We Interrupt This Program to Introduce ...

Meet Lady Red Squirrel.  She goes by Scarlett with her family and friends.

The artist shares a backstory for each of his animal portraits and includes it on his Etsy site and on a lovely card that comes with the order - here is Scarlett's:

"Lady Red Squirrel - Fed up with being patronized by human park goers, this redhead founded the internationally renowned club: Never Underestimate Tree Squirrels [N.U.T.S.]. She now serves as the group's president and chief party planner."

And this is Gentleman Squirrel who goes by Douglas.

This is his backstory as told by the artist:

Gentleman Squirrel - Tragically this squirrel has a vicious peanut allergy. He is researching antidotes using rare wild mushrooms but in the meantime, he luckily lives in an area with an abundance of nutritious berries.

Douglas and Scarlett sitting on my pressing table . . . 

. . . and at home on the wall in my sewing studio where they can hang out with Hunter, Lady Violet, and Flash (Mischief's cousin) as members of the Ad-Hoc Squirrel Club.  

Quiltdivajulie

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"A little nonsense now and then, is relished by the wisest men."

Roald Dahl

Happy Squirrel Appreciation Day

As my regular readers know, I have a lot of fun with the squirrel concept including the Ad Hoc Squirrel Club.

First there was Chase.  

Then there was Hunter.  

Then there was Flash.

Then there was Mischief.

And more recently Violet joined the scurry.

(and it is all Dug's fault - you know, the dog in the movie UP who frequently stopped mid sentence to exclaim "Squirrel!")

This  photo was sent to me by Louise  who noticed this winter-season-dressed squirrel during her recent visit to Montreal.  

Thankfully I am not alone in my chasing of squirrels.

There are lots of you out there who are self-identified members of the Ad-Hoc Squirrel Club (linked above) and probably a lot more who haven't actually ID'd themselves yet. 

(remember, it is never too late to join the party)

Mari (on a blogging hiatus) sent me this fun photo a while back.

(Fair warning - squirrels can be very convincing!)

And here's a fun vintage graphic that Louise discovered while doing research on a completely different subject.

You can see lots of other posts featuring my studio squirrels by clicking on the different labels at the bottom of this post.

Enjoy! 

Quiltdivajulie

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Double click the image below to enjoy one of my all-time favorite Non Sequitur comic strips --

Introducing Studio Squirrel No. 5

Introducing Violet (named for Dame Maggie Smith's Lady Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Downtown Abbey), who has joined her merry band of cousins Chase, Hunter, Mischief, and Flash in my studio.

You can see all of their photos in the sidebar and posts with their previous appearances by using the 'studio squirrels' label below.

In between other things, I managed a bit more sewing time as you can see by how many more pairs of rows are on the design wall.

Here's a different view that includes a glimpse of the backing fabric (far left) - a gift from two online and later in-person friends.

(I am waiting to press all of the pairs before sewing them together, just in case adjustments are needed)

* * *

And then the squirrels distracted me with a nagging reminder that the clean out and re-org of my studio drawers was still waiting to be finished.  

(done and dusted now)

Next up on the clean up the studio list will be the big closet in my design studio where project boxes, lined drawstring gift bags, and all sorts of other stuff are jumbled on the shelves and stuffed into the corners.  I can manage the lower step on the step stool now which will let me reach the top shelf and I promise to ask the guys for help if there's something I can't quite reach!

As for the foot - I'm finally able to wear my normal orthotic in the surgical shoe and I can't believe how much I've missed that support.  The swelling continues to lessen but standing still for any length of time is still uncomfortable - walking is actually easier.

Busy week ahead - hopefully with some studio time in the mix.

Quiltdivajulie

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"All this endless thinking.  It's very overrated."

Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham