MarmaladeRose 6 Years Old!

Hello my lovelies! It's my blogiversary this week, 6 years of creativity and domestic ramblings! 

6 years of your wonderful company and unwavering support. Thank you. 

Thank you for sticking with me on this journey of creativity and artistic discovery. I couldn't have done it without you. x

The little mousy is hidden in my latest piece of felt, yes he really is quite small. 

You can see better in this picture, look how small he is compared to my fat fingers. 

What a cutey! Maybe next time I'll be able to show you the whole piece but as it's a commission I think it needs to stay a secret until it's new owner has given her approval...fingers crossed.

Thanks for sticking with me, it's much appreciated.

Till next time

love Fi x

British wildlife abroad.

I've been busy with the woolly stuff again people. I'm afraid your going to see a lot of this this year as I'm hoping to do a lot more art/craft fairs in 2014. Here's little Robin Redbreast in felted wool. He's now winging his way to new home in the USA with a travelling companion...

Can you tell what it is yet?

Here he is finished. A wily old hare, ready for his long journey to the States.

Love Fi x

Hare 3 Completed

Wiggly, wiggly whiskers!

Well he's done! Here he is having all the soap rinsed out in the kitchen sink. I always think this part of the process is quite magical. It's when you can see all those wisps of fluff have become a piece of fabric, strong enough to be swished in the sink and squeezed out. What a transformation!

He's now residing in the gallery as his predecessor sold within 5 days.

Fingers crossed he hops off soon.

Till next time.

love Fi x

Painting on/with fabric

 Hello! I'm playing catchup today.  

I was hoping to have more of this piece done before I posted about it, but I need to, and have been felting as I have orders to complete so I think this will have to be put on the back boiler until...who knows when.

 I was fancying a change and decided I wanted to do a collage. To be more specific I wanted to do a portrait in fabric collage. I sketched a face in pencil on fabric and started cutting out bits of fabric but I couldn't do it. It didn't work, I wasn't at all sure what I was doing or how to go about it really so... I gave up! Tut tut!

 Instead I got out some paper and drew another face in coloured pencils. I used to do a lot of portraits when I was a teenager but only in pencil never in colour. Colour was too scary! In fact I still find colour a bit scary. I do struggle a bit with it. Anyway I'm getting off the subject.

 Now being the kind of girl I am, I don't like to be beaten so I went back to my pencil sketch on fabric and added some colour (after all I couldn't do it any harm could I?) but something exciting happened. I really liked it, I actually enjoyed it but what to do next? I still hadn't done what I set out to do so...

 I added a scrap of fabric here... and another piece there and then stuffed it under the sewing machine and whizzed about a bit. I actually whizzed about at bit too much because I managed to stitch the foot of my machine under a piece of fabric! That took a bit of jiggling and snipping to cut it free I can tell you, lol.

love Fi x

Hare in felt.

Okay so it's not quite what I promised you on my last post but...

 Today has been a beautiful day here in Wensleydale. Blue sky, sunshine, fluffy clouds, aaaah, all is good.

 It is freezing though, literally. I been forbidden from leaving the house until the ice melts as I'm one of those people who can slip at the drop of a hat. Yup! There may only be a 2 inch square of ice on the ground but I'll find it! Today we have considerably more than a 2 inch square. It makes me wonder how those poor people down South will fare if all that flood water starts to freeze! My heart goes out to them.

 Anyway as I was saying, it's a beautiful day here in the Dales today and a little bit of sunshine gave me enough daylight to photograph my latest, or should I say my first piece of felt this year. So I thought I'd share it with you before it goes down to the gallery.

 Here he is! You won't believe how hard it was for me to start this piece of felt. 

 I really struggled with the 'blank piece of paper syndrome' or felt, in my case! It's silly really but I think I was frightened of failure. I was frightened that I couldn't do 'it' anymore, lol. I feel embarrassed telling you actually, teehee.

 Once I've got a good dollop of fibres laid out I'm okay. Once I've got that feeling, that essence of hare, I'm good, I can go with it, enjoying the ride.

 When I used to draw pencil portraits (many moons ago) I knew if I had the eyes right, the rest would be fine.

My mum always said I liked a challenge! lol!

(just noticed a very clear refection of my hands holding the camera right in the middle of my hare, tut tut.)

Till next time when we shall endeavour to reconnect with my previous post.

Love Fi x

Oh NO! I've just heard on the radio that we're in for a large dollop of snow here in the hills tomorrow 
:(

A Bobbett of Bunnies.

Sorry I have no idea what a 'Bobbett' is, I just liked the sound of it. 

Here they are... my little colourful cuties. 

 Maybe I should have them kicking up a leg as they remind me of a line of Tiller Girls, lol.

Exquisite hand embroidery, saved for future generations in the form of a huggable rabbit. All the bits with tea stains, rust marks and holes are cut away and saved for... well I'm not sure yet but even though they are damaged, they are still far too precious to throw away.

 I think this is the first time I've managed to make a set of triplets although one of them has already hopped out of my Etsy shop and is on her way to the States. The colours on these three bunnies make me think of Spring and Easter-time. 

Easter Bunnies! Yay! 

 Here are the twinnies. You can't really see from this angle but they both have a beautiful big pink flower on their sides.

Yes a 'bobbett of bunnies' just seems right somehow.

Hmm...maybe next time we'll take a look at a bit of sketching that so far has not been exactly what I was aiming for, but it has turned into a bit of a happy accident...well so far anyway!

Till next time

love Fi x

Bunny Building for the Future.

 I'm not one for New Years resolutions as such, after all no one ever keeps them do they? But I started the year with the desire to make a change. 

No more PROCRASTINATION!

How much time have I wasted in the past putting things off that really when it came down to it weren't all that difficult to do. How many times have I not known what to make, so I've made nothing! Sound familiar? Well I will do my best to change that this year. 

So far I have done a really big thing. Something that I usually put off and put off and put off, sometimes for months!

I made an appointment for a check up at the dentist!

Don't laugh! It's not THAT funny.

No, on a more serious note, I've already applied for...well I won't say how many...but more than a couple of craft/art fairs. I don't mean a little table in the local school hall kind of craft fair. I mean Yarndale-size 3-day event craft fairs! 

Well it seemed like a good idea at the time... my little fingers quite willingly tippety tapped on my keyboard filling in the application forms. I'm not quite sure how I'm going to pay for them yet though as they all want paying up front in the next few weeks even though the events may not be until the end of the year.

And of course there is the big question of what shall I make for them?

Actually you could maybe help me with that. What do you like to see at craft fairs? What draws you over to a stand for a closer look? 

Anyhow, with my new anti-procrastination rule and the need to earn some money to pay for the craft fairs I've knuckled down to bunny making! Ok they're not new but I thought it best to just get on and make SOMETHING rather than do the P word. So until inspiration strikes I'll be bunnying!

Creativity creates creativity...

hopefully!

I'll keep you posted ;)

love Fi x

PS.  Zelna Olivier - I tried to contact you but you didn't leave me your email. The lining goes in the crochet hexy bag last!