Freezing cold Monday!

After temps in the 70s that were out of the ordinary, we are back to some traditional late spring weather.   The weather is just so mixed up this year. It would have been nice to have May weather until May!

Despite that the sun is shining, the air is dry and  the days are longer.  It is one of my favorite times of year because spring is hiding just around the corner.

Speaking of hiding around the corner, these guys are hiding around one in my art area.  They are made by Fairyfelt by SiSo.   Her work is delightful and if I had more room and money and were much younger, I would acquire some of her larger pieces. These are so so cute and small...under 5 inches.  Two gnomes in red caps and a "gnomeling" in green.

Can one have too many gnomes or mushrooms?  Probably...but I am not in that category of less is more.  More is more!

What are you collecting?  I am collecting dust more than anything. It is a constant battle in the winter with the heat on.  Fortunately I have most items under domes now and they are much easier to keep dusted.  (Ever try to acquire dozens of domes?  Affordable domes?  A quest unto itself.)

Still wearing my safety pin.  Still looking at dolls and gnomes and mushrooms. Still aware of world and national events.  Learning to juggle...thoughts, not tennis balls.

Until the next time,

stay dust-free

and enjoy your day!

More little things...

Here are some little things...though they aren't made of paper.  They have all drifted in here and have been begging for a photo op.

This little Teddy bear is vintage and only around 6 inches tall.  He was made from scraps and has a shirt made out of floral feed sack.  I wonder what stories he could tell?  He looks well loved.  I can imagine someone making him as a special gift for a child.

 

As you can below, there is a tiny matchbook filled with animals and fencing to keep them in. There is a carved squirrel and a miniature rabbit on wheels.  The tallest is about an inch tall.

This little mouse is 4 inches tall and is made from felt and fabric. She is really a Christmas ornament, but I think she looks great on a stand and definitely has a high cuteness factor.

This darling mushroom lives under a glass dome and was a gift from a friend.  He is only a few inches tall and made by Heidi Kenney of My Paper Crane.   The wonderful teensy tiny mushrooms and house in a thimble are by Pixie Hill made by Nichola Battilana.  If you visit these artists, I know you will like their work.
  

Cute little  terrier is made from a chenille pipe cleaner.  He is less than 3 inches tall and as cute as can be. These figures can be from the 50's or 60's or even earlier. As you may or may not know, many artists use pipe cleaners in their work today.

There are other little things around here but they will have to wait.  These need to go back to their shelves and enjoy their own notoriety for a while and give up the space where they have been so patiently waiting!

The weekend is here and the weather continues to be summer like. Today there is less smog and humidity. Very strange for March to be speaking of such summery things!

As always,

happy weekend 

and 

enjoy the day!

It's beginning to look like...

It's beginning to look like...Christmas.  

Although we don't really entertain or decorate much any more, we enjoy a touch of holiday whimsy here and there...but because we adopted a cat, we will decorate even less this year.

We found her in a pet store where a rescue group rescues cats from kill shelters. We wanted a laid back adult kitty.  Our four elderly cat girls had passed on and we were cat-free and liking it.  Yet, we we were lured and Zephyr came home with us. 


She had been named Zephyr at the shelter and it suits her. She is a wild cat who gallops and pounces like a kitten even though she is supposed to be around three to four.  She has already caught mice, "killed" a rubber door stop and is working on the art of walking on everything...so limited decorating for sure this year!


A creche on the mantle from Israel made in olive wood has been safe so far...

And my dear friend April made a MAGNIFICENT Advent calendar for me which is residing in the kitchen.

As I work on Christmas projects, I must hide my work from Zephyr.  She would love to carry off these tiny felt Santas I made to sell as pins and ornaments.

The "culprit" is sleeping next to me and looking very innocent. See those little marks on the chair seat?  Guess how they got there...
 

Time to get ready for the gym.  And to make sure everything is out of harm's reach...

so as always,

enjoy the day!

The colors of fall...

