Flowers for your hair and ears too!

I had a lovely birthday today, just working away on all my projects. Here are a couple of the items I finished and will be taking to the market with me on Sunday. I'm very tempted to keep the earrings for myself but decided since orange is not my color I will make myself another pair in a different color. These are so much fun to make. I hope you'll like them as much as I like them!

Itty Bitty Bunny ....

look she has found the rest of her family! Click on this link to find her http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4be1da5de56c8eef8e87f91a/white-bunnies

Thanks to Angela at http://www.etsy.com/shop/decentartworks?section_id=5440464 for putting this treasury together and including my Itty Bitty Bunny, who is still looking for a home! Go visit Angela's shop she's got lots of beautiful pictures, I loooooove all the Belgian photos.

Pretty FLower Brooches

since I've started working full time at Wegmans I just don't have the time to make all the things I have in my head so I really have to pick and choose what it is I do want to make. I started making these organza and other silk like fabric flowers and found it to be a great quick project for in between doing laundry, doing dishes, etc. All you do is cut out the pieces of fabric, you then singe them very carefully over an open flame. I then sew them together and put some beads in the middle, glue and sew a hat pin or other type of pin on the back and voila ... a beautiful brooch. What I like about them is that I can use new as well as used material, have a blast with picking colors and they always turn out so fragile and pretty even if I say so myself. Here are a couple pictures of the ones I made this week. I'll be taking them to the market this Sunday so I'm not going to put them in my Etsy shop yet.

Bunnies, kittens, etc ... I can smell them now!

Today at work I had been spray painting and using painters pens which I use every day doing my job, when Chef Tina (Cooking Department kind of chef) came walking into my studio. She stood there for a few moments and took some very deep breaths. I was about to apologize for those smells when I realized she was enjoying those smells!? She said it reminded her of her dad when she was young he had a home business painting and the smell made her fondly think back of when she would visit with her dad. So we started chatting about smells and what they remind us of and why. Here are a couple of smells that make me go back in time ...

The smell of fresh cut grass ... when our dog comes back into the house after the lawn has been cut he smells like bunnies! ... as a little girl I used to help my grandfather gather the fresh cut grass and help him put it into the rabbit cages, I especially liked helping when they had babies. So the smell of fresh cut grass on our dog makes me think about all those wiggly little bunnies.

When the handyman at work cuts wood ... for making display stands, etc. he does it just around the corner from my studio it makes me think of kittens! My grandfather was a furniture maker and he had a huge workhouse (werkhuis is what we used to call it in Flemish) full of industrial machines. We used to have 15-20 cats around to keep the mice population under control in het werkhuis so we always had litters of kittens. They used to smell like the woodshavings since the cats usually ended up giving birth underneath the big machines in the woodshaving piles! So, every time Gary cuts wood I think of piles of kittens.

The smell of a diesel engine ... reminds me of an old boyfriend ...

The smell of a fresh cut pine tree ... reminds me of the first year I went to get a real Christmas tree and carried it across town with my best friend ...

I'm sure there are more smells that reminds me of happy things. Funny how it only makes me remember happy things, I've never associated smells with bad times .... except our dog just farted laying right here next to my chair ... geez dog ... good timing I must say ... time for me to leave the room!!!!

Love to hear if any smells take you down memory lane ...

(the bunnies in the foto are Sweet Pea an Little Miss, these were French Lops we had when we lived in Marshall Virginia)

In the paper!

So today at work (Wegmans) somebody came running over to me to let me know she saw my picture in the paper!??? I went and grabbed a paper to look and I'll be darn, there I am ... needle felting away in my stall at the Farmers Market in The Plains on Sunday. The reporter had come over to take pictures of me working and asked some questions. I'm honored I've ended up being the one he picked to put in the paper! Thank you Fauquier Times Democrat! Just one correction, the market is on Sundays ... not Saturdays, and I won't mention my last name got misspelled, I realize nobody is perfect ... :0)

Time out for the fish bully!

