~We All Have Our Humble Beginnings~

Oh...the things you find when you are Spring Cleaning. I'm actually a bit embarrassed to show this humble little creation to you. It is the very first mouse I ever drew. Well, as an adult with the intent of creating something. It was/is a humble little drawing, but it was a start and the beginning for me, when I first set out to draw my own designs and when my mice were born.

This little paper mouse eventually went on to become the mouse below......

"Ariel"

and then Ariel went on to lot's of other mice.....

Of all the things I've made through the years, when it comes to making mice, I've stuck with this one design. I've altered it a bit here and there and, of course, experimented with different fabrics .....

AND, my arms and legs have certainly evolved. They started out as wire wrapped with yarn!!! I remember the first time I bit the bullet and actually made four matching paws from the same fabric....OH MY! I thought I would lose my mind turning those tiny little blankety blanks!!!

It has definitely gotten easier over the years, but turning those tiny little paws is never simple. I'm not sure I've ever turned four paws and haven't had to struggle at least once.

It's odd, in a way, for me to look back over my work. I remember each time I would make something I would be so proud of myself and be SO excited and happy with what I had made, but now, when I look back at those "beginnings" I think, "Gosh, I've come a long way" AND, quite often I think "goodness, I can't believe I thought that was good!!" But I guess that's what keeps us going, and growing, as an artist. If we were not happy with what we created, we wouldn't keep doing it, but along the way, we learn new techniques, try new things and new work is born and our art evolves.....
I'm proud and happy with my line of mice. They are special to me and truly are an important part of Vermont Harvest Folk Art. Their darling little faces capture my heart each time I bring one to life...SO....when I came across that sweet, albeit humble little collage, I felt bad for having stored it away in the back of my supply closet..because it represents something for me..something I feel proud of. SO now, it hangs in a prominent spot here in my studio right above my work table and I look at it each morning, while sipping my coffee and smile at my simple little beginnings.


Wishing you a very lovely day :)
♥D

~Off To See My Girl~

~Jenna & her sweetie Ben ~

Good morning everyone...just a quick note to let you know that I will be away for a few days. My sweet girl, Jenna is in New Hampshire on a business trip and Mom & I are buzzing on over to spend a few days with her :) She will be busy during the day of course, but her evenings will be free and she will be completely free after Thursday!!! OH I CAN NOT WAIT TO SEE HER!!! I've not seen my girl since Christmas and it's .....well..truthfully...it's awful..I absolutely hate it..but.........I've known since she was a little girl that she was going to be a traveler...she's just so independent and adventurous (I blame myself for this)

~Jenna & I~

....I tried my best to prepare myself for her inevitable departure over the years..but really..can we ever prepare ourselves for such a thing...I will admit though that I am having a much harder time with it than I thought I would......~Kurt & Jenna...my amazing children~

Okay..if I do not get going...I'm going to be late picking Mom up....Wishing you all a lovely week and I'll see you next week. :) Hugs, Doreen

And the rain..rain..rain..came down...down..down....

Good afternoon. We've a crazy Spring day here in Vermont. Sunny one moment and absolutely pouring the next. It is a much calmer day than yesterday however...which definitely put me in mind of Winnie The Pooh & The Blustery Day....with high winds, pouring rain and rising flood waters..gracious!! It was the perfect day to stay in, watch a movie and relax and that's pretty much what we did. I did fill my window box on the front porch ...I was safe from the wind & rain and it gave me a feeling of having actually done something with myself for the day :) Today is quite the opposite..i've been busy...busy..busy..since before the sun came up..I cleaned the house... did laundry..took a ham out to defrost for dinner and then headed into the studio bright and early. I am working away trying to finish up a sweet little bear who's new owner is anxiously awaiting his arrival. After he's finished I am moving on to Web Show offerings (Sunday, June 5th at 4pm) and I also need to have a small gathering of moppets made and shipped the first week of June as they will be traveling with Felicia to a show IN PHOENIX on June 11th!


Now...Little Miss Enosburgh..who you see pictured here..may or may not be traveling to the Phoenix show....She is currently listed on The Primitive Gathering, where she hopes to find a new home...however, If she does not...she will be joining her peers and heading to Arizona :). If you click on her photo above you can visit her on The Primitive Gathering and read all about her trip to the Circus with her family.

