happy go lucky creations

No Coast Craft-o-rama 2011!

2011-12-07T10:49:00.000-08:00

Whew! Last weekend was a whirlwind! I had a lovely sunny window spot at No Coast in the Historical Midtown Global Market building. The turnout was huge and kept me very busy. It was great to see lovely people who remembered me from past shows and meet new people.

My log pillows were a hit and were sold out within an hour of the 2nd day. I wish I had made a hundred more! The good news is: you can now purchase Happy Go Lucky Creations at i like you in NE Minneapolis. (And yes, I will be making more log pillows!)

Billows for No Coast Craft-o-rama!

2011-11-27T13:56:00.000-08:00

Another sneak peek! Here is the talented Ryan Seitz screen printing my "Billows" (cloud pillows). They turned out great - now to sew!

No Coast is right around the corner!

2011-11-25T11:51:00.000-08:00

Here's a little sneak peek from the art room. I designed this fabric that will eventually be mixed tape coin purses. I have to say, it's very exciting to open the package and see my art on fabric - the possibilities are endless!

Needle Felted Exhibit at Gallery 360

2011-11-14T14:38:00.000-08:00

Yay! It's great seeing my needle felted art at Gallery 360!

Finch's Holiday Time Boutique

2011-10-31T06:46:00.000-07:00

I'm currently working on some exciting new designs for this show in December! I will post photos later!

Gallery 360

2011-10-31T06:43:00.000-07:00

I've been needle-felting for this installation for 10 months, I can't believe it's going up in a mere 12 days!

School House Craft Fair

2011-10-31T06:40:00.000-07:00

I'm excited to participate in this craft fair because it will be raising funds for my daughters school. There will be some awesome crafters there!

New Patterns at Spoonflower!

2011-08-29T10:11:00.000-07:00

Just available today! Travel back to the 70's or 80's, it's up to you. Available at Spoonflower!

Tea Party Fabric at Spoonflower!

2011-08-02T10:38:00.000-07:00

I finally finished my first fabric collection! Check it out at Spoonflower, it's for sale!

A is for Apple House

2011-06-27T16:16:00.000-07:00

Here is today's illustration. If I were a worm, I'd buy this real estate.

How Retro!

2011-06-27T16:14:00.000-07:00

I just finished this trio last week. I was inspired by my love of mid-century illustration.

At Gallery 360 on July 9th!

2011-06-07T09:42:00.000-07:00

I've been working on some needle felted pieces for Gallery 360's winter holiday season, but today found out that this large piece (25"x40") that I just finished will be included in their July gallery show! I'm pretty excited!

Farm Trip 2011

2011-05-24T09:23:00.000-07:00

We just spent 3 wonderful days at the farm. My favorite find this year was an old headlight with fern growing around the rim. We collected plenty of moss for a fun upcoming Crafternoon Delight class where we will be making mossariums.

The Princess and the Pea and other lofty projects

2011-05-15T11:29:00.000-07:00

I've been working on a children's book for quite a while now (years). It's one of those projects that gets pushed aside for very long stretches of time. But while many projects can be disposed of all together and hardly missed, this one is very dear to my heart. My daughter and I wrote it together (a twist on an old story). And we really believe in it.

The winds of change will soon blow, so I vow to devour one more sweet summer of long days of sea and sunshine with my beloved daughter. And I vow to attack my most loved art projects voraciously and see them to completion. Starting..... right now!

Dandy Quilt

2011-05-07T07:15:00.000-07:00

Kerri, from Sew Deerly Loved, has made a quilt with my Dandy on it! Isn't it beautiful? I really appreciate that she asked permission (although my licensing agreement may have thrown her off-guard). It's best to strive to be professional. The fine line between flattery and stealing is merely permission - so always ask!

Customer Photo

2011-05-06T09:56:00.000-07:00

Here is a customer photo (top) of a Mushroom Cottage made from my pdf pattern on etsy. I love how the customer customized it with pink flowers, a lighter door and the lovely addition of a cheery bunting!

Deerly Beloved

2011-05-06T09:26:00.000-07:00

I am overjoyed to have received a photo of an etsy customers wedding cake topped with my "Deerly Beloved" cake topper. What a lovely wedding this must have been!