So, what do you do with a fish who's suppose to be a community fish but turns out to be one big bully!? We purchased 2 of the same as we were told that's the way to do it, by the fish experts of the local pet shop. We had 2 gold fish, one sucker and 2 blue gourami's. All seemed well until the 2 gourami's started to chase each other and didn't seem to like each other too much. Kinda hard to tell if a fish likes another fish I guess except you can definitely tell when they do NOT like each other. Scales go flying, fins get destroyed, etc. Anyway, the one gourami ended up dead in the water one day so we fished him out of the tank and made him go looking for Nemo. Now things calmed down in the tank until Mr. Mean (the other gourami) decided he better let those 2 darn goldfish know who's the boss of this tank. You must know my daughter brought those 2 goldfish home 1 1/2 yrs ago from school one day. They had done some kind of an experiment with goldfish and with parental approval they got to take a couple of them home. We ended up with 3 of them but 1 decided he needed to go look for Nemo so we were left with just 2. They measured about 1 inch and had a gray and white color, these 2 babies have grown into 2 big (and I'm talking 4 and 6 inches) orange beauties. Now the gourami measures about 3 inches I would say but he's decided to take on anything that moves in the tank. We've also gotten another smaller fish, can't remember what kind he is but I must say he's the smart one compared to the goldfish. This little guy hides in a log as soon as Mr. Mean decides to start moving his one-man-troop around! Now the goldfish on the other hand just hang out until they get bitten or pushed by Mr. Mean, then they take off and both of them try to fit into a log that's really made to fit only one fish. A couple of times I've thought I'd had to rescue them as they looked stuck but they managed to get out by one of them backing out and the other one just wiggled his way through the rock pile on the other end. Dumb fish!!!! Sooooo, we had to empty the tank the other day and stuck all of the fish in a 2 gallon tank for about 2 hours until the big tank was up and running again. We kept an eye on Mr. Mean when they were all hanging out in the small tank but they all behaved and did whatever fish do. But then, hoorayyyhhhh did we succeed without even realizing what we succeeded in ... when we put them all back into the big tank Mr. Mean was either in shock or thought he'd been put in time out (with his enemies) and behaved like a good fish should behave! That has lasted for about 3 weeks now and believe it or not ... he's now back at doing what he was doing before, chasing the other fish and stressing them out. I have now threatened him by putting him in with my Beta and see who will win that battle but since I'm an animal lover I just can't do it. But, something needs to get done ... the kid and my husband are ready to flush him down to see Nemo ... not sure if and when this will happen but we got to do something with that darn fish!!!

The Market and getting interviewed!

Had a great first market at the Archwood Green Barn in THe Plains today. A big "thanks" to my new and returning customers for making my day.

Then I had pictures taken and interviewed by a reporter from the Fauquier Times Democrat newspaper, how exciting is that! I was busy needle felting a new scarf when he came by and asked if he could take pictures while I was busily felting away. Needless to say it was a great morale boost for me and made my day even better.

Been working on some new items for the market and my Etsy shop. Made a couple brooch flowers, one I put on the kid's hat I had made and another one just by itself. The brown brooch sold today so I'll be making more of them. Here are a couple pictures I took with my phone so they are not the best. Thanks for dropping by and reading my blog.

One more Nuno felted scarf!

Ready to take to the market this Sunday. Come and visit me at the Archwood Green Barns Farmers Market in The Plains, Virginia. Located at the intersection of I-66 (exit 31) and Rt 245. It's the only big green barn you can't miss it. I'm in the same stall as last season, near the end and across from the Bagel lady.

Another bunny is born!

This little guy will be traveling across the ocean to go live with my niece. It's her birthday in a couple of days she'll be 14! Wow, I can't believe she will be 14 already. She's always had a stuffed toy bunny and a real live bunny as well which she looooooooves. She doesn't know I made this one for her, and I hope she doesn't go on this site to have a look ... so shhhhhhhhh, don't tell her it's coming.

