(Inside A Black Apple)

Little Aliens

I've made a few distinctly un-foresty friends recently, and I've decided that they can't possibly be anything but baby aliens. Aliens from the planet Fuzz. They're one of those things that it kinda surprised me came from my fingers...but nevertheless, they did.

And they've landed in my studio:

I love their somewhat plaintive expressions.

They will also be part of the shop update that I'm planning for next week. There will be so many little friends and dolls! I'm hoping that this time, everyone who wants a pal will be able to snag one.

Happy Tuesday, loves!
(It always somehow feels so right to say Happy Tuesday...not that all the others aren't happy, it's just one of my favorites of the seven).

In which five bunnies meet one squirrel...

What a good weekend! And it's not over yet...there is still more needlin' to do this afternoon.
My fingers have been so itchy every time I've had to break from the felting for the last few days...to say, do laundry.
Make some lunch. 
Pack & ship orders.
Dratted chores! I love you and need you but...

Well, the fact is that you're standing between me and fuzzy bunnies. And that will never do. Bunnies like this one:

and these:

Oh...and I seem to be forgetting a little someone!

It's feeling like this place around here these days.

I watched a couple of movies this weekend...one super-bad one at the cineplex with my Jenny that doesn't-even-deserve-linking to, and Leon, aka The Professional. Why didn't anyone (this means you, boyfriend) warn me? I loved it, but it is. so. SAD.

Thanks for all the skunky-love! And for inquiring minds, these little guys will be part of a big, fun shop update (which will be heavy on dolls + creatures, and a little lighter on the paintings probably). A nice change of pace. Huzzah for creatures!

Commence to Needlin'

It has been a really long time since I've tried a crafty process that is totally and completely new to me. That is partially why I was so excited when I ordered a whole bunch of needle felting supplies last week from these folks. The came a few days ago, and last night Sara and I tried our hand at making some little skunky fellows...

SAM (my skunk,the fattie one in the scarf): "Hey! Hanging out on top of this washing machine is making me so hungry! It must be the kinetic energy of the spin cycle. Say, where are all of those Girl Scout cookies?" 

MR. PARTYHAT (Sara's little guy): "You ate them all, because you are a piggy-skunk, and there are never any Samoas left for me".

Aren't they sweeties? My Sam has the greatest mohawk. He is such a punk little skunk.

I found needle-felting to be really fun and intuitive and...kinda mindless. In the best possible way, I mean. It made me realize that I really don't have a breezy craft that I can really do while watching a movie or talking, and have neither of them suffer (except for maybe the cutting-out part of quilting and doll-making, and that doesn't last forever). The intuitive part of it is so great and refreshing...and it wasn't terribly difficult  (which I had feared initially, possibly because so much needle felted stuff I find, well, unfortunate). I don't kid myself that I'll be instantly making absolute loves like Jenn's bears, but I am so looking forward to designing some creatures of my own.

This weekend I'm planning mostly "hole-up-in-the-studio" time, which always makes me happy. Maybe I'll get to needlin' some more felted pals...

Oh, and THANK YOU for all of the sweetie pie comments about my new spectacles. It is so nice to be able to read street signs and the like. Also, about the brand...I think they are some sort of generic deal...not designer.

Happy Weekend sweet peas!

In Which All Is Full of Love...

What a wonderful birthday and St. Valentine's day I had...the one-two punch of all of that kindness and good food has left me feeling slightly drunk and uncharacteristically, slap-happily...well...happy. Thanks to you guys for all of the sweet little well-wishings that were left on Tuesday. I felt very loved by blog-land!

I felt immensely loved in real life, too, and I was the happy recipient of some very thoughtful gifts. About a month ago, I asked Josiah to write me a story for my birthday, which he did. Not just a story, though...what he presented me with was a 30+ page, beautiful, whimsical, semi-biographical (of me) fairy story. Needless to say, there were many happy, incredulous tears of appreciation...I feel so damn lucky.

