A little pendent…

As the day draws nearer to teach my needle felting class I find myself thinking I have to complete more! Create more! I have to have lots of things to show the people taking the class so they think it’s as awesome as I do!! I’m starting to get a little hyper. smile. I made this little pendent the other night and I’m happy with it. I like combining the embroidery with the roving…and adding the hardware (zipper and bail). I’m trying to think of other ideas that haven’t been “done” a hundred times before, it’s hard.

Today I finished dyeing some roving red…and I now have red fingernails and red counters! Red is not easy to clean up. I’ve sorted all my roving and gathered finished items in preparation for the class. I’ve packed up band-aids (I so hope nobody sticks themselves!). And I have the kits packaged. I think I’m good.

Fingers crossed! Happy Crafting!!

Valentine Heart Completed

Done! I made a bunch of these…on some I added a wire hanger, on others I added a loop to hang them on a cabinet knob. This one didn’t get anything yet. I’ve also made up six kits that will be for sale at the yarn shop when I teach my class. Phew! A lot of work and thought goes into making a kit! I still have to write the instructions for this heart but I’ve made labels and gotten most of the supplies included. So much to think about!!

I also thought you might get a kick out of seeing where I do most of my crafting. Other bloggers have shown their spaces and I’m always fascinated! Well, I snuggle up on that chaise at the end of the couch. The swing-arm of the lamp has a full-spectrum bulb in it (thanks Julie!) and that keeps the colors of thread and roving “true”. I just got the couch from a neighbor this week. I lost my previous crafting chair during the couch switch with no pictures to show where I spent hours and hours in the evenings…bummer. It looks pretty clean now but usually I’m surrounded by bits of wool roving and snips of thread.

I have a plastic bin under the end table that I keep my roving in (it pushes back all the way when I want it to) and I’ve commandeered part of the top shelf of the cabinet the swan sits on. The game table you see to the right is also a great place to craft or set up the laptop. I have to repaint the whole room soon. And after I’m done re-hang the pictures. This couch is taller than our old one. And the next project I tackle is to make some pillows for the couch…I haven’t sewn in a long time. Just in case you’re curious my husband’s recliner and another end table is to the left of the couch. So even though I have an office and a craft area in the basement I find myself always crafting either in the living room or at the kitchen table. I give up trying to change. :) I just try to clean up after myself better…

Happy Crafting!!

Vegas recap!

You read that right…Vegas baby!! My hubbie and I spent last Monday through Saturday in Las Vegas. And…Vegas kicked my butt. We stayed at the MGM Grand. We were there to see the Shot Show, and went with some friends who own a gun store in town. My husband was in firearms heaven! I like to shoot and some of the guns are real works of art but I was mostly just along for the ride. We attended the Shot Show Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. We walked and walked and walked and walked. Even the MGM Grand is HUGE and it would take us 20 minutes to get from one end to the other. I had been warned that we’d be walking a lot in Las Vegas…but I really didn’t get that concept until we were there!

My husband got to meet one of his idols – Ted Nugent!!!

And, we went to a few shows – we went to the Tournament of Kings, we saw Terry Fator, we went to Crazy Horse, and we walked “the strip” and saw the fountains at the Bellagio.

The slot machines love me…my husband can put in $20 and play for hours. I put in $20 and it’s gone in 5 seconds. So I pleaded to go to the Apple Store and get a replacement iPod touch. Mine got wrecked last summer (Abby!) and it’s been driving me crazy ever since. While at the Fashion Mall (where the Apple Store is located) I learned a valuable lesson. Don’t make eye-contact with anyone in Las Vegas. Because they are pros and will reel you in before you know what’s happening! This cute little gal with a French accent lured me to her cosmetics counter and to make a long story short I came home with Vivo Per Lei – a dead sea salt/mineral face peeling cosmetic. She also “threw in” a diamond dust facial cleanser. OK, it was expensive. It was $50. I generally don’t buy many cosmetics…and when I do I purchase them, I get the generic brands. But this stuff is AWESOME!!! You rub it on your face and all the dead skin, oils, dirt, etc…just beads up and rolls off. I can’t tell you how soft and smooth my skin is…it’s amazing. I’d buy it again…next time I go to Las Vegas…which I suppose could be never…. Well, the other lesson I learned is that sometimes it is really really fun to treat yourself, and I’d say this is a quality product.

I am exhausted.

My feet no longer hurt…I think they are numb.

