New for 2011 Critter Onions and a Needle felted mouse with Swiss Cheese

I just listed my Critter Onions in my Etsy shop, perfect little homes for your little critters such as mice, gerbils and hamsters. I can make them bigger or smaller so if you would like one to fit your animal let me know and I'll try to fulfill your request. We have 2 little robo hamsters and they love theirs. We stuffed it with fluffy nesting material and they love to cuddle up in it. They started chewing on it but that's ok since I used all eco and animal friendly materials such as 100% cotton (non-dyed) thread, jute and/or hemp rope. Find them in my shop at http://www.etsy.com/listing/65028396/robo-hamster-or-mouse-house-called?ref=v1_other_2

Then meet Rufus, a little needle felted mouse who has his own piece of needle felted Swiss Cheese. He comes in his own little box which has real rose pedals on it so it smells like pretty roses not cheese! If you're interested in purchasing the little guy or you just want to see more pictures of him go to my shop at http://www.etsy.com/listing/65028959/needle-felted-mouse-on-needle-felted

HAVE A HAPPY AND SAFE NEW YEARS EVERYBODY!

nonteamchallenge 12 treasury on Etsy

I was bummed I missed out on entering last week's challenge for the nonteamchallenge treasury on Etsy but this week I made sure I entered it and voila here it is. Let me know what you think. The item we had to build the treasury around was the beautiful knitted cowl in a beautiful watercolor yarn from Etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/impossiblyalice

Starting to work on Valentines Day stuff!

I figured I might as well make a treasury related to the V-Day! Here it is. Lots of beautiful and delicious items listed so go and check it out.

More Treasuries ...

I've been lucky to have some of my items featured in treasuries made up by other Etsy Artists. I am always very thankful for them taking the time to make a treasury and featuring one of my items. It's always a thrill to see how another artist looks at your work and how they incorporate your arts and crafts in a treasury.

For those of you trying to figure out how to get a copy/picture of those treasuries listed in your blog here is the link to how I did it this time. http://www.craftcultwidget.blogspot.com/ I've done it another way before but that didn't give me the capability to click on the treasury and being whizzed off to that specific treasury on Etsy so you can take a closer look at the specific items listed. This is a test so bare with me. If it doesn't work properly please let me know. Thank you!

My striped felted baby shoes are in this one by seller mirthmarket http://www.etsy.com/shop/mirthmarket?ga_search_query=mirthmarket&ga_search_type=seller_usernames on Etsy.



My little baby seal is listed in this one by seller grahtoestudio http://www.etsy.com/shop/grahtoestudio on Etsy. He's still looking for a home! The seal that is. :0)



This one is curated by my friend Missie who has a wonderful jewelry shop on Etsy which you can find here http://www.etsy.com/shop/MissieRabdau?ga_search_query=missierabdau&ga_search_type=seller_usernames My snowflake felted scarf was featured in this lovely treasury.

Two hearts later ... on the needle felting machine!

So I got to play with my new needle felting machine today a Singer ER10 and I love it! I made a couple of hearts and ended up making a Valentine's day cuff or you can use it as a cup cozy as well. I used a piece of white silk fabric and layered it with sheep's fleece, yarn, bits and pieces of scrap felt from other projects and went to town. It is so easy to use, the trick is to put the pedal to the metal to prevent needles from breaking. When you go flat out it's very easy to move the material around in different directions to do the felting. I noticed the best way is to move around in circles. I finished the back of the cuff with a piece of fulled cashmere/wool fabric from an old cardigan, the loop to close it is elastic thread which I crocheted and the button is metal. I put a couple brads onto the hearts, which I embroidered with some cotton thread and voila ... here is my cuff. It's for sale in my http://www.etsy.com/listing/64782836/needle-felted-mixed-media-valentine-cuff PurplePlatypus shop on Etsy where you can find more pictures of it as well.

Happy Holidays!

Just wanted to thank all my loyal customers and blog visitors for coming back to visit me this year. Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas. Be safe, be happy and most importantly ... believe!

Knitting pattern books for sale!

I decided it's time to de-stash my library of arts and crafts books. I just listed 5 of them for sale in my http://www.etsy.com/shop/PurplePlatypus?ref=seller_info Etsy shop. Four of them are knitting books and one is a fabric/home decoration book. I got plenty more of them but I need to find time to take pictures of them. I love all my books but I figured it would be better if they would find another crafty person to enjoy them. They are all in perfect condition so you're getting a good deal for the prices I'm asking. If you would be interested in more then one let me know and I might be able to give you a deal. Keep on the look out for more of them to come. Got some jewelry books I need to get rid of ... just don't have the time to do it all. I have a huge collection of felting books but I'm not going to get rid of any of those for right now.

