Blog Give Away!!

After writing about my recent sad and happy experiences with our kitties, so many of you wrote to me with your own stories of your loving pets. Thank you for that!

It was so nice and heartwarming to hear about all the love we have for our beloved animals, that I want to finagle some more pet stories and memories out of you guys! And what better way to do that than with a bribe! A give away bribe to be more specific!

Leave a comment telling me a story or memory about your pet(s), current or remembered. They can be funny, heartfelt or surprising. And it doesn't have to be just about cats or dogs. There are all sorts of pets and I personally have been lucky enough to have made many animal friends of all shaped and sizes over the years.

I'll start off with my own memories of the pet cows I had as a kid. Sequin was a beautiful mostly black girl that won all the ribbons at the fair and had a snotty personality to match. Jaxx was a big fatty with a heart of gold. She was so wide she could hardly fit through the milking parlor doors! Sequin would see me from a distance in the barn or pasture and would look for a second, then turn the other way. Jaxx would see me and come running over to be scratched and patted. Jaxx loved apples and carrots, which I always gave to her on her birthday. Sequin liked to run away from me during walks and roll around on any hill or sand pile that happened to be nearby...a scary thing to watch, as their stomachs can get twisted that way! They were so opposite in personality, but they were my babies and I still smile when I think of them. :)

Ok, now your turn! I'll randomly pick a winner in one week, the evening of Thursday, July 29th. I will announce the winner here and they'll get to choose between the spun cotton dog or cat. Also, I'd love to have a chance to write back to you guys individually when you leave comments. If you'd like for me to write back, just include your email address in the comment. :)

Do You Believe in Fate?

Do you believe in fate? I think I might.

Magic has been living under the apple trees in the cow pasture at my parent's house now for almost two weeks. And while I feel comforted knowing what a beautiful and meaningful place that is...it hurts to know that she's not here with us. Somehow I think fate felt that we needed something to help us heal right away. We didn't exactly seek out new companions... Nothing could replace Magic. But after driving Magic back to New York and laying her to rest that evening, my sister told me about some long haired kittens that needed homes at the farm next door. The next door neighbors, who are our second cousins, weren't actively seeking homes for these kittens and so they were otherwise doomed for a hard and short life on the farm, as Magic almost was all those years ago. Their sibling had already been stepped on by a calf, as Magic's sweet brother had been as well.

Ben thought it was too soon, but I knew in my heart that we needed them as much as they needed us. I couldn't imagine having to spend long days in the studio all alone with no one to distract me and no one to pet. And I couldn't bear leaving them behind to live a dangerous life. I convinced him to go look at them and if they were the right age to be taken from their mom, then I knew it would be right. Low and behold, they were the right age and were fluffy adorable little things. Irresistible. The gray and white one cuddled with me instantly.

They came back to Boston with us and slept beneath my feet the whole time.

Since then Sophie and Paige have been filling that hole Magic left in our hearts. It seemed that Magic left us at the time she did almost knowing she had to make way for new lives. She had a brain tumor and lasted far longer than the vet had expected and for that we will be forever grateful...and also grateful for the wonderful gift she has given us with her life...and now with the lives of these kittens that are so well behaved, cuddly, soft and putting big smiles on our faces.

It took me a long time to post about Magic, because I knew it would be hard, and it was. But I thought she deserved for the world to know how special she was. Thank you so much everyone for your touching comments and support. It really has meant a lot to me, especially hearing about all the other special furry family members out there. And while I will love Magic for the rest of my life, now it's time to be happy and rejoice in the new additions to our family. :)

I Love You Magic

Magic - Sept. 1993 - July 7, 2010

Magic, I can't count all the ways I love you. From the very first time I saw you in the hay mow on Halloween when I was 9 years old, I knew you had to come home with me...spitting and growling and all. It didn't take long for us to become friends and since then you've been my best friend unconditionally. Whether I felt fulfilled or lonely, you've always been there with your sweet meow, soft fur and infinite cuddles. You were such a big part of my world and my heart and I find it hard to be here without you. Even that last night as I held you in my arms, listening to you purr as we drifted off to sleep, I was in heaven with you. With any luck, perhaps I'll see you again someday. Until then, my heart will hold the magic you brought to me throughout my life.

