tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36355488290449543162024-03-21T12:57:21.669-07:00heart felt fun by Sara RenzulliSarafina Fiber Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00048493500077939368noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3635548829044954316.post-33137526446097121462016-12-01T10:19:00.000-08:002016-12-01T12:32:16.598-08:002D or Not 2D Needle felting Challenge with Lleona Chew<style>
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In the Spring of 2016, Sarafina hosted a needle felting challenge for our Facebook group members called 2D or Not 2D. We asked participants to needle felt a 3D and 2D project. Entries were judged on creativity, use of fiber, relation of the 2D and 3D pieces to each other, as well as written description and photographs. Lleona Chew was the Challenge winner and the following details her felted creations:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOlR5J7lS9yN-9HZSYOUzMN6YcXmbcPLV8vZYpueKaxsQzIhtCqPxp1HJynxOdT4AKRYninagXyltJ_CyTU3pLzRFESFKhM3B1sfeScSgYDe2TJOXX3BBxLcferl5GDnxU1YEf05ycwxo/s1600/2Dfinal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOlR5J7lS9yN-9HZSYOUzMN6YcXmbcPLV8vZYpueKaxsQzIhtCqPxp1HJynxOdT4AKRYninagXyltJ_CyTU3pLzRFESFKhM3B1sfeScSgYDe2TJOXX3BBxLcferl5GDnxU1YEf05ycwxo/s400/2Dfinal.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Completed 2D </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS5-XB925BRIcU93Nn_VpRB3yw63LA6-NkdqG6bQG46R0phSgGFyM7-qOvNJhLNfmabHGrhqK9pSpkH7R4J3NSS5ZNPYeYzNk-bc5edW856oiNzNFu8I32vIHF5ijJMLKA1WhhbhLeF3o/s1600/Chew3Dfinal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS5-XB925BRIcU93Nn_VpRB3yw63LA6-NkdqG6bQG46R0phSgGFyM7-qOvNJhLNfmabHGrhqK9pSpkH7R4J3NSS5ZNPYeYzNk-bc5edW856oiNzNFu8I32vIHF5ijJMLKA1WhhbhLeF3o/s400/Chew3Dfinal.jpg" width="366" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lleona's Finished 3D Sculpture</td></tr>
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When I first saw the 2d competition posted on the Sarafina
fan page, I thought to myself, “No thank you, I'll stick to making my 3D
critters!” The idea of filling all of that empty space on a wool canvas was
just too intimidating. A serendipitous trip to the <a href="https://www.sarafinafiberart.com/articles.asp?id=255" target="_blank">Art House</a> ended up changing
my mind. Nestled in with the rainbow of wool roving was a luscious, just
begging-to-be-felted <a href="http://www.sarafinafiberart.com/Sarafina-Landscape-Batt-Ocean-p/house-carded-ocean.htm" target="_blank">Ocean Landscape Batt</a>. I picked it up and ran my fingers
over the perfectly blended shades of blues and white, and knew that I had to
find some way to use it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wandered the
treasure trove of wool in the Art House, holding the batt up to the various
shades on display, until a gorgeous red brown<a href="http://www.sarafinafiberart.com/Dyed-Chunky-Core-p/zw-dyed-chunky.htm" target="_blank"> Copper Core Wool</a> brought back a
memory of holding young sea turtles at a rescue in the Caribbean. I was caught
in the beauty of the wool, and ready to go!</div>
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Once home, the sight of that blank<a href="http://www.sarafinafiberart.com/Natural-Wool-Prefelt-p/fmf-prefelt-half.htm" target="_blank"> prefelt</a> almost scared me
away again. This time my mess of a work table provided an extra boost of
inspiration. A gift from the fiber fairy of colorful locks sat next to my new
purchases, and I noticed how much the green shades looked like waving
plants-the perfect snack for the sea turtle taking shape in my mind. From
there, it was surprisingly easy to bring the image to life. The Ocean Batt did
all of the heavy lifting for the background; if I wanted to lighten or darken
an area I just pulled from a different area of the batt and watched the magic
happen. The green locks seemed to find their own spot on the canvas, twisting
and bending on the ocean floor in organic patterns with every poke. Even the
turtle itself seemed eager to be felted. I lined up the various shades of brown
core wool from the Sarafina <a href="http://www.sarafinafiberart.com/Browns-Core-Sampler-p/by-browns-core-sampler.htm" target="_blank">Browns Core Sampler,</a> along with the Copper Core
Wool, and picked at will to create the shell and skin tones. I used some of the
wisps left over from the green locks of the sea bed to add some mossy accents