Check out Missie's new Etsy Shop!

One of my favorite customers just opened up her own Etsy jewelry shop called Missie Rabdau. She's only listed 3 items right now but she's working hard on adding more items to her shop so check often to see what else she's listed. http://www.etsy.com/shop/MissieRabdau

Little handbag/basket and another Nuno Felted Scarf

I made the little bag/basket out of 100% wool and fulled it in the washing machine. I made it to be a basket but it turns out cuter as a small handbag I think. Would be really cute for a little girl to carry her doll or stuffed animal in! I embroidered french knots all around the edge in a very pretty blue cotton thread.

The scarf is another nuno felted one this time in blues, purples and lime green. The fabric is synthetic and is also blue in color. It's wide enough to use as a wrap to put over your shoulders but looks beautiful bunched together around the neck as well. Another one of a kind if you're looking for something nobody else has this is the scarf for you!

Itty Bitty Bunny featured on Etsy Treasury - Doll Delights

How exciting ... my Itty Bitty Bunny has been featured on an Etsy Treasury called - Doll Delights which was put together by http://www.etsy.com/shop/louielouiebebe who makes and sells beautiful dolls so go and have a look. http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=94084

Airy turquoise mohair crocheted scarf

If you're looking for a lightweight scarf/wrap you can use during summer but also useful in winter wrapped around your neck a couple of times this very airy beautiful blue/turquoise scarf is what you need. I have another one in my Etsy shop which is the same pattern except I used a ticker mohair yarn in a darker color go and have a peek.

Two peas in a pod!

So my kid wanted to get her hair cut today. It got cut and she likes it so we had to take some pictures of course. Here she is with her new do ... she wanted to have some pictures taken with the dog and voila ... the one on the back steps is just precious ... two peas in a pod for sure. When Wade looked at it he just cracked up and so did she ... this is what she said ... Oh my God ... I look just like my dog!!!! I couldn't resist sharing this with everybody, I crack up every time I look at it ... The dog really looks likes he's being choked, just the look in his eyes are cheer terror, maybe he's just not happy with Sofie's hair cut ... "she's really starting to look more and more like me!" (that's the dog thinking!)

Meet "Ducky"

So here he is ... all fixed up and ready to find himself a home! I had fun making this little guy. Wasn't too sure how he was going to turn out when I decided to needle felt real feathers on him. At first I thought he was going to have a "bad hair day" but then I decided he actually looked like he's still growing into his coat so I left him that way. Now his little bottom turned out too cute I think, he looks handsome from the front AND the back! hehe Anyway, I ended up having to put wooden skewers into his legs up through his chest to make him stand and not flop over so next time I will be using a wire frame instead. Now lets hope he finds himself a nice new home.

Hatching Ducky and Being Featured on The Indie Tot

All kinds of excitement today ... I'm just about finished with needle felting a little duck called "Ducky". I'm waiting for the paint to dry on the wooden plaque I'm going to put him on. I'll post a picture of him without the plaque at this moment. I tried something new ... I mixed real feathers in with the fleece to see how it would felt and I'm pretty happy with the result. Ducky might look like he's having a bad hair day but I think it just add to his character, he really looks like he's just gotten out of the egg! Now I have to keep an eye on Ducky since our dog, River spotted him today and got all excited about a duck being in the house. See, he's a bird hunting dog and even though he hasn't gotten trained to do so this dog is in love with anything that looks, sounds and feels (anything soft in his mouth) like a bird. Now our cat also took an interest in Ducky and tried removing Ducky's feathers so I had to remove her from my studio to keep the little guy safe!

Then I got an e-mail telling me I got featured on The Indie Tot so I'm all excited about that news. So check it out for yourself by clicking on The Indie Tot button on this page and it should take you to it.

That's about all the news I have to share with you today. Thanks for stopping by.

Fireman rescues Oscar the Fish!

