Dog Love

Chulo dreaming of Chica Chica dreaming of Chulo Chica upside down throwing me a kiss - the harlot!

The Driftwear Giveaway is tonight!! So be back after 9PM to check to see who the winner is!

-Ciao Amarettogirl

My First WebCOMIC Chica & Chulo's Snowday Adventures

Chica and Chulo get snowed

Idle Fingers Need(le) to Felt Dogs or other animals for that matter...

Fleece Dog Book by Sinco

I have always struggled with allowing my hands to be idle. Whether in meetings, on a plane, in a car ride, waiting room or subway...idle hands (mine of course) drive me insane. So through out the years I've taken up all sorts of portable string and hook activities like embroidery, crocheting and knitting. When I was eight yrs. old on my weekend trips to go see my grandmother, I used to crochet on the number seven el train while I sat alongside of my mother.

However, when it came to needle-felting arts, what I had seen the most of were felted fruit and I was never really intrigued with hairy strawberries and grapes. Infact, I was kind of 'ick' about it. So I never got into it, until thirty years later when I ran across Sinco's book Felted Dog. Dogs (unlike fruit) SHOULD be hairy!

In addition, Sinco has an entire site to support, supplement and encourage you called www.fleecedog.com! She has tutorials too and even guides you in how to incorporate REAL dog hair into your little miniature faux dog!

In order to needle felt you need carded wool Felting Needles vaible from Sinco And in craft stores or Felting Sites

The one downside to needle felting is that you need barbed needles that are VERY dangerous (think of the tip of a fishing hook multiplied a thousand times AND reduced to microscopic size!) Since the action of needle felting is to repeatedly move the felting needles in and out/ up and down (like a sewing machine) through the fibers in order to entangle and bind them - it is often easy to poke your finger.

Glass Eyes from Sinco Two Unfinished Dogs I've started (Chica and Chulo) My Maya Maya by me!

My friend Laura has a pug named Nugget and I made her this felt dog (though I haven't given it to her YET- but I will!) So here is Nugget:

Nugget by marisol diaz

If you're interested in this or in other felted animals (like cats) there are many new books available including one called Little Felted Animals.

Here Comes the Snow & A Call to Live

All my students are at home hoping for a snow day tomorrow. This would make for our second long weekend (last weekend we celebrated President's Day), but you don't hear me complaining. I have so much painting to do, I could definitely use the time. My two four legged children are feeling the cold front too, check out my 14yr. old Maya and the new addition to the family, Chulo (8months) who has discovered a fetish for burrowing!

Last night the four of us (including my husband) ran outside around 10:30pm to frolic in the cold under the amber light of the lunar eclipse.

This really brings the concept of time passing, to the forefront for me. The next lunar eclipse will be three years from now. Which brings me to the point of today's blog. This blogging community has inspired me not to wait for New Years Eve or Birthdays to set my intentions into action. While I was out there in the blog world, I found SuperViva, great little site that encourages you to write down (list) your goals, dreams, desires for things you want to get done. I for one, have done this before in various journals. So why not just do this on paper? You may ask. Well, the cool thing is they encourage you to set timeline categories (like one of mine is 'Before I die' or 'In The Next Five Years'). You can connect with people who have the same goals and or, may have completed your goal and be able to assist you in getting your dream accomplished. I thought it was great fun! Try it!

Here are five of my top dreams to get accomplished:

1. Be a surrogate mother to chimpanzees (no, I am not joking)

2. Be able to walk or ride a bicycle to my daily grind

Right now, I commute a horrible 1hr&15 min. to work each way!

3. Write a graphic novel

4. Travel to Ireland, Africa and/or India

5. Adopt a child

So Share-- What are your top 5 (I know we all have more) things you would like to get done before you die?

To inspire you think of this:

One of my students, spent last weekend at an intense family gathering bidding farewell and celebrating a life past of his great Aunt Doris Willner. This was the quote on her refrigerator door, "Life's journey is not to arrive in a grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways shouting 'holy shit...what a ride'."

Update on Sunday, February 24, 2008 at 11:06AM by Amarettogirl

I was traveling through the blog world linking from one blog to another and I found this quote by author Dawn Markova on the Journal of the Meandering Muse Blog.
It's a great follow-up response to my last post.

• Fully Alive
  I will not die an unlived life.
  I will not live in fear of falling or catching fire.
  I choose to inhabit my days, to allow my living to open me, to make me less afraid, more accessible, to loosen my heart until it becomes a wing, a torch, a promise.
  I choose to risk my significance; to live so that which came to me as seed goes to the next as blossom and that which came to me as blossom, goes on as fruit.
  

~ dawna markova ~

I want to thank every one who shared their five 'must-do's and left me such great comments! Keep making, altering and better yet, accomplishing your goals!