to the shell. A bit of gold for the eye, and my first completed needle felted
painting was staring back at me. I was thrilled!<br />
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For the 3D portion of the challenge I was in more familiar
territory. Having all of the shades of brown from the sample pack truly made
blending the shell easy. The 2d picture made a great reference for the
sculpture, and I moved across the shell happily pulling bits of browns and
greens to add dimension and depth. The geometrical lines of the shell were
fairly straight forward but the limbs were a bit more challenging.I didn't want
too rigid of a pattern but was having problems getting the wool lines to look
random enough. I finally resorted to sketching on the wool with a bit of chalk
and then adding wool on top-problem solved! From there it was just a matter of
patiently adding the many lines and highlights that really add a touch of
realism.<br />
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This was a fantastic challenge that really pushed me to
experiment with new ways of using wool in my art. I found the 2D process to be
easier than I had imagined, largely thanks to having the right fibers and
textures on hand to really make the project come alive. The biggest challenge
was in figuring out the direction of the light and the angles of the body. I
think in the 2D picture I exaggerated the head too much because I wanted it to
seem like he was swimming towards the viewer. I also had trouble creating depth
in the water behind the turtle, although having the Ocean Batt helped out a
lot. The biggest challenge of the3D process is that it takes so much longer; I
stopped counting after about 15 hours. Photographing 3D work is more
complicated as well, from getting the light to fall equally across the piece in
my tiny setup to finding natural poses. I enjoyed both dimensions, and I am
really glad to have participated in the challenge. Thanks Sara for pushing us
to explore new areas in such a fun way!<br />
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You can see more of Lleona's work on Etsy at <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/AniclayArt?ref=l2-shopheader-name" target="_blank">Aniclay Art</a> and coming soon, Aniclayart.com. <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Thank you, Lleona, and all who participated in the 2D or Not 2D Challenge. We had an amazing array of submissions, every one of them heart felt and a joy to receive. </span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3635548829044954316.post-41287226252441383022015-11-18T05:43:00.000-08:002015-11-18T05:43:49.365-08:00We Need a Tree SkirtSetting up shop for a show or event is one of my favorite things to do, especially around Christmas. Bringing out trees, lights, shiny anything, and ornaments erases away the cold and dark and rushes in the warm and cozy.<br />
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This year as we prepared for our open house, I realized that we had no tree skirt so I added it to my shopping list. The base of the tree needs to be cozy too. Suddenly I realized that I could make one before I would have time to go shopping; handmade is better anyway, and I am impatient, so to work I went!<br />
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I started with one full sheet of <a href="http://www.sarafinafiberart.com/Natural-Wool-Prefelt-p/fmf-prefelt-whole.htm" target="_blank">Dark Prefelt</a>, since I was working with a dark top layer. I folded it onto 1/4s and cut the edge rounded so that when opened it became a circle (more or less with me since I am an impatient non-perfectionist.)<br />
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I used our big carder to create a few large batts in the midnighty color I was going for. At first it was too purple/witchy so I re-carded.carded with more gray and aqua. I used almost two 4oz batts but in
hindsight, it was a bit too much wool. (4-6 oz total would probably be
plenty to create two thin layers. <a href="http://www.sarafinafiberart.com/category-s/135.htm" target="_blank">Fiber Art Batts, Landscape Batts</a>, <a href="http://www.sarafinafiberart.com/category-s/133.htm" target="_blank">Pelts</a>, and any <a href="http://www.sarafinafiberart.com/category-s/110.htm" target="_blank">Top Coat</a> or <a href="http://www.sarafinafiberart.com/category-s/112.htm" target="_blank">Merino</a> will work well.). I was going for two layers of wool on top of the Prefelt. I find batts easier on these large pieces because you can stretch out and arrange larger amounts at a time than pulling from thinner roving.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the Witchy Before. I tried to arrange the batts somewhat crisscrossed and fanned around the edges.</td></tr>
