Christmas Card

`Bad Faerie` by Nicola Morris 2009

Wishing you all a very happy Christmas & peaceful New Year

Have fun!

Deborah

x

How it all went...

Well the Christmas Fayre is over & I had my last meeting at work this side of the holidays - I broken up now folks - YAY!

The fayre was lovely; I met some really nice people and when the choirs were caroling it was such a lovely atmosphere. The fayre was in the great hall of Hartlebury Castle, which is still the home of the Bishop of Worcester, it has a great high ceiling& flagstone floor - you can imagine what the accoustics were like, some of the carols gave me tingles! Unfortunately the table was TINY so it was overcrowded, & I didnt like the layout of the stalls - it didnt flow. That said my friend Nicci & me both had more success than at previous fayres. Nicci is a very talended artist - you can just about see a couple of her little paintings on the photo below - we had half the stall each & the tree was in the middle, so it shows a bit of both our work :o)

I hadnt realised how much stuff Id made until I wrote an inventory the night before - I think I had gone a little mad, I had so much stuff. Still it`ll end up on my etsy shop over the next few weeks. I took some photos, but most of them didnt turn out well...

This is my felted Christmas tree - Im really pleased with it. Its seamless, felted over a resist, I scattered twinkling angelina fibre all over it before felting & some cerise sari silk fibre to give a tinsel type effect. I wound the ribbon around it to hang my phone charms from - thought it was a different way of displaying them.

My lovely husband customized a wooden towel rail for me. Its a good job that he had, it enabled me to go UP with my display.

Unfortunately I now have a roaring cold which is slowing me down... and there is so much going on with kids at this time of year! My daughter (who recently turned 11) was performing, as part of her schools choir, at the Young Voices concert at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham last week - its the 2nd year that shes taken part & loved every minute. They had so much practice & so many songs to learn - I would not be able to remember them all, Im amazed that the kids can; the concert lasted about 3 hours so you can just imagine how much they had to learn. Today she is dancing in the schools Cinderella production - she is Cinderella in the opening dance in her raggedy clothes (guess which momas gonna be sitting blubbering) and then shes singing in the choir. My sons school have decided to close early & the weather man is promising heavy sleet & snow for around the time that he shall be coming out.... not quite sure how to be at the play & collecting him yet?! Hopefully hubby will be home in time to help out....

Hope you are all enjoying the run up to Christmas :o) TTFN

Hi folks!

I have been flat out the last couple of weeks getting ready for a Christmas Fayre this weekend (while juggling family & work etc - you know how it goes :) Good news is after this weekend I can really concentrate on the fun stuff that goes with the run-up to Christmas YAY!

Its at Hartlebury Castle, near to Kidderminster - Saturday & Sunday 11am to 4pm

This is the first fayre Ive been to with my felt - if any of you are there please find me and say hello ;o)

I shall be taking photos at the fayre & posting next week but if anybody is nearby & thinking of going it should be very nice & festive; theres the craft fayre (obviously), carols, a grotto, horse-drawn carriage rides around the castle grounds & more - Im sure I shall be feeling the Christmas spirit by the end of the weekend.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone - whatever you are doing

:o)

x

Festival of Trees

Hiya, I want to share something rather special with you all today.

Brenda Marshalls Christmas Tree

This beautiful Christmas tree has been wetfelted by my friend Brenda. It took her 5 days of hard work - and I think it is exquisite! Brenda is donating this tree to a charity auction, raising money for the Princes Trust & local charities.

It is on display, along with 16 other tree themed pieces, that are part of the Festival of Trees; they have all been made by the Jinney Ring Artists. I really must go over to have a look at them. Theyre on display until 13th December and they`re being auctioned at an evening `do` on the 14th December. Theres a load more info & directions on the Jinney Ring website.

If you go over, be sure to say hello to Brenda in her workshop :o)

xoxo

Catching Cupcakes

Honestly they MUST be catching! My lovely friend Keiara has been lampworking lovely cupcakes for some time now - but over the last few months I keep spotting them, wherever I go... and theyre calling "make me, make me". Well of course we (the kids and me) have made quite a few very yummy cupcakes :o) But over the last few weeks my fingers have been itching for more... SO

Ive been crocheting cupcakes... And Ive been FELTING cupcakes! I am so pleased with how these turned out, they`re so cute. I decided to make some cupcake phone charms...

