Doll Making Day 4

I didn’t post anything yesterday because it was Sunday and after church we went to Pier 41 for an amazing seafood dinner and then shopping for some yarn for hair, ribbon and roses. I will be changing the hair on this doll to something fun and colorful so please stay tuned.

right now I’m working on the clothes.

Here you can see the backstitching and edge-stitching so the material doesn’t unravel

Here Im making a tutu and stitching on some roses.

I’ll start on dresses next

Making a Doll Day 3

I have no idea what to do with the hair. So I’ll go ahead and make the clothes first. I’ll change the hairstyle later.

Let’s remember, this is my first doll 🙃 and I used the yarn I had on hand.

Making a Doll Day 2

Well I’m spending the holidays with family in another state so I haven’t had much time to sew today like I thought I would. However I did complete the body and for the rest of the day I will complete the hair and clothes. Everything is hand stitched no sewing machine. I am doing it by hand because for one my sewing machine is back home in PA but hand stitching has made me proud of my craft. It has been a joy to create.

It has been exciting to make this doll and as soon as I can I will search for other colors for skin tones. I may also make Lumbee Dolls for my girls… We will see. I’ll keep you updated.

Making a Doll Day 1

So I found several patterns for dolls and since I do embroidery and we’re having brand new little girls appearing in our family I thought I would start making some dolls for them. I just started one this afternoon and should be finished tomorrow. I’m doing all stitching by hand. No sewing machine at all. The face is embroidered and my own design and everything else is backstitching. It is very strong and sturdy I will be posting a doll, my own pattern tomorrow. Here is what I’ve done so far. So stay tuned.

I can’t wait to do the hair! If you’ve made a doll please post your info and link to picture. Thanks!

Saying Goodbye to the Beautiful Autumn Colors

I have really enjoyed Autumn in Pennsylvania.  When I moved here in June of last year after getting married I was still in such a whirlwind I didn’t fully experience Autumn here, but I did experience winter.  I rarely got snow in NC, so I’m so ready for it this year, because Pennsyvania gets a lot of snow.

GOODBYE

AUTUMN 2018:

 

How to Assemble the Extra Arms on the UBeesize Phone Tripod Rig

I purchased the UBeesize Tripod for my cell phone so I could create better videos and the instructions were misleading.  So I made a video.

See how to attach the extra arms here

National Parks on our Honeymoon

10 Things To Get You in the Christmas Spirit

As a grown-up, I don’t always have the same excitement for Christmas like when I was a child.  Usually, we would decorate for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving with Christmas music going and a continuation of lots of cooking and eating like Thanksgiving.  Over the next few weeks, we watched Christmas movies.  It was also exciting watching the lights come alive on the street posts in town, and just about every store playing Christmas music when you walked inside.  Visiting family, there was always the smell of Christmas in the air, you know what I mean; cookies baking, the smell of the pine tree as it is decorated and garland being hung around the house, a Christmas potpourri and that spicy eggnog filling solo cups.

I couldn’t wait to open gifts.  On Christmas Eve we went to my grandparents on my dad’s side and opened all our gifts from our aunts and uncles and we would eat lots of chocolate pie and play with our cousins.  When we went home on Christmas Eve we were allowed to open one gift and we were highly encouraged to open the pj’s if we were so lucky to get them, otherwise, we were allowed to open the smallest gift.

On Christmas Day we got up early and opened all our gifts from our parents and then we went over to our grandparents on my mom’s side of the family to open gifts play in the yard and fields and eat more.

The responsibilities of being an adult have made it a bit more difficult to get into the holiday spirit.  So I have come up with 10 ways to overcome that Grinch mentality, sluggish holiday cheer or simply get into the Christmas spirit.  Maybe one of these will work, but I suggest choosing a few and even combining some.

1. Donate.  There are lots of things you can donate for worthy causes.  put on some Christmas music and start gathering things you don’t use or need.  Do you have a heart for animals, human services, or education? There are many charities that accept donations.  I found a website where you can find charities to donate to called Charity Navigator just click the link.  You will be able to select a cause including animals, education, and religion among many others.
2. Give out Christmas cards.  Mail them if you can, you still have time.  We all know where our families live but sometimes we don’t really know the actual address so just hand them out.  Make an event out of getting them ready.  Sit down and put on some Christmas music and maybe some eggnog.  Make a list of everyone you want to give cards to and add a simple message inside, maybe just Merry Christmas & Happy New Year, something simple is fine, and don’t forget to sign your name.
   