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I treated the edges with some locks that we had that were somewhat felted together. I laid them over the prefelt a bit and under the edge of the top batts a bit so that they would wet felt into place. Some other edge options would be carefully arranged long locks, cut into the desired shape after felting and trim with stitching or trim, natural felted edge, needle felted fluffed lock "furry" edge, etc.<br />
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The hardest part of this project was finding a big enough wet felting set up. I used two pieces of our blue Pool Cover from our <a href="http://www.sarafinafiberart.com/Wet-Felting-Kit-p/wet-felting-kit.htm" target="_blank">Wet Felting Kit</a> with a supporting piece of Gortex underneath. Anything that can get wet and help support the Pool Cover when you roll it up will work. I had some large pieces of netting that my friend saved from a house she was cleaning out to use for the top (Yay to pack rats!). I also used one full length pool noodle; you could find a broom handle, pvc pipe, or any long skinny household item. <br />
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First I wet the whole thing down outside and gently made soapy circles with my hands to begin setting the wool. You can feel it become less squishy under your hands after 5 minutes or so. <br />
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Then I rolled up the layers around the pool noodle and tied it off. I then decided to work on a table. I rolled 100 times from all four directions for a total of 400. <br />
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Next I rinsed hot and cold. Back and forth several times, smooshing and banging it along the way, until all of the soap was out. <br />
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After the piece dried I began needle felting. First I used a layer of <a href="http://www.sarafinafiberart.com/White-Romney-Roving-p/rl-white.htm" target="_blank">White Top Coat</a> to establish the basic shapes of my design. Then I used <a href="http://www.sarafinafiberart.com/Snow-White-1oz-Pelt-p/house-carded-snow-white.htm" target="_blank">Snow White Batt</a> to cover the white and create the snowflakes (which by the way were a test of my commitment to the whole thing.) I used about 2 oz of white and less than 1 oz of Snow White for this design. I had to needle felt the lock edges in a few places.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiturlZbFYd1Vn_c5E1PTJH-99HoP1s72LVX7_bjrlms0YtP8_x9yJmEqcV7k2YopG1fSQ3S6HbW0RapKk9VgOw-SWwvKAS_ewIYpvSE3bDx6EiyAJ5b8X9tIXjqN6Kc_2mYt82sQuuDFo/s1600/IMG_6485.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiturlZbFYd1Vn_c5E1PTJH-99HoP1s72LVX7_bjrlms0YtP8_x9yJmEqcV7k2YopG1fSQ3S6HbW0RapKk9VgOw-SWwvKAS_ewIYpvSE3bDx6EiyAJ5b8X9tIXjqN6Kc_2mYt82sQuuDFo/s640/IMG_6485.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Laying in the white shapes</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbDnMlvhY8qPNbpeRjBjbAB5Q-otWy4OlJftsl0oJuRLPS2v-oggNchw1NKSqtC99eTbJYnfd_9CO_Zm6SThLGhWX5gqAOpZTryhcy_YJLbw1I2IJhJ4HUZxuytHvM-mZwBGrIBRxgmM8/s1600/IMG_6492.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbDnMlvhY8qPNbpeRjBjbAB5Q-otWy4OlJftsl0oJuRLPS2v-oggNchw1NKSqtC99eTbJYnfd_9CO_Zm6SThLGhWX5gqAOpZTryhcy_YJLbw1I2IJhJ4HUZxuytHvM-mZwBGrIBRxgmM8/s400/IMG_6492.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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At any point after felting and drying you can cut the slit and tree hole. Fold into 1/4s again and cut of the center tip. Start small, you can always cut more if it's not large enough. Then decide where you want to slit to be - perhaps find a less perfect part of the skirt so it will be towards the back.<br />
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When all of the needle felting was done, I ironed the entire skirt on high heat with steam to flatten and soften it. Our tree was cozy and pretty outfitted with this Winter Night Tree Skirt.<br />
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Anything goes! Any color, texture, design, even shape! Needle felt, quilt, embroider, bead, trim, embellish your project anyway that you can.<br />
