Monday, February 28, 2011

Carmel coffee and large red beads

Today my felt baby maryjanes made it into this beautiful treasury by http://www.etsy.com/shop/PetCollage# ... who makes fun, funky, fantastical collage paradise full of cats and dogs and bunnies and birds. The collages can be purchased as is or customized to include an image of your pet or a specific breed, with details added to celebrate an animal's special qualities. This makes for a unique gift for an animal lover that's for sure so make sure you visit her shop besides all the shops featured in the gorgeous treasury she made.

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Some more funky, fun, green and gorgeous treasuries

I really never get tired of finding things I made in treasuries made by other Etsy artists. It amazes me how we all have our own take on the same items.

Here is one called "Funky Fresh like me" by http://www.etsy.com/shop/WiseSewcialTies featuring my little gray needle felted mouse with her piece of cheese who sells one of a kind gifts contrived from New,Gently Used and Vintage Fabrics. You will not see the same exact item made twice. Each gift is made differently with artistic twists. I love her shop, really cute things so make sure you go visit it. Here is the treasury she put together which is nice and sunny. Lots of cool items to check out and more stores for you to visit, I'm sure you'll find something you like.



This one is called "16 under $16 - Fun Edition", very clever treasury with lots of fun items for a steal I must say all under $16! My little robo hamster house, also called Critter Onion is featured in this one.



Spring Wings by http://www.etsy.com/shop/FavorFancyAndFun is featuring my little needle felted bird. I love the cute items in this treasury, so much fun! Make sure you visit her shop for some really cool handmade favor boxes for your special occasions.



This treasury "Someplace, Sometime" by http://www.etsy.com/shop/LibertyOriginals who makes and sells beautiful jewelry. This treasury is part of the nonteamchallenge 20. I looooove this treasury, not just the color combo but all the items in it. My felted baby shoes are part of this gorgeous treasury.



Another one called "Blue and Brass" by http://www.etsy.com/shop/vickiorion who's life revolves around the beauty and sparkle of gemstones and the luster of freshwater pearls. She also featured my crocheted baby shoes, they seem to be a good fit for this week's nonteamchallenge item because of the blue color. Lots of beautiful blue items in this treasury, I never get tired of the color blue.



The last one for today is called "Irish for a Day" made by me! I've been making lots of St. Patrick's Day signs at work so my mind has been on "green" A LOT! Kind of a nice change from all the Christmas and Valentine reds I must say. Enjoy!

Saturday, February 26, 2011

More lovely treasuries, soaps and the colors of a rainbow

It is so interesting to me to look at all the different treasuries Etsy artists create based on just one item. This one is called "Blue World" made by http://www.etsy.com/shop/BUBBLECITYSOAP also based on the same leaf pendant I made my "Spring in Paris" treasury around. She ended up going for all blue colors. She sells beautiful luxurious soaps which make great gifts for birthdays, wedding and baby shower favors and lots more so make sure you visit her shop. My baby booties are featured in this wonderful "BLue World" together with lots of other beautiful things!



Then I found my nuno felted wrap being featured in this treasury called "Primary Maddness" by http://www.etsy.com/shop/jjoycedesigns who sells lovely wreaths, owls, wildly primitive kitty cats etc. This is what she says about her treasury: "We taught first graders about primary and secondary color mixing and had the kids prove that the 3 primary colors could not be mixed using the other colors. You had to be given the primary colors. A philosophical discussion then began with speculation as to where the primary colors come from. Best suggestion? They come from the rainbow. So here's my Primary Madness Treasury straight from the rainbow." I love the bright colors in this treasury. I have the tendency to go for the more softer colors for some reason. If I use brighter colors I jump out of my box ... which I know is a good thing to do once in a while.

Friday, February 25, 2011

Time for another treasury! Here is my nonteamchallenge 20

This week's inspiration item is a beautiful necklace featuring an image of a tiny leaf against the background in cambridge blue color. The leaf is adorned with a filigree pendant base in antique brass. Simple and sophisticated by http://www.etsy.com/shop/smafactory?ref=seller_ another cool shop on Etsy.

For those of you wondering what on earth a treasury is and what this non-team-challenge on Etsy is all about click on this link http://treasurychallengenonteam.blogspot.com/ and it will tell you all about it. I've truly enjoyed making these treasuries and not having to commit like you would have to if you become a member of any other team.

Hope you enjoy this week's treasury! Now I need to get busy working on some more projects.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Knitted baby hat with matching booties


I wasn't going to make another wintery set but I forgot I had knitted this little hat a couple weeks ago so I went ahead made some matching booties. Then I couldn't decide to leave it all one color so it could work for a boy or a girl so the set sat on my studio table for a couple of days and I finally decided to add some color to them. I still have a boy set in my shop on Etsy so I figure I might as well add some flowers to this one. The flowers are from synthetic material and are cinched over an open flame.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

A lovely "fabulosity" treasury, an oily kitchen floor and being a Member of the Day on Handmade Spark!