I can't wait till Santa comes! I know what he's bringing me this year and I want to get going on some new projects using my new toy but I guess like all kids ... I will have to wait till Christmas morning to open my present ... darn!

Lambswool, Angora Rabbit wool Felted Baby Shoes

I had purchased a sweater knitted with lambswool and Angora rabbit wool which I fulled in the washing machine. I used that fabric for the main body of the baby shoes and then needle felted the polka dots with a red merino sheep's fleece. The center is embroidered with French knots in a purple cotton thread. The red flowers are needle felted with the Merino sheep's fleece in red and purple colors and in the middle I embroidered some more French knots. These are oh so soft and cuddly perfect for a babies little feet. Will be in my Etsy shop later today.

Treasuries!

I've started making treasuries on Etsy a while back and been wanting to share a screenshot of them here on my blog. Problem was I couldn't figure out an easy way to do it. Well I just did! I downloaded a program called Jing (www.techsmith.com) and voila here is my first screenshot of my latest treasury on Etsy. If you would like to find out more about what the treasuries on the nonteamchallenge is all about go to this link http://treasurychallengenonteam.blogspot.com/ it will take you to their blog and it explains everything. I'm having a blast making treasuries on Etsy, for me it's yet another artistic outlet. Making them for this challenge is fun but I also make lots of them that are not part of the challenge. It's kinda like making a painting, putting all the beautiful items together on one page, items from 16 different Etsy shops and making them all look good on one page isn't that easy ... after a while it does become more easy I say since you will figure out what works and doesn't work. Some people focus on the actual items they want to display ... I only use that in some cases, I mostly work with color displays in my head but what works for me doesn't mean it will work for you. Anyway, now that I downloaded Jing it's a piece of cake capturing a screen shot and displaying it here on my blog so I can share it with all of you if you are not into Etsy you can still enjoy my treasuries.

Knitted striped toddler pixie hat - Redskins colors

Well I'm definitely not a football fan so it wasn't until my daughter asked why I was knitting a Redskins baby hat? Something looked familiar to me when I picked out those colors of yarn when I was in New York a couple weeks ago and needed to start another project as I forgot to bring one from home! It finally came to me the other day that it was the same colors I had used for the Redskins sign I had made at work a while back. Anyway, even if you're not a fan ... I think the colors go very well together ... it's a burgundy with a gold/deep mustard. So here it is. I just listed it in my BitsOfFiber shop on Etsy so if you're interested go visit my shop. Thanks for visiting my blog.

Hedwig is here! Needle felted white owl.

Use him as a Christmas ornament for the holidays! He will look darling in your tree. He's a very well behaved little bird and would love to come and live with you. He's for sale in my Etsy shop so go and have a closer look at the rest of his pictures in my shop. Hedwig is waiting for ya.
http://www.etsy.com/listing/64121672/hedwig-needle-felted-white-owl

More hats!

These last two are hats my mom who lives in Belgium crocheted using up some of her stash of different yarns. My mom has a wonderful fashion style, I remember that with just about everything she purchased she would take things apart and fixed them up the way she wanted it. She always purchases great quality clothes but always made it her own by either putting in another pleat or a different button. She's in her 70's and still gets compliments on the kind of clothes she wears. Her dad (my grandfather) was a tailor, I remember going to visit them and watch him sewing amazing coats and suits in his sewing room on the 4th floor of their house. I remember the room having a certain smell, the smell of fabrics I would say ... if I close my eyes I can still see him and smell that room! My grandmother was also a great seamstress so my mom ended up doing a lot of sewing for us growing up as well. When I was about 15 yrs old I remember the white shirts with a band color being the latest style which I loved so my grandfather made one for me from a man's shirt. I ended up sewing embroidered ribbons along the front panels and it ended up as one of my favorite shirts ever, worn with my well worn jeans back then (in my hippie days!) which had crocheted patches on my knees and buttocks to cover up the holes! Up until today I still love that look. Anyway, I just listed both of these hats in my etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/BitsOfFiber?view_type=gallery so go and have a look if you're interested in purchasing one of my mom's one of a kind hats!

Pumpkin Hat SALE!!!!