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I have ideas for a second and also stockings!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3635548829044954316.post-56831981424639967852015-11-11T04:21:00.001-08:002015-11-11T04:21:15.157-08:00Why Buy Handmade: Because We Were Meant To
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Purchasing a handmade item or piece of art is an intimate
experience connecting people to people and people to Earth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Long ago, the needs of people were met by
what the Earth provided. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I need a bed –
gather leaves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I need food - gather nuts and berries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I need medicine – gather
herbs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then people traded and sold items that they
made and perhaps in which they had a specialization. I need my wheat ground – go and
trade with the Millers. I need my horse shod – go and see the Smiths.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Spanning time and cultures, humans also saw beauty in the world and
replicated it in adornment and creations that existed for the sole purpose of
being admired, not to be used at all - art. Whether born out of necessity or just for the beauty, handmade is our history. </div>
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In the modern world we have become distanced from our purchases. Materials are far removed from their source, in distance and in processing, and the buyer is far removed from the creator. Technology and engineering have streamlined creation to make millions of the same thing. Don't get me wrong, I prefer a mattress to leaves and I would be up shit creek without Imodium, but I want explain why I seek out a world created by hands.</div>
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I am not interested in drawing a line between craft and art
so I will just be referring to the entire spectrum as “handmade” or “creation.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A handmade item has been inspired.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Inspiration can come from need, color, a
feeling, a moment, a technique, nature, a memory, a medium, a discovery, and
the list goes on and on for eternity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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The creator uses his/her skill and chosen medium to take the
inspiration and create an object. He or she is thinking about why that
particular color, texture, or material will work just right, a<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>nd making thousands of tiny decisions that shape
the creation into something that only that one person could make and could
probably only make one time – never again the same.</div>
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The buyer/admirer is attracted to the handmade item.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The buyer sees in the item something that
speaks to him/her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It says, “I am your
favorite color (texture, shape, subject, etc)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>and you are intrigued by the decisions that were made to create me. You see in
me a reflection of yourself!” </div>
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Therefore, the buyer is connecting not only to the item but
also to the creator.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have now
shared the experience of the creation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The buyer can further connect by giving the creation as a gift.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now the recipient of the handmade item can
admire the creation, love the giver, and connect with the creator.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I mean really, how much more connecting can
you get?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, there is more…. </div>
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... all involved, creator, buyer/admirer, and recipient are
experiencing a connection to the Earth’s beauty, inspiration, and materials. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have no handmade without materials.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have no inspiration without experiencing our