Ive made about 12 of these so far. Im doing a Christmas craft fayre in about 3 weeks and am wondering whether to make some more? What do you guys think? I havent listed them on etsy as yet... as you`ve probably guessed its on my `to do` list :o) which gets longer every day - isnt it supposed to get shorter?

For more fibrey goodness check out Fibre Art Friday on Alpaca Farm Girls Blog

Take care & have a good weekend :o)

Sari Silk

I brought these for the first time this week & I LOVE `em! They are SO gorgeous! Im definately going to be using plenty of these in future :o)

The fibre is the unwoven threads from silk sari fabric. Looks to me like the thrums (waste warp threads) as there is a thin ribbon of sari silk along the tops of most of them. The ribbons are thin strips of sari silk. Ive used a little of the cerise ( Ijust HAD to experiment)... now I cant wait for the rest of my fibre to arrive so I can make some wraps and things with these in - theyre so luscious... I mean just LOOK at those colours - awesome!

I brought these from Forest Fibres and I have to say that like everything else Ive ever brought from them - Im thrilled! Forest Fibres have always had excellent customer service too, Ros is really helpful & knowledgable.

Moo Cards

Oh yay, I LOVE my MOO cards :o) theyre really sweet! And they come in a little mini filing system type box with dividers for `mine, theirs & favourites` how adorable!

Of course now that Ive got my mini moo cards my business card holder is too big - so I made myself a new one from a piece of felt I made a couple of days ago; black merino with cerise sari silk... yummy

I kept the style similar to my original business card holder, with a felted cord that wraps round to close it (you cant really see it that well on the photo) this one holds about 16 cards. Its great, even in the holder theyre so dinky they barely take up any room at all in my bag or pocket...Im a very happy bunny!

Id definately recommend Moo to anyone, it was very easy to upload photos (Im not on flickr so I uploaded them straight from my pictures) editing the pictures etc was easy & they came really quickly... I ordered them 7pm Monday evening & they tried to deliver them Wednesday morning - brilliant!

xoxo

Sheepish fun

Hi guys, can you believe another week has gone? Well I`ve been making jewellery all day ready for a Christmas fayre in a few weeks time. I just wanted to share a few pics of my latest jewellery with you.

It all started with my dear friend Keiara requesting an embroidered felted bangle set, in green & black, for halloween. A few weeks before I had been playing and felted 4 little black cat beads - but hadnt used them yet. This is what I came up with...

The funny light bit on the black bangle is the light catching an embroidered star, Id used a sparkling shiny black thread.

Im REALLY pleased with how it turned out & Keiara was thrilled to bits :o) I LOVE doing work for Keiara, she tells me what she wants & lets me go for it....fortunately we must be on the same wavelength cos she has loved all of her bits `n pieces so far.

I decided that I really should make some sheepish sets - you KNOW how much I love those little sheep :o)

Im waiting for things to arrive in the post now; fibre, beads, business cards (I cant wait to see them - Ive ordered MOO mini cards) my fingers are itching to get felting, but I cant do the projects I want to do cos Im waiting for the posty... never mind means I finish some UFOs.

Have a great weekend folks
:o)

Website & etsy shop news

Just a quicky to let you know what Im upto online at the mo.

Ive decided not to renew my subscription to mr.site so my website FreeSpiritCreations will be going offline from 28th November.

Some news Im pretty excited about is my NEW etsy shop. For a few months the name wychburydoll had been niggling at me, it was no longer relevant being as Im not dollmaking or selling my dolls any more (apart from the troll Ive promised dear Keiara of course ;o)... it seemed a silly name for a felters shop - unfortunately etsy doesnt let you change your shop name. SO, this week Ive knuckled under and created a brand new etsy shop named feltersjourney. Ive created a new look with a nice new banner & upated avatar, and have just finished moving my stock over to it... OMG Im shattered after doing that, it seemed to take forever.

Now I just need to learn how to balance family, job, felting, updating blog & shop and advertising - oh boy! Oh & I think I need to find out more about flickr, I have a feeling I should be doing something there too...

Please, if you could all take a peek at my new shop & feedback to me what you think I would really appreciate it (theres a link to the right).

