A Bit of Now and Later

We're looking longingly at the swimming pool, but despite the fact that flowers are bursting into bloom, there's still plenty of snow on the mountains, the air is still crisp and the water is too cold, even for wetsuits. A solid bank of clouds is closing over the peaks as I type here, like a lid over our bowl of rock, and though we've had a few blustery days, the true windy season is ahead of us.
All these changes carry an energy that generally translates into a creative reset. I'm in transition, still partly mired in the introspection of winter, but I see more physical movement in the work in progress.

I want to thank David Kirkpatrick for his tutorial on creating animated gifs. And also Adrienne Reynolds for her wonderfully detailed account of her creation of the Poppet's Embarrassed Embassy.
Both are in the Nuts and Bolts section of the Poppet Planet Forums.
In addition, there have been an awful lot of great Poppets On Tour images to see for inspiration and fun.

Mostly the next couple of weeks will be spent finishing up pending projects and tying up loose ends. I want to remind everyone that we're still working on a new shopping format (in addition to the ebay store) that includes a layaway program. In the meantime, you can email Alison (aka Sunray Bug Poppet--see sidebar) to make payment arrangements, including items in the ebay store as long as arrangements are made before bidding.

At night, after the studio lights are out, I've been designing the commission for the Mr. Gaiman. So far, it's all on paper, but it's different from anything I've done before and from anything he might expect--which is a fairly bold statement, considering his imaginative powers.

So March is near. We'll be bringing out Poppets and art for St. Patrick's Day, very windy Poppets and new additions to the Alice in Wonderland and Midsummer Night's Dream collections.

All that said, I'd better get some rest. We're going to be busy.