Lonely Broken Heart

How I miss my dear husband. I wish he were here. I cry a lot when I'm alone. What shall I do to heal this lonely, miserable, breaking heart? I'm going through every room in this old house, rearranging and sorting and dusting..... but it's just busy work. I don't cry when I'm busy. After contemplating about my finances, I find that I have to move into a much cheaper home. I'm ready for that. Without the horribly, debilitating worry about finances, I'll be able to go on with my life.... alone. I'm constantly thankful for my faithful little dog, Toodles. He's so sweet and loyal and loving. This is his picture.

My precious husband of 49 years died last week. I feel like my world has ended and that I'm standing in limbo, waiting for him to come home. I feel like I'll see him in the next room when I walk there, that he is just outside enjoying the yard work that he puttered around doing every day. I think of him constantly.... I feel him in every thought, every minute, every room, and all the time. I think I am part of him and he is part of me. I love his smile and his humor and his strength and everything about him. I thank my Father in Heaven for my wonderful husband. I can hardly wait until we are together again, for eternity.

Lord Baltimore Hibiscus

Lord Baltimore hibiscus grew in our half acre yard for years and years. It seemed to love the sun and oodles of water that it received through flood irrigation. It grew 12 feet tall and bloomed profusely. It was a show stopper, that's for sure. I'll never get to garden like that again, because my husband retired and he hates to dig up lovely green lawn to make flower beds (grinning).... but I have so many hundreds of pictures of what I used to raise, that I'll have to make do with them. However, we did buy another rose while we were in Boise last week..... Double Delight..... one of my favorites. Now, there are two of them in our back yard.

Mother's Day Orchid

I received a most beautiful orchid plant from my daughters and granddaughters, this Mother's Day. Loaded with large blooms, it was perfect for photographing. After looking up how to grow the orchid, on the internet, I'm hoping it will stay with us for a long, long time.

Lovely Purple Pansies

We bought some lovely grandiflora pansies at a garden center this spring, and planted them in big containers on the back patio. This is one of them. I love the color. Pansies are one of my most favorite flowers.

The first photo shows an awesome overview we had of the Colorado River in the Canyonlands NP in southeastern Utah. The seond photo depicts a sturdy spring flower surviving in the arid and harsh lands of The Arches NP. With minimal rainfall, the vegetation that grows in this area is very slow growing and coarse. This little yellow flower was hugging the side of the steep climb we endured to get to the top of one of the view points. Worth the climb, but I had to rest often. I'm very old, you know. :)

Canyonlands

We visited the gorgeous Canyonlands NP over the weekend, with our daughter and her family. The weather was perfect and the scenery was breathtaking.

This is a photo of one of the longest natural rock bridges in the world.

Frog in Graphite

Today I got out my woodless graphite pencils and enjoyed sketching again. I sketched a frog that is in one of my resource books on animals. It felt good and natural to sketch again.

Combining Graphite Art and Fabric Art

I've ALWAYS sewn, it seems like. My dear mother taught me to sew everything under the sun (she was a 4-H leader for many years). I sewed my clothes, my children's clothes, my grandchildren's clothes, knitted clothing and afghans, crocheted everything I could find a pattern for and created my own patterns, and created and made dolls and animals from yarns and fabric. I LOVE to do that. Then I discovered the fine arts. I was consummed by it..... I've exhibited oils, watercolors, and graphite landscapes and botanical and stilllife and won several awards. My fine art work is included in the private collections in New York, Chicago, Florida, California, Idaho, Utah, Texas, etc. I love to work in graphite and find the botanicals (flowers, animals, etc) to be my favorites. The Missouri Botanical Conservatory exhibited my work of orchids one summer for several months. The prestigous Galleria in Toronto, Canada, exhibited my works last year for several months.

I find that I can sketch fabric art and love it. Life is fun for this senior citizen.

Music

I LOVE music. I LOVE to sing, play the piano (I've owned several including a $10,000 upright grand, play the organ (I've owned several including a Wirlitzer), play the clarinet in marching bands and concert bands, conducted choirs, sung solos in competitions and won. Music has always been a big part of my life. UNTIL I lost my hearing at the age of 65. Now my music is in my head and heart..... nonstop. I can sing a hymn while typing this.... it is that easy for me.

When our precious only son died suddenly, the only things I could think of were hymns. I found myself sketching a picture and writing my favorite hymn under it. I put this is his casket and I'm glad I did. It felt right.

Recently, one of my extremely talented grandsons, inherited my old metal clarinet because he and his brother both have lots of MUSIC in them. I'm thrilled!

