Bohemian Owl Necklace

Just a quick little post today.

This sweet Bohemian owl necklace already has a home thanks to a post on Facebook, but I could not resist sharing.

Between the polymer beads are bamboo felt and vintage book page tube beads.

The whole piece is fun and a little funky.

Some pieces beg to be noticed.

This is one of them.

Hope you  have a great week.

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Felt Snowman Ornaments

Remember I wanted to share a couple ornaments with you each month?

These little hand-stitched felt snowmen are the perfect little project when it is cold outside.

Just think, an evening of stitching while watching your favorite movie will leave you with several cute snowmen for Christmas 2015.

You will need:

felt (I used white, orange and a pale blue)

buttons

scissors

a circle to trace in the size you want (a glass, small plate, bowl)

thread (I love using cotton crochet thread)

a needle

marker

stuffing

Trace and cut out two circles.

Cut a carrot nose shape from the orange felt.

Stich the eyes and nose to one of the circles.

Blanket stitch the circle.

Before closing, stuff with a little bit of poly-fill stuffing.

Finish stitching closed.

Add a loop of thread for your hanger.

The next little guy is similar.

Use two pieces of the light blue felt for your circles.

Trace a white circle and trim away some of it so the blue felt shows along the one edge.

Stitch and stuff as described before.

I ususally do things in steps.

I trace all my pieces.

Cut out all my pieces.

Lay the pieces for each ornament together .

Then I sit down to start stittching.

I love hand sewing.

 I find it very relaxing...

It is perfect for this time of year when it is so cold outside.

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Stiffened Fabric Snowmen Ornaments

Now that Christmas is over, I realized I still had lots of ornaments I never got a chance to share with you.

I don't want to wait until next year...

So I decided to share a couple each month throughout the year.

  If you make a few with me each time, we will both have enough for gifts and tree decorating come December 2015.

Today I want to share some stiffened fabric snowmen.

They are perfect for this time of year.

I start by cutting circles and ovals from a variety of fabrics.

Then I mix white glue, a strong coffee mixture, and some ground cinnamon.

I wear latex gloves and dip each piece of fabric in the glue mixture.

Make sure it is completely saturated with the mixture.

Then I squeeze it out and flatten it out.

I lay it on a tray to dry.

Then the fun begins...

This fellow is made from white felt.

He gets a cinnamon stick nose, button eyes and a piece of garland for a halo.

To hang, he has a twirled piece of rebar wire.

The next little fellow is made from a scrap of old bedspread.

His nose is a scrap of orange felt.

Cheesecloth serves as a raggedy scarf.

He also has a twisted wire hanger but it is more of a spiral.

This little guy had his nose glued on before I stained and stiffened him.

It gives him a different look.


He is also made from Warm and Natural cotton batting.

Little half-round eyes, blush cheeks and a scrap of homespun give him his look.

For the hanger, I just glued a piece of twine to the back of the circle.

I am always amazed how changing an element can change the snowman's whole personality.

A different shaped base, varied buttons and homespun in different colors and patterns can change the whole look of him or her.

These are a quick and easy craft.

One you could easily do with children.

I think they would love squeezing out the gooey glue.

The fabric buttons give this guy a different look at well.

Changing the angle of the nose makes quite a difference.

Whether you have snow where you are now or not, I hope you feel inspired to make some little snowfolk of your own.

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Sweet Felt Mushroom and Mice Cups

Today I wanted to share some sweet felted mushrooms....

I made this last winter and am ready to make some more soon.

They are just felt with some wool wisps and some poly-fill.

My base fabric came from the thrift store...

Such a score...

It was still on the bolt.

The taller mushrooms have a piece of rebar wire in the stem so it is anchored to the base better and I can bend and angle the mushroom.

The wool wisps were needle felted in the top to make the spots on the top of the mushroom.

This next photo is my favorite.

No filters or any changing of the tones...

It was just the result I got when I took the picture from underneath.

I was trying to show the stitching under the mushroom.

I actually use that photo as my avatar sometimes...

These make me smile...

I put my mushrooms in little containers from the thrift store.

I like that cups and such have some weight to hold them in place.

I also did some of these mushrooms with little mice.

I got the pattern from Rhythm and Rhyme.

I used sweet little yarn tails for my mice.

The mouse adds a charming touch.

You can see the underside of the mushroom here. 

 I stitched string to look like the gills underneath the mushroom.

I need to do some more mice with lighter thread I think...

Although I liked the quirkiness of this guy when I made him.

I even added acorn cap hats to a couple...

I gave several of these away when I made them to close friends and family.

I sold a couple at my fall show.

I only have two left...I think I need to settle in with the wood stove lit and a cozy fire to do some stitching.

Thanks for stopping by...

Linking up with these great blogs....