Sneak Peek!

2011-04-20T08:09:00.000-07:00

For Gallery 360.

Great Night!

2011-04-15T21:45:00.000-07:00

Tonight a few more little canaries and bluebirds were brought into this world - in my needle felting class. Big thanks to those who came - you made amazing birds! It was a great night of great conversation. Really, this was so much fun, I wish I could do this every night!

Dyeing!

2011-04-12T19:25:00.000-07:00

And now on to my next adventure in wool - dyeing! I ordered dye from Paradise Fibers and am trying my first batch. I am closely following their on-line instructions and hope to see "Saffron" in the end.

Dye and Carders!

2011-04-07T14:41:00.000-07:00

Today I received my dye and carders in the mail! Yay! I've made it this far, I just hope the dyeing process goes well. Wish me luck!

New Class April 15th!

2011-04-07T09:40:00.000-07:00

I will be teaching another needle felting class!

Where: My studio in Minneapolis

When: April 15th 6:30-8:30pm

Cost: $20

We will be making this cute little spring project. Clara Canary is chipper because her eggs will be hatching any day now. She and her nest sit atop a box. Stands 5" tall.

Please contact me if you are interested in this class as I have limited spaces available.

New in my Shop!

2011-04-01T12:29:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I taught my very first needle felting class. It went fantastic and I met wonderful ladies. I will definitely be teaching more in the future.

Anyway, this sewing machine trinket box that I made for the class (I picture it holding favorite buttons!) is now available in my shop!

Craft Date at Renae's House

2011-03-24T12:41:00.000-07:00

This is Renae showing us how to operate a knitting machine. See that green sweater she is wearing? She made it. See that hat she is wearing? Our friend, Meg, (of Scribblenest) made that hat. So, as you can see I have some pretty talented friends. We get together regularly for inspiration, snarky humor and food (well Meg and Renae are great cooks - unfortunately for them, I am not.)

Here is one of Renae's recycled monster coin purses. They are available in lots of great shops around town. Check out the ones in Renae's shop, Trigo.

Washing Raw Wool

2011-03-21T16:38:00.000-07:00

On Saturday I bought the fleece of Lulu, a Babydoll sheep.

On Sunday I did a little extra skirting. Skirting is the process of picking out the bits of nature and poo from around the legs and booty area. I have jacketed sheep's fleece reserved for next year, which is wonderfully clean! But Lulu was not jacketed, so I had to spend many hours picking out burs and nature from all over the fleece.

And now today, Monday, I washed the fleece. I read many sites online and averaged out their washing instructions. Apparently, the biggest challenge is to not felt the wool. Ironically, the components for washing wool and wet felting are frighteningly similar. Wet felting: hot water, dish soap, agitation. Washing raw wool: hot water, dish soap, ABSOLUTELY NO AGITATION.

I divided the dirty raw wool into 4 mesh sweater/lingerie bags. I then filled the laundry tub with super hot water. I read instructions that gave specific temperatures, but I settled for what came out of the faucet. I dumped in about a cup of Dawn dish soap after I turned off the faucet as to not cause foam. I gently swirled the soap into the water. Why so much dish soap? I read that if you do not get all of the lanolin grease out, your wool will harden with time. I then slowly pushed the bags of wool into the water and left them for 30 minutes.

Since Lulu was sooooooo dirty, I repeated this process 4 times until the bath water remained clean. I then filled the tub with plain hot water for a rinse. I repeated this 3 times. I then ran the bags through the final spin cycle in the washing machine.

Lastly, I spread the wool out on towels to dry. Some of the wool is stained and all of it still has tons of plant matter, which I can remove with lots of carding, but none of it felted in the washing process! Next I will dye it!

Needle Felting Workshop!

2011-03-21T10:27:00.000-07:00

So many lovely people have been asking me to teach a needle felting class - I resist no longer! On March 31st from noon-2pm in my very own Atelier in Minneapolis, I will be teaching a class to make this vintage sewing machine atop a decoupaged box.

I currently have 6 more spots open, so please contact me if you'd like more information! Also, soon (hopefully next week) I will be announcing details for my next workshop in April

Shearing Day!

