My ipoddess

My husband gave me an Ipod for my birthday.

I loaded on a bunch of songs and music - I have a very visceral response to music - so having a compilation of your all time favourites is really a little piece of your soul.

Anyway - he wandered out the other night grinning like a Cheshire Cat with my ipod stuck in his ears. I really didn't like it - it was an invasion of privacy! So I thought I needed to make a place to keep my Ipod safe. Hence - the "ipoddess" - my musical muse.

She's like an amulet bag made out of a square of Colourstreams hand-dyed velvet with Artgirlz face, hands and feet charms and beaded with seed beads. The cord is Colourstreams thread plaited and stitched to the bag. I think she turned out well and was lots of fun to make.

Christmas Stockings

Some new Christmas panels came into the shop - they are for Christmas Stockings from Nancy Halvorsen's Peppermint and Hollyberries range. I have made up a set for the shop - here's the first one I made (I've subsequently added beads for a bit of Christmas bling). They are quick to make up which is kind of nice!

Fairy Doors

One of the groups I am in has just completed a fairy door challenge - I didn't have a chance to go in it but love the fairy door idea - I want to add one to my shop at some stage! I love this website http://www.urban-fairies.com/ it showcases the fairy doors of Ann Arbor.

I also love this site http://www.fairyhouses.com/ they have a book called Fairy Houses Everywhere which my friend's daughter, Annabelle, just loves to look at every time she's in the shop. I also love these escutcheon's that are made by 7Gypsies - have a look at the photo at left. Isn't it great?

Beginners Quilt Class

So many people have come into the shop to ask about quilting classes - most are beginners. It's hard to find good teachers as they are already booked up. However I have found a lovely lady called Carol who is a prodigious quilter and has put together a log-cabin quilt that we can get done in a day - fantastic! Here's a pic - the fabrics are from Nancy Halvorsen's new range Peppermint and Hollyberries.

Needlefelting

Had some fun yesterday doing some needlefelting. Used Birgitte Krag-Hansen's new book Pixie Felt as a memory jogger (having had the pleasure of an actual class with her).

The little girl has a fully sculpted mouth whereas the little fellas are pretty quick and simple - but fun in a small group as it looks like they are talking to each other.

If you'd like to see the "real thing" check out Birgitte's website and take a good long look - it's amazing. http://www.feltmaking.com/ I also have both her books for sale at www.idyllpleasures.com under feltmaking and spinning supplies.