Only 2 pumpkin hats left in my BitsOfFiber shop. On sale now for $15 which is a really good deal ... original price was $25 so hurry up and get one while it last. http://www.etsy.com/shop/BitsOfFiber

Needle Felting Machines and Art Dolls, figurines

I've been thinking about needle felting machines for some time now. Don't know if it would be worth getting one but I'm definitely all ears if any of you have one and what you like and don't like about it. I would love to hear it. Today I found this huge needle felting machine, they actually call it a Feltloom which is pretty amazing. Don't think I'll be getting one of those any time soon but it's worth checking it out so I've attached the link. Working on finishing a couple more hats and a scarf. Have another little white owl I still need to get pictures of but now that the days are so short and it being dark when I get home I have to try to take pictures on my days off so hopefully this Saturday I can take some ... as long as it doesn't rain! Here is the link to that felt loom: http://feltloom.com/home.html
I really need to get my act together and finish another figurine for somebody in Belgium. Here is one I made while I was living in Australia. She sold and I wonder sometimes where she's ended up!

A couple more hats!

Well I brought the flu home about a week ago, since then my dear husband has had it and now the kid. Hopefully the cat and the dog won't be affected by this one! My kid noticed when I was sick I didn't even have the energy to pick up my knitting ... which means mom must be feeling pretty yuk! So glad I got over that and I'm off running again ... well knitting, felting and crocheting that is. I just listed a couple more items in my BitsOfFiber shop. One is a pillbox hat, knitted with a 100% wool yarn which I fulled in the washing machine. I made it a couple of months ago but it needed something else to cheer it up a bit so when I was digging around in my boxes I found this piece of felt I had made and after playing around with it and a needle felted bead I sewed it all together and attached it to the hat. The other little hat is a baby bonnet knitted with a soft acrylic yarn so it can be washed in the washing machine and put in the dryer so very easy to take care of.

I picked up all my display items from the Archwood Green barn today since I will not be there for the Christmas show this year. I'm kinda bummed about that but I just have to keep telling myself I can't do it all. I have decided to put my energy into doing some other things this coming year so I might not be back at the barn next season. For those of you who purchased things from me at the barn thank you so much for being loyal customers these past 2 years. You can always get a hold of me via this site or via my Etsy shops if you need something.

Right now I'm working on another nuno felted scarf in beautiful blue colors but it won't be finished for a couple of weeks since I have too much other stuff going on with the upcoming holiday. As soon as it's finished I'll be posting pictures of it here on my blog.

I'm happy to say that my needle felted hedgehog Arthur sold and is on his way to a new home. I hated to see him go but I'm sure he's going to a very lovely place.

Brown Beige Striped Little Hat

My latest little hat ... will be in my shop by tomorrow or Monday. The acorn has a big jingle bell inside of it. It's knitted with a very soft acrylic yarn.

I got hit with the stomach flu so I'm not sure if I will make it to the Farmers Market tomorrow ... which sucks ... since this is the last market of the season for me :0(

This week's nonteamchallenge 4 on Etsy

This week's challenge wasn't easy for me. I re-started 3 times to come up with something I liked. I'm finally happy with the one I came up with so go and have a peek at the treasury I made for this week's challenge. http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4cd3f42ab95c6d91e702d9fe/meet-me-at-2-under-the-eifel-tower

Hats, hats and more hats!

I've been busy dressing up a couple of baby hats. One of them is already listed in my BitsOfFiber shop on Etsy. The other 2 will be listed later this evening. They will be at the last Farmers Market I will be attending for this season on Sunday, November 7th. So, come on down and check out my stall and many other artists who sell their products every Sunday from 10 till 3. We also have a French Chef who makes THE best quiches and tarts you can imagine so come and visit us on November 7th as I will NOT be there for the Christmas Market this year!

Red and Orange Nuno Felted Scarf

I wasn't too sure about putting these colors together but I must say I like the way it turned out. I used a dark brown silk chiffon fabric as the base. A handspun wool yarn that runs all the way across the scarf and then layered merino sheep's fleece on top of it with some white and orange curly mohair locks. I'm taking it to the market this Sunday if it's still available after the market I'll be listing it in my PurplePlatypus shop on Etsy.

Re-cycled wool scarf!

I found this beautiful wool scarf in a 2nd hand shop that had already been put through the hot wash by the looks of it. I loved the colors and figured I could make some baby shoes out of it. So here they are. Just listed in my etsy shop.

