Friendship Spirit Doll

I am in a swap group, and one of the swaps I joined in on was a doll swap.  I decided to do a beaded doll.  I really like doing these, and want to do more.  This one has beaded hair.  I used a polymer clay face that I got in a swap a couple years ago.  I liked the purple used on the face and tried to match that with the beading around the face and the hair.  I had a lot of fun doing this one and I hope her recipient likes her.  She is about 5" tall, maybe 6" with her hair.

Peace Felt 2010

I joined a wonderful project started by Marie Spaulding of Living Felt called Peace Felt 2010.  Check out http://www.peacefelt.org/index.html  As usual, I am a little behind, but I finally finished my project and will be mailing it to Scotland, to a wonderful woman, Valerie, who has a craft store/gallery and will be hanging my piece in her gallery.  This made me very nervous, but I believe I have created something worth hanging in a gallery.
Peace is something I have always dreamed of for this world.  A world full of love and joy and caring for one another.  To me, the purist symbol of Peace is a white dove.  This was the basis of my creation.
The Earth is needle felted onto a florist foam ball to keep the piece light for hanging.  The dove is 100% wool.  I really enjoyed making this creation and it is one of the biggest pieces I have made.  I did the land masses on the Earth by freehand, so I must admit that they are not exactly true to their placement on the real Earth.  Each feather on the doves tail and wings was made separately then added on.

Just curious, does anyone else notice in the picture of me holding the piece, that it seems to be glowing, or is it just me?

Update on BFAC project and I am in tears over it;

Well,I have not slept since Saturday night.  I guess I made my doll too big, because I just could not get it beaded fast enough.  And, since I started working, it really cut into my time I had to work on it.  I got home from work yesterday at 5pm and started working on it and I was still working on it at 9am the next morning.  I had to mail it before work as the  post office would be closed when I got off work.  I rushed getting dressed and packaging the doll, and drove like a maniac to the post office, hoping I would not end up late for work.  It is mailed.  It is post marked today per instructions.  I hurried and took pictures for entering into the contest.
Now, here is why I am in tears.  First, I wanted to bead the whole doll, but just could not do it.  I ran out of time.  So, I painted the doll with a dark bronze metallic paint and it really set off the colors of the beads.   So I am thinking, okay, it is not totally beaded, but it doesn't look too bad.  I go to work.  I really do not know how I made it working 7 hours with no sleep, but I did.  I come home.  I download the pictures.  Now this is where the tears start. 
As I look at the pictures, I notice that I did not finish beading a certain area that I was outlining with the bronze beads.  I had figured, okay, it is not totally beaded as I wanted to do, but no one else would know.  But when I saw this in the pictures, well it is very obvious.  There is also knots and thread showing that would have been covered if she was totally beaded.  I had hoped that the paint would cover them and blend them in.  I was too tired to notice this morning that it  did not do this, until I saw the pictures.

Then, I am sitting at my craft table and move a paper, and there under the paper is a packet of crystals from the kit, unopened.  I am filled with dread and the tears begin again.  The rules state that you have to use at least one of each bead in the kit.  If yo do not follow the rules, your piece will be returned, you have to pay a donation of $50 and you will  be banned from next years project.  I thought I had used all the beads, but there it was, the unopened package hiding under a paper. 

I am so upset., I can barely see to type this.  BFAC is very important to me and I planned on doing it every year for as long as they have it.  Now I am going to be banned from it.  My pictures show so many imperfections and because of that and knowing my piece will be returned, I am not even going to bother sending in the pictures.  I worked so long on this and it is not going to be used. 
Well, here are the pictures, anyway.I am really embarrassed to be showing you, but I promised, so here they are.  I really had high hope that my doll would bring in some good money in next years auction, as dolls really seem to do we.  Now, she will not even be in the auction, after losing a whole nights sleep trying to get her finished.

BFAC Project

Okay, I finally got those pictures I promised.  Beading For A Cure puts together a kit each year, which you purchase, then you make a project that they will auction off the following Spring. This is my second year participating and I really enjoy it.  I love the colors in the kit this year - purples and bronzes.  You are allowed to add one type of bead/color.  I chose a blue because blue is a healing color.  I made my very first doll form for this project that I am calling Healing Dance Spirit Doll.  I am using a polymer clay face that I have been holding onto for a couple of years now waiting  for the right project.  I got it off of Ebay, but I cannot remember who made it.  Sorry about that.
Here is the kit

 These are the beads I added

Here is the face I used.  I love this face, it says Spirit to me

 I did one of the Reiki healing symbols called Cho Ku Rei in the blue to add healing energy.

I also added green Jade cabachons to the front and back.

 I am doing blue spirals all over the doll.

Here are full frontal and back views of the doll.  Remember, this is my very first hand sewn doll I have ever made from drawing the pattern to sewing and stuffing myself.

So that is the start of my project.  I will keep you updated on its progress.

Arts and Crafts and new blog

I have decided that from here on out, this blog will be solely for my Arts and Crafts happenings.  I have started a new blog called Simple Living by Cat http://simplelivingbycat.blogspot.com/   for everything else going on in my life.  Tomorrow, I will be posting here about my BFAC beaded doll that I am doing.  Need to get some pictures first.