world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have no beauty without the
sight of our Earth.</div>
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My shop is currently full of creations born from the Earth's
gifts; wood, fiber, clay, leather, stones, metal, gourds, and more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shaped by creators and ready to be admired,
possibly purchased, possibly given, but definitely appreciated.</div>
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It's hard to pick a favorite (No it's not, I have started a small pile.), but one is a live edge dark walnut serving board harvested locally and made with care by a long-time friend. It is so simple, a single piece of wood. But it celebrates the beauty that occurs without fuss. A reflection of me? Not me exactly, but what I love most in this world. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlqQSPMOxZ2cIxXWtyd7t_PSTNtg_myHEunwyVVXa5pph532YDB2W2KSzazd5Hd1dJN3Mmb1QsyL4BRZDh2TvF7uGSC150TiXAzjMA0Tfy_hhwytkFKTJ8gVAmuPUn67UoC0s5PJlDAdM/s1600/Karens+Board.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlqQSPMOxZ2cIxXWtyd7t_PSTNtg_myHEunwyVVXa5pph532YDB2W2KSzazd5Hd1dJN3Mmb1QsyL4BRZDh2TvF7uGSC150TiXAzjMA0Tfy_hhwytkFKTJ8gVAmuPUn67UoC0s5PJlDAdM/s400/Karens+Board.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Shop handmade this year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Shop local.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shop small
business.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Create your world.</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3635548829044954316.post-72151946392166178352015-10-29T12:32:00.002-07:002015-10-29T13:36:26.097-07:00Fiber Art Bundles: What CAN'T you do with a F.A.B.?<span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I spent three years as a line cook in a restaurant kitchen. Cooking with the big equipment and kitchen power tools, a walk-in filled with fresh meat and produce, and shelves lined with every spice and seasoning you can imagine, all right at your finger tips, lead to some innovative, elaborate, and inspired dishes. (Cooking at my house is not nearly that kind of adventure. Who has saffron or a robocoup?) </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c;"><br /></span>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Art House provides a similar environment with a focus on fiber. No idea goes unexplored and we have, or can get, the fiber to see it through. It's a professional fiber kitchen! And from such a place comes mouth watering delights. One of those is <a href="http://www.sarafinafiberart.com/category-s/137.htm" target="_blank">Fiber Art Bundles</a>: dyed lots of a mix of top shelf fibers like Mulberry Silk, Mohair, Wensleydale, lamb curls, and other soft locks.</span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBYxSZHjvkVUQprUxp2Nj8ldtGvmX2n7Oa4TWYcNjBSg1JnjRWR0XYsZShQL1JCEUSTm1wGsNHc8AJ6iXKIVDIq1X_ASrFwbZla_bUPV7XwFuLBkLpj6dJXbgv1A8_dKZ7LxASck9qgn0/s1600/IMG_6384.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBYxSZHjvkVUQprUxp2Nj8ldtGvmX2n7Oa4TWYcNjBSg1JnjRWR0XYsZShQL1JCEUSTm1wGsNHc8AJ6iXKIVDIq1X_ASrFwbZla_bUPV7XwFuLBkLpj6dJXbgv1A8_dKZ7LxASck9qgn0/s400/IMG_6384.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #45818e;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #45818e;"><span style="font-size: large;">What can you do with such a bundle?</span> </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">You can do anything fiber related, wet felt, nuno felt, 2D, needle felt, sculpt, and spin. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">This particular bundle started out as a mix of Mohair roving, Mulberry Silk, BFL/BL cross, Wendsleydale lamb, and BL curls. I dyed it a muted mix of coppery browns to aqua and teal to gold. The color palette said "winter woods" to me. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMTjgxTW1MU3mu07LXgDfOYeJ0BRBoxHUWcPyng5ov9B-6-OmhD_9QCGwVyWbovJp7tqsQjrY96MDTBuCK1cb9f3ZWDWY4i2ab3iqNYtD0QM9ML_l-FcL8IYl0GD-Q2Cg5o2VI_itm0AY/s1600/IMG_6425.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMTjgxTW1MU3mu07LXgDfOYeJ0BRBoxHUWcPyng5ov9B-6-OmhD_9QCGwVyWbovJp7tqsQjrY96MDTBuCK1cb9f3ZWDWY4i2ab3iqNYtD0QM9ML_l-FcL8IYl0GD-Q2Cg5o2VI_itm0AY/s320/IMG_6425.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Soaking before the dye bath</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzUyqe9wquP156uuK0exdhEsvOKLkhLJhoHAQP4vXKMPxXw79g8RYKE_z2_12uISI5mDKRbbtcpsQFG_3k_X2mSvu6uQFYvrgOS1rjYflx-jGuP6uMlBY1iv5-zT-4SUrj-8Un0wvcjTs/s1600/IMG_6385.