2011-03-20T17:59:00.000-07:00

I found a local farm that sells wool fleece and attended "shearing day". It was amazing to watch this guy shear off the sheep's coat in one large piece. It looked like a pelt. I met some interesting people and even ran into someone I know. Above is Lulu. I now own her fleece!

I am venturing into new territory: buying raw wool, washing it, dyeing it... I will post as I go - wish me luck!

Slaving Over a Hot Sink

2011-02-17T10:01:00.000-08:00

The spoils of a morning of work: a sky and some grass for an art piece for Gallery 360.

What's New?

2011-02-09T19:21:00.000-08:00

When I'm neglecting my blog and shop, chances are that I'm really busy. This has been very true the past month. Besides having lots of much appreciated graphic design freelance work to keep me busy, I have also been asked to make some very special needle felted art pieces for Gallery 360. I'm so very excited about this venture. I will post sneak peek photos as I go, but the unveiling will be November 2011.

Lovely Little Give-Away!

2011-02-09T19:13:00.000-08:00

Kerri from Lovely Little Handmades that are Sew Deerly Loved is hosting a lovely little give-away. Pictured above are a few of the beautiful items that are up for grabs - a long with one of my "Dandy Day" Giclee prints. Be sure to check out Kerri's Etsy shop to see more lovely things!

Valentine

2011-01-10T19:13:00.000-08:00

1 of 3 Valentine's that will be available in my shop soon!

New Squirrel

2011-01-06T08:22:00.000-08:00

Commissioned needle felted piece.

From Sugar House Creations:

2010-12-26T15:24:00.000-08:00

I was so pleased to see what Sugar House Creations made from my Felicity Fairy and Flower Teepee Pattern. I love the personal details she added: she blanket stitched the flower instead of machine sewing, she made two sweet little fairy friends and she used pinking shears to cut out the leaf - love it!

New in the Shop!

2010-12-07T14:38:00.000-08:00

Nora and Niles Gnome Paperdolls! They were a hit at No Coast, so I decided to offer them in my shop as a down-loadable PDF.
FYI: lots of new prints available in my shop now!

My Weekend at No Coast Craft o' Rama

2010-12-06T13:25:00.000-08:00

I was very fortunate to participate in our huge local craft show, No Coast, at the Midtown Global Market. The place was packed consistently the entire 2 days. It was fun to see people who remembered me from Craftstravaganza, meet new people, and see what others are making and selling.

I am really excited about LuSa! Before I even met Rachel, I could smell her luxurious organic body products from across the room. And later, as I took the time to smell every single bar of soap, she told me the inspiring story of her family-ran business. At home, I spent hours reading her lovely blog which has convinced me that her and her family must be fairies who live in a forest.

Needless to say, I am completely in love with Rachel, her family, and her business and highly recommend her products (everyone that I love will be getting them for Christmas). And you must read her blog.

And I finally got the chance to meet someone I've been admiring for awhile, Jessica Puckett of Plushroom Soup. Jessica and her plush creations make me smile!

And this beautiful hand-dyed, hand-spun wool yarn is the creation of London of My Friend London. I was lucky enough to have her as my neighbor at No Coast. Her yarn was a hit and I enjoyed seeing scores of ladies gasp and make a bee-line for her table. She also makes lovely soy candles which I had to have!

My Night at Toys in the Attic

2010-12-05T17:53:00.000-08:00

It was a busy weekend. Two full days of socializing - a sharp contrast to my usual complete isolation. It was exhausting ... and exciting ...and inspirational!

There were many great toy posters at Toys in the Attic. Minneapolis has so many amazing artists. Here is the toy phone illustration I did for the show. The screen printing was done by my boyfriend.

Speaking of my boyfriend, he contributed a poster as well as this custom Jamungo BUD. He did amazing work (the pin-up was a sweet surprise). This guy will be up for auction on ebay until December 10th. The proceeds from the poster and BUD sales go to Toys for Tots. I recommend checking out his flickr.

Good Press, 2 Art shows, Oh my!

