holiday traditions

i'm not sure how long my mom has had this doll, but for as long as i remember she's been a part of our holiday decor. given my affinity to dolls, it was no surprise that i looked for her to go up every year. she's so beautiful- down to the every last detail (i just love the holly + berries, don't you?). (you can view here in her entirety here.) a couple of years ago i was completely tickled when my mom gave her to me along with some tree ornaments from my childhood. my mother in law very thoughtfully gave us some of alex's childhood ornaments as well and we now proudly display these collections each year.

do you have any traditions like this? any "decoration" of sentimental value?

and a thank you!!

well, i never did get that tablecloth or do much else saturday but be sick. after i decorated the table i abandoned all other holiday decor. i slept nearly all day and felt ill the rest. i thought i was just in a funk like the previous week and that i just needed to get out of it. it didn't even dawn on me that the baby (my charge) being sick the previous day could have been passed on to me. i assumed he was sick because he got a sampling of thanksgiving dinner and his little tummy wasn't used to that kind of food. it turns out i got the flu. everyone in the family i work for got the flu and i'm probably the one that passed it on to my aunt kim. (soooo sorry!) so needless to say, i was sick, sick, sick on saturday night. lost three lbs. that day, i did. lol

even though i wasn't feeling 100% on sunday, i felt well enough to go on with my plans. a regularly 1.5 hr. drive to my sister's took three, and i hadn't allowed that kind of time to pick her up. we made it to the pantages theatre in hollywood about 30 minutes after the lion king started. it was really very good. the costumes are amazing! this whole night had been planned for my aunt (down to where we ate dinner!) and i feel really bad that she missed it. :( if you do end up going, i know two girls (who missed the birth of simba- ha!) that would love to accompany you. ;) by the time we got back to her place i wasn't feeling up to the long drive home so she was gracious enough to have me over (thank you!). this morning i drove home and slept for the next 6 hours! whoa.

basically i've spent the last two days sleeping. the aches and fever are gone and so is the migraine. i still feel a little bit nauseated and am taking tomorrow off to 'finish' getting healthy. the last thing we need is for me to get the babies sick again or vice versa. then the vicious circle starts all over again.

anyway, onto the thank you! today is my second blogiversary with {love, joleen}! i just wanted to take a brief moment and thank you for reading, for commenting, for your encouragement, love, friendship, and support.

ps- all my feeds seem to be working again- thank goodness!

and like that...

...we're in full holiday mode and i am loving it. i love, love, love this time of year! it's been a little tough living here with the deceiving temperatures everyday (still in the 70's-80's) but i am determined to make my home a little winter wonderland. we did a little shopping after work yesterday- mostly holiday wrapping, a few decor items, and some holiday clothes for ourselves. i'm using those fabulous wine glasses from target to hold candles as part of the centerpiece and filled the candle hurricane holder with silver and "peppermint" ornaments. i'll be on the lookout for the perfect tablecloth today and may switch the candles with red ones. we'll see- i'm quite pleased with it so far.

happy thanksgiving, friends!

oooooh!

i got the most fabulous surprise package today from a certain bugheart. we arranged a swap back in may but life got away with her (it happens, i would know!) and boy-oh-boy was it ever worth the wait!! i didn't know it was coming and was incredibly excited when i saw that sweet tape all over the outside of the package. not to mention gwen's fabulous handwritten label! everything inside was so thoughtfully wrapped.

she used the most vibrant orange velvet ribbon and each tag (oh, the tags!!) had a wee drawing and perfect notes. e.g. - to wash with: washcloths, to write on: notepads, etc. did i mention how great her handwriting is? :)

and here is the fabulous loot in all it's glory! yum, yum, yum. i was absolutely spoiled rotten! and honestly, my hands were shaking when i opened one of her trademark (felted knit) purses- adorned with a bird no less! swoon! thank you, so much, gwen!!

{thank you}

just a couple of things before i retire for the night. i want to thank you for your encouragement a couple posts back (and always!)- i love knowing i can come to you and get understanding, sympathy, and validation when i need it. thank you. thank you, also, for sharing in my joy over having received such a perfect gift. i'm getting over the being-too-intimidated-to-use-it phase. i'm ready to try + to learn. let me just tell you, this camera is amazing.. the color, clarity- stunning. images turn out the way i want them, without any work in photoshop.. woot! above, is a photo of the pup at work- chanel. she's huge, but yes, she's still a pup! she's only a year old and just going to get bigger. she's beautiful.. but she doesn't like me or listen to me so that makes photographing her tough! lol

i've been playing around with the focus a lot since that wasn't really a capability of my previous camera.. neither were macro shots.. and boy are they with this one! i really intended on the focus of this photograph to be on my shoes.. lol.. but i'm just learning! i still like the shot. i think it makes my legs look long (ha!). i have two pair of these jeans because they're a favorite and i spilled bleach on this first pair.... that i still wear anyway.