My treasured real-life + blog-life darlin' Sara made me the sweetest creature for my birthday, which she gave me along with some much-needed kitchen implements:

The sushi+pals combo proved the perfect remedy for the yuck weather, and after a very tasty dinner we went out for (wait for it) ice cream, which, in the very windy and misty winter air seemed so-wrong-it-was-right. Then the gaggle of us headed over to the nice, quiet place where my good buddy Keith tends bar, and, in honor of my birthday, he (being quite the johnny-on-the-spot creator) presented me a "The Black Apple Martini"! My Keith is an excellent concocter, and it was so tasty...truly almost black, and filled with pomegranate, cherry, apple, etc in a big, swanky glass.

I hope that everyone's Valentine's Day was exactly what it needed to be...I know that many people abhor the day. I just hate the fact that people-in-general don't treat every possible day like Valentine's Day. We stayed in and I made a nice, quiet dinner at home. The only confectionery request I received was for Nigella's sour cream cake from "Domestic Goddess", so we had that in spades. That cake...it blows my mind. It really does. Most cake, truthfully, I could kinda take or leave (meaning I usually don't want to devour the whole thing as quickly as possible). One lone conversation heart dots the middle:

Recipe to follow tomorrow, because everyone must experience this cake, even if they don't have the complete Nigella library at their disposal. And, speaking of conversation hearts, has anyone noticed how utterly bizarre the little sayings are these days?! Almost all of them seem to refer to either slightly antiquated or really unromantic modes-of-communication..."Fax Me", "Email Me", "Page Me" (!!!). There was one in the box that simply stated "Love 4 Gold".

What?!

Conversation hearts are supposed to be about slyly communicating your Love 4 a Person, not demanding that someone Fax You an invoice for the bling they just bought for you. The single white one atop the cake simply says "Dear One", which was really the only one I could find that didn't offend my sensibilities.

I'm getting the shop update ready for 4:00 EST, which involves some bustling, but  I am so happy that I did have time for a proper blog-post! I'll leave you with the wee bear girl I mentioned in my very short (sentence-long) post yesterday:

PS: One thrifted teddy bear was harmed in the making of this sweetie. Just so you know.

Strange pals

The last few nights, I've been stitching up a few little friends by hand. They are both odd little boys, but I like them very much. It is so nice when I get in the mood to just sit quietly and sew with a needle and a thread, as most of the things I make rely so heavily on the sewing machine that I am running back and forth from couch to sewing table and then back again.

Mr. Jack the rabbit:
(He really wanted to be included in yesterday's makebelieve tea-party. He has his oversized cup and everything!)

 

And Mr. Georgie Hedgehog:

I am so crazy for his acorn cap.

Oh! And I meant to clarify something about my Ms. Potter post!  I absolutely love makeup, and have since I was a little. I wear full-on eyeliner + the works almost every single day. I just found it refreshing that there was this film in which a lady was ruddy-faced and still adorable.

I mean to clean my apartment from top to bottom today. I've always liked the idea of Saturday cleanings & then yesterday the new issues of Domino and Real Simple came in the mail and I knew it was a  sign.
Have a wonderful,  quiet/noisy/useful weekend...whichever your prefer!

Little Stragglers...

These two were stowaways earlier...I had forgotten to tie their tiny felt heart-shaped eyepatches on! They had to be re-photographed and posted a bit later than the rest of the bunch, but they were snatched up so very fast. Thank you! I love these little pirate gals, which are essentially just the dunce pattern with no felt cap and pirate-y embellishments.

Oh!and I'm sorry that the update was about 30 min. late. I totally underestimated the amount of time it would take to list 14 new, unique items. For anyone who wasn't hanging around the shop  circa 3:30, there are still 3 super cute originals (two paintings and one drawing) at the time of this post. I know that lots of people are sad over the unbelievably fast vanishing of the dolls, but I promise that there will be more dolls soon. Maybe in a couple weeks?

xoxo

An Ark of Nice

All of these little things will be for sale in the shop this afternoon circa 3:00 pm EST. I had a fun day yesterday with my family...it was my brother & sister's (twins) birthday, so I went to my mom's house for dinner and cake and all of that jazz. I bought my brother The Complete Arrested Development (which I think is a crazy-good deal on Amazon!) which he loved, and my sister was the very, very happy recipient of my quirky little quilt from last week. She loved it so much, and I was so happy + relieved! I was a little bit afraid she would think it was dorky...or...something. I don't know about the kids these days! They are only four years younger than me, but...
You know.
I'm an old lady.

