Learning Needle Felting

I've been learning needle felting because I needed ANOTHER hobby. LOL

Seriously, I saw some little needle felted animals online and just fell in love with them, and I naturally thought, "I can do that!"

I've been looking at you tube videos and other instructional sites and decided to give it a try. The other day hubby and I were near a Hobby Lobby, so I went in to see if they had the tools and roving wool. They had sold out of several things, but they did have a couple of these little kits left for $5.00. It contained everything I needed to give needle felting a try, two  punching needles, black and white yarn, a foam block to punch into, a pattern already stamped onto a pocket, and simple instructions.

I started working on it that night and then skipped a couple of days and finished it in just a few minutes today. Now that I have the hang of it, I could do this flower in probably half an hour. It goes pretty fast. I love it! It's one of those projects that is conducive to listening to my mp3 player while sorting out the stuff swirling around in my head. It's a good frustration venter too. You do have to watch your fingers though. The needles are very sharp and have a little burr on the end that tangles the yarn when you punch it through.

Basically, you tear off some roving wool yarn, put it on your pattern and over the foam block, then with one or more needles held straight up, you jab the needle(s) straight up and down on the yarn into the block, thus fastening it to the base. My kit had the pattern on a pice of white felt, which could be used as a pocket on a felt purse, or you could cut the flower out and applique it to jeans, pillows, whatever. I chose to cut it out to applique.

The flower in the kit, as you can see, was supposed to be black with white. However, since I had bought a small  bag of different colored yarns, I decided to make mine white with pink. I'm considering adding a pink tinge around the petal edges. The top of the flower has a felted feeling to it and the underneath is fuzzy.

I am anxious to try some animals, but I need a little more practice first. I did okay on the flower for a first attempt and I learned, but it takes a little practice to get the density right, so it's a little lumpy. Like me! :)

I LOVE learning new things, and this was fun, so I thought I'd share it with you all...

Arty Girlz, CED, and Mojoart

The Arty Girlz challenge this week is flowers, and although my doll/tulip doodle sketch painting isn't about flowers per se, it does have one in it. :) It's also one of my Creative Every Day entries.

This is another double page art journal entry in my Moleskine sketchbook, done Monday, and right now it's exactly how I feel, as I have gained a lot of weight here lately, added to my already overweight body. The tulip in my drawings kind of represents my dad, whom I miss terribly. They were one of his favorite flowers.

Anyway, for this journal entry I decided to experiment with Golden fluid acrylics, which are thin and mostly transparent, much like watercolors. I still used a black sharpie on the outlines, but painted over the lines some. I started to make the white dots on her hands and feet rounder, but I decided that I liked them kind of ragged. I enjoyed the acrylics for a change and am also using them on the canvas painting I have started. The text was added digitally. I may or may not do some more to the doodle, but, in the meantime, I hope she makes you smile. :)

"2 Hearts Connected"

This one is an atc doodle sketch, done in inktense pencils (ink in pencil form)/water/black sharpie, and digital text. I've entered it in my Mojoart group challenge for this month.

Thanks for visiting! Have a blessed day! :)

Inspire Me Thurs & Tissue Carnation

The challenge for this week at inspire me Thursday was a handmade gift. I'm running a bit late on it. I was dressing an art doll to share, but ran out of time.

Yesterday, I got to thinking about my grandmother teaching me to make paper flowers when I was little (I'm going to write an article on my other blog about it soon), and wondered if I could still make them. I didn't have any crepe paper or colored tissues, so I used a white tissue, dipped in wc and let dry, then folded, cut, tied, and seperated into this little carnation. I used a wire bread tie, because that is what I had handy, and I put it in an old glass Vicks Salve jar. It just may turn up ON someone's gift at Christmas. :)

Have a great day!

IMT-Tables

The Inspire Me Thursday challenge this time is Tables, so I thought I'd share my art/writing/dining table with you. It's a little messy, but that's how I like it. It looks really good in this picture compared to what it looks like right now. :) I usually do my computer stuff and writing on one side of the table, my art stuff on the other, and other necessary "stuff" gets mixed together in the middle. :)

On second thought, I'll show you what it looks like right now (the bottom two pictures-sorry about the quality). Should I be ashamed? LOL

Needless to say, we do very little dining on this table. :)

Remembering Daddy

Tulips were one of daddy's favorite flowers, so this little watercolor painting is for him. He left us unexpectedly on Nov. 11, 2004, four years ago, and not a day goes by that I don't miss sharing my life with him. All the little day to day things. He is always in my heart and I feel his presence around me continually. He was a good dad, and though I'm a senior citizen now, I'm still his "Baby Girl." Always will be.

Iris...Is it Real....Or Not?

This one is real (see the rose from a couple of days ago). Mama found it growing volunteer in the end of the garden last week. Don't you just love the color? It's the large variety. Notice the fancy vase?

She has several flowers blooming right now. Her lilac bush is really pretty this year, and her little bunch of red tulips too. Her pink peony is loaded with buds, but her white one only has a few.

Irises are pretty, as are all flowers, but the white peony is my favorite. I absolutely love the white peony scent. The other colors don't smell the same, although they are just as beautiful. When my maternal grandparents were living they always gave me their first peony bloom every spring. If I didn't stop by, Papa would bring it to me. Now Mama does, and one of her first daffodils.

I have a white peony bush, but it doesn't do much. My fault. It hasn't been worked or taken care of for a few years. I'm surprised it's still living. It had a couple of buds this year, but the frost killed them. I'll just help Mama enjoy hers. :)

Most of my flowers have gone to flower heaven, as I have accumulated a few cats and they think I pot and plant flowers for them to dig in, lay on, or swing in. I even tried putting a long planter of cacti on the outside kitchen window sill over the sink. I got up one morning to find a cat laying on the cactus. He thought I'd fixed him a bed, I reckon. I just gave up trying. I miss the flowers (good therapy), but I like the cats too (also good therapy). I guess sometimes you have to sacrifice one thing in order to have another. Anyone know how to keep cats out of where you don't want them?

I don't know how I got from irises to peonies to cats, so I'll quit while I'm ahead...or behind...or whatever. :) Have a great week!