Spirit dolls and deep stash dive

I didn't make spirit dolls for the gallery all summer because I was burned out on them and they don't sell well anyway in the summer because it's too hot for tourists. But last week I realized that snow bird season is almost upon us and I needed to get a few more up to Absolutely Art. 

And that's when I started rummaging in my craft stashes and found all sorts of things I had totally forgotten about: deer skin scraps that had been tanned by my ex almost 30 years ago, pheasant feathers given to me way back in college in the '70s for jewelry that I made, wool roving perfect for hair that I bought at the Taos Wool Festival at least 20 years ago, and iron-on metallic cord that had never been opened from the Houston Quilt Festival in the '90s!

I used a scrap of deer skin, a metal charm and turquoise chunks from Albuquerque that I bought many moons ago for the first spirit doll. And I hung some of those pheasant feathers from yarn. I named her "Fortitude" because that's what the charm makes me think of.

I used more pheasant feathers and rediscovered green wool roving (cleaned and carded but unspun wool) for another doll ...

... I'm calling her "Forest."

For the belt, I braided three of the iron-on cords together but they were so old that they no longer ironed on and I had to sew them down.

I painted the dress and sheer shawl fabrics a long time ago.

I made a third one, but she doesn't have anything really old on her. Unless you count the yarn hair that I bought when I still lived in Illinois, sometime before 2008. She's called "Abundance."

She reminds me of Robert Plant from Led Zeppelin with her wild orange hair!

In other news, we're getting in on the edges of Tropical Storm Rachel, with the wind lifting part of my shade sail off its hook and flapping it around.

A little later the sun was out when I made a quick trip to Tohono Chul garden. I went with a friend to buy our first loaves of the award winning Barrio Bread because it had a two-hour pop-up store at Tohono Chul. We got there about an hour after it opened and they were sold out! But we got to talk with the famous owner, Don Guerro, who has achieved national recognition with a James Beard Award for outstanding baker. He's committed to using heritage grains in his artisan bread and I was dying to try some! 

And we saw this beautiful butterfly as we left.

Have a colorful day

Let hiking season begin!

It's finally cool enough for me to hike without getting out at dawn! This morning I hiked at Catalina State Park for the first time since May. It was only in the 70s and the washes were running from the monsoon rain. Monsoon season officially ended Sept. 30, yesterday.

It was Hike #45 out of the 70 I want to do by my 71st birthday on Dec. 20. That means a little over two hikes a week, which is perfectly doable now that it's cooler.

 

I was curious to see how the park had changed over the summer. Besides the streams being full, I found delicate purple and yellow flowers along the trails.

The mountain flanks are also covered in green from our six inches of summer rain.

I'm also continuing to sew for my holiday bazaar. Here are some toiletry/other stuff pouches with matching tissue holders -- travel kits!

Finally, this really speaks to me. Before I got my hearing aids this is how my life was.

Have a colorful day

Fall

 

I missed posting on the fall equinox because I was on the road to visit my mother in Oceanside, CA. Fall here isn't chilly mornings and falling leaves. It's sunshine, warm weather and playing outside in shorts and a t-shirt. That's Oceanside above, where the beach was speckled with sunbathers, surfers and people strolling on the strand last week.

And this is my yard, with more blue skies and temps in the 90s (it's "cooling" off). 

Fall means it's finally cool enough that I can come out of summer hibernation and sip my morning coffee on the patio -- in shorts and a sleeveless top. We don't do cozy sweaters here in the Sonoran Desert in the fall. I miss the brilliant fall foliage a little from when I lived up north, but I'd much rather have sunny skies and warm temps for getting outside all fall, winter and spring without having to bundle up. Fall means I can throw on shorts, a t-shirt, sandals and a sun hat and head out for the day.

On my walk this morning, I also thought about how fall is one of the seasons of our lives. I'm definitely in my fall at 70, with things on my body falling to remind me! My mother is in her winter at 94 but still enjoying life -- just at a slower pace. She's content to read the morning paper, do her word puzzles and chat with friends at meals. The staff at her assisted living home says she keeps them all laughing.

My daughter is in her summer season, blooming as a mother in her 30s. Little Juniper, 2, is in spring, with her whole big life opening up ahead of her.

Happy fall!

Making more snow ladies

This was the week of sitting inside during the rain and heat and making more snow lady wool ornaments for my holiday bazaar. Just these eight took the better part of several days, and now it's time to turn to something else for awhile. But I'll return to them later -- I still have lots of colors of wool to use!

This is my favorite, a spiffy white-haired blue-eyed lady in hot pink!

They're more labor intensive than you'd think. First I cut out the bodies and embroider the eyes and mouth with French knots and a back stitch. Then I tie on buttons to coordinate with the scarf and hat colors. The balls of perle cotton will be the hair.

Then I sew the front and back bodies together, turn, stuff, and hand sew the openings closed. This is a good evening television project.

The most creative part (besides the thrill of choosing the colors) is doing a variety of hair and hat styles. I did this lady's curly salt and pepper hair with French knots. I also tack the scarves down just the way I want them to hang with invisible stitches. I've come up with a handful of hat styles, and I'm sure there will be more! Then the final touch, the glueing on of the nose which will also be tacked down with invisible stitches.

I think I need to make some brunettes.

 

I also realize that I'm missing purple! That'll be next.

Have a colorful day

More monsoon magic

 

We had another monsoon dump yesterday that put a rainbow over my house and magic light in the sky. I got another inch in my rain gauge.

Meanwhile, on the east side there were three flash flood rescues within half an hour. Fortunately no one was injured except maybe the cars. 

On my neighborhood walk this morning I saw the remnants of the storm in new ponds and big puddles. I always think of reflections in water as magical.

This Mexican bird of paradise is reflected in what's normally a gravel walkway.

The barrel cacti love a good rain.

I think the pink flower is oleander. It added more color to my walk. And more rain is forecast for later today!

Have a colorful day