HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

does everyone have big plans for the night?!?!? i'm pretty sure lance & i are just gonna go out to eat someplace and then stay in for a "ROCK'N NEW YEAR'S EVE!!!" my dad drilled into my head when i was a kid that on NYE you should go where you are planning to be for the night, and then stay there. there are too many crazies out there tonight. so even though i'm all grown up, i still am partial to staying in and relaxing at home.

yea!!! tomorrow we are going down to san diego for new year's day at lance's aunt toni's house. that should be fun!! i'll try and remember to take pictures. i did pretty well in dallas except for the whole no-pictures-of-scott-&-amy thing.

let's see...

2007 - crappy. the end of alot. made us all stronger, more aware of each other and ourselves, made us appreciate all that we possess and that we have lost.

2008 - awesome. many new beginnings. a time for learning & revaluation.

2009 - i hope it's just pretty chill!

so, wishing everybody a fun, safe, and happy new year.

and the best for 2009.

GETTING BACK TO NORMAL

man i can be so lazy, that's why it takes me so long to recover from a vacation. i did make some soaps for last minute x-mas presents, and made a ham for dinner, other than that, not much. but today i am sooo going to the gym!!!

let's see, i think i might start trying to get a new Etsy shop up and running in the next week, although i do need some stuff to sell on it. Maybe i'll try some Valentine's Day themed stuff and some felted soap, seems fun! i'm also looking into ordering some new wool. some of the wool that i bought in Dallas was awesome with the making of soaps thing, so i'm trying to track down what kind it is. here's a picture of my new soft, fancy wool.

let's see, the green is a mohair/wool/bamboo blend, want to try maybe some wet felting with that. the blueish rope is a Corriedale wool, this is the super soap wool. the grey is an Icelandic wool, it's pretty soft. and the bluish-green curly wool is Mohair curls. don't know what i want to try with that but it seems fun.

in addition to my regular crafty blog i think i'm gonna start adding in some other useless information that i want to tell you. it could be anything from interesting news stories, random facts, movie reviews, or just whatever floats my boat for the day. i think i might call it the Side-Show...

TODAY'S SIDE-SHOW...

this is a movie called THE HOST. i think it is probably the BEST MONSTER MOVIE i've seen in a long time. it's scary and funny, but the only thing is is that it's subtitled. my boyfriend is super into all sorts of asian movies so i've gotten used to reading my movies, so if you can get over the distraction of it, it is AWESOME!!!

A SLOW START TO A MONDAY MORNING!

hey everybody! i hope everyone had a fun & safe & happy & awesome christmas!!! lance & i just got back from visiting my family in Dallas. we had alot of fun! lots of drink'n and eat'n and shop'n. the week definately went by too fast! i get kinda sad when i have to come back to my home cause i miss everyone so much & i have so much fun especially with my my niece Ady, she is a trip!! i guess i'll just have to plan my next trip soon. but i do think we might be making a trip out to the east coast in the summer for a friend's wedding!!! i do hope work picks up soon so that i'll have money to go!

i'm posting a couple of pictures from the holiday cause i didn't work on a single crafty thing while i was away.

don't tell anybody... but i didn't really get any pictures of my brother and amy (the parents) i guess that's what you get when you are overwhelmingly overshadowed by the most awesome baby ever!!! sorry guys!!

and p.s. somebody tell grandma that i already used her gift certificate! HAHAHA!! and technically mom, we didn't spend it on paper towels and toilet paper... we spent it on LUXURY paper towels (the kind that has pick-your-size sheets) & EXPENSIVE toilet paper (double rolls)!!!

WISHING YOU SOME HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

so i'm getting ready to go to dallas, we have a party to go to tonight, but then off to texas tomorrow afternoon. i'm really excited, even though i know i'll eat too much, sleep to late, & pretty much have a blast with the ones i love most! to the rest of you not-as-worthy of my love (just kidding!) i would like to wish you a very merry

CHRISTMAHANAKWANZA!!!

there now that was very p.c., california is very progressive you know! i prmise i will be back to writing my semi-interesting posts next week. and for pete's sake i hope you have better things to do than read my boring blog!

here's a quick 'season in review' for ya!

