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It was not me as I am now.
It was not me as I was then.
It was then when God was truly in me.
When God was in me, I was a young man.
A young man with hope, will and desire.
Desire to give my love and the gift of God to the ones in need.

You see, that was me.

Thus, it was not me who hurt you so,
But it was me as I was then.
It was then when God was not in me.
That is when I hurt you though.

Now I can really see it was not me, who scarred you so.
Your innocence, your trust in me, the weak moment in your life,
Was abused by me.
But that was not really me.

You have to see it was not me as I was before,
Or as I am now,
Or as I will ever be.
No! It was not me!
It was he who was not me.
It was he who will never be me.
It was he and me who hurt you so.
No! It was not really me, who hurt you.

I hear you say that it was not you who hurt me so.
You said it was not you
Who stole my innocence,
Who stole my love for life,
Who stole my respect for myself.
You said it was not you who hurt me so.

I was only a boy, ten-year-old boy when my parents abused me so.
I was weak, sad and confused.
I was hurt by someone I loved and trusted so.

I came to you to help me heal.
I came to you because God told me to.
I came to you because you said God was in you.
I came to you because I trusted you more than I trusted mysel
I came to you because perfection of love was in you.
Yes, I came to you.

Your loving tone of voice made me trust you even more.
You listened to me like no one had before.
Your touch was gentle, soft and warm.
Your touch made me feel that I was in a safe place.
Your compassion made me feel the healing in me.
Your soft gaze told me you were the God-sent man.
The man God sent to help me and others like me.

When you put me on your lap, you gave me a hug.
A hug of love, that was doubt-free.
Transcendence in me took all the pain away.
I felt safe because of you.
I felt loved once again because of you.
I felt I was a good little boy because of you.
A good boy who deserved all the goodness in the world;
A good boy with a bright future ahead of him.

But when you put your hands in my pants,
I got confused, but did not refuse to do the same to you.
For it was you who told me then:
“My sweet child you are safe here.
You are safe when you are with me.
You are loved by God in me.
It is God who sent you here,
It is God who wants you to trust me.
So my little boy do trust God in me;
And do what feels good to you.”

It was you who said that the God in you
Was loving, and that He knew what’s good for me.
And that God in you wants me to please you.
And by pleasing you I’ll be pleasing God;
And by pleasing God my pain will go away.

But you did not say that by you touching me that way,
And by me doing the same to you will harm me even more.
You did not say that all this would destroy me so.
You did not say that your love was a lie.
You did not say that you were an evil man.
You did not say that what was in you was not really God,
But the opposite of Him.

Now that I am a grown man,
I know that trusting you was a mistake,
And an error I made.
A mistake and error with irreversible consequences.
The consequences that brought pain in me even more.
The pain, turmoil and darkness in me is now too much for me to endure.

Now you can see why I must go;
Why I must go to a pain-free place.
For the pain in me is unbearable.
Thus, I must go to a secret place,
A place of no return.

Oh my son, please do not go,
There is still hope for you.
Oh my son, it was not me who hurt you so.
Oh my son it was not me as I am now;
It was not me who injured you so.
It was he who was not me when the true God was in me.
Oh my son, please do not go.
There is still hope for you.
It was not me who hurt you so.
Oh my son, please do not go.

ZORA TEOFILOVIC

There once lived an old man and his goodwife
On the edge of the thick of the woods;
They lived in an old run-down shack
For forty-years and some.
The old man hunted for his living,
And his wife sewed on her lap.

He once was hunting in the woods,
The marshes were high with game
When the waters rise, many animals die
And he thought (as always), ‘Such a shame.’
Well, this day he saw a Golden Hare,

‘No common hare,’ thought he.
Stranded on a mud bare little isle
So he quickly grabbed the hare by the ears,
To save it, if you please.

Now the Golden Hare started to examine him,
And it spoke like a human being:
“Let me go, old man, back in the woods
I will give you most anything!”

