Squiggeeland "avec torque"

A TASTE OF TNNA PHOENIX

2012-01-23T09:12:00.000-08:00

Here is a taste of what the Squiggee and GCHendrix Designs looked like in the great care of CBK.....what a great job they did and how well everything looked...It is hard to describe just what a great job they have done in such a short time....and more to come......by the time the Columbus show in early Summer rolls around they will have even more on hand....It was remarked to Mr. Squiggee by CBK ...." We will need more room!!!!" ...lol.....both lines are good size and growing all the time...there are some little pockets of Squiggee that have been just waiting to debut....all in good time....
From All here in Squiggeeland we want to thank all the hard work by our stitchers.....our finisher Stitchery Square in Camden Maine and for CBK in bringing it all together...
we are tickled pink....and since Pink is Squiggee's signature color.....this is perfect!!!

Mr. Squiggee Blasts Off !!!

2012-01-22T09:37:00.000-08:00

Whosssssssssssssh...you can hear the silence as Mr. Squiggee took off for Phoenix around an hour and a half ago....he is so excited about his first TNNA Show...I hope he has a great time....I myself am content to stay here in Squiggeeland and make sure my little Squiggee feels secure and safe....I have been in this business since 1972 and been to many shows over the years and seen miles and miles of needlepoint....this last year has been particularly stressful with family and turning the Squiggee tanker around and placing it in CBK capable hands...Both Mr, Squiggee and I worked so hard and frankly I am pooped at this point and looking forward to some peace and just regular work...without all the extras...we have been truly lucky to have such a loyal group of stitchers that are doing and have done some amazing models for us...we received two little Halloween Gingerbread cookies that Saundra just finished...they are just great and Mr. Squiggee was so pleased to take them along with Carmen Flamingo worked by Ronnie to Phoenix...they will go off to our finisher when then get home...but he was so taken he wanted CBK to see them...lol.....Omar has been barking at anything that moves non stop since his Daddy left...I think he feels he needs to protect the home while Mr. Squiggee is gone....I have tons of work to do...always , but am very distracted today...no matter how many years i am in this business...I always get antsy when a show is in progress...funny...this show is important because
for the first time we have a distributor that is organized , runs her business efficiently...just what we need...when I started in the wholesale business, I had no idea what it entailed...trail by fire and i believe that after all the starts and stops and changes in representation, I finally have it right...it is exciting and stressful at the same time...I do believe Squiggee is on the forward path at last....again thank you to all our lovely Squiggers and all their help and support...a long way from eBay...I would say...but as Auntie Mame said:" Life is a banquet....and most poor suckers are starving to death"!
....lol...words to live by

Making Sure Mr. Squiggee is Correct !

2012-01-21T11:47:00.000-08:00

Now you say...correct????...This is a Baltimore street expression...meaning...all scrubbed up and presentable...now any of you married girls ...that have been married longer than you can remember...this is now mere feat...unless you are married to a fussy guy that is always worried about his appearance.....do they exist ??? I think that is an urban myth, like Gators in the sewers of NY.......He has a new Squiggee Designs cap and Mr. Squiggee T-Shirt...new business cards..pink of course , but the rest we are now deciding on .....not to worry...he will be just fascinating in his attire and he promises to be on his best behavior.....lol...This is his first TNNA Trade Show...last year he had planned to go to Dallas but was ill...he is in tip top shape and looking forward to seeing his pals...so ready or not Phoenix..Mr. Squiggee is headed your way !!!!!...OMG

A Nice Discovery !

2012-01-19T14:13:00.000-08:00

While looking for a piece of stock yesterday, Mr. Squiggee found this Wedding Frame that I designed based on the Lily of The Valley and Rose Bud Heart...I had forgotten about it . What a nice thing to find....a perfect companion to the heart.Both can be viewed on our website .... page 81 of the online catalog....Lilies of the Valley always remind me of my mother...there was a huge patch surrounding the base of a big old oak tree off our screened porch growing up...when they would bloom and the windows were open, the smell was amazing...nothing so delicate and sweet...a very nice memory...

You Never Know !

2012-01-18T11:49:00.000-08:00

Back in July 2000 I created this design for a small formal child's chair.....after all was said and done it was the back piece that struck a cord with people...the heart made up of Lilies of the Valley and rose buds was singled out and used for wedding pillows...the couples initials and date inside the heart....this is still popular and part of GCH line distributed by CBK......you can never tell what will become popular ....this design is very classic and delicate...I also designed a pair of wedding shoes in 2006 based on this design....my thought at the time was how uncomfortable needlepoint hard shoes..they are so hard ...almost bullet proof...I always pitied any bride forced to wear a pair...lol...I am more of flip flop kind of girl ...!!!

Pure Luxury !

2012-01-15T11:09:00.001-08:00

OK for those of us that just wonder what the rich and famous do with all their money...lol..
here is one thing that just amazed me...It is the world most expensive perfume...by Clive Christian...Perfume #1 this bottle is the 18carets Luxe Edition Perfume...and can be yours for only $215,000.00..The perfume is a mixture of pure and precious flowers from around the world..the lead crystal bottle is handmade..the collar part of the bottle is untainted gold-plated 24kt , plus sterling silver and it is stamped with one of a kind seal and has an outstanding diamond cut solitaire...the top is twisted after the unique design granted by Queen Victoria herself......whowzaaaaaaaa
OK back to reality...so for those who can't order two bottles one for home and one for travel...
I have created a gch custom design for a new shop...an ornament to hang on your tree or perhaps make up as a stand-up for you dressing table...and for far less...
the bottle is around 6 " high on 18st and is available exclusively from Stitch...and brand new shop ...I will fill you in later...
don't you just love it...what a hoot...they say that once you have worn the perfume you will never be satisfied with any other scent...who could afford another bottle...lol...sometimes the rich are just too precious for words...

Needlepoint Never Dies !

2012-01-10T17:21:00.000-08:00

You can ignore it and tuck it away...the painting service can eat pizza and wipe their sticky little hands on it, and a wild out of control distributor can cut all the salvage off and return it to you ...all indignant that you have found a new and better distributor to represent your work...but as long as there is a semblance of an image beneath all the dirt, and lord only knows what else...then you can repaint and revive an old design ...and new ...I even added a little sparkle to the inside of the pink toe shoes....I designed this canvas almost 10 years ago ...it is 12 sq and on 13st and is back for another round and on it's way to CBK...all clean and fresh...lol...

now if we could do that with everything old and smelly...just a joke...lol

FYI...I have a new French friend...God I love the French...who cares what they say...I just get a kick out of the way they say it...

Stuff for People..lol

2012-01-04T09:00:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a dog day...now we here in Squiggeeland don't want to be thought as of a company that ignores the human factor...the above are custom Ipad covers...for the sophisticated human...even a Tiffany ring...which is my favorite...along with the snakeskin..allowing for the fact that I don't think of the snake factor... just the pattern .I have never seen an Ipad in person, ...just the iPhone...Mr. Squiggee was in a high tech store the other day and was amazed at all the high tech gadgets ..... he felt out of his league...he has one of the older cell phones because his fingers are big and he also feels that the new phones are much too much for his taste.....I myself am waiting for the government chip that will be implanted in your brain ....you would only have to think to receive or send a message, listen or read a book, pay your bills or tell the oven what to cook...all without a fancy needlepoint cover..oh my...omg...what would I do.... no needlepoint required...these custom pieces are for a new shop that is building up quite a large Squiggee and GCH custom presence for their grand opening...I will keep you posted...meanwhile all you Squiggers over 50 take a nap and reboot so you can keep up with the current technology...I myself am texting now...I even have picked up some of the slang...my mother is probably turning over in her grave, she was a great lover of literature and the written word...not u r there! lol...my feeling...you have to retain your knowledge ,but keep up or be left behind...

A Dogs World ! 2012

2012-01-02T11:08:00.000-08:00

If you have a pooch, and want the pooch to be considered by other pooches to be cutting edge, this year, then just maybe he or she needs a new needlepoint dog collar...off the rack...oh Mai {sp} no !...Tiffany jewels... pearls .....pearls with diamonds, gold Cartier love Bracelet in needlepoint...Chanel and Hermes...nothing too sophisticated for the 2012 pooch ...these are gch custom designs for a new shop ..yet to be revealed...but worth the wait...I know ....don't tease...but a heads up...this shop owner has six dogs...ranging in size from a Great Dane to Toy Poodle...she gets our vote since Squiggeeland is dog land...lol ....WITH THE OCCASIONAL VISIT FROM A CAT...

Stick a Fork in 2011, it is Nearly Done !

2011-12-31T08:48:00.000-08:00

Sometimes New Year brings a sigh, a sad moment because the wonderful year you have had is slipping by....well not this Year !...yes there have be some bright spots...in fact probably more positive good things than bad, but you have to put a little space between yourself and some truly crappy moments...and believe me we have had more than our share of those...but 2012 is knocking on the door and with it you can start anew....the baggage I carry from 2011 is minor to all the positive things that are about to come to Squiggeeland...I got a little prelude the other day...a package from my new distributor...I had to sit down...now this might seem a small thing to most people but every single piece of information including a brand new up to date price list of all my designs, that is ready a month before the big TNNA Trade Show in Jan. here in Phoenix....and I only asked for it once....this reinforces that I have finally made a sold good choice in having CBK take on the large task of wholesaling my designs....finally...what a relief.......face it, I was getting a bad rap for my distributing choices...one shop owner pointed out ..quote" you are down three for three"...lol...yikes not good....anyway...this is in the past...we are looking forward and for all the turns and twists and headaches...I have managed to plow ahead....

Now...looking back...10 stitch canvas...was queen when I started to design in the early 70"s...hassocks and rugs and pillows....granted some designs were very simple ...but they don't have to be...the top picture is a new design I just did for a friend that hasn't done much needlepoint, more cross stitch, and wants to expand her stitching....so she asked if I could do a small pillow of the double ring quilt pattern on 10 stitch...fast and easy to see....sure, I said...10st is made for this type of simple but interesting pattern...the pillow is only 8" sq and as you can see, nothing is missing....I plan to do more quilt patterns for the older and new stitcher that needs to see the stitch and wants something that maybe is a little more adult than the simple canvases you see on ten stitch...after all 8"sq has plenty of scope on 10st...open up your mind to it....after all ,your eyes get old and maybe they would enjoy a little rest...lol..

xoxoxoxo

Squiggee

Merry Christmas From Squiggeeland !

2011-12-25T12:26:00.000-08:00

This has been a great Christmas so far...English muffins and coffee in bed....no working( one of the few days that the drawing table is out of bounds...lol...I am wearing non painting clothes...a new shirt( no paint) and jeans(no Paint)...I'm showered and hair washed and up......powdered and perfumed and will even put on some fancy earrings....jump back....
now for the gift part of my day....being from the East...I have dreamed of a real honest to goodness Mexican pot...and a lizard cha che....so my sweet husband found a roadside vendor and the result a perfect Christmas....now I am told by our friend that the lizard is not a Gecko,,, but a horny Lizard...or maybe a toad....he is metal and oh so beautiful as is my pot...that hand made is Terra cotta with a painted porcelain like glaze....the perfect pot...almost too nice to mess up with dirt ...lol...the lizard now is by my drawing table on the wall so I can enjoy him...I have a feeling he will not remain with a friend...they had all sizes and shapes....ohhhhhhhhhhhhh myyyyyyyy.
we also received a beautiful box of chocolate truffles from a new neighbor, and our friend gave us choc late bars...white with bits of chocolate cookies crumbs...our favorite and a very pretty set of range element covers...our stove is old and this makes it look oh so tidy...this time I will try not turning on the stove element without removing the covers...but since Mr. Squiggee runs the kitchen and I Spend as little time as possible in there....they might just survive...lol .and I almoost had a fit ...McDonalds is closed today....so my ice tea connnection ...noda...but low and behold our house guest got me ice tea at the local Circle K ( a AZ like 7/11) and just presented it to me in one of my Mickey -D cups from yesterday....ahhhhhhhhhhhhh...life doesn't get much better...I am so happy..
we here in Squiggeeland want to wish all our Squiggers a very Merry Christmas...
xoxoxoxox
Squiggee(gaily), Mr. Squiggee (ken), Omar and little Squiggee-Buns

What A Treat !

2011-12-24T13:34:00.000-08:00

As a Designer one of the most exciting things is seeing your design come to life.....My Rollies are designed to be rolled...dah ! and finished in tube form...sometimes the shaped ornaments need a model...well lets face it, most things that are designed flat to be turned into a 3d ornament need a model....not everyone can envision the finished product.....so Saundra Campbell ...a great stitcher and Squiggee fan offered to work a model , my White Rollie Poodle named FIFI !....Above is Fifi in all her glory...and what an absolutely wonderful job Saundra has done.....below is the painted canvas ....As you can see, Saundra has done her magic and has brought her to life..... the extra special part of having a models worked by stitchers that are fans of Squiggee designs , is that you can see the care and pizazz..her special touch ....I just love it....
The poodle is off to our amazing finishers at Stitchery Square in Camden Maine...see their link on the right....you won't be disappointed .........I got Squiggee started with working models ....but I really like the fact that others are so generous to add a different look to the line....everyone puts their own spin on a model and it adds to the look...
I can't thank Saundra ,Pam, Carole , Ronnie , Susan ,Donnelle ,Georgia Dee and Mary Katherine for all their talent....and let us not forget our special friend, the late Judy Harper....she started it all and convinced me that, although I hadn't worked a canvas since 1984 in wool...I would be able to master all the new fibers....lol...she was a hoot !
anyway ...as always, I will show pictures of Fifi when she returns....
and if you are not impressed enough by Fifi...Saundra apologized for taking three weeks to complete Fifi...she had some Christmas things to do....wow !....I am fast but I don't work like a regular stitcher ( just like a machine, something I have to do) and certainly don't do all the fancy stuff....I am speechless ! and oh so happy for her help....
kisses to all
love,
Squiggee

Been extremely busy !