Well, I'm off to do some kickboxing (yes, really) before I come back to do the shop update in a little bit. I've been living and breathing The Black Apple these days, and it has been wonderful. I feel energized, not at lethargic...December was so crazily busy (I don't know why I didn't realize it would be that way) with the shop, that I really didn't get to make much of anything. Blair jokingly asked me what sort of vitamins I'm taking and the truth is that maybe its the kickboxing. Actually, more likely it's all the creative work I've been doing lately. January is so far helping me make good on all of the promises I kept making to myself a month ago, the "When things quiet down...you'll get to paint/sew/draw again, I swear".

So.

Happy times & I'm off for a bit! Happy Tuesday, my dears.

Make a note of it...

I've been working my little fingers to the bone, and have a whole slew of black apple-ish things to show for it...including this little foxgirl doll & quite a few paintings, dolls (of several varieties!), drawings, and maybe a few other things I can finish them up.

I'll be aiming to stock the shop around 3 pm EST!

More for the Pointy-Hat Family

A batch of new girlies are up in the shop! Not all of them are there, though, so don't think your eyes are deceiving you if you don't see one from the photo up in the shop. I am doing a fun, annual holiday market on Thursday and Friday, so I'm saving some of the duncies for that. Any of the dollies that don't get taken home, though, will certainly be listed in the shop! Anyone that is local, please come visit me at the Big City Bread market from 5-9 on Thursday and Friday! I would love to meet you. I will be there, along with my partner (or bandit, if you will) in crime,Ms. Sara K. 

A few other bits:
I finally ordered this & this, which I've been coveting from the Magic Jelly shop for a while. There are some really quirky and neat artists on Etsy that get lost in the shuffle...because lord knows there is alot of...um...not-so-neat stuff.
also
Are any of you fans of the film Grey Gardens? I am...I think it is amazingly sad and hilarious and wonderful. HOWEVER, did you hear that they are making a new version? 
"A new version?!" you exclaim... "Of a documentary?!"
Oh yes, and starring...wait for it....

Drew Barrymore as Little Edie. 
Even if you haven't seen the film, the notion of remaking a legendary documentary with actors should confuse you. I am certainly confused.

Back to work, back to work.
xoxo
 

Cheer Up, Sleepy Jean

This drowsy, wintery little sweetie is the first of my new dolls...a small batch of dunce girls is coming up for Thursday or Friday! They're all cut out...and now need to be stitched up.
Sleepy Jean is available in the shop as of a few minutes ago. (She was also snapped up just a few minutes ago! Thank you, Kim!)

I might be back later on, but for now I've got to go about the business of straightening the house, investigating Nigella for dinner & working on orders.
xoxo

Soft Things

Hello, loves. Nothing like pots of tea and a few soft things on these blustery days!
A few of my recent ones:

Another wee pirate lass from over the weekend...

My little Emily (paling-in-comparison-to) stitched approximation of Jenn's incredible, adorable party hat needle felted kitties:

I had to make a little party cat-girl for myself! I always, always miss all of Jenn's sweet creatures, so matter how dilligent I try to be on her sales days. And this makes me very, very sad.

I painted and sketched a bit this weekend, plotting out the Christmas/Holiday card image (I'm so excited about this!). I want to finish it today, so hopefully I'll be able to show you tomorrowish. All of the holiday industriousness over at Small Object Sarah's blog is making me excited about how lovely it is/how crazy it can be to be a little cottage industry proprietress at le holidays! I've also got a few other original paintings up my sleeve, so those will make their appearances soon enough.

And, in case you are not a regular visitor to the fountain of loveliness that is Alicia's blog, stop over and read today's post. It is so wise and so beautifully written, and I so greatly appreciate that little mantra she ends with.

Oh, and one more soft thing:

I'm snuggling up to this little jacket today...2 guesses on where it came from (wink, wink). I'm so predictable.