Vikie Howell

If you're looking for some really cute last minute halloween crafts for kids to make check out Vickie's page. http://vickiehowell.blogspot.com/2010/10/6-last-minute-halloween-crafts-for-kids.html

Variegated Yarn

I just can't seem to find time these days to add to this blog! Not that I don't have anything to show or talk about ... I have plenty of both ... just short on time. Anyway, here are some pictures of a baby set I made for a friend of mine. This will be for a Florida baby so I had to find something bright and cheery. I started using some different types and colors of yarns I still had in my stash but it just didn't say "Florida" to me so off I went to the store to find some yarn. I found this yarn which I thought was nice and bright and thin enough to crochet with except ... it's a variegated yarn. Nothing really wrong with the yarn, it looks beautiful in a skein. I've purchased many variegated yarns in my life but every time I try making something with it ... I'm disappointed with the way it turns out. Not sure if it's the patterns they make (stripes, spots, etc) once you knit or crochet with them or what but I'm just never happy with the results so I rip out my projects and put the yarn back into my cabinet until ... I found this yarn. Now I must say I did start knitting with it and again ... didn't like the result ... would have been fine if I was knitting a pair of real socks but that's not why I purchased it ... so I pulled it all out I put it away for a couple of days and gave it another shot this time crocheting with it and voila this is the result. I still wasn't too thrilled with it until I walked into my studio where I had scattered some things on my table that were going to be for the farmers market when I noticed that the fabric flower I had made actually looked really cute with that baby hat I had made! I had crocheted a flower the day before that I tried putting on the hat .... nope didn't look right ... I tried different ribbons ... nope still didn't like it so I had put it aside until that big fabric flower landed on it and voila! Anybody else who thinks variegated yarns are sooooo cool but when you work with it (except for socks, they are great for socks I must admit) you are disappointed with the results? I suggest try combining them with some sheer fabric do-dah ... you might just be surprised how it will change from "crafty" to more elegant and "artsy". Of course that's if you prefer it to be more artsy.

Baby Shoes with Needle Felted Toadstools

I decided to make another pair of soft baby shoes from some wool recycled sweaters. I had made a similar pair of these but they went to Belgium. The toadstools are needle felted with merino sheep's fleece. I attached some strips of velcro to open and close them fast and easy, plus it makes them more adjustable for narrow or more chubby baby feet. I just listed them in my http://www.etsy.com/shop/BitsOfFiber shop.

I miss the Brumbies

Seeing the wild horses running in the Auzzie desert was the most awesome thing I've ever seen. I miss seeing that. For now ... I visit with all the horses on Woodruff Shire Farm where Sofie goes for her riding lessons. They have some gorgeous horses. The big Shire horses are just amazing. Sofie gets to ride Monet who's a Shire. Here are a couple of photos I took today and earlier this month.

Brownies and other yummie treats by Picklepetunia

Annie who has a shop on Etsy called Picklepetunia send me some of her brownies and oh boy ... love at first bite!!!! They were simply the most delicious brownies I've ever had! and trust me ... being I was born and raised in Belgium I know about chocolate. Anyway, with the holidays upon us make sure you visit her online shop and order some of her yummie treats if not for you I'm sure you can think of a loved one, coworker, boss, etc. who would be very happy to receive some yummie delicious treats! Here is the link to her shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/PicklePetuniaMade?ref=seller_info

Pincushions and more by Shizuka Urusai

My little Arthur - needle felted pincushion - got featured in Shizuka Urusai blog http://shizuka-urusai.blogspot.com/2010/09/craft-fair.html so go and have a peek and look at the other cute pincushions she featured as well. She also has a shop on Etsy where she sells purses, pouches, pincushions, etc. This is the link to her shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/ShizukaUrusai?ref=API_juln_CraftCult so go on over and do some shopping, the holidays are really not that far away you know!

Meet Arthur - Needle Felted Hedgehog Pincushion

This little guy is soft as can be ... not prickly like the real thing. I needle felted his coat out of Leicester fleece so when you use him as a pincushion. Your needles and pins will stay in great shape thanks to the lanolin oil of the fleece I used. I didn't wash out all the oil but did clean the fleece thoroughly. He's for sale in my http://www.etsy.com/listing/56591008/needle-felted-hedgehog-pincushion-arthur shop so go and have closer look at him. Thanks for visiting.

Needle Felted bird named Ernie

Meet Ernie, he's Dora's brother. These needle felted little birds make great Christmas ornaments. You can set them on top of a branch in your tree or if you prefer I can attach a ribbon or rope so you can hang them. Or, you can just set them somewhere in your house as a home decor. How about in that empty little birdcage you've had for so long and didn't know what to do with. These make much better pets, they do not toss their food around and won't get upset about being in a cage! I just listed him in my Etsy shop so go and see more photos of him in my shop. http://www.etsy.com/listing/55530418/needle-felted-bird-named-ernie?fref=fb_itemlist&ref=nf

Nuno and Needle Felted Scarf

This scarf I made by needle felting all the flower designs on a dusty rose silk fabric using Leicester and Merino Sheep's fleece. I then wet felted the entire scarf and dyed it with pink lemonade kool-aid. It's for sale in my Etsy shop and NO SHIPPING CHARGES!!!