The old man was surprised and scared,
For he had never heard of a hare talking.
So gently by its ears, he put the hare down
And kindly said, as he did so:
“God be with you, my lovely little Golden Hare!
And thank youbut I want for noththing;
Go back to your home in the woods,
And roam free as you normally would.”

But the hare stood stone-still, shaking,
Too weak was sheI’ll have you know:
Thus, into his sack, the old man put her
And brought her back to his home.

There he dried the hare, gave her food,
And said: “Now gobefore night!”
And thus, the hare was gone for good.

To his wife, the old hunter was cautious
To tell her about the talking, Golden Hare,
And so he explained: “I caught this hare
Stranded, and thought to set her free
Whereupon, she promised me, most anything;
But like a good Christian, I simply said
‘God be with you… [and] I need nothing.’

Thereupon, his wife reprimanded her husband:
“You old fool…you big stupid man!
You might have asked for a sewing machine!
Now go find the hare and ask!”

The old man turned to the woods,
Where the morning was flickering with light.
And off he went, calling out to the Golden Hare.
And the Golden Hare appeared, behind a bush,
“What is it, old man, what is your wish?”
With his eyes cast down, the old man answered:
“I am sad to say, Most Beautify Hare~!
But my old woman scorned me utterly
Bothers me every second of the day,
She says she wants a sewing machine.”

The Golden Hare mumbled in reply:
“So be it, go home old man, be at peace,
For your wife will soon have it.”

And behold, when the old man arrived home,
His wife was laughing, by a sewing machine.
But she screamed at her husband evermore:
“You silly old man, go back and ask for a farmhouse!”

And again he went back to the woods,
But this time the rain was pouring,
He called out to the Golden Hare,
And the Golden Hare appeared again, saying:
“Now what is it old man, what is your wish?”
“It never ends; forgive me, but my wife…
Now wants a farmhouse.”
The Golden Hare mumbled in answer:
“As you desire, go home and you’ll have it~!”

And when he arrived back home,
His shack was replaced by a farmhouse.
Oh yes, even with a huge towering silo.
And there sat his old wife by the window.

But the old woman was still hungry with greed
Told her husband, “Go back and ask for money!
Perhaps a ton of gold, she will give to you!”

And the old hunter did as she asked,
Hollered out for the Golden Hare to appear
And although the hare appeared, said nothing,
She listened angrily as the old man begged:
“Forgiven me of my wife’s greed, but now she Wants a ton of gold, or just a lot of money.”
The hare just whoosh its golden ears
And vanished back into the woods.

When the husband arrived back home
Behold, his old wife was like before,
Sitting by their old broken down shack
Sewing an old shirt, on her lap, bored.

#769 7/11/05

IN SPANISH

Translated by Nancy Pealoza

Cuento del: cazador anciano
Y la liebre de oro

Por Dennis L. Siluk

All una vez viva un viejo hombre y su buena esposa
En el borde de la espesura del bosque;
Ellos Vivian en una vieja choza
Por cuarenta aos y algo.
El anciano cazaba para su vida
Y su esposa cosa sobre su regazo.

El una vez estaba cazando en el bosque,
Los pantanos eran altos con juego
Cuando el agua creci, muchos animales murieron
Y el pens (como siempre) “que vergenza”.
Bien, ese da el vio una liebre de oro,
“rara liebre” pens él.
Varado sobre el barro desnudo de la pequea isla
As, el rpidamente agarro a la liebre por las orejas,
Para salvarla, si te parece.

Ahora la liebre de oro empez a examinarlo,
Y le habl como un ser humano:
“déjame ir, anciano, de regreso al bosque-
Yo te daré algo, mas!

El anciano estaba sorprendido y asustado.
Porque el nunca haba odo de una liebre que hablaba.
Tan gentilmente por sus orejas, el dejo la liebre
Y amablemente dijo, como hizo él eso?:
“Dios este contigo, mi amada pequea liebre de oro
Y gracias - pero, yo no quiero nada;
Regresa a tu casa en el bosque,
Y vaga libre como normalmente tu puedas!”.