2010-12-02T15:22:00.000-08:00

My needle felted sculpture was featured in an article on the City Pages blog! Thank you, Shelby Meyers, for all the lovely words. If you'd like to see this Gnome and her Mushroom house in person, come down to No Coast Craft o' Rama Friday and Saturday. I will also have many new prints, greeting cards, paperdolls and patterns (and some very special limited edition prints of my art that were screen printed by my handsome and talented lover). Then, on Friday night, come have a drink and see some great art at Toys In The Attic. It's going to be a busy and amazing weekend!

New Prints!

2010-11-22T15:00:00.000-08:00

Here are the latest illustrations for my "Forest Friends" collection. I will be selling giclee prints, greeting cards, gift tags, paper dolls and special limited runs of screen prints at No Coast in a couple of weeks.

New Pattern

2010-11-17T19:38:00.000-08:00

New pattern that will hopefully be available through Spoonflower sometime in December.

No Coast Craft-o-rama!

2010-11-04T12:06:00.000-07:00

I'm super excited for this show! It's held at the Midtown Global Exchange building, not far from my home in Minneapolis and features many, many fabulous artists. I will be there selling prints, cards, patterns, paperdolls, gift tags, etc... come by and say hi on December 3rd and 4th!

Finally!

2010-11-02T18:48:00.000-07:00

The Nora Gnome print is FINALLY in my shop! I've been soooo busy, but promise to keep adding new prints in the series regularly.

Toys in the Attic

2010-11-02T18:45:00.000-07:00

I'm super excited to be involved in this year's Toys in the Attic show. Here is just a sneak peek of my finished prints. And this is my lover doing all the hard labor! Check out Ryan's work, he will be participating in this show, too.

What's New?

2010-10-21T12:30:00.000-07:00

Does anyone recognize this Pony?! This illustration of Glory was my first idea for a show I will be in, but I decided to go another direction. I still own my original Glory. She has been assimilated into my daughter's "My Little Pony" collection and I have to say, she looks quite matronly compared to today's brighter, jeweled, sparkly version. Just like me, I suppose.

As of late, I have been SO BUSY! I have so many exciting things going on I don't even have time to sleep, let alone update my blog and shop. I may have something very exciting in the works which I hope I can share more about soon!

AND I have 2 shows coming up in December. On December 3 & 4, I will be at No Coast. This is a great craft show full of fantastic artists, attended by a super hip crowd and held in a beautiful landmark building. I was also fortunate to be invited to participate in this year's Toys in the Attic gallery show (80% of art print sales go to Toys for Tots) which will be the evening of December 3rd. Yes, these shows overlap a little bit. Does this stress me out? A little bit.

Rainy Day Illustration

2010-08-20T21:17:00.000-07:00

Another illustration of Nora Gnome. Available in my shop in September.

Another Gnome Illustration

2010-08-18T13:52:00.000-07:00

Niles Gnome flying his leaf kite with his cricket buddy. Print will be in my shop in September.

In the Works

2010-08-12T19:44:00.000-07:00

Well, folks, the excitement doesn't end at prints! Oh yes, there is more in the works at Happy GO Lucky Creations! I combined my questionable pattern making skills with my overly ambitious design skills and designed this dress. I then hired a garment girl (my mother) to as she says "make my little dreams come true". And I am currently marveling in the success of the test product. The final product will be sewn from fabric that I design and print at Spoonflower. I will then sell them in my etsy shop and take over the world.

New Prints

2010-08-11T21:13:00.001-07:00

I have been thoroughly enjoying my latest project. I am illustrating the adventures of my Forest Friends. Above you can see Nora Gnome enjoying a snail ride and getting into some trouble with a dandelion. I will be finishing up 2 more this week and then I will get them printed at 11x14 and 8x10 for my shop. And I have many, many more illustrations in my sketch pad!

Forest Friends Patterns

2010-07-14T15:34:00.001-07:00

Finally finished! The patterns for these mini versions of my "Forest Friends" collection are now available in my shop. It feels like this project took a lot out of me, making new patterns from scratch (always lots of trial and error), writing logical instructions and utilizing the entire Adobe Creative Suite. Whew! I'm pleased with how it all turned out and I hope you are, too! Later, I plan to add more to this collection, like the pattern for the trees, perhaps a snail or squirrel, but for now I am going to work on some illustrations.