Meet Dora - Needle felted bird and a watersnake!

We went to Berkley Springs yesterday in WV. Hadn't been back there since before we moved to Australia. Not sure if it was the smartest thing to do ... going to bath in 102 degree water! ... we just about melted hanging out in the roman baths but we did feel really clean after wards. My Belgian visitors really enjoyed it since they've never done anything like this. When we were done with the baths we took a stroll through town and walking along the stream they spotted a watersnake! They took some pictures (have to download them so I can't show you a picture yet) and were pretty amazed to see a snake in town. Only 2 more days and they will be flying back to Belgium. I'll miss having my best friend around, that's for sure!

I had started this little bird a couple of weeks ago and finally finished it. She will be at the market today. These birds are so much fun to needle felt, I guess because they are so many different kinds of birds anything goes really. I make some to kinda match what the real bird would look like but it's also fun to just make up one of my own and still have them look like a bird.

New pair of baby booties and another hat

I've been playing around with this pattern I made up and I think I'm happy with the way these turned out. I can move the closure band to a different spot on the booty for a different look and they would still look cute. I found that with crocheting baby booties crocheting one row at a time and switching back and forth between the 2 booties is the best way to make them if you want them to be exact duplicates. I never liked following somebody's pattern I always like to make up my own ... only bad thing about that is that I never write things down so I have to go back and count stitches over and over again and try to remember what I did! So, by crocheting 1 row at a time on each booty it makes it easy to make them match. And this time ... I did write it down.

The little yellow hat is knitted in acrylic yarns so it can be tossed in the washing machine.

Both of these will be in my shop on Artfire next week sometime.

SCARF SALE HAPPENING NOW!

I put all my scarves in my Etsy shop ON SALE so hurry up and order one now. Not sure how long this sale will go for ... depends on how the sales will go I guess. Any NEW scarfs added to the shop will be priced at regular prices so if you want a good deal on a scarf you've had your eye on I suggest you order it soon. Going to the market this Sunday where I will be offering the sales prices as well so no guarantees the scarf you've been eyeing will still be available come Monday. All my scarves (and everything else) in my shop are one of a kind items. These make lovely Christmas gifts or just a gift to yourself to keep you warm and cozy with style! Happy shopping!
http://www.etsy.com/shop/PurplePlatypus

BABY ITEM SALE! 3 Days only!!!

I just put everything in my BitsofFiber shop on Artfire.com on sale for 15% OFF! So hurry up and go have a peek. Start shopping for those Christmas presents early this year. With the economy the way it is better to spread out the purchases over a couple of months. Looking for a present for a new born or a grand baby make sure you don't miss out on this sale. Sale is on for 3 days only ... started this evening and will run up till 8 pm on Saturday, August 28th. Sunday my shop will be closed as I attend the farmers market so no procrastinating on your part as items might sell on Sunday and not be back in my online shop on Monday.
http://www.artfire.com/users/BitsofFiber

Double Trouble - Needle felted Owl and Bird

Meet Hali the white owl and Kiri the colorful bird. Owl is needle felted with Corriedale fleece and some Merino while I used Llama for the bird's body with a bit of silk fibers and some colorful merino as well. Feet are made out of wire, eyes are glass and beaks are polymer clay. Will be listing them in my PurplePlatypus shop later today with lots more pictures of them if you like to get a better look.

Pumpkin Season not too far away!

I figured I better get a head start this year on knitting some pumpkin beanies. So here is one I just finished and listed in my BitsofFiber shop on Artfire.com.

Be on the look out for a couple more felted critters in the next week or so!

Kinda crazy around the house these days ... trying to fix the guest bathroom before my visitors from Belgium show up the middle of August but we keep running into problems which keeps delaying getting things fixed up. We took out the tile and the subfloor but discovered that we might have to remove the sink and the cabinet since it was built on top of the darn tile! Grr, kinda frustrating since we hadn't planned on taking that all apart. My hubby is going to try to saw the tile along the cabinet so we won't have to move it .... not so sure if it will work ... well it might work ... just a bit worried as to how it will look like when he gets done with it! :0)

Meet Luke and Ernie - Needle Felted Critters

Still having fun with needle felting critters. I've been using styrofoam balls inside of these which makes it go a little bit faster making these ... which makes the price a bit more reasonable compared to if I use nothing but fleece. I'm just trying out different things with these little guys. I used polymer clay which works great for feet and beaks. Next will be a needle felted doll ... I have a picture in my head as to what she will hopefully look like. But, probably a good thing YOU can't see that pictures because a lot of times things come out looking totally different from that picture in my head! Time for dinner so goodbye for now.