Pero la liebre aun permaneci parada como piedra, sacudiéndose
Demasiado débil estaba ella- te haré saber:
Ms, dentro de su saco, el anciano la puso

y la llev de regreso a su casa.

All el sec a la liebre, le dio comida,
Y le dijo: “ahora vete- antes que anochezca!”
Y as, la liebre se fue para siempre.

Para su esposa, el anciano cazador fue cauteloso
Para decirle acerca de la hablante, liebre de oro
Entonces el explic “Cog esta liebre varada y pensé
Ponerla en libertad- por lo cual ella me prometi algo ms;
Pero como buen cristiano simplemente dije.
“Dios este contigo….y no necesito nada”

Con eso, la esposa reprendi a su marido
“t viejo tonto….tu hombre grande entupido”
“Pudiste haber pedido una mquina de coser!”
“Ahora vaya a buscar la liebre y pida”

El anciano regres al bosque,
Donde la maana Recién parpadeaba luz.

Y él fue llamando a la liebre de oro

Y la liebre de oro apareci detrs de un arbusto
Que es eso anciano? Cul es tu deseo?
Con sus ojos destrozados el anciano contest:
“Estoy muy triste para decir muy bella liebre!
Pero mi vieja me despreci completamente-
Me molesta cada segundo del da
Ella dice que quiere una maquina de coser!”

La liebre dorada mascull
La respuesta “vete a casa en paz anciano
Por que Tu esposa pronto lo tendr”

Y contemplo, cuando el anciano lleg a casa,

Su esposa estaba riéndose, Por una maquina de coser.

Pero ella Le grito a su esposo cada vez mas
“T anciano tonto, vuelve y pide
una granja!”

Y otra vez el anciano volvi a los bosques,
Pero esta vez la lluvia estaba fluyendo,
El llam fuerte a la liebre de oro
Y la liebre de oro apareci otra vez diciendo:

Y ahora que anciano cual es tu deseo? .
“Esto nunca se termina perdneme, pero mi esposa

Ahora quiere una granja”.

La liebre de oro mascullaba la respuesta

“Como tu . Deseo, ve a casa y lo tendrs!”

Y cuando él regres a su casa,
Su choza fue substituida por una granja.
Oh si, hasta con un enorme silo altsimo.
Y all se sent a su vieja esposa por la ventana.

Pero la anciana todava tena el hambre con la avaricia
Dijo a su marido, ” Vuelve y pide el dinero!
Quizs una tonelada de oro, ella te lo dar! “

Y el viejo cazador hizo como ella pregunt pidi,

Gritando alto para que la Liebre De oro apareciera
Y aunque la liebre apareci, no dijo nada,
Ella escuch con ira como el anciano rog:
“Perdneme la avaricia de mi esposa, pero ahora ella
Quiera una tonelada de oro, o justo una cantidad de dinero”
“La liebre justo whoosh orejas de oro
Y desapareci dentro del bosque.

Cuando el marido regres a casa -
Contemplan, su vieja esposa estaba como antes,
Sentada por su vieja choza.

Cosiendo una vieja camisa, sobre su regazo, aburrido.

*769 7/11/05

Poet/Author Dennis Siluk http://dennissiluk.tripod.com

Since Mohamed Ali-then Cassius Clay-announced that he had written “The world’s shortest poem,” I have known that I would be a poet. “ME? WHEE!” His triumphant proclamation evoking shivers within my troubled teenaged identity, for I reasoned in rhyme.

Everyday, hundreds-of-thousands of seemingly sane souls satisfy some innate need to bare their concealed character via atrocious alliteration or in delusional doggerel. As in Kris Kristofferson’s early works, the marvelous magic masquerades within sweet musical lyrics, providing us with eternal material transcending generational barriers.

Even if none but we are ever allowed to examine our hidden essence, an inner longing is unleashed-only to be squished-should we presume to be published.