For real ... this is a true story. When we lived in Marshall, Virginia about 7 yrs ago we had a big fantail goldfish called Oscar. He was a silly fish, he used to swim backwards and do flips under and over the bridge we had in our tank. Our tank was located in the dining room so one evening while eating dinner we watched Oscar doing his silly tricks over and under and backwards and there he goes again and again and again. Then he did his usual routine ... sucking the algae off the rocks laying on the bottom of the tank, he liked having a clean house that fish. I wasn't paying attention to Oscar, neither was Sofie or Wade but he certainly was making an awful lot of waves in the tank, more then usual. Sofie, who had a full view of the tank from her seat all of a sudden yelled out, oh no something is wrong with Oscar he's having problems breathing!!! Huh? Breathing??? Wade and I both looked at each other lifting our eyebrows, then looked over at the tank ... so there is Oscar doing all kinds of very strange flips and splashing more then usual. At first we thought he was just craving attention until we noticed his mouth was wide open and I mean WIDE open and it looked all black inside!??? huh???? what on earth is going on with Oscar???? When I looked again I noticed the black thing was actually a rock from the bottom of the tank that looked like it was actually stuck in his mouth!!!! Oh noooooo, what to do what to do???? Wade's firefighter's instinct jumped into action and he calmly got up while I frantically tried to get a hold of Oscar and walked out the room? What the heck???? Waaaaaaaaaaade, I need your help right now ... I didn't want Oscar to die in my hand, well in the net I was holding him in. So, he came back with a set of very long skinny tweezers, the real medical type. He instructed me to grab a hold of Oscar so he could get the dam. rock out of his face!!! Ok Mister Fireman ... it's not that easy trying to hold a 5 inch slippery goldfish still UNDER water to perform surgery. But, I managed to do so with a washcloth and voila ... Wade was able to grab the black rock with the tweezers and it popped out of Oscars mouth who was stressing big time by now! Oh boy, was he one happy fish when that rock came out. Needless to say so where we. Sofie had been watching us giving us instructions (typically her) on how to handle the situation and that's when we figured she'd become a vet some day. She's actually looking to talk to an Equestrian vet in the area to get more information, she figured it will be a lot easier trying to hold still an animal that weighs about 1000 lbs compared to one slippery Fan Tail Goldfish called Oscar!

Swamp Poodle loooooooves the rain ...

and the mud and everything else that comes along with lots and lots of rain. It's been so nice having the clean white snow in the back yard and it not melting in a hurry was wonderful ... all I could think about was having to spend lots of time wiping River's (that's our dog) feet every time he would go outside and wanting to come back in. Anyway, all the nice white snow is now gone ... bummer ... and instead we have lots of puddles and what looks like the beginning of a river going through our back yard! I must say he's picked up very quickly on the fact he has to park himself on the big old towel I have laying by the back door when I let him in. He's actually started to lift up his feet for me to wipe, good dog he is. Now if I could only get him to actually wipe his own feet my life would get so much easier!!

Do you ever wonder what goes on in your pet's mind?

I certainly do it allllll the time. I end up talking to them and when they look at me I feel like they understand every word I've said. Has that ever happened to you? Anyway, I've decided to share some of these talks with you in between listing all my arts and crafts. See, our dog River has been trying to figure out what on earth the pecking order is here in this house he came to live in. At first he thought, hmmmm I'm the most important one of them all, I'm a dog and I just ought to be, right!? Wrong little puppy dog, that's what Azzie (our Australian cat) tried to get through his little brain. I must say she's gotten pretty good at it, it's only taken her a year (wait a minute, in her mind that's a long time ... 7 cat yrs I guess!) to get the dog to finally not run her over every darn time she gets up to get from point A to point B. Mum (that's me) has been trying to teach him NOT to do such a thing but he still does. Although lately she's figured out that just hissing, puffing herself up to the size of a watermelon and acting like a wild thing just doesn't do anything, contrary he thinks it's play time. She's finally settled for just one mean kind of short snarl, hiss, weird kind of noise I must say to get him to back off. I'm trying to figure out what that actually means in animal world but I haven't figured it out. I've seen her getting big and fluffy hissing and talking back to him but he just ignored it compared to just this one funny sounding noise she makes gets his attention. See, he wants to protect Mum from that mean big cat that just follows her around like ... a dog (wait a minute, nope I'm the dog following her like a dog so not sure why the cat tries to act like a dog!?) so he lays right smack in the door way when Azzie wants to come and visit me trying to get past him. Well she makes her entrance by giving him a really mean staredown and just that one funny sounding noise and I'll be darn ... she's got his full attention, he will slowly rise to a sit and tries to really win the stare down contest but .... nope Azzie wins!!!! He then slowly moves out of her way and lets the queen go by! She then hurries into the room jumps onto the table to greet me sitting by the computer typing this blog entrance. She purrrrrrrrrrrres and tells me all about how she got the dog well trained ... My good Ozzie Azzie ...