I love you Magic.

Out and About

It was a hot day at the Somerville show on Sunday, but the rain held off and we had a really nice time. I haven't done a show since February and even though I didn't have a ton of items to sell, it was so nice to see everyone and meet a lot of new people. :)

This cute photo of Ben and I in our booth was taken by Nathan Boucher and the following photos were taken by Jessica Burko. Thanks guys!

Then on Monday I procrastinated from doing more work by joining our friends for a little trek to Providence RI, which is only an hour away. It's such an adorable city and I loved all the little houses and stores. I brought home a really cool '50's umbrella rack and we ate some chewy handmade ravioli for dinner.

I snapped a couple of photos of the cool hardware found on the front doors of the neighborhood we strolled through...so cute!

Then today I went to meet up with some crafty friends and afterward I had a leisurely stroll through the Public Gardens and Boston Commons and stopped into Anthropologie for some quick inspiration (and now I really want to make pillows).

All in all...a great couple of days to clear the mind!

Come visit me tomorrow at the Somerville Show!!

*UPDATE:  Due to an inclement forecast, the show is rescheduled for Sunday, July 11th. 

The Somerville Arts Council and Boston Handmade present an ArtsUnion Event:

~ The 2010 Boston Handmade Somerville Marketplace ~

Saturday, July 10th
3-7pm in Union Square, Somerville, MA

I have lots of cute quirky animals that are looking for new homes
and you can adopt them on Saturday in Somerville...rain or shine!

These cats girl and princesses will be out and about too!

Monsters will be there to be sure...hopefully not terrorizing the place.
I hope to see you there! :)

CRACK! BOOM! POP!

Independence Day is (almost) here and I'm ready!

Ask and you shall receive! Mary B. wanted to see how I decorated my house for the 4th... And I'm happy to show you!

I didn't do a ton...mostly because I don't have tons of decorations for the 4th. Maybe next year I'll find time to whip up some fun banners and bunting to drape all over. But for this year I have two displays, both in my dining room.

The abacus in the photo above was a gift from my German friend Lena. Perfect colors for this American holiday!

My little spun cotton "George Washington's Daughter" is brought to the same height as Magpie Ethel's adorable figure by perching her atop a vintage hat box. The adorable honey comb balls were a gift from Laurie of Magpie Ethel too!

These awesome vintage crepe paper pair were a rare Etsy find. I am just so tickled with them! There's something about old crepe paper that makes me giddy!

Of course I had to bring a whole slew of my patriotic gals into the mix. They gleefully flank my permanent patriotic collection.

It's like the 4th of July parade!

I also have a vintage feather tree all decked out in red, white and blue. I bought this baby at an antique store for fairly cheap...mostly because of it's dire condition. The branches are being held on by masking tape and I think the drum plant holder base isn't original to the tree. One of these days I'll take a couple of hours to fix it up, but I couldn't pass this up because it was filled with tiny vintage ornaments.

Someone pinned buttons to the branches...I wonder if they've been there since just before Nixon's presidency?

Trumpets and tiny glass baubles galore!

That ship charm is really neat and someone even made a tiny garland from those gold stars you used to get for being good in elementary school. :)

There are several of these handmade scrap rosettes. They are moth eaten to perfection!

I added Abe and the flag garland.

The best thing about this tree is that whoever put it together gathered up any little thing that reminded them of America and added it to the branches. This old drink umbrella included.

This drum is the base. It actually says "Merry Christmas", but I'll ignore that for now. The star ornaments are from Silver Bella and I think they are new made to look old. They are too big to add to the tree and I didn't have time to find another place for them....so I just left them leaning at the base...

Until next year!