Basket Weaving 101

Basket weaving or brain surgery. I've studied both - well to be honest, I've never actually done surgery on any one's brain, but I did study surgery at vet school and performed it - mostly spays and neuters - for many years.

Until recently I hadn't studied "basket weaving." The term is often used derisively to refer to a something that is both easy and not particularly relevant to everyday life. Well a few weeks ago, I had a chance to get together with some friends to try my hand at willow basket making.

It was not easy. The willow is not easily manipulated. My basket took hours and came out a bit wonky looking.

This was Alix's basket - very nice!

Poor Brandy, she couldn't believe she had to wait while we played with sticks!

I do have to say that I found basket weaving much more enjoyable than surgery. Not once did I have that sickening feeling when I realized I'd cut the wrong thing off. And as for functionality - well even my wonky basket will be put to good use. Baskets in my house are used to hold just about everything - bread, fruit, wool, flowers, pens, utensils, clothes, cats and dogs .......
I have a much greater respect for this art now.

Still, I don't think I'll become a willow basket maker - I prefer yarn and knitting - it does what I ask it to.

A soft knitted basket made from Golden Retriever hair

It's Official

I'm going to be the President of the Deep Cove Weavers and Spinners Guild next year. It is a big responsibility. The Guild celebrated it's 40th Anniversary this year. A couple of weeks ago we held a celebration. Some of the original members and many of the Past-Presidents were there.

Over the years the Guild has changed. Apparently in the early days, weaving was serious business. Membership in the Guild was by invitation only. Old photo's and a Show-and-Tell featured some beautiful pieces - a testimony to the talents and skills of the women and a few men in this Guild.

I did have to laugh at some photos taken in the 70's. The avocado green, gold and rust colourways reminded me of my days in Art school.

What impressed me most was that each member who spoke talked mostly about the friendships formed with in the Guild. I joined 3 years ago when I moved to the Island. I didn't know anyone and thought it would be a way to meet people. At the first meeting I was approached by two different women and invited to join their evening spinning groups. I did. These groups have become my social network - the women have become some of my best friends here.
I have a lot to live up to but I see I'll have the support of a wonderful executive. So here's to the next 40 years!

A Day of Lectures

On the surface it seems like a no-brainer. If you had to choose between a talk about antique lace or one about kitten diarrhea which would you pick? Fortunately I didn't have to make such a tough decision - I attended both.

Yesterday was a day of lectures. The Deep Cove Weavers Guild hosted a lecture on lace. The speaker was knowledgeable and passionate about her topic. She shared many pieces from her collection - very pretty. Will I ever take up lace making or collect it? Not likely.

On the other hand, kittens with diarrhea feature all too frequently in my daily life. I was thrilled with the evening talk, proving that any subject can be fascinating with the right speaker. I learned about the latest research concerning Probiotics - the beneficial bacteria in the gut - and now have a much better understanding of what strains to use for specific outcomes.

The highlight of the evening came when the speaker, a renowned, board-certified, internal medicine veterinarian said, "hands down, the best diet, nutritionally speaking, for a cat is a balanced, raw meat based one". To be fair, she did worry about food safety, (the worry that either the cat, the person handling the meat, or - and honestly, they always bring this up as a risk factor - an elderly, immune compromised and obviously senile member of the household mistakenly eats the cat food - and develops Salmonella).

She admitted that she has never encountered this problem.

After years of being labeled at best, misguided, science is finally confirming what I've been recommending all along. I wanted to shout YES....

I guess it is good that we are all passionate about different things. Kittens happen to be one of mine.

Remembering Paka

The pink dogwood in our front garden is in full bloom. It's lovely - the highlight of the front yard at this time of year. This small tree holds a special place in my heart, not just for its intrinsic beauty but also because of how it came to be in my garden.

As I've mentioned before, being a veterinarian means that hand in hand with the joy that comes from having a life filled with animals, come days of sadness and loss. This is even worse when the animal that dies belongs to one of my friends. Paka was a special Samoyed dog who lived with my friend Alix. A couple of years ago she developed incurable liver disease. On a beautiful August afternoon, in her garden and surrounded by her family - both human and canine - I helped Alix to let her go. It was hard for everyone.