I decided to run a 2 week free shipping on all items promotion to celebrate opening - lets hope it brings the sales in!

Off to feed my ravenous family now :o)

Have a fab weekend everyone

x

Some cobweb scarves

OMG time is seriously running away from me! I promised over a week ago to post pics of some cobweb scarves the following day & then POOF - I swear a week had passed overnight.

Well I have recently downloaded Picassa and discovered that I can make collages on there, so no prizes for guessing what my picture today is...................................you guessed it - a collage of some of my new cobweb scarves. Although I have to say they dont look so cobwebby on these - I think it must be the colours & maybe lighting; they are in reality very light & lacy.

Ive also had a custom order request from the lovely lady who brought my `I want you` purple cobweb scarf (the one for the etsyfast september challenge) for something very lightweight, ultracobwebby & purple! Right up my street. I got a little carried away playing & I have made 2 for her to choose from... a darker purple REALLY cobwebby & floaty number, and a lighter, warmer toned one - I love how wavy edged this one is - its like a lace ruff.

Im off to whip up a quick lunch for myself & get down to working on my etsy shop. HOPEFULLY tomorow I shall be posting more about what Im upto there :o)

TTFN
x

WoooOOOOoooo Shpooky

Our felted jack o`lantern

OK maybe not so spooky - but certainly fun! I felted this funny little chap for the International Felt Day - he came to the felt-in at Brendas` with me...well she did say "bring something whacky" - you dont get much whackier than this lol :o)

He looks pretty good in the dark with his little LED candle light flickering away.

Tomorow we are planning to have a Harry Potter style Halloween Feast, with pumkin pasties & pumkin juice `n all. Tomorow is promising to be lots of family fun, carving lanterns & cooking - cant wait.

The kids & me are all huge HP fans & the feasts in the books & films always look so lovely - poor hubby will just have to go along with it :o) - he really wont mind & Im sure will love the food!

Thanks goodness the days of putting on spooky public performances at work are over - you never really knew what Halloween would bring to our house... The first time I met my newest sister-in-law & her children, they paid us a suprise visit just as I was getting made-up ready to go to work - as a plague victim...niiice. The kids thought it was great, but I think mom wondered what kind of family she was marrying into! Other years Ive been; a vengeful zombie (forgot the make-up & went to the McDonalds drive thru` on the way home...I remembered when all the staff poked their heads through the window to have a look at me! ) a demon & a ghost; it was fun at times - but got to be more of a chore than anything.

Aah well, hope you all have fun this halloween - if you wish to... or a nice peacefull evening if not.

:o)

x

Wrap it up

Well, a little later than I had planned but... I have finally managed to take some photos of my latest creations! Having time to get them onto the blog is the problem now, my son is at home poorly at the moment so Im not getting chance to tinker around on the computer. Im going to trickle the photos on over the next few days...

First up - the wraps...

I love blue! This wrap has 3 gorgeous shades of blue fading into each other. I has my own handspun yarns & small pieces of shimmering organza felted in, oh & some wensleydale locks for texture. (I wanna keep this one - but I want the next one too.... mmmm decisions, decisions)

I think Im going to claim this one for myself. Again my own handspun yarns are felted in, along with wensleydale locks & a paisley velvet heart (felted in but oversewn to re-define the shape) It looks quite heavy, but its actually very light weight & comfy - but warm & snug!

My lovely hubby says this one looks like a cowhide! This is a pretty big wrap, with a scattering of lovely tussah silk for extra yumminess. Cream along one edge it fades through light & medium chocolate to darkest brown.

Hopefully I shall get on with posting pics of my latest scarves tomorow - lots more cobwebby lacy loveliness!

TTFN
x

Busy, busy, busy...

Well I dont know where the time is going! All of a sudden Christmas is just around the corner & Im planning what presents I shall be making for who... not to mention making stuff to take to a Christmas Craft Fayre at the beginning of December - if I manage to get a place (fingers crossed).

I seem to of had a very hectic couple of weeks... some days have been very productive - Ive made 3 new wraps which Im really happy with, but havent had time to photograph. Plus some more flowers & beads. Lots of felt on my `to do` list this week...

