Stashdown CAL: Mug Cozy

Here is my Pico Drops Mug Cozy!

It attaches to the mug by simple chain loops over the handle from each direction!

Hadiya, "Gift"

This was my first Moxie rescue. 

Before.

During.  I braided her entire head in tiny braids like these, then poured boiling water over, to set the hair.  I left the front braids, but the rest of the hair is now very wavy. All the frizzy ends were trimmed off.

After.   She needs one more layer of shine on her eyes (varnish) still.

Her face is a combination of acrylic paint and Rembrandt Polycolor coloured pencils. I crocheted her sweater, and her reversible dress (awesome fabric thanks to my quilting friend!) is adapted from a dollsforall.com pattern.

Notice that her feet are not visible!  They are not completed yet!  She will also have a few more accessories added to her wardrobe before she is gifted!

Fall Challenge Doll

I entered a fall challenge with other doll rescuers, motivating me to COMPLETE a doll, including the shoes...  (always my biggest challenge)

Here is "before"

With very glittery lips and eyelids!

"After" The boots won a prize for "best shoe solution"!

A few more pics from her photo shoot.

Her face was a combination of acrylic paint and Rembrandt Polycolor coloured pencils. I crocheted the sweater, made the leggings from a ladies' sock, the purse from a doll skirt, and the boots from a cut-down pair of Bratz boots, built up with Fimo clay, and covered with faux suede fabric from a thrift store jacket, and felt.

Another teacher gone

Rodger Alexander was my violin teacher, both at school and privately, for the two years before I learned that the cello was what I REALLY wanted to play.  He also directed my high school orchestra and string ensemble my last year of high school.

When I began to teach cello, one of my first thoughts was, "How did Mr. Alexander teach when I first learned the violin at the age of 9?"  The answer was, he made it FUN!  I've tried to make sure that informed my own teaching of children.  I'm sure I'll never forget the swinging arm trick. 

I went to visit his orchestra class 20 years after I graduated.  His students all wanted to know... did he really used to have red hair?  Oh yes! Too bad the memorial video here with his obituary had all his younger-days pictures in black and white!

More memories can be found at this Facebook page.

Holiday Stashdown CAL: Snowy Marble Infinity Scarf

The original name for the pattern is Berries Jubilee Infinity Scarf, but mine in no way resembles berries.  Instead I named it for the buttons I added.  It can be worn as a single or double loop, or the buttons can be used to pull a single loop more tightly around the neck!