Witches Do Winter

... and strangely enough we had a fabulous time! This past weekend we were invited to be part of some super cool programming that was taking place at the new Lansdowne in celebration (and kick-off) of this year’s Ottawa Winterlude Festival. Now when we say it was "super cool," we don’t just mean the temperatures (which, incidentally, were hovering way below what a little witch would like), we mean the opportunities provided by the City of Ottawa to entertain are super cool.

We, Sandi Witch and me, Pansy, were invited to be a part of the workshop series. So, we gave a reading and shared some activities with our young audience and it was FUN! What a novelty to read our story Witches Don’t Do Winter in the dead of actual, honest-to-goodness, winter. The youngsters milling around Lansdowne on Sunday were certainly making the most of the weather. Some had skated to the site, some were going tobogganing and some had been building snow people in an attempt to set a Guinness World Record (for the record, it was the record! Congrats!) Having just participated in such winter delights was great reinforcement for the story, though guessing from their happy, smiling faces, the children didn’t quite understand why Pansy found everything to be so ‘awful’.

After our reading, Sandi and I joined the crowds in the Aberdeen Pavillion and as they were happily shopping the Farmer’s Market, we were happily chatting with unsuspecting youngsters (I think the blue and green faces create a bit of a surprise factor!). We met lots of wonderful people, had lots of giggles and Sandi Witch wowed the masses with her beautiful calligraphy.

Despite the freezing temperatures, we were toasty warm courtesy of the fabulous heated floors in the Horticulture Building – you really should go and check them out! I mean it, you really should! This coming Sunday (the 8th of February), the wonderful Ms. Julia of Luv2Groove fame will be leading a free hip-hop workshop between 1-3 pm and who know--you may even catch a glimpse as the Little Witches strut their stuff!

Of course, every great time has a great facilitator behind it so thank you to Ms. Jeanine Anderson for inviting us, coordinating and supporting!

Here we are, bundled up and ready for home! Thanks one and all for making our Sunday memorable.

Alan Neal is My Hero

Or he will be once the Little Witches pay him a visit this coming Friday at CBC's Share Central. Alan Neal, host of CBC Ottawa's All in a Day, is perhaps unprepared for the azure and emerald visages of the witches in Full Form, replete with skates and Pansy Poppet in tow.

Come down to the Ben Franklin arena to see us shower attention on Neal!

All for a good cause, kiddies. All for a good cause.

In the meantime, look what we did to Glaswegian-in-Greenwich Adrian Harkin, one half of the dedicatee couple "Adrian and Johanna" who will be coming to Ottawa in February to experience the joy and splendour of a Canadian Winter. Adrian apparently thinks he'll only be playing ping pong, but we have a few post-Winterlude surprises for him.

Being a Glaswegian, he rarely touches the hard stuff, but I think our story drove him to it, as evidenced by the photo.

Till Friday, my dearies!
ETD

Lift Off!

Thanks to everyone who came out to the launch yesterday. We had such a good time -- the hot chocolate was hot, the cupcakes suitably wintery, and there was even some snow on the ground outside. The Pansy puppet worked marvellously! Susan, Kim and I want to especially thank Steph for the rainbow mitt and servery duties, Aaron for carrying heavy boxes, Abigayle and Genny for managing the money end of things, Caroline for the facepainting, and all our other friends and family members who support us in these adventures.

Liz, Susan and Kim hold a copy of the book, plus Flat Abby (drawn for us to look at, but not to take)! I'm quite naturally the one in green.

More photos after the JUMP:

A Week in the Country

Actually, it was only one night, but the ladies of Little Witch Press had a great time out at Kim's country estate. While there, we celebrated the arrival of the new book (it's here! it's here!), devised an entertaining launch event (December 3rd at the Firehall -- only five sleeps away), and plotted our next moves in the publishing world (cackling, of course).

While we are not necessarily seeking world domination (though a cup of tea would be nice), we would like children in other cities to know of our exploits. Plans are afoot to expand our publishing empire.

It all begins with a puppet. Yes, yes, she has proper clothes now. And mittens.

A big shout-out/thankyou to Steph Rea, who is busy creating Pansy the Puppet's Very Secret Weapon. You must come to the launch to see its debut! But I will likely be posting photos of the launch here, so you may get to see it after the fact.

Remember: Five sleeps. That's all.

The Puppet is Here!

I believe we have a finished puppet. Or, at least, a finished puppet head. I'll work on the body tomorrow. But here are the steps:

After forming the head from foam and gluing it together, I spray painted it. Today, I added more features using acrylic paint

Doesn't she look fetching? 

Then, I added button eyes and started in on the hair:

She looks like she's suffering from Male Pattern Baldness, I admit. But here she is more complete.

Notice that her mouth isn't quite right. That was the next step!

I carefully measured her mouth using a thin cardboard pattern. Then I cut the black foam and glued it on. She's enjoying a small pot on her head -- it helped hold her in place!

And here she is! Next? We work out about her clothes. But that's tomorrow!

Happy witching my dears -- book launch in just a short while! December 3rd -- mark your calendars. By then, the puppet will be in full form.

ETD

To Muppet, or Not To Muppet?

My Special Dearies,

You see us -- and photographic proof is rampant on this blog -- green and blue, marching happily through the children's section of bookshops. But maybe the Little Witches are ready for a fresh approach. As many of you know, we have a new book coming out December 3rd, Witches Don't Do Winter. 

What if, and bear with me here, what if we made puppets? Performed with good big puppets? In this story of sheer athleticism (something which many of you probably already associate me with), Pansy must ski, snowshoe, toboggan and stop a few pucks. That's a lot of work for a poor Witch...but not for a witch puppet.

Not too shabby, eh? We could equip her with baby clothing and Bob's your uncle! Plus, Susan and I can dress in "orchestra black", sans green and blue faces. My skin will thank you.

Thoughts?

Love, 

Sandi Witch

Thank You, Rockcliffe School!

Dear Students,

It was so lovely to see all your faces this morning! Susan and I had a lovely time (as Pansy and Sandi and Wilhelmina) in your classrooms. It's always great to talk about how our books come about.

I was especially pleased that when we asked what you thought our upcoming book Witches Don't Do Winter was about. You guessed almost all the things that we put in there! Except ice-fishing! Thank you Jack, for that suggestion. I wish we'd had it a little earlier, because I can totally see our witches out on the ice, cutting holes and pulling up a whopper.

Check us out this weekend at Saunders Farm, ValleyView Farm and Peace of Mind Creations in Almonte!

Love, 

Sandi Witch

Sneak Peek! Shhhhhhh.

Lookit, everyone! Actually, shhhhhh. No, don't look.

Okay, come here. Let me show you something very, very exciting. It's the draft cover of our upcoming book, Witches Don't Do Winter (available for pre-order now -- launching in December!)

Isn't it beautiful????

Thank you, Sister Kimmie, for all your work in taking the drawings and making them look lovely! xxxx Sandiwitch xxxxx