When I got up this morning and went through my routine of checking e-mail, facebook etc. I found myself listed as the Member of the Day on Handmade Spark! yeahhhhh, that just made me smile the entire day. Here is the link to it if you would like to check it out. http://www.handmadespark.com/blog/handmade-spark-member-of-the-day-bitsoffiber-crochet/ Handmade Spark is a marketing service for handmade sellers, and a creative blog for the indie and handmade community. They connect and promote. You design and inspire. Join Handmade Spark and fuel your creative process: share your latest creations in our Studio, get your own Mini-Site and product pages, and learn and connect with their Blog.

When I got home from work I found my needle felted hedgehog family in this lovely treasury called "fabulosity" by http://www.etsy.com/shop/dottyral on Etsy. Lots of pretty browns in this one. Make sure to visit all the shops listed in the treasury to find even more lovely items in all the shops represented in it.



So while cooking dinner this evening I reached for a bottle of vegetable oil and before I knew it I had it and then I didn't and as if in slow motion the darn bottle just slipped out of my hand and fell over. Miraculously I was able to grab it before it totally emptied onto my hardwood floor in the kitchen and dining room!!! Our dog who always lays in the doorway between the kitchen and the dining room jumped about 3 feet in the air when the slippery mess fell onto the floor, the doorframe, the kitchen cabinets AND his favorite toy ... his little monkey! He tried saving it from the oil but decided to just leave it be ... since mom was already reaching to save him ... which I did! His monkey will need a bath that's for sure. Good thing I just both a huge bottle of hardwood floor cleaner the other day, I certainly needed it. I wasn't sure if it was going to clean up this oily mess but it did very nicely I must say.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Pins, pens and needles treasury

So my needle felted baby shoes have ended up in yet another gorgeous treasury made by http://www.etsy.com/shop/lestroisfleurs who sells beautiful handmade jewelry and gifts in her etsy shop called Les Trois Fleurs.

Monday, February 21, 2011

More treasuries to share!

Here are two more treasuries I want to share.

The first one is made by http://www.etsy.com/shop/6catspinNsew who sells unique, one-of-a-kind wallets, Ipod and glasses cases, ring bearer pillows and garters. I love the combination of hot pink and black in the treasury she put together. My felted baby shoes are very happy to be part of this but do visit all the other shops that are part of this lovely treasury, I'm certain you can find something you would like to purchase!



This next one is made by http://www.etsy.com/shop/gizmofiberarts who sells original knit and crochet patterns as well as very pretty place mats, coffee sleeves, edgings as well as vintage gizmos and vintage clothing. Make sure you check out her shop besides all the shops who have items listed in this fun and cute spring gifts for kids treasury. My pink knitted child bonnet is featured amongst all the other cute things so go and have a look.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

If you're into toadstools have a look!

I made these baby shoes out of a recycled sweater but being who I am I can never leave anything plain and simple I always have to add layers of stuff on top of things to keep myself happy. At first I wasn't sure what to put on them but I wanted it to be something that could work for a baby boy and a girl as well so I thought toadstools should work. Here they are amongst 15 other toadstool related items in this beautiful treasury. When you click on any of the items listed in the treasury it should take you to that artists' shop so you can view more photo's and get all the details on that specific items as well as on other items for sale by that artist. Enjoy all the little white dots!

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Yes, it will be summer soon! Hot Pink Summer Baby Dress


Yes! Finally finished this sweet little baby dress http://www.etsy.com/listing/68440024/pink-daisy-baby-dress and put it in my shop a few minutes ago. I used to sew a lot many years ago. My "bompa" (grandfather) on my mom's side was a tailor, my "bomma" and my mom where all great seamstresses so I guess you can say I got that in my blood. Now I found out after years of making some of my own clothes and then my daughter's that I really didn't like just sewing with fabric. What I finally figured out was that I just don't like to follow specific patterns and I hate having to sew long straight sections. What I do like to do is combine my knitting and crochet work with fabric which this little dress is a good example of. I figured I'd start making some more similar things like this for my Etsy shop with summer around the corner it will be a nice change from all those baby booties, baby shoes and hats. I'm also working on some kids toys but that's another story. Here it is ... my hot pink daisy baby dress!

Love those baby seals

My needle felted seal called Kalika is featured amongst a big seal family in this cute treasury made by http://www.etsy.com/shop/lailakujala who's Etsy shop has some beautiful nature inspired paintings, prints and jewelry. Go and have a closer look at all the sweet seals listed in this treasury.

