treasury...



i have been bad about putting up all the lovely treasuries i have been featured in. i am always so honored whenever anyone likes my work enough to choose it! here is one i saw today. my favorite kind of weather:)

vacation highlights...



well i have to say it was an interesting vacation. we stayed in an r.v., which i haven't done since i was a child. i know, it probably doesn't sound enviable but it was in a lovely setting and actually got me itching to take a road trip! i would love to travel around the country for a summer... when the kids get old enough to appreciate it.



it was jack henry's first time away from home by himself (he stayed a few days without us). i missed him so much, but he had a lot of fun. he is getting so big (sniff).



the family that we stayed with have chickens. only mildly entertaining... until you factor in the rooster! his name is kate (they were promised they were all girls but i guess it's hard to tell). he took a particular disliking to my husband. poor kyle. i have seriously never laughed so hard as i did after hearing him scream every time that rooster snuck up on him. i know it sounds mean to laugh, but he describes it as feeling like being attacked by a feather duster... which makes the high pitched scream even funnier.

my son, on the other hand learned to placate the rooster quickly by admitting that he (kate) was in charge, every time he walked by him. it seemed to work, and when it didn't he was rescued by our usually very wimpy dog!

my two year old daughter, on the other hand, used a different tactic. she simply yelled "cut it down rooster... just take your girls and go!", every time he came near. i really spent the entire time laughing. thanks kate!



for more vacation photo's go here!

thanks to suzanne and jay for being such nice hosts!

autumn series no.7 and no.8...



in my shop.

bye bye...


i'm off to the catskills and my brother-in-law's "farm" (do chickens, 4 cats, and one dog really count as a farm?) until this saturday. see you next week. hope you have a lovely one (and it involves lot's of dancing and singing too:)!

new camera... (yay!!!!!)


i finally got a new camera this weekend. i'm so, so happy. not only was my old one not very sophisticated, it was actually broken! the viewfinder didn't work, so i couldn't change any functions. it was getting pretty bad there for a while. i have a beautiful new camera i am officially in love with... except i have no idea how to use it! it's way to sophisticated for me, and i actually know very little about taking a good picture. i am doing lot's of experimenting, when my little one let's me. this picture represents my two proud accomplishments this weekend... buying a new camera, and making some beautiful (if i do say so myself) little mini-pumpkins. they are made from the loveliest hand dyed felt purchased at purl soho (more on that later!). sold

quiet blue egg....




i purchased this beautiful little blue egg and nest from mamaroots on etsy. i was drawn to it because of it's beauty, and becasue i use a nest with blue eggs as my avatar and on my tags. it is displayed proudly on my little table centerpiece, where i change items seasonally. i also had fun playing around with taking pictures of it with my own work.

thanks mamaroots!

autumn series continued....



this one has sold, but i should list more in the shop. let me know if you would like one.

autumn series...


i know it seems strange to be thinking about fall already, but it's really not that far off. okay maybe it's wistful thinking on my part but i am really enjoying thinking about and creating things for fall. i am going to make a series of items to celebrate my favorite season- all fall inspired of course. the first in my shop is an ornament made of needle felted acorns with an embroidered felt leaf. i got the idea for this wonderful ornament from my dear friend kristin, who always finds such beautiful ways to celebrate the seasons. in my shop now.

busy, busy, busy...

with two little ones at home right now, i find myself very busy these days... unfortunately not always with crafting...but we are having fun. i was going to post about a couple of my new works in process, my current treasury, a new favorite, etc. etc. but my husband had the day off. so instead, i spent the morning at the playground and the afternoon (without kids!) going to visit the new ikea with my sister:) we spent way too many hours wondering around there... but oh, it's so lovely (can you really describe ikea that way? that sounds terrible!). it's so spacious, which is so rare in ny, and it has the most amazing windows and incredible views of the water. what a waste, i know! the light was amazing though, with nothing surrounding the building and the good job they did leaving windows open,it floods in many places. it reminded me of being back in california. one room was just all white, with a big bed overlooking the water... everyone just took turns sitting and ogling! i highly recommend it just for that:)

beautiful treasury...


i completely forgot to mention this beautiful treasury my sister did. she was nice enough to include me. it was really lovely. another treasury she did made it to the front page this week! good job katy:)

lot's of babies around here...


another new baby added to the shop. this is a mini turtle, and i am really happy with the way he came out. this little baby turtle was inspired by one of my favorite summer vacations. i stayed on the beach in south carolina, and every morning we would wake to walk early on the beach. we loved to look at the the nests made by the sea turtles, and to see the tracks left by the turtles themselves. i especially loved the little tracks made by the tiny babies after hatching.

baby sea turtles are fascinating animals. they are so tiny but resilient! i love that they are born intuitively knowing to return to the sea.

new addition...




a new addition to the shop and to my growing elephant family. i made a little baby elephant that i am tempted to keep for myself because i think he is so cute.

unfortunately, i used up the last bit of my wool stuffing so i will have to get some more before i can continue working on the animals. they take so much stuffing it's unbelievable! it takes me forever to get it all in there tightly. i think i will take a little break and work on some ideas for fall, although, i do have a little birdy in mind that i can't seem to put to the side....

** i also added part of the pattern i drew to make him, so you can get an idea of what they start out as. **

sea blue...


in the shop today is a new little turtle friend. this one would be wonderful for little children. simply sweet, and so soft to hold.

front page of etsy...



i was very excited to see that my blue elephant made it to the front page of etsy today! she is such a sweet little elephant and kind of my unofficial mascot lately. i'm very proud of her:) i missed getting a cap of the actual first page, but this is an image of the treasury, brooklyn blues, which expires tomorrow. i'm very proud to be included amongst such great brooklyn artists!




thanks so much to goose grease, who put this treasury together, and also makes the most darling little wooden people! i have discovered a new favorite.

some of my current favorites...

i thought i'd take a moment to show off some of my favorite designers. (too) much of my day is spent admiring the work of others! i get so much pleasure and inspiration from finding new work to love and checking in on old favorites.


from one of my favorite artists, stephanie congdon barnes



tiny text bowl, that can be custom made with the text of your choice, from palomasnest



lovely wool clutch set by winsomehollow



beautiful mini sprout vase by whitney smith




the sweetest little miniature needle felt sculpture from got crow creations



a beautiful bird from abby glassenberg, who has a shop, while she naps, on etsy



a sweet bunny from astulabee



an amazing needle felt landscape from haddy2dogs



blue bird cake topper from middleburg folk art studio

new duck...


i've added a new duck to my shop. she is a very aristocratic little duck, i do believe. i have an affection for making ducks, and i'm going to work on a mama and five little babies next. my daughter loves the song "five little ducks", especially when i act it out for her with her little duck friends!

first tooth...



...or first tooth lost, i should say. it was actually the first tooth he got in as a baby, and a very momentous occasion around here. what happened to my little baby?

brooklyn indie market...



i had my first experience at the brooklyn indie market this saturday. i think a holiday weekend in the middle of summer was not the best time to try it out! despite very little traffic, it was a very pleasant day. i really enjoyed all the people we did get to meet- the fellow vendrs and shoppers. i got some really nice feedback on my wool animals, including someone who said they reminded her of flm, "the science of sleep"! that was a nice compliment, and very much appreciated. we will try it again soon when there are more people in town!

goodbye...


my first wall hanging , which has been hanging around my shop and my house for quite awhile, has finally sold. i have kind of a special fondness for this piece and i will miss having it around. fortunately, it went to a special home and special person... so i know it will be appreciated there as well:)