Say HI! to Summer

Well, a couple of more changes for me this year!

I have changed jobs again and am now working at Tramontina USA, Inc. With the way the economy has been going I have gone back to my original carreer choice...customer service representative. This type of job will never go away and I can work at any company anywhere! Tramontina makes cookware here in the USA! Yep, right here in Houston and in Wisconsin. I don't think I ever paid much attention to instructions on how to use frying pans and such before when I bought them. Boy, have I learned a bunch....and you can actually cook DRY on a nonstick surface and it works! But on to bigger and better changes!

The best and I think the most exciting change is that I will as of May 16th, be the new "Nanny" of the Material Girls Doll Club. The Nanny is what would be referred to as the president of the club in most other circles. I really look forward to this position and hope I can do a great job.

The next change (I guess "event" would be a better word for it) will be my doll class being held the last weekend in August this summer. I am teaching my doll "Summer" that was just recently dedicated to Elaina, my friend from Romania. She gave me a Romanian painted duck egg that is painted the exact colors that Summer is dressed in - so, now Summer is holding the egg in her lap.

I am currently working on a secret sister doll for the Material Girls anniversary meeting next weekend. These are two tiny dolls about 6" in length that needed to go inside a cigar box measuring 5" x 9". I couldn't just stick them in there, so they have to have a theme too...Relaxing on an Autunm Day. I still have to finish the box and the tree so I'll post a picture after the meeting.

Thinking of starting back into my cat jackets at the local cat shows here in Houston but other than getting ready for the Houston Quilt Festival that just about wraps it up for me.

It's a new year! 2009

It seems like forever since I've entered anything on here.

Lots of changes in my life this past year. I can now said that I've actually been thru a huricane (Ike), I've been laid off at my job and have changed my carreer after 24 years. Well, sort of changed my carreer. I am now working at a staffing agency for manufacturers (ResourceMFG). I really like it and have some new skills now, including payroll. But I am still working as a insurance agent. When my former job ended I contacted my old boss, Stephanie Branham. She suggested that we work together on the individual health products side of the business.

I have also attended my first show with TAODA (Texas Asso of Orginal Doll Artists) just before Christmas. It was a very good experience and one that I will follow up with in the future. This reminds me that I need to contact another chairperson that is in charge of Celebrations @ 2nd Baptist Church here in Katy. This is a juried show and very hard to get in to, so I'd better do that tomorrow!

I am now working 6 days a week and have no empty time to do anything. Hopefully that will change here within the next month or so and I can start making dolls again.

Well, I guess I had better start making dolls again, since I have one due in April for one of the Houston Quilt Festival sponsors for our doll club, The Material Girls. Just have to get the ol' brain working again in the imagination department. Forget those numbers for awhile and come up with a design for a new doll.

I also met a good friend of mine at Old Town Spring several weeks ago. Her mother from Romainia was out for Christmas and she wanted me to meet her. We had a really good time., but then I always have a good time when I met up with Cristiana. Her mother, Neita, is in her own right an Artist, though her skills are a bit different than mine. She is in the top 100 artists in Romania and has had a hand in lots of different types of art from theater to puppets to sculpture. She was so excited to actually see one of my dolls up close and absolutly speachless whe I gave her one of my mermaids for a Christmas present. It was a very emotional moment and I was glad I chose to present the gift before we went into lunch. Between the tears and the squeals we would have difinitely made a scene at the resturant. She has now left to go back home to Romania and will be missed but not forgotten.

Now I have a new doll to make using the two sand casted autumn leaves that Neita and Cristiana gave me while in Old Town Spring. I already have an idea in mind so I just have to get busy. One of them will be given back to Cristiana and the other I will keep as a rememberance of that special day. I will difenitely like to meet her mother again when she comes back out to Texas next year at Christmas time.

Well, that about wraps up my year and has me looking forward to spring and my friend, Robin's vacation out here in May. Don't know what we are going to do, but I'm sure it will be fun and full of running around Houston!

I got TAGGED by Angela!

So, I need to post 4 things about me on my blog. Okay, I guess I will put down things that most people would NOT know about me.

1. I love to go camping. Can be in a trailer (my husband likes this way best LOL) or can be in a tent or roughing it all the way with just a backpack and sleeping bag! It's got to be in the woods though with water of some kind (creek, river or lake) near by.
2. I am a city girl by birth but would love to move to the country. Used to go on vacations to upper Idaho on my Grandma's Dairy Ranch. Loved it (not so much the Cow Pies, LOL) but everything else was great. Come to think about it, I really didn't go for the mountain lion screaming while I was hiking on their path either...have you EVER heard one of those??? Me? only once and that was enough! I don't think I would go so far as to have a farm, just a little cabin or A frame in the woods. But, it would definitely have to have DSL hook up. And cable or have a really good shopping area near by...nah - I can get everything that I need from the internet!!! Well, maybe when we retire or win the Lottery!
3. I hate to cook but love to make desserts! Anything with chocolate or that is really good and sweet. Can you tell I am a chocoholic? Oh yeah! Hey, have you tried the new Mint 3 Musketeer's they have out now? I have got to figure a way to put that in some type of dessert!
4. I guess the only other thing that I do all the time is my work. I am an insurance agent. I know, I know. If you would have told me 30 years ago that I would be in any type of insurance let alone Health, I would have said you were NUTS. But then again, if Ms. Marks knew I typed on a computer all day long she would have fainted away (I REALLY hated her Typing class in high school-frozen fingers during first class was a great excuse!). But back to the insurance thing...well, I have been in Life or Health insurance for over 20 years now and I really like it. I am mostly in the admin side of it, but it is really interesting. There is somthing new everyday - not the same old boring stuff!