I now have to get ready to teach a needle felting class at a local yarn store that will be held in one week.

I’m nervous.

I’m excited!!!

Happy Crafting!

Details on Valentine’s Hearts

Yes, I’m sewing zippers around the edges, by hand. This is the first one I’ve done and I hope the rest are neater. I either don’t want to see the stitches at all or I’d like them to become a part of the design. When sewing the zipper teeth on you have to loop the thread around every single tiny zipper tooth. I’m finding my hands are cramping from having to pinch the zipper so tightly to the heart so things don’t move around. I might experiment using pins to hold it in place…but don’t you love the effect?! There’s more to come!

Happy Crafting!!!

Valentine’s Day

I kinda blew it regarding homemade presents for my friends over Christmas, but all is not lost! I’m going to make it up to them for Valentine’s Day! I’ve needle felted nine of these little hearts with natural colored roving and then dyed them in a Kool-Aid bath…this is what I have so far…now onto decorating them!

It also serves another purpose. I’m going to be teaching a needle felting class in Brainerd at the end of this month. And I’ve been asked to make up some kits for the students. I said “sure”! Hmmmm…these kits have to have instructions…and perhaps pictures…and some guidance! So it is good that I’m making nine of these at a time…I hope I haven’t bitten off more than I can chew!

Happy Crafting!

The TV Stand redo

Well, if you’ve been with me for awhile you’ll remember that I once complained that I had a B-A-T (Big Ass TV). We still have the BAT but it is now on a better stand. The old dresser we had our TV on was smaller than the TV. It looked silly and drove me crazy! Here is the before -

And here is the after -

We’ve had this dresser for years and years. At one time we actually used it as a dresser, then got painted green and was in our front entry to store mittens and DVD’s, then it got painted BLUE and was in my son’s room. THEN it got redone and has finally found a permanent home…as a TV stand. Here is a closer look at the details-

If you can tell, the brown color is actually the wood grain. I sanded the whole dresser and then cut my “picture” out of contact paper and stuck it on the drawers. Then painted it black. Then took off the contact paper and sealed the whole works. The top got it’s own special finish that I’ll show you another time. Now I just have to figure out what to do with all the cords. And, the stand that is next to the TV is ugly. Just sayin’ it’s UGLY! I’m waiting for just the right piece of furniture to redo and haven’t found it yet. But most of the fun is in the searching, I should know because it took me about a year and a half to actually finish this dresser. lol! Happy Crafting!

My chicken is just a bird…

Remember the needle felted chicken I was working on? Well…it turned into a regular bird.

I still have to weave in some fuzzies but so far all good!

I don’t think I’ll add any feet as this bird looks as if it’s in flight. I’m going to be teaching a needle felting class on January 31st so I want to get some projects done. We will be making little flowers…I made some flowers and dropped them off at the shop so I don’t have any to show you right now.

Also did you notice the new Pinterest button at the top of the right hand column? I looooooove Pinterest!!!! I feel as if I have my own personalized craft encyclopedia at my fingertips. Pinterest can be anything you want it to be. You can “pin” tractors to sewing. Whatever you want, I describe it as an online bookmarking site that uses pictures. You’re bulletin boards aren’t private. I’ve found tons of inspiration. One of my boards is called “Library Crafts” – that is what I can refer to when I want to make something for the library store. Awesome, I don’t have to remember…I’d like to remember everything I’ve seen and been inspired by but I’m up to like 1,400 pins…my brain doesn’t have enough storage space for that. It’s hard enough to remember regular stuff…like when I last changed the furnace filter. lol!  So if you want to see what gets me all excited go check out my boards. Then look around at all the other neat things…happy crafting!!

PS: M&M I’ll send you an “invite” to Pinterest so you can start making your own boards. You need an invite to start…I’ll send it to your yahoo account. smile…

New Year…New Start…

Well, I for one am glad to see a close to 2011. It was such a busy year! I’m surprised I’m blogging again. But…my crafting hasn’t been documented…and I miss it. I decided to blog again with way less pressure. Sure the pressure was self-induced…but it was just one thing too much last year. So, while I’d like to take gorgeous photos and write eloquently I realize that just ain’t gonna happen. I’ll take pictures with my cell phone and just write whatever flows from my fingers. So here is what I’m working on now-

It’s going to be a chicken. Can you see it? I think it’ll be black with white spots. We will see…I hope to work on it a bit more tonight. Geez I love needle felting at night. It’s something I look forward to all day!

Happy Crafting!!