Friday, February 18, 2011

A woodsy wedding treasury

This week's inspiration item for the non-team-challenge 19 treasury on Etsy is a beautiful 14 karat gold leaf ring by http://www.etsy.com/shop/ValerieKStudio where you can find some more of her beautiful jewelry. So I thought about what theme I should use for this week's challenge. I thought of all kinds of themes but this ring just screamed wedding theme to me and so it was. Here is the treasury I made using the ring as the starting point. I had some trouble finding the right things, I had pictures in my head of what I wanted to use but for some reason I just couldn't find anything to match what was in my head ... I hate it when that happens. Anyway, it still turned out alright I think.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Spring is in the Air

What a lovely day it was, I was able to go spray paint at work today without TWO jackets on! Kinda felt like spring is just around the corner so I decided to make another treasury. The non-team on etsy has come up with some new ideas such as making treasuries not related to a challenge but anytime you like it, as long as you use items from some or all of the nonteam shops that have participated in the past challenges. This one I made today has items from only nonteam shops. This was actually a challenge for me putting this together having to look through each shop and decide what to pick was a heck of a lot more limited compared to when I do it using items from all shops on Etsy. Anyway, here is the treasury I came up with. I kept it light and spring-y, hope you like it.



Oops, almost forgot about this one ... another treasury I made up not related to any challenges or the nonteam. This one was just because I was in the mood to create something pretty. It's had a lot of views which surprised me ... I guess a lot of folks like to move to the country! (That's the title I gave this treasury.)



And one more I made also not related to any challenges or the nonteam, this one was in celebration of Valentine's Day.

Saturday, February 12, 2011

So many cool treasuries!

I really want to thank all of the Etsy artists who pick some of my items to make these gorgeous treasuries. It makes me smile every time I get a message letting me know I've been featured in a treasury. What's interesting about these treasuries is how people look at the things you make and where they think they might fit in. You have to go look at all the cool, fun, unique, crafty, artsy and funky items in all of these shops. Here are some of the latest treasuries I've been featured in.

This one is called "Bold Options Abound" in which my red scarf with needle felted cats and kittens is featured, by http://www.etsy.com/shop/jjoycedesigns. If you like cats, owls, stars and other country style items hurry up and visit her store I bet you will find something you like.



This one is called "Textile Dysfunction" in which my needle felted baby sealion is featured, by http://www.gigimari.etsy.com. Her Custom Fine Art shop specializes in original art, giclée prints, personalized stationery, note cards, custom invitations, photography, logos and other handcrafted paper goods. You can also join her on Facebook! http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fine-ArtFine-Things



This one is part of the nonteamchallenge 18 treasury in which the cupids' arrow ring was the item you need to build the treasury around. This one was made by http://www.etsy.com/shop/StoneSavvyJewelry who's shop has some lovely jewelry for sale so go and have a look. She named this treasury "Hey cupid watch out for the critters when you shoot that arrow", it's a darling treasury with all kinds of sweet handmade critters including my needle felted hedgehog family.



Here is one called "They Travel in Groups" really beautiful treasury made by http://www.etsy.com/shop/MollyFinds# and featuring my felted baby shoes. Her store called MollyFinds featuring: vintage collectibles, items for your home decor and collectibles that have a story of their own. Retro kitchen, collectible pieces and antique prints.



This one is called "Love, Hearts and Passion" by my friend Missie http://www.etsy.com/shop/MissieRabdau who sells unique, romantic, fun, elegant, stylish, chic, fashionable, distinctive handcrafted jewelry. She featured my felted baby shoes and lots of other gorgeous Valentine related items.



And last but hopefully not least ... here is my entry for this week's nonteamchallenge 18 treasury on etsy. I called it "Hearts and Kisses". Have a wonderful day.

Friday, February 4, 2011

A cute valentine bird, a pair of felted slippers and another hat




I've been working hard on getting something new in my shop for valentine's day so I made this little felted bird. I wasn't sure what else to do with him until he landed on this wooden heart I had laying on my studio table and voila ... added a magnet with a thimble, a bit of bird seed and we have a cute little pincushion ... of course you can just have him sitting around without poking him with pins or needles. He will make the perfect gift for somebody who loves to sew, quilt, craft or a pincushion collector.

I had made these brown and creme color wool slippers a while ago and hadn't done anything with them. I finally made the time to crochet some acorns which I also fulled in the washing machine and then attached to the slippers. I added some anti-slip dots with some fabric paint which is an easy way to do that.

I forgot I had knitted this hat a long time ago, I just never listed it in my shop, but it is now.

The bird is in my PurplePlatypus shop on Etsy http://www.etsy.com/listing/67443462/needle-felted-valentine-bird-on-a-wooden and the slippers and hat are in my BitsOfFiber shop http://www.etsy.com/listing/67456723/multicolor-youthteenager-ski-or