video: Get Beatrix and Fey Ready With Me!

Greetings, loved ones. (I really like saying that, because... Snoop Dogg.)

I finally got to work on a video, so here it is, if you like those. I kinda piled on the dolls in this video. I had to show off Aury!!


(I made that last shot into a Christmas card. Now I have to email it to my mom.)

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2015 Ripple Throw Progress Report: Dunzo!

As you know (I rudely assume), my 2015 ripple is a gift for this cute boy I've been seeing. This beast is unspeakably huge. I couldn't possibly take a proper picture of it. That's how big it is. The biggest thing I've ever made, by a mile. The bundle pictured above is the smallest I could fold it, and it's so heavy that I think I've strained my shoulder with its heft.

I had actually declared this thing done, like, a month ago, before Thanksgiving I think. I took it to Boy's apartment and put it on his bed and was stunned to find that it needed to be, like, a foot longer!! It's incredibly wide, so we turned it to see if it would fit better that way -- with the stripes vertical instead of horizontal -- and it was still just a wee bit short on either side. I'm still amazed.

I took it home again and spending what free time I have this month (which is very little anyway, what with holidays) adding that extra foot. My brain had already filed it under "dunzo!" so it was kind of a slog, even though I flew along at what you might call an alarmingly fast clip for 90% of it.

Still, I'm happy I added to it, and happy I made it! Hope Boy gets some quality Zs under this thing.

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Whatever happened to Willa Ford? ("Gimme Gimme Gimme")

I've posted my rando Christmas lists a few times in the past, so here's this year's:

Wow, 2 and 3: books! I don't often ask for those. I've done the KonMari method this year without even reading the book, just having learned about it from videos and blog posts. It's been extremely effective for me even though I've just done my own spin on it, and I'd like to read the actual book. I bet it will be inspiring! I've also been very slowly studying Tarot, and this was a recommended book.

There's always some thing I don't really think I'll get, but you never know. This year it's a geode (5). All I can really find are Smash Your Own Geode kits, or whatever, which makes me nervous because I can't tell what I'm going to get. I'm just a smidge too anxious to want to take a random chance and to have to break it myself. What if I completely ruined it??

So that's my Christmas list! What's on yours? You can tell me. Geodes and books about cleaning = no judgment here!!

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It's the holiday season.

Yup, holiday delights and stressors are definitely popping up in equal measure. Music, decor, baking, socializing... shopping, wrapping, shipping, worrying about packages arriving, feeling a lack of control over things and fretting about pleasing people...

I'm really 'bout our mantel this year. I only made those "noel" letters last year and we've never put those little conical angels there either. It looks happy!

Here are some snaps of our tree (plus Smokey underneath it; it's his favorite hideout).

You have no idea how many Santa mugs there are in this house. (I'm talking... 70, at least.)

I feel beyond scatterbrained... so much on my plate, not just for the holidays, but in general! I'm wavering between optimism and anxiety. I for sure need to take a chill pill.

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peaches and cream

No real reason for this post -- just photos of Wisp looking beeeeautiful! Her hair is so lovely since I treated it, and I'm pleased with this dress on her. I had her in brown outfits prior to branching out to this cream dress with pink flowers and Simply Bubble Boom's pink stock tights. I love her skin tone with her hair.

A cute dress is always wonderful, but it's particularly nice when a dress reflects the beauty of the doll wearing it.

Oh, by the way, my cupcake and cloud ornaments all sold at that holiday market!

I'm working on a dolly dressup video, but finishing my gift ripple is my main priority right now! I had declared it done, but when I took it to Boy's house, it became apparent it needed to be about a foot longer to fall appealingly. What's the point if it looks weird on the bed and I can so easily fix that??

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warez

My family takes on a lot during the holidays! As if general prepping for Christmas with shopping and decor isn't enough already, we usually have a pile of projects at this time of year... sewing, baking, parties (I didn't ever blog about the ornament party for church kids we threw that took up a huge amount of time last year!), and almost always ornament-making. What kind of creativity masochism?

Every year my mom's church has a holiday marketplace where people sell things, and boyo, does my mom do a crazy amount of creative stuff. She wrangled my sisters and I on board, so one sister has made a big batch of apple butter and the other has meticulously hand-painted gift tags and distressed and painted leather for ornaments.

I personally donated some felt ornaments. 'Cause nothing says "Christmas!!!" like smiling clouds and pastel cupcakes.

I really can't bake, nor can I sew fabric, but if there's one thing I can do, it's blanket-stitch felt. Boy, after putting together hundreds of antlers for little Blythe hats, can I do that.

These will probably be priced insanely cheaply at the holiday market -- priced to sell, rather than priced by the time it took me to make all of them -- and I don't mind that. I just hope someone out there likes it cutesy. I think it's nice to have alternatives to your more traditional reds and greens.

I've definitely been in the mood to embroider, but now I've got to finish up my 2015 ripple!

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