In1978, I self-published my first poetry book, Beacon©, to an enthusiastic reception of some uninformed who didn’t realize, fearing rejection, I had never submitted my musings to somber publishers. After all, Rod McKuen, suffering countless rejections, had self-published. And he was said-at that time-to be, “The world’s most widely read poet.”

To the accolade of local yokel fans, the following year, I followed up with Imperfections©, Verse by Russ Miles, songs and thoughts reflecting who, where, and what I was-at that time in my life. Even more well received, I was enjoying the affirmative attention of a metropolitan newspaper poetry editor insisting that I co-chair a college invitational symposium for wantabe poets with the State Poet LaTourette. My books selling well, a youthful, insatiable ego was being satisfactorily stroked.

Then, a strange thing happened. I caught a case of conscience. What if an unforgiving God held me accountable for my wanton actions or the impact of foisting my unholy understandings upon innocents?

Frightening purgatorial-or worse-reprisal prospects triggered instantaneous actions. Removing all remaining copies from the marketplaces which I had developed for distribution, I stopped penning poetry for the next twenty-five years.

Disabled at age fifty-three by Multiple Sclerosis, I found myself writing another book, For Sale By Owners:FSBO©. A mystery thriller novel evolved offering some insights that only a self-absorbed, worldly man of three messed-upped marriages could possibly convey.

I continue learning that God is so forgiving. How He can inspire good to come of all things. Even some of my old songs are once more awaiting discovery thanks to the song-writing, truck-driving character appearing between the FSBO covers.

By today’s standards, Red Haring’s vivid verse words and wayward rhyme renderings are no longer abysmal. Rather they reflect the subtle “It’s all about me” immoral fiber of a masculine male-wrestling with post 9-11 internal issues-choosing to make changes in his so self-consumed life. Red’s songs emerge to stimulate reflections within Brooklyn Best, the no-saint heroine, real estate agent with whom he becomes romantically involved-while being knitted together to unravel some horrific homicides-in this reality based novel. Through its use in a sub-plot, my poetry is being reborn.

As for Beacon© and Imperfections©, perhaps I’ll offer my few remaining hand signed & numbered “First Edition” & “Limited Edition” poetry books on e-Bay®. After all, John Grisham’s originally published novels are now collector’s items aren’t they?

Free-Reprint Article Written by: Russ Miles
See Terms of Reprint Below.

Article Copyright: 2005

Author Contact Email: mailto:MilesRuss@Gmail.com

—————————————————————–

TERMS OF REPRINT - Publication Rules

This is a Free-Reprint article. The only requirements for
publishing this article are:

* You must leave the article and resource box unedited. You are not allowed to change the content of the article. Reformatting is permitted as necessary.

* You may not use this article in UCE (Unsolicited Commercial Email). Email distribution of this article MUST be opt-in email only.

* We ask that you forward a copy of the ezine or newsletter that contains the article inside to the author at: MilesRuss@Gmail.com

* If you post this article on a website, you MUST set any URL’s or Mailto addresses in the body of the article and most especially in the Author’s Resource Box as hyperlinks. We request that you also send us a copy of the URL where you have posted this article.

If you utilize this article in a printed magazine, or on paper publication, please snail mail a copy in full to Russ Miles 410 W 13th Street #807 Vancouver, WA 98660.

If you find any of the rules to be unsavory or unacceptable, please
do not publish this article. While we are happy to make the content
available to you for your own use, we must insist on having our rules
and *Terms of Reprint* honored in full.

—————————————————————–

Russ Miles is the author of the novel, For Sale By Owners:FSBO.
Seasoned Real Estate NAR® Broker Disabled by Multiple Sclerosis,
FOR SALE BY OWNERS:FSBO ISBN 0-595-28703-4,in trade paperback,
is available by phone or Internet:1-800-Authors to order direct!
Very HOT-LINK Adobe e-book & hard cover editions also available
FSBO at Amazon.com at Barnes and Noble and other fine booksellers.