and lastly, a photograph of darina. (i couldn't leave out a doll now could i?) she's the only one i've taken out with the camera so far. the weather and lighting were perfect for these shots. it's finally "cooling down" (still in the 80's, ugh). you can see more of these, here. and here is one i took of her last night with lights..

ps- one of my feeds for bloglines isn't working and i can't figure out how to fix it (i've even tried republishing the blog). unfortunately it's how the majority of you see that i've updated. :/ frustrating..

nikon d80

omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg

i got an early (totally awesome!!) christmas gift! thank you, thank you!!

inspiration + dolly meet

still no camera battery, so you don't get to see my new girl - maileena - just yet. above is a mosaic of blythe inspiration. each beautiful outfit is handmade with such attention to detail + most of the dolls are customized in one way or another. click on the image for photograph credits. you can view more of my favorites here.

i've spent this weekend designing and sewing. oh, im so thrilled with how cute and wee everything is. i still have a lot of finishing (sewing on snaps + velcro) to do because i'm always getting ahead of myself and moving on. im in the process of making each of my girls a holiday outfit for a special outing that i just cannot wait to share!

and speaking of this special outing- i am arranging a dolly meet in los angeles, calif.; sunday, dec. 10th. if you're in the area and want to bring your girls (or just to see what it's all about!), we'd love to have you! more specific information coming soon but if you're interested be sure to let me know! :)

perspective

thank you for your kind and concerned comments and emails re: spencer. we're all (including him!) happy that he's home safe + sound and have spent much time cuddling and getting decent naps together. :) last night alex and i saw stranger than fiction. it was so good. i'm typically not a fan of will ferrel's brand of comedy so this was a really nice change in my opinion. it really showed that he can do something different. anyway, it was really funny and smart and touching. go see it.

it was (is still?) a tough week for me. i am kind of in a funk right now and am really trying not to be. it was a long week with work and then spencer left. i feel perpetually tired and bummed for really no reason because i'm getting plenty of sleep. i was cheered up a bit this afternoon when my new sweet doll arrived. but even that joy was a bit short lived. there are just some of those days where i just want to sleep + sleep some more. i just wish there weren't this many of them. :/

part of me being bummed (and i hope this doesn't reflect too poorly on myself) is that my two most prized possessions are both broken- my laptop + my camera. i want to cry just typing that because it's so dang frustrating. my laptop has had so many problems in the last year and a half since i bought it, that it's quite easily the worst purchase i have ever made. my camera has two batteries- one that i cannot find and another that is completely dead and will no longer charge. i guess i'm going to have to go on a search for another battery now. hence, all the polaroid pics. anyway, that's all. i promise the next post will be happier.

shake it like a polaroid picture

well, thankfully this story has a happy ending- however exhausted and emotionally drained i may be. last night at 8 pm we had food delivered to the house. spencer was being such a good boy, just sitting there while the transaction took place. however, when the delivery guy left, so did spencer. he took off down the street and disappeared. a truly awful thing about where i live is that there are no street lights- making it nearly impossible to see a thing. we searched and searched and searched. we searched by foot and in the car. we talked to neighbors. we called his name. nothing. we went inside then back out to search. and again. and again. i finally had to get some sleep sometime around midnight but didn't sleep very well at all. when i heard the neighbor dog barking i woke with a start this morning and took the car around again. finally (!) we got a call from the animal shelter that he had been brought in last night. (i wonder when and where he was found.) thank god he had a warm place to stay last night! i was so worried that because it was so dark, he could get hurt. i worried that he'd go to where we walk- a hiking trail in the cove- away from people and filled with wild animals. i worried that he would get sick in the cold because he's used to being inside. it was an awful experience that i wish not to repeat. today he is alive and well and happy to be home. i don't think he'll try that again any time soon.

wip: blythe diy

karissa (pwp), darina (ll), inka (ft)

these blythe outfits are works in progress as i didn't have snaps or velcro for finishing. you have no idea how surprised and impressed with myself for achieving these (even if they are simple and a bit wonky!) because a) they're so wee and that makes it all the more hard because my chubby fingers get in the way. b) I don't read patterns so I completely made everything up. c) i don't sew- not clothes for myself or anyone else.

it all started because i got inka (far left) almost a year ago (!!) and didn't really feel connected to her (i know that won't make sense to non-blythe people) and therefore she had no name. sooo, i made an outfit that was "her" and searched through names last night. i wanted her to be french but couldn't decide on a name so i switched gears. i gave her a finnish name after a girl i saw on hel looks. the other outfits ensued.

ps- i bought a new girl and she's on her way! she's going to be such a funky character and i cannot wait!!!

