For Miss Avery

Avery, my eldest buglet, will be five soon (hard to believe). When she turned two, I sewed her a sockmonkey....

Amid all the high-tech gadgets and toys she received at the time, he stood out like a black eye, sadly. (A homemade black eye, too....) But I'm happy to report he's still around and still loved and still in one piece.

During a recent bugsitting gig, Avery brought him to me and pointed out some owies that she hoped I could fix. And so I took him home in my Gramma Bag, and with her in mind I've documented the procedure to prove to her just how brave he was 'under the needle' (in case there was any doubt). So without further ado:

Sockmonkey's Owie

(and How Gramma Fixed It)

First we must assess the damage. Yep -- looks like an easy repair.

(Owie #2 was in a place that he didn't want photographed for posterity....)

It's ok to be apprehensive. Dental floss will work like a charm.
Plus, you'll smell nice afterward, too!

 Step One: Thread the needle.... Step Two: Repair the tear.

 Awwww, poor sweetie. I'm stitching as fast as I can!

(Although he said nothing about it, I'm sure my choice of footwear wasn't helping....)

 All over! Here's a snuggle for being so brave.

And a band-aid, of course. Too bad I didn't have one with bananas on it!

Raisins help owies heal faster. Everyone knows this.

Looks like somebody's feeling better already!
But it's best to take things easy for a bit, Sockmonkey....

So here's a handkerchief sling.

And a kiss.

Ready to return home to Avery!

Whoa....

I started today all in one piece.

And then there was a pin hole....

Then another.

And another.

Now I'm a Lite Brite.

My eyes are like stars; you can see them from space....

Beams shoot from my fingertips. I'm a light show.

I try, but I can't contain Me. I close my eyes and curl my fingers. Inside, my head is a strobe.

My thoughts are too bright to look at. They bounce and ricochet like atoms. They escape and fly hot, throwing sparks.

Must focus!

I try to close doors, seal leaks, plug holes. I throw a blanket over all for good measure....

And yet....

Must not make eye contact.

I wouldn't want to hurt anyone....
...

Thoughts of You

Finally. A day of clouds....

The wind outside flutters the evergreen spray on my front door. It sounds like spidery fingers, scrabbling at the window, trying to get in. The ghost of Christmas Future. It knows that shadows of the holiday still exist in here....

In the front room I can hear Miss Lily picking in her food dish for the 'good' bits while Lovey feathers her nest and Thurston preens. He mutters to himself and Lovey scolds him gently. An old married couple.... 

Already Boo's upstairs, curled on her pillow in the bedroom shadows. A princess surrounded by her tower of books.... 

The house is dark. Shadowed. The furnace churns, the refrigerator hums.... I put the kettle on the stove and prepare my cup, then nibble Christmas cookies while the water heats.....
 
Soon it's ready. I carry my coffee out to the desk, inhaling its steam, sampling it in tentative little sips, burning my tongue. Because I'm lost in thought. Thinking of you and how to begin my letter.

And before long, I'm away in my head, visiting with you again in the glow of the computer monitor. :)

Because of you I do this. And because of this I love you. Don't say anything to my art, 'k?, but sometimes writing is even better than drawing. 
...
 

A Quote for Today

"Stop. 

Breathe. 

Allow yourself the luxury of doing nothing for a moment, or an hour, or even a day. 

It is in emptiness that inspiration will appear."
 
     ~Carole Katchen

Questions for YOU

Flying, flying! But to where, exactly?....

It happens every year around the Holidays.

I rethink this blog, where it's gone, and where it's (hopefully) going.

I think about how it's supposed to be about my business -- Mayfaire -- and about my art and my creative process and stuff, but how it ends up being pretty much just a letter from me to you about all sorts of things that aren't necessarily creativity-related.

And that just seems to be in conflict with what I'd intended this blog to be....

Then I think, maybe I should start another blog, and let that one be the personal one.

And then I think, who's gonna want to take the time to follow TWO of my blogs??

Yeesh.

Obviously I need some direction. So here's where you come in. Below is a small list of questions that I hope you'll take a moment to answer either here or on my Facebook page as doing so would be really really helpful to me. Ready? Here goes:

1. What past Mayfaire posts are your faves? What do you enjoy reading about here? Is it the personal stuff about my thoughts, my house, my pets/kids/grandbugs? Is it the stuff about my art and my creative process? Is it about bigger stuff -- what artists I like, why saving Monarch butterflies is my passion, things like that? What about this blog interests you? (I know which posts are most popular, but their subject matters seem to be all over the map, so that's just confusing me again....)
2. More photos or less photos? Longer posts or shorter? Every day or only when I've got something important to say? Is it important that you hear from me often? Or is it just annoying if I pop up in your in-box every day?
3. Should I limit myself here to just my art? Or does it somehow work to have everything -- business, personal, the works -- jumbled together? If I just wrote here about All Things Mayfaire, would you be interested in (or take the time to follow) a separate blog about all the other stuff? And if there were two blogs, which would you look forward to the most?

I like that it's just me and you here. Writing to you is one of my favorite things to do and it makes me happy. But I want you to be happy here, too. Your opinion matters! So thank you in advance for your reply, my friend. :)
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