I drove over to the Jinney Ring this morning, its the first time Ive had to drive there & I got horribly lost! I took a wrong turn just 10 minutes from getting there and found myself on a huge dual carriage way, with no where to get off or turn around - I ended up 20 miles off in the opposite direction :( NOT a happy bunny! I finally managed to get off the dual carriageway (on to ANOTHER dual carriageway aaagh, luckily I got off that fairly quickly) and fortunately found some walkers to ask directions from (I didnt even know which town I was in). My detour managed to add an hour on to my travelling time, not to mention a few grey hairs & tears.

However it was worth it - I had a lovely couple of hours visiting with Brenda Marshall in her studio... and I found my way home OK too, so all`s well that ends well!

Have a good week everyone

x

Go your own way

Ive got to share this with you... it was such an exciting project. I was really `into` it & then I had to wait AGES for the zips to arrive so I could finish; I really over-the-moon to have finally finished! Well Im half way there at least... I started two bags, one to sell & one to keep, my own shall have to wait until I have a little free time :o)

OK so you`ve had a taster :o) Now here`s a proper picture...

If you look closely you will see a shoal of fish, swimming through a current of lighter coloured water...
All but one fish, who is `going his own way` swimming against the current

The fish are made from small pieces of VERY chunky homespun which I have felted in between the layers of the felt to give the feeling of depth, the fish are nicely raised & textural. The handle is made from several of my own handspun fancy yarns with a couple of strands of turquoise rattail cord. I used vintage pearls, from a broken necklace, to embellish the cuff & they are incorporated into one of my yarns in the handle.

The bag is named after one of my favourite songs (by Fleetwood Mac) and the mantra Ive been living most of my adult life to... Go Your Own Way

In fact I was singing `Go Your Own Way` most of the time that I was felting this bag!

Time to get felting

x

What a wonderfull day!

I had an absolutely fabulous Felt Day on Saturday :o) Hope all my fellow felters also managed to have fun!

The lovely Brenda

I spent the afternoon at Brenda Marshalls Textiles shop at the Jinney Ring Craft Centre near Bromsgrove.

There were 4 of us celebrating the Day of Felt; Brenda, Ann, Judy & me... we had a lovely afternoon felting butterflies and flowers, some of which found their way into the tree outside Brendas studio/shop. For me it was a rare treat to get together & work & chat with other felters & spinners (the very first time actually - and I loved it). Thank you ladies for a lovely afternoon & for making me feel so welcome :o)

Here are a few pics from the day...enjoy

Ann & Judy working away

Close-ups

Butterflies dancing in the breeze

Happy Day of Felt

Ready for a day of fun

Yay its here at last :)

Tomorrow is the first ever International Day of Felt... anybody with pieces of my Felt Day jewellery please remember to wear it tomorow, whether you`re at home or out n about ... and be a part of my way of celebrating :)

I shall be heading to the Jinney Ring Craft Centre near Bromsgrove at around lunchtime, for an afternoon of felting fun with Brenda. We shall be felting butterflies to decorates the trees around the centre, hopefully get a few folks to join in too! If you are nearby PLEASE pop in & say `hi`

Im pretty sure I shall be flat out for the rest of the weekend, but shall post an update early next week. Have a wonderfull weekend everyone - whatever you are doing

x

Go your own way

Well I managed to finish one of my UFOs this week... and Im thrilled to bits about it! I started it a good couple of months ago, a bag called 'Go Your Own Way' actually 2 bags, when I finished the first one I liked it so much that I immediately felted another - 1 to keep, 1 to sell. All the time that I was felting I kept on singing Go Your Own Way by Fleetwood Mac (one of my all time favourite songs!) I had loads of fun creating these.

I had been waiting for a couple of months for the zips to arrive, which they finally did - allowing me to finish the first bag just in time to enter it into the September EtsyFAST challenge. My own bag will have to wait a little longer, until I have a little free time. The photo below is just an appetiser...follow the link to find out more about it & see more pics & please let me know what you think!

Go Your Own Way

Also just to let anybody local know... I shall be at the Jinney Ring Craft Centre near Bromsgrove on Saturday for a day of felting fun with Brenda Marshall. Brenda is a felter, and has a lovely little shop at the Jinney Ring selling her wonderfull creations, she also teaches felting courses there. Im not quite sure what we are doing on Saturday yet, or what time but hopefully will be able to add this tomorow.