Sneak Peek!

2010-06-28T14:41:00.001-07:00

I've been busy and I'm excited to share what all I have in the works! I'm continuing with my "Forrest Friends" collection and above are "mini" versions of the houses I offered at Craftstravaganza. These wee houses are between a 4-8"H. Each is made out of felt, is embroidered and will have a little gnome or fairy tenant.

The best part: I will be offering the patterns as pdf's in my etsy store so YOU can make them, too! I hope to finish the little forrest folks and the instructions this week. I will post updates!

What else? Well, I am working on a series of "Forrest Friends" illustrations. My lovely boyfriend has transformed his basement into a screen printing studio. So I hope to experiment with that. He and I have also been practicing inking drawings with india ink. (FYI: our relationship is at least 75% crafting together, and it's wonderful!) I hope to have prints available in my shop in July.

Other than that, I plan to be at the beach!

Violet Can Sew!

2010-06-28T07:56:00.000-07:00

Violet spent the weekend with Grandma, who taught her how to sew with the sewing machine. So now Dustin has pants! Crafty doors are flying open now that Violet is 7 years old: Grandma showed her how to crochet (she wasn't super interested), I've been introducing her to Photoshop using the Wacom tablet, and she's been enjoying model magic, drawing and using pastels. That's my girl!

p.s. yes, Dustin is a veteran of WWII.

Retro Sewing Patterns

2010-05-21T11:38:00.001-07:00

Looky what I found at the thrift store!

Pond Illustration

2010-05-19T16:35:00.001-07:00

Prince Charming

2010-05-18T19:42:00.001-07:00

Fairy Illustrations

2010-05-13T15:36:00.001-07:00

It was nice to take a break from sewing and draw this week. Here are a couple of fairy illustrations. I have a few ideas for them...

Mossariums

2010-05-03T19:01:00.000-07:00

Ryan and I have been dying to make mossariums, so our recent visit to his 350 acre farm in Wisconsin presented us with the perfect opportunity to moss hunt. When we finally found ideal moss, we carefully extracted the specimens from the earth. This is an extremely satisfying action as it comes up like a sheet of carpet. We followed the directions on boingboing which were very easy. One of my mossariums has a little vine growing out of the moss and one has little clovers, both were original to the moss, but apparently you can even plant an orchid in your mossarium (I may have to try this). Ryan planted ferns in one of his and they are thriving. Check out his fantastic photos on his flickr. I especially like the one in which he added an antique bottle we found at the farm - it's like he has the farm in a jar.

My Craftstravaganza Purchases

2010-05-03T18:44:00.000-07:00

I have a passion for faux wood grain, so I was naturally drawn to this glass ring by Yellow Umbrella. Thank you to my boyfriend for surprising me with it!!!

I met a very fun artist named Renae Redenius at Craftstravaganza. I had to have one of her hilariously cute Upcycled Monster Coin Purses. You can own one, too! Check out her etsy shop, Trigo.

Forrest Friends

2010-05-03T18:29:00.000-07:00

These wee folks have been living in my sketchbook for years, but 2010 was to be their year to come to life. I struggled through the frustration of pattern design. I spent hours and hours and hours embroidering and sewing. I learned A LOT. And here is the finished product. I brought them to Craftstravaganza and received encouraging feedback. I sold out of the mushroom houses and will be listing the rest on etsy. I have a few other projects to explore with these characters before I move on to the others who anxiously await to jump off the page.

Craftstravaganza

2010-05-03T18:21:00.001-07:00

Last Saturday I brought my little gnome and fairy friends to Craftstravaganza at the Minnesota State Fair Grounds. It was my first craft fair. I met a lot of great people and great artists. And I really enjoyed the feedback.

Tree Cabin

2010-04-27T12:16:00.001-07:00

A little gnome boy lives here. He and his house will be going to Craftstravaganza this Saturday.

