Wintertime Gnome Clothes, Pictures of the Storm, and Why Snowmen are the Worst.

I finished the hats for my gnome paper dolls' cold weather clothes today, just as winter sunk its icy claws into Seattle!

Mama and Papa Gnome, all bundled up!

The Twins ready for the cold.

A page of cold weather tools and treats. Sleds, a snowman,
a shovel, a broom, snowballs,  and a cocoa set with marshmallows!

The Twins having fun in the snow.

I'm finally done painting my gnome family's everyday, gardening, and cold weather sets. I have ideas for others, but they will come later. Next I will be printing out the dolls, cutting them out, and making sure that each little outfit actually fits! I've been careful to make all their clothes the right size, but I have to be certain before I can put them up for sale.

In case you've missed the news, the snow continues here in Washington. We're not really sure what is going to happen tonight. Some forecasters are saying 5-10 inches, some claim a foot. The BBC has written us off as dead already, with temperatures "bitterly cold at 20 degrees below average"--which means, like, 36 fahrenheit. 

I walked through our town today, to the post office and the grocery store. It was really lovely. The boughs were hanging low and heavy, the air had the smell of snow in it, the flakes found their way into my hair and eyelashes...It felt like I'd stepped outside my Washington apartment into New England.

Actually, it was kinda unsettling. But totally beautiful! 

Puck watching the snow outside.

Our street.

Puck lounging by the picture window.
You can still see some of our paper flakes along the top.
Guess we got our wish!

Outside, it was crazy gorgeous.

My hat turns every intersection into a bear crossing.

It was strange to see everything familiar here changed by snow,
when I'm so used to it being completely hidden by fog.
Turns out we have buildings! WHO KNEW?

A local street on the way to the post office.

Branches overhead.

If you asked Puck what the most exciting part of the day was,
he'd tell you it was when these birds showed up in the tree.

It's silent, dark, and still outside. If we're in for a big storm, it hasn't hit yet. I'll be honest, I'm rooting for it. Post office bound with my Etsy parcels, I passed up a chance to make snow angels all over town, (since I didn't want to have to write "SORRY, I WAS MAKING BITCHIN' SNOW ANGELZ" on soaking wet parcels). I'd like a chance to write that wrong, unbound by postal duty. It would be cool to make a snowman too, if I could be reasonably assured it would not come to life and become a complicated liability.

"You brought me to life! Now it's your duty to get me to
THE NORTH POLE!"

"Seriously?"

"YES"

"Okay, but I'm a human, and the North Pole is really cold.
It's pretty far away too...."

"What's the worst that can happen?"

"HE'S DEAD. I FAILED HIM AND NOW HE'S DEAD."

Yeah, I think I'll stick to snow angels if I get the chance.