A party atmosphere for all who attended....

Today I completed my commissions for pet portraits of Bean, Roscoe, Clark and Miss Gabby. Tomorrow I have to place them into their individual mattes and deliver them to my client ...I am hoping she will be pleased with my renderings. I found this exercise to be very relaxing and a way to making sacred marks to honor our four legged friends. I also began a last minute collage for a young mother who is working a couple of jobs this year to give back to her family. Ken transferred the photos to the computer and then printed them on Lutradur, TAP papers, and finally Silk Organza from Jacquard products so tomorrow I will be able to collage them for a last minute gift for her youngest son. I am also finishing a small fabric ornament for a tree in their new home this Christmas season. But since I did not get back to bed until 3 AM this morning I am now running on empty. I will try to make this a brief post and share the gifts of my day.

Tonight in Craft night we stenciled "wish list Christmas paper" and then decorated gingerbread and sugar cookies to top with the extreme jimmies, sprinkles, trees and tiny gingerbread figures. If a little is a good idea then carefully placed piled high...more is totally better. I gave each child a small Santa bag with candies, candy canes and small travel art pencils or pastels or specialized drawing pencils for their Holiday travels to relatives. I am tired but I do feel great about the relationship that is growing with these young persons...I admonished the older girls that they were on the naughty list last week for their wild escapades. Tonight we all giggled that the little ones were leading the way to Christmas...blessings from tiny people.

I have to attend a funeral early tomorrow as a dear friend lost his mother this week. He happened to say goodbye to his beloved wife a few years back during this time of year so this has to be a hard time for him and his family. Prayers are felt for all who say goodbye this time of year... I am praying for grace and serenity for all concerned. I need to go to bed now so I am sending you sunshine on the New Winter's Solstice tomorrow. Blessings and Imagine and Live in Peace, Mary Helen