pss- i have a couple more spots for the swap (below) if you want to trade with me. please keep in mind it's a 1:1 swap. thanks!

blythe: handmade holiday swap

my girls have been so neglected the last few months due to a move + a busy schedule. they're all (3) coming up on their first birthdays so i'm busy making them gifts. i made this quilted scarf/wrap for darina last night. it got me thinking that i'd love for them to have a great christmas! so, i'd like to propose a swap. the idea is for the 'gifts' to be high quality handmade items. i will arrange a personal trade with up to five people. let me know if you're interested and we can discuss the details. :)

{love, joleen} christmas card

i hope you love this super cute christmas illustration as much as i do! (notice the tweet under the tree? ;) hehe) these new stationery flats are for sale just in time for the holidays. they are printed out-of-house on high quality matte cardstock. each set includes ten 4x6 stationery flats and ten white envelopes and are packaged in a gift box with a clear lid.

limited edition: 90 sets
each set is $12.00
pre-order special (now - nov. 18th): $10.00
order four sets + get the fifth FREE!

shipping will begin nov. 27th

to order email joleenieweenie AT hotmail DOT com
subject: christmas card
please include the quantity you're interested in and your zipcode for a shipping quote.

thank you!!

inspiration: polaroids

a couple days ago this bug talked about collecting + using polaroid cameras. so many of us are inspired by these quick captures, myself included. last christmas i asked for a polaroid and was lucky enough to score two cameras + lots of film. i've only just recently needed to purchase more when preparing for our trip to colorado. we were driving and i knew i'd want to capture some of it in something other than digital. now, i display the most inspiring (to me) images around my studio on my inspiration board and with photo clips. you can view more of my (incomplete) set of polaroids here.

wip: christmas gifts

here are some christmas gifts in progress. top: tweets in progress. too lazy to get down the reg. machine so i'm using my sew mini. it's slow but all the more accurate. completed tweets can be seen here. bottom: bird houses mid-painting. i won't be able to show much more without giving away surprises! ;) are you working on anything special?

corners of my home: sitting room

you girls are too funny.. no, i'm not really planning to move to london, although it's always been a (somewhat) secret dream of mine. alex and i used to talk about moving there temporarily back before we got married. ah, life goes so fast doesn't it? well, at least spencer slows down and takes a break once in a while. ;) here he is in the sitting area of our master bedroom suite (?). we love supporting independent artists and proudly display artwork throughout our home. this is a framed card from i'm smitten.

orla kiely

i need to move to london because i've become completely obsessed with this designer! today i want this and this and this and this and this... heck, i'd just like to live here!

snuggle friend

here is the new + improved "tweet"! he has puffy wings on both sides for optimum snuggability (nice word, eh?). this one isn't quite finished on the bottom, as you can see here, because i lost the only needle i brought with me, somewhere between home and work. last night i cut out two new birds but on both forgot the second set of wings (oops!) so those are at a stand still for now. i think these are so super cute! i'll probably have to keep the original for myself. ;) i've been working when i can on christmas gifts but am kind of stuck on adult males (dads, father in law, uncle, boss, etc.) any ideas in what i can make?

tweet!

fabric for "new" creations... never before fully developed...a better variation of these previous endeavors (found here and here) in the works. i'll try to post a few by the end of the week. i've been painting too (during naptime of course)... here is one of three:

for my cousin's 18th birthday
ink + acrylic paint
12 x 12 in.

{love, joleen} studio, etc.

my studio is finally clean and organized. it'll always been a work in progress as i rearrange and find homes for even more stuff.. but here it is. and it's such a spacious room and so fun- i am truly inspired by it. you can view more photos of it here.

actually, to get ready for the "exploring through play!" retreat (such a hit!!) i cleaned + unpacked my entire home including the garage. finally. we're truly moved in for the first time in four years. it feels great. now that the event is over i have a nice clean slate to work on the next issue of portals, christmas gifts (all handmade this year!) and some very exciting projects!! i have so many truly wonderful things happening right now and i can't wait to share them all with you, friends.

i'll be back lots this week to share all about the retreat, more photos of my home, and all the exciting news! for now i leave you with the winner of our "earliest memories" contest. boy, were those so fun to read! thank you so much for sharing with me. and without further ado, the winner is:

Emily!!!
(please email me with your mailing address)

Holiday DIY

Can you believe it's November?? Whoa. Much progress has been made in the way of Holiday DIY: gifts. Here is a sneak peek at one of my projects. Remember this? Kinda fun to see it come together. :) I have most of my gifts in the planning stages now and can't wait to share more ideas with you. Here is the first list if you missed it.

Just a few short days until my home is filled with art bound women. I'm so excited and anxious! These next few days will be spent scrambling about, cleaning and preparing, and more preparing. I hope you're all well! xo!