I'm Back!

Okay! I'm finally back after having a host of issues and diffuculties. I had a bunch of outdoor shows in April, and a T-storm that took out our satellite modem and then I was traveling to Muskogee, Ok in May for the Oklahoma Renaissance Faire. I'm actually still recovering from a bronchitis thing. (I thought I'd have to due telepathic readings for a while because I practically lost my voice) My house definately hasn't recovered from me being gone all this time... much less my crafting.

However, I have a bunch of things to photograph and get up on Etsy post-hast. I also got a new car! An roomy Honda element that my husband and I call jokingly "The Elephant". This car will be fanstastic for my crafts shows and ren faires. I want to actually sleept in it come Texas Ren Faire. It also looks like I'll be involved in Team Etsy Austin more and organizing the Team Store Site.

Okay, so for now I'm cleaning up around in and trying to impose some order to the chaos!

Gnome Sweet Gnome

Okay I finally finished another felting piece. I still have alot of things in the works or in idea stage but finding the time to actually concentrate is hard. My head is alway jumping ahead of my hands... well and I've had 10 little distractions. Yes, the baby rats! quick 'plaining for people who might this and go eww... rats! I foster litters for Hearts of Texas Rattery, who are dedicated to breeding quality pet rats with the sweetest temperments and beautiful colors and best health possibly. I get to raise baby critters without contributing to irresponsible breeding. I don't have to worry that my babies will be dinner for something else or fall into the wrong hands. HOT carefully screens potential adopters and right now there's a long waiting list!

So my mama rat is named Mei Mei, which is a Firefly reference, and means Little Sister in Chinese. She had 10 perfect wriggle kiddos on the 22nd of March. We just a two week birthday and I just saw their eyen starting to open last night. Check out the slideshow in the previous post for unbearable cuteness and awws... http://www.heartoftexasrats.com/

Anyway I finished a lovely mushroom ring and a little gnome guardian to go with it. I'm hoping to make a series of mushroom or fairy rings each with a different attendant guardian. I also found the most interesting needle felting site the other day and over stretched budget to buy Ayala's books. http://www.fiberfanatics.com/default.html She was one of the first people to begin sculpting with wool in the 80's. I actually own very few books on needlefelting... I pretty much figured things out by trial and error instead. Sometimes this is okay, it works out with great results. Other times is a frustrating crazyness and I put my wool and needles up and start playing the Sims. So sad.

So I love my gnome! He was a little thing I'd started and was barely shaped then it just started coming together like magic. Magic's like, isn't? And all those little mushrooms are so nice and firm... I really dislike felting that looks like a cat coughed up something artful. The just came out great I did the caps totally separately and then attached the stems. The base was made on a recycled sweater and I felted backwards.... I felted light green on the underside of the ground piece to get an effect like actual moss growing. I had some very nice natural alpaca roving that I used to felt all around the edges of the base... it looks just like dirt. I stuffed the hill with some fiber fill and felted a hollow in the center... this ring would also be a perfect place to rest crystals or stones. There's also a little joke in the name of the gnome. Silly Simeon. I keep telling people and no one's gotten it yet.

On to next project.. but first a baby rat snuggle!

My New Baby Rats

Simply Amazing

Okay, this felted playscape in the pic above was conceived and created (helped with a few tips and pointers from me but really, not a lot) by an 9yr old friend of mine, Raina. Can I just say, "Holy... and wow?" I never cease to be amazed and stunned by the power of kids imaginations. I was watching Raina and her sister, Star, age 7 this evening and last time they were over here I showed them how to needle felt. I've taught kids and adults before and even though there's some trepidation about letting them handle a sharp and pointy needle they are really really good at it. Star's naturally really patient at artistic things and she took to it right away. She made a bunny and a turtle. Raina's isn't nearly as patient, but I love this... she said she felt that this could make her more patience. Working towards something and making it yourself. The last time she was over she started this, (I thought) really ambitious project of covering this felt square in green and making this felted river.. and she was saying I want squirrels and bunnies and trees to pop up out of it.. I'm thinking 5min maybe.. 10 min tops and then it'll be, hey where's the Tv remote? Nope... Tonight she's finished the "ground" painstakingly felting greens into this dark background and then she's like.. hmm, what's the best way to make a tree? I give it a thought and show her and viola! she's making tree after tree...

We did end up staying up way past bedtime... because then we had to make (I made these) flowers and toadstools and we used a bunch of little felted animals I'd already made to play in it... But I'm really proud of her.. Raina made this, and I showed her how. The white tree is a scyamore... She's already planning another installment, maybe a cave... she's also very enterprising, because I'd said I'd seen similair playscapes on Etsy... she wants to make one to sell. Yeah, I'm a little proud of that too.

I love it when a plan comes together!

Getting everything together for the Etsy Austin Team booth was a monumental task that really came together pratically like clockwork. I'm sure that accounts will vary, but everytime I was at the booth in front of Hill Country Weavers it seemed very smooth and we I can't believe we did it! It was awesome getting the swags bags toghether and all the promo items and the coupons... I'm mean it was a huge task and we all contributed alot to the whole thing... so cool to see it happen.

I had a great time doing the needlefelting demos... it was alot of fun. Talking Etsy to folks and just watching the crowds, hearing music coming from somewhere (everywhere). I feel really lucky to be apart of such a great scene and I'm glad that Austin's not afraid to claim its weirdness title.

I hope everyone had a great time! Check out the flickr site for more great pics....

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gypsyharte/

Promoting SXSW and Handmade in Austin

The Etsy Austin Team is getting busy preparing our promotional swag for SXSW thats up coming in March. A bunch of things are going in these bags, that, themselves, are being handmade out of recycled t-shirts. They'll be sporting a really cool silkscreened logo.... and many folks of Team Etsy Austin are preparing some interesting and fun items, stickers, earrings, charms, coupons and much more to fill out the bag. Here's some pics of us at our first Swag Bag sewing bonanza! Beth of Snuggleherd... and our fearless crew!

Come SXSW time we'll be hitting the streets giving away bags and doing demos and selling Etsy things in front Hill Country Weavers on South Congress. Meanwhile its back to sewing machine!

I'm in Treasury!

So much fun! I'm in a treasury, chosen by Rabbitthorns from Over the Rainbow...
its called "Counting Sheep" and it features all thing made from recycled wool.
Check it out and remember to click through and leave a comment and the page could move up the lists!
http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=37212