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzUyqe9wquP156uuK0exdhEsvOKLkhLJhoHAQP4vXKMPxXw79g8RYKE_z2_12uISI5mDKRbbtcpsQFG_3k_X2mSvu6uQFYvrgOS1rjYflx-jGuP6uMlBY1iv5-zT-4SUrj-8Un0wvcjTs/s320/IMG_6385.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">16 oz Dyed and ready for action - Winter Woods</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #45818e;"><span style="background-color: #d9ead3;"></span><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">First I carded the Mohair and Silk together into a crazy soft and lofty batt. I wanted the batt for ease of laying out layers in 2D feltng, for further mixing for 3D felting, and for creating fluff for spinning. All to be used along with the dyed locks.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQvnI548JkvHUwqP0lDsCjuub2eNXToruyV-1x83w325yKskIq1E8M__AcuBiV1wi4e9xZUi2lfo_HELd1KDqIJ3JmIIvEX18jhvv_SFYezFVDOMUvbTb9ITRFDZwZEECsQXmY0jDrvaY/s1600/IMG_6387.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQvnI548JkvHUwqP0lDsCjuub2eNXToruyV-1x83w325yKskIq1E8M__AcuBiV1wi4e9xZUi2lfo_HELd1KDqIJ3JmIIvEX18jhvv_SFYezFVDOMUvbTb9ITRFDZwZEECsQXmY0jDrvaY/s320/IMG_6387.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="color: #45818e;">2D Snowshoe Hare:</span> </span></h3>
<span style="color: #134f5c;">Let's start with the 2D. After I carded the Mohair and Silk together, I further carded several other colors together with the snowshoe hare in mind. Several shades of "grey" to white were made with the aqua and browns from the FAB and various amounts of white. I used a 1/4 piece of <a href="http://www.sarafinafiberart.com/Natural-Wool-Prefelt-p/fmf-prefelt-quarter.htm" target="_blank">Prefelt</a> as my backing.</span><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #134f5c;">I laid in some lights and darks in <a href="http://www.sarafinafiberart.com/category-s/110.htm" target="_blank">top coat roving</a> and <a href="http://www.sarafinafiberart.com/category-s/112.htm" target="_blank">merino</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #45818e;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #45818e;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #45818e;"> </span><br />
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<span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-size: large;">Then I began to lay in curls, the carded colors, and even some yarn to represent twigs and branches. </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGRbeRNnyjbi_qM6kUOL6C0yapdvQAGRc2zaq4dhuFxZwkZy4dIqog6BIaLNWeswpekX1Dayo1BgYSakX0m6CU_8v104XPpIh91UVpWVxmBeonHXIeB9dWsQpu9BAeYreUQyaBssGQr1M/s1600/IMG_6390.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGRbeRNnyjbi_qM6kUOL6C0yapdvQAGRc2zaq4dhuFxZwkZy4dIqog6BIaLNWeswpekX1Dayo1BgYSakX0m6CU_8v104XPpIh91UVpWVxmBeonHXIeB9dWsQpu9BAeYreUQyaBssGQr1M/s400/IMG_6390.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-size: large;">After all was in place, I wet felted the whole piece.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-size: large;">After it dried I needle felted the hare using all the mixed colors that I made.</span> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #45818e;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfdUH2tBjb3_Lqv9KnuPgwiQHMvz_mv9LHPuqjG6yZxcQ_WL5cy0iArWVtroXF9aIcBG4e80BmbXRckWs4cfPZKECa01gykzjdZjlmK5s-TbFMgjywfUbITET5F5HKDDBdZeJgg7yuDzQ/s1600/DSC_0206.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfdUH2tBjb3_Lqv9KnuPgwiQHMvz_mv9LHPuqjG6yZxcQ_WL5cy0iArWVtroXF9aIcBG4e80BmbXRckWs4cfPZKECa01gykzjdZjlmK5s-TbFMgjywfUbITET5F5HKDDBdZeJgg7yuDzQ/s640/DSC_0206.jpg" width="640" /></a> </span><br />
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<h3>
<span style="color: #45818e;">Spun yarn:</span></h3>
