stuff about.

Howdy.

Just checking in. I did some sewing yesterday, I'll take photos later. It's been raining for the past few days, but today is nice and sunny.

Here is a lovely hanging globe/vase that my uncle had. It is so precious hanging there.

 Just darling. I think I need to get some window boxes for the front of the house to get more colour around here. There is tons of green, but I need some variety. I can't wait to see what the autumnal colours will be.

 Before I left, my friend Charlotte gifted me this cute guy. No wait, that's his back....

 Oh and here's some detail. Isn't it good?!

 As, there he is. It is a Maneki-neko.. a good luck charm. And he sits just above my sewing machine on the window sill. He can't stay there where he is in the picture, alas, the treads have a problem with it.

ummmm, that's it for today. it doesn't feel very productive other than the 2 loads of laundry on the go. My brain is all over the place. Too many rooms to get lost in and distracted. Oh, the bother! :}

cheers,

Amanda

flower puppet

After all the singing and performing for the last month, I'm finally getting my sewing brain back. Yeah!
How about this face?

Along with these petals..

And some leaves..

To make this little beauty..

Usually, I put my tag as the tail on the animal, but this one doesn't have a tail. It's just sewn on the back.


Another to go into my finger puppet collection


I used die cuts to make the flower petals and face. Gives it a nice even edge.

Have a good one,
Amanda

enough about the chicken

I'm done with the chicken.
But here is another pic and the linkwhere I got the tutorial from. Yes, it is much fun to make. yes, the children enjoyed playing with them.
I used popcorn in it instead of a dried bean or rice. They are not meant to be heat bags, so I used popcorn in case they should get wet. I mean, imagine, if you used rice or beans and it got wet. It would probably sprout! So popcorn it is.

Now on to this beauty.

The felting is tight and thick. Which leads me to believe that it may have come from Nepal.

Oh look, there are 2 of them!

On a what??@@!!!!!!????!!!

yes, big honkin' orange flowers on purple slippers!

And a nicely done bottom. they do keep the cold out. Do you like my newly sanded and varnished floors? I heart my new floors.

Here's the slipper on my foot. Yes, it's a bit grotesque, but they are mine (only $2.99) and I adore the workmanship. They are loved. :}


Thanks for lookin'
Amanda

Blue alien in an orange spaceship

Last summer, I made a bunch of these little felties for wee friends.
One little boy has been patiently waiting for the spaceship to go with it. Last week, i got down to business and made one.

I left the opening at the top for the alien to get in. It has to be fairly wide to fit his head in.

Since I didn't have an alien to judge the size of spaceship, I had to make a new alien. Ol' bluey.

Now they will have to go in the mail. I forgot to bring the gift with me. Boo Hiss.


have a good one,
Amanda

mini mum felt clips

I saw this tutorial on Craftiness is Not optionala bit ago and have been waiting until I could try it out.

I made them smaller. Considerably smaller than the headband size she made. My measurement was 1 inch by 4 for the hairclip flowers.

This was the first I made which is a little bigger. For a pony tail elastic.

This is the barrette size on an elastic for small pig tails or pony.

very fun to make and make for a bit of happy with those colours!

Have a great weekend,
Amanda

cat puppet

Last fall, I made this

for a birthday present for a 1 year old. (Pattern from Betz White's Warm Fuzzies)
I've decided that it will be THE gift for 1 year olds. I seem to have a few of them in my life these days.
This one's for Caleb...A cool cat who started walking at 9 months! 9 Months! The third child. This little bitty thing, walking/teetering/falling/getting back up and going on again, 9 months. Too little to see if you weren't looking down! Bless his mama. My nerves would be shot! :}

Ahhh, look at that stitching and the fibres of the wool. Isn't it bea.u.ti.ful? It makes me feel calm. You too? Or am I just weird? ( please don't answer if you're one of my non-crafting friends who's eyes glaze over when asked about my new sewing machine! lol)

I made the tongue from 2 pieces of 100% wool felt. I sewed them together in a tongue shape, then cut it out from the rectangle.

He's a happenin' dude doncha think?


Next time, I'll show you the cool pink doggie from the same book.
Ciao,
Amanda

bunch o monkeys

I made these cute little guys for the kids in my preschool music class. I love the arms and how they swing all over the place. The arms of the monkeys and the kids. It was a fun bunch. The magical age of 2, when they are coming into their own and getting a vocabulary. O how they grow from the beginning to the end of the 12 week session.

Remember the lion I gave out a few sessions ago?

Easy hand stitching and a bit of machine sewing.

What else have I been doing? Making a few more Maisies from the book More Softies Only a Mother Could Love.

And bit of singing. These costumes are exclusive to this particular mall. The large, huge, ginormous mall that doesn't look like a mall until you're halfway through it. Fun to sing though.


oh, and getting ready for a few shows this coming week. It's closer than I thought. boo.

Thanks for stopping by,
Amanda

Ogee ornament in many styles

Hello folks!
It's been a while. I've been in a little creative funk. Well, i've been trying some things, but not so successful yet. I think instead of a funk, it's a process of trying and experimenting. So, not much to show.
Anyhow, a few weeks ago, I made these ogee ornaments from felt and heat embossed overhead projector paper. (what's that called again?)

I first got the idea from Betz White a few years ago. Check out her post. It is a most excellent tutorial.

But it was before I delved into the world of good felt. Here's my original post here

This time, I also used Stampin' Up! stamps and heat embossed on the transparency. (there, I remembered). Here's the music one.

And here is the french script one.

I originally wanted to used eyelets to join them together, but I couldn't fit my crop-a-dile in the littlest spot, so I used brads instead.

I experimented with the stitching on the felt ones to make it decorative.

A few french knots. Love french knots.

These beads came from my uncle's stash. He used to make very ornate jester stockings for Christmas with silks and velvet and these beads on the tips. Gorgeous. I claimed the beads from his stash. Looking forward to using these up.

And here they are, swaying in the breeze.


thanks for looking!
Amanda

felt hairclips

Here's my latest style of hair clips
Felt flowers.

With different kinds of middles and stitching.

This one is my favorite!


Here are some of the clips I've done in the past..click here
Have a good one!
Amanda