felt!

I have a confession. 
I've been having a mini love affair with felt this summer.  It's the real reason I haven't finished knitting that sweater I wrote about... that, or possibly the fact that after chasing two kids all day my craft-time has been relegated to 10 or 15 minutes stolen here and there.  I cant always knit, right?
So I've really been making a dent in the giant stack of felt I impulse bought last fall.
And I've been making Christmas ornaments.  In summer.  That's right.
You gotta get an early jump on this business when you have small kids.
I started with these (Christmas present spoiler if you happen to be one of my nieces or nephews, and can read, read no further!)

 

I wanted to make the kids a Christmas ornament every year so that when they grew up they would have a unique, handmade set of ornaments imbued with all their magical Christmas memories to put on their own tree.  I also want ornaments that are unbreakable and wonderfully soft and textured.

sooooo..made these little wool felt friends and they were so cute I decided all the kids in the family are getting one for Christmas this year...

I wont put pictures of them all yet... because I haven't finished making them.  I got side tracked in July with this birthday crown (okay, technically, it's a tiara) for my big.

 This might also be a new birthday tradition for nieces and nephews. 

Then I got side-tracked again with these fun matryoshka dolls to depict the seasons.  This has been a collaborative effort between Sadie and I.  She is picking out all the felt and thread colors for me.  I like her taste, I must say!

so far we have done summer and autumn.

 

Now the pressure is on to finish up winter and spring.  Sadie is worried I might not get them done in time for Christmas. She has her felt all stacked up and ready to go, and my embroidery floss is all in a tangled pile, or as Sadie says, "all raveled up."  As you can see, my embroidery skills, are um, rudimentary.  But I'm learning as I go.  And my audience is very forgiving.

 my two favorite little sewing helpers.  They keep things lively for me, that's for sure!

 

joy!

Just got back from a fun and exciting trip to southeast, then south-central Alaska where we got to:

Catch up with old friends

Meet some new ones!

See trees again!

See my amazing and hard-working sister graduate from her nursing program. *so proud*

Catch up on a year's worth of hugs to my family

See most of Loren's family (we see them more, so not quite so many hugs to catch up on)

Eat lots of yummy food

usher in a period of intense separation anxiety with Sadie, who refuses be more than 3cm away from my person at any given moment now.

And now it is time to snuggle into our own nest for a while.  It was good to come home to a house smelling of Christmas tree and the wagging tails of the pups.  I am also excited to test out my new Christmas pressie from Loren:

I grew up with this book, and I totally guessed what was in package because I recognized the unique hollow sound it makes when you thump on it.  It has a familiar feel, like a favorite pair of jeans. 

(and by the time you're done cooking your way through this bad boy, your favorite pair of jeans probably won't fit anymore!)

I don't know how I've made it so far in my adult life with out this book on my shelf.  Probably because I always just call mom and ask her to look up the recipes for me.  Don't worry mom, I'll still call you!

Thanks for the awesome gift Loren (and Loren's shopping elves:)

Whirled Peas--Christmas Ornament Giveaway

I've already confessed how I have a new obsession for needle felting.

 and I just can't stop myself from making a bazillion of these felted pea-in-the-pod ornaments. (I got the idea from this awesome blog)

They are everything I love... quirky, whimsical, natural, made from all biodegradable materials, and they remind me that inside every dried up seed pod is a little kernel of life, just waiting for spring to return.

 and, naturally, they lend themselves to all kinds of puns.

But really, the world could use a little more peas during the holidays. Don't you think? 

If you you need some whirled peas to deck your halls, leave me a comment below--tell me what you will do to bring more peace (or peas) into the world in 2012.

I will randomly select a winner on December 1st. 

Needle Felting

Gosh...I keep meaning to post some follow up pictures of the awesome storm we had, but I have been busy and distracted this week, coming up with some new life-schemes.  To make matters worse, I got a miniature needle felting kit in the mail today.  Now all I want to do is make these:

This is what you will all be receiving for Christmas this year.  Sorry.

I'm not even kidding.

goodbye Southeast Alaska

We just got home from a lovely Thanksgiving trip to Prince of Wales Island.  Oh, man. I totally miss Southeast Alaska.  Something about all the trees, and the way the air just drips with oxygen and the quiet woods with their thick blanket of moss just makes me want to stay there and NEVER leave.  Plus, my family is there so Sadie got to meet the rest of the Connolly/Jones clan, and I think she was quite delighted, if not constantly entertained.  It was a good trip, even with the unfortunate flu bug we picked up and the 12 hour travel days on either end of getting there.

To get into the holiday spirit, my mom and my sister Sarah and I went out and gathered Cedar, Hemlock, Spruce and Salal and made some beautiful Christmas wreaths.  I added a few birds and Kansashi flowers for flair.   Even though it would probably last longer outside, I am keeping it inside so I can smell it.  It is probably the last green thing I will get to look at till May. Sigh.