Okay - this was a lot harder than I thought it would be! I almost ran out of things that most would not know about me from my blogg. Hummm. Now who can I tagg in return???

Well, bye till next time!

Nov to Jan - Happy New Year!

Boy, have I had a busy two months. Of course, it's always like that for most people from Thanksgiving to Christmas.

I did my booth at the Cat Show mid Nov. which was in itself sort of a sucess. Only sold 3 jackets but got an order for 10 custom jackets for a cattery in Clebourn Tx. Sandi breeds sphinx kittens and needed an actual jacket so they would not get cold during the winter and summer (we just have to have air conditioning in Texas!). Hopefully these will fill her need for those little babies and provide me with a new outlet for cat jackets of a different type.

Had Thanksgiving and Christmas at our home this year. With work and gas prices, it is way to much to go to California for Thanksgiving or Christmas, but maybe next year. Very quiet but not much relaxing around our house.

I had 3 dolls to make before Christmas and one of those went into the TAODA "Flights of Fancy" show at the Houston Center for Contempory Crafts. I finally got "Sunday Afternoon Flight" done the day before she was due. Had a problem with her "friend's" body and could not find what I wanted to complete it. I will post a picture of her later...she is a Christmas present for Susan, so I don't want to blow the hold thing until I'm sure that she has seen it in the show. Susan was supposed to be there tonight (our opening reception) but I had to leave before she got there. All of the dolls in the show turned out great...the TAODA women who set up did a fantasic job over at the center. KUDO's to you all!

David took his kitties home on Christmas night. I sure miss those little girls but it was time. David said that I may get Ivy back though. Apparently she is afraid of Males. She was skittish to being with but I guess I cuddled her too much. They both have hit a growth spurt and are not so little anymore. Ivy is now 11 months old and Cleo 10 months. They are both in a small walking jacket and Ivy will be in a Medium before too long. Can't wait to get her back around here again. Cleo will be coming over on the weekends to visit along with her "new" friend - a little white chocolate point Siamese mix - he sure is cute. But then again I think ALL kitties are cute. Just call me crazy for cats!

Now that the holidays are over, maybe we can all get back to a normal pace around here again. I actually sat down and read some of my book that I started before Thanksgiving. Got more reading done in two nights that the whole two months before. :)

With that note, I will sign off for now. Everyone have a great and happy new year!

Houston Cat Show @ the Sheraton Hotel North

Well, this weekend is it!

The Houston Cat Show and my booth with my Cat Walking Jackets. I put Ivy's jacket on her and took her picture but there was no way that I could get a picture of Cleo in her's. She wanted outside - doesn't matter if it's dark or not...out the door is where she wanted to go! Everytime I snapped the picture she was moving. Oh well, maybe later.

I've been working on the last minute details that you never think about till your first show is upon you. Mike mentioned a cash box with reciepts - oh yeah, I guess I need those, huh? I'm making a quilted banner (from the Cheetah Faux Fur that some of my jackets are made of) it's almost done and turning out really pretty cool. Have to finish the lettering and the sparkles on the kitty paw's and then I'm done.

I started getting butterfly's last night thinking about all that I have to do still and actually doing the show (my first). It should be fun though. Lots of sitting in the booth since there's only be me and my son or hubby there most of the time. Hum....I think I'd better put a pillow cushion in with my stuff for the fold up chairs! LOL

Hopefully this will kick off my business and make all this work thru the summer worthwhile. Everyone wish me luck! :)

Houston Quilt Festival is now done and gone till next year!

I didn't really get to go as much as I wanted too, but I did go all day Sat from 9am to 5pm. Yeah, my feet and legs were really tired, but I really had fun. The first day is always about checking out the Material Girls Doll Exhibt and shopping!

I helped put up the doll exhibt but had to leave before it was totally done - so over to the display first. It was great this year. So many of the girls in our club did really great dolls. You know you've seen a really great doll when your jaw drops open and you say "how did she DO that???" I now have a couple of girls in our club that I will have to pick their brains for their technique.

Then on to shopping! I put a limit on the amount of money I could spend and immediately broke that limit before the first 4 hrs. I stayed mostly to ideas that I already had rolling around up there in my brain but didn't have the materials to complete. Got all of the stuff for my secret sister doll for Material Girls that is due on Dec 15th - oh, yeah...I am that far behind! :-) It's even worse - I have two more dolls that I have to finish before Christmas!!! Anyway, I found some other goodies that I would never have been able to find other than on the web, so I bought those too! Of course I had to go to Beyond Beadery - OMG, they have the most wonderfull selection of beads and Swarovski Crystals that I have ever seen anywhere. This is where I usually stock up on my bead and crystal "stash" for the year. I can buy from their web site but the sparkly eye candy when you walk down the asile toward their HUGE booth is to die for! There is no way that I can get by that booth without dumping a good portion of the money that I brought with me. But, I also plan on that too, so they are usually the first booth that I go to. Can you tell that I am a Swarovski nut? Then on to Treasure of the Gypsy - of course all of us Material Girls have to go there! She helps put on the doll exhibt and has the coolest, most beautifull silks and trims - she even has some that are made only for her from women in China (I think). To bad she doesn't have a web site that we can buy from....only at festival is she available to the buying public in Houston. If you've never been to her booth and you are "in to" fabric or trims, this is a MUST! You will drool over her stuff! :-) After Treasures I kind of just did the wander up and down each asile thing, got some yarn and fibers and just had a really good time. Good thing I took the Park and Ride down...I collapsed during the ride back on the bus.

Then back the next day (but only for 4 hrs) to see the quilts and take down the doll exhibt. All in all it was another great International Quilt Festival here in Houston. Can't wait for it to come back next year!