Thank you for taking the time to stop by today and say hello...I truly appreciate it.

Wishing you a fantastic day, Doreen

~Some VeRy Exciting News...my moppets now have an agent~

I am so pleased...and SO HONORED! Felicia Hymer aka...The Bear Scout has asked to represent myself & my sweet little moppets!!!! This is SO very exciting as the possibilities with this new venture are endless and very great.....


My Moppets will be traveling the globe...seeing sights and meeting lots of new people...the little mousers are particularly excited....(you may not be aware of this.....but mice loveee to travel).

We shall be busy...busy...busy in the studio over the next few weeks...getting ourselves together and packing "our" bags for our first trip with Felicia.....

....OH..THIS IS SO EXCITING!!!!!

~Please Meet Miss Cordelia~

~It's a sunny Spring day & Miss Cordelia is preparing to attend her first neighborhood party here in The Hollow. She's been looking forward to going all week however, now that the time has finally arrived, she's nervous. You see....Cordelia is a smidge self-conscious about her tail. Most pig's have short squiggly tails, but Cordelia's is long and squiggly...it just never seemed to stop growing when it was suppose to! In fact, it's so very long that she has taken to holding it for fear of it being stepped on.....~Sweet Little Miss Cordelia is a special order and is finally (thank you Marilyn for your patience) making her way to her new home in Massachusetts. :)I had a lot of fun making this sweet gal. When I was aging her, I turned her face toward me at one point to see if her "spots" were even and there she was....staring up at me with the sweetest little face!!! You know..I do not think I've ever created one of these sweet little moppets that I haven't stopped at some point and looked at them..and they've looked back!!!! I always take a moment and realize how lucky I am to be doing this for a living and how thankful I am for this gift of creating with my hands. (The little moppets always...ALWAYS..receive a hug at this time).
Do any of you do that???

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So..good afternoon to you. It truly is a lovely Spring day here in Vermont. Due to the over abundance of rain we've had over the past couple of weeks everything is so vibrant and lush and growing like crazy. The sun is shining and it's the perfect comfortable temperature.

My flowers seem to be coming up perfectly this year..due, in large part, to the fact that I really got myself out there last year and kept up with my flower beds so that they were not crazy, over grown & out of control and I'm being rewarded now with lovely and neat flowers & herbs growing well and looking wonderful.

By the way..let me apologize for it having been so very long since my last post...these last two weeks seem like they have been absolutely crazy. It was Easter, then I was sick for a few days, my dad had surgery.. my pregnant niece had to have a medical procedure ( a scary and difficult thing due to the fact that she was pregnant and unable to have anesthesia) Thank God..both went well and everything is fine now :) AND..with all of this going on...I decided that I needed to change things a bit here in the house to prepare for Kurt coming home from college, for the summer, on May 10th....so rooms were switched around and Mark and I are now in the biggest bedroom (i have no idea why we were not there all along) and Kurt's room is at the back of the house where he will have his own entrance and can come and go as he pleases, at any hour, without disturbing us (as any 22 year old, home from college should be able to to)..in all of that..I decided I needed to clean closets, wash walls...curtains..rugs... and GET RID OF JUNK..oh my goodness..I must say..it was an overwhelming task once I got into it..(I actually didn't think I was going to make it out alive) but I went through and got rid of everything we had not worn or made use of in the last year..I kept three HUGE totes filled with special memorabilia and they are safely tucked in the basement and this house is clean..organized and clutter free. SUCH A GREAT FEELING..and let me tell you..it's going to stay that way!!!!

My studio has even found a new home. It's funny...I've had my studio in two other rooms of the house and I've never worked in there..I would always end up bringing my things out to the living room or dining room and only go into the studio if I had to use the sewing machine..for some reason I just never felt comfortable in the other rooms....this one is totally different..I just love it..(it's in the front of the house..so perhaps that's part of it) I have it completely to myself...my computer is in here and I come in here at 8:30 or so..shut the door..turn on Pandora and work like crazy....I can not believe all that I've gotten done in the past few days in here..I'm amazed!!! It makes me so happy :)
Cordelia like's it in here too..she's the first moppet to be born in the new space and she gave her approval with a happy little "oink" :)

Wishing you a wonderful evening :)Doreen