Marie's Mouse...

Marie shared her completed needle felted project from our Craft Day last weekend. Isn't this wee mouse adorable? It reminds me of Feivel from the movie. I think it's the cutest thing ever, and I told Marie I think she's a natural at this.

I think it may be a while before we see Adrienne's projects. It seems her cats were extremely interested in them and there may have been needle felted massacres. She said she is still unable to find parts for one of them. Yikes! 

I know Claudette was awfully intrigued with my fox. I showed it to her when I saw her staring at it, but not soon after, I placed it high on a wall-hung shelf where she can't access it.

I'll see if I can get photos of George's projects, and will wait for those from the other ladies who attended. I really loved this project, and will likely do another soon from the kits and wools I have, but you well-know that I have a few other projects to complete first.

I'm heading to an appointment this morning with an orthopedic doc to see just what I may have done to my leg when I got tangled up in the dog bed six weeks ago. It still hurts like the dickens, so I need a diagnosis and hopefully, relief.

When we get back home, I'm going in to work for my boss. She went to urgent care over the weekend and was diagnosed with sinus and lung infections. She would usually work a double shift on Mondays, but I told her I'd work the 10-4 shift and she should go home and rest. We came to an agreement, so even though I don't think she should work the first shift, at least I got her to go home for second shift. 

We'll see what I can accomplish once I get home. I'd like to have some "play time" if I'm up for it. I'll let you know tomorrow.

March Craft Day...

Last Saturday was Craft Day in Portage. We each had a needle felting kit to make, but none of us finished them before our gathering was over. We all took them home to finish.

I sat down as soon as I got home and went about completing mine, but felt it looked a bit more rat-like than foxy, so I reworked it over the weekend. This is my finished project.

I purchased my kit from Grey Fox Felting  (HERE). The kit came with all the supplies needed to complete this piece, and there's enough wool in the kit to make another smaller one. You can see what the original looks like from their website photo.

I got a little carried away and added legs and a black tip to my fox's tail on mine, and I think mine had been eating a little more than the model, too.

All in all, I think it's a good first attempt at making something more realistic than the snowman from our first class. I definitely need more practice, though, so I'll probably take that leftover wool and try to mimic the fox on their website more closely. I can see I need to practice "faces" more. Practice makes perfect!

I haven't seen anyone else's project yet, but I'll share once they do. I know there'll be some cute ones, because these ladies are pretty talented. Even Adrienne's son made one. He made a cat that day, and a fox later in the weekend. You'll definitely want to see those!

Another week in the rearview mirror. Work tonight, and I picked up hours for tomorrow. We're stretched pretty thin at the station. My boss has been interviewing and training, only to have people call in saying they don't want the job - or in some cases, just not showing up at all. It's very frustrating and means that the rest of us need to pick up the open spots. I offered up my free Saturday when the call went out. yippee

All the main giveaway gifts went out yesterday, but I still have the jewelry case to convert for Bobbi (her request), and a couple others from the auxilliary giveaway. Those will go out today. Bobbi's will go out early next week. I'll work on it over the weekend. I'll visit again soon, but I've got to run for now.

Happy Friday!

Felted Snowmen (and Ladies)...

Now that I have photographs of all the completed snowmen (or ladies), I can share them with you.  These were the samples Linda P. created and used as inspiration for our own projects. She was the leader for this month's craft - Needle Felting. Aren't they adorable? She was a great teacher, by the way!

Kim was the first one to complete her snowman. We all loved the face she created, and her braided scarf inspired more than one of us! Aqua is her favorite color. Can you tell?

 

Adrienne's snowman was so cute. We all loved the stocking hat she made, and here's another happy snowman. We all loved looking at the various face treatments. We all really ran with this project!

 

Like her daughter, Adrienne, Marie chose to make a stocking cap for hers. You can't see it in this picture, but the cap was as long as her snowman is tall. I love that she added a "charcoal" mouth to hers.

Linda K decided to finish dressing her snow lady at home. She was the first to leave on Saturday, so she could get back home to her sweet, old dog, Meg, who's been having a rough time. Sadly, Meg passed away peacefully yesterday, so Linda decided to name her snow lady after her much-loved pet. 

Rather than felt the hat and accessories, Linda chose to crochet the hat, scarf and bag (which holds a star). Perfect to remember her girl, don't you think?

I know you've already seen mine, but I've added my photo again so that I have all our projects from this month on the same blog post. 

I can safely speak for all of us to say that this really was an awesome group project. It was a new technique for everyone except our leader, Linda P. I can also say that every single snowman has a bit of our own DNA in them, as we learned the techniques and hazards of using felting needles. (They can be brutal if you lose your concentration!)

I worked on my "Something Blue" Heart Brooch today. I'll be sharing a completed prototype after Bella's Birthday post, so you'll see the brooch on Friday. Happy Hump Day!

A Weekend of Finishes...

Let's begin with three completed goldwork Heart Brooches that I'll be preparing to mail tomorrow. (President's Day today. No mail service.) I backed them with the same cork fabric they're perched on for this photograph. Each one is signed and dated with my wee signature acorn. Which one is your favorite?

Saturday's Craft Day in Portage was so much fun. I got to try something I hadn't done before and I really enjoyed it. We needle felted snowmen. I don't have all the photos to share today, but will share all of them on Wednesday so you can see everyone else's sweet result.

