Mishell ma belle

After a trip to the post office who then sent me to UPS, 45 mins of checking prices and delivery dates and I finally took a deep breath and said goodbye to my girl Mishell. I was a little sad as I wrapped her in the bubble wrap and stuffed her in the box. I thought I had another week to get her in the mail but Monday night I doubled checked the deadline and realized I had 3 more nights to complete her and get her in the mail. With my schedule, this was going to be a challenge indeed.

I don't know why I am entering this challenge, I am way out of my league, but as I explored the world of doll making I got more and more interested. I only discovered this wonderful form of art last July, while on a trip to NFLD. I bought whatever books I could and googled for hours. One day, I stumbled acrossed a website detailing the Hoffman Challenge. How interesting, I thought. So I sourced out a supplier of the fabric. Turns out there is one right here in Rothesay, NB.

Staring at the fabric for a few days, I had no idea how to make a doll worthy of this challenge. The ones I had made up to this point were pretty amateur. I cut and made two bodies and began designing the faces for and then I focused more on one expecting it would be a good practice doll and then I would do the 2nd one as my entry. Turns out, that she became my entry afterall. I named my entry Mishell - a mermaid. I didn't have a pattern for a mermaid - I made it up. As I worked on her, I kept thinking there has got to be an easier way to do this. I am certain there is, but I didn't find it. Her hair is made of Angora that I got from my favorite yarn shop Cricket Cove. It sells exotic yarns and fibres that are perfect for hair. 1000  of beads were hand sewn to her body and the shell chair she sits in. Yes, it is a shell, in case you can't tell. Her face is a little more fantasy like than my other dolls. I wanted lots of colour on her eyes. My friends say they see me in the eyes of my dolls.  Hmmmm? Not sure what that means. Ha.

So what now? Well, when I am not working or at the lake I plan on finishing my other doll. I am having difficulty figuring out her legs. In the past, my dolls have all been sitting. I want this one to stand and I am not exactly sure how to do that. Looks like I need to study a bit more. I have a few favorites that I like to follow and learn from. Extremely talented artists like Deanna Hogan, Patti Culea, Lisa Lichtenfels, Rivkah Mizrahi all inspire me. If you have a moment, I recommend you check them out.

The List

I just arrived home from a fabulous 4 day vacation on PEI. For the past 20 years Big G and I have made a trek to PEI. When we younger we used to start the trip off with a little camping in an open field at Uncle Jumpin' Jack's in North Rustico and eventually head to Montague to visit our dear friends. Then one day we all got married, had kids, settled down, perfect. The wives get along, the men get along, our girls get along and one day we got a puppy and he met their puppy and they too, get along. Over the years our friendship has really grown. We no longer detour to Jumpin' Jack's but rather, head straight to Poverty Beach. Our visits never seem to be more than a long weekend but always fun and very relaxing.

Here's what an average day would be like: Coffee on the deck from 8am til noon (that's if we didn't stay up til 3am, in that case, coffee doesn't start til at least 10:30am), then it would be a tough decision as to whether we should walk down to the beach to collect moon snails and dip our toes in the ocean or sit and do a craft with the girls. Where are the guys in all of this? Calling a golf course to get a tee time. Dinner is usually late, but so worth it. The evening may consist of a bonfire or a very competitve (giggle) game of scrabble or trivial pursuit, a few bottles of wine, and appies that make us want to swap recipes.

A pretty low key break indeed. Our entertainment is found in the endless hours of conversation. Although we have so much fun without leaving the area, we usually have to hop in the car to visit a few of our favorite spots. It wouldn't be a trip to PEI without it. This time little g had made a point of telling me her must sees and when we arrived, our friends' little g had a list written with her must sees and dos. (Yes, our friends have a little g too!)

If you ever travel to PEI here a few places on the island that you must see. Sorry, no water theme or amusement parks on my list.

The Dunes Studio Gallery- an eclectic place full of jewelry and trinkets, clothing, art and home deco from around the world, a beautiful garden filled with unique furniture made out of tree stumps that you can sit on and soak in the beauty surrounding you.While there you can also eves drop on the potter creating dishes and vases that are sold in the shop or you can meander to the dining area and enjoy a meal. I haven't done that yet, but it is on my list.

Magic Dragon - I love this shop. Polished Rocks, Pashminas, Paper Lanterns, Art, and more. So many little unique things to touch and feel. You will get a treasure here for a sure. You'll have to go to Murray River, PEI to find it.

Cows Creamery  - They claim to be Canada's No. 1 ice cream. I think I would have to agree. Not sure which yummy flavour to put in your waffle cone? May I suggest Mooey Gooey. If you like touristy tshirts,  am sure you will find the perfect one here.

Farmer's Market - This is such a treat on Saturday morning. A fruit smoothy for the little gs, espressos for the moms. This time I snagged a coffee mug by a local potter that fits my hand comfortably. A fresh loaf of carrot spelt bread for Sunday morning breakfast, and oatmeal cookies for a midday snack

The Ocean - so many great beaches to drop your towel on. Water toys are not always necessary. As long as you have a bag to collect your treasures in, you are fine. Take a minute to play in the sand. Make a mermaid, use sea grass for her flowing hair, shells for her jewellery, pebbles for her smile. Take a picture because it will be washed away by morning.

There is so much more on the island. We always find something new to explore each time we visit. While we crossed most of our list off this trip, we missed a couple things. We are not completely disappointed, because we know we will be back soon.