Nuno Felt Silk Scarf

I finally finished the crocheted flowers for this scarf. All sewed onto the scarf now and ready to head out the door. It's listed in my Etsy shop. It's a very lightweight scarf so perfect for spring and cooler summer eves but warm enough if you wrap it around your neck a couple of times for colder days. Have a look in my Etsy shop if you want more info or convo me with questions.
Thanks for looking.

A Flirty Blue Scarf

I wasn't too sure how this was going to turn out when I started knitting this scarf. The yarn is from Italy, 50% merino and 50% acrylic but has a unique texture and instead of being twisted it looks like a crocheted chain. I used very chunky needles to knit it and wasn't happy with the way it looked when I was done with it until I realized when I hung it over the mannequin it curled up on it's own so I had one of those ahhhaaaaaa moments ... I folded it in half and crocheted along the entire length turning it into a long tube scarf. For both ends I just doubled my stitches to get a gathering effect which turned out pretty cute I think. I put the bows through a row of eyelets and it can be easily removed and replaced by a different type ribbon or just left out since it will still keep it's ruffled look on the ends because that's the way I knitted it. Looks very cute and feminine. It's in my Etsy shop so go and have a peek if you want to see more pictures.

More felting ...

A customer of mine has asked to make some jewelry baggies so off I went making some. Here are 3 of them. Depending on which one she will pick I will be putting the other ones in my Etsy shop so be on the look out if you like these.

Meet Rosie ... she will travel in style!

And indeed she will ... travel in style to move in with you ... in her own little wicker suitcase. I'm getting a kick out of making these bunnies ... they are just too much fun to make. I have a ceramic one sitting by my front door so when I saw it I thought .... hmmm perfect model for a needle felted one. If you want to see more pictures ... visit my Etsy shop where I got her for sale.

I'm on a roll now ... felted earrings are next ...

I made a bunch of felted beads last year and started making these earrings again. They always were a big hit in Australia where I used to make and sell bracelets out of these beads. Hopefully they will be liked here as well!

Mohair wrap

OK, I'm going to part with it ... I figure I might as well ... I have plenty of mohair yarn in a different color which I personally prefer over the one I used for this scarf/wrap so I'm going to make one for myself to keep ... probably won't need it this winter but it will be ready by next winter.

This one will be in my Etsy shop later today.

Yeahhhh, another project finished ... Pink slippers

I crocheted these infant/toddler slippers months ago. I tossed them into the hot laundry and that was it ... they sat on a shelf in my cabinet and every time I saw them I realized I had to do something with them, they needed something added so I finally sat down and crocheted a bunch of little flowers. At first I was going to put 3 of them (pink, red and white) in a bouquet and put them on the front part of the slipper which I did but it just looked too heavy for the dainty shape they have. These are made to fit more like a sock compared to a slipper. So, I've ended up just putting a flower on the top and a flower on the ankle which looked the prettiest of all the different ways I tried to decorate these. I just put them in my Etsy shop so if you're interested go and have a closer look at them. I did put some anti-slip on the bottom to prevent slipping.

