Artists Trading cards

Here are the two ATC series I've made for a recent swap. Looking forward to getting some back.

standards are slipping

Mummy:
'after you finish watching the TV, we need to go to the library.'
Kitten:
'why?'
Mummy:
explains...
Kitten:
'but I want to watch more TV after that.'
Mummy:
"I'll bribe you with a chocolate lollipop.
Kitten:
'OK'

Going out

Kitten stayed up late last night watching Garfield with Dziadzio while parents went off to the cinema. We came back home at 11pm to see her sprawled on the sofa, eyes half closed, tummy puffed out in a perfect imitation of the cat on screen. Still watching and not really wanting to say hello and miss the film. It seems that she's already planning on the next time she can 'drag you out to the cinema' and watch her beloved film. Heh, heh, mummy perfidy is working (Garfield is proscribed because she copied its bad behaviour, but she is allowed to watch if we are out, the frequency of us going out went up immensely).
In other news: we are celebrating Pinky Swirls birthday these next few days (she is a My Pony and turning 2). She comandeered my phone book yesterday, called me with an invitation and organised a credible party with a purple playdough cake. Quite a success.
Izabela

back into the world of the living

This blog was not working. For one important reason. I was trying to upload a photo for pretty much every post. I don't know how other people do it, but between me, my camera and the blogger's system for uploading, this is not going to happen. Mind you, I may upload some retrospectively, but in the meantime, we are going to go back to words mainly.
So, update:
- had a lovely Christmas at the farm. Catherine was blissed out, and her parents really appreciated cosy, lovely, low stress Christmas. Going back at the end of February to help with the new baby (or rather its older siblings). Catherine can't wait.
- Craft-wise - completed the top of the Christmas quilt with Jeremy. Had lots of fun. Especially on New Years Eve, when instead of going out we hid in the house, quilted and drank cocktails. Hope Jeremy enjoyed it as much as me. I wonder whetehr we can organise woodworking evenings a bit later down the track. I know I'd enjoy those.
- Found a 'blank' rag doll for $1.80 and bought it despite being convinced that Catherine is too little for a big project like this. Wrong. She painted the features (including nostrils and teeth), chose the colour of embroidery floss for hair (mummy fixed it on the head), pinned a scrap of fabric to the head for hat, also put some pins in the hands (nail polish) and torso (boobies), hip and knee (not sure why). Agreed to changing the said pins to beads or stitching once that became the condition of taking dolly to bed, and helped sew a dress on a sewing machine. Altogether a very impessive doll. Proud mummy moment.
- Me, I'm playing with little things. Coasters from 4.5 squares of fabric. Artist Trading cards from offcuts from coasters. Beads from really tiny offcuts. Thought beads would be a good activity for Catherine. She gave up after 1 lot of putting nail polish on. I keep on going. What does one do with fabric-and-nail-polish beads?
That's all, I think.
Izabela

The mouths of babes

Catherine, sitting in the car, pondering important matters:
"I want to be a grown up."
Mummy:
"So, how old do you have to be, to be a grown-up?"
Catherine:
"Six thirty."

Mummy's birthday. We have just met the neighbours and Catherine informed them about the event.
Neighbour: "So, how old is your Mummy, do you know? Is she twenty-four?"
Me: "Oh, she knows, she's been asking me three times a day for the last week."
Catherine: "Forty-Four."
Thank you, darling. I'm still in my thirties. As you well know, having asked three times a day for the last week.

Catherine, playing doctor.
"Daddy, you have high temperature."
Daddy:
"How high?"
Catherine:
"Fifteen kilo."

Quilting content at last

Things are happening art-wise. Three nights ago, Jeremy and I started making a quilt. He really fancied one from the New Zealand Quilters Newsletter and is doing it mostly on his own, with yours truly offering advice and direction (with various levels of success - for example the whole quilt will be done as a mirror-image of the original... Maybe he'll be better off just following the printed instructions). Here is the picture of the quilt to date.

We then proceeded to get distracted from quiltmaking by Manga films. To be precise, by Spirited Away. Everybody at my life drawing class recomended it, and as we've never heard of it, it seemed worth having a look. Now that we've seen it, it is our turn to recommend it on. Great movie.

Quilt making projected to continue tonight. Maybe.

The good things about gastro

This is supposed to be a positive kind of blog, right? So, here are the good things about a week spent having a gastro:
1. When sick, Kasia turned into a well behaved kiddo. A nice switch from the usual sick kid behaviour
2. Got some extra cuddles
3. Discovered that 'couldn't keep my eyes open' is not just a turn of phrase
4. Got to lie on the sofa and admire the kid's creativity.
Here she is in her office:

And here, she is returning from a trip to the moon. Note the space helmet.