If you are ever in the vicinity the Jinney Ring is well worth a visit. Apart from Brendas shop there is a glass blowers - theyre fantastic; you can watch them work & their workshop is like an Alladins Cave full of sparkling pretties, there are a couple of potters, plant sales, leaded glass maker, painter etc etc... you get the idea. Theres also a couple of restaurants which are supposed to be good, and 2 lovely duck ponds with gorgeous gardens around them. One of my favourite parts of the Jinney Ring is the Birds of Prey area. They have Eagle Owls, Kestrels, Goss Hawks even a Peregrin Falcon there - they are such beautiful birds. Ive even seen the massive Eagle Owl running round on the grass there, he was doing a meet n greet type thing...

Anyway, thats it for now :o)

Weekly update

Well I had a lovely week last week! Even though my 12 year old was off school ill for 2 days, and I was at work for one of the days - I still managed to have a very productive week; I felted 4 scarfes and a cape - and have listed them all apart from one of the scarves (my goodness Im organised this week :o)

This little lovely is my very first entry into an etsyFAST challenge, Septembers theme is SONGS. This one is inspired by `I want you` by Savage Garden (follow the link to see the music video on youtube)

lyrics:
Ooh I want you, I dont know if I need you
But ooh Id die to find out
Anytime I need to see your face
I just close my eyes and I am taken to a place where your crystal mind and Magenta feelings take up shelter in the base of my spine
Sweet like a chic a cherry cola

The song just keeps on going round n round in my head...just as it stops I catch sight of this scarf & off it goes again - good job I love the song :o)

This is my `Days of Embers` scarf. Ive also made an Indigo blue version, and lovely violet/purple which hasnt been listed yet (Im thinking of a name for it...)

I called this cape `Imagine`.

And apart from my productive felting week, work & poorly wee-ladie; we had a wonderful evening on Thursday!

My mum-in-law turned 60 earlier in the year, all the kids put together to buy her a hot air balloon ride as a special birthday pressie. Due to our English weather, unpredictable to say the least, its been cancelled 4 or 5 times... but Thursday she actually went up! It was incredible; we were right next to it with her, watching it being inflated OMG it was HUGE!!! There were 12 or 13 people in the basket so you can imagine it really was a whopper. I wouldnt of believed it could be so exciting just watching... When they released the balloon it went up so quickly & effortlessly - it was wonderfull & very emotional for some reason. They went upto 3,000 feet and were up for 1 1/2 hours.

While they were flying we walked around Worcester cathedral and along the river - it was nice. We didnt see the landing (which by all accounts is a very bumpy & undignified affair :). We all went for a meal afterwards, which rounded the evening off nicely. I think the whole family were on a high for the next couple of days, though we were all pretty shattered too for some reason.

We`re getting her a parachute jump for her 70th :)

There she is waving away :)

No felting today though, my son is home for a teacher training day so I have re-photographed most of the things in my shop and spent hours updating that :( boring...

Hope everybody else had a nice week xx

Finished my Day of Felt jewellery

Felt - intertwined, bound together, forever as one - United

Felt bracelets, bangles & cuffs - some are embroidered, some beaded, some have silk fibres felted in for decoration - every one is individual.

I have invited my family and friends to join in with the Day of Felt on 3rd Oct 09 by wearing a piece of jewellery created by me for this event & gifted to them. I have finally finished all of the jewellery & taken photos - thought Id share them with you :o)

Would any of my readers also like to join in by wearing a piece of my jewellery on 3rd Oct 09? Keiara I know you are joining in sweetie :o) thanks for getting back to me

All that I ask is for you to wear the jewellery on Sat 3rd Oct (& hopefully afterwards too :) to celebrate the first ever International Day of Felt. There is no charge for the jewellery but if you can cover postage costs please. I should mention that the majority of the jewellery will go to friends & family, but there are sure to be a few pieces left.

It is on a first come first served (pot-luck) basis and when its gone its gone, so do speak up if you want to join in. You can either contact me through my website www.FreeSpiritCreations.co.uk or leave a comment here (though you will need to email me privately with your address to post to anyway)

For more information about the Day of Felt: http://www.feltunited.com/ The event is part of the United Nations Year of the Natural Fibre.

my Day of Felt Update

These are the pieces of jewellery that I have finished - Im really pleased with them ... still to come felt bead bracelets!