Zen Holiday

2010-04-25T16:21:00.000-07:00

It might be crazy to take a 3 day vacation merely one week before a craft show, especially when I have LOTS of work left to do, but it was worth it! My darling boyfriend and I took a little trip over to a small town in Wisconsin where his family owns 350 acres of beautiful land. We camped and did a lot of hiking in the woods. We explored the remnants of old houses from long ago. We found treasures (pictured above). The fact that our phones didn't work was a fantastic bonus. We easily disconnected from our lives and reconnected with nature. It was lovely. Now, back to sewing.

Mushroom Houses - DONE!

2010-04-09T11:38:00.000-07:00

I truly underestimated how much time it would take to make 25 mushroom houses. Way too much embroidery and hand stitching. My finger tips hurt. But I am finally done! Now I have to complete 25 little gnome girls by May 1st - yikes!

Mushroom Houses

2010-04-05T08:36:00.000-07:00

If you are wondering what I am doing any given moment of the day: sewing. Here are 25 mushroom house tops with embroidered windows. That's a lot of blanket stitching! Today I am sewing the bottoms and tops together. I HOPE I will have finished houses to post tomorrow!

Sunshine Awards

2010-04-05T07:05:00.000-07:00

What a pleasant surprise! Bee of Honey Jumble, a fabulous illustrator who I greatly admire, has awarded my blog with a Sunshine Award!

I am happy to award a few of the many blogs that inspire me:

Jennifer Murphy
enhabiten
Fantastic Toys
Fox and Owl
Fine Little Day
Lorelay Bove
Jane Foster
Matte Stephens
Bloesem
Cutesypoo
Disdressed
Heather Ross

Thanks to all who read my blog and foster the creative spirit!

Here are the rules:
1. Thank the person who gave it to you.
2. Copy the logo and place in on your blog.
3. Link to the person who nominated you.
4. Pass it along to 12 other people.

cut, cut, cut....

2010-03-11T07:39:00.000-08:00

Violet

2010-03-10T14:55:00.000-08:00

A quick illustration I did of my daughter. I am trying to draw (and sew) everyday!

Homes for Gnomes

2010-03-07T17:32:00.000-08:00

A gnome illustration I just finished.

Aww, shucks!

2010-02-28T12:06:00.000-08:00

I'm totally flattered that 100 people heart my etsy shop! Gee, thanks everyone! It's been awhile since I've added anything to the shop, but I've been busy working on some new items that I'm very excited about. "Happy Go Lucky Creations" is now official. Expect to see, along with the new projects, a new logo and look. I'm also planning to have give-aways and tutorials!

Horse

2010-02-25T16:31:00.001-08:00

I made a felt horse from a pattern I purchased on etsy from woolhalla. It was all blanket stitching except for 2 french knot eyes. I'm really digging these pdf patterns. It's brilliant - cheap and emailed fast. This horse was made especially for a little friend of ours, Reeve, who is celebrating her 7th birthday with a horse party.

New Toy Design

2010-02-15T10:57:00.000-08:00

I think I finally nailed the mushroom house pattern. I imagine that basic math skills would be useful in pattern making. I have really struggled with this one, I have experimented with different cap shapes, different foam thickness', and overall size. The door hole has given me lots of trouble. If the door hole is too large it compromises the stability of the stem, so I decided on just a circular hole (I may alter this part). I will post more pictures of the final product (including gnome tenant) which will be debuting at Craftstravaganza in May.

Cowboy Sam

2010-02-02T09:36:00.000-08:00

Here is a page from "Cowboy Sam and Miss Lily". I love the colors. I will periodically post more of my favorites from my children's books collection.

Honey Bunny

2010-01-30T08:35:00.001-08:00

Hello Honey Bunny! Here is my latest creation now residing at my etsy shop. She has a needle felted heart balloon and arms and legs. I used more of the wonderful 100% wool felt from Germany, vintage fabric and OF COURSE ribbon and rick-rack! I hope someone receives something special for Valentine's Day in the little box (perhaps chocolates or jewelry!)

Gnome

2010-01-29T09:29:00.001-08:00

Here is the little gnome girl who lives in the felt mushroom house. They are prototypes for the upcoming Craftstravaganza show. This pair now belongs to my daughter.