Dollhouse

Hello all! So, even with the aforementioned lack of "doll guts" (*cough* I cannibalized a pillow *cough*)
I really, reallly wanted to make this doll. A housegirl doll. I feel kind of fixated on this sort of image right now (another symptom). It's a bit "Alice"ish, I suppose, which I genuinely didn't think of until I was almost finished stitching her "shingles" on. You know, the whole bit in which she grows to be so enormous inside of the rabbit's house, and her arms shoot out the windows?

I was really thinking mostly about my own housiness. But I guess Alice creeps in everywhere, even if I don't think about it. Don't you just love the shingles? My lord, the shingles. And the sham "gingerbread trim" aka tiny crochet-lace?
So this is the part where I say "Oh, and you can get her over here in the shop". But I am not going to say that. Nope. Because I'm going to keep her! Hooray! I really and truly have only 2 of my own paintings (the Dunce pair, for anyone who is curious!), and besides useful things I make for myself (purses, pillows, quilts) I don't have any of the really fun, decorative stuff that I make. Since it has become my livelihood, I feel terribly guilty and conflicted about keeping much of anything that technically should go in the shop. But then I look at photos of all these people's studios (especially plush + doll makers) and they have their own little friends to keep them company.
So she's sticking with me. Not to mention that she is a bit of a mini-me...I mean, my eyes are a completely mystifying color...grey/green/brown/yellow, so grey was as good a choice as any.

A girl that IS newly for sale, is this little one:

She's more of a "wear-your-scarf-as-you-make-it" girl. And she's here in the shop.

I hope to have the next round of pendants ready for sale in the next few days. I think I'm going to have two different listing-rounds, on two different days. So that nobody is left high-and-dry that really wants one!

My sweetest of peas Keith + Corie are coming to visit in 2 days! I have baking and cleaning and small projects to do, in addition to madly throwing myself and my bajillion packages on the mercy of the P.O. today (thanks again for that memo yesterday. I'm always out of the loop).
Happy Tuesday!

Dolls + Scribblings

What a fine Sunday it is working out to be...
I am usually not such a fan of Sundays, as they usually have that bizarre cast of grey-green over them, and nothing much feels right. But today, it's a good one. For one, I actually got to watch Nigella's Food Network show at 1:00, whilst drinking my favorite tea (English Breakfast, thankyouverymuch) and having blueberry muffins. In my pajamas. I'm also not that much of a fan of lazing about in my pajamas (since I work at home, it seems, as Laura from Project Runway said to be a "slippery slope").
But today is the day that I decided to try really and truly to kick last week's lingering, gross cold out the door by having as leisurely and staying-in and pajama-ish Sunday I could muster.

I'm in the midst of a creating blitz, too, so that is keeping me happily occupied.
I just finished those two dollies I mentioned before...again they took an ungodly amount of time to complete all their lovely little details!

Penelope Pirate & Olivia Tea-Drinker!
They're in the shop, where there are loads more pictures, etc.
I have GOT to make myself one of these little girls before I tire of making them. Right now, the doll-making is still in the fun, semi-experimental phase, but I am concerned that I'm going to get completely exhausted with them and not have one for myself! And that will not do.

I've also got some new drawings over in the shop:

Do go look at them in the shop, as they all have adorable details that you won't be able to catch with these small images here in blog-land.

I'm wrapping up a fall-themed set of Isobels, and they are quite adorable. I'm also painting for the rest of the afternoon, so there should be some new paintings in the few days!
Last night Sarah and I went on a little date to have the best Mexican food in Williamsburg (which is conveniently right down the block from us) and also the movies, to see The Last Kiss, which was pretty good for what it is...I mean, relationship movies, no matter how thoughtful, are always just varying degrees of the same. The only really notable thing about it was that it was seriously one of the WASPiest movies I've ever seen. Really, Blythe Danner (the mom character) is always running about with a sweater draped over her shoulders in their perfect, huge, older white house complete with huge wrap-around porch and red potted flowers on the front steps. She probably was sporting tasteful pearls, too, I don't recall.

