I can tell the Holidays have arrived; I woke up at five and couldn't fall back asleep.

About two weeks ago I got the call from the folks I've been doing Christmas Calligraphy for.  MD wanted to know if I was still interested.  Of course I am!  She wasn't sure how many there would be this year, (the numbers have decreased steadily with the economy; hey, stupid government; quit picking on the rich and corporate America; they're the ones who support us starving artists!!)  but she thought they'd be able to throw some work my way.

I hope so.

I currently have eight footstools in my office that I'm working on.  Two of them are already painted but I need to design tops for them.  One of those is a tuffet but I'm not gonna paint the panels till after Christmas.  It'll be something fun for spring, which is coming, despite what it looks like.  Another is a low round one that I painted plaid a while back.  It's fun but the top sold without the needlepoint so I have to come up with something new and fun that goes with plaid.

Doesn't everything go with plaid?

Then, I have two that have already been sold and have to be painted to go with needlepoint already owned and finished by the customer.  A third just needed a new coat of paint and some varnish so it wouldn't get dirty again.  That one's sold, too.  I don't know (remember) what the needlepoint I did for it looks like. 

The sixth is my Mom's.  she finished the top a year (or two) ago and I've been working slowly on the base for quite a while.  I'll finish it soon.  Sorry, Mom.

The seventh is mine, which I finished years ago and love.  I showed it to the shop a week ago and they loved it and asked me to do something similar for a great big stool which has no design and they couldn't decide what it should look like.

The eight is very elegant and pretty.  I'm not doing needlepoint for the top, she's covering it in fabric but she gave me some embroidered silk she's using in the same room and I used that as inspiration for the stool.

Oh, there's another one.  I forgot about that one.  I don't know what I'm going to do with # 9.

I'm also supposed to paint a top for a giant one I didn't have to bring home. I was hoping to get it done this week but I need to get a new table runner for Christmas painted.

It's good to be busy.

I have to get to Sam's Club this morning because I'm supposed to bring pie tomorrow. 

I like having a lot to do.

I like getting paid for it, too.

I'm pretty sure that I'm one of those people who if I were making salary, I wouldn't' work so hard, or if everyone shared in the productivity of everyone else, I'd be a slacker.    Seriously, if my bottom line were unaffected, I'd much rather sit around doing needlepoint than designing it.  Likewise, I'd rather finish the book I've been reading for three weeks.  Not to mention that novel I'm writing...

Everyone I know is writing a novel and if they aren't, they should be.  There's no excuse not to write one. 

I have to start thinking about Christmas Cards. 

2010 was a banner year.  In fact, when I think about it, it seems fake.  It's the kind of year that makes me suspect I may be severely autistic and my entire life is really taking place inside my imagination.

How sweet would that be?

If that were true, I'd win the lottery soon and Jay would get elected President.  No, not Jay; Katie.

No, not Katie; ZACK.

Yeah.  Zack.  That's the ticket.

PS.  Zack has discovered the show Dexter and has spent the last three days watching the first two seasons.  That's my boy.

 

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