MARCH 2016. FELTED CREATURES. DAY 3. WHITE CAT

White Cat

Being an animal lover and having grown up around them, I turn to them as one source of inspiration when working in felt. As a kid, we had dogs in our home, which meant bodacious fun, big walks in all kinds of weather, lots of fetching games, and big slurpy kisses. When I'd visit the homes of friends, I had the chance to spend time with the often elusive, but very intriguing cats. I was hooked.  We pestered my mom repeatedly for a kitten, but were told that cats and dogs did not get along. Besides, she added, cats are not very cuddly and they are too aloof. This was presented as factual information. A cat was out of the picture.

A few years later, kittens came into my life. You never know how something will show up, especially if you've wished for it and then let go of the outcome. Having cats was a great adventure into the unknown, and as I had dogs at the time, tossed me right into the experience of seeing how the whole group would interact. The animals quickly determined the hierarchy and all was well. Later, more cats came along, in interesting ways, and now we have a small herd. A white cat is something we do not have, except now in felt.

Are you a cat or dog person? And why?

White Cat is made of needle felted Corriedale with Alpaca, silk throwsters in a monkey pod bowl. Straight pins added for use as pincushion.

MARCH 2016. FELTED CREATURES. DAY 2. OSPREY

Osprey

Living for now on the east coast, I've had the opportunity to  see local wildlife in all its variety. On first arriving here, I noticed giant nests sitting on platforms atop telephone-sized poles. These were located both near the water and on farm roads. Turned out, an artist friend had a nest in her front yard, overlooking the bay. Osprey. Each spring, they got a close up view of the arrival of the birds, nesting, and hatching of the fledglings. Some tense moments when the tiny birds stood on the edge of the platform, peeking over before taking  their first leaps.

This little Osprey is made of needle felted Corriedale with a twig nest.  

Osprey (detail)

 

Osprey (detail)

March 2016 . Felted Creatures Day 1 . Baby Owl

Baby Owl on a Maple Leaf

What is it about baby owls that makes them so endearing? Is it the oversize eyes, the soulful gaze, the stubby legs? So many different varieties, beautiful arrays of eye and feather color, unusual body shapes and penetrating gazes.

This month, I'll be playing with both the wet and needle felting techniques to make creatures of land, sea and air. 

Baby Owl on a Maple Leaf (8" x 13.5") is made of needle felted Corriedale and mounted on a vintage copper patina maple leaf candle holder.

Baby Owl close up

FEBRUARY 2016 Day 29 Final Day of Month of Hearts

Hearts week 1

Hearts Week 2

Hearts Week 3

Hearts Week 4

Final Month's Hearts

 A whole month of hearts. Now on to something new!

Happy Leap Day to everyone. I read several articles this week that said today would be a super lucky day. I like the sound of that! May your day be filled with delightful and fun surprises, opportunities and experiences! Would love to hear of anything wonderful that comes your way today...leave a comment.

FEBRUARY 2016 Day 28 Into the Blue

Into the Blue

This week, a friend recounted some events she'd recently experienced and her response to those was a feeling of sadness. As she spoke, the sadness seemed to lift and her mood changed. After parting to get on with our days' activities, I felt a touch of lingering sadness. It was almost as if a tiny cloud had wrapped itself around me.  I wasn't sure what was contributing to it, other than it had been some kind of energy transfer. I allowed myself to feel my way through it and put this little felt together. "This too shall pass," it seemed to whisper to me as I sewed on the beads. And it did. That small sadness lifted, dissipated, and I was back up to speed. The only way out is through and it was ok to temporarily be "into the blue."

Into the Blue is made of needle and wet felted Corriedale and Merino silk with assorted stones and beads.

Tomorrow is the last day of the month long Heart Felt project. I'll be putting up collages of all the pieces I've done over the last four weeks.
Thank you for stopping by, having a peek and for leaving  kind comments! 

FEBRUARY 2016 Day 27 Bloomin Heart

Bloomin Heart

Got to see many lovely sunflowers during the painting challenge in January as Sheila Delgado presented her watercolor sunflower collection. Decided to do some 3-d versions and add silk throwsters and tiny glass beads as embellishments. Looking at the vases of flowers and close ups of individual blossoms with their delicate shading and subtle coloring, I had to play with the wool to create my own version of something flowery.

See Sheila's colorful and playful sunflower collection and find out more about her work HERE. 

Sunflower paintings by Sheila Delgado

Bloomin Heart is made of needle and wet felted Corriedale, silk throwsters and glass beads.

FEBRUARY 2016 Day 26 Keeper of the Heart

Keeper of the Heart

Chose to work 3-d today. Found this lovely vintage ceramic piece in a local opp shop and envisioned a pin cushion tucked inside. The natural medium shaded wool was the perfect color for a small bear, blues and greens for a tiny scarf to keep warm in winter, and red with green for the little heart he watches over.

Keeper of the Heart (4"x 4" x 9") is made of needle felted Corriedale, vintage ceramic piece and straight pins. 

Only a few more days of February Hearts. Now in search of a new theme for the long month of March...hmmmmm. Any ideas?