2 Saturdays ago...

First off, I have to apologize to anyone who has sent me email: I got it (probably), I just can't reply to it!! I'm having a hellish time with my new provider and they haven't been able to help with the fact that I can't send email. Port 25 anyone?!?!?!

So, if you've sent me email, please be patient, or phone me. That always works!

Now, 2 Saturdays ago Tammi, my mom and I got together to celebrate the Year of the Dragon and discuss our collaboration project! Tammi spoiled us silly with the most amazing culinary treats: fresh spring rolls with peanut sauce, salmon spread, egg salad and tuna salad, and this yummy raspberry sparkling juice!!! Wow! Mom and I had a lovely visit and Tammi and I got to share and show each other our ideas, fabrics, papers, etc... Here's a wee sampling.

The tiny dragon "body" is an example of how small Tammi can go, at about 1 1/2 inches, but we both agreed something a bit larger would be better. That way, the facial expression can be more developed, and the rapport between the 2 characters clearer.

Since then, I've pinned and cut out the bear's body parts... and that's about it. I've spent HOURS on this computer issue instead... AARRGGGHHH!!

Getting started...

So, tomorrow I'm getting together with Tammi and we're going to iron out our ideas and then we can start working on our collaboration: a dragon visiting a lady bear. It's quite exciting, I love Tammi's creations and am thrilled we're going to work together on this project. I've pulled together some mohairs that could become the bear, and odds and ends that could be useful and... fabric! Yes, at Fabricland they had this lovely green with almost a scale-like print, almost batik like... this will become the dress or perhaps the dragon's wings. Anyway, it's going to be fun and a great learning experience!

Happy Year of the Dragon!

Celebrate it, rejuvenate yourself! And if you've flubbed up on your New Year's resolutions, here's a good spot to try again!

"The Dragon is a creature of myth and legend. A symbol of good fortune and sign of intense power, the Oriental Dragon is regarded as a divine beast – the reverse of the malicious monster that Westerners felt necessary to find and slay. In Eastern philosophy, the Dragon is said to be a deliverer of good fortune and a master of authority. Therefore, those people born in Dragon years are to be honored and respected.

5th in the cycle, Dragon Years follow the Rabbit and recur every 12th year.
1904 * 1916 * 1928 * 1940 * 1952 * 1964 * 1976 * 1988 * 2000 *2012"

text and image from http://ivisitnewyork.com/chinese-new-year-2012

Tammi is a papier mache artist, so I thought this dragon would be a cool one to share with all of you! "Camarillo artist BiJian Fan created this dragon sculpture to welcome 2012, the year of the dragon." It's "just" paper!
from http://www.vcstar.com/news/2012/jan/03/local-artist-bijian-welcomes-the-year-of-the-drago/

Year of the Bat!

2012 is the Year of the Bat! (Actually, officially, it's 2011-2012, but that's kinda weird so we'll just leave it at that.)

Anyway, there are all kinds of batty things going on, like this education program at http://www.batslive.pwnet.org/

"BatsLIVE: A Distance Learning Adventure is an exciting, free education program for children in the 4-8th grades and their educators, that will bring bat conservation to life in your classroom or community."

You can adopt an adorable injured bat at http://www.batworld.org or learn about conservation efforts at http://www.batcon.org They can also tell you what to do if you find a bat in your home or want to build a bat house.

And of course, come October, the Online Hallowe'en Artists' Studio Trick or Treat will again take place, raising funds for bat conservation!

I Love NY!

Okay, it's too late to enter the contest but not too late to look at all the cool rat pictures and video on this site!
http://ratfreesubways.com/
Apparently, due to cutbacks, garbage isn't being taken care of promptly in the New York City metro system. The result? LOTS of rats! Watch the videos, it's amazing to see how many there are! Thankfully, the solutions they want to impliment don't involve poisons but removal of the garbage.

Perhaps it's finally time to visit New York City?

January highs and lows!

So far, I've been able to keep my resolutions, all 4! Only Willow hasn't had quite the stimulating attention I'd like to give her, although she has enjoyed many long hikes and playing with the neighbour's puppy, Luna. Furthermore, she's a mess with infections, first eye and now bladder... I don't know what's going on inside her, but tomorrow's visit to the vet should get us on track. She certainly doesn't look stressed, does she? Only puts her Mom threw the wringer...

And on what have I spent my time? Purging, mostly books. I'm an addict, a book addict, so I tend to bring home far more material than I ever will read. So then I get depressed about it... so on January 1st I sat down and heavy-handedly removed all the items I realized I would never actually choose to read (with all the options out there) and removed more than 20 books (okay, not so heavy-handed!). I also tossed a lot of magazines, ripping out the articles I want to keep and recycling the rest. (There's is still a pile of "maybes" to weed through.)

Wow! It's nice to have some open space! My books are all now on shelves again! And I actually have created room to organize all the material for the Online Hallowe'en Artists' Studio Trick or Treat. My goal is to free up a 1 1/2 foot long shelf in my cupboard for the 3 year's worth of paperwork I've amassed. Yes, I'm recruiting for our 4th year, so if you're interested email me!! Five artists have already said YES so don't delay too long, I think the cap has to be around 25 artists. There will be some interesting statistics shortly at the Hallowe'en tour's blog, http://halloweenstudiotour.blogspot.com/.

UPDATE: Yup, bladder infection! So Willow's on antibiotics and is sleeping like the poor, exhausted, molested baby she is!