   
3. Volunteer your time.  There are many ways to volunteer your time and many places who need you and not just soup kitchens.  Take a look at Volunteer Match to see how you can help meet the needs of others.  
4. Make treats for others.  This is a way to spread some Christmas cheer.  I have a hot air popcorn popper and I fill cellophane bags with popcorn to hand out with gifts.  Even if you buy large bags of popcorn from the grocery store, just remember to fill them the day you give them out.  If you don’t want to pop popcorn, bake cookies, or your favorite Christmas treat. It always makes us feel better when we share the things that are our favorite with people we care about.
   
5. Make treats for yourself.  Think about what your favorite treat is.  Whatever it is put on some Christmas music, light some holiday candles and make your favorite Christmas treat.  Think about all the times you had that certain treat at Christmas
6. Find a good Christmas music Station or a few to listen to.  Last Christmas I created a station on Pandora called Classic Christmas.  The songs are by Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby, Johnny Mathis, Burl Ives, Elvis Presley and more.  They are the songs I remember from when I was a kid. This Christmas I added newer music like Pentatonix, Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Michael Bublé and I also added a gospel station of groups like Bebe & CeCe Winans, Bishop T.D. Jakes and more. You can create as many stations as you want and I believe this is one of the top ways to get in the Christmas spirit, listening to music.
7. Watch Christmas movies. This is something I did with family every year especially my siblings, but now that we live so far away from each other, it is something I enjoy with my husband.  Usually, when we go home for Christmas some of these movies are playing in the homes of my sibling’s and other family’s homes usually for background noise. I like to pop popcorn and watch all my favorites all season. Some of my favorites are all the Die Hard movies with Bruce Willis, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation with Chevy Chase, Four Christmases with Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon, Home Alone 1, and also Christmas with the Kranks with Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis.  I just keep adding them as the years go by.
8. Start putting up decorations.  Put a wreath on your door, or some garland in your house.  One thing I like to do is purchase a new ornament each year to commemorate the year that has past or to look forward to the things to come in the new year.  You would think my house would be full of ornaments but it isn’t. When I moved a year ago, my kids got lots of my old ornaments for their homes and so I feel like I have started over. But think about it, ornaments get broken all the time and we find new things to decorate every year. We always need more ornaments.  
9. Start a new tradition.  This could be really fun and could be whatever you want it to be.  Maybe there are things in this post that have sparked your interest, use them, make them your own.  Maybe a new tradition could be volunteering at church, or at a local charity, did you see that? Combine things I’ve suggested.
10. Go out and look at the lights.  You need only look them up online to find a place near you.  Pack up a picnic and take your sweety or best friend on a Christmas light date or tour.  You can make Christmas fun again but in a grown-up way.  

Merry Christmas image by freepik.com

Lower Southampton Township PA

Driving at 6am Saturday morning Dec. 9, 2018 and had to take pictures. I was the passenger and taking pictures through the windshield, sorry but I had to share.

Creating Your Own Voice

Post photo from Jaredd Craig via Unsplash

There are so many websites out there that tell you how to create your own voice, but I never found a site that really helped me, or that could completely explain to me how to do that step by step.  I was frustrated and I knew if I felt like this, there had to be others.  I began to research but still couldn’t find what I was looking for.  Then one day as I was reading a book to review, I believe I came across the answer.  It really hit me when I read a book by Jeff Goins called ‘Real Artists Don’t Starve’

You can read my review on The Reviewer’s View website HERE

One thing Jeff Goins talks about is to stop trying to be unique, or original and instead we should steal from others. That doesn’t sound as good as it was supposed to.  This doesn’t mean to steal their words.  Stealing words from others is plagiarism and is despicable.   If you use an author’s words, please give them credit, there is nothing worse than taking someone else’s words and passing them off as your own.

Goins goes on to say, steal the technique of your favorite author is smart, and most experienced, and profitable artists have and do.  If you ask an artist, they will tell you who their inspirations were in their field.  They take the parts they like and add them to their own thus creating their own work.

I believe the best way to do this in writing, is to read something from your favorite author for at least 30 minutes or listen to one of their audiobooks for that amount of time.  When you finish, get started on your own work.  You will be able to easier apply their technique but with your words and personality.  The outcome will be your own voice.

By the way, this is a great book by an awesome and knowledgeable author, Jeff Goins.  You can get it just about anywhere even your local library.

Please leave a comment to let me know if you agree or disagree, and your outcome.