2011-12-23T13:13:00.001-08:00

OK ...it looks like I have dropped out of sight but noooooooooo, I, like everyone else, have been busy...

this time of year when everyone is getting ready for the holidays, I am getting ready for the big TNNA Trade show in Jan. This year I have been busy getting all to my new distributor CBK...like trying to turn a big tanker around mid voyage....not a thing that is easy...everything is in the detail and making sure she has everything possible to make her job run smoothly.....at the same time custom work, like the dragon, continues . and our little house is full.....we have moved and rearranged to try and make our friend and her critters as comfortable as possible...but the routine of the house is off...luckily the birds have adjusted...one looked sick for a day and with birds you worry that they might all get sick...they are delicate....I had a 24 hour virus and was in bed a day...all achy and off....the dogs loved it , because they joined me and got attention that has been in short supply the last couple of months....but all this is secondary....we are in a place that makes us happy and surrounded by friends and in touch with friends that care...everything else can just go poof...after the simply horrible year, we are starting to see an end and have so many positive things in the works.....

more later ...off to do some errands....

House guests...

2011-12-15T10:37:00.000-08:00

Well, never a dull moment here in Squiggeeland....we have a friend here that has been renting, waiting for her new house to be ready as they promised to move her in by the 15Th...she has to leave her rented house today,and sadly, the house is not ready..now, this is the friend that took us in when we arrived here and our house was not ready...so we are so glad to return the favor. So,she, her 7 parakeets ,and three cats are moving in here for a few days...We have a tiny house, but have re-arranged things to make room...so it ought to be a lot of commotion ,which our dogs love , more the merrier for a bit...cozy....Squiggee and Omar love the birds and are fascinated by the cats...the birds love the dogs and the cats will feel like they are in hell for awhile...we will try to keep the dogs from bothering the cats , we have a baby gate to close off the hallway...but you know how animals are...Squiggee lost an old tooth this morning...it didn't seem to bother her and it is just a part of old age.....I am about to retreat to the safety of my studio before the games begin...Omar might need a sedative...lol he absolutely loves company...almost to death...
the design at the top of the blog is a string of pearls needlepoint dog collar I designed for my new shop....this is not for the junk yard dog...but for a dog in the city I fear...you know Park Avenue ! I am off to work , painting a custom piece for a shop...a dragon.... I plan to ignore the rest....lol....
FYI I have done absolutely nothing about Christmas yet...yikes....

MR. SQUIGGEE HAS SOMETHING TO TELL YOU. BEST GO CHECK IT OUT

2011-12-15T06:57:00.001-08:00

snakey !

2011-12-14T09:30:00.000-08:00

Above is a custom design for my new shop...to be revealed soon !.....It is a snakeskin Ipad cover...I was totally amazed when I started to research snake skin patterns.....they are absolutely everywhere and in every color imaginable....I have looked at so many snakes...not my favorite thing, but i tried to just look at all the beautiful patterns on many varieties of the little varmints....so I came up with this exotic pattern...and if you saw this very distinctive snake headed your way, you ,like me would beat it out of there...feet's don't fail me now !

Christmas !

2011-12-13T08:38:00.000-08:00

This is a custom Christmas stocking I just finished for a customer....I started to paint stockings for her family years ago and to date I think this is the sixth , with five more to follow. She needlepoints like she breathes and enjoys picking the fibers and generally just having a good time.

The stocking are always so different, the last having Lego space ships around the three....

This one is for her daughter and she is very girlie, hence the American dolls...not easy because she likes all her stockings on 13st and they are not huge...after all she likes to get them finished....I feel like I know the family somewhat and get great pleasure out of being a part of their history.......knowing that these stockings will be passed down in the family....tradition is cozy this time of year...

It has been cold and rainy here in Tucson....yuck and double yuck....well at least it is not snow....

we have a friend getting ready to move into a new house, and may have house guests for awhile

her 8 rescue parakeets....our dogs love them, and the birds are perfectly safe in their big cage....

her cats however will not be staying here...the dogs like them , but the cats are also rescue animals are very old and not amused by the dogs...lol...the house still has workmen doing things. They are behind and the temporary place she was living has new tenants about to descend so hence the birds visit here...lol...she and the cats will move in and the workmen will just work around them........

I could use some of that raging hot weather we had when we first moved here....rain always makes me feel creepy and cold....and it is very noisy since all the roofs are metal here.......please some sunshine before I get even more cranky !

One more item....I have been very flattered by the response to the article about the Gingerbread White House in the current Needlepoint Now.....the shops are all sold out and we have had many emails from people expressing how much they enjoyed the article....
the whole experience has been very pleasant.......This has been a very positive note to end such a dreadful year...a great new distributor CBK and Needlepoint Now...I think this next year will be great...

A Picture Says It All !

2011-12-06T10:25:00.000-08:00

This is what happens in my new hood when people feel the festive spirit upon them....

Tidbits...

2011-12-05T10:10:00.000-08:00

If it seems lately that I am all over the place...well, yes...so many new things going on here in Squiggeeland that it is hard to get a handle on which direction my day is taking.The little round baskets that are on the side...will be first seen at the January market in Phoeneix..AZ...my hood...lol...the little Hunting Mrs. Santa and the Jumper are part of a custom work done for my new shop....
Talked to CBK and they are cooking....this is so exciting...... for the first time in Squiggeeland, a Distributor has taken over the embellishments...they have even bought little drawers for storage....how wonderful....to date I have personally filled every bead packet for all of Squiggee designs....this is s very freeing experience for me...I do Love CBK.....

We have made some progress here on the home front we have little trees up, that add a sparkle and a festive air to our little house, and Mr. Squiggee is teasing Omar with his stuffed Grinch that I bought for him when we were first married...a collectors item now, and every dog we have ever had wants the Grinch....lol...Omar just goes nuts when Ken hugs the Grinch........ Believe it or not the weather has been cold, we even had frost a couple of mornings....lol...If I was one of those crazy snowbirds that have come for the warm weather , I would be really miffed.....my blood has thinned in the year since I left PA....if it dips below 60 here I am cold...how sick is that....considering this time of year it was in the teens during the day in PA, with snow and ice on the ground till Spring......I am actually looking forward to the Summer heat, which, as I get older I can handle better....I hate being cold...it makes me really hard to be around....always bitching and moaning....at least we have sunshine today...we have had rain and cold grey days for the last week, while some strange front passed by...at the same time something is blooming so ,Squiggee and I are experiencing Springtime like allergies...this adds to my pleasure right now....but not to fear...I hate Mondays and by tomorrow, everything will seem brighter....lol...I know bitch bitch bitch....lol....I just need some warm days....

a wHOLE nEW wORLD.....

2011-12-02T12:09:00.000-08:00

As you can tell from the photos above, my custom work has taken a swing lately...this is all because of a new shop in shall we say horse country....oviously...Santa in his hunting reds and the hounds in close pursuit...lol... when the shop opens all will be revealed.......also...more shoes and purses ....oh my...
FYI...Squiggee Wholesale has a brand new Round Santa............look at Mr. Squiggee's Blog....

More tidbits...

2011-11-30T10:39:00.000-08:00

Just some more tidbits to wet your curiosity girls...top is a little Tiffany ring ornament for your tree...a good purchase when one cannot afford the real ring starting at $40,000.00...lol...and opposite is the front side to a 13st ipad cover...these are all GCH custom exclusives for a new shop...that shall be revealed soon...
I am now working on an exciting custom piece...a sketch for a beautiful large house...a fantasy house that will be on 10st....I know no one ever paints anything on 10st ...what a waste...and let me tell you when you get a big piece of 10st rolled out it looks like 13st...the same applies to all canvas size stitch ...it is all the stitch....
so off I go to work.......................ignoring that Christmas is only 25 days away and I have done absolutely Nada !......no snow and ice , just cactus, sun and some of the strangest Christmas decorations I have ever seen ...interesting new experience...next year we will be more with it...real AZer's...we are just finding everything oh so different...no bagels...can you imagine !..I am typing this wearing shorts for a start...bizarre to say the least..
lol
OMG we have seen our first pig or pig relative...mind you Mr. Squiggee has spotted him...I thought he would be small and cute..no so...like a wild boar with razor sharp teeth , he stinks and has a nasty temper when cornered...and you wonder why i don't go out at night...I would hate to end my days being gored to death by a pig with issues..lol.....

Bluebird !

2011-11-27T07:10:00.000-08:00

This fat little round Squiggee bluebird is back from the finisher..Stitchery Square in Camden , Maine...where all my finshing is done...they are family !!!lol ...he had some repairs and while we were at it, he was turned into a hanging ornament instead of being on a stand....he always makes me smile...he looks happy and fat and oh so cheerful......he is also on 10st ...proving 10st is still a viable canvas and oh so easy on the eyes... and not so huge you have to get a bigger tree...lol...

Birdie in the Tree....

2011-11-25T08:20:00.000-08:00

Above....is one of the new models....this is a Squiggee meadowlark that arrived from Camden Maine, last week.......in good company...along with a Canadian goose and my bluebird that was in for repair....the meadowlark is on 13st and i worked the model...I seem to do less and less of this these days...time is the killer...but luckily we have a bunch of Squiggers that are working Models....this makes for a variety of tastes and styles...very cool...anyway...off to work...I worked yesterday while Mr. Squiggee cooked assisted by Omar and Squiggee....the dinner was delicious
FYI....The 22ND Squiggee turned 11...we are such bad parents we forgot....we will have to celebrate this weekend....Eleven is very old for a Boston...we are lucky she is still pretty healthy except for being blind...no one is perfect....

Happy Thnksgiving !

2011-11-24T09:40:00.000-08:00

We here in Squiggeeland are Thankful that we have managed to end up in one piece after one of the most trying years.....it is enough that we are settled and happy in our little home here in Tucson, when so many people around the world are just struggling to survive.....luckily with the help of loving friends we are just moving ahead and trying not to dwell on all the negatives of this last year.....so our little family will give thanks today that we have each other and the sun is shining here....we have so much to look forward to this next year....onward and upward as they say.

A Box Arrived...

2011-11-22T11:09:00.000-08:00

Most of the time you get maybe one or two models in a box....but last night a box was delivered from Stitchery Square and wowzzzzzzzer...twelve models...now there was one that was there for repair...this sometimes happens when models are returned in house before being shipped out to a new Distributor...lol...and we have had our share of that the last couple of years...not that unusual...I have heard of some artists switching several times in one year...yikes what a pain...
but we are really going great with CBK...she is organized, quick and all business. And pleasant to deal with, all at the same time...there has been a steady stream of packages to CBK in Mass...and thank God we have been so quick in turning things around, because the post office has decided to go gangster wild with their prices...changing flat rate box sizes and now measuring everything....and they wonder why they are always struggling...because they are greedy...except for the speciality delivery companies...UPS and Fed-Ex ...they are the only game in town and still they can't make ends meet...please...so once again I have to make sure I send my customers
canvases the best way possible...the extra time and weighing and measuring always falls on the public...I like simple and once again they make it harder...crap is all I have to say....so much for my rant of the day...
but enough of that...
above are two new models...the blow fish was worked my my dear friend Judy Harper that we lost last March....and I worked the sand dollar...I just love the models...it is the final chapter for a design...now the models will hopefully stir interest at the big Phoenix show in Jan...funny to send them to Mass., only for them to return to AZ for the show....but these models always add to a trunk show...they are always busy...lol...fulltime Squiggee employees...lol..
Mr. Squiggee has a new model on his blog...so take a look...

Lady Peep !

2011-11-21T08:26:00.000-08:00

Another GCH exclusive design for our new shop....chi-chi in the extreme...I love the name Lady Peep...I guess in honor of seeing your little toes...who says designers don't have a sense of humor...lol...anyway...these are also the favorite shoes of the new shop owner...details later...she asked if I would wear a pair...I replied.." only if someone could carry me around while I wore them...lol...I am an Easy Spirit kind of girl".......SEEEEEEE Mr. Squiggee's blog for another chi-chi...lol...Mr. Squiggee had to look up the spelling for me...

Love Bracelet with a Key

2011-11-20T10:22:00.000-08:00

The only way I can describe this gold bangle that opens and closes with a gold screw driver, presented and put on your wrist by someone that loves you...is a Chasity belt for your wrist...better than branding you with like a cow and there you go for life...( I myself am too squirrely and it would make me feel trapped.)...only to me removed if you have surgery, get really really fat...or so skinny that it just slips off because you shrink to nothingness...lol...then again you could buy it and give it to yourself with love and have the key anytime you want to take it off...kind of a I love me gift...lol.....these are sold gold and some come with diamonds...if you have to ask the price ..... Cartier just might sneer !..lol
so why not a two sided ornament you say...who knows......
the rich will always amaze me...!

Something to tickle your fancy...