I shall be giving the jewellery out to family and friends to wear on 3rd October 09 to celebrate the Day of Felt.

Im also planning to extend the invitation to readers of my blog - if you would like to join in please contact me (email me through my website please) do get in touch asap please (if you will be willing to pay the postage please, that will be the only cost).

More details and photos will follow when the beaded bracelets are done.

Day of Felt wrap

Ive managed to take some photos & thought I would share them with you :o) This is my wrap for the Day of Felt - 3rd Oct 09.

Here it is looking much more elegant without me on the photo

Im thrilled to bits with this wrap - its just what I wanted. Its felted from merino fibre in shades of red, orange & gold with golden silk fibre felted in for luck! It was also my first large scale cobweb felt project and I really enjoyed it! So much infact that I have since made another 2 of these lovely wraps... Ive just listed the Woodland Wrap on etsy; gorgeous greens - I love it!

Having a bad hair day!

International Felt Day - 3rd October 2009

Felt - intertwined, bound together, forever as one - United

This is really exciting! The United Nations declared 2009 the `Year of the Natural Fibre`.

A group of felters set up FeltUnited and sent out an open call to all felters to join in on 3rd October 2009 for the first International Day of Felt. There are going to be felt exhibitions and workshops going on all over the world that day! The theme for the day is `a slice of the colour wheel - red to yellow`. The UN have listed the Day of Felt as one of their events.

The last couple of weeks I have been up to my elbows in red, yellow& orange fibre :o) I`m working on jewellery & phone charms to give to family & friends to wear on the big day... I have created a gorgeous wrap for myself - which I love so much that I promptly created 2 more (in different colours) to go in my etsy shop. I havent managed to take many photos yet but will post them asap.

Here is a little taster... these are some of my beads

Left

my 1st ever sushi beads

They look just like sweeties in those bob-bon dishes - mmm yummy

Yeaaah! This morning when the postman came it felt like Christmas! My goodies from the swaps with Keiara arrived!

This is my Spooky Skulls bracelet - isnt it CUTE?! I just love it!!! This isnt for Halloween - Im gonna live in it all year round :o) I thought this bracelet was lovely from the photo - but have to say the photo doesnt do it justice... It is so glittery and the black & white is so sharp & prisitine, swarovski crystals and small silver beads compliment the skull really well, and the sterling silver clasp & findings are perfect with my sensitive skin.

I also have a Desert Tree focal that Keiara has made into a fabulous necklace. Now I did originally post a picture here - BUT, this necklace is for a special birthday pressie and I dont want to risk ruining the suprise if its spotted on my blog! I shall post pictures after it has been given.

Keiaras workmanship is absolutely exquisite! Each bead is absolutely perfect and ooooozes quality; glowing with inner and outer beauty, they have a lovely weight to them and they sparkle oh so prettily. I have now purchased/traded 5 pieces of jewellery byKeiara and they are all SO individual & quirky & stylish - I love em!!! The hard part is giving away pieces brought for presents...

Thank you Keiara ... They will be treasured xxx

Beady Eyes

At the weekend (while catching up with all the holiday washing) I made a few beads :o)

These are for swapsies with the lovely Keiara who wanted some black, orange & green beads for Halloween (the dark green are a merino & silk blend - very lushious).

Im really excited about the swap... I shall post about it and show off my goodies as soon as they arrive :o)

Hope you are all having a good week

D x

allo allo we`re back from our camping holiday (right next to Polzeath beach - awesome!) The weather was rather mixed (well it IS England) but we still had a great time - didnt get quite as much body boarding done as the kids would of liked, but come on its bloomin` cold in a bikini or trunks - the kids could stay in for hours in their wetsuits, but we dont have them :( might need to `splash` out a little next year.

Thought Id share a few holiday pics...

Wave watching on Polzeath Beach

From the seaward mouth of Merlins Cave

I love Tintagel - some of the shops are quirky & nice, but for me, by far the best thing about Tintagel is the coastline/scenery. Theres a lot of very steep walking, but its all worth while - it is one of those places which just soothes the soul! For the first time I managed to clamber all the way through to the other side of Merlins Cave & OH MY it was so worth it! Beautiful, awesome and so peaceful (yes, thats my lovely hubby standing to the side of the picture :)

Overlooking the Severn Sisters rock formation.