THE MAD HATTER WAS A FELTER!!!

yea!! only 6 days till x-mas & 2 till we leave for Dallas!!! i'm excited! gotta clean the house & pack all the fun presents i made for the family. we are taking a late flight on sunday night, but my mom & dad are hardcore and they can handle it! can't wait to see Ady too! she thought i was hilarious last time i saw her, so we'll see if i am so awesome this time.

thought i'd give you a bit of fun trivia today. i read this in one of my felting books and this bit of text is from wikipedia (which is the ultimate website to read about anything and everything you could think about)

Mad Hatter

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Hatter is a fictional character initially encountered at a tea party in Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and later again as "Hatta" in the story's sequel, Through the Looking Glass. He is popularly referred to as the "Mad Hatter," but is never called by this name in Carroll's book- although the Cheshire Cat
does warn Alice that he is mad, and the Hatter's eccentric behavior
supports this. (Likewise, the chapter in which he first appears, "A Mad
Tea-Party", is often called "The Mad Hatter's Tea Party")....

The name 'Mad Hatter' was undoubtedly inspired by the phrase "as mad as
a hatter". There is some confusion as to the origins of this phrase. Mercury
was used in the process of curing felt used in some hats. It was
impossible for hatters to avoid inhaling the mercury fumes given off
during the hat making process. Hatters and mill workers often suffered
mercury poisoning as residual mercury vapor caused neurological damage
including confused speech and distorted vision. It was not unusual then
for hatters to appear disturbed or mentally confused, many died early
as a result of mercury poisoning...

pretty funny huh? they said this is one theory as to the origin of the Mad Hatter. this is a time when i am truly thankfull for the fact that i live in an OSHA world. yea safety regulations!!! or you would see me in a few weeks all crazy and spazy. well at least in that case i might not be so worried about paying my bills and finding a job!!! maybe just a little crazy is good enough.

X-MAS SPOILER ALERT: SCOTT!!!

I"M PRETTY MUCH DONE WITH X-MAS!!!!!!!!! YEA!!!!!!!!
so with scott's presents, i'm dont with making x-mas presents. this is pretty exciting cause i haven't really got to make anything that i wanted to make. i started with the octopus, but then got busy making things for my family, so there are a ton of ideas that i haven't got to do yet. i ordered an online class: Felt Alive With Kay Petal
Soft-Sculpting Lifelike Characters. this class is about making figures, detailed with eye lids and everything. and just from reading the class instructions over, i think there will be alot of tricks and tips that will help me make better pieces. things that i could have eventually figured out by myself, but if the information is there presented by someone with the experience, why not take advantage of it. (can you tell that i'm a sucker for how-to books!!! the "Dummy's guide" books are awesome!)

so once i start working on some new stuff i'll let you know, but for today i finally have pictures of my brother's x-mas present....



oh, and BTW i didn't end up doing much of anything yesterday. i didn't do laundry, didn't go to the gym, didn't clean the house... i sat in my studio, with the space heater, read some felting books, and brainstormed some new projects, then fell asleep on the couch. it was not such an awful day after all.

X-MAS SPOILER ALERT: ADY!!!

i'm kinda blah today & in a complaining mood... it's cloudy, rainy, and cold out today... i need to go to the laundry mat and clean some clothes today... i'm sore this morning from weight training yesterday at the gym... i can't seem to stop eating candy, i'm a fiend... i'm feel not-so motivated to do much of anything today... it actually makes since that my mood might be connected with the amazingly large quantity of sugar i have been intaking lately. need to do something about that. i can't help it though... i need it....

but in lighter news, i finished ady's christmas present. now i made these with the thought of them being a usable toy, but i'll have to discuss the safety issues with regards to a baby. maybe it will be more of a grown-up toy, when she isn't preoccupied with chewing on things. but they also can be used in a fun decorative way too!!


i think they are pretty fun. these are the tessellation fish that i made, then dyed with kool-aid powder. then i needle felted numbers on one side and letters on the other. (all in complementary color!) very educational!

here is a short tutorial on how to dye wool with kool-aid powder...



and remember if you click on the title of the slideshow, it will take you to my Flickr page and then you can read step-by-step directions that i included.