I'm a big believer in pet memorials. It helps to do something at a time of loss to celebrate the life of your animal friend. These days I make little hand knit, spirit baskets from the pet's hair. Many of my clients send me pictures and stories of their dogs and cats. Scrapbooks or videos are especially lovely and poignant. And some people plant flowers in their yard to remember.


A few weeks after Paka's death, Alix and her partner Hew gave me the pink Dogwood. It is a wonderful memorial. Every time I look at it I do think of Paka and I remember this sweet and gentle dog.

Oil Spills and Animal Hair

I haven't said much about the oil spill in the Gulf. It has been on my mind daily though. In the summer of 2005 I worked on the cleanup of the spill on Lake Wabamum in Alberta. A CN train derailed and spilled a million litres of crude oil into the lake. The aftermath was grim. We received almost 1000 oiled birds - 1/2 of them were dead when they arrived at the centre. We saw mainly grebes of all varieties, ducks, geese and a few loons (all the loons died). In the end, after weeks of a massive effort by a international wildlife response team, veterinarians, technicians and 100's of volunteers approximately 100 birds survived and were released back into the wild. As one of three veterinarians, my job was largely one of euthanizing those who were not going to make it. I hoped I would never see such a disaster again.
Here are some pictures from that summer - of a Western Grebe who did make it.

Oiled but stable - ready for a bath

Yes, we really do use Dawn Dish Washing Detergent

In the outdoor recovery pools

Release day - one of the most rewarding experiences ever

The Gulf spill is of course much bigger and the oil keeps coming. It has been over 3 weeks now. It feels to me as if the world is holding it's breath, just waiting for the worst to happen as the oil reaches the shores.
So last week when I heard about an project to make oil absorbent booms from hair I was intrigued. It sounds so simple. People all over the US and Canada are being asked to donate their pet's hair and their own hair (from normal hair cuts - no need to go out and shave your head) to a company called A Matter of Trust http://www.amatteroftrust.org/ . Volunteers stuff panty-hose with the hair to make absorbent booms to soak up the oil.

I started eyeing my modest collection of dog and cat hair. The stuff I'd slowly collected from my own pets and all of my friends and clients - my stash. Does it have to go? And what about all the weavers and spinners I know with basements full of fleece - after all wool is hair.
So for the last week I've been trying to find out if these booms really work and do the people who are in charge of the cleanup really want them? I've checked with all the oil response groups I can think of. They are using millions of super-absorbent, synthetic booms but I cannot find any mention of the hair ones being deployed. I spoke with a friend who is a biologist. He was skeptical. Apparently BP has had over 3500 calls with ideas and offers of how to clean up the spill. One oil spill scientist says hair won't work if the oil is thick. The oil I encountered at Lake Wabamum was thick - it was tar.
Heaven knows, like everyone else I want to do something to help. It feels awful to watch helplessly, but for now, I think I will hang onto my stash and keep watching to see how this unfolds. I'll keep you posted.

Fibre Days

I seem to have lost the first half of this week. Lost in the nicest of ways. I was able to devote time to fibre interests early in the week. Monday I attended a spinning workshop with Anne Field http://www.annefield.co.nz/ Anne is a textile artist from New Zealand. She wrote the "bible" of spinning - The Ashford Book of Spinning. It was first published in 1986. Many of learned to spin using this book, so it was a delight to meet Anne and fantastic to spend a whole day with her. The workshop focused on spinning silk, mohair and alpaca. I think I finally have grasped how to spin using a "woolen" technique.

Rosie was one of the workshop participants - you just have to love those ears!

Yesterday Anne lectured at our Guild meeting on Collapse Weave.While, I'm no longer a weaver I enjoy and am inspired by anyone who works in a creative and beautiful way with fibre.



Today is catch up day.....

Dog Names

Be careful what name you give your pet. It has been my experience they tend to live up to their names. An appointment with chihuahua named Nipper or even worse, a pit-bull called Chomper can make me a bit apprehensive. So when I named my little herding dog Nudge, I thought of many happy possibilities. Here is one way he lives up to his name.
We have a pretty consistent evening ritual in our home. After dinner Peter and I often settle in to watch a movie or TV program - he watches, I knit. When Nudge was a small and crazy puppy, he would get the zoomies at this time of day. You know zoomies - the dog (or cat) becomes possessed by a overabundance of exuberance, causing him to race around and around the house at top speed , jumping on the furniture and any cats or people in his pathway. It is funny to watch - to a point. As an antidote we got in the habit of giving him something to chew like a bone or a tendon. In order to get this bone, he had to learn to sit quietly on his blue mat. This ritual calms him down and more importantly gives us an hour or so of much needed quiet.
Now days though, if we are a bit slow - perhaps talking to each other or reading the newspaper before turning on the TV - I get the stare.....


