Woolnimals

I have so many ideas. I have a little folder full of them - drawings, poems, inspirational clippings - and IDEAS. Abundant and running amok. My creativity is sparked and flowing and my hands can't keep up. I know a lot of artists feel this way - especially if they have day jobs and families to attend to as well. Life gets in the way, doesn't it? But Spring is coming..and I'm moving forward slowly, passionately, and without reservations. I've been painting. Sculpting polymer clay. Assembling jewelry. Considering my watercolors. Figuring out how mobiles balance. Sifting through my vintage wooden animal collection. Buying vintage books of animal sewing patterns. I'm looking forward to flea market and garage sale season. I'm letting my creativity fly. If you love what you are doing - you can't go wrong. I truly believe this. More (and diversified) art will soon be available in my shop. I'll do some blogging about it to share my bursts of inspiration too. Ev...

Sometimes you just need a whale made out of wool. I know I do. I almost can't stand to sell this whale because I've been trying to perfect the shape for months. I finally got him looking how I want him to look...but I can't tell you how many whale-esque cat toys there are floating around my house. I think he's one of my favorite creations ever...and he's for sale in my shop!

I added a little golden lion to my shop today! Vermont is entering its January deep freeze. I don't mind this cold and snow, it's a good thing for the world that we're still getting Winter. I imagine all of my little furry friends hibernating deep in the ground - and it warms my heart. I added a new banner to the shop - custom made by another Etsian. It's pretty cute!

I was home sick yesterday - trying to fight off a pretty wicked cold that's been nesting in my body for weeks now. I got up really early because I went to bed really early the night before. With nothing to do but sit with my tea, I put in March of the Penguins and pulled out my wool and felting needles. Nearly twelve hours later, I produced to sets of Mom and Baby plumpies. Penguins (appropriately enough), and bunnies. As I was watching March of the Penguins, I would randomly start crying at different spots. It's a really touching film if you haven't seen it. I just can't get over how endearing the struggle, affection, and bonds are with those penguins. My cat Cookie kept looking at me like I was a crazy person because I would just burst into tears. It's a good thing. These adorable duos are now available in my shop !

I've added a few more Plumpies to my shop! I bought some new backgrounds at the craft store last night...polka dots... ...a lovely purple which makes this bunny POP... ...and FINALLY a beautiful blue. I've been looking for a nice cornflower blue background for a long time. This one has white mandalas printed on it that you can ever-so-slightly see in the picture. My shop is actually, for once, reasonably well-stocked. It's a new year and I've finally upped my prices. I've debated for a long time about this, but finally decided to pay myself fairly for my work. Each creature takes 2-3 hours of work or more. The average is 2.5 hours. I've been "auditing" myself to see how long each one takes and evaluating if what I'm charging is paying me for my time. It really wasn't. I'm happy that I was able to offer so many creatures at a low price for a long time, but this year I'm resolved to pay myself what I'm worth. So, my new pricing ref...

After seemingly YEARS trying to find a light bulb for my studio lights, I was finally able to photograph some little friends last night. They're currently for sale in my shop! Some super cute familiar faces....and my new wool pendants! Come check it out!

Directions for a full-on Poutin' Lip: Step One: Push bottom lip out as far as possible. Step Two: Frown a little. One of my table top studio lamps fell and the bulb broke! Eep! I have a large shop update looming pending the great Light Bulb Hunt of 2011. Tricky little things to replace. I've been stabbity stabbing for the last few days. I'm back in the swing of making adorable creatures...and now I have just this one (sigh) hurdle to jump before I can list them all again. Please cross your fingers and eyes for me. Let there be light!