The highlight of going to see that film was actually that I got to see the trailer for Pan's Labyrinth , the new movie from Guillermo Del Toro (who has directed some less-than-stellar movies), but also directed "The Devil's Backbone", which, if you are in the mood for a creep-crawly movie, I recommend Net-Flixing or snapping up at your actual three dimensional video store.

This new movie looks wonderful!! Go watch the trailer! I can scarcely wait for December 26th to roll around now...*sigh*. I was telling Sarah last night, I am so easy as far as films/books/art go. Throw in some creepy-crawly, some fairy tale, some whimsy, a lovely little child, and mix that with a period piece and you've got me. I will just empty my wallet and rip my heart from its usual place on my sleeve and place them both in your outstretched hands, thanking you for making a movie just for me. Silly Girl.

Greta, My Favorite

She lives here, and I think she's my favorite doll. No, I know she is (so far, anyway). Note the cool woodgrain skirt, Lisa (I think of you every time I use that fabric!). It's hard to photograph properly, though.

Good grief, so many things are being conjured up in the little test-kitchen of my apartment-studio! This was one of the most productive weekends, (as far as the shop is concerned) to date...and I'm extremely happy with everything that was created. Especially this darn doll!Do you see the tiny book she's holding! Now I'm all crazy about maybe making a run of miniature, felt-bound "print portfolios" of 10-15 black apple paintings... good? I think so.

Lots of small things, tiny things (even if the little books don't happen!) are coming to the shop soon.
I'll let that be the only hint...that they're small in size, but big on darling. Let's see, what else is coming to the shop? I've been ordering (and re-ordering) lots of things lately...Oh yes! A re-stock of postcards is coming, and I think I'll order a batch of a new design, too. AND, and... Christmas/Holiday cards will be happening sometime in early November, hopefully. I'm so excited about that. Damn excited :) I've just gotta whip up an image that is lovely and elf-ish and wintery enough.

Speaking of wintery enough...I've officially switched over (in my brain & my cd player) to some of my favorite fall records. Just like Blair changed up the quilts to ready the house for autumn, I change up the music. My number one album that only-sounds-its-best when-it's-chilly is Vauxhall and I. What are your favorite fall records (if indeed, you are wierd like me)?
Inquiring minds want to know.

Happy Monday!

Wings & Pins

Hello, hello!
Here I am on a bleary, grey, too-warm-for-me Tuesday...glued to the computer, happily ordering supplies and postcards and things for the shop. I just drew up a little front-of-parcel stamp last night, and it should come in a few weeks:
Cute, no? I had been wanting to have a stamp made for the front of my official Black Apple correspondence that would be purely decorative (as in, NOT the ugly "Do Not Bend" stamp or my return address stamp). Actually, I suppose I employ quite a little arsenal of stamps in my mailing-life.

Thank you so much for all of the sweet words about Sam the Cassette Doll. I'm on a bit of a roll with these little ones... I finished stitching up this girl last night:

She's in the shop, here. I think she might be my favorite one yet...
It really is a shame that they are so time-consuming & therefore must be so pricey. I feel like that terrible art vs. craft double-standard is making people afraid of these dolls. You know the one, in which nobody would bat an eyelash to pay $100 for a painting, but a doll that costs that much? It's an entirely different story. I find this whole double-thinking very hilarious, as someone who is basically just a stuff maker, and the stuff I make are paintings, drawings, dolls, bags, and endless etceteras.

I know you guys must've noticed this as well...thoughts?

Also, last night, whilst watching Mrs. Parker & the Vicious Circle which is rather freshly on DVD, I stitched these sweet little pinwheel brooches:

If you need a little something to sass up the lapel of your fall jacket, they are to be found here.

Back to ordering and sourcing and packing & wishing that there was enough energy and time to be creating things 24 hours a day. Happy Tuesday, jelly beans!

Doll + Little Nemo + Hello Again, my dears

Hello all! Sorry again for kinda dropping off the face of the earth for a wee bit with no warning & no updates & no messages in bottles.
It was a much-needed break, and I was so thankful to: A.) Have my job at the Black Apple, which allows me to be a top-notch hostess & not neglect my lovely guest for a second AND B.)Take a nice little vacation from the Black Apple, where I spend such unbelievable amounts of time! It's a funny thing to simultaneously be grateful for & relieved to be away from the same part of your life. And, now I'm all ready to spend the week endlessly making things & taking endless trips to the P.O. & generally playing a bit of catch-up.

