elephants and birds...

i'm trying to focus the shop on my wool animals, so i am slowly building up a collection. each one is entirely hand-sewn, so it takes some time. i am using wool that i have felted myself, some made from recycled sweaters. i hope to make a trip to find some more materials to work with, as i am running out quickly.

the idea behind the animals, is to create something simple, and all- natural that can be enjoyed by children and adults alike. the birds are made from a pattern i created and the elephants are based loosely on a pattern that i adapted to make my own. i am currently at work on a duck, and have a swan and giraffe on my list next.

i hope you will enjoy them.

my sister on the front page of etsy...

i was so excited to see my sister katy on the front page of etsy today. she has a lovely new shop, winsome hollow. two of her beautiful pouches were featured! i'm so happy for her. go check out her shop, it's wonderful.

new treasury...

i'm proud of the new fairy themed treasury i made today. it's my first in a while! it took me forever to finish, becasue i was trying to make the kids lunch while doing it! i never can seem to find enough time to get everything done... or maybe i need a few fairy friends to help me out:)

Most of the items are made by members of the Natural Kids Team. Beautiful!

farewell...

i was very sad to hear about the passing of Tasha Tudor, although she lived a long and full life. i find her work such a beautiful inspiration, and on a recent trip to vermont i really enjoyed reading a little of her biography at the inn i stayed at. my daughter received one of her books in her easter basket this year, and i admit to pulling it out often for inspiration. her work really captures a time of innocence and simplicity. i'm sure she will be missed.

you can read more in her obituary in the new york times.

there is also a memorial website currently up for her.

another treasury!

i am lucky enough to have been picked for another treasury this week. The Singing Bird has made a beautiful blue treasury, that also features work by my sister, and fellow craft collective member katy, as well as our dear friend, and another member, sonia!

please visit The Singing Bird shop on etsy. she does so much to promote fellow crafters, and makes darling little needle felted creatures, like the one above!

please visit the treasury and take a look at the other beautiful items as well... it's up until monday.

treasury...

one of the new items in my shop is featured in the treasury west! It's titled, "the world pales..." and is in a treasury featuring other peacocks. how about those peacock pasties?!

Check it out... peacocks

renegade craft fair...

some shots form renegade craft fair this weekend. saturday was very hot and we were rained out by a torrential storm. after drying everything out saturday night, sunday was much better. i really learned a lot about setting up and selling. it was great to see so many wonderful vendors. everyone was really nice. i'll post some of my favorites soon. i will also start putting up a lot of new items in my shop this week.

ouch....

does anyone else's hand get so sore from sewing? i feel like my fingers are going to fall off... and don't get me started on my back. oy, the perils of sewing everything by hand. i really love to hand sew, but when you are going for mass quantities of things it can get frustrating. i sometimes wish i would just pull out the sewing machine and whip out a bunch of things at once. in the end though, i do love sewing everything by hand. a lot of love and care goes into each thing i make. choosing colors, a design, cutting everything out and pinning, and then sewing each stitch-- i'm very proud of the end result, even though it takes me so long. i'm proud to take all these scraps and raw pieces and odds and ends, and make them into something entirely my own.

i'm working this week with a lot of upcycled materials, as well as fabric i have felted my self. i'll try to take a break and take pictures soon. if i can get my hands working again:)

fun (fan) craftiness

one fun thing about being crafty is expressing my self to others in lot's of fun ways. it's nice to be able to make things that are more than just to sell. i love to make things for my children, of course (that's what started me out). i also love to make silly things for friends- and my own enjoyment. i'm a huge fan of the comedy duo flight of the conchords. i made the albi pin (above), which is inspired by one of their songs. i was able to meet them twice this week and share it with them also. the second photo is my suprise, the second night, when one of the guys pulled the pin out of his pocket where he put it the night before! (thanks to shebearess for the great photo!)

lot's of fun, but now i am back to more serious crafting for the renegade fair (still fun also:)

nature in the city