Comments: MilesRuss@Gmail.com.

Personal referrals to his publisher

If you’re a connoisseur of tastes, you’re sure to select chocolate truffles as the most decadent of all the confections. Chocolate truffles are a French invention and have a fine texture, varied flavors, hard shell and a velvety core that makes it compelling and tempting.

If you have the time, you can make chocolate truffles at home. The main ingredient, ganache, is nothing but a mixture of chocolate and cream, skillfully mixed to the proper blend. Your truffles can be made attractive by dusting them with cocoa powder and coating them with tempered chocolate. You can optionally add flavors, spices, fillings and liqueurs to make your truffles unique.

If you don’t compromise and choose the best chocolate that contains a minimum of 50% cacao content in it, you’ll be sure to impart an opulent appearance and a velvety bite into your truffles. Blending of the chocolate and cream in the right proportion will ensure fine quality ganache. The best truffles have the right proportion between chocolate and the cream: a proportion of 2:1. For making an approximate number of 35 truffles, you need the following:

455 grams dark chocolate
1 cup heavy whipping cream
A bread knife
A saucepan
A mixing bowl
A rubber spatula
A teaspoon
Cookie sheets
Liqueur, spices, flavors (optional)

Cutting the chocolate into small strips using a bread knife and then scalding the cream on a pan at the right temperature (never boiling) are the first steps in truffle-making. The scalded cream should be poured on the chocolate strips whereby the heat from the cream melts the strips. After this, ensure that the mixing of the chocolate and the cream is thoroughly done. Use a rubber spatula to make this step quicker; it’ll also make your ganache smoother and finer.

Chilling the ganache in a refrigerator hardens it so you can mold rough balls with the hardened ganache. Keep these balls on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper so they don’t stick to the tray or with each other. Once these balls come out of chilling in the refrigerator, your truffles should be ready for coating and dusting. Dusting is done by rolling the truffles on the cocoa powder, using two teaspoons.

If you want to add value to your truffles, you can do so by adding your choice of flavoring after scalding the cream. Let the flavor be fully absorbed by the cream, then re-scald the liquid mixture and pour it onto the chocolate strips for melting them.

Coating your truffles with a hard chocolate shell starts with tempering 2 oz. of dark chocolate on a tempering machine. Once the coating cools, the shells of the truffles sets and gets hard.

These attractive and mouth-watering truffles can be stored in air-tight and moisture-free containers.

Should Christian’s get tattoos?

ChristiaNet.com (http://www.christianet.com), the world’s largest Christian portal with twelve million monthly page loads, polled 269 participants on the question, “Should Christian’s get tattoos?”

There was an overwhelming response from 199 people who felt that Christians should not. The general consensus from these seem to agree that since our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit and since the Bible says we shouldn’t cut or put marks on our bodies, then it would be wrong to do so. One respondent says, “Because our bodies don’t belong to us, they belong to God.” One participant comments on the health risks associated with getting tattoos or piercings, “As a nurse, I think it is a risky thing to do since tattoo artists may use needles more than once and a person could contact Hepatitis or HIV.”

Many felt that it defiles the body that God made in his image. It is also an indicator that a person who indulges may be trying to draw attention to themselves and as Christians we are representing Christ, not self. Twenty participants say that it is okay for Christians to get tattoos and piercings. Some of the comments indicate that if it’s done in good taste it is okay. One person wrote, “I don’t think there is anything wrong with it unless your own heart condemns you for it.” Some responded that it should be up to the individual and that a person who does shouldn’t be judged for it.

Some people have marks and piercings because it is a symbol of their culture. The attitude of the one wearing it is what matters. It shouldn’t be done because of rebellion or vanity. Fifty of the people answered that they were unsure about whether or not Christians should do so. Some entertained getting a mark that has a religious theme to show others that they are a believer. Still, many of these participants seem to agree that moderation is what is important and that Christians shouldn’t go overboard. One respondent who was unsure said, “I would not condemn anyone who does have one, although a demonic or ungodly mark should be avoided at all costs, as it provides a bad witness.”