2011-11-19T08:32:00.000-08:00

Now girls ...if your hubby or main squeeze can't afford a $40,000.00, oval two carat ring from Tiffany's...I have just the ticket...a fold up box I designed exclusively for a new shop....this is gcHendrix custom....and their is plenty more girlie stuff to be revealed...more details later....just fun fun fun....also a new website that the designs will can be viewed ...more

TEXTING....OMG

2011-11-17T10:30:00.000-08:00

for all of you youngsters...this will probably sound oh so silly....but I don't text....if most of your friends are over fifty.....texting is not an option ....I have never used this particular feature of my cell phone, because frankly, some of our friends have trouble with emails...lol...and forget attachments...it is just not happening....
but I have a new business contact that is in her 40's and is sometimes hard to get in touch with...her message machine is always full ...but you can text her...
OK, this sounds easy...you see all the kids do it 24/7...while eating, walking, even talking to someone, which by the way I think is just plain rude...like call waiting...excuse me while I check to see if someone more wonderful than you is on the other line...OK for a business...but in your home...please...
well...I just jumped in and tried my hand at texting...not easy at first, especially when I couldn't figure out how to type just a plain massage...according to my phone you have to set it for ABC...not the coded texting short hand Hindu stuff I was getting.....my phone has pre-done texts you can send...like... bugger off I'm busy...call me...where are you...but these weren't what was required....my phone also has a camera so I can send a picture...doesn't matter of what, because these pictures are always shitty...and who would I send it to. anyway ????..lol....
when I received a reply to my text I was over the moon...how sad is that?....the phone has lots of little features you can play with........Mr. Squiggee says there is a texting shorthand book...
.....hmmmmmmmmmmmmm.....for someone that spells as creatively as I do we had better stick to basic English....
U R here...I get it, but it is not me...... since I just have this one contact that I text, I will never be fast or proficient at this anyway...and it makes me feel old , because it requires all my concentration to type , when I could so easily call...you remember calling...the phone would ring and with no message machine or caller id , you would just answer it...and be surprised....but as everyone over 50 knows...you either get with it or be left behind..........I will master it eventually, like I do all things... the keys being so small doesn't help....and I definitely have to have my bifocals and plenty of light......and coffee.....sad...but true...in a perfect world I would have a small child follow me and text for me...lol....any takers...

My Home Town !

2011-11-14T11:05:00.000-08:00

Some days as an artist are so boring you could just scream...not satisfying in the least....
the only saving grace is that the day will come to an end and you will be able to leave the drawing table and not think about the mundane day you have had....usually this day leaves you covered in paint and just frustrated....
But then you have days like today....A group effort....Certainly I designed and painted the Gingerbread White House...that is special to me because I am a true Washingtonian......not a tourist ...lol....
So having a beautiful model worked by a pro, Cynthia Thomas, and finished by my Angels at Stitchery Square...and then having all displayed in the current issue of Needlepoint Now., makes it all come together....
Even the article is fun....IT sounded just like me, lol...good or bad...the writer listened, and got me...
the Magazine did a beautiful job and I am so proud of it.....when a design comes to fruition, as this one did and everyone involved brings their " A" game...it makes those long boring days just drift away...today is a good day in Squiggeeland....a bonus.... announcing your new wholesale distributor....CBK.....in Needlepoint Now...I could just twirl...lol

Ass Backwards !

2011-11-13T15:50:00.001-08:00

Mr. SQUIGGEE PROMISED PICTURES AND HERE IS ONE FOR YOU......AS THE TITLE SAYS THIS IS THE BACK OF THE WHITE HOUSE...LOL...I WILL LEAVE ALL THE PARTICULARS TO MR. SQUIGGEE...SO CHECK HIS BLOG TOMORROW MORNING AND HE WILL UPDATE AND FILL IN THE DETAILS...
XOXOXOXOX
SQUIGGEE

Sharon G

2011-11-12T11:37:00.000-08:00

We here in Squiggeeland , just want Sharon G to know we are thinking of her today and sending love and sympathy for her loss.

Veteran's Day

2011-11-11T11:03:00.000-08:00

My family has always been proud to serve in the military....My father was a commander of a PT Boat in WWII and my mothers family was part of the original US Navy...they came to this country in 1628 , as ship builders and owners of ships .They helped supply the founders of this country with supplies from Europe. Our family has always shown great pride in being a vital part of this country down through generations... Serving to protect our freedom has always been a part of our families history. We here in Squiggeeland are proud of our vet Mr. Squiggee....

Strange is GOOD !......

2011-11-10T08:21:00.000-08:00

Fortunately or not...lol... I have made my name synonymous with being able to translate almost anything a customer wants into needlepoint...I never tell a customer that wants a custom piece that what they are asking for is just too strange, because most every piece has a story...over the years sometimes I ask...but 99% of the time I just try to make the customer happy and work with them....after all, that is what it is all about.....I have received a box of great looking cookies...and thought how nice...only to find out that the customer wants me to paint the cookies for ornaments for a tree...the only down side of this design is by the time I got the cookies they were stale...booo hoooooo...

as you can see from a sampling above ...variety is the spice of life...true dat' as Omar would say..( that is Baltimore street slang)

Large Projects

2011-11-08T10:33:00.000-08:00

There are times when you just enjoy larger projects ....like the above piano bench on 13st....chair seats and rugs fall into this category...sometimes a pain to come up with a sketch that suits the customer, and to decide on colors to mix....trying to make sure you have mixed enough so you don't run out, and have to mix more...which you always end up having to do...lol...then like most of us , it is the starting....it seems hard sometimes knowing it will be days before you complete the project...but then you have a good first day...everything seems to work...and you can see that the end piece will be satisfying...as an artist you have to have these kind of projects to keep yourself viable in the public eye as a custom artist....sadly the larger projects are not in as much demand as when I started in the 70's...12 chair sets was the norm... rugs were the rage.... even hassocks and full chairs ...but it is pricey and time consuming...I myself don't have that kind of dedication ...painting it is one thing but working it...I am more the small pieces for models...I could commit it to a cuff...but nuts to a whole stocking......

Composites !

2011-11-07T12:07:00.000-08:00

I don't know what other artists call these large projects, that are in lieu of a belt....but I call them composites...in other words you are given a bunch of unrelated objects... you then have to figure out how to make a collage, somehow tying them all together...tastefully ...but mainly make sure you get all the stuff into the design...as a designer you have to sometimes be a little clever with it ...for instance, three children could be three baby buggies or paper dolls...this gives the piece a little more interest than just three names slapped on the design....anyway these are always a challenge and usually turn out better that you first thought...lol...just don't leave anything out....and be aware

that some customers get so excited that they want to add more and more till you finally have to say....enough already...lol

As American As Apple Pie !

2011-11-06T10:29:00.000-08:00

Who says that Squiggee can't be mainstream...granted Squiggee Designs run at little conventional at times, but sometimes we go with the flow. This little tiny angel on 18st is 4" tall and wrapped in an American Flage with stars no less ....Now not to be out done she has an irish cousin that is also making her appearance on Mr. Squiggee's blog...after all I am Irish to the bone...my maiden name is McGuire....I also have English and Scottish blood in my veins ...lol .....and Mr. Squiggee has French ancestry so I guess we will have to add to this family of international angels in time....this is always fun....

This and That !!!

2011-11-04T09:58:00.000-07:00

The top picture is of the original Cluny Tapestries....if you look at Mr. Squiggee's blog you will see how I adapted some of the elements to an updated version on a much smaller scale.
Now as to the other two Photos at the top of my blog...
On my home page was this article about a reality celebrity wedding costing $10 million and after 72 days the marriage was over...they compared this wedding to the big royal wedding of Prince William...it is hard for me to imagine anything costing $10 million especially when you think the good $10 million could do to feed the hungry and relieve the suffering in some of the third world countries that just need clean drinking water...but besides that...no matter how much we Americans spend on something as absurd at this wedding...we never quite rise to the occasion, hat wise !...I love this big hat that, seemingly, takes over this woman ...she could be naked and you wouldn't notice...it looks like a giant ring of cheese....and who knows what the other woman is wearing...like a Halloween take on the royals uniforms in high fashion mode...anyway these two people were at Williams wedding...now top that !!!
and can you tell me ...what the hell is a reality star...I know a Movie star, Broadway star, Needlepoint Diva(lol)...but what is this...now she married an NBA star and I know what that is ...but what the hell is this woman...we have asked around...and guess what ...not one person knows ....

omg...iT'S NOVEMBER............

2011-11-02T12:00:00.000-07:00

It just came to me this morning while paying some bills..it is already November....we have had two Turkeys over the last few weeks , this usually marks a holiday... shit we will have to have something different for Thanksgiving.....moving to the South West messes up your sense of the year...although it does get dark early.Just like the fall and winters in PA.....but that is where it stops...the mornings have been a little chilly but the day warms up...so no big deal....the stores are all full of holiday stuff but somehow it just doesn't feel right....I haven't given a thought to the holidays except for wanting some perfume for Christmas....lets be real, a woman never lets the opportunity slip by for a prize....I wear Shalimar by Guerlain and have been out since we left PA a year ago....with all the expense of moving twice and business stuff...these kind of extras never take precedent...lol...
anyway...to kind of get in the mood ...I have posted some Christmas pictures....Mr. Squiggee has some on his blog, as well........I guess I will have to give the holidays a thought ...doesn't matter. We are so happy in our new home and surroundings that asking for more would seem greedy..
the snowbirds have started to land here and two houses down they had a Halloween party that started at 5 PM and was over by 10 PM...lol...complete with Karaoke...Elvis was on the menu...and let me tell you...If I was Elvis I would have been turning over in my grave....it sounded just terrible...at first I thought a neighbor was drunk and just singing....that was funny but the Karaoke is just strange....God Only knows what Christmas will bring...I do know that rush hour in golf carts is about the same time as the Early Bird Specials..I kid you not !
mr. squiggee has more photo's for you. His link is on the right

MINNIE IS IN THE HOOD...HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

2011-10-31T09:14:00.000-07:00

Well..... THE DAY IS HERE ...THE BIG ONE....MY FAVORITE HOLIDAY....THE BIG H-DAY
HALLOWEEN .....and to celebrate we have a new Witchy Woo and her name is MINNIE.....to have a little fun...you will have to go to Mr. Squiggee's blog for the whole enchilada....
she like all the Witchy Woos is on 18st ...she is now on her way to Mass. to CBK....so she will make her first public appearance at the Jan show...she will fly back to her hood, Arizona to attend the show and kep tabs on a couple more of her sisters that will also be making a new appearance. ..lol...what a trip she will have!...try to control your candy intake today...lol....when we were kids ,it was the only day during the year when we could scarf as much sweets as we could without my mother keeping watch...you just had to remember to dispose of the wrappers in your trick bag before going home...

WHAT WILL OMAR BE FOR HALLOWEEN !!

2011-10-28T12:42:00.000-07:00

I KEEP ASKING OMAR WHAT HE WILL BE FOR HALLOWEEN....HE SAYS A BLACK POODLE WITH ATTITUDE...WELL WHEN YOU LIVE IN A HOUSE WITH SMART ASSES...THIS IS NO SURPRISE...
I have given Omar so many choices...and to each an every costume he gives a groan and rolls his little beady eyes....you would recognize the look if have a teenager, that thinks you are so not cool.....so i guess since I will have no great Halloween shots of the big O...I will just have to post the new Witchy Woo...her name is Minnie !....SHE WILL MAKE HER DEBUT ON HALLOWEENIE !!!

News Break....

2011-10-27T10:54:00.000-07:00

Mr. Squiggee will at Phoenix TNNA Jan 2012....his pass is in and he is so excited to be able to put a face on all the people he has been networking with on behalf of Squiggee and GCH Designs....he has been there at every turn , willing to do all the bits and pieces that keep the Design companies in such good working order with the public....you won't be able to miss him, he will be the very tall man ,sporting a beard, wearing a pink t-shirt...lol....look out Sharon G...you are first on his list to give a big hug after our new rep CBK....my mother said...never let a man in pink into your house and forget about hugging...lol...I know I am having a silly morning....
I have some big news brewing on the Squiggee Custom front ...will reveal all later...have a great day...the sun is shinning and so many birds you think it is Spring here in AZ....enjoy the cold......I know ..that was mean...

SWEARING IN SQUIGGEELAND.....noooooooooo!

2011-10-26T13:54:00.000-07:00

During a business conversation the other day with my new wholesale distributor CBK...Christine...the big boss...told me this saying...and of course I thought it was fishing...which makes sense to all those poor ladies that lose their husbands to fishing....anyway...when she explained...oh no...it is finishing your stash of never ending canvases...what hoot I thought...
so here we go , the design canvas left AZ and is headed to Massachusetts as we speak...
I myself am kind of a neat freak...married to a mess pot ...so that evens out to a normal household... I have a thread stash...but then that is business making models...but no other stash ...now Omar has a ball stash...little soccer balls all over the house...but he is French and that explains it all...lol...

FORWARD ON !

2011-10-25T08:56:00.000-07:00

In life you always hold out hope that people will have the fortitude of character and do the right thing in the end...hmmmm not always the case....so you can stew and fume and wring your hands and express how unfair life can be at times...but my solution is to just press on...looking forward, which has always been my way....
so, above is the first state ornament that I designed so many years ago...all fresh and updated and with a touch of Squiggee that will be in the Squiggee line and distributed by CBK...every month some more will be updated till all fifty states are completed...there will be a handful, maybe six at the Jan TNNA trade show.....it is always nice to take positive action ...lol...maybe the pioneer state of mind is catching here in the West...who knows...tomorrow I will have yet another state...then another and another....

Tadpole Nanny Frog !!!

2011-10-23T23:24:00.000-07:00

You are thinking to yourself..Tadpole Nanny Frog......ohhhhhhh I get it tadpoles are baby frogs....and this is their Nanny.....strange.....well....a frog wearing red high heels and leopard print pants is hardly the norm.....but these little frogs give me great pleasure because they do not have to make any sense at all.....but the who better to look after the little tadpoles than one of their own....right...see, Squiggee grows one you if you just go along with having fun........maybe the red glasses are a bit much , but they look great when your skin is green !