BRRR... IT'S COLD IN HERE!

if you have bad eyes and can't quite read it, i'll tell you that it's freaky cold in my house. and again, i know it's all relative, but i do live in sunny california & for me that's chilly. plus it rained all day yesterday. but the sun is out & i've got a little space heater in my studio this morning, so it's not so frigid!

i just wanted to congratulate a childhood friend of mine who just told me that she was having a baby!!! yea!!! wow... i'm getting old!!!

SPEAKING OF BABIES.....

this is a x-mas spoiler alert for my neice Ady!


you'll have to wait and see...
no really...
they aren't done yet...

X-MAS... ONE WEEKS?!?!

Festive Poinsettia Note Card - from CREATIVEAPPLES on ETSY.com

AHHHHHH!!!! i can't believe that in less than one week we'll be in dallas!! i have so much to do!! well, not really, but i feel that i should be stressed out and running around to fully experience the spirit of the season!

yesterday we checked out another craft fair, UNIQUE LOS ANGELES. it was very nice. there were almost 200 vendors there. i just wish i had money to help support them, but i did buy a couple small things. and checking out shows to see what they are about, & to see if there is any potential to get involved. then we went down to china town & walked around that was a blast! got some soaps to make felty soaps & some of my favorite candy-type dessert, MOCHI!!! yea!!! that's about all i have to post for today, finishing up a couple of things in the next few days, so will have some new pictures to post.

BETTIE PAGE DIES AT 85

i would like to ask everyone to take a moment and remember the beautiful Bettie Page. she died last night in L.A. at the age of 85. there are alot of people who were way more obsessed over her than me, but i have admirable respect for her in her pin-up days. she embodies the strong, confident, sensual, feministic character that i envy in women. she-was-who-she-was during the height of the "feminine mytique" era.

1950s pinup model Bettie Page dies in LA at 85

X-MAS SPIRIT!

i really tried to get into the x-mas spirit yesterday by doing some x-mas shopping. it's kinda hard when you are on a budget & feel guilty about spending money that i could use on... um, say... food. it's really not that bad, i'm just pessimistic. but i did get a couple of things & only have a few left. and i only have to finish my mom and bother's handmade presents, & make my niece's. not worried yet, still have a week & a half to go before we head to texas.

on a super positive x-mas note, im mailing out Omaha x-mas presents today. I think the presents will actually be there for x-mas this year! need to finish packing the box, and i'm not gonna tell you what's in them, but here's a teaser...












you can try and squint to read the little papers... good luck with that!

CHILLY MORNING!

brrrr....

it is super chilly here this morning. think it got down into the 40's last night. i do understand the ridiculous that sounds to someone who lives in, say, the middle of Iowa on a farm, but hey... gimme a break! i think we need to get a space heater cause we dont have central heating. hot in the summer, cold in the winter.

even though it's chilly here, it's just not cold enough to take advantage of all the fun wintery-type things that i miss. like coats & mittens & scarves & snow boots & fireplaces. here are some adorable wool felted mittens that i saw on one of my favorite blogs.

they are awesome and made by a felt artist named Inger. she lives in norway and is an amazing wet-felting artist who always has fun & interesting ways to make scarves & hats & shawls. they help me feel warm thinking about how cozy they must be!!!

and as promised...

























he's not completely done yet. there is one more thing i have to add, but that might take me a couple of days. it's kinda involved. i think he turned out well. not bad for my first attempt at a figure. i've never been into making figurative work, so he's alright. still need to work on that darned detail thing. at least the kind of detail that i want to do.

MAKE'N FELTY SOAPS!

i hate computers... just wrote the whole blog, tried to backspace something, & the whole thing disappeared!!!! roar!!!

ONCE AGAIN....

so... ended up being pretty productive after all yesterday. Made major progress on mom's x-mas present (posting pictures tomorrow), made hand felty soaps, & made it to the bookstore & got a couple of x-mas presents! didn't make it to the grocery store, but hey, i'm not perfect.

alot of people have asked about the felty soaps, so yesterday i decided to document the process & make a mini tutorial on how to make them. hopefully after the holidays i'll be opening up an internet shop where i want to sell some felty soaps. haven't decided on the price yet, but will let everyone know when i do! then you can buy them and help buy me groceries! i will starve if you don't!!! no guilt or anything!!!

to paraphrase the process of making felty soaps down to 3 easy steps...

1. WRAP IN WOOL
2. DUNK IN WATER
3. RUB...RUB...RUB...

* if you click on the title in the slide show, it will take you to my Flickr page where there are detailed descriptions of each step.

SHOP SMART... SHOP S.MART...

this is a quote from one of my all time favorite movies, Army of Darkness. Part of the Evil Dead series and i suggest you see it if you haven't already. i bring it up because i've been feeling kinda nostalgic recently. maybe because i feel like i'm on a super extended summer break (about to bleed over into an extended winter break). maybe because i'm kinda poor & can't afford to buy people awesome x-mas presents, or because i've been working on my own art so it kinda takes me back to the school days. anyways, i need to come back to today! i was feeling kinda crappy yesterday & you know how it is to get back up to speed (still feeling sluggish)

so in the spirit of nostalia, here is a throw-back to the good ol' (college art) days.


chicken teeth silk screen.


family portrait silk screen.


beach bum chicken silk screen.


detail of chicken study pencil drawing.

i've also been thinking alot about chickens too. if you don't know, back in college, for about 2 years, all of my art had chickens as the subject. FYI... i don't love chickens, i dont want anything with chickens on it, and i dont collect things with chicken on them! but i have been think about a name for my little crafty type business and i've been gravitating towards...

THE FELTED CHICKEN

so what do you think? just throwing it out there. it's fun, quirky, cute, catchy, descriptive. i can come up with a funny character mascot. let me know, if you have any suggestions. leave a comment and i'll think about it!

(satur)DAY OF CRAFTS!

so today we are heading out to a couple of craft fairs! gonna check out the local scene, maybe buy some x-mas presents, and not be at home working! i suggest that everybody look up some local fairs and check them out! tis the season for hand-madey-goodness!



i signed this fun website thing! i figure it's the "I TOOK THE (mostly) HANDMADE PLEDGE. (make or) BUYHANDMADE.ORG."

i like this idea cause it promotes our local artists and local economy. but dont worry if there is something that i need to get someone for x-mas that i HAVE to get at target, i will. But i try!

X-MAS SPOILER ALERT: AMY!!!

so i finished amy's x-mas present. i'm very excited and proud of how it turned out. i took process pictures, so you can see progression of it's creation. and if you look through the whole slideshow, you will get a secret surprise as to how i finished the piece off!


click on the giant play button & click t the right or left to navigate through the process, but if you click on the title it will take you to my Flickr page. there are description of all the pictures and what part they represent. have fun exploring!

INSPIRING ARTISTS

i'm in the middle of working on a couple of pieces, so i dont have any new pictures of my stuff. instead i thought i would post some pictures and links to some amazing needle felting artists. these people blow me away, and i'm inspired by their expertise.

this is Wooliedales Etc. this is a husband and wife team that work together to promote & sell their needle felting pieces. The husband is the photographer and the wife is the sculptor. there are lots of amazing animals (especially dogs) on their web site. very intricate & detailed.











this an artist named Stephanie Metz. she is more of a "fine artist" rather than "craft artist". i personally don't think there is a difference, except for maybe who your audience is. Stephanie makes her pieces for more display in exhibits. i can connect with this because of my schooling. she has inspired me to look into doing mre conceptual pieces and possibly entering some artist exhibits. who says craft can't be art?

this is tuttobello. more along the crafty line. she makes amazingly real and delicious looking desserts and pastries. more simple stylistically, but equally as talented in the quality of her work.






what really grabs my attention when i look at other artists is attention to detail. there is something that i find so admirable about someone who can capture, i dont know, personality with whatever subject they choose. for me personality is conveyed through details in shape and texture. your subject can be realistic (which can be acheived by irregularity in your detail) or stylize / cartoony (which you can get from over-exagerating features). either way this is what i strive for in my own work.