My time flies...

Wow! Where did that time go. One moment it's the first few days of the new year and the next breath I seem to be in the second quarter (well nearly). I have been busy though. It's coming up to entry deadline for a number of textile events and I am frantically trying to get my pieces finished. A vest here. A table runner there. And a madly wild, or is it wildly mad, waerable art piece. And on top of that, I've been developing a few new ideas for my Etsy store. I love big earrings, but I am finding that more and more the weight is dragging down on my ear lobes. So I have started making felt ball earrings. I start by making felt balls using a wet-felt technique. Then I decorate them and attach the findings to make them into beautiful earrings. The lovely thing about these is I can embroider designs or sew on sparkly beads (why not both) to make all kinds of beautiful balls. And they weigh almost nothing.

Rich Red Valentine

I had a lovely civilised new year's eve with neighbors this year. So as a result I woke up early on new years day, with no hangover. I felt I should get the year off to a productive start, so I sat and made some wonderful red scarves and flower pins. A few people had asked for some rich red pieces and as I love the colour, it seemed an easy request. After a day of making things, I was still enthused and so photographed a couple and listed them in my etsy store. And of course, with Valentines day ahead it seemed right to tag them appropriately. I know, it seems to soon to be thinking about Valentines day, but really... You have to give people time to think about whether it is the right item to buy that special person and if it is, time to mail it. I was so surprised whn not long after lisitng, someone had found my scarf, folded into a heart-ish shape, and put it into this luscious treasury.

'All Red For Valentine' by SilverNGold

Enjoy!!

Valentine's Day... efiwarsh $40.00	Plum Rose Cabochon ... AllureByU $7.00	heart brooch red sa... alopexia $17.00	NEW Lovely Bag in C... bayanhippo $29.00
Swarovski crystaliz... vintageouslych... $24.99	Woodland Outdoor Ru... braggingbags $45.00	TROPICAL DIVA GLAM ... KirstyMcKenzie $222.00	HEART SPANGLED PLAT... grapesofcraft $28.00
Hydrangea, You melt... Raceytay $15.00	Felt Scarf Ruby Red... BeljaysFeltnAr... $58.00	Red satin cupped lo... MorganaFemmeCo... $995.00	Red Rope Chain Brac... CrazyChain $15.00
Red Ikat Cottom Pil... trendypillows $45.00	Year End Sale 10% o... PixieDust $22.00	Iodine Love Uranium... ShopGibberish $9.95	Red Scarf Cowl- Ex... JarvisGift $40.00

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So just goes to show, it's never too early in the year to set the pace.

Bright Colour on a Rainy Day

Up until the last day or so, it has been raining non-stop for months. Ok, maybe not months, but it feels that way. The sky is grey, the ground is sloshy, and floods are a real problem for many. Not for me, but my little wooden house does run the risk of rotting away. It desperately needs a paint, if only it would stop raining. I lie on my back staring at the ceiling listening to all the watery sounds. Rain on the tin roof. Drops spattering on things. Water overflowing from the little water tank. Gurgles as it makes its way along gutters. And so on. I’m starting to get cabin fever. It’s so grey. Or is it. I’ve hauled myself off the floor and now, looking out the window, see a rush of green and spots of lovely things. The rush of green is, of course, the weeds and grass growing. But in the trees is this extraordinary yellow orchid. Just loving the rain. A little over from that is the beautiful gardenia which seems to flower forever. Its perfect, creamy white flowers. Even the die-ing ones turn a rich wonderful yellow. A stand of elephant ears glistens in this weather. And then I focus on my little african violets, on the kitchen bench in front of me. Forever pushing out little bursts of colour, they seem impervious to the weather. I just love the things that grow in my garden. They are a constant source of joy and inspiration.

Everlasting Flower Brooch

It's been a while between posts and I have been very busy. Not just with the felting, but at this time of year all the bellydance groups have gatherings to showcase what they have been up to all year. So I have been shimmying in sparkley silks and bright colours all month. No pics of that yet. Maybe another post. But I have been making things to give to my special friends and to sell at my local markets. These everlasting flowers are a great present, because, well, they last. They say all the things a flower says, but they go on saying it long beyond the use-by date of a cut flower. Plus you can wrap them with your very own hands and send them overseas. I wear them on coat and jacket lapels, on hats and bags, to keep a scarf in place, or just to brighten up a T-shirt. They are listed in my etsy shop here http://www.etsy.com/shop/BeljaysFeltnArt?section_id=7123447 I'm trying to list a new one each day, so pop in regularly to have a look.

Felt Beret

I was on a roll for a short moment there and actually found time to post on a regular day. But, alas, life got complicated again. What I have done recently is list a couple of handmade felt berets in my etsy store. I thought with winter on the way, there may be a few people out there who are looking for something beautiful and original to keep their heads warm. So, here are the first two. They are made using wet felting techniques. I have incorporated bits of shiny silk and tissue silk to create texture and tonal changes. They also have threads of brightly coloured silk that catch the light and make the surface even more interesting. I am fond of making long tails on my berets. It is just another design detail that sets these ones apart from your stock, standard, mass produced item. They remind me of the beautiful textures you find on rocks and trees which are covered in lichen and moss. If you like them they are available in my etsy store www.beljaysfeltnart.etsy.com

Noosa Country Show

My how time flies.... the Noosa Country show has been and gone for another year. Once again I entered the felt artistry sections in the arts and crafts competition. I did really well this time around. Now I know this is blowing my own trumpet, so to speak, but if I don't, who will??? 1st Prize for a felted garment with this capelette. It sits perfectly on the shoulders and the little glass beads in the flower centers make a nice detail. 1st prize for felted accessories with this beret. I just love the colors and the way the silk embellishment creates a sumptuous texture. 1st for felted soft furnishings with my rug. I used corriadale wool in this as it is a tougher fibre better wearing. It is also much, much harder to felt than merino wool. And finally a 1st prize and Reserve Champion in the nuno-felt section with my gorgeous vest.

Richly coloured vests

A couple of blogs ago I described my need to create something to wear to the races. I created a black nuno-felt vest. It was adorned with orchid motifs made from beautiful, subtle shades of purples and blues dyed into shiny paj silk and matt tissue silk. Well a lovely woman approached me at the races, to commission a vest for herself. We chatted for a while, discussing colours she liked (and didn’t like), things she liked and themes she was drawn to. I got her to send me her measurements and off I went to dye silks and cottons to felt into. The end result is this earthy, burnt orange nunofelt vest. She loved the dusty, earthy colours of inland Australia, but wasn’t fond of blue. She loved boab trees and the moon. I was really pleased with the result. My next challenge was creating a few items for the Artistic Felting section in the arts and crafts competition at the local Noosa Show. The Purple flower vest below is one of my prize winning pieces.