I know, isn’t that a terrible thing to say? But I am. I am so glad Christmas is over and I can get back to some crafting! I am finishing up (at last) the Matilda Whipple doll that I had started for the VCDA doll show. She is coming along beautifully. In fact, she is so pretty I had to bring her to work with me so I could admire her. I won’t be listing her, but will instead be giving her to someone special who reads this blog, so I can’t tell who that is. (ssshhh)

I have also been renewing my interest in calligraphy. Many of you didn’t even know that I am a calligrapher, right? Well, I probably can’t call myself one anymore because it’s been so long! When I was seventeen my grandmother (Bette, who I am named after) gave me a beautiful high quality calligraphy set. I had such a fun time teaching myself to do this. One of the very first gifts that Jerry ever gave me was my own drafting table. He was so encouraging to me- he used to say that he loved to watch me craft because it didn’t seem as if my little fingers should be able to do so much! I calligraphed pretty consistently until the summer after his death. Hmm, this is the first time that I became aware of that timing. Anyway, this month I was watching HGTV’s Christmas at the White House special and they showed the White House calligraphers at work and it just inspired me to dig out all my supplies. Of course, everything was pretty much useless since the trace amount of ink left in the nibs had crusted to cement, but I’ve ordered replacements and I’m ready to get ink on my hands again!

The coolest part of re-igniting this spark, is the fact that now I have the internet! Calligraphy is a lot like dollmaking- we are not a large community like quilters and scrapbookers. I had very little contact with fellow calligraphers in the past, but now, with the magic of the internet, I am finding plenty of them! So fabulous! I’ve joined two yahoo groups and found lots of sites that are fun and informative. Yay, internet!

Hope everyone is settling into some fun winter crafting now that the madness is over. Hugs to all!