I Have No Idea What Time Of Year It IS !

2011-10-22T14:01:00.000-07:00

When you live in an area that has no seasons...well there are seasons but hotter than hell, really hot , hot and mildly hot...are some how hard to distinguish...we are getting cooler bouts at night ...but so many more birds that it sounds like Spring....confusing....I think they are escaping the cold up north.....and of course the Snow birds(human variety)...yesterday I saw a woman strolling down our road with a dog in the stroller...no dogs are allowed to walk the street.....these strange rules and the huge cactus add to the whole strangeness, if you were raised in the East.....I am not getting that nip in the air that lets you know Halloween is on the way...and I can hardly put a pumpkin out in this sun, without the dam thing baking....we do have pepper lights that I have not had a chance to use...and they will fit in just great....now as to a Christmas tree ??????...hummm...I haven't gotten that far...I just know that Santa would need shorts to visit here....and no sandals because of the Snake factor....
I just sent this little custom NY Yankees Jersey done on 13st and 5" tall....It is always fun to do a new pattern...and will do well for different baseball teams...we will see....
so back to work...for me...
FYI...I do however, not miss the snow and ice.....

Not just Sitting Around Watching The Cactus grow !

2011-10-19T11:27:00.000-07:00

I think sometimes people think that the life of a working artist is very casual, with lots of time to sit and just think arty thoughts....but I have lots going on all the time....between the wholesale lines, custom work and having some sort of life...I am always it seems on the move...
I remember when I had lag time ...between January and March I would catch up on all the fine details and lose ends that seem to slip through the cracks of any busy creative business... by the time Spring pooped up I was pretty organized....all my ducks in a row...well them times are long gone...some mornings I have so much to do and catch up on that it is enough to make you hide out under the covers....it is diverse thank God !...I guess this is to prevent me from being bored and retiring when most people my age are slowing down, not reeving it up ....I know I could have tons of time on my hands ..then I could bitch about no business......since I am not a granny or have interest being a housewife ....oh what woud I do....
the two pictures at the top of the blog are custom pieces ...the top is a girls name in girlie stuff EMILY ,on 13st and the angel star is for a frog loving person on 18st...you never know what custom work will entail...Emily is the sister of Patrick... I painted his name in animals a while back....so I guess I am part of the family with two names painted...lol..
so back to work I go...I have been trying to clear a space for two larger projects...but my time doesn't seen to stretch these days...like old panties the elastic is shot...like that ....who said I can't be flip and odd !

If You Live Long Enough !!!

2011-10-18T09:19:00.000-07:00

A couple of years ago, when I decided to take Squiggee Designs and toss it into the wholesale venue, I didn't have any models...boo hoo...so I jumped into the making of models full tilt...as time and distributors have marched on , I have decided to keep all the models small and light since there are so many now...because they ship better and take up less room...
the larger models have served their purpose..."Notice Squiggee Designs", they shouted....done that ...time to retire some of these models...
great time, materials and finishing costs go into making models ...and the two wonderful pillows above at the top of the blog are on eBay on auction starting this morning for three days....
imagine that, getting rid of models you have to spare...my God, Squiggee is squarely in the game.....
also a funny Mr. Squiggee story...he can be so funny and clever, It makes me not only love him , but enjoy his sense of humor...Because of the two moves...somehow we ended up two of those little timers in the kitchen ....yesterday, he comes around the corner with a timer in each hand, the dogs at his side and asks " Are you two-timing me"? I laughed so hard I had to sit down...just thought I would share !!! And you wonder why I am strange!
xoxoxoxo
love,
Squiggee.....my eBay name is squiggee*buns for those that want a peek !

Affordable Art ?????

2011-10-16T19:35:00.000-07:00

The album cover above looks like my living room, at different times the last month or more...if I was selling statues instead of needlepoint.....but you get the drift, don't you?....

a handful of canvases ready to ship out is almost charming....all spanking new, with or without embellishments...but let me tell you ...having one's vast body of work return , to be sorted,cataloged and shipped out again, is not much fun...even if it is your own work...at this point, after hundreds of canvases , who cares who designed the stuff.....it seems unending and I think it is giving me a rash...lol.....it is disturbing to see that much needlepoint at one time...truly... now imagine if it was old worn underwear...just kidding...only the stuff has traveled the world.... back and forth to various painting services ,that are now all overseas. The pristine canvases that leave my drawing table and go to the painting service, return to me looking like they have either lived outside for a few months, or were used as placemats at the dinner table.. In short, they smelled and had additional blobs of paint, etc., and were even unsuitable to even be sent to the next distributor or painting service. In some cases, someone had taken a magic marker to them to redefine specific color, such as grey. The worst ones were the dog portraits like the black lab that now has shades of purple and a Bichon with shades of green. Have to now repaint both of them.
The same folks that in one breath tout your designs, show a total disregard for your property when it is to be returned to you. The boxes of canvases come back to you and they are just tossed into whatever box is handy. Nothing is done to protect the canvases from the rain or any sort of moisture. No delivery confirmation, etc.

I have just repainted my large alligator on 10st....he had been painted so many times and touched and oozed on that some of the paint had even rubbed off....

these canvases have been on their own and at the mercy of the companies that have copied them....granted, some services take more care, but bottom line is that is the responsibility of the distributor to handle with care...after all they are leased items , and belong to me....

hint Fabreeze is a God send....takes care of the real smelly art...lol...

live and learn....knowledge is power...
PS-- Mr. Squiggee has a Gator to show you as well, and additional information. Go check him out. Yes, I do realize that you can't polish a turd!!!!!! Silly man!!!

Omar's Big Day !

2011-10-12T10:06:00.000-07:00

Good thing Omar is a dog and not a demanding child that needed a full balloon , big cake,Pirate themed birthday party.....Yesterday was one of those days that got away from us....but since Omar is a dog( we won't tell him that) today all is make-up B-Day ..... I have just put a beautiful piece of beef in the crock pot...and the added bonus of today, it is trash day....the big main trash truck has already been and Omar has done a nut !!!!...he is napping waiting for the recycle tuck...two biggies in one day...yesterday he had UPS which is always a feel good moment...he launches himself , full tilt with the Squig as back up......though blind and old she is still powerfull ...today they will haunt the kitchen, taking in the smell of beef as it slowly cooks and the smell becomes more intense with every hour ....till they can't stand it anymore and try to push the dinner hour ahead.....the only time the two Sib's fight is over food...so we have to make sure everyone gets their fair share...sometimes when I am cutting meat, the two crowd each other pushing , then a nip and then a snarl and off they go...not that either pooch has ever been short shifted when it comes to food....no one is every hurt, it just sounds terrible .......Mr. Squiggee and I have had toast for dinner sometimes when there just doesn't seem to be enough meat for the two...they have the appetite of truck drivers and luckily as we get older we eat less and less meat....
so today Omar is in heaven and we will just mark today as a carry over from yesterday....everyone is cool !...lol
Notice Omar's new do ( the photo at the top of the blog)....I researched sites for Poodle cuts and combined a couple.... sent notes, drawings and a photo to the new groomer....we were very pleased and he looks awesome...I especially like his new bubble butt....very handsome.......now all he needs is a new collar...the one he has now has not worn well looks shabby and since Omar is an awesome Dude this will not do...especially since a collar is the only thing he will wear....lol...
well back to work....more canvases to catalog and send on to CBK....actually if I see one more painted canvas I will just barf...lol....

I Remember When Saturdays Were Free Time...

2011-10-08T13:30:00.000-07:00

This time of year when people are spending time outdoors , gardening and football games at the local high school...everyone taking their time to enjoy those two free days before Monday rolls around... this designer , is in the midst of her busy season ..... getting ready for the biggest TNNA trade show in Jan...work.... work... work ...and of course getting everything transferred to our new wholesale distributor ...... also some exciting new things...a brand new shop that will open in December close to DC...I am hard at it doing some new custom designs that will be exclusive to the shop...Squiggee and GCH wholesale designs are already on their way to the shop for stock...it is a great opportunity to be a presence in a new shop , and their will also be a .com store on a great web site..but all that for later....this new shop gives me an opportunity to design some very sophisticated stuff...now don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with the odd frog or flamingo...but I like variety myself.....and I am a city girl at heart....not snotty just city...lol...
It is strange to live in such a flat area..I do miss New york and tall buildings sometimes...but I have cactus that are taller than the house , that I simply adore...so I just will consider these my tall AZ Buildings...lol...
well no rest for me...back to work...break over with...
xoxoxoxox
Squiggee

Who Knew !

2011-10-07T10:35:00.001-07:00

OK people...here is what happens when a East Coaster lives in AZ for a little over three months...We are use to the cold above is PA in December and it stays that way till Spring...sometimes more ice and snow but always cold and damp...no biggy you know what to expect and how to dress...But AZ pictured just a month ago still looks that way...but the weather has cooled...after being hotter than hell it is cool...not cold but you can't tell you body that...the house now feels like someone has gone wild with the AC...
is it possible that your blood has thinned .....too many Mickey Dee iced teas......granted it was 95 just a couple of days ago ..... then 60 now this time of year in PA it has started to get cool but 60...that is just pleasant, but here it feels cold...OMG...I have become a southerner overnight...like all the old ladies in Florida that sport fur coats all year round...yikes...well I have a sweat shirt on and it isn't doing the trick...so I guess more clothes are in order...I refuse to turn on the heat ...what am I old !!!!...don't answer that !!!!

we do have all sorts of excitement for this fall/winter...and let me tell you our new distributor Christine Bania Kesten owner of CBK Needlepoint Collections and the great shop Christine's Osterville Needlepoint , in Marston Mills, MA...is so cooking ...but Mr. Squiggee my personal assistant handles all the nuts and bolts...so he will keep you posted...lol...he's the man !!!

House of the WEEK.....

2011-10-04T15:31:00.000-07:00

Houses ...what can you say...they are suited to needlepoint in the fact that they have straight angles and a grind....just the ticket...but then there is never... I mean never ...enough stitches to complete the whole imagine...so you have to diddle( one of my favorite descriptions) and use half the stitches required to transform this house into a piece of needlepoint that actually resembles the house...if you squint your eyes and back off across the room...these houses are always impressive...I think because you have come anywhere close to the photo you have been sent...you do have to pick each and every stitch with care...it is like designing a puzzle....and at the end of the day you are always covered in paint...too much stopping and starting another color...and so frustrated that you might just have to chew ice or kick the dog....which ever is closer or more convenient...lol...
It isn't until the next morning when your eyes are rested that you can look at the piece and appreciate all your efforts...and be glad your next house is on 10st...a biggy...not so fussy and easier on the eyes...this house was on 18st 11 1/2" x 9 1/2".......all over ...sigh...next......while I can still seeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I Feel So French !!! Oui..Oui...Mon ami !!!!

2011-10-03T09:23:00.000-07:00

Some Custom work is a grind...a challenge...purely for money...lol..and to prove that all your cheese has not slipped off the cracker even though you now wear Easy Spirit Shoes..OMG..way too much info....and then there are the just fun custom....there are so many companies that specialize in Christmas Stockings...some very nice safe classic designs with Santa, T-bears ...a cozy tree ...stockings hung on the mantle...even little angels....I have painted some...but it seems that my customers looking for a custom stocking , always have such specific wants...sometimes a little strange ...in actuality...the stranger the better, and the challenge and working all the elements into a stocking is always interesting and fun...
this stocking is what happens when a nice Texas lady , comes to DC to renovate a house and falls in love with a Frenchman...all sorts of possibilities accrue....I even got in the spirit of things and suggested him holding a plate with snails...get it...this man is amazing...so many interests and so much to work with...like a puzzle you will just have to look and come to your own conclusions...
enjoy the sail...lol....

BIG BIG NEWS

2011-10-01T08:06:00.000-07:00

GO VISIT MR SQUIGGEE'S BLOG
FOR THE BIG NEWS.

Big Doings in Squiggeeland and GCH..!!!

2011-09-30T09:04:00.000-07:00

So you ask...what?...well we do have some big news, ready to burst forth here in Squiggeeland....now... now...I can hear the groans!....Now don't be like that....I know we have had a couple of years that have been like a script from a bad B movie...but all the cactus and sunshine here in AZ has given us hope. Things are now on the right path...Sometimes you just need to take life and shake it up ...like a roll of the dice...just go with your gut and make a change....we have changed so much lately, like ballast off a sinking ship...or unloading extra baggage that never does anything but slow you down. I think people are afraid to rock the boat, better to stay stagnant and safe...well we here in Squiggeeland got our start from ground zero on eBay....and have been pushing and pulling ourselves along looking for a safe harbor to dock...what a struggle, and at all odds we think we have turned that corner and see light at the end of that long dark tunnel...now that I have run out of clever little cliches, I'm off to paint...but stay around for the celebration...oh yeah... !!!

Santa is in the HOOD !

2011-09-29T08:25:00.000-07:00

As you can see, the top of the blog has a wonderful picture that the White House sent me of the White House Express Sleigh that served as the Kissing Ball in the Grand Foyer of the White House in Christmas 1997 during the Clinton years.

I even received a very complementary thank note from Mrs. Clinton
It started with an empty gold sleigh made of wood , and I designed a two sided Santa , two needlepoint sides for the sleigh and three reindeer..the head reindeer if you notice was sporting the American Flag and I designed a variety of toys , all two sided for the sleigh...a small white House, Raggedy Ann and Andy, a block, small tree, a Santa flag, a sax for Clinton, a teddy bear and fire engine...the funny part was I only had to do half a Santa..because his legs were hidden in he Sleigh...lol

I designed a separate Banner naming the sleigh... The White House Express......