I stitched/painted up this little lady last night whilst watching the final few episodes of Carnivale, Season 2...it felt like the end of an era to me. So sad. I get so pathetically attached to that small tiny handful of shows that I love (Freaks & Geeks, for example) that it is a bit traumatizing when there are no more episodes left!

She is here, in the shop as of a few hours ago.

I bought some wonderful new art books over the weekend (I think I mentioned that before) and I am still so giddy about them. One of them is Taschen's new, oversized hardbound edition of Winsor Mckay's Little Nemo, 1905-1914. I remember Amy having her Little Nemo freak-out a bit ago... and until this new, beautiful edition came out every volume of it that I saw on Amazon, etc., was like $300 or something. So, anyway, its all overwhelmingly beautiful and innovative (and, unfortunately, rife with some racist elements, just so you know), but here are a few that leapt out of the book and wanted to be scanned:

So. There we have it...I want to take some scans from the other books I've recently aquired, to share with my lovely blog-peeps, so that'll happen this week. Now, painting. And emailing. And sewing. And back to solitary days.

Hello, Little Squirrel

Ms. Squirrel Girl lives here, for now! Oh, how I love making these. I'm so excited about them...The only drawback (and I mean only!)  is that they are very time consuming, and require many "mini-steps" which can get a bit overwhelming.

I hope Tuesday is good to everyone...I have still a bit left of that "To-Do" list that was mentioned Sunday, and some post officing, and etcetera-ing!

Black Bunny

This was a good weekend for working...I feel very excited about alot of things in my life right now, and at the toppermost of that list is my work! I decided that I really wanted to try to make a 3-D one of my "girls", a combination of my paintings and my dolls/softies. So she's made, and she's so nice and big and adorable...and a wee bit creepy. But I love her. It's one of those projects that you finish, and you keep going back to peep at because you're so darn proud/in love.

I just posted her here, in the shop. She has the tiniest of buttons "fastening" her maryjanes & I love her teeny, tiny sweater, which is one of my favorite colors, and was fashioned out of a (now deceased) old cardigan of mine. Tiny sweaters! Love! Does anyone remember those teeny sweaters that Anthropologie was selling as christmas ornaments last year? Love, love, love.

I also went on a bit of a tote making spree, all of which are in the shop now!

These bags are all stitched out of some lovely fabric or another and this wonderful chocolate/plummy deep brown faux leather that I am addicted to using at the moment. I whipped up another fall bag for myself last weekend, and I do need to get around to photographing it so you guys can see it. I think you would like it.

Well, I hate to run so quickly since we haven't chatted too terrible much lately, but I have quite a lengthy To Do list that is calling my name. Only one thing checked off, and it is already 1:30 pm here! I hope everyone's weekends were lovely...mine was very quiet and sleepy and consisted of a great deal of Carnivale Seas. 2 watching, and stitch-witchery. Two of my favorite things :)

There was in me an Invincible Autumn

One of my very favorite comic book ladies is Nicole Georges, of "Invincible Summer" fame. She named her many-issued comic that because of this quote:

In the midst of winter, I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer. -Albert Camus

I realized today, as it is lingering in the wonderful, wonderful weather that is 60's temperature-wise that there is in me an Invincible Autumn. I love it so much. I carry it around with me through all of the other months. I only love Spring when she pretends to be Autumn. I enjoy Georgia Winters because they are one long Autumn. And it's returning to New York as we speak...the beginning traces of it are beginning to course through the city, and I couldn't be more happy. In celebration of this, and to hasten it's arrival, I stitched this dolly last night while watching the movie:

Isn't she the cutest? She's here, of course.

Alright, back to hot chai drinking and cozy book reading and general pretending-it's-really-Fall. Because it always is, with me.

Totes, Dunce Photoshoot

I was none too thrilled about the photos of the duncies yesterday, so here is a new "shoot" if you will! It's so darn hard to get their tall, tall hats inluded in the frame!

