#15

Once I finally remembered this afternoon, Audrey sweetly wrote out numbers and danced to my vase-shaking to help me draw a winner for my little cake stand: Marie!

I have your address because you bought superstar shirts :). Thank you! Monday I will ship & close up shop for now.

Thank you for all of your so-kind comments. I've been in a real black hole this week and your words of support were each so very welcome.

love,
Valerie

400!

Sheesh--so much for more posting! It's been busy here. My daughter Marian was scheduled to enter the hospital today for preparatory chemo for her upcoming bone marrow transplant, which entails both (1) frantic preparations for a couple of months living out-of-town and (2) crippling anxiety. But a wee fever has pushed everything back a week and suddenly I have breathing room. So:

TA DA!! Celebrating my 400th etsy sale, a number that has FAR exceeded my expectations for my very small-scale, so-detailed operation, a giveaway. A little past the 400 mark, actually.

Thanks for your support! Comment on this post, and I'll randomly select one entrant on Friday night (let's say at 5 pm ET) to ship Saturday morning (if I get an address in time) before all of the drama starts afresh next week.

Here's how I would describe this cake stand if I were to list it:

I have found that I need less dessert if I can eat it splendidly. Ice cream in tiny bowls with my now-34-year-old baby spoon. Tiny cookies on dainty plates. (yet, if just still-in-the 9x13, even with a nice red dishtowel, 1/2 a pan of brownies can be breakfast lunch) I think a single cupcake each would suffice on this pretty vine-laden cupcake stand. My other cupcake stands have room for just one, but this 7" diameter holds enough to play hostess. White porcelain fired to cone 8; food-, dishwasher-, and microwave-safe glaze (though I can't really think why...maybe to heat a muffin?), but pottery always appreciates some TLC. [Admittedly inspired by my first thesmallobject purchase, a "celebration candle kid" in hedgehog red that I adore]

The top is glossy white, but the base is unglazed porcelain, with shiny green leaves and vine. I re-glazed after I took the above photos, so the leaves are greener now. Or maybe that's just because it is now officially spring :).

"...write your fears in here, my dear..."

Favorite etsy find lately: Nightmare Snatchers by The Spiderbite Boutique. Journals. I found them when I was peeking at a favorite customer's feedback. An excellent way to ferret out good etsy finds: from people whose taste I already approve of ;).

Sarah Jane, creator, is a RISD Illustration grad. Each comes with a perfect poem on the title page, written by her father. Which I love (the poem & the situation & with RISD envy).

The girls and I (Nathan is out of town defending his dissertation!!) had a little evening lesson/devotional on fear and love last night. I gave them this assignment, which went so well I should try it again: while I made dinner, Audrey looked up scriptures on fear, and Marian wrote them down. After dinner, I presented Snatchers Lomper & Lumpkin and we talked together about all of the emotions surrounding us while Marian prepares for her bone marrow transplant and Audrey prepares to be her donor, and that each is important and trying to tell us something. The girls made their first book entries about one of their fears, then we sang a song about love. We read the scriptures, and I added one of my own, from 1st John, "Perfect love casteth out fear." We talked about each one and how it might apply to our situation, and how the love we have in our family and from our supportive friends and extended family and the love we have for and from God will help us work through our fear. We're counting on it! And it's worked so far....

Why didn't I buy one for myself?

good girls

Superstar tees finally arrived today, just in time for our first "event": the girls' youth group at our church, all fans of Marian, helped us assemble kits and decorate bags for Caitlin's Smiles. I liked seeing the contagious spirit: one girl's volleyball team is raising money for project superstar & they're going to wear their superstar tees as their spring football uniforms (a spring event against the boys--also ordering superstar tees in a different color--that may turn into a fundraiser for Marian's work, too).

The pretty little blonde braids girl is mine :). And some of the bag artwork was amazing.

Friday afternoon we have another planned at the girls' school. Our responses so far have been so sweet: like finding that the tough guy in A's class prays for them every night with his mother.... it's a good world, my friends. A very good world.

paper dolls

I am on a paper doll quest for my daughter's impending hospital stay, and wanted to share my favorite internet finds. There are lots out there, but I wanted black-and-white only so we could color our own.

sweet drawn foxes, Zelda & Ivy, based on the book by Laura Kvasnosky
http://www.lmkbooks.com/doll.htm

Jan Brett's Hedgie & Hedga: c'mon, a hedgehog mermaid costume!?
http://www.janbrett.com/costumes_main_choice.htm

I also liked the paper doll templates from Judy Johnson, available here. 2 color dolls that printed okay in b&w, with lots of collars & cuffs as well as templates to make dresses from patterned paper to go with them. I printed them 1/2 size, because that's my general life theme. The site is all paper dolls, if you're an enthusiast.

And one from this month's issue of small magazine, in small draw, by illustrator Catherine Campbell. http://www.smallmagazine.net/issues/2008spring/smalldraw-2008spring.pdf

edit: I wanted to add these links from a smartie commenter, because they are f-i-n-e. Thank you!:
http://marilee.us/paperdolls.html
http://tpettit.best.vwh.net/dolls/pd_scans/index.html

celebration

Several bad pictures were taken in low light of the cake portion of my little birthday celebration. 34! I cannot post them, but a small crop is necessary because I have a hedgehog celebration candle kid and I got to use it for me :). Plus a peek of my "short" hair, because Sally asked :).

And the Bavarian Chocolate Cream Torte was divine.

sweet design

A darling friend bought me a purse for my birthday that was "really you" and happened to have bath supplies in it. I make very few design posts, but I was grinningly charmed by the bright modern blooms. Just some whatever brand, purchased at Kohl's. But done just right.

Plus, green.