Join other creative souls at the Paper Clip in Big Bear Lake on Friday, July 20th, from 10:30-3:30 to make this lovely vintage fall fairy! Class is $35.00 along with the purchase of a pre-made, stuffed body in three different sizes-either tea-dyed or white cotton which can also be painted. All supplies provided! For further information, call the Paper Clip at 909.866.9595.

Join other creative souls for an art retreat, Celebrate the Gypsy in YOU…A Gypsy Caravan, in Big Bear Lake, California, September 21-23! Check out the retreat at www.celebratethegypsy.blogspot.com and register now as limited spaces are available!

My Blog Is Alive!

It is about time that I get back to blogging! Welcome back for those of you who have been following me! Starting this weekend, I will begin to post updates on events such as CELEBRATION OF THE GYPSY IN YOU Retreat here in Big Bear Lake in September, upcoming classes such as the Vintage Fairy in July, shows like the Peddlars in July and September, and new dolls that will be for sale! I will also update you on the progress of Whimzy, our 1940 tear-down cottage, that has become our art canvas. Look for more in the coming weeks!

August Events and Classes

It is so beautiful here in Big Bear Lake-sunny and warm everyday with a chance of showers late afternoon. There are several events and classes coming up that I want you to know about!

Stop in at the Peddler's/Crafter's Market at Piecemakers in Costa Mesa on August 7th from 8-3! Check out the new dolls, classes, and craft items for sale.Go to www.piecemakers.com and check out the events section for more details.

The Annual Big Bear Lake Cowboy Poetry & Music Gathering is August 19-22! I will have new dolls, some cowboy related, available for sale Friday night and Saturday/Sunday. Check this event out at www.bigbearcowboygathering.net to see all the wonderful activities!

On Saturday, August 28, and Sunday, August 29, I will be teaching Ms. Carmen Miranda Pumpkinhead at Piecemakers from 10-4 each day. She is an all time favorite for the fall and a great decoration for you or a friend. You can find out more in the classes section of the Piecemakers site.

Lastly, our quilt quild, Busy Bees of Big Bear Lake will be having their annual show over Labor Day Weekend. If you are in the area, check this out-I heard this is one of the best especially our Boutique where I will be selling some of the dolls! It is on Saturday from 10-5 and Sunday from 10-4 at the Big Bear Middle School. Admission is $5.00 and their is the Boutique, Exhibit Quilts, Vendors, Wearable Art, and Door Prizes!

More later for fall!

Under Construction

Winter is over and now I am ready to move on-both in terms of the cottage and winter living in Big Bear Lake! I will now be posting only artistic endeavors and activities on this blog! Later, I will be establishing a separate blog for sharing our new life in Big Bear-our progress with restoring Whimzy, our 1940's cottage, and our adventures and off road thrills into the wilderness areas.

There are many upcoming dollmaking events coming this summer and fall both down below at Piecemakers in Costa Mesa and here in Big Bear Lake. I will post a list with all the classes, demos, and upcoming shows soon.

However, the next class will be at Patchworks in Big Bear Lake called Be Mine Raggedy Angel. This class will be Saturday and Sunday, July 10-11, from 10:30-4:00. You can contact Karen, the owner, or one of her helper bees at 909-866-9695 if you are interested. The cost is $60 with no kit fee and she has the minimal supply list. All of these supplies are available at the shop!

There are lots of places-bed and breakfasts as well as hotels- close by. If you come, you can mention Patchworks at Inspirations and you will receive a discount. It has wonderful amenities including an open work area for quilters and other hobbyists. We loved the Mansion, a little pricey but a lovely B & B. Another friend stayed at Eagles Nest, a lovely B & B, with lots of space in the main lodge to work with a great gourmet breakfast. There is another B & B on Moonridge that I see everyday, Apples, but no one I know has stayed there yet. There is a Best Western on Moonridge also. All of these are close by to the shop and you can find all of these online!

Come up and enjoy the beautiful mountains with all of its fresh air and scenic vistas. It is sunny and warm everyday. The village is a wonderful place to shop so stay over an additional day if you can to enjoy the local haunts! Hope to see some of you soon in Big Bear Lake!

Spring Has Arrived!

Spring is slowly arriving...daffodils are blooming and potted plants still need to be moved up to the house at night because of freezing temperatures! Yesterday with no precipitation expected, we had two hours of hail, sleet, and rain at 48 degrees.

The Challenges of Technology and More Snow

After three months of working with techies from Verizon, we finally had a visit from a real person to connect our new service at our new home in Big Bear Lake. After digging out the service box from over six feet of snow several streets away, they discovered that it had not been loaded properly. Needless to say, this took over three hours and another hour on the phone to get it working-we now are connected and I can communicate again!

Unfortunately, my computer died and is awaiting repair-hopefully, only a new battery and adapter before I can access everything again. My delay in downloading all my doll pictures may be a problem- I hope they will be accessible once it is fixed!

In the meantime, I continue to make new dolls for upcoming shows and orders everyday. I continue to teach classes-my next class, Be Mine Raggedy Angel, will be at Piecemakers on March 24, 31, & April 7.

My new outside studio needs lots of time for organizing so I spend several hours a couple of days a week braving the cold to find things! How in the world did I get so much stash? The studio will be a priority before next winter-to insulate and heat it! The space heater just does not do much at this point.

I am so excited about my new business venture with Andrea Harris-Jacobs, Artistic Creations and Designs! Be sure to check out our blog, artisticcreationsanddesigns2010.blogspot.com. We will be teaching classes together at Piecemakers. Upcoming shows will be at Piecemakers on May 1st and Glitterfest 2010 on May 22nd! More about this later on our blog. Wait until you see the dolls!

It is amazing how handicapped one is without the use of technology. The only saving grace is the lack of ability to order patterns off the Internet in the middle of the night. Andrea says that getting your computer to work is a career and now I believe this is true!

And yes, it is still snowing! More is coming tomorrow and folks here say it will be June before the snow drifts are totally gone!!!