Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Meital's Surprise
When Meital went on her overnight field trip last month, I knit her a toy (no surprise there, right?). When it came time to put the finished toy in her room to await her return, I decided it would be fun to put out all of her soft toys (I'm weird that way). I've already talked about how Avi and Liat worried (correctly, as it turned out) that seeing all of the toys would remind Meital of the one she had lost (still working on recreating Buzz Buzz, by the way). Still, she and I both enjoyed the display.
There were toys on the bed, on the shelves by the door, on her desk, pretty much everywhere. She's got Beanie Babies, Care Bears, hand knit toys, an American Girl doll (not a soft toy but a cherished gift from a wonderful cousin), freebies from McDonalds, gifts from friends and family, and more. I had a lot of fun arranging them in conversation groups, and at one point thought about adding little speech balloons above some of their heads, but in the end I flaked out on that. I also neglected to count them, but then I don't really like numbers very much anyway.
This is the newest addition to the family. Well, actually, that's not true because just this past Friday I gave Meital (and Liat) something new. Stayed tuned for a post about the Squidgy Beanbugs.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Buzz Buzz
Buzz Buzz's story began quite a few years ago. When Meital, now 12, was in preschool, she came to me and told me she wanted to "write" a story. I sat down at the computer and typed out the story exactly as she told it. Here it is:
Once upon a time there was a little bee called Buzz Buzz. He lived by the side of very far away. Buzz Buzz liked to do lots of art things. He decided to do something made from clay, and he painted a picture.
He came home and gave his mother some honey.
The End
That was only the first of many stories of the adventures of Buzz Buzz. I bought a binder and put each story, complete with illustrations by Meital, into page protectors inside the binder. I designed and cross stitched a cover for the binder. As Meital grew, Buzz Buzz acquired friends with the same names as Meital's friends in preschool, learned the ABC and so on.
Meital and I had many talks about Buzz Buzz, and when she grew a bit concerned I assured her that many children have imaginary friends and it's just something fun, that I had had one myself, and so on.
In the summer of 2002 we went to Walt Disney World. On Meital's 5th birthday we went out to dinner at a restaurant in Downtown Disney, then wandered around doing some window shopping. It started to rain and we made a dash for the parking lot, which was at the other end of the walkway. We passed a shop and Meital stopped. When I called to her, she said, "Mommy! I've found someone who could be Buzz Buzz!"
Of course I stopped and went into the shop with her. I took a look and agreed that he would make a wonderful Buzz Buzz. We brought him home, and he was a very important part of Meital's toy collection for a long time. He came with us on every trip to the U.S.
But this past summer, 2009, somehow Buzz Buzz got lost. We didn't realize it until after we had returned home. I called the most likely hotels where he could have gotten lost, but no one had found a little bee toy with knitted pants (to cover up the growing hole in his belly).
Meital was devastated.
I found the name of the shop where we had purchased him, and it was still in business. I asked a friend who was going to WDW to check for a bee if she made it to Downtown Disney, and wonderful person that she is, she did. I sent her the photo above to help her, but she learned that they no longer carried that product (it was originally a magnet).
Fast forward to this week, when Meital left on an overnight field trip on Valentine's Day. I had been working on a knitted elephant for her, and her absence made it possible for me to finish it up in time for her return the following day. I got the idea of putting out all of her soft toys and arranging them around the room. Liat and Avi had the thought that seeing all of the other toys would make her miss Buzz Buzz all over again. I was upset to think my surprise might make her sad, but they assured me that she would enjoy the spectacle of all of the toys on display.
Sure enough, she loved the surprise but was sad all over again about Buzz Buzz. She asked me if there was any way I could recreate Buzz Buzz in knitting. And that is just what I hope to do.
(I couldn't add photos of the new toy and the surprise, so that will have to wait for my next post).
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Getting Ready
Of course this card wasn't ready in time to mail to the U.S. for Valentine's Day, but a pretty card (if I do say so myself!) is appreciated anytime, right?
Of course right!
I stippled and sponged a bunch of different blue inks onto a glossy postcard, then stamped a variety of Posh images on that, again in several shades of blue. The picture is a photocopy of a photo taken of my grandparents in New York City in 1925. I love my grandfather's spiffy socks! And I can't believe he's wearing a jacket and tie in July. Ah, those were the days...
I've also made a few more backgrounds, all ready for use in Valentines for my family. Some were made with Blending Blox ink pads (rubbed directly on the cardstock) and some using my Rainbow Sponge (which, by the way, is being discontinued by Ranger and is available on sale at Stamp A Mania!).
In other news, it turns out the pain and stiffness I've been feeling in my left shoulder are the result of a frozen shoulder. Yes, just like Avi got last year. Sigh. I may be able to get a cortisone shot for the pain, but first my doctor wants me to have a bone scan. That's happening next week. Meanwhile, the activity that bothers my shoulder/arm the least is stamping. I just wish I had more time for it. Work is very busy, lots of things to translate. And I have knitting I'd love to finish by Valentine's Day (to go along with the cards), but knitting isn't completely comfortable. I have, however, made fair progress on Liat's sweater, and am trying to finish up a little elephant for Meital (who has for some reason loved elephants since she was little...Maybe because when she was just a few hours old Liat brought her a tiny pink stuffed elephant?)
I very much hope to have more things to show you soon. Meanwhile, keep warm!
Saturday, January 23, 2010
More Cards
It might seem from these new cards I've just made that I'm pining for Spring, but actually that isn't the case. The weather here, mostly, is already enough like Spring - we need more rain!
All of these cards were made using my new Hope/Faith set from Stamp A Mania. I've been having a lot of fun with it, and there are quite a few other ideas/looks I want to try with these stamps.
In other news, work is keeping me very busy, though I manage to find some time to knit every day. Right now I'm trying to finish up a sweater I started for Liat several months ago. I'm also working on a pair of socks for Meital and a small knitted toy that I hope to give her for Valentine's Day.
Which reminds me! I should get started on making some Valentines...
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Fifteen Minutes
Today the new Posh Rubber Stamps website went live (click on the box to the right), and I am so excited by all the fabulous goodies Stamp A Mania will be carrying. All of my favorite papers and inks (and stamps, of course), and if you know me you know how much I love one-stop shopping. Parts of the site were ready a while ago, but many new things have been added, and I find myself going back over and over to check things out.
One of the new things they put up are the design team pages, so my fifteen minutes of fame have officially happened. You can check it out and tell me what you think!
In other news, I've been knitting away. Finally finished the last few gifts I wanted to give for the holidays (though one has yet to be put in the mail, bad me!). Now I'm working on finishing up the various projects I had started before I got side-tracked by holiday knitting. All too soon it will be time to work on a pair of gifts I want to make in honor of Liat's graduation from high school. I want to make something for her homeroom teacher of the last three years and something for the principal of the school.
Wishing all of you a very happy and healthy 2010.
One of the new things they put up are the design team pages, so my fifteen minutes of fame have officially happened. You can check it out and tell me what you think!
In other news, I've been knitting away. Finally finished the last few gifts I wanted to give for the holidays (though one has yet to be put in the mail, bad me!). Now I'm working on finishing up the various projects I had started before I got side-tracked by holiday knitting. All too soon it will be time to work on a pair of gifts I want to make in honor of Liat's graduation from high school. I want to make something for her homeroom teacher of the last three years and something for the principal of the school.
Wishing all of you a very happy and healthy 2010.
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