Black Cat Tattoo Aftercare

The song says it all, “Hot Fun in the Summertime.” Our summer was certainly full of fun: outdoor barbeques, neighborhood cookouts, making ice cream, 4th of July parades, a trip to grandpa’s house, sleeping late, moving my oldest daughter into her first apartment… It never seems like the season is long enough to do everything we want to do.

Now that the summer is almost over, how do we preserve these memories? Take a few minutes before the busy routine of school begins to put together a family album of summer keepsakes. Whether it’s in a scrapbook, photo album, or shoebox, these mementoes chronicle tidbits of family life that often become lasting traditions. Your kids will love showing friends and family how they spent their summer vacation.

Want a quick and easy way to make a time capsule of your summer vacation? Make a keepsake jar.

Find a large, clean, wide mouth jar (mayonnaise jars work well) to hold your treasures.
Paint and decorate the lid.

Gather together pictures, ticket stubs, sea shells, maps, souvenirs, pressed flowers or anything that has sentimental value from you summer vacation.

Write names and dates on the back of photographs. Place all of your items inside the jar. On brightly colored paper, write a few notes about each event. You may want to interview other family members for their thoughts as well.

Preserve your summer stories in a place of honor. Kids will enjoy getting their keepsake jar down to tell stories for many summers to come.

And, don’t forget to snap a picture on the first day of school. We take a photograph in the same spot every year. My daughter is leaving for her first year of college. In the opening pages of her scrapbook are all of the pictures we had taken on the first day of school. From the scared preschooler with the little lamb name tag, to the confident, beautiful young woman she blossomed into, each picture was truly worth a thousand words.

About the Author: Rondi Hillstrom Davis is the co-author of the award-winning book Together: Creating Family Traditions. To check out her website that’s jam packed with family ideas, visit http://www.togetherparenting.com

To subscribe to her online newsletter, go to http://www.togetherparenting.com/feedback.asp

Copyright Nine Twenty Press

You have permission to reprint this article electronically or in print, free of charge, provided that each article is:

1. Printed in its full form with no changes

2. Includes an active link

3. And the following byline appears at the bottom of each article:

About the Author: Rondi Hillstrom Davis is the co-author of the award-winning book Together: Creating Family Traditions. To check out her website that’s jam packed with family ideas, visit http://www.togetherparenting.com

Please send a courtesy copy of your publication to the above contact.

Remember when you were a little girl or boy and you did a school project with pen pals? Do you ever wish you could undertake that hobby again?

About a month ago I was re-introduced to this craft. However, instead of your everyday pen pal relationships where one writes another a letter I found an underground world that is both fascinating and creative–A world of art and collectors.

It is a world filled with its own language - filled with others just like myself who are addicted to snail-mail. I joined a pen pal group and was surrounded by code - FBs, Slams, Crams, Decos, FSS, NSW, NPW, etc… I started researching what all this code meant and started a wee web site of definitions.

Decos or Decorated Friendship Books are by far my newfound obsession. I really find that my artistic juices flow through swapping these with other moms across the world. I have been involved with swapping these for less than 2 months and have already received mail from Sweden, Germany, Spain, Estonia, and Russia. It is really exciting to find new pen pals from different cultures and to see how they decorate the book.

Friendship books are little booklets of paper no more than 4 pages thick that are swapped among pen pals. When you receive one, you sign it with your name and address and note whether you are seeking new pen pals or swappers. A FSS or Friendship Sheet is the same as a Friendship book but done on 1 sheet of paper. A Cram is a small piece of paper that is used as a friendship sheet however you gather as many pen pals on your small piece of paper before sending it back to its owner.

All the above are used as a means to gather more friends and/or to get to know your friends better. A Slam, unlike a friendship book, is a booklet filled with questions you’d like to know about your pen pals. These are not the hate-filled books of high school.