Looking rather wind swept - this was the only day my hair wasnt braided; it was like a rats nest come evening it was so tangled!

We went on a cruise aboard the Jubilee Queen around Puffin Island - unfortunately we didnt see Puffins as they leave by July...we`re planning to do it again earlier in the year so that we can see them. We did see grey seals though :) We also visited Trebarwith Strand for the first time and I got the strongest feeling that Ive been there before. I came home & asked my parents whether we went when I was a child - but we didnt. So strange - I KNOW Ive been there before, I can remember walking barefoot across the sea-smoothed rocks at the entrance to the beach - it was so familiar... in a past life maybe?! Strange but true.

I got lots of inspiration for felting projects while I was away. The kids go back to school a week from Monday, so it`ll be back to work for me too `Felt-a-hoy`.

Ive just been reading Keiaras blog and Im devastated!!! Keiara if only I hadnt been on holiday I could of met up with you... Stourbridge is a 10 minute drive from my house!

I luuuurve the Desert Tree necklace that Keiara has made for me! Its SO beautiful (you clever lady)! It is intended as a special birthday present - if I can bear to part with it... thank you sweetpea xxx

Well, thats about all for now, hope you are all well - thank you for following my blog :)

Debbie
xx

Crafty Kids

Well, Im a day late (what a suprise) I did say I would tell you more about what the kids are `upto`...

Well, we have been experimenting with felting some lovely free fleeces, given to us by a very friendly local farmer & his wife... the fleeces came from their free range sheep. I spun some & crocheted the yarn into warm wooly hats for the family as a thank you. Now, I know that the fibre spins very well but I wasnt too sure how well it would felt... there was only one way to find out... We decided to have a go at quite a big piece of felt, so we used an old bamboo blind and `foot felted` it out in the garden - lots of mess & lots of fun! (see pictures posted last week) We`ve done this before when we made rugs for the kids bedrooms; if you`re interested there are photos in my Crafty Kids Gallery .

This fleece didnt felt brilliantly it has to be said, but its very soft and will make a great squishy centre for the rag rug projects the kids are working on. Matthew (my 12 year old) is making a seat cover for his bedroom chair, and Rachael (my 10 year old) is making a comfy floor rug that she can take with her when she visits Matthews room to play on the xbox 360.

These pictures show Matts seat cover, he is about half way through the `podging` stage. We have recycled a pair of curtains in heavy fabric (red) and an old flannalette bedsheet (yellow). Matthew is working his initials MA into the seat back. When he is finished I shall sew a backing fabric on with the felt sandwiched in between and we can fit it to his chair.

The picture above shows the front,

the picture below is the back.

Rachael doesnt want me to post photos of her rug yet. BUT, a couple of days ago she set herself up, out on the deck in the sunshine, with a bowl of warm soapy water and a couple of handfulls of fibre - a little while later, after she had sewn on the ears and tail she had a lovely little mouse! At the moment he is one of the blind mice from the nursery rhyme, but she might add eyes when we find just the right beads for the job :o)












I think he`s adorable!

So, that what the kids have been doing! Of course, I havent managed to get much done myself, but its nice to spend plenty of family time, just chillin`... pottering around etc. We`ve had quite a few bake days and gardening too. Infact I`m going to show you our `bean tree` I`ve never seen runner beans get this big - they HUGE. They are growing up a willow obelisk, as they kept going up & out we had to add extra withies so they had something to hold onto. I recon theyre about 9 feet tall. Some of them, once they had reached the end of the sticks drooped down for a couple of feet - then grew back up themselves!

It looks a bit like a Darlek from Doctor Who in disguise!

On the felting front, I made a new purple triplet set for lovely Keiara (the one I had sent was a smidge tight) which means that Ive got the original triplets :o) and the purple set I had been working on for myself (below) is now free to go on my etsy shop. The embroidery is a little different on the bangle of this set, and the purples are a different shade (every piece has to be different).

The colours have come up a bit weird on the photos - I think its funny light at the moment. Oh well, you get the idea...

I shall be away from the internet for about a week and a half after tomorow, so after this mega waffle blog :o) that`ll be it from me ... for a while.

Take care of yourselves
x