I just finished Post Officing, which is why I was a little late on the posting of the Samplerinos (which were snapped up as per usual!). I made two new totes yesterday...they're a more simple pair than the ones that I made last week:

They are for buying here (Squirrell) & here (leafy stripey).

Well, my darling Jenny just got here from the airport (she's my dear friend, and Sarah's sister) so I'm going to spend some time with her. I'm sure I'll be making, making, making things...so you know I'll have more to show you soon! Have a happy afternoon, sweet peas!

Oh, Little Red Bird(girl)

I love all of the little things you can hand stitch while watching Project Runway & the Daily Show...like Pipa here, the much...how do you say..."fluffier" new birdgirl!
I just listed her here, and her cohort ms. bluebird just became a good bit less expensive (she's here). I would love it if they could live together. As long as Eliot (le cat!) doesn't track them down! 

So, Project Runway...what do you guys think? I'm falling slightly out of love with this season. I mean, I'm not ready to call it off, I want to try give it a fair shot. We're not breaking up, but still.

First, the sad departure of Malan, and then Katharine, who I also liked, and now Angela has apparently "redeemed" herself and I just get this horrible feeling that she won't be out of our lives for a good long while...I'm frankly just sick of looking at her pointy face. Sick of it. It's a good thing "Barbie Guy" (name?) didn't go home, though...instead, forgettable ol'....what's-her-name...Bonnie.  And the big drama...just a bit anticlimactic, no? Keith was indeed a sleeze, but he was a good designer, and the "crime" seemed a bit strange...why did no one notice this lil' stack of sewing books when he checked in initially? I didn't like the guy, but I'd take him over Angela...or Vincent...any day. And can my darling Allison please win a damn challenge?

I think we should start taking bets on the final 3...that's whats going down around these parts. Who knows what kind of random "happenstance" will occur between now & then, though...I mean, good grief, Angela could end up in the final three the way this wierd season is unfolding.

Ok, I'm going to stop talking about P.R., and get to work on a few things.
Oh! and I think next week might see the return of...the Black Apple Samplers! Hooray! They're seriously going to be the cutest yet.

The Family of Duncies Grows Larger

Hello to all you sweeties! Thanks for the sweet comments on the new Isobels...I can't tell you how thrilled I am that so many people have loved and embraced those simple little ones.

In the spirit of everybody's "progress shots" (P.S., don't you love the little "trends" that sweep through our little community? I love it & it cracks me up), I thought I would show you some little piles and such of my own...and, since I've been a lazy little blogger for the last few days you get to see the final product(s) as well!

Here are the gals in piles...I used a very charming blue marker for my pattern tracing, so excuse that tacky element.

Here's my sweet little sewing machine circa yesterday evening...I loved the way it looked!

And....Yay! The fruits of my cutting + sewing!
From the left, we have Pinky, Jane, Clover & Silvie, the newest dunce gals.

They'll be in the shop shortly!

Elizabeth (dear college friend #2 that I get to spend this special NY summer with, and also a pretty regular commentor on this blog) and I went with Sarah to take some of her kids (7th graders) to see "Akeelah and the Bee" today, which was an experience! That movie was very sweet and heartwarming (just like you knew it would be...) and I wouldn't have ever seen it on my own, so I'm glad we all trekked over to it. Another movie I have seen in the last few days is Al Gore's film "An Inconvenient Truth" , which was very sad and maddening the way you knew it would be, and also informative in a very conversational way. I heart Al Gore. Even if he is batty. When I heard that he was doing these slide shows all over the place, I got this adorable image in my head of him travelling door to door with a suitcase and a slide projector, just trying to tell people about what he cares about: global warming. So endearing. And, lest we forget, we are talking about the man who invented the internet, after all...

I hope everyone is peachy and plummy.
xoxoxox

The Army Assembles...and no one must stand in the corner.

More Dunce Girls added to the Black Apple Shop! You can find them
here  and here. . And I just could not resist showing you them with the rest of the little family (the other two sisters from the other day are going to live with one of my best customers, the sweet Kate)!

The cuteness level in this house: unbearable.