Oh my......

I've fed the kids

washed the kids

brushed their teeth

washed the dishes

made the coffee

watched Clifford

window shopped

blogged

twittered

answered emails

started a fresh loaf of oatmeal bread

..... I just looked at the clock.... it is still only 9:45

this could be the longest day......

Hiya Hiya Love!

I made a trip Down to visit family in Kentucky a couple of weeks ago, and I visited a yarn shop called Crafty Hands. What a great shop! I wish we had an LYS like that around here.... the shop owner carried such a wonderful variety of yarns. Unfortunatly I was really only able to stock up on yarn for my gnome hat orders.... but I did snag a couple of cool items!

My step-mom got me the coolest little circular needles for knitting socks, it is called the Hiya Hiya. I love it, it is so tiny, but so easy to use at the same time.



I am knitting up a pair of baby leg warmers for Cael, and Rowan put in a request for some arm bands as well. When you knit the socks on the needles, you do need to use dpn's for heel shaping.... I'll probably do that project after I make Ro's arms bands though.... I will try to remember to blog it once I get there to show how it works.



Ah..... here is a picture of the stash. It is mostly Brown Sheep for the shop, and a few sock yarns. I plan to order some handspun from a couple of sellers on etsy soon. I am also going to pick up some wool and do some dying myself. I think it has almost been a year since I did any wool dying, and my supply is starting to run out.



There she is! The reason I went down for a visit was to see my brand spanking new niece Molly Elizabeth Tandy. What a little beauty! Such a sweet little one.... Cael and Rowan loved her, and now Ro is asking me for another!!!!! I said, "where do you plan to put another baby in this tiny little house?"
She said, " In my bed."

Lil' Totem Softies

Here come the Softies!

I finished up and listed a couple today, and will be listing more over the weekend.

These little softies are based on the Pumpkinhaus Prim. Only they are around 10" tall.... and a bit more colorful!

(click any of the pictures to be taken to the softie section of my shop)

I have been making very small (1") little talisman dolls for my step-dad. He uses them for his clients as an effigy/talisman/totem, He is a Jungian Psychotherapist and a Shaman. I was going to put them in my shop, but it would be so hard to make and photograph many little 1" dolls.... so I decided to make them bigger.

So, you can purely love these for the sake of being a softie lover.... or you can dig in a little deeper....

This colorful little totem/talisman will watch over you and bring you protection. Infused with a natural essential aromatherapy oil of your choice.


Each individual little totem is about 10 inches tall and is made up of a hodge podge of beautiful fabrics (vintage and new), buttons, lace, applique, wool felt and hand dyed and spun yarn (by my favorite! fabulosity.etsy.com).


Lie it on your bed, couch, or drag the little thing around with you everywhere you go for maximum effect!


These are all one of a kind little beings, and there are many, many to choose from so you can find yourself a perfect match!


Here is a list of available oils to choose from:

Anise ~ cheering, mildly euphoric
Bergamot ~ uplifting, inspiring, confidence-building
Cedarwood ~ emotional stress, anxiety, powerlessness
Cinnamon Cassia ~ comforting, energizing, warming
Citronella ~ purifying, vitalizing
Clary Sage ~ centering, euphoric, visualizing
Eucalyptus ~ purifying, invigorating
Grapefruit ~ refreshing, cheering
Geranium ~ soothing, mood-lifting, balancing
Jasmine ~ calming, relaxing, sensual, romantic
Lavender ~ balancing, soothing, calming, relaxing, healing
Lemon ~ uplifting, refreshing, cheering
Orange ~ uplifting, cheering, sensual
Patchouli ~ romantic, soothing, sensual
Peppermint ~ vitalizing, refreshing, cooling
Rosewater ~ romantic, supportive, gently uplifting
Rosemary ~ clarifying, invigorating
Spearmint ~ refreshing, cooling, vitalizing
Thyme ~ cleansing, purifying, energizing
Ylang Ylang ~ uplifting, cheering, sensual
~ or ~
None ~ I don't want to send you a stinky doll if you don't want it!!!

Please note: These little beings are NOT intended for children.

Why? Hmmmmm... not really sure. Ask someone at the CPSA.

Thanks for looking!

Drumroll Please..........

The One World One Heart Blog Extravaganza has come to an end..... it has been so much fun participating this year!

I had 165 entries in my giveaway, and I know I probably entered twice as many as that myself! There are some fabulous bloggers and artists out there, and you can access each one through the host blog, she will keep the links up for 6 months (that is like over 100 blogs to read each month!)