New life, icicles and new felties

We have a new addition at the farm.  I am no longer caretaker there, but I still go twice a day to feed the animals.  We have a new baby lamb.  I found her brother dead, but she is thriving.  One of the yearling ewes also lost her baby.  It was premature and stillborn.  Here is the new one.   She is 5 days old.

 

I just love her markings.  She has a white ring around the base of each ear and her tail is totally white.  She has the black heart on her left knee that all this ewe's babies seem to have.

There is a cliff area near us that gets the most spectacular icicles every winter.  I finally got some pictures.

 

That is Zoomer standing in front of them to give you an idea of the size.  He is 5' 10".

 

I was waiting for his tongue to get stuck.  Didn't happen.  He said they were melting and too wet for his tongue to stick.  I really love this next picture.  Lovely.  I think I will enlarge this one and frame it.

I have a couple new felties done also.  The first one is a bunny rabbit that is on his way to his new mommy in England.  This is his second head.  The first head I made was way to big with a rally big nose.  I like his new head better.  The first picture is with the first head, and the second one is with his new and improved head.

 

  

Now, this next one is the old bunny head with new ears and nose, and he has now morphed into a puppy.  The snout works so much better as a puppy then a bunny, don't you think?  I had a hard time giving this one up, but he is on his way to Ohio with the mermaids to be sold in a shop called Really Cool Stuff in West Milton, Ohio.

 

  

And lastly, one of my felting groups had a challenge to needle felt a piece of jewelry.  So I made a snake necklace.  It is adjustable and can be worn as a necklace, choker, or wrapped around the upper arm a couple times as an armband.  I think I will make a few more of these to sell.

                                                                               

Mermaids

 

I have just completed two needle felted mermaids.  There is a store in West Milton, Ohio called Really Cool Stuff that sells my artwork.  They asked for some mermaids.  So I made these to send there.   The first one is my favorite.  I found this wonderful multi-color  roving with a silvery white silk going through it.  It made the perfect mermaid tail.  The hair is combed wool, and she is holding a starfish.  

I am still having trouble with faces but I think they are getting better.  Mouths seem to be the most difficult for me.  I need to study some pictures, look at my own face in the mirror, and my hubby's face a little closer to see how all the parts fit together on a face. 

The second one is smaller and also has hair of combed wool.  I think she looks a little more cartoonish then the bigger one.  That's okay.  I will also be sending some of my Best Little Catnip Balls ever and Best Little Catnip Mice Ever.  These are my best sellers on my Etsy shop and at shows that I do.  I will also be doing some Easter related items to send.  Got to get back to work now.

Fantasy - Day 3

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Okay, I am not sure what kind of stone this donut is, but I decided to try my hand at wire wrapping.  This is my first attempt.  I included a little silver Unicorn.  I think this may be too big to just hand on a small silver chain, so may hang it on cord instead.  I really do not think I will keep up with the wire wrapping.  It is beautiful, but just not my thing.  I am glad I tried it though.

Posted via email from thing-a-day 2010

Thing-a-day #2 Turquoise Necklace

I absolutely love turquoise and it is getting harder and harder to find  really nice pieces and so many people are selling dyed howlite as  turquoise.  Anyway, I found this beautiful chunk of green turquoise  and just fell in love with it and knew I had to make a necklace with it.  So, I used the Big chunk for the focal and smaller chunks for the rest  of the necklace.  I then added copper beads and toggle.  I am  beginning to like copper  alot.  Really gives the pieces a great look.        

Posted via email from sacredcat's posterous

Shasta

This is Shasta.  She is a longhaired pointer.  This is the dog that lived with us in the caretakers cabin at the farm we worked at.  She adpted us as her people and the two of us were inseparable.   When Zoomer and I moved from the farm, we were heartbroken at having to leave her behind.  Her original owner, Judy's grandson, said to give her to us.  But Judy and I both agreed that she loved to run way too much to take her from the farm.  She loves to run so much that she runs all her weight off. 

Well, Thursday, Judy told me Shasta just wasn't happy since we left and if I promised to bring her over to run when I came to feed the animals, we could have her.  She loves it here.  She follows me everywhere.  She has a warm house to live in, and she gets to go over twice a day and run to her hearts content.  It is as if she has lived here all the time.  There was no adjustment period, she just fit right in.  Even Zoomer had missed her and was happy she was coming to live with us.  We went and bought supplies which cost $100 and he didn't even bat an eye. 

Our baby is home and it is not so lonely around here during the day now.

Happy New Year

It is a new year and a new start.  I want to start anew in so many things.  I want to get my Etsy store selling regularly.  I want to lose the rest of my weight.  I want to get caught up and stay caught up on my penpals.  I want to work faithfully on my novel.  I want to complete my studies to become a certified herbologist.  And I want to work toward Zoomer's and my dream of living in the country and building a strawbale house and living off the land.  That is a lot to cram into one year, but if I can pull it off, what a fantastic year it is going to be.

Introducing a new line of fleties, my Kitten Kaboodles and Puppy Doodles.  These are now on my Etsy shop www.sacredcat.etsy.com   I will be making more here soon and adding those also.  So please check out my site and I bet you will fall in love with one of my little critters.  And don't forget, I donate a portion of my sales to Anderson Woods, Inc., a camp for handicap kids and adults. Check out their website at www.andersonwoods.org