And then Nudge starts running to his blue mat and nudging it with his nose and running back to me. Very clear communication on his part.


This running back and forth gets pretty annoying so it isn't long before I've spread out the mat and he is waiting, not a doubt in his little mind that the chew will appear.

And it always does. I don't dare run out . I'm embarrassed to say, but it seems he has me completely trained now.

Puppies

These are the calls that brighten my life. There is nothing like healthy puppy check-ups to bring a bit of joy into the day.

Every veterinarian has days and even weeks of nothing but ill animals - sometimes, ones that we can't help. The majority of my acupuncture patients are older dogs and cats. They are wonderful souls, but too often sadness and loss go hand in hand with my practice. Some days, I loose track of the balance in life -puppies remind me.

Laney and Marvel are gorgeous, 14 week old Australian Shepherds. If you too need some joy in your life, they are looking for homes. http://webspace.webring.com/people/vf/firesong/index.htm

Old and New

Some pictures of my latest project - one of them anyway.

I bought a couple of bags of New Zealand Corriedale wool from Aurelia http://www.aureliawool.com/ at last years Weavers and Spinners Retreat. The colourway is Paua -named for a colourfull shell. After months of spinning enough for a sweater, I started knitting. I love the roving, I love the singles and I love the way the plied yarn looks. Unfortunately I did not love the way it knit or more to the point, I did not like the way the stripes were forming, at least not when using a simple stockinette pattern. So I've done nothing with all this handspun for the past few months.
When I was moaning about this yarn at the knitting Retreat last weekend a friend suggested using a different pattern stitch. So now I'm trying the Garter Stitch Jacket from Fleece Artist. www.fleeceartist.com/projects_sweaters.html This is the new.

The old is a luxurious mohair yarn that I'm salvaging from a Value Village sweater. I do this occasionally - peruse the sweaters in thrift shops looking for fantastic yarns that have, through no fault of their own been made into ugly garments. I simply pull them apart and reknit them. It is an inexpensive and green source of yarn.

The jacket is one strand of this self striping mohair alternating with one strand of my striping (nicely now) Corriedale. I think it is very pretty and it feels lovely.

Achy joints

I attended a lecture last night about DJD (arthritis) in dogs and cats. It was sponsored by one of the big food companies. They have just come out with a feline mobility diet that contains "nutriceticals" like glucosamine, chondrotin, and fish oils. They have studies to prove that these products actually do help arthritic cats and dogs.

This is not earth shattering news. I've been recommending them since I started practicing holistic medicine - at least 15 years now. The first time I suggested glucosamine, I wrote it down for a client but ask her not to tell anyone I'd recommended it - it was considered anecdotal and unproven - my professional reputation could have been compromised. That was many years ago, I worry a lot less about my reputation these days.

I'm fortunate right now. Nudge is young and healthy and very active, but I can see that with all the jumping and twisting and turning he does while at a full gallop, the day will come when he will suffer, with sore joints as most of our older pets do.

I really did feel encouraged last night to hear that conventional medicine is now recommending not only natural products, but also acupuncture, chiropractic and physiotherapy for these old friends.

Many dogs benefit from underwater treadmills or "hydrotherapy". There is a great clinic in town that offers this. But what amazed me was the recommendation that cats might also benefit this treatment. Cats? I'm not convinced, although if you check on You-tube you will find quite a few videos of kitties tolerating, if not enjoying this type of therapy.

My experience of cats and water has not been as benign. When I was about eight years old I decided, early one Saturday morning, to give my kitty - Tiger a bath. If you ever have the inclination do not fill the tub and try to put the kitty into it. I had to wear long sleeves and hide my mutilated arms from my mother for the next month. For years I wondered what on earth possessed me to try and bath a cat - one that was not dirty in anyway. It was only when I was an adult and packing up my Mom's house that I discovered an old booklet that had come from the pet store with Tiger. In it are detailed instructions on cat bathing. I'm ashamed to say, but even now when I look at the wet cat wrapped in a towel, my heart softens and I laugh inappropriately. I suspect I wanted Tiger to look just as cute as the one pictured in the book.

