part of the island. The whole island is a State Park. The other carriage ride we took had two horses. There are 300 horses on the island and three veterinarians during peak season. Only one doctor for people. So you know where you stand on the island. Horses first.

Circle Rock is a nice draw. In Victorian times they were able to climb onto the top. I can't imagine being a woman in a corset and long skirt doing that. But they did. It's gated off now. Right down in the center is a beach and road that goes all around the island. Eight miles.

I hate taking pics but I had a blast. You can see the top of the rock. It's a good ways down and wouldn't want to give it a try if I could.

Part of the marina looking out to Lake Huron.

There is a fort on the island. Fort Mackinac. Let's see... natives owned it, then French, then American, then British, then Americans again. I think that's the order. Close to it. These guys gave the last rifle demonstration for the year. The man in the front is in everyday regulation uniform and the one in the back is in dress uniform.

This is not on the island but on the coast of Lake Huron. Next to a lighthouse that I can't find where I'd written the name. Very pretty and relaxing.

And here's the lighthouse.

I'm Back- Again

When you go for a vacation, even a little one, you need a day or two to get back into the swing of things. A friend took me up north with her this week. Up north meaning the top part of the lower Michigan peninsula. Her dad has a hunter's cabin, so that's where we stayed for three days and three nights. Really cool. Saw deer and foxes. No otter though. We walked... a lot. We saw several lighthouses in the area, went to a couple of museums (one where we looked for fossils), and she took me to Mackinac Island. I'd never been. My friend has been going since she was a kid and loves the place. And now, so do I. We took a carriage ride around part of the island. Had lunch, saw the beautiful old houses that are now inns, a couple of old churches, the park or nature preserve section (the whole island is a State Park), and the fort. So I'm going to show a few pics at a time. Then it's on to Halloween things.

Back of the cabin.

The skies were threatening all the time. It rained every night so we didn't get a chance to catch the Northern Lights.

On the way up north we stopped to get this shot of Lake Huron.

Old Presque Isle Lighthouse.

The bell. Heavier than the Liberty Bell. I made the mistake and rung it. Boy was it loud. My friend Kristi yelled at me because she said it would summon all bad things. Fog. Zombie pirates.

New Presque Isle Lighthouse.

More tomorrow. Thanks for looking.

A Rambling No Pic Post - September

Eegads! Gazooks! Heck!

It's September y'all. A brand new month. We're in the third quarter of the year. The older I get, time just doesn't seem to like me anymore. But that's okay. I'm tough. Most of the time. I'm in a 'Never give up, never surrender' mode. I think. I did say this was rambling. So many disasters happening around the country right now. I say my prayers, send goddess vibes, and do what I can to make things a little bit brighter. Because right now, that's all I've got. Smile at a total stranger when I'm out and about. Wave greetings to people. Call a friend I haven't spoken to in years to just hear their voice because time goes on.

I am here in Michigan. I've come to the conclusion that I will be here for awhile and things will be okay. My Tribe is a good size and they believe in me. I'm ready to start believing in me... again. And I will continue to do so because life can throw some nasty things at you. Two more months until that wonderful time of the year. Halloween. Already leaves are changing colors overnight. The temps are staying south of 80, way south most days. We'll probably get and Indian summer in October. Or maybe not. But I'm ready for my first northern winter in eleven years.

So what's on the docket for the month? First I'm finishing up some doll dresses for another artist. I'm almost done with a witch doll and Raggedy Ann just needs a new dress. I will be participating in 29 Faces this month and get going on some new witches and Halloween things. I rewrote a draft to a mid-grade story that just wasn't working out. One more short story is ready for another draft. And a friend has invited up north to her dad's cabin. By a lake. Ha! That's so Halloween. I'll let you know how that goes. At first nothing was really going on in my life. Now, I'm out to change that, so expect a few more posts than usual. And I've got to make something for Halloween. I've been invited to a party. Hang in there peeps. I am.

New Face and Hair

I'm still working on being more consistent with things. Still. Not giving up though. I got Raggedy Ann and new face and hair.

Below is a trick to do loopy hair I learn a gazillion years ago when I first started dollmaking. I couldn't find my original but I taped together two pieces of cardboard and cut out the center up to about two inches from the other end. I wrapped the yarn around it and stitched down the middle. I'm able to pull the board towards me and the stitched loops backwards in order to wrap more yarn and continue stitching.

The new hair is on the top. Looped and ready to be stitched on her head. I didn't have the same kind of yarn so I used what I had in my stash. More pics coming.

Start, Stop, Start

Okay, this has been a weird six months. I relocated back to Michigan from North Carolina and I'm still adjusting. I'm now looking for some work and I'm okay with that. It was a big move and resources have been tapped. For awhile I felt like a failure and beat myself up a lot. But I've some wonderful friends who believe in me and my work and they have helped me get through a lot of things. I'm still learning about my new community but I'm ready to get back onto the creative bus. Train. Boat. It's time to put the big girl pants back on along with the tool belt and shoulder holster. And I'm working through one of my lists. Here's what I'm working on this week. Four projects need to be finished by the end of the week. Others need to be worked on.

I've got three cloth dolls to finish, two aliens to dress, a table runner to work on, a short story to retype, some doll dresses to make, and a purse to make. Wish me luck.

An Apron

My mother wants two aprons and I got the first one done. I was a simple one and I'm glad I did it because it's easing me back into sewing for myself. I couldn't believe some of the things, small things I forgot to do or look for. But, it's a start. One of those things is to make sure fabric is out of the way that you don't want stitched. Yes, that still happens to me. Next, if you're working with directional fabric, make sure it's cut the right way. I'm sure that will happen again, cutting directional fabric the wrong way. But she'll love. And the most important thing. Thank goodness for seam rippers. I need to buy a few more. You can never have enough of those or pincushions. Or fabric scissors. The ones only for fabric and if anyone else touches them you will put them in thumb screws. Off to the next thing.

Catching Up

Really working on keeping up with the sketching. I got a head cold on the way to South Haven and then when I got home it turned into a sinus infection. Feeling lots better now and my nose is still on my face. Another Day of the Dead Mariachi guy and some other creepies I may or may not work on. Thank goodness for Google Images because I only had a vague idea of what an accordion looked like. Now I have a set of five and have some different ideas for them. But for now I have a small commission for some doll clothes.