Where Am I?

Psst....look over here!

Now What?

Are you sitting at your computer frantically clicking the 'refresh' button to see what pops up here next?  Well keep waiting!  Heh.  I'm working on a few things incorporating my perfect die cut shapes into a (hopefully) useful result.  I'm also hoping to get some drafts of patterns done to see if there's any potential in that or if I'm a doer and not a designer.  Oh and I have to get that darn Advent calendar done, only 337 days til Christmas!  (Oh and 322 til Advent calendar day!)

How Excited Am I?

Here, I'll tell ya: very excited! Why? you may ask...because I got a Sizzix Big Shot die cut machine for Christmas that's why! I did a lot of research for a way to cut perfect felt shapes and decided this baby was the way to do it. I have a Cricut Expression machine which I heart, but it's really only good for paper and like materials that resist the drag of the blade. Felt is too soft and would just bunch up. This week Michael's had die cut dies and accessories on sale for 40% off so I picked up two (the selection was lame!) and I got three more dies from eBay. Now I can cut perfect circles in six sizes, cut eight sizes and kinds of flowers and four sizes/shapes of leaves. Besides feeding my inner Perfection Monster, I'm hoping that this tool will be a time saver since hand sewing is inherently time consuming (again somewhat attributable to the aforementioned Monster). Stay tuned for some felt flower power!

Ghosts of Christmas Past

Christmas 2010 is officially in the history books, but I still have one more felt sharesy. I made 5 poinsettia hair clips and 4 poinsettia pins for a loverly felt fan friend. So simple but so much to sew! I used two basic 5-petal shapes layered and topped with 5 individual petals for the flower. I added a partial layer in green to the bottom for leaves and yellow glass beads for the center. Then I did a lot of sewing and ta da!







I have so much fun designing and creating stuff!

New Year, New Beginnings

OK, famous last words? Well I shall try my best to get my sew on and blog like the wind this year. As a start, here are pictures of all the nifty Christmas gifts I made for my family - and most weren't even made from felt.

First up, a set a linen dish towels for my mother-in-law. I got pretty fabric tape from an Etsy seller in China.


I really liked making this baker's apron for my Dad. It came together well for my first try at such a thing. Modeled by it's new owner and famous maker of "Daddy's Bread".


Here we have the water-proof lunch sacks I made for my sister. I didn't really have a pattern but they seem like they'll work :-)


I also made my sister a snugglie fleece Red Sox blanket (despite living in a Yankee fan zone).


Next up is a felt pin cushion for my Dad's wife. It's filled with crushed walnut shells so it sits nicely and sharpens the needles poked into it. I made the pins with some Swarovski crystals.


After trying my hand at pillow cases for Conkerr Cancer, I've begun making them for gifts now. This one is a super soft Hello Kitty model for my niece. Hello Kitty fabric is really difficult to find so I imported it from the Etsy seller in China.


And my favorite of all (if I were to pick just one) is this groovy Hello Kitty headband also for my niece. I needle felted in the eyes and nose and the rest is wool blend felt and thread. The bead on the bow is a pretty Swarovski crystal.


I really had a great time creating all these things so I'm looking forward to a busy creative 2011! Happy New Year!

O Tannenbaum!

Wednesday night I helped a friend host a craft night making felt advent calendars. The plan was to create a felt tree hanging with 25 pockets for the count-down to Christmas. The inspiration was mainly from this Pottery Barn calendar but a smaller simplified version - the PB version is 61 inches tall!

My handsome and talented husband took my rough draft tree pattern and made it accurate and usable PLUS he helped me hand cut about 60 sticky backed felt "2"s since the alternative would be buying another 15 packs of die-cut letters/numbers; that would be budget busting and plain ol' crazy (though trying to cut neatly shaped 2s was an exercise in crazy as well). Overall the project was a success, I'd say, despite the store only cutting us a 1 yard piece of felt when we'd asked for (and paid for) 1 1/2 yards (I wish there was a good alternative to JoAnn's around here!) And I'd also have to say it must have been inspiring too since I'm planning on 'stealing' the Pottery Barn calender idea and making a big ol' 61 inch tall version. Stay tuned for pictures!

Let's Do The Time Warp Again!

Yikes...where did four months go? I do mean well, really I do. I suppose it's my affliction...perfectionism. Yes, folks, I do spend too much time stuck in a weird I-know-I-can-but-what-if-I can't limbo. Kudos to those of you who do not suffer from this annoying tendency.

Anyhoo, I had a loverly evening at Starbuck's this week showing a friend how to hand sew a felt thingie. We called it a lesson, but really, she knows how to sew so I was just coaching. I also ordered a big stack of new felt from Prairie Point Junction's Wool Felt Central site that is scheduled to arrive today so I'm inspired. I'm probably over committing myself in my mind as I fantasize about all the fabulous Christmas gifts I will make people. Do you know the scene? The cookies are in the oven, the house is perfectly decorated, all those nagging projects are complete, the clutter is gone, tea by my side, sewing whilst my three year old quietly reads a book and snow gentle falls outside. Oddly, the most realistic notion there is the reading child; that kid loves books and stories! Well, I dare not put in writing here anything beyond some ideas, of which there are so many, but I will say I hope to tackle the whole Etsy thing in the new year.

And really, there are 58 days til Christmas so I can achieve perfection by then right?