Today, I am owned by three older kitties. Tumbleweed is sore. I see it when he climbs the stairs. Still, it is my educated guess that he would prefer massage therapy, naps in the sun, and fish oils - preferably in the form of a can of salmon over being dunked into a tub of water, to ease his achy joints.

Quadra Island Colours

During the Retreat I treated myself to some yarn - of course I did.

I couldn't resist this colourway - simply called Quadra Island. It is by Lorna's Laces www.lornaslaces.net and dyed especially for Fun Knits. It captures the Island beautifully.

(picture from Quadra Island Tourism web site)

Knitting Retreat

A fantastic weekend. My brain is full.

The Retreat was sponsored by the Fun Knits Yarn Shop on Quadra Island http://www.funknits.com/ It is a great yarn shop. Shelly and Linda who own it are knowledgeable and helpful, not to mention very nice. They hold knitting Retreats at Tsa-Kwa-Luten a couple of times a year. The lodge is indeed a magical place and the meals excellent. It is not only my brain that is full.

Margaret Radcliffe http://www.maggiesrags.com/ was our instructor for 3 days of fantastic, uninterrupted knitting. I know more ways to finish seams perfectly now, than I'd even imagined were possible. This may seem trivial to non-knitters, but there is nothing sadder than spending weeks making a exquisitely knit sweater from an luxurious yarn - imagining how wonderful it will look on, anticipating years of satisfaction wearing it, only to find it looks amateurish because the pieces just would not sew together nicely. Well thanks to Margaret, this won't happen to any of the women who attended this years Retreat. All of us were experienced knitters - all had been knitting since childhood. One of the most fun aspects of a workshop like this, is simply seeing the fantastic handknits the participants are wearing. I was constantly sighing and asking if I could touch someones sweater.

In order to put our newly learned seaming and embellishing techniques to work, some of us made sweaters for these bears. Very cute!

Homework

Tomorrow I leave for a four day knitting retreat and workshop at Tsa-Kwa-Luten Lodge on Quadra Island. The workshops include such topics as finishing techniques and making perfect seams. Friday is devoted to working with luxury yarns - silk, cotton, alpaca, camel, dog.... I suppose it is possible, I'll be the only participant with dog.

Just over a week ago a big package of yarn arrived in the mail. It was our homework -15 or more squares need to be knit before we arrive. I was delighted. I knew I'd love this homework and envisioned all my co-ordinated, neatly pressed and labeled squares being packed and ready to go.

It is 11:00 PM. I have not started packing. My squares are neither labelled, pressed or even finished. I am in fact feeling a wee bit frazzled. But I just sat down a re-read the handout that came with the homework.

"Tsa-Kwa-Luten Lodge http://www.capemudgeresort.bc.ca/ is a magical place where legends live in a land of salmon, eagles, killer whales, soaring mountain peaks, swirling tidal waters and lush evergreen forests. The rooms feature ocean views of the Discovery Passage and there is a sauna and hot tub. "

And my schedule for tomorrow. "Check-in, check out the lodge, meet people, knit, dinner, knit."
It sounds heavenly doesn't it.

Pictures next week......

Underwater Beauty

With the relatives here, we finally made a visit to the Ocean Discovery Centre in Sidney. The aquariums feature a fascinating assortment of our local, underwater neighbours , including prickly sea urchins, all varieties and colours of starfish, delicate shrimp, flower-like anemones and exotically, beautiful jellyfish.
My favourite was this ancient looking Wolf-eel. Apparently he isn't really and eel – more of a longish fish. His face just oozes character. Apparently, young Wolf-eels live close to the surface of the water and as they age they descend to live at lower levels. They mate for life and protect their eggs until the young hatch. Some grow up to 8 feet long and weigh 40 pounds. That is pretty big for a fish with long canine teeth!
Eventually, old Wolf-eels find a comfortable crevice in a rock on the bottom of the ocean, move in and stay curled up there for the rest of their lives.
I'm always amazed and delighted when I find a species so completely different from us – yet at some level, maybe his appearance - a vaguly familar jawline or simply the commonality of old age that reminds me that we are all connected.