Mr. Squiggee has more pictures of some of the toys on his blog...you will find a link to his blog on the right side of this page...

It's a big undertaking stitching all these little elements, and many stitchers worked on the models...
I did all the designing and painting....and enjoyed every minute...fun to be so honored to have your creation hung in such a special House ....

After all ,The White House is very special no matter who is renting...lol..Christmas is Christmas....

Toile Away The Hours !

2011-09-28T09:46:00.000-07:00

I love Toile...this is a french style of Printed material...What I love about it , is two fold...the simplicity of the design, yet how the variation of the lines can make for a very complicated design..you achieve all your shading by the thickness or thinness of a line.The line ,and how it moves is so basic to creating an image and works so well in needlepoint, when shading with a vast array of colors is time consuming to paint ,expensive to reproduce and a Bitch to work...Toile has a very strong clean crisp look to it and so does basic needlepoint when it is kept on point, meaning stitch painted...you can't split a stitch ( unless you are painting on the dreaded Penelope Canvas )..it is just one color , one stitch, so I find anything that is this precise , the canvases just loves it...
the above pieces are the use of only one color ,the canvas and the varying line...basic and beautiful to me as a needlepoint artist...not for everyone , but that is what makes the world go round !!!

Old but New Again..welcome Home , love Squiggee !!

2011-09-27T08:02:00.000-07:00

Sometimes designs get misdirected..but eventually they land where they are suppose to be...the canvases at the top were designed in 2005 and were in the" by Gail' line....well the two on this series , shown above..."Mr. Jaques and Here Kitty " were updated here in Squiggeeland last year . The rest of this series, shown at the top of the blog will follow this year. These designs are based on old designs from the 20's and 30's........all they needed was a little updating and now will go through more transformation before they join the Squiggee Wholesale line....I have a love of Halloween and have two new Witchy Woos about to make their debut...It is funny here since the temperatures are still in the 90's as October approaches...but that will not deter us here..I will just turn up the a/c and imagine the crinkle of leaves...lol...so stay tuned....I already have a brand new Gingerbread Halloween house called Mr. Bones....and a model is being worked in Texas by MK as we speak...exciting....oh yeah !!!

Just Slipped through the cracks !

2011-09-26T08:28:00.000-07:00

As you can see from all the dogie snaps above... our dogs have been fair game for dressing up in strange outfits and enduring all our crazies....but one lone dog has managed to slip under the wire...OMAR, came into our life a little less than two years ago....I am reminded of this because he will be two next month on the 11Th. He was 10 weeks old when he arrived , small timid and very quiet...never making a sound. We had just lost our precious Bubbles and Squiggee was still in heavy mourning....It was Winter , and in PA this means snow and ice till Spring...Omar hated the cold and so I began to look for a sweater or coat... When our first dog Woof Woof , was a pup in Middletown, Maryland, farm country , he was not endowed with a lot of fur...so from day one when the weather changed he had sweaters ,coats and sometimes he wore both. Woofie was also use to many strange outfits as I had started him off very young posing for pictures... so anything was OK with him...When he was two I found this wonderful all in one sweat suit complete with four legs and a pee pee cutout...he loved it...he wore the damn thing till it was thread bare, and in the snow he wold have it on with a coat over the top...so I found one for Omar...Pink and Grey, but being all black , I thought this would be a fashion statement ...anyway he would have to have a larger one for the next Winter...
Now anyone that has ever bought a coat ,sweater or Boots for a dog thinking that you are doing them a big favor, can understand that not all animals find this a plus.......I put the suit on Omar and he turns and looks up at me ....." you have lost your mind lady ".Omar dressed to kill would not move a muscle...he actually looked like he was in pain........when he did attempt to walk ,it was like he had the biggest wedgie in his get-a-long...stopping every couple of steps , turning , trying to see what had him by the hinny...It was painful to watch....so bag that idea, on to the next outfit, this being one of Squiggee's coats..too big but no back legs... He was not happy but would walk , all the time biting at the coat trying to get it off...Tee- shirts and sweaters they all were met with the same behavior....slowly he got more fur and Spring arrived and by the time the next Winter rolled around we were living in Colorado and he was full grown with a dense coat and clearly not in need of extra covering. The Winter in CO was nothing compared to PA, so Omar was safe...and coat less, problem solved. While making the collage of past dog pictures this morning it occurred to me that Omar has never had a picture taken in any outfit....hummmm, with Halloween fast approaching we will have to see about this...I have on occasion while packing and unpacking this last year, found a bandanna or devil horn headpiece and tried to get Omar in the spirit for a photo...he goes crazy, ripping and tearing at whatever, like you have poured hot oil on him......
I guess most of our dogs started so early posing, wearing silly things that they never thought twice...Omar is his own man so to speak, and will not bend I fear..the dye is cast !!!!...
Yesterday, the Sunday paper had a Pet Smart ad displaying a pirate dog costume..... the hat was to die for and Omar being all black with long ears and sporting a white goatee would be perfect , and I could supply a gold loop earring...while I was in fantasy land, my husband said...."he won't stand still for any of that", and Squiggee says she is a girl so forget it !!!"...the voice of reason....no he won't...maybe the vet has a pill that would make him placid and amenable to the whole costume idea...but then that would be wrong....wrong...wrong...hummmmmmmmm or would it be that bad !...kidding people...just kidding....I'm afraid Omar will just have to go through life naked but for the goatee...lol !....or maybeeeee??????

Connecting the DOTS !

2011-09-25T08:44:00.000-07:00

As a designer in this bazaar business of needlepoint at the wholesale level....I have learned a lot and swallowed a lot....had to accept that not everyone has the same standards of honesty as I do and that in order to protect your designs from all sorts of mishaps...{how's that for being polite?}, you have to be constant at policing the wholesale business.....I have heard such horror stories from other artists , how a former wholesaler that was in trusted with your creations, had abused them in such an overt fashion as to make a person believe that they are no longer in the USA, but Mars where anything goes. This even applies to stitch charts and charted designs....my God is nothing safe?. If I was a young designer and just starting out, I would take a serious look at the business and from day one trust only yourself to protect your property. Contracts are nice but hard to impose when your canvases are all overseas and many wholesalers refuse to tell the artist what painting service has your property...what is that !!!!

When you lease a car , doesn't the lessor have a right to know where you have it housed?...of course, just another way of keeping the artist off kilter.....

The above designs started from a piece of cloth I was given...the center piece was to fit a set-in bench I believe...I liked the design so much on 18st that I took two portions and made them pillows on 13st...these were all put in the wholesale line under "by Gail" on November 18-19, 2002.

When I pulled the line in Jan 2009 from the, then current ,wholesaler, these designs were never returned along with hundreds of others. OK, cut your loses....move on , as a designer you are the source and as long as you have your talent and ability to paint, you are always moving forward. Old designs are great, but a dead end. What I clearly find outrageous, is that a pirated design can not only show up in a ad with no mention of the true designer, but also at a trade show with your name expunged, and a a little sign professing it to be a new design, when it clearly was not.
How can this person look at themselves in the mirror and not have the glass shatter from all the lies they have told?
Lack of conscience is a grave thing to bypass, because in the wee hours of the end of your life you have plenty of time to look back on how you have conducted yourself...very sad...very very sad that you choose to conduct your life this way.

I am not perfect , but have standards of honesty, and refuse to take the other path...

I love designing needlepoint, and really hate to see standards not withheld.

Trial by fire, is what I call the last 11 years. The Wholesale business needs a tonic if it is to grow and flourish....It is the artist and their vision that drives the whole industry We are it's core. Without us, there will be nothing new to distribute, so take care!

A Love of Dogs !!!

2011-09-24T08:45:00.001-07:00

It is no big secret that I have a love of dogs that has no end....the two photos and the other two snaps at the top of the blog are part of my GCH series of dog brick covers...for some reason bricks seem to hold their own...maybe because as a way of holding a door open they are rock solid...they won't tip over or be carried off by the dog and when worked in wool can last a lifetime ...they can be cleaned like any other upholstery...I created these covers in the early 2000's and made sure that the background was something special that would set the dog off....dogs are classic..the favorite breed changes from year to year but dogs are a way of life and add so much to a household...sure they poo, and bark and have as many strange quirks as we humans do...but when they snuggle and look up at you like you are God !...what is not to love...when you lose a dog in a household the silence is so evident...the house becomes still....so give your pooches a special hug and tell them that they are just way too wonderful for words and enjoy everyday you have them by your side ....
xoxoxoxoxo
Squiggee

The White House cont........

2011-09-23T08:49:00.001-07:00

above are pictures of my designs from the 2000 Christmas program that showed past kissing balls , plus a Sleigh and Santa with a polar bear two sided that were my designs from the previous Clinton Christmases...the photo shows how a couple of the past Christmas Kissing Balls were displayed that Christmas...a nice idea to look back on their years at the White House.
the Santa with a sack I designed in the eighties and I used this Santa's head and shoulders in The Kissing ball ( shown painted and worked/finished) based on the Italian china called Della Robbia with all the fruit around him... the china has a very distinct over powering feel and the Santa seemed to lighten the look.....funny how an old design can come in handy sometimes...he was just perfect for the occasion....
Mr. Squiggee has more White House pictures as promised....I will have more tomorrow...off to work...
xoxoxoxox
Squiggee

THE WHITE HOUSE YEARS......

2011-09-22T10:30:00.001-07:00

I am one of those rare birds...a born and bred Washingtonian...born July 1950 at George Washington Hospital....a breech birth , so that tells you just how long I have been around...no Cesarean birth for my mother...she took the long hard path.....
my love of the White House has been long standing ..my mother would walk by it with me in a stroller if she was shopping downtown.....and always drive by it when we were in town as kids....it was always there, never changed no matter what the politics, a touchstone for us kids growing up.....so as a needlepoint designer educated and working in DC, it was just plain fun to be asked to design a kissing ball for the Grand Foyer during the Clinton and George W Bush administrations....
A theme was decided on by the White House for a particular Christmas and then I would design something befitting the occasion ....the design was hung in the Grand Foyer and was called the kissing ball....the top of the blog shows the painted pieces making up a blue and white silhouette strip that was then worked and finished into a ball to be hung...this was Christmas 2000, the Clinton's last Christmas and a retrospect of all their Christmases as displayed in the design.
It was great of the White house to send me this photo...cozy, like being a part of the nations capital family...lol...trust me, you can never change a Washingtonian ...our love of this small but important town will always hold a special place no matter where I live... the description, when asked ..."Where do you come from?" my answer .... "I am a Washingtonian" ... this overrides any place I have ever lived...lol
Go and check out Mr. Squiggee's blog for more photo's and tidbits.

A Nip In The Air !

2011-09-20T13:43:00.000-07:00

I talked to a shop in MN this morning and she said it was 65 there today.....just cool enough for the knitters to make themselves felt....well here in AZ it is still hotzy totzy...around 95...and besides their are plenty of projects for needle pointers when the the cooler weather arrives...sports nuts.. a segment of needle pointers we just love here in Squiggeeland.....we love painting those little sport balls ornaments and little sweaters with all sorts of teams, college, high school, private and pros...what ever you want ...we can provide....
Mr. Squiggees blog is sporting the little sweaters while above on this blog is the little balls....by the way that the post office considers balls profanity...I can't email a customer that their little sport balls are on the way...I have to change the message on the USPS site to ornaments....has the world gone mad.....or maybe I have a potty mouth I was unaware of...lol...I do know some neat words , but rarely write them in a message to a shop...lol

Does Anyone remember painting on Penelope Canvas....????

2011-09-19T11:23:00.000-07:00

Most of the needlepoint painting world is probably to young to remember when Penelope Canvas was the rage...you could work a design in the center in 20st. and then zip by with working the background in 10st....this is an example of an old piece that I was asked to copy onto 13st...hummm you say...well 13st is a far cry from 20st...and of course to make it more interesting, I was asked to keep it the same size.....
so here we go again fooling the eye , painting just enough so you think they are the same...with a little less stitches...but let me tell you , when I first apprenticed at American Needlework Center and I was asked to paint a family crest on Penelope Canvas....in order to make sure that the crest was stitch painted I had to hand separate the center canvas spreading the stitches apart so I could paint a single stitch...a bitch you say...well dah !!!.....I thought I was going to go crazy and of course as you moved and handled the canvas the stitches would magically go back together...
so although this project was time consuming and a bit of a challenge..it was a walk in the park compared to painting on that dreadful canvas.......
so you young and up coming needlepoint artists , just count yourself lucky for the mono canvas produced today...don't even get me started on the fuzzy thin a bitch to paint on interlock canvas...yuck and double yuck...

I Do Have a Traditional Side....snort snort !!!

2011-09-17T10:28:00.000-07:00

Since Squiggee designs has only been around since 2004, some people only associate my designing with that line...little gingerbread houses, strange Witchy Woos..and lots of small designs with a little twist...but I have been around since Moses was a boy...lol ..well not that long...but when you having been painting needlepoint for 39 years..and seen every trend imaginable......... the business change from the cozy to big extravaganza....you have painted the full range of canvases...above you will see the medieval tapestries based on the old Cluney Tapestries that are part of my gcHendrix line....at one time it was all the rage and it interested me.

Like all artists something will peek or tweak your imagination and off you go on a toot...you explore that particular style or content...do your thing and get it out of you system ......then off to another phase...this is what keeps you fresh and prevent you from becoming pigeon holed as an artist ...even Squiggee has evolved from the first tiny paw print canvas that started it all....see photo above....

I like to see a change happening all the time, even though I am probably in the Winter or late Fall of my painting career.....lol......I would like to go on till my last breathe but we as humans have no control over that....so on with the dance.........!!!! the exciting part is that you never know what will grab me next and take me to the next phase of designing....that is what makes life oh so sweet..the unknown........bitching as we say here in Squiggeeland...just bitching !!!!!