Sara Duggan is a mom of 2 boys and married to her soulmate of 11 years. She enjoys crocheting and writing in her spare time. For more information on Penpaling visit http://mommie-care.com/Friendshipbooks

For the reason that London’s the capital city it’s constantly going to be a hard thing to decide where to dine or perhaps which alehouse to drop in at.

There’s nothing worse than when you are arranging something with someone, be it a client or maybe just your buddy, only to discover the venue you’ve chosen is unpleasant. So save yourself an inconvenience by picking up your copy of Time Out. You can always find out all about London music with Time Out London’s detailed music section.

Bars within London’s Greatest come in many varieties. Are you looking out for a cocktail Bar or a tap room? If, much like millions of Londoners currently, you now have a quenchless taste for cocktails then you will constantly be on the watch for cutting edge cocktail lounges.

The thing that Time Out does is to conjure up a guide book of the cocktail bars within the capital, whether you’re looking out for that apres work cocktail lounge, a great venue to awe a friend, a dash of old fashioned style or purely a conveniently close tap room to chill at, Time Out able to head you in the right direction.

One of the finest bars nowdays is known Asia De Cuba and is found in Covent Garden - Asia De Cuba is recognised for its drinks and fine dining. With this bar one has the best of both worlds - excellent grub and superb drinking. Then there is of course Apartment-195 which is planted on the Kings Road, an uncommonly swanky part of London and so the tone of it communicates this. You might well have to be on the place’s guest list to be allowed to enter & there’s occasionally a bit of a weird attitude but strangely it can make for a nice atmosphere.

Inspiration comes in many forms. An exchange of words on the street, a chiding, but loving mother in a department store, or a friendly stranger in a little town provide the necessary mental fodder for the poetry mill. I write down the crux of the observation on a piece of paper because I know how fleeting the germ of an idea can be. When I have a moment alone, I pull the meaningful words together, most times what will be the last two lines of the poem and work backwards from there. I feel that the benefit of rhyming words far outweigh the difficulty of finding the perfect word. At no time to I allow the meaning to be submerged by a second choice word. As an example, I have chosen a poem I wrote called ‘Same Old You’. The first line sets up the premise:

YOU’VE NEVER CHANGED, YOU’RE STILL THE SAME.
This declaration leaves the reader up in the air, not knowing whether the writer is happy or unhappy with his partner. The second line:

WHAT YOU USED TO DO, YOU’RE DOING AGAIN.
sounds like the writer is a bit annoyed, but brave enough to tell his partner what he thinks.
Next comes:

THOSE HABITS OF YOURS THAT YOU HAD BEFORE

NUMBER THE SAME, NOT LESS, NOT MORE.
This statement sounds quite chiding, but the reader can’t be sure that these ‘habits’ are the good or the bad kind. Now to soften the mood and to change direction I wrote:

YOU’RE IN A RUT, THERE’S NOT MUCH HOPE,

NOBODY’S PERFECT, NOT EVEN THE POPE.
This is plainly teasing, playing on the partner’s innate sense of guilt, by implying that they think themselves a perfect person. Now we’re getting mad, even sounding accusing:

YOU CONTINUE TO DO THE THINGS YOU DID,

I EVEN DISCOVERED THE ONE THAT YOU HID.
Quickly a reiteration of the first line and a comparison:

BUT YOU’VE NEVER CHANGED, YOU’RE LIKE A STAR,
resolves the issue in your mind and changes the meaning of all that preceded ending with the statement:

AND I LOVE YOU JUST THE WAY YOU ARE.

All my poems are tone poems, I.E.: to be enjoyed out loud, and I try to keep the accents on the beat of the meter. With my poems I try to explore the common place emotions of ordinary people, with varying degrees of success. Of course, if a poem is good, it needs no explanation, just being there should be enough. Happy writing.

I have written over 300 poems.

It is a wonderful feeling when you finally finish sewing your doll. She is SO cute, her frock is just adorable and her hair is exactly the way you wanted it. She is just perfect! The only thing left to do is to draw her face.