Dustin Bunny

2010-01-27T10:03:00.001-08:00

Allow me to introduce Dustin. He is my daughter's lovey and a member of our family. He's a quiet little bunny, but quite the character. He's been on many adventures with us, camping (he has his own sleeping bag), to Laura Ingall's Days in Walnut Grove, multiple trips to Wisconsin... well, basically he's been everywhere with us. He has made many friends and has even landed roles in my daughter's Theatre Nest plays. He is our muse. We love you Dustin.

Roses

2010-01-27T07:54:00.000-08:00

Here is a blog banner I made for a friend who wanted a "shabby chic" look. I used my own photograph of roses at the Lyndale Park Rose Gardens, which was constructed in 1907 and is the second oldest public rose garden in the U.S., which is near my home.

We have an enormous 53-mile greenspace parkway circling Minneapolis called the Grand Round Scenic Byway. It was designed so that every home in the city is within six blocks of green space. The parkway system has numerous parks, a chain or lakes, bird sanctuaries, creeks, the Mississippi River and the 53-foot high Minnehaha Falls. It is a treasure we all truly appreciate here in Minneapolis.

Be Mine

2010-01-24T09:17:00.000-08:00

These little mice sweethearts are now available at my etsy shop! I used wool yarn, 100% wool felt from Germany (I love wool), vintage fabric, ribbon and rick-rack (of course). 5" tall.

Alice in Wonderland

2010-01-23T12:14:00.001-08:00

We celebrated Violet's 7th birthday yesterday with a Mad Hatter tea party. My talented mother sewed Violet an adorable Alice dress. I served overly sugared green tea to Violet an 11 of her friends followed by (more sugar) cupcakes. I made a pin-the-tail on the Cheshire Cat game that the kids enjoyed. Much fun was had!

Vintage Valentines

2010-01-20T06:26:00.000-08:00

I scored these adorable vintage valentines at "Hunt & Gather" this week.

Felt Mushroom House

2010-01-15T08:32:00.000-08:00

Here is the prototype of a little felt mushroom house I've been working on. Making the pattern was time consuming and I have a few adjustments to make. I also plan to make a little gnome for this home!

I love Fantastic Toys!

2010-01-13T08:36:00.000-08:00

I feel very honored because an artist I admire has blogged about me! Timothy Haugen of Fantastic Toys is a truly talented toymaker. Above are just a few of my favorites, but check out his Flickr to see his seal, cupcakes and many more adorable characters. (And don't forget to visit his shop!)

Birthday Invitation

2010-01-08T10:29:00.001-08:00

Here is the invitation I illustrated for my daughter's birthday party. Going in the mail today!

Deerly Beloved

2010-01-07T16:16:00.001-08:00

Cake topper for an autumn wedding. Congratulations Amanda and Sean!

R is for Robot

2009-12-25T17:00:00.000-08:00

And Ryan! Here is the robot I made for my honey from antique finds.

Mermaid

2009-12-17T15:11:00.001-08:00

This 9" needle felted mermaid doll was commissioned for a super cute 5 year old girl named Pip.

Warm Thoughts...

2009-12-15T10:35:00.001-08:00

It's 2º today in Minneapolis. And it's going to get much colder. Much, much colder. How do I survive this year after year? ...warm thoughts...

Hunt & Gather's unusual little junk and ephermera (above). Right now they have beautiful displays of vintage pink and blue Christmas ornaments.

Little girls who still believe in Santa. I will happily pay the $20 for the crappy blown-out photo of Violet on Santa's lap and hope that this is not the last year she truly believes.

Anthropologie shopping sprees thanks to my boyfriend.

Stayin' in. Date nights with my boyfriend where we put on pj's early, watch tv in bed and eat pot roast from the slow-cooker.

Stay warm!

40's Tin Dollhouse

2009-12-15T10:20:00.001-08:00

Another vintage gift for Violet that I found at an antique store. I fell in love the moment I laid eyes on this tin litho dollhouse. I think her vintage Fischer Price people will love their new home. Roger (monster kitty) seems to like it.