I also just finished a big mohair scarf/wrap which I still need to take pictures of so I better get going, couple more projects that need my help!

More projects ....

With the melting of all this snow we've had I have the urge to complete a million projects I've had sitting around for days, weeks ... and a couple of them even months! Maybe it's the coming of spring that got me feeling that way, out with the old ... in with the new. I haven't been felting much this past winter just because I have everything set up for it in my basement .... except it's not that warm down there and I have no running water down there yet. That's hopefully going to be one of my dear husbands projects for this coming summer so I will be spending more time down there to work on some of my wet-felting projects. I've been wanting to test out some other ideas I've had wiggling around in my head lately but I definitely need a sink and water for that. I had planned on getting to learn how to spin this winter .... well do I need to say more .... that didn't happen ... yet! Been too busy doing other things so that's still on my "wanting to learn" list. Have a happy day everybody.
I finished this little square top baby beret the other day, it's in my PurplePlatypus store on Etsy if you want to see more pictures of it.

How about an Easter Basket or use it as a flower basket in a wedding

My latest project ... wasn't too sure what this was going to look like when I started it so I let it evolve ... once I was done crocheting it I decided to full it in the machine to make it stiffer. It turned out ok except it needed something else to make it jump out a bit ... so I embroidered some flowers on it. I think it makes for a very cute Easter basket ... could also make a very pretty flower basket for a wedding.

Digging out and saving lives ...

I just can't believe all this snow we've been getting here in Virginia. Like my kid said, I think this makes up for the 4 years we didn't get any while living in Australia and I must agree we both love the snow. My dear husband can do without it, he rather live in shorts and T-shirts 365 days a year. I'm so proud of him, he worked his tush off during that first real big one (snow storm that is) at the Warrenton Fire Department, saving people's lives is what he does best. Just like I need to get my creative talents out and about making things he puts on his gear and jumps into a fire truck or ambulance to save lives and houses. I know I couldn't do what he does, he's my hero who I love to share with the world around me ... you never know when you might need him

Felted Earrings and a Wall Plaque

I just realized I have about 6 pairs of earrings I made and need to take pictures of to put in my shop. Took these today ... more to follow in the next couple of days ... or weeks ... we're suppose to get more snow tomorrow and more on the w/end! Yeahhh, love watching the snowflakes dance out of the sky, only problem is that I take my pictures outside and with it snowing that just doesn't get done. But at least I have this pair to show you. Also a mixed media wall hanging I made and put in my Etsy shop. I'm working on a wine bottle cozy ... hope to finish it this evening so I can hopefully take some pictures of it tomorrow ... snow or no snow!

Valentine stuff

I've been working on Valentine's Day items for my shop but the two I had finished are already sold and on the way to Oregon ... (Thank you Debra!). I'll have 2 more things for the shop, I just need to take pictures of them. The pictures in this post are of the items that sold.

Arts and Crafts for helping the people in Haiti

For those of you interested in helping out the people in Haiti ... check out http://crafthope.com/ they have created an Etsy shop called crafthope (http://www.etsy.com/shop/crafthope) TWO days ago and have been able to raise over $7,000.00 with artists/crafters donating some of their items and putting them up for sale at this shop. I have donated a pair of baby shoes and will be donating more items as each one sells. For those of you who love to shop instead of creating please have a peek in the shop I'm sure you'll find something that strikes your fancy.

Itty Bitty Bunny her name is Sweet Pea

Here she is ... she started out with short ears but as I worked on her shape she looked so much cuter as a lop bunny so here she is. I don't have her in my Etsy shop yet since I'm still working on painting her little wooden basket she will be living in! I used Merino sheep's fleece and real angora bunny fleece to make her. Her eyes are glass beads. Sweet Pea is the easiest little pet you'll ever have to take care of.

Snowflake Scarf!

