Crafty Manolo

I admit it. I’ve always had a bit of a thing for badgers. When  I was two, my parents took me to the toy store to choose my own teddy bear. I ignored them all, but refused to leave the store without the Steiff badger. I still have him. He was the constant companion of my childhood, but Diggy is still in beautiful shape.

This little fellow may not be Steiff, but he’s absolutely adorable. He’s a felted badger head brooch by UK Etsy crafter lizzieneedles. And right now he’s just $55.00. He’s regularly $78.00.

But wait! There’s more! Right now you can get 10% off of lizzieneedles’ incredible needlefelted  jewelry if you use sale code FELTOFF2011.

Now, do I want this badger, or do I want the white rabbit ring…..

The ever-fabulous Croshame has written an excellent essay and a few words of wisdom about being a newbie needle felter. You can read it here. It also happens to be where the illustration above hails from. It’s her second – that’s right, second – needle felted piece.

I am so not worthy.

If needle felting sounds like something you’d like to try out, you might want to take a look at this entry from last March on Heidi Boyd Crafty Inspiration with her tutorial on making needle felted hedgehogs. Hmmm… I’ve been thinking I could use a new pincushion for my lace pillows, and hedgehogs are popularly associated with lacemakers in Britain. I wonder how a felted hedgie would do.

Sometimes it’s fun to just wander around and see what cool things there are out in the wide world. This fabulous Chinese dragon isn’t even the most spectacular piece of origami on the aptly named page ‘Origami that Will Blow Your Mind.’

There are some other really cool things I found around the internet, too. Let’s take a look at a few of them.

(more…)

Who could resist this adorable felted bulldog? I know I can’t! I just want to pick him up and cuddle him… which will not go over well with my evil kitty, Jake, but, oh well. That’s the way it goes. He doesn’t like any of my stuffed animals. He really hates my orange corduroy aardvark. He thinks he should be the only orange, stripy thing in my life.

Anyway.

This beautifully detailed felt doggie in the window is the handiwork of Needlefeltsculpture from the UK, and runs 55GBP, which works out to roughly $92.44 in US dollars.

If, on the other hand, you don’t want a bulldog, you can have a needle felted version of your favorite pet made custom. Hmmm… I wonder how Jake would react to another Jake.

Meh, he’d probably hate it. But I would love it.

via Berroco Fine Knitting Yarns

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner… in crafting terms. If there’s a special someone you would like to give a handcrafted expression of your affection, now is the time to get started. But what to do? My dears, the net is chockablock full of fun free craft patterns for nearly any technique your little heart desires. That’s right, every one of these pretties is a free pattern!

For instance, those charming knitted and felted hearts shown above? Are explained in detail in a free PDF from Berroco Fine Knitting Yarns. They’re easy and fast to make, but I bet someone would love to get one of these. I know I would!

But what if you’re not a knitter? Ah my lovelies, I haven’t forgotten about you. Read on and see what goodies I’ve found.

(more…)

Take a look at the gorgeous workmanship on this felted handbag. It’s the talent of Etsy artist tinafeltmaker, and I’m in love with it.

Made of Australian silk on California wool, the whole thing has been shellacked for wearability.

Not so wild about this particular one-of-a-kind piece? Well, she’s certainly got some other lovely works. Check out her store. Buy a piece, or get inspired in a new direction with your own craft work.

As the weather begins to turn colder (after about a week of delayed June in November around here, humph), my mind turns inevitably to ways of keeping warm. Yes, I’m a weather weenie. I’ve lived all my life within  a hundred miles of San Francisco, but not in the City itself, so I’ve been ridiculously spoilt. That means when the weather dips below a certain pitifully high point I get cold.

Anyway.

Mittens. Like these:

found at The Purl Bee. There’s even a matching hat for your stylin’ toddler.

But maybe you don’t want something as cute as bunny feet. Maybe you’d like something less cuddly…

(more…)