Paper and Threads

Christmas weekend we took several of our New York City grandchildren to special programs.  Five year old Callum needs some separate time with us, i.e. without big sister Sydney and big brother Henry, so we planned a movie date to see The Muppets.  This was very nostalgic for us - since we watched the Muppet Show with our children every Sunday night and took them to see the first Muppet Movie.  I had tears in my eyes during the reprise of "Rainbow Connection."  Squirmy Callum sat at the edge of his seat with rapt attention.

This is a web image of our favorites - that I sketched to remember the day.

The next day we took Sydney, Robbie, and Callum to see Cathy Rigby in Peter Pan.  I played the part of Peter in our 6th grade public school production and saw Mary Martin in the role at about the same time.  Syd watches my videotape of that Broadway Show (from when it was rebroadcast during the decades of VCR) at least once per month in my apartment and also knows all the songs.  Cathy Rigby was even better than Mary Martin and her gymnastic abilties at age 59, during the flying sequences, were not to be believed.

I sketched this from the program cover to create a sketchbook page for the day.

We talked to our DC grand daughter multiple times over the weekend, and my son sent this photo of Princess Annabelle - dressed in the sparkly princess dress that I made her for Christmas.  She is also wearing the tiara I found for her at the NY Union Square Christmas Market, and the earrings that her other Grandma gave her to complete the outfit.  We also have photos of her putting Princess spells on various things with the wand that matches the tiara. 

We are going to meet her new baby brother William this week.  My son also sent a photo of him in the blackwatch baby gown that he requested that I make for their family "blackwatch" Christmas Day morning celebration.  So glad that it fit!

I would like to wish everyone a Happy and safe New Year's Eve celebration, and a joyous and artistically productive 2012.  We have our 5 NYC grandchildren here (without parents) for a New Year's Eve party and sleepover - the very best way that my husband and I can think of to welcome each new year.

Posted by Shirley at 9:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL OF YOU!  I'm thrilled to know that my blog posts are read, and hopefully enjoyed.  Thanks to each and every one of you and my wishes for a happy and healthy 2012.   

Our Christmas Gifts are wrapped - or placed carefully in gift bags and stockings I made for our grandchldren over many years.  And the table is set for Christmas Eve dinner with our NYC children, our grandchildren and my 92 year old mother.  We will miss our DC grandchildren and their parents!  

I'm still adding drawings to my Ornament Sketchbook and uploaded my pages of Christmas trees and reindeer today.

Several weeks ago I received a comment on my blog asking about the Jingle Bell Reindeer.  The writer received one of these as a gift many years ago and was looking for the pattern without success.  When she put all the correct words in Google, she found an image of one of my ornaments from an earlier blog post.  I was able to provide her with pattern details, and hopefully she finished making all of hers for friends and family this year.

Posted by Shirley at 8:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

In 1976, the year after our 3rd and last child was born, I started to make fabric ornaments for our Christmas tree.  I usually made 20-24 of the same ornament so I could give some away as gifts.  And over the years I made several more for our family when I found a new pattern, design or needlework technique (for example smocking or silk ribbon embroidery).  After giving away 3 full sets of the ornaments to our children, when they were married, I still have 139 hanging on our tree. 

Each of the last few years I sketched and painted random ornaments in my daily watercolor sketchbook during the holidays, and then last year I decided  that I would make a mixed media artist's book of my favorites.  So I am scanning and printing some of the ornaments from my sketchbook pages and collaging them into the book.  And on other pages, I'm drawing and painting them directly on the pages in the 8 x 10" watercolor book. 

Here are 3 of the first pages.  This will be a long term project for the last two weeks of December each year.  Once we take down our tree and pack up the ornaments, they will be forgotten until the next year.

Posted by Shirley at 11:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

We love being grandparents and last month got one of our annual photos of our 6 grandchildren - ages 2-8.

Last night Annabelle welcomed a new baby brother.   And now we have 7!  We are thrilled! 

                        HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO EVERYONE FROM OUR HOUSE TO YOURS.

Posted by Shirley at 7:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (12)

 I'm still not brave enough to "draw" a figure with my paintbrush.  Oh well!  This can be one of my goals for 2012.

Here are 6 drawings from the 18 I did last evening.  I don't like the specific male model who posed last night, so all of my drawings were done of the woman model. 

Two minute pose:  9B graphite

Five minute pose: 9B graphite

Two 10 minute poses: 9B graphite

Two 20 minute poses:  Albrecht Durer watercolor pencils and a blue watercolor wash

Posted by Shirley at 12:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)