Nov 11, 2008

(Not So) Idle Hands

Just in case you're on the Official TransAtlantic Countdown with me... Two weeks to go. A scant 14 days. I already know that on Thanksgiving Day Proper, Miss Jeanne and I will be having tapas and seeing a play, "The 39 Steps", the evening show.

Hello everyone!

This lovely young woman is Graham (sorry for the darkness of the photo). She was at Starbucks (and still is) when I moved to Athens, lo, these three years ago Christmas Day (best present ever, moving to Athens!). She was hard at work Sunday on these little darlings and even kind enough to give me a copy of her "how to do it" worksheet. Graham told me her grandmother taught her how to make these and she was creating quite the treasure trove. Her energy and excitement were palpable and I could also tell that this grandmother was/is quite the important person to her.

I may have to not only do them but try some felt and/or velvet. Aren't those just the most scrumptious materials? I think these types of fabrics just "go" with the Winter Holidays and as you can see here, Graham's choice of fabrics work nicely as well. She is moving to Oklahoma to be with Hubbs for four months as he's doing some super important work there. How the gang will miss her... and I don't mean her fellow and sister baristas, either. She was kind enough to place her hand in with the ornaments -- seen below -- for scale. These are, by no means, small potatoes!

Come Back Soon, Graham!


T's birthday is Friday and will find this fun and off the cuff present on the table at breakfast. Who remembers this show? "Thriller" with host Boris Karloff? It was pretty much a fright fest anthology and very popular.
I was a little little kid and would watch through my crosshatched fingers. My mother worried that it was making me "nervous"... so I had to hide my fear following the shows. Or I "wouldn't be allowed to watch it again!"

I would unfurl -- gracefully, of course! -- like a fern following the show's ending. My knees would come down, the fingers unhinge, and I would walk -- la de da de da! not scared, not scared, not at all! -- into and then through the dark, large living room to the hall where any number of monsters could possibly be waiting on either side of the one door that led to the bedrooms and bath. And my bed was across the room. Had to get to it and in it without "The Hand" coming out from under the bed or out of the closet to take me away to who knows where!
As you see, I was pretty successful in thwarting the monsters of the imagination.

Do I still do that? Most assuredly. If I'm busy at something, that "nervous" feeling is not so powerful, doesn't keep me back as it might otherwise, right?
And so far, no monster hands have shown up to grab anyone -- unless I am drawing them.
Take Care, Everyone.
Candace

4 comments:

Anne said...

Hi there! Thank you for your most gracious comments on my blog today. Wishing you great success making holiday decorations! And watch out for the monsters that hide in closets. They're pretty tricky! ;-)

femminismo said...

Hi, there, pal. Two more weeks and you're in England? That's wonderful. Quite a trip to make and I hope everything goes really well. I think I asked: Is it for fun or work? Both I would hope. Will you have high tea with Her Highness? Scones and clotted cream? Say hello to Miss Elizabeth Bennet for me, would you? Love, jeanne

Velvet Ginger said...

Thsoe are beautiful Christmas balls! Velvet would make lovely ones!! My little sister & I used to stay up and watch "The Night Stalker" with my Dad, then we would hang on to each other all sleepless night long in bed and tremble at all the sounds!

michelle allen said...

Thanks Candace once again for your kind and encouraging words.

You're going to England! How fun. Can't wait to see your pictures. Maybe you'll eat something "interesting"? clotted cream isn't sounding too good to me?