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On Wool and the Future of Woolnimals

I love animals. The greatest moments in my life involve animals. In fact, there isn’t a fond memory that I have that doesn’t somehow include animals or the natural world. It’s not surprising that my hobbies and artistic pursuits have always involved the animal world as well. Over time, my interests focused on needle felting and creating small friends that make me smile and bring joy to others. I’ve had my Woolnimals needle felting business for nearly a decade and it has been a huge source of happiness and relaxation for me. Shortly before I left college, I changed my major from English to Eco-Psychology. I began studying the connections between humans and the natural world. My studies focused on the understanding that direct experiences with wilderness and the natural world foster compassion and a sense of place. In turn, this sense of belonging fosters stewardship for the natural world. When we feel that we’re an important part of something, we tend to take care of it. We com
Recent posts

Finding Art Again

It's been a while. A lot has happened. I have been absent from Etsy, from Blogger, and from art, really, for a while. Though it has been such a home for me for many years, in the last few months various circumstances in life and down-in-the-dumps moods have kept me from wanting to pursue beauty. Then, on July 14th, my father passed away unexpectedly. So, how do you go back to art? How do you go home again? I have tried writing and reading. I've tried seeking inspiration in nature, but as I watched rabbits bounce around the lawn every evening beyond the window where my father slept in hospice care, I turned away from the gentle and pervasive beauty of nature. Rabbits remind me of my broken heart, of many tears spilled, of my great loss. How do I go back? I want to honor him in some way. My father held a deep passion for the natural world. He was startled, mystified, inspired, humbled, and renewed by it. His long walks into the woods, his baths in cold streams, his pe

New Friends in My Etsy Shop

www.woolnimals.etsy.com ...and many more to come! 

New Home & Old Friends

Hello Old Friends! Back in July my husband and I bought our first home in St. Albans, Vermont. It's a beautiful home with a nice backyard, quiet neighbors, and a lot of potential for extensive gardens. I have a dedicated and lovely art room that I have been slowly unpacking and decorating. Nesting has been a wonderful experience, but it has kept me from my art and Etsy and this blog for quite some time.  I hope in the coming weeks to do more posting and begin creating again in earnest. In the meantime, enjoy some pictures from Killkare State Park. My husband and I went on an adventure this weekend - on a particularly lovely day. There were so many beautiful textures: shale, moss, acorns, lichens, shells. I switched my camera into Macro mode, and laid down in the grass to see the world from a mouse's perspective.  And here's a picture of our new home: I'll be back soon with new art updates and the relaunch of m

New Woolnimals in My Etsy Shop!

Freshly added friends in my Etsy shop! Mini pig, mini otter, a brown bear and more to come! I'll be posting a proper blog post in the very near future, including some pics from a recent visit to a farm, some updates on Wedding OWLS, and more. Stay tuned!

Shop Update and Works in Progress!

I've just updated my Etsy shop!   I included a squirrel and two new designs - a frog and a little brown dog. They're so cute! I also wanted to show off a few little works in progress. I'm working on creating a snowy owl by customer request. She and her fiancee are having a Harry Potter themed wedding and loved my cake toppers, but asked if I could do snowy owls. I'd never tried, but I have some beautiful wools that are layers of white and black which I've never used - and it turns out that it works perfectly for snowy owls. Here's a preview shot: I'm also working on another set of penguins - a father and chick. This will be my third set: And lastly, a brand new design! I've never made a bengal tiger before, so I dug down into my wool and found a beautiful orange merino called "Cinnabar." It works perfectly for the tiger fur. I'm super excited about this design and can't wait to show off the finished product:

All Wrapped Up

I love getting packages and letters in the mail. I know I'm not alone in this, and I think Etsy sellers in particular know how important packaging is to the overall essence of their product and shop. In business terms, packaging is added value. A beautifully wrapped item is a joy to behold and unwrap. The seller who goes the distance with packaging is showing how much value she places on the contents within. Since I began selling my wool animals about two years ago, I have gone through many permutations of packaging. Since they're light and small, I have a wide range of options available to me. It was important that the packaging be safe, beautiful, whimsical, and that it reflects the product and the overall image of my shop. I have slowly transitioned from boxes, to tissue paper tied with ribbon and stickers, to brown kraft bags tied with jute string.  For the last year or so, I've been content with the kraft bags and string and little crochet flowers as adornment. It wa