New necklace

This was the simplest necklace I have ever made but I love it. I bought some Hill Tribe Silver starfish in varying sizes and a pair of earrings.

I had planned on using pearls but did not have as many as I wanted and just was not happy with the look. I went through my stash and found a hank of these beautiful pastel glass tube beads. I held them up to the starfish and loved the look. So, I attached the starfish to one strand, tied the strands together, and used Bali Silver cones to hide the knots. I then straightened the ear wires on the earrings and added two beads to each wire then bent back into place. So now the earrings match the necklace. There is a lot of silver on this necklace, but I love the simplicity of it. I call the piece Stars of the Sea.

New Alphabet Pets & I won a contest

I have completed the second and third of my Alphabet Pets. The second one, B is for Bunny goes to Tania for choosing the name I would have used if it wasn't already being used so much. Isn't she just the cutest? She is only 1 1/4 inches tall.
The third one is a leopard appaloosa horse. All those spots were so much fun.

H is for Horse is now up for auction on Ebay. Here is a link to his auction.

http://tinyurl.com/d398ax Please check it out.

And while yo are there, click on View Seller's Other Items and check out the auction for Alfred. Alfred is the winner of Third Place in an International Needle Felting contest through www.bearycheap.com. He won third after two adorable needle felted animals. I think that is great. I mean we all know how endearing cute little animals are. So, for my Alfred, just a man, to rank up there with adorable little animals is quite an accomplishment. I plan on making more Needle Felted dolls in my LIFE LIKE line, and Alfred is the first. So here is your chance to get the first in a series of needle felted collectibles and when I become famous, he will be worth lots of money. Really! Think about it. Besides, every tie you walk past him, you won't be able to help but smile back at him. So he will always make your home a happy one.

Been a while - my newest line of needle felts

I have started a new line of needle felts. I am calling them Alphabet Pets. I went to an auction and got a big box of kids blocks. I knew immediately what I wanted to do if I got them and I won the bidding. So, I came home with this idea, but couldn't think of a name. So I held a contest on my needle felting group

The name I wanted to go with was Alhapets, but when googled, there were tons of things out there with that name. So,. I went with my second choice, Alphabet Pets. The two lovely ladies whose names I chose each get an Alphabet Pet. Mary, who came up with Alphabet Pets got the one you see here. The very first one in the series. Tania, who came up with Alphapets gets the second one I am going to make.

Each one will be signed and numbered and come with a Certificate Of Authenticity. Not sure if I am going to put them on Ebay or open an Etsy store.

It isn't easy needle felting this small. Each one will be firmly felted, and glued to a block. I will be doing all sorts of animals, and will keep you posted on new ones.

Look What I Found

This morning, after doing my morning feeding, I had to work on clearing out the hay loft. I am throwing the hay bales down into the hay room and cleaning the loft to prepare for the new hay. The hay was stacked up there two deep and when I got the first row thrown down, I saw what I thought were two kittens. I picked them up to move them so the mama would take care of them, and there was two tiny raccoons in my hands. I knew the mama would not accept them now that I had handled them and the barn cats might kill them. So, I brought them home and put them in a box with a blanket. We were spending the whole day splitting wood today, and Liz, the owners daughter was coming to help. She is a wildlife rehabilitater, and Judy called and told her about my find. Liz said she would take them. I was so thrilled, because Zoomer said if she didn't, we would have to put them out in the woods and they would never survive. They are only 3 weeks old, and their eyes aren't open yet.
I got to feed them today while Liz worked on splitting wood. There is a male and a female. The male is real calm and the female screamed a lot. Liz, who has raised a lot of baby coons, said the females are always more active and louder.
I wish I could raise them. It would be so cool, even knowing they would have to be released back into the wild. She says she teaches them to wash their food in creeks and how to find food, then at six months she has to release them. She says it breaks her heart because she has to chase them off and make them afraid of her, or they would just walk up to any human. She doesn't like that part, and neither would I.
Aren't they just the cutest little darlings.

Dottee Doll Swap

I have been making some fun little dolls for a group swap They are called Dottee dolls. Dotee Dolls were created by a woman named Dotee in Australia http://dotslifeandart.blogspot.com/2008/01/dotee-doll-fervour.html. Dottee Dolls have a loop for hanging, a tail of some sort, usually beads. They normally range from 3 to 6 inches. They usually do not have arms or legs. It is a good way to use up your scrap material and other crafty items like beads, yarn, etc. They are quick and easy to make and very addictive.



I decided to try something different with my. I always have to be different. LOL! Instead of using color or printed material, I used lace and stuffed them with colored wool. I really like the effect. I used faces I got from SpeedieBeadie Dot in a face swap a while back. They are printed on cloth, so not real heavy. I used scrap yarn for the hair, and on the tail of the second one.

Also on the tails, I used beads that I did not have a lot of so really couldn't use them for most of my jewelry I make. The blue/green and the red one have an earring on them that I lost the mates to. The purple one has a cute button.

I am really happy with them, and will probably make more although I do not know what I will do with them. I hope whoever gets these will like them. I always worry about that whenever I do a swap. Dottee dolls are very easy and quick to make. I have seen some amazing Dottees, very unique and creative. It is amazing the different ideas people come up with for them.

Remember, if you click on the pictures, it will take you to a larger version to see them better. Thanks for visiting.