Recently I won this giveaway

on Facebook

  from the very talented  

HandiCraftKate

It is the colors  of early autumn...smokey oranges and hazy blue green. It's felted onto a gossamer sheer scarf and is as light as a feather...and just gorgeous! Thank you, Kate!  If you check out her shop you will see that she takes wonderful photos of her work, too.  My apologies...the photo I took does NOT do the scarf justice.

It was in the 50's this morning, so autumn is on my mind though it officially starts a few weeks from now.  That summer heatwave is behind us now and Hurricane Irene, as well. However, the memory lingers on as people here in CT pick up the pieces.

Over at Martha and Jane we are giving away some more bedbugs.  We have a group on Facebook where the bedbugs live out their adorable/funny/goofy lives, so if you want to be part of the goofy bedbug world, leave a comment here.

It's a holiday weekend in the US, so many will be on the roads and celebrating with family and friends. Wishing you a safe and happy weekend, and as always,

enjoy the day!

 

Winnie the Pooh, Piglet and me....

I have loved the original Winnie the Pooh since early childhood.

Have you ever seen the actual animals that inspired the book? Piglet bears little resemblance to the illustrations by E. H. Shephard. This photo, from Flickr, shows the original animals at the New York City Public Library.


I never liked the cartoon version although it seems to be quite popular and a huge money maker in licensed products/movies.

The first time I ever made Piglet was when I was a teen. I sent him off to a friend in college. It was about 6 inches tall and made with a striped sock.

Today I decided to make a tinier Piglet. I think the wool felt I had is not quite the right pink but it still came our pretty cute. It's 3 inches tall. It's a pattern from an old book that includes all the characters in miniature. Not sure if I will make the rest of the characters or not.



The weather is worrisome across the USA with deadly storms and floods. My heart goes out to all those who have losses...especially those who have lost loved ones.

I was always cheered by the Winnie the Pooh books. Maybe that's why I returned to the books recently. It seems like all of human nature is compacted into those stories. 'Bet I've quoted from the books thousands of times.Which character are you? I think I have been all of them at one time or another!

"About as big as Piglet...my favorite size."

---Winnie the Pooh

As always,

enjoy the day!

Thinking ahead...

As luck would have it, it snowed again this weekend! Since we already have several feet of snow on the ground, it was rather annoying. Today it is pouring so it will wash away some snow. We couldn't help but notice how a local river is running very high. We live high on a hill so this is not a worry for us. But, there will be flooding and basement flooding for certain if this snow melts too quickly.

Since we stayed in most of the weekend, I worked on a few things this weekend. Here is a bunny made from cream colored felt. I am very pleased with the result. Although I love painting and drawing, sewing, and needle-felting, I really enjoy good old fashioned felt.



Of course, I am thinking ahead to spring and all the celebrations that come with it. Today is the last day of February. Now the days are longer and there is much more light!

Are you making anything? Have you made or collected any new dolls or animals? Have you been here? This is the CUTEST doll at one of my favorite blogs. Beth's work is wonderful...and it certainly makes me think spring!

Back to work here...and another cup of coffee! As always,

enjoy the day!

Hedgehog on a snow day...

The winter is so upside down. It has snowed and snowed...after a scorching hot summer. The weather is just not as usual...so we have been staying in quite a lot lately. Is snowed again on Monday, so...

what to do? What to make?

I decided to try a hedgehog. Some of you might now, they are incredibly popular amongst the "artsy set" and lovers of kawaii. Some of us have always liked them. Beatrix Potter introduced me to my first adorable hedgehog...The Tale of Tiggy-Winkle.

Now they are everywhere...on paper, fabric, in stuffed animals, etc. Steiff produced some of the cutest and whimsical and the vintage ones are quite adorable. New hedgies on Etsy are adorable as well...just type in hedgehog.

So, I decided to try one in felt with some really crazy fabric I had here. I say "crazy" because it falls apart at you cut it. The guy who cut it in the fabric store tried to talk me out of it because he knew what would happen. He was covered with the fabric as was the cutting table and everything around it.


After making a pattern and tweaking I came up with this hedgie. She informed me she is a girl and would like an apron and some accessories. She is 3 inches high and in a sitting position permanently. She says her name is Hedda and I believe her. Hedda is not needle felted. She is sewn. I think I need to make her some friends. I do love working in wool felt.