This is the part of doll making that can cause the most anxiety amongst doll makers, but by following a few simple “rules” you can confidently achieve a gorgeous face every time.

Always begin by drawing your doll’s face on paper. Practice positioning your doll’s features to ensure you have the right proportion and position.

Have fun experimenting with different styles and observe those around you. Babies, small children and characters in children’s books often have cute features, which can provide inspiration.
I encourage you to use your imagination to personalise your doll and make her a “one of a kind” heirloom.

On a sheet of paper, draw a shape similar in size to your doll’s head.

Lightly draw a line horizontally and vertically through the centre of the “face”.

Look in the mirror and you will notice your eyes are approximately midway between your chin and the top of your head. Mark the centres of the eyes on the horizontal line an equal distance from the midline. By placing the eyes slightly lower on the face, your doll will have a younger appearance.
Divide the lower half of your face into thirds and mark a small dot on the centre line at these points. These will be the positions of the nose and the mouth.

Next, you will need to choose the style of face you would like. The style you choose should fit the character of your doll. A naive style doll will have a much simpler face than a more formal doll.

Experiment with different shapes for each facial feature. You may like to try round eyes and oval eyes, with or without eyelashes and eyebrows, a little button or a straight nose and different sizes and shapes of hearts or smiley u shapes for your dolls mouth. Some dolls look gorgeous with two tiny “commas” for nostrils instead of a nose. The more styles you try out the easier it will be for you to choose a face that really complements your doll.

When you are happy with the style, size, shapes and positioning of all of your doll’s facial features it is time to add some colour to bring your doll to life.

Pigma micron 01 made by Sakura are the brand of pen I prefer. They are waterproof and fade proof and they contain archival, pigment ink. They are also available in a range of 6 colours. Derwent artist pencils also provide a high quality finish to your doll’s face and you can purchase them individually in your favourite colours. If you plan to continue doll making then purchasing good quality pens and pencils to finish your doll is an excellent investment.

Choose eye, mouth and cheek colours to complement your doll. Use the black pen to draw the eyes and eyelashes, the brown pen to draw the nose and eyebrows and either the brown or the red pen for your doll’s mouth. Be careful when using drawing pens, they have a very fine tip so always hold them in an upright position (not slanted) to prevent damaging the pen tip.

Before adding pencil colour to your doll experiment with the various ways you can apply this. You can achieve many different effects by using either a sharper or a blunter pencil. You should also try the side of the pencil as well as the point. A good way to add shading is to apply the colour to a scrap of paper or calico and carefully rub this over the area you want to colour. Gradually build up the colour in layers until you obtain the desired look. Just remember it is easier to add a bit more colour than it is to try to remove it. It’s also a good idea to keep a record of the colours you have used, just jot down the names of the colours and any special techniques you may have used to apply them alongside your diagram as a reference for future use.

Once you are completely satisfied with your doll’s new face, it is time to transfer it onto fabric. However, before you take the final step, it is a good idea to practice one more time just to make yourself comfortable with working on fabric. The slightly uneven texture of the fabric will make a difference when you are drawing the face and the colours may need adjusting to suit.

Place a piece of fabric in an embroidery hoop and follow the steps listed above, once again. Once you have added all of your doll’s features to the fabric and you are satisfied she has just the attitude and expression you are trying to achieve then you are ready to complete your doll!

You should feel completely comfortable now applying your doll’s face!

You might like to add your doll’s photo to an online Photo Gallery so others can see her online. A really professional, friendly & helpful photo gallery for cloth doll’s and patchwork can be found at http://www.kitsnpieces.com.au

You can find a great template for drawing your dolls face at http://www.kitsnpieces.com.au/face_tips.htm

Karen Bennet is an authority on cloth doll making who provides articles and craft tips for several leading e-zines and craft magazines including Country Threads and Handmade.

Karen Bennet

Kits ‘n’ Pieces

http://www.kitsnpieces.com.au