I'm Still Here

I had a lull in felt stuff production but recently completed several projects and have others "on order".

I made a farm finger puppet set for a little cutie's first birthday:



and a couple of birds to replicate a friend's business logo so she could use them in a table scape display. That picture will have to wait because I left the camera out in the rain. But you can check out her business Wee Affairs and preview the table on facebook.

Today I am tackling a fun project for a birthday party this weekend. I'm working on capelets for the three lovely ladies hosting a Madeline themed birthday party. I'll post a picture as soon as I can.

In other news, I hope to actually open my Etsy shop in the next week or so...updates on that to follow as well!

Back to Basics

The first felt things I made were vegetables...a tomato I think it was? Anyhow, fruits and vegetables were my start and my 'Big Idea' yet I started getting ahead of myself with other projects. I did sell a set of produce and make a few other foods here and there. But then there was a contest that, albeit fun, had nothing to do with my goals. I made a set of cupcakes that were my second official sale, but again that somewhat derailed me. So what's a silly felt girl to do? Cook up a new batch of old favorites I guess. Currently on the back burner to be moved into the pan is a ratatouli set. I have a zucchini made and a couple other vegetables cut and ready to go. I'd best go set the timer and get cookin'. Bon appetite!

Beyond Felt

Chances are you've seen the infomercial for the Cricut cutting machine and thought one of two things; either "I HAVE TO HAVE THAT!" or "I bet that's not nearly as awesomely awesome as it seems on TV". Well, I'm here to say that it really is awesomely awesome and full of awesomeness. I got one through an online Black Friday sale this past year (speaking of awesome, how awesome is Black Friday without leaving the house?!) and it is as cool as they make it look on the tele. Sure you have to spend a bit of time figuring out all the features and deal with a bit of trial and error, but it is seriously super. I even cut some felt with it. It was the stiff crappy craft felt, but the Cricut cut perfect circles for me.

Anyhoo, the point here isn't so much a blogomercial for a Cricut but a post that CBS technology correspondent, David Gregg, is hosting a segment called “Crafty Gadgets” on The Early Show tomorrow, expected to air between 8:00 - 8:50 am EST. They'll be showing the Cricut and 5 other things that I'm sure I'll HAVE TO HAVE by the end of the demos.

Fa La La La Felt

I was just clicking through my e-book and getting so excited about all the groovy felty crafty Christmasy things I am gonna make! The trick is to get a jump on it all and not wait until December to start I suppose?



This book has great projects and the patterns are inspiration for mix and match fun to make even more neat stuff. Now, to find some spare time...

Yum!

Here are the cupcakes I made from scratch - the pattern and the decorations and all! They were really fun to make too.

Felt Smack Down

Well, here it is...the unveiling of my contest entry. Dun dun daaaaah!



I'm not sure it really is what I had in my head to start out, but I did have fun trying something new. I can't wait to see what the other 'Smackers' made!

The Final Inning

My Felt Smack Down entry is due tomorrow by midnight! I still have quite a bit to get out of my head and into my felt. I've also got an 'order' for 4 cupcakes due 2/6 that I'm working on. Pictures of all forthcoming. Can't wait to see what I end up with? Either can I!

Oh La La! Fa La La La Felt

Today's most excellent blog post on "The Bus" highlighted super-great work from Cathy at The Daily Pincushion. And The Daily Pincushion is more than a clever name, I think, because I love them so much I would be thrilled to have a different one for each day!

Here's a mini pin cushion I'd use on Mondays:


and this one on Tuesdays...


and I think I'd use this fancy one on weekends and holidays...

Take a peek at her Etsy site and pick out your own week of daily cushions!

But wait...there's more!

I was also tipped off to the eBook "FaLaLaLa Felt" which includes patterns from Cathy. I immediately clicked over to download my own copy! It's packed fuller than Santa's sleigh with patterns and ideas for Christmas felt projects. Grab your very own copy here...only 339 sewing days til Christmas!

Looky Here!

I took a (horrendous!) trip to Barnes&Noble this afternoon to get a little light for my nook (that's right I have a nook!) and I took a spin through the magazine section. Though I didn't really expect to, I found that they carry Stuffed Magazine! Despite the naughty sounding name, it was pretty neat with lots of fun pictures and comments and hints from the crafters. I hesitated at the $14.99 price tag for a magazine but flipping through the pages I found a web address for a $9.99 digital 'copy' of the Winter '09 edition. I don't mind being a season behind and I really like that the digital version has pages that turn, the ability to zoom in and out of each page AND has live links to each artist's blog or web site. SOLD!

Tick tock!

With only about a week left to get my contest project done, I'm happy to report it's coming along swell. I made what I was considering a 'proto-type' since Salley Mavor's Wee Folk are not my usual style but hubby seems to think it's finished-product-worthy. No surprise I'm always more critical of my results but I do like what I have so far. Speaking of which, I best get back to work!

Hello!

Hi and welcome to my blog. A place for my thoughts, ideas and things I felt. I'm jumping in head first by entering a contest and daringly exposing myself (so to speak). My favorite daily email from Craft Gossip told me that My Life Under The Bus was holding a Felt Smack down and how can you turn down the opportunity to craft something cute and tiny as part of a "smack down"? Well, I for one could not so stay tuned for some updates on my progress or frustration with a lack thereof.