Needle Felted Nest...

Think Spring!
Copyright Michelle L. Palmer

Needle Felted Original
100% wool, bird feathers, seeds & branches.

Today's Your Day...

There are people who put their dreams in a little box
and say, "Yes, I've got dreams, of course, I've got dreams."
Then they put the box away and bring it out once
in a while to look in it, and yep, they're still there.
These are great dreams, but they never even get out
of the box. It takes an uncommon amount of guts
to put your dreams on the line, to hold them up and say,
"How good or how bad am I?"
That's where the courage comes in.
Erma Bombeck

Have courage, friends...it's a fantastic journey
you will never regret taking!

Sunrise...

It began soft, warm...beautiful...

Then...it was as if someone was pumping up
the saturation levels...

My eyes are now watering!
So magnificent~ filling our house
with a vibrant amber glow...

Sunglasses as I brought the kidos to school!

Cold, cold morning...the chimney smoke
rising straight up...in the valley a soft blanket
of glitter-like crystals cover every surface.

Creative Refill...

Through the holidays my studio space
had become a collect-all.
I have spent the better part of this week tossing,
organizing and finding things I thought were lost!
Now it is clean.
I'm ready to begin new collections.
But first...
I'm going to take time to visit a favorite friend.
Beatrix Potter

These are three of my favorite books...
I'm not much of a reader~
I prefer to design, sketch & garden...craft, movies...

But Beatrix is a treasure...

Miss Potter is a FANTASTIC movie...
Cozy pj's, warm tea...cookies to nibble~
Keep a few tissues nearby.

DK Series books are full of visuals...
We must have 20 or more by now in different subjects.

Such a fun peek into her life & work.

Such creative costumes!
Another of my favorite movies...Finding Neverland.
Again...keep the tissues handy.

In the movie, I love how her little friends
come to life from time to time...

An artist's joy~
To bring the ordinary to life in a different way...

Hope you have a wonderful Sunday afternoon!

Warm Woolen Mittens...

Check out this WOOL!
It is gorgeous...clean, soft...oh the possibilities!

Wednesday was a snow day from school
for our kido's~ but I had an appointment!
ONLY NUTS were out there driving around~
:)
No....it was icy early & then turned to rain.
I called the woman who sells wool &
I was able to wait til the roads cleared off.
Nuts.
But not that nuts!

A sweet blogging friend had given me two names
of places that I could purchase wool.
Both looked fantastic...but I always try to buy locally.
I got the courage up to call a person from one of
the MANY packages of wool I already have.
The town is 20 minutes from our home.
Such a sweet gal! I'm so happy I called her~
She was more than happy to sell privately!
24oz. of wool for $30. that's what you see pictured!
WOW!
Stone Edge Fibers
315/548-2032
The family own & raise 20 beautiful sheep.
I should have taken notes...
They have rare breeds, two Alpacas...
I was blown away! They LOVE their animals
and that was equally important for me to know.

A cat-proof way to store my small amounts...
Recycled take-home containers from Olive Garden!

Our sweet, innocent, dear CATS! love to find my
needle felted critters and destroy them!
Birds have beaks ripped out, wings plucked off...
bunny ears scattered about!
***sigh***
Jealousy!
:)

This is a new needle felted friend peeking out of my
felting tool bag...it's about half way finished.

Hope you give the wool gal a call!

Scrapbook Dinner...

Have you ever gone to dinner at
someone's house and NOTHING matches?
The silver is mismatched.
The fine china is a toss of patterns.

That's me!

We have matching everyday silverware & dinnerware.
I love the light, easy care Corning...& Oneida.
But when it comes to holiday china~ I don't have a set.

LOVE my mother-in-laws beautiful set...
LOVE my sister's beautiful set...
I appreciate & treasure the ones I see at antique malls.

I have never wanted that~ because if I break/chip one...
I would be crushed that a set was missing...
How to replace something irreplaceable?

It would bother me to where I wouldn't use it.
Thank heavens everyone doesn't act like me!!!
:)

I have been finding pieces here n' there...
These are some of my latest "finds"
White with silver...white with gold...white on white.
Simple...works for every holiday.

The strawberry plate & little egg shaped cup
are two of my newest needle felting bases.
They just had to jump into the frame!

Morning Glitter...

Not one storm cloud...

The most delicate of grass...
Still standing through ice, feet of snow~

The morning sun beginning to rise out of the valley~
catching the tips of the field...

Seuss tree with snowballs has now become
vintage covered in glitter...

Little feeding tray with jewels~

The ordinary becomes beautiful.

Creative Kids...

We see boats & bunnies in the clouds...
We draw in the condensation on the windows...
Mashed potato mounds look like volcanoes...
Pancakes are yummier when shaped like stars...

Why not plop a carrot in this cool snow mound
that looks like an Easter peep candy?
:)

Christmas Treasure...

A sweet Christmas treasure from my daughter...

Two of our flower beds have Sweet Peas
that are from my grandmothers garden.

The pattern reminds me of a Patience Brewster's design~

So tender.

It will look perfect in my studio
where I can enjoy it everyday~

Something from Seuss...

The sunshine is soooo beautiful!
Feel a bit like a mole~
Went out for a walk today & it was so bright my
eyes were constantly tearing & I'm sure my facial
expressions resembled a little mole coming into the light!

Doesn't this tree look like it caught
several snowballs?

Some of the 20' tall ones look like illustrations
from a Dr. Seuss book~

See my new birdhouse?
Love the natural knot for the entrance!

Christmas decor beginning to be put away.
EXCEPT trees...
I keep plain trees out~ sometimes add a snowman.

Pretty patinas always catch my eye.
Mercury glass...aged silver...worn & used metal pails,
weathered & chipped paint are favorites~
I try to be careful...lead paint chipping isn't good.

These trees look sweet next to my new birdhouse!
Hubby found this ADORABLE A-frame style birdhouse
for me...one of my favorite Christmas gifts.

Sorry sweet feathered friends...
This one is going to stay indoors for us to enjoy!

New Year Recovery...

Sound asleep...where ever her head falls...she stays!
We could hear her purring~
So we knew she was breathing!

We, the people, do not look as tattered as our cats!
Some wild New Year celebration
they must have gone to~
Perhaps a bit too much cat nip...

Too cool for the kitty beds on New Years day...

Miss Maddie sunning herself~
We have very few sunny days this time of year...
She takes what she can get.
She puts her head right up into the lamp!
Going to burn those precious whiskers! tee hee...

Hope 2009 is off to a great start for you!

You Know What This Means...

Tucked in one of my Christmas bags...
...in my mother-in-law's handwriting!

More kitty whiskers!

You know what this means?

Mounds of felted critters with real whiskers!

Look at the two wee black ones...
There's a momma & baby in the making~

She's such a dear for saving them!

We've been kitty-sitting for a friend...
THREE WEEKS worth of collecting whiskers
from her forest green kitchen floor mats!
They've shared 3 so far!!

Happy New Year friends!
I know you're true friends if after reading a
3rd blog about whiskers you keep coming back!
:D