What are you working on? What are you doing to stay busy if it snowing where you are? Sigh...the vernal equinox is March 20, 2011. I wonder if it will continue to snow here?

Back to work...as always,

enjoy the day!

Introducing Merrissa Souriska!

This very charming mousie

came home from doll club with me.

Her name is Merrissa Souriska

and she in the Danse de Sylphides

She is a vintage ballerina and beautiful constructed. She is signed by Robert Hines. I have not been able to find much info on her maker except for an abstract artist by that name. No matter...she is as charming as can be and is now residing under a glass dome. (FYI: Souris is French for mouse so we may have a word play homage to the Ballet Russe which was based in Paris.)

Even though it is the middle of winter and we have several feet of snow on the ground, it was 67F degrees yesterday! There was a little melting and a lot of happiness over this weather fluke!

I hope you are enjoying the weekend....and as always,

enjoy the day!

Critterz...

Works in progress

Works finished!

Work in progress

Work finished!

Here are some projects from the past few days. The top critters are made from "spun cotton." Spun cotton ornaments were made many years ago by wrapping cotton over framework like wire or card board and then painting and embellishing. I have been trying to incorporate my drawings into figures, so this is one way to do it.

The gnome is made from felt. It was a pattern from a magazine back in the day when soft sculpture was often made with pantyhose. In the 80's, I made and sold lots of soft sculpture at shows and in galleries. Now all that stuff is "new" again. I enjoyed making the gnome and am loving working with felt.

Another week has flown by. You might wonder if I do anything else but makes arty things. Housework, errands, appointments, commissions, dolls, fill up my week as well as time with my husband, Yorkie, family events and all the other stuff we all do in the course of any week. Like everybody I know, I am wondering why times seems to go by so fast these days--though it takes me longer to accomplish stuff! What's with that?

enjoy the day...

and happy weekend!

New England Felting Supply

Front window entrance

Gallery

Supplies for wet felting and needle felting

Vanessa modeling a scarf

A sea of color

Bolts of felt

Beautiful colors

Display area

Cobweb felt

Worth the trip from anywhere...

New England Felting Supply, Easthampton, MA...

A picture tells a thousand words. I hope these photos convey how really wonderful a visit to this store can be. If you love felting, this is a must-see place. If you cannot visit in person, drop by the website.

Owned by Christine White, the author of Uniquely Felt, the shop is in a converted movie theater. The ceiling is really high and the store has so much artistic appeal, it is hard to take it in all at once. (I think I will need to visit again.) Vanessa, whom you see modeling a scarf, was really patient and helpful. She showed me around and graciously explained all the different types of wool available. The majority of beautiful felted items you see were made by Christine White herself. Her work is exquisite.

There are classes available and many places to stay nearby. Very coincidentally, I had taken a photo quite near the store last summer and never knew the shop was there. There are shops on the left side of the photo to the left of the trees.

Did I buy anything? Of course! Hopefully, I will be able to needle felt something this week with my new batting and needles.

Hope you enjoyed this visit and enjoy your day!

A project or two....

My friend and I are trading pets on blocks this week. Above you see a very miniaturized version of Hank, my Yorkie, on an old toy block embellished with paper. I have a few more embellishments to add but have to wait for for some glue to dry.

We were inspired by and article in this magazine called "puppy love."

I have been thinking a lot about felt animals since April sent me Mr. Rat. T. Rat. Yesterday I made him a companion. Not sure where this will all lead. Somehow, I think that baby rodents are NOT in the future.


Meanwhile, back at the ranch, we have had yet another bad storm. Everything is coated with ice and slippery. It is pretty in its own way but very difficult to navigate by foot.

I know that some of my readers are in much warmer climates where there is no snow at all. Right now, I find that hard to imagine. In the past 24 hours, our furnace went out. It was repaired rapidly within three hours much to our surprise. The prospect of being without heat too long was frightening. On Saturday , the water mains on our street froze and were without water for 12 hours. We take conveniences for granted and miss them so badly when they are on the fritz.