Finally finished this snowflake scarf I've been working on forever it seems! This time I used a darker chiffon background to show off the flakes more. I'll be putting it in my PurplePlatypus shop later today so if you're interested go and have a look. I'm working on a new design for spring, so no snowflakes but something different. As long as I can get it to turn out the way I have it in my head, which can be a challenge sometimes. I know exactly how I want it to look but getting to that look is not easy sometimes. I like to do things different then what the book tells me ... I start out following instructions or patterns and then my mind just totally refuses to follow what it says and off I go ... doing my own thing. Bad part is that if it's something I need to duplicate (like knitting another sleeve ...) "Houston, we have a problem!" since I have a dislike on writing down how I've changed the pattern and made up my own! Maybe someday they will come up with an electronic devise that can keep track of that and make my life a heck of a lot easier!

Nola a Little White Sheep

Oh these are just too much fun to make! I had made an owl and a penguin, now Nola a little sheep and I'm working on a white bunny. I understand this can easily become an addiction! I have about 10 other things on my to-do list for today so the bunny will have to wait till later. Nola is in my Etsy shop waiting to be addopted into a nice home!

Pink Snowflake Scarf

This seems like a never ending project! But, it's almost done ... a little bit more work adding fleece on the back, then off to the basement for the wet felting process and maybe by tomorrow I can take pictures of it and put it on Etsy! I just wish I could somehow keep the real fluffiness of the edges the way they are now like in the pictures. Unfortunately after the wet felting part it will be down a lot except for the curly locks I used they will stick up a bit. If anybody knows of a way to keep this fluffy look let me know!!!

Ready for a Spring Fling!

I know spring still seems far away but have a look at this scarf and you'll know it's just around the corner! Just posted on Etsy so check it out, this is another one of a kind.

Brrrrr, freezing cold here in Virginia ... time for a new scarf

I could use about 10 scarfs right now and it still won't warm me up. For some darn reason I just can't get warm this afternoon. Of course having to spray paint my boards outside doesn't help getting my temperature up. I can feel it in the air .... more snow that is ... it's on the way and I can't wait till tomorrow or actually Friday morning is when it's suppose to get here, to see that carpet of snow on the ground again. We still have little heaps of snow from the last snowstorm we had a couple weeks ago so that should tell you it's been cold here in Virginia. We usually get some days of above freezing temps to melt the left over snow ... but that hasn't happened yet.

I rushed home from work this afternoon to take pictures of my felted scarf outside using the last bit of daylight. Unfortunately the pictures didn't reflect the true color of this scarf! Very frustrating since I actually got some really nice looking pictures of that scarf, except it looked like a different scarf! I then went ahead and took some pictures inside my studio with the worst light you can imagine and voila .... the color turned out this way. As my hubby explained it, the light outside was very flat today ... whatever that means. He took photography I never have, I just try different things on my own and get very excited when things turn out just the way I want them. I dislike reading camera manuals or books on lighting and how to use it properly, just not my cup of tea. I rather just risk it and pretend I know what the heck I'm doing! I must say, I was really excited when my better half made a comment to me about how nice my blog and Etsy pictures have turned out! That really means a lot to me you know.

So here is a picture of the scarf I just posted on Etsy.

Alpaca and Kid Mohair Nuno Felt and Snowflakes!

I'm sad the holidays are behind us once again ... but on the other hand I'm happy we're getting back into our daily routine ... because that means .... I can finally get back into making things, yeahhhh. I made a few scarves before the holidays but didn't get the chance to take pictures of them. Today I was brave enough to hop onto our deck when I got home from work with an hour of daylight left and took some pictures but I must say after about 10 minutes my hands felt numb and the darn wind kept blowing so hard I couldn't get my scarf to hang still long enough for quality pictures. Sigh, very frustrating. I don't like to take pictures inside since those never turn out that good even with all the fancy lights we have and use for when I take pictures of the baby shoes and hats I make. Anyway, I did manage to get at least one scarf in my Etsy shop today, hopefully I can get pictures of all the other scarves in the next couple of days so I can list them.