Treehouse living

As a young child I was fascinated by treehouses, and envious of those who had huge trees in their yards. And I was even more envious of children whose parents (fathers) allowed them, or helped them, to build a treehouse. I wanted one, but the only tree in our yard was planted long after I was born. It barely supported a birdhouse, let alone a treehouse! The idea of a hideout, a place of my own, was heaven. I had little spots like that in the neighborhood, but others had as easy access as I did. A treehouse would have made access to others very difficult. Danny, down the street, had a "treehouse" that his dad built. It was an awesome structure, on stilts, about 10 feet off the ground. There was a rope ladder. I was invited to come up once, but was too scared of the climb.

Now I have my own treehouse. It is my small, cozy nest, and I have called it home for 22 years. It's a second floor apartment with views of only trees and rooftops. When I look out the windows of two rooms, it is leafy paradise that I see. Now, of course, the leaves are gone for awhile. The view from two rooms is of rooftops in my neighborhood, and the church steeple several blocks away. My cousin, who lived in Austria for awhile, said that the view of the rooftops reminded her of some of the views from apartment and hotel windows in some of the cities of Europe.

I like the views from my windows. And I like the feeling of being safely hidden, protected, and resting in the arms of the trees out my bedroom window. My treehouse...........I wouldn't want to live anywhere else.

Indulgence

What is it about creature comforts that so often seem like pure, sweet indulgence? I just purchased a new set of sheets. As bedding goes, the cost was negligible. The few dollars I spent, though, bought me absolute luxury. They are cotton and rayon, and feel almost like silk. They look almost as if they have been polished. I have been anticipating, all evening, what it will be like to slip between those new sheets...........Just the idea that I will be sleeping in new sheets guarantees a lovely, restful night's sleep. And with that, I say good-night.

Storms are over........

and Bandit the Wonderdog survived the night without leaping out the window in a panic.

This is the invitation I created for our office Christmas party. Anyone who guesses the identity of the coworkers featured on it will be eligible for a special door prize. Of course, being the person who created it, I have all kinds of criticism, especially about the copy quality from the local copy shop. But even if it were perfect I would still find something to whine about!

Now, on to the next project!

Sunday night

Sunday is almost over. Bandit the Wonderdog is having an anxiety attack. It's been drizzling all day, but now has actually begun to rain and THUNDER. He has some major trauma and anxiety issues. He's a fantastic companion, and an absolute joy especially when he's not in the midst of freaking out.

I had a question from someone, who preferred to remain anonymous, regarding the sale of my artwork. I have sold my work in the past, and am certainly willing to sell certain works now. I appreciate knowing that what I do appeals to others. I would be happy to talk with anyone who is interested in purchasing my artwork!

First posting!

I am completely and totally new to this blog thing, but it seemed like a fun thing to do. I am learning as I go!

A wonderful, exciting, awesome, incredibly disappointing thing happened a few days ago. After waiting nine months (sounds like I had a baby!) my guardian angel doll was finally published in Quilting Arts magazine. What a thrill. Although it won't be on the newsstands for a week or so, my friend Patti got hers in the mail last week. She was kind enough to scan and send the page to me so I could see how my doll looks. She's the one on the right, holding the big purple heart.

Imagine how thrilled I was to see MY doll in a magazine--one that has international distribution. And I was equally thrilled to see that she is featured in a small grouping rather than one of more than 100 on a two-page spread. And then imagine my absolute horror and disappointment when I saw that Ulla from Finland was credited with creating MY doll.

Of course, I have emailed the editors of the magazine. I've asked for things from them that I probably won't get, but I have at least let them know they screwed up in a BIG BIG way as far as I'm concerned!

Today is going to be art-making day for me. I get to do the invitations for my office Christmas party so I'll be finishing those up. And I have a personal collage that I am anxious to work on--something special that I will share when it's finished.