WebShots Albums of Flowers

I'm adding the link to the web shots albums of flowers that I've had for years. I love photographing flowers of all kinds.

http://community.webshots.com/user/bkbrown1939?vhost=community

Pansies

I love pansies. All shapes and colors. Here are a couple of my favorites that I entered into competions and won awards for.

Princess Foggy Ready for Play

Little Princess Froggy has her new play outfit on and keeps her litle lily-pad security blanket close to her at all times. Today is filled with sunshine and happy moments chasing her favorite little bugs across the sand.

She'll practice hopping and sticking her little tongue out, too. Of course, the best part of this day will come when her best friend from Elf Village comes over to play. She can hardly wait to show her the new cattails growing at the end of Emerald Pond.
Photos courtest of naturalist photographer - Laura Henry

Baby Frog Doll

Yesterday was a creative day. I couldn't find any patterns that I liked, so I created my own pattern for a little cloth baby frog. She gets her baby outfit today. Since she lives in Emerald Pond south of Dreamland, and she is the precious little baby daughter of Prince Charming III, she lives a sheltered life. Sunshine and blue skies, lots of little flies to eat, and loads of warm sand to hop around on, fill her life. She's not quite sure what to do with the little crown her father gave her, so she keeps it close to her favorite thing, her lily-pad baby blanket.

Meet Our New Baby Doll

I used Mary Huber's pattern that is in the "Doll Reader-Make and Dress, Vol III, " published by Hobby House Pess, Inc. in 1982. This doll designer is very talented. I learned a lot from making the adorable doll. Thanks.

Baby Doll Finished

Today my little 7 inch baby doll became a whole entity :) She is dressed in her finest little gown and is ready to meet everybody. She has a needle sculpted body of ribbing material. Her attire is of the lightest weight cotton material, adorned with lace and ruffles. Her picture will be entered in the the clothdoll Baby Doll contest. This little imp looks adorable sitting on the bookcase in the livingroom.

Cloth Doll Baby Challenge

This is a pattern for a 7 inch baby doll that appeared many years ago in the Doll Reader book. She is rather hard to make because she is so tiny and yet intricate. Needless to say, my sewing isn't blue ribbon grade on this little doll, but she did come together :( , after a fashion. She is resting on the sewing table with her underwear and long slip on. Tomorrow I'll start on her little christening gown and her pretty bonnet.

Storybook Cloth Doll Challenge

Raggedy Ann cloth doll...... I've made lots of them, but this little one was the easiest. She is holding a little doll dressed just like she is. This doll was entered into the Cloth Dollmaking challenge this month. It is a lot of fun to be making clothdolls again. Now that I'm 70, it seems harder for me, but more fun. The embroidery on her little apron was done by my new Brother sewing machine. I like that feature, plus it threads itself! :)

Yellow braids on Cloth Doll

I'm studying the book of Alicia Merrett, a master at fabrics. This is the first doll I'm done using a pattern from her book. This doll as double sewn joints, and an elongated back side that allows for her to sit very nicely. Today she get cute little mary jane shoes. Great pattern. :)

Presbylla Presbyterian Vintage Cloth Doll

Being a member of the Vintage Cloth Dolls group, I'm making the challenge doll of winter 2009. She has a neat history, and is a careful recreation of a wonderful cloth doll maker. My version leaves a lot to be desired, but she is cute. I'm using fat quarters for the clothing and so her bonnet is a different color from her little dress. Her boots are painted, as is her hair. Wonderfully fun doll. :)

Bitsy is finished. She has two friends that have been created this week, and join her. Many ideas for dolls are in my old mind these days. I love making the vintage patterns. There are oodles of them to be found. Also, I'm anxious to do art dolls. I'm studying Oroyan and Lichendenfelt books. There is a lot to know, and they are the masters. Also Culea and Ward are fabulous dollmakers, using delightful colors and cloth. I think my future will be hunched around my sewing maching and cloth stash. :)

Old Hobby Renewed

I used to make cloth dolls by the hundreds and thousands.... all kinds.... muslin, sock, wooden, crocheted, etc. I had a doll booth at the Homespun Crafters Mall for awhile. I designed, exhibited, and won awards on my dolls. Things became very hectic in my personal life and I backed off from sewing and hobby work. Now I have more time on my old hands and am starting to make dolls again. I love it. I'm finding old friends on the clothdoll internet groups and it feels wonderful. I'm rebuilding my huge library of dollmaking information. The little doll shown is Bitsy from the current Soft Dolls and Animals magazine. Today I'm starting on a presbyterian doll challenge using the Presbylla pattern.