FYI...see mr. Squiggee's blog for the Big Tapestry...!!!!

Squiggeeland updated

2011-09-16T15:56:00.000-07:00

I guess I can't complain at what a big success and how well received the Squiggee on line catalog has been...but since I add things all the time and the pages are set so to speak...then new pages with the most recent additions to the catalog add up and I think people will enjoy the index page I have added to cut down on you having to view the whole catalog when you are in pursuit of a Bitchy frog or Christmas ornament....but like all good deeds, that never go unpunished, sometimes the computer takes exception to you making changes and it gets what I call a bugger in the works...a cyber hick-up...or f-rt !....
So after driving myself crazy last night...I called yahoo this morning and got some professional advice...lol...although I do all the work on the website , it only goes along as long as nothing strange appears....so I had to redo the whole homepage in order to get rid of whatever cootie was lurking....anyway all is smooth now and I have given it a little make-over....
but the main reason for all the commotion is the index....
as we add more designs ,this too will be updated....
after all this I could use a cocktail...meaning a Mickey-Dee's iced tea..not sweet but extra slice of lemon...sometimes I crave this so much it scares me...will Betty Fords be far off...ummmmmmmm...I wonder....well at least it isn't cocaine or crack
I guess it would be considered the drug for really dull old people....OMG...that is so me these days...
all I do is work...no torrid love affairs , Mr. Squiggee keeps an eye on me, and besides...the only man that would consider me hot stuff, would have to really old these days...my target group keeps aging....husbands don't count...they are trapped and getting old themselves....but then that never matters if you are a man...they are hot and a catch as long as they have a pulse...lol
http://www.squiggeedesigns.com

after all this at least I can provide a link for those who are interested...lol...

Whitchy Bitchy on the move !

2011-09-15T10:01:00.001-07:00

Love it.... love it...

at the top of the blog is a worked Witchy Bitchy Frog... a shop called Fancy Stitches in Cleburne Texas is having a Bitchy Halloween time class starting October 29Th.

http://www.fancystitches.com

...the model and stitch chart was done by a gal ( that is what Texan girls are called...lol)...named Cynthia Pigg.....

I just love the way they have taken Bitchy and made her their own creation but still keeping the Squiggee flavor...this is what needlepoint is all about here in Squiggeeland ...having fun and not afraid to add just that Little extra....her hair is to die for...exactly the color and texture if my name was Whitchy Bitchy and the fringe on her shawl around her waist or middle since we are talking frogs is just plain jazzed...she is just perfect in my opinion...you only hope that the shop has such a big response to Bitchy that her sister might get a class also....

since Squiggee conception I will say that the gals of Texas have always welcomed my designs...these stitchers are fun and love the unexpected....not to worry...when Bitchy is finished she will have her trade mark broom not in the picture above...how else can she make the class walk...lol...noT...I know too silly for a Thursday morning...

I just get a kick out of seeing a finished Squiggee canvas...very cool ...very cool !!!

look on the right of the page...Whicty Bitcy's sister...Grunelda Flydipper ............

what is wrong with spell check...the Flydipper family is famous...lol

Rain..Rain Go Away ...Little Squiggee wants to just go out !!!!!!

2011-09-13T08:24:00.001-07:00

We are in this bizarre weather loop right now in AZ.....we arrived here in late June and it was 110%...hotter than hell ....and dry....you would find that you had no spit.....well about half way through July we would have these little storms....fast and fierce...like someone turning the tap on...it really didn't cool anything off...but helped the plants ...as the days of summer have faded...
the storms have become more frequent...days of blazing heat then storms every night for two or three days then back to the heat...

the days of rain have become more frequent and longer...we are now having rain sometimes a couple of times a day...just like DC...in the Summers in the DC area...the heat builds and then there is a big afternoon storm...almost like clock work...it really doesn't cool anything just makes it more humid.....

here we are getting some real cool offs...when I say cool offs and it almost seems chilly at night when you can open up the windows..I mean 80%....without the terrible humidity as we are use to on the East coast it seems cooler...we do notice however that a little humidity is sneaking into the mix...not enough to bother you but you do have more spit...

but the dogs like all dogs hate the rain and Squiggee has taken to bed...hoping for better weather...Omar is also not a fan and his poo schedule is off....

I am told that the rains will stop by the end of September and the more pleasant weather will roll in....the dogs are driving us crazy...thank God they can't speak English...the nagging would be way too much....I myself just whine and bitch....

Christmas is a Coming...

2011-09-10T12:00:00.001-07:00

Girls...can you feel the rumbling of fibers and stuffing as the finishers get ready to cut you off for Christmas....October 1st is the big cut off for most finishers, unless you are the Queen of some country or someone that is OHHHHHHHHH so special...it must be a daunting site all the boxes and piles of projects for a finisher to work their magic in order for these precious pieces to become gifts for Christmas delivery...and then there is the big Trade show looming in January and designers are also on the prowl to have models made....for most of the Summer people seem to just relax and not pay much attention to deadlines...but the minute school starts , all hell brakes loose and everyone is now aware of time ............I like most other designers , are chasing themselves trying to meet all the deadlines that this business imposes....my custom work, wholesale line and new designing....I am behind always it seems...trying to maintain a balance so people don't egg my house...lol....moving twice in an 8 month period has not helped...but I am hard at it to make everyone happy.....lol...now if i could just do without sleep...that would help....but I find as age creeps up...sleep is even more important...so I will just continue to do my best and juggle...like we all do ...and keep the whining to a minimum..no one cares anyway....
so back to work for me......Saturdays and Sundays are working days also

but I have been hard at it make some needed changes ...I hate change...but it seems that when life demands it , you should go with it....I will keep you all posted....

The stocking at the top is 19" tall and on 10st...a companion piece...for a new wife...10st is a much misunderstood canvas...it works up fast and you can get a lot of detail....and many of the new fibers doubled up work in just great....so next time you are pressed for time and want to have something that will go fast ...consider 10st...you won't be disappointed !

The White House Years...

2011-09-08T17:10:00.000-07:00

At the top of this blog is a little taste of one of my designs that hung in the Grand Foyer of the White House at Christmas..........it was a kissing ball.....The Nutcracker...this was on red Congress cloth....I have so many pictures of White House Designs that I will show and talk about leading up to the holiday season...stay tuned...lol....

A Froggy Day !!!

2011-09-07T09:03:00.000-07:00

As you can see...frogs have always been big in Squiggeeland....At the top of the page is the little Prince frog called A Total Prince and opposite him is Princess Le Lani...he is worked up on 18st and she is on 24st.....sometimes i like to change the size of a design and work it up on another size canvas...same design just a different look..she is small but determined...lol....The prince frog was my first attempt at doing a model for Squiggeeland... he has become sort of a mascot....I knew I was onto something when he came out of the box from the finishers and shot me his famous look...who could resist his charms.....over the years i have done many frogs in all sorts for shapes and sizes...the latest being this custom angel frog tree topper for a frog tree....I am not sure what people do with all these froggies...I always hear of someone presenting them as a gift...I suppose you can use the larger ones for frame weights...I heard from a customer that she was using the Total Prince as a ring bearer pillow...now that is cleaver of her...the largest shaped frog I have been asked to design measured 24" across....now that was a big one...it was formal with flowers and I took it that she was going to have it on her couch since the flowers were to match her draps....now I myself would have one of the witch frogs that size , just to give your guest sitting next to it something to wonder about...lol...
I am getting ready to paint a frog sailor stocking...you know for a Frenchman...what else !!! see Mr. Squiggee blog for another frog design....and remember...frogs don't think they taste like chicken at all.....so have a hot dog instead !

Labor Day !!!!

2011-09-05T19:25:00.000-07:00

been there done that...I painted all day and gave the dog a bath....lol....just thought I would stick with the holiday spirit...oh I started the day by clipping around Omars eyes so he could see... the last groomer here shaved him bald but for his head...she called it the AZ cut...so I have been keeping his head clipped until the rest of him grows out so he can find another groomer.......now I am going to relax...

Never A Dull Moment !

2011-09-04T12:16:00.000-07:00

Calling all dog people...yes, you know who and what you are....tuned into your dogs........well our Miniature solid black poodle..Mr. Omar, has finally gotten through to me as far as his requirements on how he likes his food served...he does not like his meat and rice all mixed together..but separate on a plate, not touching...just like you would serve a guest at a dinner party....
Now let me explain...Squiggee-Buns our little Boston has had food issues since she was a pup...and has been on a regiment of rice and lean meat with some vegetable oil and pet tab for years...this is her main meal and she loves it...she does however not like it in a bowl...or anything with a lip...but served mixed on a plate...so we bought her her own set of Correll. ALONG comes Omar and he says...whatever she is having I will have the same...and please put in on a plate ...
needless to say the rice fall out has always been a clean up issue , but we use old towels and at one time a plastic piece like people put under high chairs for fall out from rug rats...this you have to clean because like most dogs ,they like to move the food off the plate and onto the surface around the dish...their spit is like industrial...so you have the option of always cleaning the floor, towel or plastic...but never mind, the dogs are family after all....
well...... we have moved twice during Omar's formative years from pup to young dog ....... he is settled in now....... all of a sudden he was not eating well...picking at his food when clearly he was hungry...I have observed how he seemed to try and get the chicken or other meat out of the rice mixture...then he would proceed to clean up Squiggee-Bun's rice fall out bits...leaving her to hoover up his remaining rice and meat....
so," light bulb moment"...last night I tried something different and separated Omar's rice and meat on the plate...success!!! he ate all his meat, then cleaned up Squiggee's fall out and then proceeded to go back to his plate and finish his rice ...seamless... both plates were clean...
Now I know some people reading this , think clearly I have lost touch with reality and need a life...but those who have pleaded and begged a dog to eat, know of what I babble about...
Squiggee-Buns is a great eater and since she has gone blind, she is even more intense...like a vacuum...we call her...our little hoover...lol...but Omar is a pickier and doesn't like it too large or too hot and does not have a big range in his food...to poison him you would have to force it down his throat...lol..
I just thought it was clever of me to notice...since most of the household is off my radar...
Mr. Squiggee takes care of most...while I paint...the one thing that I control...cleaning, shopping it all bores me silly...the routine and then it all has to be repeated....lol...thank God I can paint and make money....the thought of being a housewife is truly scary...I have done both and the painting kept me from going postal !...something missing...what I call the Betty Crocker chip ! for years you fight it...but age has a way of exposing who you really are...a bitch that hates the kitchen and cleaning( ironing...the whole deal )....grocery shopping ,I would rather have a root canal...lol

xoxoxox
love ,
Squiggee

What A HOOT !!!!

2011-09-03T10:58:00.000-07:00

I can see why Mr. Squiggee and Sharon G have become fast friends on face book....what do they say ...birds of a feather...lol....well we posted a picture of a Pug in the GCH line and Sharon informed us after seeing it and reading how we here in Squiggeeland had honored her with camo bra and panties on my Gingerbread girl Scout Tent.. she said she had a pug bra....unusual you say ...well yes...so I just had to take a look...very cute...but I thought her soccer bra and panties were just too too...Just think wearing a set of this underwear..removing your shirt and a man gasping.... what the hell !!!...but all is explained when you take off your jeans and whooooossssssssssh...the panties complete the story....well I don't know about you ,but Sharon G has made my day !!!!!!...lmao...and people call me strange...compared to Sharon G I am a poster child for mental health...I know ...shame on me...how un-PC...sorry !!!
FYI...Mr. Squiggee says quote ..." wouldn't it be great if this was real underwear, less the hanger.." now that explains why he and Sharon G are pals...

Tiny Tiny Tiny....

2011-08-31T11:51:00.000-07:00

I have a rep for getting a lot in a small space...I paint on the stitch and make every stitch count....but then again ,even I have my limits...this design of the US Marine Corps Logo is on 18st and is 3.25" round to fit in a 3.35" round luggage tag....no lettering you say...well no...not enough stitches and certainly not in the round at this size..after all I am just a needlepoint designer not a wizard!!!!..a tip//// the smallest lettering on any size canvas...five up and three across...lol...the canvas sets the mode for lettering and you can't override it...I get silly requests all the time...a family rest on a belt...I can give you an illusion , but that is where it ends...
It is very flattering when customers/shops will assume I can do anything...and I will give it a try if possible...but I like any other working needlepoint artist , I take my cue from the size and the canvas...it is all about how many stitches are available...

Calling All Girl Scouts !

2011-08-30T14:20:00.000-07:00

Figured all you girls out there in Squiggeeland that saw the Boy Scout Gingerbread Tent...were feeling a little left out...so I just took my marching orders from Claire, she was the one that first suggested a Boy Scout Tent...but of course after researching all the Girl Scout stuff...it has changed since I was a GS for just one year 1958..Claire wanted the old logo on her tent....the cookies were an important part...now when I was forced to sell the little box they were different shaped and the boxes were 50 cents each...$4.00 now..but other than changing the boxes some of the cookies are the cookies I remember...the uniform are very modern and do not make you look like a geek...sorry but between the dreadful colors and the left over right and under...right over left and through ties( that is embedded in my brain) I could never tie the stupid tie right until I was out of the scouts...figures...it was not my cup of tea...nature's girl I am not...campers stew, latrines, hiking and the general cootieness can still make me shiver...the top picture was the kind of uniform I wore, but a little longer.....the second picture is the different logo on Claires tent....she is working up to an all Scout Tree...she is too cute...but I still would not pay $4.00 a box for those cookies...lol...I enjoyed painting the underwear on the line. It reminded me of Sharon G and her love of matching panties and bra...I thought the fried egg bra was a bit much for the GS...but I am about to do a Christmas stocking for a Frenchman and he loves Fleur-De-Lis...so boxer shorts hanging on a line with that pattern might just be the ticket....after all this is Squiggeeland...what do you expect...cookies and milk...lol

Not sitting on my Laurels...!!!!

