If I Had My Own Blue Box:

As the days and nights turn colder, some of us are easing into the holiday season a little early. Okay, some are jumping in enthusiastically and some are feeling trepidation. With all the uncertainties of the pandemic, this is a time of heightened feelings, anxieties, and worries for many.

Attention spans have shortened.
Purse strings have tightened.

The need to curl up and feel safe has increased for many of us. For me, this is a soft blanket, a hot cup of tea or soup, a purring cat, and a feel good project. This combination brings me back to me, but also to my most connected; connected to myself, connected to my crafty Grandmas, connected to who I am making something for or in memory of, even connected to where each of the materials are from.

In September, I mentioned my Share the Spirit initiative. Share the Spirit is my way of sharing that feeling or spirit of connectedness. My goal in the coming weeks is to share some of my favorite feel good projects with you. Each will be shared as part of my Whimsy Wednesday video series, some of which will be Whimsy on the Weekend. Some of them will be freely given templates and/or directions here on this blog or on my Don’t Paint the Cat blog. Others will be kits or projects available in my shop. (I would love to give everything for free, but that just isn’t doable right now.) My plan is to share at least two free projects a month and one shop project a month.

Most of you already saw the first Share the Spirit project: Clara’s Christmas Friends. These festive fabric felines can be made up with
what materials you have on hand or what you wish to pick out special.

I have several more ideas in mind to share, some of which will get unpacked as tree decorating comes closer. This list is tentative to go with
the flow of how the season develops:
Straw Cornucopia
“Birthday Bears”
Woolies (A heart filled favorite from my most broke of times)
FanU Style Gift Boxes
A Victorian Bird
A Victorian Slipper Ornament

I hope you each enjoy my Share the Spirit initiative.

This week’s video is a chat about my Shutterfly book that arrived, my newest doll addition, and new strawberries.

Do you love my newest Frozen Charlotte as much as I do? You can find your own at ReproDolls on Etsy.

The strawberries are up in my shop! Find them here. Remember to tell me if you want me to make a) more beaded vemvet strawberries b) more Family Heirloom Weavers strawberries c) blue coverlet strawberries or d) paisley wool strawberries.

If you missed this past weekend’s video for dressing the cats, catch it here.

P.S. – If you receive or buy Early American Life, check out the article “Winter at the Genesee Country Village” in the December issue.

Time to dress Clara’s Christmas Friends!

You will want to make a cat of your own using the template from Wednesday’s Whimsy post.

I have been looking forward to sharing this feel good project as part of my Share the Spirit initiative for Whimsy Wednesday. I never expected that in the days leading up to this cat theme, that friends would suddenly lose their dear feline family members. When I read of the first loss, I had one of these kitties on my lap getting it’s filling. I had been planning this video when I read the latest. Both brough tears and added more meaning to this feline project.

I hope you enjoy this project whether it be a holiday feel good or something more memorial.

(I don’t know what happened with the video. My phone split it into two parts. I have yet not resubscribed to WeVideo for editing it back together.)

The end bit

Click on the cat thumbnail for the pdf template:

It was a damp 46 degrees when I left the house to head for Ag Fair. I didn’t care. With layers of wool and silk, I was ready and comfy. This was a much needed escape to my favorite place and one of my favorite events.

It did feel weird not entering this year. This may account for some sub-conscious crankiness on Friday. Apologies to those in my path that day. This year two big tents filled the Great Meadow. The trio of sheep and mother son pair of alpaca got to be the animal stars, along with two small ponies pulling carts around the village square. Food was in abundance from piping hot cocoa and coffee with donuts to kettle corn to yummy struddle. Music filled the meadow from the stage platform on the hill. Who knew that relatively new and simple addition would become an advantage this year.

I was delighted to see faces I haven’t seen in person in years. ❤❤❤

On way to the village, a tent was set to give guest interpreter, Cheyney McKnight, ample space for visitors to safely stand and watch. Her dish this morning was in recognition of Sojourner Truth; a dish with potatoes and kale.

In the village square, you could learn about Temperance, Phrenology, how corn was processed, and watch a Punch’n’Judy show.

The corn demonstration area became a magnet for young visitors. Ar one point, I heard 3 languages spoken as these kids were captiveted by the tasks. Yet they managed to keep safely distant.

Of course, there was lots to buy from local artisans and agri-merchants. I set aside a budget so I could support some of my small, local businesses:

It has been many months since I have done a proper monthly reflection. For a brief moment, I thought it would good to do a summer reflection… Then…. Nope…. Just Nope.

Moving on.

September is usually a transition month for me. I switch from summer millinery mindset to fall school mindset with an in between focus on Ag Fair preparation. This year, is of course, quite different. The pandemic adjusted Ag Fair does not include a fair entries component. This means my period of assembling this and that little project is not happening. That being that and the state things being the state of things, I find my mindset is most definitely dwelling in the land of millinery and small joyful crafty projects. This means a great sense of reality disparity is happening.

September Millinery has been minimal due to the great dragging of self through the door at the end of the school day. I think I only made 5 pieces.

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I was excited to offer my second project kit, a parasol penwiper. It followed the previous kit, an embroidered velvet needle-book.

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I also started this year’s Christmas ornaments- straw cornucopia. These cuties will have their own Whimsy Wednesday how-to episode on how to decorate them.

And then…. there was this past weekend’s Millinery room reorganization…. aka a spurt of energy that had to be taken advantage of. https://youtu.be/JSoUzGUUA-c

I have several project and topic ideas for the coming Whimsy Wednesdays. I just need to get them in order and try to time them well for you.

For this Whimsy Wednesday I share a rough look at my work space along with the story about its sudden reorganization this past weekend.

I think I forgot to mention in the video the main use of this work space being for examing originals along with some cutting and laying out of projects.

Here is the video I mentioned that prompted me to take the step, then leap into this much needed change. If anyone know Bernadette, please tell her I say thank you for the much needed nudge.

Btw – I think Clara was upset she was no longer able to be part of the to-do. After I finished recording, she just sat on the back of the couch. This tells me I may need to make a Clara spot or stool. I did not think she could make that jump. That will not be a Clara acceptable space.

Coming Soon: A little project that will need a feline-esque or cozy fabric, approx 11″×16″. I will be using a fulled wool, a Family Heirloom Weavers remnant, and a fun quilt shop fabric for each of my samples.

Today’s video is accompanied by several links because it has a lot of “you need to know about this”.

Costume On is the program from this past weekend. Bookmark the site and follow them on FB.

The Genesee Country Village and Museum is offering the Rightfully Hers Webinar Series in October and November on Wednesday evenings.

Corsets and Cravats has just announced an assortment of Virtual Activities in the coming months.

The book I mentioned is Threads of Life: A History of the World Through the Eye of a Needle.

For those interested, here is my ever evolving Books of the Pandemic Wish List. These titles come from virtual sessions I participate in. I keep adding and removing as I am able.

I am excited to announce my Limited Edition Parasol Pen-wipe Kits are now available in my Etsy Shop!

Only 8 kits are available.

Each kit contains:

• Three circles of Valdini wool – pre-pinked on an antique pinking machine
• A bone crochet hook
• A string of 2 colors of glass beads
• A small pinked circle of wool
• A black and gold cord for hanging
• A url link to a how-to video (this will be emailed)

I got a little long winded today….