Season's Greetings from me and Debbi

Jingle here.

News

Lots of exciting things happening this week in our happy, colorful, over-the-rainbow world! There are some common threads in these current events, see if you can spot them:

1. Vintage Cate launched a blog. Go through the gate and partake of her Charmed Life. Close it behind you, don't want the dog to get out.





2. Season 4 of Project Runway premiered complete with little vignettes of Santino tooling around LA in Saturn supplied vehicles. Yay. What writer's strike? We need to dish on Elisa later. Not sure if she's the ambassador of "mixed media" I would elect.





3. Last but not least, Anna Maria is going to be on Martha Stewart. TODAY. Just in time for her daytime TV debut, AM has a new website. I have a suggestion for her FAQs: How is it that Anna has time to conquer the world while raising five kids and looking adorable all the while?

If the common threads you spotted were nice Greek girls, Tivo worthy events, and internet eye-candy you win!

1999

Today, I came across this photo taken at O'Hare airport almost exactly eight years ago. Reese, Connor and Mark were there too. We were leaving Chicago for New York. For good. I had gotten a job there and we were off on a big adventure. One that ultimately led to Atlanta and who knows where from here. Like my carry-on? That's our beloved Winona. I still miss that girl.

When I found out this summer that my doll, 13:13, had been accepted in Lark's 500 Handmade Dolls I was really thrilled. The book was jurored by Akira Blount whose work I've since seen in person - it's fabulous.

I was inspired to try my hand at making a doll after seeing Laurie Mika's doll in Beyond Paper Dolls. In fact, it was Laurie who told me about Lark's call for submissions and encouraged me to give it a shot.

I received my complimentary copy on Monday. If I was thrilled before now I'm TOTALLY STOKED! There are so many wonderful artists' works featured -- it's really flattering to be in their company.

Of course you should order the book , but in the meantime here's just a short list of some of the artists whose work I really found compelling:

Kerry Kate - October Effigies

Lesley-Anne Green

Melody Ellis

Laura Balombini

Jennifer Gould

Sylvia Natterer

Black Monday

Our home computer crashed and we had to do a system restore. This is basically starting over with a blank slate, as if you just pulled the CPU out of the box. We are having to reinstall EVERYTHING. Hardware, software. Start from zero. Life altering catastrophe? No. Big huge annoying time waster? You betcha.

PC, don't you know me? It's me, Cheryl. Say you remember something, anything. An email address, a web favorite, a font setting, a custom icon. Anything! Here, look at me. Familiar? Don't you remember the way I type? More backspacing than letters, see? Say you know me. Say you remember.

Nothing. Just default wallpaper. Total amnesia.

I backed up my photos about 6 weeks ago so at least I have everything to that point. Luckily, I had emailed a draft of book stuff to Debbi the night before "the accident" so she was able to send it back to me so THAT wasn't lost.

I'm getting a thumb drive. Backup is my new middle name.

Boys will be Gouls