2011-08-29T10:32:00.001-07:00

I am up to my tush in orders these days...to tell you the truth I am behind...I make a painting schedule every Monday and then God Laughs and you know the rest...but i am making headway all the time...remember for all the painting...there is just me...I have thought of sending Omar, Squiggee-Buns and Mr. Squiggee for a crash course in painting but alas...they don't seem to be interested and after all the dogs have no thumbs...lol...
anyway this is a 16" custom stocking ..for a military school boy...I turned his uniform into a festive holiday nutcracker...you never know if the child likes what the parent had in mind...lol...he will probably laugh and enjoy it more when he is much older with kids of his own... And Mr. Squiggee has some news for you, as well. Go on over, and check it out!!

One of my favorite photo's...

2011-08-28T07:11:00.000-07:00

The above photo is of Ken's grandfather's brother and his bride...imagine having someone give you a horse for a wedding gift...now mind you this is not a beautiful race horse...lol....I love this photo because our families are so different in background...Ken's family was farming and very earthy...mine not......we love the fact that someone took the trouble to color her dress in the photo....the picture was probably taken around 1914 in the Oklahoma....

Meet Mr. Squiggee !

2011-08-26T11:20:00.000-07:00

Now some would laugh...only the young kids...because they never lived in through the sixties and seventies....the photo in on the top of the blog was taken in the Oregon woods in 1973 of Mr. Squiggee....everyone looked like this.........OMG...and one wonders why my mother was not thrilled...I was just out of college and working in Georgetown at American Needlework Center and Mr. Squiggee was on the move...If I had been a man I would have been there too....but sadly I was a good girl , finished college and got straight to work...boring...although it was fun to work in Georgetown in the early seventies and have an apartment on Connecticut Ave... during the day you saw working people of all ages and the old with their shopping carts up and down the sidewalks...and at night the tranies that lived in my building all dressed up for a night out...lol...my parents worried a little but I am a city girl born and breed and know the rules...taxi's were affordable...good thing I had no car for the first few years ... then a used little Cream colored VW Bug... I adored my BUG more than any car I have had since....I owned more evening gear than work clothes...and could party all night and with two hours sleep go to work and work a full day without having to call the paramedics like I would now!!!!!!!!...lol....
I love this picture of Ken.......aka Mr. Squiggee...although he is now 63 ...grey and with much shorter hair ...I will always remember him waiting for me outside the shop in Georgetown with a red bandanna around his head and a pocket full of harmonicas..(he was so talented playing)...
just thought you would enjoy the snap...
xoxoxoxox
Squiggee

Dog Days !

2011-08-25T10:48:00.001-07:00

Here in Squiggeeland it is always dogs days...never at a loss for inspiration , my dogs over the years have managed to let me take some of the most silly pictures...they must love me to put up with my silliness...you need some silly in your world from time to time...especially after spending 8-10 hours at a clip painting needlepoint...I think between Mr. Squiggee surprising me daily with his humor and our dog's antics I am set...I can retain my sense of humor in is what fast becoming a world where people can't laugh at themselves and just life in general...not here !!!!!....we laugh all the time, at our mistakes and and victories, many coming just by surprise...isn't that what makes life so much fun... like a roller coaster..up and down and swirling you around , making your head spin....sometimes you laugh, scream or just barf..!!!lol...very cool.......go see Mr. Squiggee for more laughs and giggles.....

What's new Pussy Cat ?

2011-08-22T10:49:00.000-07:00

I can't even say that without thinking of Tom Jones and his jiffy bob hair singing that song...lol...

Anyway...I show so many dog photos and dog needlepoint , I didn't want the kitty people to feel left out...we here in Squiggeeland lovessssssssss the pussy cats..as you can see....I think that more dog people have their pets portraits done in needlepoint, but I believe that the needlepoint fan base of cat and dog owners is pretty equal.....
anyway...the cats and dogs will always have a special place here...our dogs add so much enjoyment to our lives...that life would be maybe less noisy and clean, but oh so dull without Omar and Squiggee-Buns....

Love of the Sea !

2011-08-20T13:53:00.001-07:00

Born on the East Coast and spending every summer of my life from age 5 till 18 on an island of the southern coast of Maine..(picture at top of the blog)...has made my relationship with the ocean a big part of my life...I can spend hours at the shore just watching the waves roll in and out, the way the sky can change in such a short time and watching weather roll in...the birds and boats and everything that swims, or crawls to shore...I even love seaweed and how it smells when the tide goes out....the salt in the air is like catnip...so I miss it...don't get me wrong I am loving the Southwest more and more every day...but what would make this paradise is a beach....truly....

I think I might just have to take a trip to the ocean...I feel the pull of the water...like no other thing I can think of...my mother always called my sisters , brother & I water babies...she swore that our feet were webbed...lol.....anyway..designing and painting some from the sea, always makes me happy...mountains just don't do it for me...lol...now the dessert does ,but people all that is missing in the dessert is the beach...I think that is a oxymoron ...lol...oh well I guess I will just have to make do and take a shower with my eyes closed and imagine the sea...lol...

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR !

2011-08-19T09:32:00.000-07:00

As you can see from the picture at the top of my blog...I have had a running love with all sorts of animals....they have it all over humans....the naked man is pretty boring next to a striped tiger....animals with their fur and colors and prints....are amazing.....I have painted so many variations.......my favorite being the dog...oh my what a surprize...I also like open mouths as you can see from the above photo...adds drama to the animal especially the big cats...and would only make a man look stupid...lol
check out Mr. Squiggee's blog ..he has a great dog story...

Pictures...

2011-08-18T10:34:00.000-07:00

Over the years , I have done many custom pieces in a variety of subject matter, all sizes shapes and canvas count...the early years were filled with trying to make your mark as a designer. Sometimes you took photos but with no digital camera at that time only 35mm , it would get costly to photo every single canvas...too bad...when you come across some truly old pictures you are always struck by one thing...if the piece was large and if complicated, you wonder how you had the time or patience to paint the dam thing...especially since I paint every single stitch....my husband says I go into this trance like state and am so focused that it is like I am not here anymore...lol...sounds like something out of a bad sci fi movie...but he is right...I am focused...maybe that is why I am such a nut ball when I leave the drawing table...I hate routine, and any household chore that needs to be done more than once a month...lol...we keep a tidy house only because having your studio in the house would be an utter disaster if things just spread out and oozed out into every room....
I am a constant organizer with the business though...and after two big moves in the space of eight months...I run a tight ship...always looking for more ways to make things easier to find...my business runs on the visual so pictures sketches and color charts will always be a part of the mix...I have huge notebooks in shocking pink that hold digital pictures..sketches and hard 35mm pictures of all the wholesale line I started in 2000....these all have back up negatives...and all the digital have back up discs...it isn't enough to have the photo you need all the back up....I keep all this current with adding new designs all the time...downloading from the camera cropping and cataloging all...if you let it slide as a designer it would become one big mess...occasionally something gets the same stock numbers as I set the numbers here...but since we keep a current stock,size , and price list we usually catch this error quickly...so being a designer is a mix of creating and being a sort of an accountant for your work...and yes some days driving a cab sounds like heaven...oh reality check...back to the drawing board , I am painting a shaped hedge hog.....

Cactus Shoot !

2011-08-17T10:31:00.000-07:00

Sometimes my camera just craves to take a picture of something that doesn't have holes in it...so this morning bright and early I took it out on a Cactus shoot....the cactus here are amazing....and I got a friend to tell me what kind I shot...she knows everything ...so I picked her brains early...Mr. Squiggee has some more on his blog so take a look....

the first picture above is right on the left side of our house...they are the tallest cactus and some of the big hills are just loaded with these, giving it a very different look from the East coast....

the are Saguaro (g pronounced w cactus)...like great big people with many arms....and the bottom picture is one of many varieties of Prickly Pear cactus...in full bloom..that is the fruit you see...they do all kinds of stuff with it...

anyway...I am in love within the cacti............and might even do a painting...oh my...non-needlepoint ...think of it...yikes.............

anyway...check out Mr. Squiggee's blog he is on a tear today...lol...warning ...warning everybody to get from street

Turning It Into Needlepoint !

2011-08-16T12:05:00.000-07:00

Over the years I have taken material ,photos,glass ornaments , shoes,and who knows what , and produced a canvas in needlepoint, even a cookie...yes a cookie...a customer sent a box of her favorite cookies to have several little cookie ornaments painted to match....from soup to nuts....sometimes I wonder if I am being put to a divine test to see if I can do it...It is a challenge....to take something made of flour and eggs...baked and produce a cookie like piece of needlepoint....the holes slow you down...but then something like a plaid is so suited that it just flies off the drawing board .......in the end you are bound by the size of the canvas and how many stitches you have to work with...it is a game sometimes of fool the eye...you can't shade by blending so you have to use the canvas to it's best advantage...I have been at this a long time and the canvas and I understand each other..lol...we are cozy and know each others limits...noooooooo, the canvas does not talk to me in a audible way...but it does convey its strengths and weaknesses.......time and practice is all the young needlepoint artist needs....

and a good set of eyes that can withstand abuse...lol......and above all a love of the craft.....it is not for all artists....it takes great concentration and patience...like most things worth achieving , it takes time ......Judy Harper always said that anything in needlepoint is possible if you just pay attention to the canvas....

Halloween Is Just Around The Corner !

2011-08-15T19:42:00.000-07:00

To be honest...I think Halloween is my all time favorite holiday...it will be so strange living in an area where you won't smell the fireplaces , the nip in the air, the rustling of the leaves and the crunching when you step into the street on Halloween eve....when I was a kid this night was the biggest...bigger than Christmas....something about the spooky sky and being in costume made me shiver all over...
so when I look at a calendar and see that August is half over, my thoughts always turn to Halloween....
I have some new designs under wraps...which is always fun...and it is always best to burst forth when you have several, rather than the odd one canvas...Mrs. Frank Stein might even get a family this season...she has been lonely, but for the companion ,My Mummy, in the series...sometimes you get side tracked...but I have plans for the Stein family...lol
As promised a new Halloween Gingerbread house will be revealed...but right now it is off to be worked as a model...
I do sketches all the time when I have an idea, but time seems to be the enemy...now if I didn't have to sleep, I could get more done....today was filled with phone calls and one from a new shop owner...nice to see a new shop, as many older shop owners are retiring and closing their doors......without shops and the general public that purchase needlepoint I would just be some sad old lady designing shit that never goes anywhere...lol...anyway,it was nice to hear from a newbie....we laughed and had great fun talking about our dogs and her shop...
you know, you think you are strange because your dogs are a big part of your life...non-dog owners don't see it...this new shop owner told me how her friend had a Boston...and every Christmas they would put out the toy train around the bottom of their tree and load it with the dog's presents and watch the Boston chase the train and remove his gifts...and people say I am strange...lol....what a great visual I got from this story....so off to bed...early...our hours are all messed up...it is so hot you go to bed early so you can get a start on the day before the sun forces you to just call it quits...usually around 4:00pm...it is just sooooooo hot...
we haven't quite figured out how to drink gallons of water and not have to get up many times during the night...in a dry hot dessert climate, they really stress you drinking a lot of water...but I guess we will adjust..or not...I have tried to stop drinking in the early afternoon, but have awakened with no spit...really no spit...and when you are in spitting distance to so many things this is a problem...lol...just a little southwest humor !

Up for Air !

2011-08-14T20:52:00.000-07:00

It is Sunday night and where oh where did the last three days go....I have been hard at it painting orders and also some new Squiggee designs that have been put on hold for over a year...one being the new Halloween Gingerbread House...called Mr. Bones.....I have a dear friend that stitches like she has been touched by angels, and we discussed this project way over a year ago...she loves Halloween and since all the Halloween houses start on 13st, they are just fun to work...they are the same size as all the rest on 18st but being on 13st, they to me seem less fussy...anyway, I wanted something special for Mary Katherine and odd...she gets Squiggee and loves odd...it is odd in a good way and after all it is Halloweenie...so anything goes...I also have two new Halloween gingerbread cookies......I have to steal time for new designs right now because , my custom business is very busy...always is this time of year....Winter is coming and the kids are going back to school and the big Christmas season is looming...
I laughed out loud when I washed my hands after a hard days painting tonight and caught a look at myself in the bathroom mirror...I am wearing two different earrings.... you got it 1/2 of two pairs...I am so not a morning person...I almost need someone to check me, before I venture out to start the day...this is so me....lol....the worse day ...driving half way to work and realizing you forgot to put a bra on....luckily I was soooooooooo much younger and Mr. Gravity was not as extensive as he is now in the you know what department.........I couldn't possibly forget to put on a bra at 61...even the thought is scary...
tomorrow I will try to get it right....same color socks and anything else that should match I will make an effort....

Do I do flowers you ask...lol.....!!!!!

2011-08-12T11:22:00.000-07:00

People...I get asked all the time...do i do flowers....dah...when I started to design in the early 70's flowers and pooh bear was the ticket...along with really scary birds....something about birds in needlepoint that is imposing and just plain scary...that is why I have the little cute round stylized birds in Squiggee Designs ( see top picture...my bluebird)...anything else is just creepy to me...but game birds ducks and all sorts were popular when I first started in the business...

