Woolnimals

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...

(My cat Cookie looking VERY handsome on the dresser in the morning sun...) Hello Friends! There are green things abounding now that Old Man Winter has finally heaved off, and I'm looking forward to more days full of open windows, cats asleep in sun spots, and general peace. I've been cleaning my house (which has been in desperate need of attention) and needle felting. I've had a very relaxing week and I'm now in Barnes and Noble, enduring the slow internet and uploading new creatures to my Etsy shop ! A brown bear with bunny ears? Yes. What would happen if you cross-bred jelly beans with pigs? And this little Sea Otter...which is my absolute favorite creation thus far. He's holding a little starfish. So cute! I can barely manage to part with this. All in all, it's been a great week. I'm starting a new venture tomorrow and my online presence will be a little less until I get situated. I'll write more about that later. In the meantime, I'm wishing you ...

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...

I have been working very hard on this little project for a long time now. A month or so ago I was inspired to make pendants and brooches using these wood bezel settings from Etsy seller Brightcolorart. Each bezel setting is handmade from wood and oiled to a lovely finish. They are so light and beautiful to hold. I added to the bezels a lovely background of felted wool or vintage Liberty of London Tana lawn fabric (lovely!) purchased from Etsy seller Anniespatch : And then glued in my creations - the smallest little needlefelted creatures you can imagine. Polar bears, busts of foxes, rabbits, owls...all in miniature, all designed to be worn with pride. The fox busts almost look like mini taxidermy busts, but cuter! I'm so proud of these efforts and look forward to expanding on this idea. The brooches and pendants will be available in my Etsy shop very soon! I'm just waiting on the arrival of my fabric backings! Here's a preview of my fox in progress: My husband will be ...

It seems like the dark days are a heavy blanket draping over us - and all I've wanted to do is snuggle and sleep. Fortunately, I've been pushing through my seasonal sleepiness and working on my felt creatures. Lately though, I've been wanting to do more sculptural (ie: lifelike) pieces - leaning away from whimsy and more towards elegance. ...speaking of elegance... I've been inspired lately by the artwork on the blogs I love. I adore the autumn/winter woodland aesthetic and want to branch out some of my designs. I will still be making cute and cuddly fuzzbombs, but will be introducing some new things soon as well. Also, I have some big news for my Etsy shop ! For anyone who's ever wanted to learn how to felt your own adorable creatures, keep an eye out around the new year for DIY kits in some of my more popular designs. I'm super excited to send out some test kits to fellow needle felters and newbies to the craft for their feedback. Their wisdom will help to ma...

Since I have a full-time job, I'm at work during all of the good daylight hours...leaving uncertain (and often rainy) weekend days as my only option for taking pictures. After reading a tutorial about lightboxes in the Etsy forums, I tried my hand at making one. The weather is so fickle here, that you can never be sure when you'll have good light for photographing. After a lot of frustration and fidgeting with the camera, I think I finally have a decent set up. Linked with Picnik's photo-editing program, things are looking pretty good. Here's an example of my lightbox pictures: I think my next trick is to get another light to have on the other side of the box to eliminate some of the shadows. I also think I need a bigger box - this one is a bit small and the light is pretty intense. For now, in a pinch, I can get decent pictures. I feel kind of ho-hum about them. It's a good start though.

I love my art studio. For a long time it was our spare bedroom, but over the last few months or so it has been completely transformed into my art space. I feel badly for my husband, who doesn't have a lot of room to himself, but when we buy a house next year, we'll be sure he has a room for his hobby as well. Since my studio is in the state of flux (aka: messy), I'm doing a studio tour a little at a time. I thought I'd show off my favorite shelf. This is above my desk and is a collection of some of my favorite things. Let's take a closer look... ACEO print of a lop-eared rabbit by Suzanne Le Good. Three ceramic bunnies from Song and Branch Studio. A random penguin and my favorite picture of me at 5 - taking a moment out of professional portraiture to pet a cat. One has to have priorities! My family of skunks from Song and Branch Studio. Ah...one of my favorite Etsy trades. This is the Moon Dancing Hares Theatre from Under the Stair Studios. I traded Kat for ...

I've been kicking around the idea of a Pet Raincloud for a while. I'm a melancholic soul at times and love a good rainy day. I also love 3D wall hangings, so I combined these joys into a new art piece. Behold - the raincloud: The frame, for reference, is 5 x 7. This is my test run, so the writing on the bottom may or may not be there when I make these to sell. Also, my handwriting is pretty atrocious, so I have to work on that. It says " even today there is cause for joy ." It's a sentiment I must say to myself ten times a day. It's a good thing. I love it's plushy bumpy poofiness. It's pet-able. Here's a room shot. This is my "work in progress" shelf in my art studio. You can see a jar of dyed vintage doilies on the left. The little mouse in front of that is a piece I hope to finish this weekend, and that little chubby squirrel (yes, it's a squirrel) is from one of my favorite Etsians, Erin Ellis. Visit her shop, it's really cut...