A Lovely Afternoon

Jon Katz www.bedlamfarm.com/blog has been writing lately about the strong spiritual connection he believes exists between women and dogs.

I believe this also and yesterday was definitely a celebration of these connections. Lorna and I hosted a group of wonderful women. I spoke mostly about home-prepared, raw diets for pets. We talked about our own dogs and cats - those that are with us now and those who have passed on, but are still fondly remembered.

Joan told us about Cat's Cradle - a local animal rescue organization. We ate decedent organic-chocolate dipped strawberries and dates and everyone felt my soft, furry Spirit Baskets and Medicine Bags.

Lorna ended with a Body Talk session for all. http://www.personalglow.com/

There was both laughter and a few tears. Animals do that - we connect to them, and through our shared love, we connect to each other. There are two types of people - those who get this and those who don't. It was great to spend an afternoon with a group of kindred spirits.

And now - back to more mundane tasks. Peter's sister and her husband arrive this afternoon. They are coming from Winnipeg and will stay with us for two weeks. I have exactly two hours to clean the house and stock up on groceries.......

In Disgrace

Guess who will not be attending Dog and Cat Day?

Nudge was supposed to be my helper - I planned to demonstrate some acupressure points on him, and of course he is a great example of a healthy, raw-fed dog. This morning Nudge and I went over to Lorna's for a trial run. I wanted to make sure my slides work on her computer - they do. I thought it might be good for Nudge to get used to a strange house so he wouldn't be overly excited tomorrow.
Nudge pooped on Lorna's carpet. Yes he did. He has never, ever done such a thing - well maybe when he was an eight-week old puppy, but even then only once. I was horrified. Then he bounced on and off Lorna's lovely sofa (he is allowed at home - so I can't blame him for that), but still it wasn't very good behaviour, so we let him out in the fenced yard. Nudge loved this - lots of room to run at top speed -while Lorna and I went back into the house and closed the screen door. Well you can see what is coming next. Still at top speed, and never having encountered a screen door before, the poor little dog hit the screen head first and bounced back a foot or so. He had such a shocked look on his small face. Try as I might I couldn't help laughing.

Tomorrow, Nudge stays at home with a big Kong, stuffed with frozen pumpkin and cream-cheese.



The medicine bags are finished. This one is from a Samoyed Dog.

Getting Ready for Cat and Dog Day

On Thursday, I am giving a presentation at Dog and Cat Day. This will be an afternoon devoted to celebrating our pets. I'm doing it in conjunction with my friend Lorna. Lorna is a Body Talk practitioner. I will talk about my holistic practice, raw food diets and acupuncture. Lorna is planning a distance Body Talk session for all.

I've spent the last few days busily working on slides for my talk. I also want to bring samples of my Spirit Baskets and some Medicine Bags, to show the lovely creations that can be made from pet hair - at least that is my plan - if I get them finished in time.


Partially finished Medicine Bags drying in the afternoon sun

Lining the Nest

Today feels like spring - at last. The early mornings are alive with bird song now. Soon nests will be popping up in the trees around our home. I especially love the hummingbirds. We are blessed, here on Vancouver Island, to have Anna's hummingbirds. They overwinter with us. Because of this, I know the little ones who frequent my feeder pretty well. Each year they raise their young somewhere close by. I haven't yet found one of their thimble-sized nests, but I keep hunting for one.

A friend told me that one lovely spring day, a few years back she sat outside with her wheel and spun up some soft, pink mohair. That autumn, she found an abandoned robin's nest and was surprised to see pink inside of it. On close inspection, she realized that the smooth, round nest was neatly lined with her pink mohair - bits must have drifted off while she had been spinning in the spring. I love this story and so every spring now, I stuff the winter suet feeder with tufts of fibre.

Today I put out the rest of Arran's hair - the bits that pulled apart and reverted to fluff during the knitting. Perhaps this year, the tiny, hummer babies will hatch into the softness of Arran's fluff. Its a good way to start out in the world - in a fur lined nest.

What gives Dogs Nightmares?

It is Nudge's responsibility to alert us to any unusual and possibly dangerous goings on in the house. Or so he thinks, and he works hard at this job.
His ideas of danger and ours are not always the same. Rabbits in the yard, a robin on the deck or heaven forbid a cat that doesn't belong to him on the street can send him into a frenzy.
Last night, Peter was working in the spare bedroom - a place where Nudge rarely goes.I heard a low growl and then shrill, "alert! this is serious people - come now" barking.
In all fairness, this paisley cat has a slightly more animated pose than our three, mostly sleepy ones do.