I have painted almost every flower you can name ...in all sorts of venues...rugs...pillows...purses......small ,medium large and extra large like the three 20" sq pillows on 10st at the top of the page...what I call big A-S pillows.....something you can get your teeth into....

so when a customer, shop or just someone on crack asks me.." have you done any flowers" and I faint don't be surprised...mostly I just roll my eyes and say in in a sweet voice..." well yes I have at times"....I know now body likes a smarty pants...

The Original Mickey-D dog !

2011-08-11T09:50:00.000-07:00

Sometimes life just takes you in the direction that will make you ohhhh soooooooooo happy....well this is MR. Woof Woof our first dog...he started it all ...our house will never be without a dog as long as we can get out of the lazy-boy and stumble to the door to take a pooch out...he changed our world and is responsible for each and every dog trip to Mickey-D's for a treat....he loved McDonalds so much ,that at one point in his life, we had a drive up dry cleaners and they always kept a dog biscuit on hand for him ,because he thought the drive up window was just an extension of McDonalds...lol...he was a wonderful companion when I started to freelance at home...without his friendship and love , those first solitary years in the studio would have been unbearable.....he was smart, sweet and protective...everyone that met him loved him...he was fearless, but for the black garbage bag( Just like Omar)....he was adopted from a shelter at 8 weeks old...never sick...he was part Irish Terrier and part Poodle...he loved kids and when I would come out of the market, my little yellow VW Bug would usually be surrounded with on lookers calling him Bengie...lol....I carry him in my heart always and am so thankful he introduced me to the world of dogs....what a world ......I just hope all our pooches will be waiting for us in heaven!...
Woofie..mommy loves you !

Sarah Saunders Smith..my maternal gr-gr granny !

2011-08-10T11:43:00.000-07:00

Th picture at the top of the blog is my maternal great great grandmother ..Sarah Saunders Smith taken 1900.....let me tell you she was no joke....she believed in women's rights and ruled the family with an iron fist...... just look at her...scary biscuits....

she was also a very smart woman that did intensive research on my family and wrote a book published in 1897 called..." Founders of the Massachusetts Bay Colony".....

I had heard about the book as a child, but only an Aunt had a copy and this seemed to be misplaced after she died....so I contacted a publishing house called Higginson Book Company in Salem Mass and they did a reprint for me hardbound...It is fascinating...the books copyright is Sarah's and at the Library of Congress in Wash DC...she dedicates the book to the National Society of Dames...

it is world filled with my crazy ancestors...this explains a lot about me...lol way too much....

And wouldn't you know with all the family crests that I have painted in needlepoint....I have only the ugliest family crest...please...who knows what that animal is...butt ugly for sure...lol

anyway...everyone loves tidbits of history and especially your own...

Sarah was able to trace our family back to 1124 or thereabouts...in Germany.....yikes...

I do love her portrait...the dress alone looks like it might just be so impressive and heavy....she was not a beauty but made her presence felt, according to my great grandmother Esther her daughter...the stories she told me about Sarah were so funny...servants would literally hide if they heard her approaching...shit, me too if I had been there....lol

I see a lot of her in me ...that stiff neck resolve...fearless and stubborn....but she was also kind and believed in equal rights of all women ....a true kindred spirit...and you would never ever call her granny !

that's all for today...I have to paint some ffs...lol

My Mother

2011-08-09T11:46:00.000-07:00

My mother June Justine Powell born June 18 1928, died last May just weeks before she turned 82....the TOP OF THE BLOG is a page from her high school year book......it is great to be able to take a look at a picture and description of a parent in their youth...untouched by marriage and all the things that life has in store for us over time... being told that your voice was not opera quality...dashing your only real dream of a career......four children, two marriages...losing my Dad in a terrible car crash when I was 4 1/2, my sister 1 1/2 and my mother eight months pregnant with my baby sister .....in this picture her eyes do sparkle and shine and are so filled with possibilities ...I remember her always being beautiful but never so pure and untouched as she appears in this photo....

the composite photo is of my Mom and Dad ( John Griscom McGuire III 1944) on each side of my High School 1968 graduation picture....I can see both my parents in me and as I am typing this blog it is my mothers hands before me......kind of a cozy feeling...unpacking and putting out family photos has been great fun ....
if your Mom is still around give her a hug ...lol...I do miss mine....

10st..the forgotten Canvas !

2011-08-08T16:46:00.000-07:00

When I first trained in this business...my first task was to learn how to paint on the stitch...and I was given a sample of a little purple hippo on 10st to reproduce...six copies....it almost drove me mad, because i didn't really see the canvas....
I know that many shops start new stitchers on 13st...I know because I have designed a couple of class canvases......
my first time out was a design painted on 10st...and this was hard enough to work...
over the years this canvas that was so popular when i first started in the business. It has been pushed aside...but girls, as your eyes get older...maybe you should consider this great canvas...and it goes like the wind.... you can get a lot of detail on a good sized pillow...
I designed these shaped Christmas pillows on 10st...they were simple but very festive......many custom rugs are on 10st because the larger the project the smaller the stitches become if you stretch out two yards of ten stitch on the floor...it looks like 13st And the same conception, if you spread out two yards of 13st...it looks like 18st...
If you paint on the stitch you can get a lot of detail and in turn give your old eyes a treat...lol...we are all headed that way...I already wear bi-focals...and I fear that they will only get thicker......gone are the days when I could paint well into the night...I need lots of light these days....
FYI...take a look at the photo I posted on Mr. Squiggee's blog....it was taken at a Halloween party in 1993....I found these amazing fake rub on tatoos...they were so real looking our friends thought they were real and we had lost our minds...late that night of the party when all the guests had left we jumped into a shower together with cold cream to remove the art work...forget the cold cream that was suggested on the wrapping...they said just wipe them off with a tissue.....we scrubbed them with everything , barring Comet...until all the skin around them was bright pink, with very little change....it took at least two weeks for them to fade with scrubbing every night....luckily it was cold and you could cover them up and at the last minute the bright red rose I was going to put on my cheek ,I put on my chest just below my neck line...it took three weeks to fade...lol.......this is so typical of my brainy ideas....but we were a hit and this photo of Mr. Squiggee is one of my favorites....lol...the look suited his sense of humor..twisted !

The Original Witchy Woo !

2011-08-06T15:56:00.000-07:00

Everyone likes background....well my roots in witches goes very deep...lol...Witch, not Bitch !...semantics you say....now be good......

My mothers family settled in MA around 1628....you got it...Salem was a vital part of my families history...one relative was hung at the Salem Witch trails....but my history goes way back..with fire ,a witch thing......a member of the Episcopal clergy, a Bishop on my mothers side was burned at the stake by Queen Mary...Henry the 8Th first child....because he would not recognize the Catholic Church as supreme during Mary's rein...he would rather burn...
My mothers family came to this country as ship builders and settled here,becoming a vital part in forming the first navy....you couldn't live in MA during the early days and not have the sniff of witches pervade your families lore...now don't misunderstand...they were not witches...although , my maternal grandmother could have qualified... the sight of her bright red hair, puffing away on her ciggy...with smoking swirling around her was scary ...she was small and a force to reckoned with, with a laugh that could bring a shudder to anyone within hearing distance...that is how I remember her.....the picture at the top is of my maternal great-grandmother
her mother... and in a witchy woo costume that I would be proud to have any Squiggee WW wear !...her name was Esther Byers Saunders Smith...taken 1895...she was three......her hair was snow white by the time she was 25 and when widowed in 1916 ....she never changed her mode of black widow's threads...all in black till her death when I was 13 .......I love it...so witchy wooey...lol...OMG...a new term !

she was very sweet ,but like all the women in my mothers family...a force....my great grandfather was an Episcopal Minister and she was a Deaconess in the church ..tall with shocking white hair and all in black she sported spectacles that were framless...just a wire that pinched her nose...just like some of my witchty woos...I just realized that I use that look a lot ,even on my round Santa's....wooooooooooooooooooo.....

I was interested in custom designing in my early twenties and the top picture is a photo of me in a medieval witch custom I designed for a big formal Halloween Ball in DC...I won 1st prize...lol....I was out of college ...so I think it must have been around 1974...you can't tell from the photo but I had spent hours gluing clear sequins all over my skin that was showing...so I glittered...I also had very long fake nails that made the evening very difficult...how women sport long nails is beyond me.........now I tell you...don't I look like a natural witchy woo?...it never occurred to me until I came across this photo, when we unpacked...it is now hung above my drawing table....at the time...I had to have a headpiece to make me look more witchy...I now have the white hair to carry the day....lol....everytime I wash my hair and dry it ...when it is loose and free flowing I could scare little children....
I love Halloween...always have since I was tiny and my choice of custom was always a witch of sorts or a gypsy.....I was a hippie in college ,and according to my father dressed the part of a gypsy/witch all four years....he use to refer to my clothes as costumes....it suited me...and I was sad to conform to more regular clothing when I had to find a job after college...I really have never been mainstream or conservative in my dress....over the years I have toned it down and since i paint most of the time it doesn't matter what I wear, because it gets paint and holes in it......with age I have become more utilitarian in my dress......mind you I still have a love of big gypsy like earrings...although I have given up the ponchos that use to make my mother cry !..long gone are the head scarves and flowing floor length skirts....I think all this would be overkill with my white hair...lol...

take a look at Mr. Squiggees blog he has more scoop !

Squiggee ..." I don't think this is Bethesda "

2011-08-05T07:08:00.000-07:00

The photo at the top of the blog...is a night blooming Cyrus Cactus....everyone here is crazy for these beautiful flowers, but unless you are a vampire....dah...they bloom at night and by the time the sun rises ...poof the blossom just curls up and is gone.....so like so many crazy Easterners that have moved to the West...I was up with Camera in hand bathrobe on and forget slippers...shoes and socks...because according to the flyer's in our community, mornings are pitted with danger ...you could find a rattlesnake curled up on your step or just plain hanging around in wait for the idiot with a camera trying to get a blooming shot of the flowers....luckily the only living creature I encountered before sun rise was masses of bees around these amazing blooms....obviously the bees are hip to the whole process....
the reason for the shoes is that if you encounter a var met, you can run faster in shoes and socks...I mean...lets be real...everyone out here wears sandals or fflops....now that is OK if you are strolling done 5Th Ave. in NYC...when the only real danger is stepping in doggie doo...or street stuff...which runs the gamut of hot tar to unmentionables ( you get my drift)...hardly life threatening...but here in the land of snakes, scorpions, so tiny and deadly...and some strange wild thing resembling a pig...but not a pig...that smells so bad you can tell he is near.... cornered this pig like creature will turn and attack...please....then there is the coyotes.....that are allowed to wander where ever they please, they are protected...crap from whom , you ask!
I am not afraid of the Quail that endlessly travel back and forth across the road ,family in tow....and as time increases and the little ones get bigger, their numbers decrease...you got it... something ate them....
in old westerns , you had the feeling danger was just around the corner...how absurd...lol.....at night forget it...the coyotes just stroll up and down the streets and as far as the snakes...I have no idea, so you have to have a light when taking the dogs out at night...like I would go out at night and creep around........everyone says that the snakes are more afraid of you...bull--it!....they have obviously never encountered a Bethesda Chevy Chase Bitch...name Squiggee !.....threatening to slap a snake with your Gucci bag does not scare them !..I read that some where...maybe in Sunset Mag.

Everything That Goes Around Comes Around...lol !!!

2011-08-04T07:34:00.000-07:00

There is one thing about being a working needlepoint artist and painting almost everyday for 39 years...is that your trove of designs become so vast that you can find a design to match the day...

I designed a series of these graphic cities/states in 2007....the first TEXAS was part of the original Squiggee Line on EBay...then a request for TUCSON....and there you go........And where you ask is the biggest TNNA SHOW 2012 this Winter...you got it...ARIZONA.......PHOENIX to be exact...just spitting Distance from Squiggeeland....Mr. Squiggee is in top form and so excited about meeting all the gals he converses with via phone, his blog and the ever popular face book.....so these little canvases have been re-introduced into Squiggee Designs they all have spanking new stock numbers...wowwwwwwzzzzza...I guess that they were just meant for this time and show...lol...karma!...and of course I have other ideas, some sketches I did at the time....FLORIDA anyone !..omg...I will be able to use a flamingo...imagine that !!!!

FYI..look on Mr. Squiggee's blog to see the Phoenix Design!

xoxoxoxox

Squiggee

Meat and Potatoes of Squiggeeland !

2011-08-03T11:57:00.000-07:00

OK people I will let you in on a little secret.....Squiggeeland custom ..aka the little round ornaments...school sweaters and the flip flops are the core of what runs the Squiggee Studio....

like the hair dresser that sets a ladies hair every week...she is steady and there is a sameness that makes this work comfortable...the basic designs are set...I am just customizing ...fine tuning...I love graphics in needlepoint...it is so suited to the canvas and I have been doing it for so long...it is enjoyable...not as flashy as the custom...or exciting as doing a new design for one of the wholesale lines...but like slipping into a comfortable old sweater...just soooooooooooo relaxing...

xoxoxo

Bark If You Love Me !

2011-08-02T10:03:00.000-07:00

The top Yorkie is the newest addition to my growing collection of Yorkies....this dog's head is done on 13st and is 8" sq....the full long haired Yorkie called Valentine was on 18st, as was her sister the bottom Yorkie, called Scarlett....the Yorkie on brown canvas is named Rags and was 10"sq on 13st...The Tongue was an added bonus....the cherry on my day, it made me laugh out loud....most dog owners want me to close the mouth and hide the tongue...lol..I guess it is not dignified....you can see the vast difference in hair cuts and colors...they all have attitude in common...lots of it....feisty little buggers.....
I do love dogs...REALLY !!!!!...lol