~ OWOH ~

I wrote each number down on a little strip of paper (1/2" x 1"), and had my daughter Rowan dig in and choose the numbers.

She pulled out 3 and 75

So, I am pleased to announce the winners!

The winner of Giveaway No. 1:
Lil Patchwork Frou Frou Skirt is....

Cozy Cabin Creations

and~

The winner of Giveaway No. 2:
Marcy Lumpkinmaus is....

Sarah

Yea!

Thank you so much to everyone that entered my giveaway!

One World One Heart Coming to a Close!

Tonite is your last chance to enter the One World One Heart Giveaway! Tomorrow morning, I will rise, perk myself up a pot 'o coffee, and draw two wonderful names out of a hat!

Click on the banner at the top right hand side of my blog to be directed to the giveaway post..... Good Luck!!

A Dress The Color of the Weather

A couple of weeks ago we rented Peau d'âne (1970) ( U.S. title: Donkey Skin) Directed by Jacques Demy. With Catherine Deneuve, Jean Marais, Delphine Seyrig. Demy was also the director of The Umbrellas of Cherbourg and The Young Girls of Rochefort, two of my favorite films which I became aware of when I worked at Video Paradiso (cornball name..... great rentals) in Claremont, California.

I am utterly obsessed with the story of Peau d'Ane now. In the story, Peau d'Ane's mother, the Queen dies, and her last dying wish is that her husband never marry again unless the woman is more beautiful than she. Well, as you can guess.... who could possibly be more beautiful than the Queen..... her daughter, Peau d'Ane. Her father wishes to marry Peau d'Ane, so she seeks council from her fairy godmother who advises her that it is unnatural for daughters to marry their fathers.... regardless of whether or not they are king.

She tells Peau d'Ane, in order to avoid marriage with her father, she is to ask her him for the impossible....

to make her a dress the color of the weather.

I will tell you more of the story a bit later.....

Hats! Hats! More Hats!

Introducing ~

The Amelia Flight Hat

Here are the first round of embellished beauties! These were so much fun to make. These are all available at The Pumpkinhaus now!

The Amelia Flight Hat - Paisley Tapestry

The Amelia Flight Hat - Floral Corduroy

The Amelia Flight Hat - Yellow Lotus

The Amelia Flight Hat - Ochre Floral

The Amelia Flight Hat - Yellow Floral

Stay tuned for The Pixie Flight Hat!

~ Thanks for looking ~

Little Leilee and Cora - ADO team Broken Heart Challenge Art Doll by Pumpkinhaus for Valentines Day

Well! She is finished!!! And not a moment to soon!!!

Presenting~

Little Leilee and Cora

Little Leilee clutches her dear heart Cora ever so tightly this Valentines day. She made herself a little baby dear so that she could be reminded that the world didn't always have to be so hard, cold and lonely.

Leilee is 13" tall (sitting - toes to the top of her head) and is hand sculpted out of polymer clay over a rigid armature. She is hand painted and finished with a UV resistant gloss glaze. Her dress is comprised of vintage fabrics, hand dyed vintage lace.... and a pair of my favorite socks that Rowan wore when she was a tiny babe. Her hair is a Japanese modacrylic wig.

Sweet Cora is a tiny ragdoll that can come out of Leilee's arms. Her body is batik and she has vintage fabric embellishments and vintage buttons for eyes. Her braids are made from hand dyed and spun yarn from Fabulosity.etsy.com (my favorite!)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You can check out some of her progress here:

http://pumpkinhaus.blogspot.com/2008/12/this-face-makes-me-giddy.html

http://pumpkinhaus.blogspot.com/2008/12/baby-in-oven.html

http://pumpkinhaus.blogspot.com/2008/12/i-painted-little-dear.html

The Rita Cape

This is the second in the Woodland Cape series. As I was photographing this yesterday morning, and Joe and I decided it had a 60's psychedelia feel to it. I can see Grace Slick wearing this on top of the roof in New York city. Or Rita Lee from Os Mutantes, sitting cross legged, singing on Brazilian television.

It is made with vintage woven wool in olive green, and the hood is made from a vintage apron with embroidered little animals. It is secured upon your shoulders with the apron ties. The inside is the warmest, bright pink fleece with a pop art circle design in the hood and a super soft plum colored fleece for the body of the cape, the edge is trimmed in a sweetly woven jacquard trim.

Available now at The Pumpkinhaus!