Thanks for dropping by this hodgepodge world of DollzandThingz. Enjoy the day wherever you are, whatever the weather!

I smell a rat....

Not really! But, a little rat has come to live here. His maker, the very talented April Ross of Little Rock, AR, says he is a rascal and I should be aware of it. She should know! She is an artist, puppeteer needle felter and the creator of stories. April doesn't have a web site but here are some photos she has sent me over the years.


See the painting in her studio? That is Big Al. He is no longer with us but he was April's best buddy. She has other dogs in her life, but Big Al was very special. When he became disabled, April saw to it that he had a dog wheelchair so he could get around. She is a wonderful mother to her dogs and they are a bunch of characters who are lucky that she took them into her life. ( She is a prolific artist, too.)


April made this bear. Isn't he just grand? April is truly talented!

Let me introduce you to Josh and Vinetta. They are marionettes who live in a world of their own. April has created an environment for them that is enchanting. They are in a festive party mode here!


When a package arrives at April's home, they are frequently involved! Here they are when I sent a birdhouse to April.


I have known April for several years. We met through mutual friends on the Internet. We may never meet in person but, we have so many interests in common and so many coincidences that it is uncanny. When I posted my new little burro here the other day, April wrote that she has the whole collection (and sent me a photo!). She had also received a greeting card with a burro on it around the time I posted. We had never discussed burros!

This past weekend she put on an elaborate puppet show for a birthday party in the toy shop where she works. Lucky children! I saw the photos and the kids had a ball. She builds fabulous sets which she paints and makes her puppets come to life.

If you read this, April, Mr. Rat T. Rat is nearby. He is a charmer for sure and I am not much of a mouse lover in real life. But I love HIM! He is so cute and so funny. What can I say?

I hope you enjoyed reading about April and her creativity. I could have written much much more..her story telling with photos is precious.

Much to do here today. I would rather make dolls or art but have a few chores and errands that need some care.

Enjoy your day!

It's pink and blue world in bloglandia. Most of the creative and artistic blogs are done up in pretty pastel colors: pink, blue, and aqua. These are the colors of my childhood and it is nice to see them around again. Pink and brown, aqua and brown, pink and blue....so pretty.

We tend towards earthier colors in my corner of the world so I don't make to many forays into the realm of pastels, though love them when I see them.

So, when I wanted to make something to donate to my doll club auction, it seemed natural to follow this creative trend. Here is a make-do pincushion with a jelly jar for a base. The blue bird is made from felt and I used a pattern by Runo, a wonderful Japanese doll maker. The rest of it is made from stuff from my "fabric stash."

I think it would look nice displayed in a doll room. Most of the gals in my club collect antique bisque dolls. One of them collects antique sewing machines and I have seen her collection. This would fit right into her decor, too. So, I think there will be bidding.

We have a heat wave here. The heat index will be 104 here today. I am grateful for having air conditioning. I hope that this is not a sign of the summer to come. After all, it hasn't even started yet. It is still spring.

Enjoy your day.

Those dear felt magnet/ornaments....

I thought it would be fun to show some close-ups of the ornaments I found at auction. They do have some age on them. It is funny how we like to buy new things that have been aged with tea or paint, but shy away from real things with real age on them. We don't always value natural aging, but trend towards reproductions made to look old.

I do value older things more than reproductions, so I am entranced with the work in these vintage magnets and/or ornaments. The day after I won them, I saw a handful of the same ones on eBay. There were five magnets from the same patterns and the price exceeded what I paid of the lot of nearly fifty. Someone else must have found them as charming as I do!

As I look at them, I try to imagine applying the sequins, sewing the beads, and who they were made by and for. They are most likely from the 60's or 70's. The owl was an icon in the early 70's. Maybe they were a kit by Bucilla or some other needlework company. I guess I am truly entranced because it is the kind of project I did as a child or teenager when life was far simpler and I first started giving hand made gifts to people.

Nostalgia dates oneself...and I just dated me!

Enjoy your day!