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.