Vintage Children's Dresses

2009-12-14T14:42:00.000-08:00

Oh Joy! I found another vintage dress (on left) for my daughter, Violet. I found it at my favorite antique store, "Hunt & Gather", on 50th and Penn in Minneapolis. She will get it for Christmas and surely be pleased as I have groomed her to covet vintage clothing. I found the other two last summer at a thrift store. The orange one has wonderful embroidery. The short Brady dress on the right is super cute with dark blue tights.

Maya's Bunny

2009-12-13T09:40:00.001-08:00

Here is a sweet little bunny I needle felted for my daughter's friend, Maya, on her 7th birthday. I am always nervous when giving handmade gifts. I distinctly remember when I no longer wanted my mother's handmade presents and wished for store bought instead. Of course, that period passed, and as an adult I again have deep appreciation for handmade. And fortunately, my friends and their children are very supportive. I was so pleased when Maya opened her gift and my daughter proudly announced that her mom made this bunny and the other children then shouted out their birth dates!

Bird Ornaments

2009-12-08T09:01:00.001-08:00

Just finished making a bunch of pom-pom bird ornaments. They are cute and now available at my etsy shop! I sewed little felt hats and trimmed them with rick-rack. They are wearing felt scarfs and ice skates.

New Deer

2009-11-20T09:50:00.000-08:00

This sweet little guy was commissioned through etsy and will be going to his new home soon!

The Princess and the Pea

2009-11-04T08:55:00.001-08:00

It took 3 weeks, but I finally finished the pencil drawings for the children's book I am working on. Today I am scanning them and next I will color them in Photoshop. I have really enjoyed this project (despite my daughter and new kitten constantly bumping me while I draw). I am posting the original thumbnails/storyboard with color scheme experiment. I will share more soon!

Gnome Sweet Gnome

2009-10-17T15:18:00.000-07:00

I am super excited to finally present my latest creation! This cute gnome girl was completely needle felted and carries her baby owl friend in her leaf backpack. Her mushroom house was wet felted and then needle felted. This has lived for years in my sketchbook and took over a hundred hours of labor to make, but isn't it the most darling set?! Today they debut at my etsy store. Check out my flickr site to see many more views.

Violet's Bluebird

2009-10-15T08:17:00.001-07:00

I love this picture of a bluebird that my daughter drew. Her artwork inspires my own. I am thinking of making Christmas ornament felt versions for gifts. He just needs a scarf!

Happiness

2009-10-08T11:41:00.000-07:00

A little illustration of my happiness.

Violet's Artwork

2009-09-29T08:11:00.000-07:00

My 6 year old designed a Barbie that she would like us to make. Her unwavering confidence in me reaches far beyond my ability. I have no experience in the realm of molded plastics, and clay and fabric just won't do it. Perhaps needle felting...

El Dictator

2009-09-20T17:37:00.001-07:00

I needle felted my honey a mustache.

The Crafty Couple

2009-09-20T17:26:00.001-07:00

This is how we spent our Sunday... After visiting a hobby shop, we wandered around Menards for over an hour looking for an opaque acrylic material for our current project. We are trying to make our own light boxes like the Lowel Ego for photography. We spent the latter part of the afternoon at my mother's house celebrating Ryan's birthday and working in her shop. Ryan wired the lights for our light boxes and I worked on the jewelry I am making out of antique silverware. We love to make stuff and do a lot of crafting together.

Pincushion

2009-09-16T14:42:00.000-07:00

I turned this vintage kitty planter that I got from my honey into a pincushion by filling the hole with a needle felted ball of wool. I love it!

Blog Banner

2009-09-16T10:15:00.000-07:00

Here is a banner I designed for: mesdias.blogspot.com/ a fun blog about kids crafts. I had a blast making it!

Sugar Skull Keychain

2009-09-15T15:45:00.000-07:00

I was brainstorming Halloween craft ideas for my etsy store, when my friend Layla suggested making a sugar skull. So here is my 2" version of a sugar skull.

Yay, Kokka!

2009-09-05T09:42:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my dear friend, Layla, and I made the adventurous trek from Minneapolis to the uncharted territory of St. Paul. The Treadle fabric store on Grand Ave. carries not only the collections of Amy Butler, Anna Maria Horner and Alexander Henry, but also Kokka, a Japanese fabric line. It was difficult to decide which ones to take home. I must go back for the others...