Four or five years ago, my husband gave me the best Christmas present, a trip to the local animal rescue shelter so that I could adopt an orange kitty. But when I got to the shelter, this gray striped cat named Gigi was so sweet, purring and rubbing her head against me so much, that I had to bring her home, too. It was almost like she picked me instead of the other way around. So I got two kitties for Christmas that year. Gigi is still nice to me, but she hisses and swats frequently at my husband and at our two other cats. Mike says that Gigi is a fraud who fooled us by  pretending to be a sweetie when she was at the shelter.

My sewing room is awash in fins, seaweed and seashell bikinis today. I'm making a batch of my Mermaid Dolls. They'll be similar, but of course, unique and different than the one in the photo on the left. Funny, the thing that seems to take the longest when I make a  Mermaid Doll is finding seashells that are the right size and shape for a bikini top. The Mermaid Dolls always sell very fast whenever I have them at shows. I'll put them on my online shop when they are finished. 

I just sold one of my Bride Dolls, the Blonde. I'm really happy about that. The brides are my fanciest (and most expensive) dolls. They  wear lots of lace, even lace garters. I wonder if the buyer is about to become a bride herself or if the doll will be a gift for a bride. Weddings are so much fun! Good luck to all couples planning to tie the knot this year. I've been married for 30 years.
In my shop, I have two Bride Dolls left, a Brunette and an African American. There's a Groom Doll. I'll be making more Brides and Grooms this year. Send me a note if you want to place a custom order.

Just posted my first new big doll of 2012 in my online shop. It's a Purple Gypsy Doll. You can see it in my Gallery of Dolls on this site or in my Etsy shop. I've been busy sewing mini dolls, cats and doll outfits. Lots of big dolls are in the works, too. Stay tuned.  

Monday, I was in Philadelphia visiting in-laws and we decided to go see some sights. We went to the Philadelphia Magic Gardens, the creation of mosaicist Isaiah Zagar. The Magic Gardens is a totally mosaicked indoor gallery (even the ceilings are mosaic) with a beautiful outdoor garden with paths that twist through mosaicked rooms and walls. This is one of the most unique folk art installations I've ever seen. If you are ever in Philadelphia, check it out.