This is my completed guy. I was watching (actually, listening so I didn't poke my fingers with the felting needle) Harry Potter while I was finishing him yesterday so I named him "Erroll". I added a wee cardinal that landed on his hand. For those in my age range, I named his little red friend "Flynn". I know you'll get the reference.

Handsome wanted to take a photograph with me in it, so you get an idea of Erroll's size. I didn't even stop to straighten my collar, and I'm au naturel (sigh), but you get a reference for how big my snowman turned out.

Linda P. was our leader this session, as she'd already made 6 snowmen of her own. Each one different from the rest. She provided kits, and we provided felting needles, scissors, felting mats and enthusiasm. There's enough wool roving in my kit to make a second snowman, so perhaps Erroll needs a companion?  Not right away, as I have frogs and hearts to stitch first, but I'm definitely going to make another one of these cute projects.

All in all, it was a perfect weekend for crafting, and I'm excited to have completed all my projects before it was all over. Fun. Fun. Fun.

 

Tuesdays With Tag - Williamsburg Play Date...

 

Last Friday was a grand day for Tag and me. Our blog friend, Sharon of Corgis In My Garden brought her fluffy Miss Arabelle to visit us in Williamsburg, Virginia.

When they arrived, there was a "greeting period" which involved a lot of running, jumping and snuffling. Miss Arabelle thought that Taggart was being a bit presumptuous, and didn't hesitate to let him know, but Tag is a persistent little bug and it didn't take long for Arabelle to warm up to him. What can I say? He has a way with the ladies.

Sharon and I decided to take the kids down to Colonial Williamsburg so they could strut their stuff down Duke of Gloucester Street. Sharon warned me that corgis are always a hit on her frequent walks in town.

We needed to get into the car to travel into Williamsburg from our campground, so it was into the crates for the corgis for their own safety during the ride.

I know. Just look at that tongue and those ears! He makes me giggle every time I look at him. Arabelle was so sweet. (During our group photo, she came over and just snuggled and smooched on me. She's such a dear little dog.)

When we arrived at our destination, on went the walking hardware and we were off to the races. Sharon agreed to take the reins for a bit so I could take photos.

Tag must think he's a sled dog because he really leans forward against his collar. He completely frustrated me with his pulling, and I was afraid he was going to hurt himself. (We later went to the pet store and purchased a gentle harness for him, which is much safer for him and actually gives me more control. He's already heeling better already!)

The real reason I wanted Sharon to take both leashes was because I had to get a photo of Arabelle's pants (which Sharon says are referred to as her "prom dress"). Arabelle is four years old and that is an impressive prom dress, for sure!

Of course, I wanted a picture of Mr. Tag walking next to her, so you could see how little he actually is. For some reason, he always looks bigger in the photos of me holding him. I know the camera adds ten pounds, but I didn't know it would apply to the dog, too.

There were a lot of dogs in Williamsburg on Friday. Tag had already said "hello" to the black and white Great Dane and Labrador when I shot this picture. By the time I snapped the shutter, he was busy scoping out other targets of opportunity.

I didn't get the picture of Tag and Arabelle greeting a huge Rottweiler (the owner said the dog was over 100 lbs!). I was more concerned with making sure there were no interaction issues. All was well, and I was relieved that the Rotty was actually quite gentle and friendly.

They were both checking out a pair of German shepherds here, but we thought better of them getting nose-to-nose. To tell the truth, Sharon and I were getting a little tired of all the excitement by then.

We enjoyed watching our dogs interact with each other, too. If Tag and I were separated from Sharon and Arabelle by foot traffic or obstacles in our path, the dogs would stop to look for each other. It was really fun to see how quickly they had become pals.

 

Tag particularly went out of his way to greet children. He adores little kids and the smaller the better. It doesn't matter if they're little girls or boys, only that they're little folk. It must be his fairy heritage, and the fact that he can relate to their smaller stature. 

These two little boys were petting Tag, and he responded by kissing on the tiny tot and making the older brother and mama giggle.

Sharon and I laughed that we were completely unable to carry on a conversation while we walked the two short-legged dogs. Sharon would ask me a question and I'd start to answer, only to be interrupted by passers-by asking what kind of dogs they were, or how old were they, or why their coats were different. We heard a lot of "They're so cute!" and "Look! Corgis!" Teenage girls surrounded Tag at one point, taking his picture and trying to cuddle him. (Sorry. I missed that picture, too.)

We finally decided to kennel up the dogs and head to Chickahominy House for lunch and quiet conversation. There may have been dessert involved, too, but I'll never tell!

I can say for myself that I thoroughly enjoyed meeting up with Sharon and sharing the day with her. She's everything I expected from reading her blog and she's a delightful woman. I really look forward to us being able to spend time together again and becoming good, good friends.

I'll be sharing more surprises from our visit during this week. (You didn't actually think I could fit it all into one post, did you?)

I want to change the subject for a minute: I just adore this little, needle felted Corgi! If you'd like to see the tutorial to learn how to make one for yourself (or for me!), here is the link on Living Crafts website. (http://www.livingcrafts.com/blog/giveaways/needle-felted-corgi) For some reason, I'm unable to use the link feature on Blogger again. sigh