What does this magazine publisher spend her infrequent and coveted spare time doing? Making a sock puppet of course!   In conjunction with the 2010 Winter Olympics, CBC radio recently announced an Unofficial Sock Puppet Mascot Contest and it immediately got my interest. I knew I wanted to enter the contest, but with the closing date just 48 hours away, would I have the time and wherewithal to make it happen??  Thinking about the supplies I'd need to make a (hopefully winning) entry, I visited my local thrift store to source supplies. When I found the supplies I'd need to get started (a pair of wooly brown mitts, pink socks, black anklet socks and two gold leather buttons - all for just $3.50), I felt inspired and was soon committed to my project.  Along with some craft glue, a pair of scissors and needle/thread I got busy sculpting my puppet. Drawing inspiration from the sweet yet tenacious personality of my dog Kaya, Goldie the sock puppet was soon born.

Here's a picture of my finished  puppet:

And this is the 100-word write-up that went with Goldie describing why she'd be a good mascot for the city:

"Hi, I'm Goldie the Dog. I'm hoping to be the gold medal winner in CBC's search for an Olympic mascot. Why choose a dog? For one, I think we could make the case that Dogcity would be a much preferable moniker to Raincity (though that too has it's points). There are lots of us dogs in this fair city, and many of us are really into sports. As a canine mascot I would remind people what Vancouver and Vancouverites are all about: friendliness and a love of the outdoors. I would like to welcome the world with a woof."

And now for the big question... did I win??? Unfortunately, no, but it was still fun trying. And I just might make Goldie, Modern Dog's "official" unofficial 2010 sock puppet mascot, so stay tuned for some Goldie 2010 Olympic shenanigans.

Here's a photograph of all the submitted puppets that are currently on display in CBC's lobby: