After the Rain

One of my favorite things to do in the summer is sit on the front porch especially in the morning with a cup of coffee. The other morning John and I were sitting together and I could not take my eyes off of our Japanese Maple. It had rained during the night and the rain drops were just hanging off the little tree. It was beautiful.

I wish I could describe with words
or even take a picture that could show
the beauty of those drops.

Catching Up a Little

Kebel Galleries is on the second floor

Life has quieted down for now. I have of course been felting away. The problem with that is that I am not getting enough exercise. I wish I enjoyed physical activity. I live in a beautiful area that makes walking a joy but in the end I find it rather boring.  Anyway back to felting...Kate and I made a trip to Manchester last week to take some of my things to a consignment shop there called Kebel Galleries. Enjoyed visiting with the owner Laura Coleman and seeing her little shop.

Some of the items that are now at Kebel Galleries

Kate and I had a nice trip together.

Our Daughter Hannah

Hannah (beautiful kid #5) received her Nursing pin from North Georgia College and Univ.

It was a proud moment for John and I.

What Was in my Workbasket Last Weekend

Crocheting a few bowls - off to wash and felt them now.
I should have them in my Etsy shop later this week.

Needle Felting Two by Two

Just sharing what I have been working on this past week. I realized I was working in twos. It was hard to transition back into needle felting after being gone this last time but now I am poking furiously:0.

Plump needle felted birds

New - dragonflies

Poor Owls - don't have their legs yet.

A Little Fairy Princess Turns Two

We just returned from a very busy two week vacation. One of the highlights was being able to celebrate our granddaughter Carissa's second birthday.

I finished her crown!

The flowers are crocheted with glass bead centers. I sewed
on lots and lots of ribbon and lace for the back closure.

It is time to Celebrate in the Fairy Glen.

My daughter made the banner - one for each of her kids.
Isn't she talented!

Our little Fairy Princess is arriving.

She likes what she sees.

Her brother is ready to help her blow out the candle.

On her royal throne with her crown on her head.

Beach Walk and Sea Glass

Considering we live just a short walk to the beach, I have to confess we don't spend enough time there. But when we do, we always look for sea glass.

Isles of Shoals
It was so clear it looked like we could toss a rock and hit it but
it is about nine miles away.

Looking for sea glass

We were very successful

Sweet little girls playing on the beach.

My sweet big girl checking out the tide pool.

Some of our sea glass.

My first experience with clay

Well maybe not my first - I remember making a little dish for my parents when I was five. 

My newest thing to drool over has been clay crafts and I especially loved the idea of paper clay. So I thought I would try and add paper clay to some of my felting projects. I love birds on a pedestal so that was my first experience. It was a fail. Maybe I didn't mix it correctly or maybe I didn't like getting my hands so messy but whatever it was it was awful. The good news is that I didn't quit...yet. I went out and got already mixed air dry clay and what a difference.

First pedestal attempt...It was lumpy.

More money spent-new clay and I couldn't resist the mold using my
40% off coupon:)

This clay was so much easier to work with and wasn't messy and I even think my hands
were smoother after working with it. Is that possible?

My first clay pedestal and beak.

I love the crackle look. I painted the pedestal white, added the crackle paint, let it dry,
added gold paint, wiped it off, added some glitter and a coat of varnish. 

My Needle Felting Pad

Just thought I would share my solution to the messy needle felting pad dilemma. I have tried several different pads but they all eventually get full of colored fiber that then spreads to my project. Ugh!!
So my little epiphany was to stack my old pads and then cover them with a pillowcase that can be taken off and washed after each project. I also like the added height since I sit on the couch to needle felt.

My first pad is the thick one in the middle. It adds height to my pad.

The white ones on the top and bottom are soy mats which I really like because of their
texture and density.

Cheap pillowcases with a looser thread count work best.
I can flip the pillowcase over several times.

I would love to hear what other needle felters do for their felting pads.

Wet Felted Coasters Finished

The pieces of felt after they are wet felted but not yet
cut out.

Back in December I posted about wet felting some coasters. I thought I would
share pictures of the finished coasters after they were dried, cut and shaped.
The aqua and green piece ended up having streaks in it so I didn't use it.
The blue and gray I did at a later time. 

All natural - no dyes.

I don't know why but yellow and gray have become
a favorite color combo.