Arran

Arran started life as a potential Canadian Guide Dog for the Blind. She spent her puppy-hood with a local couple - Doug and Marian. I have always admired the people who raise these puppies, during the first year of their lives. I can't imagine how hard it would be to welcome a 8-week old puppy into your home, love her for a year and then send her off. It must be heart wrenching. Still it is such an important undertaking – these dogs completely change the lives of the visually-impaired people they are placed with. I've been a vet to several of these very special working dogs and know first hand the deep bonds that form.

Arran's destiny was elsewhere however. She didn't qualify for the Guide Dog program as it was discovered she had hip-dysplasia and so happily she came back to live out her years with Doug and Marian.

Arran was an very intelligent and active youngster - “a step beyond crazy” is how Marian described Arran's fondness for everyone she met, both people and other dogs. She was bred to be a working dog, and it was obvious she needed a job. Doug contacted P.A.T.S. - The Pacific Animal Therapy Society and Arran's new career of visiting patients in hospitals began.

Marian and Doug told me a story about Arran that highlights the fantastic service, therapy dogs provide. Many times a visit from a dog to a patient, confined to a hospital for an extended time is the bright spot in that persons day.

This is how Marian described one of Arran's visits:
“ Arran and Doug were visiting the local hospital extended care facility once a week. Like all staff and volunteers Arran wore a photo ID card. Hers said “Pet Therapy”. Doug's said “Volunteer”. I guess we know who was the professional. Arran had her “regular” visits, but often passed through the dining room looking for anyone who showed interest.
One day, there was a woman in a wheelchair facing the window. The woman was howling. Arran immediately made a bee line to her. The woman did not react, so Arran laid her head in the woman’s lap. The woman stopped howling and began to stroke Arran’s head. This attracted the attention of the nurse in the dining room. After several minutes, the woman looked at Doug and said “I used to have dogs just like this”. A short conversation followed. The woman was smiling when Doug and Arran left.
The nurse now approached Doug and said “Wow! That’s the first time she stopped howling. We didn’t think she could talk!”

Arran has retired now and spends her days relaxing, going for walks, eating (she is a lab!) and even traveling with Doug and Marian in the RV.

This is the spirit basket I made to celebrate her life.


I was so happy with the way the short, lab hair spun, but it didn't knit easily. It pulled apart at the slightest touch. The basket is smaller than I'd hoped, but I love the way the basket looks and feels – sweet and very soft – like Arran.

I have no idea how I did it - finally!

Of course I didn't take a break - I kept on and on and on - with no success. We had left-overs for dinner. At the last minute I broke away and went to my Monday evening spinning group. I complained about the hard time I was having uploading my banner. I'm not sure anyone knew what I was talking about, but they humored me - agreeing that computers can and often do frustrate one to the point of tears.
This morning I sat down at the same computer, opened the same program and did exactly what I'd done 150 times yesterday. And yes I do know the definition of insanity but I just had to try - just one more time.
It worked perfectly and I had my banner in place within 30 seconds.
What on earth happened? Either my brain or the computer's brain changed something during the night.

To see my Etsy store and my beautiful banner you can click on the image to the right.


Nudge is relieved. No more waiting. He can get back to the important things in life like playing ball.

Computer Woe's

Today I planned to set up my Etsy store. A friend told me it was a "snap - just follow the tutorials and you will be up in no time".
Hmm - it has been five hours now and I still am not pleased with my banner. The banner is step one of many. I have made at least 30 wonderful banners today, but I have not been able to shrink them to the required 760 x 100 pixels. I got close on the last one - but if the letters are the right size Nudge's face is wide and flat. If Nudge looks like a normal dog, the letters come out teeny, weensy and unreadable.
Here is the one I liked the best, but it is way, way too big apparently.


It is time to take a break. I just yelled, rather shrilly at Nudge, "get out of that litter or you are going to get it...."
Nudge wasn't in the litter - Cecil was, as he should have been. Now I've probably scared him from using the box for the next few days.
On a more positive note, after only two tries, I made a perfect bead with Arran's picture on it. Her basket is made and ready to decorate.

The Etsy store is coming......