<span style="color: #134f5c;">I am not an experienced spinner. At this point I enjoy it therapeutically and use it in my own creations or give it away. So please try to imagine what someone, with abilities that I do not have, could do with these fibers. </span><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #134f5c;">For this yarn I fluffed together all of the fiber; all of the locks and the batt of Mohair and Silk got pulled and teased into a big box of fiber fluff. I spun from the fluff into a thickish single, overspun slightly so I could spin it back with a thin commercial gold yarn that I had on hand. </span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXlcQ8jNANsEwW88-EN5RhATA7UjUPTHVYc4dNSmK4ziQj0ycvJZ_I0En3VIKI9JmYeAFhzgA8ZD0jtzgRrjfPoqWjzuR3dqM2-2O4VdKL2R6k4nMmjsJfr6ri2HAVuv0DafQ_wBtf9u0/s1600/DSC_0217.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXlcQ8jNANsEwW88-EN5RhATA7UjUPTHVYc4dNSmK4ziQj0ycvJZ_I0En3VIKI9JmYeAFhzgA8ZD0jtzgRrjfPoqWjzuR3dqM2-2O4VdKL2R6k4nMmjsJfr6ri2HAVuv0DafQ_wBtf9u0/s320/DSC_0217.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">12 Ounces</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="color: #45818e;"> </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_mXDVDdNCQwZqQfKDo7LarHcRwJiXWlXiBVuWI5dZAQ6Lil0ZXqlEhKWvCqibTYx_bWMS5nY4s-13u7-DQ1Vq2iMc73n1zNNp-p2r4MzSXtsSJ5il6IdnJKXqzJ18EIYOuUDmtjgJe2s/s1600/DSC_0218.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_mXDVDdNCQwZqQfKDo7LarHcRwJiXWlXiBVuWI5dZAQ6Lil0ZXqlEhKWvCqibTYx_bWMS5nY4s-13u7-DQ1Vq2iMc73n1zNNp-p2r4MzSXtsSJ5il6IdnJKXqzJ18EIYOuUDmtjgJe2s/s640/DSC_0218.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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<span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="color: #45818e;"> </span> </span><br />
<h3>
<span style="color: #45818e;">Needle Felted Old Man Winter:</span><span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="color: #783f04;"><span style="color: #45818e;"> </span></span></span></h3>
<span style="color: #134f5c;">For my 3D project I used the remaining blends of various colors from the 2D Hare project. I started with a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqpSsbvAO08&feature=youtu.be" target="_blank">Forest Folk</a> style armature a la <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/FeltingFarmerLady" target="_blank">Lee Charlton</a>. He has a robe and cloak with opposite ombre coloring all trimmed with the locks from the FAB. His cloak was wet felted as we did in the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OMApKyJnYY&feature=youtu.be" target="_blank">Cloak Tutorial</a>. He also has a wet felted Icelandic rug, a New Year Baby, and sleepy arctic fox inspired by Cheryl Tomline's sleepy felted animals. </span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfZ9qcckvSVIhhkSO4PRnkZxSmsRtG3SOlEz2Q0U-BqOoK4WIsp2zrkTauyzND79VfSh-QXC7nl5nSUUaqXRP9wfMXd3aU_ctSdNOfB8SiVx2tKnakiyI_BqNFbrUHGqVcpfY1xJehGh4/s1600/DSC_0213.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfZ9qcckvSVIhhkSO4PRnkZxSmsRtG3SOlEz2Q0U-BqOoK4WIsp2zrkTauyzND79VfSh-QXC7nl5nSUUaqXRP9wfMXd3aU_ctSdNOfB8SiVx2tKnakiyI_BqNFbrUHGqVcpfY1xJehGh4/s640/DSC_0213.jpg" width="481" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Old Man Winter</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #45818e;"> </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ZHf8p50vW-3iL-0RqhCp9x9hpwfCIJk4MIIpAK_Z911os8AUDSJyDa_o2LQ-9Qdl_2f8s3yTwqTGbPVw2DZsiShSVG9NuOrJ23vq7Ae55d6pOf6eBFWBYherLbVJP3HMUa9FarETNKU/s1600/DSC_0278.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ZHf8p50vW-3iL-0RqhCp9x9hpwfCIJk4MIIpAK_Z911os8AUDSJyDa_o2LQ-9Qdl_2f8s3yTwqTGbPVw2DZsiShSVG9NuOrJ23vq7Ae55d6pOf6eBFWBYherLbVJP3HMUa9FarETNKU/s640/DSC_0278.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
<span style="color: #45818e;"> </span> <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSXwC4cLP_EnAv8lpi05SL9dHe_1UtO4Zi-mi08XDm1p5OtgsuIfx4_9wTeXddP6iyteA3KB-r2OqT_twC5titQRzDgR61kziq8OnaszCLWQyWzCJ1teSvVp7NaM1MDHmNRMPI8tU-6kQ/s1600/DSC_0281.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSXwC4cLP_EnAv8lpi05SL9dHe_1UtO4Zi-mi08XDm1p5OtgsuIfx4_9wTeXddP6iyteA3KB-r2OqT_twC5titQRzDgR61kziq8OnaszCLWQyWzCJ1teSvVp7NaM1MDHmNRMPI8tU-6kQ/s640/DSC_0281.jpg" width="560" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love this color palette.</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #134f5c;">I Hope you will try one of our FABs and cook something special up in your fiber kitchen.</span></div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3635548829044954316.post-59471534706716027922015-09-27T07:08:00.000-07:002015-09-27T07:08:28.398-07:00Lonely no Longer A series of recent events have flooded me the realization that I am surrounded by great people in a creative community that did not even exist for me just 3 years ago. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtqvU2lCGOuXQSSSE9qV37nfDof13LOWt8IN7Q9zoqAk2ihdgBZw1Kfk5p4LtU7k85hY3-_AuNMRj0thZQ_5NTAddX20QaYg-VW64oa0sLqcbUxmR_be3eP2Buhyphenhyphen3LvVwzkOyaFMU6AY4/s1600/DSC_0071.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih8igDxphMWVZGaaQzr1DTbqJ646luWOYvB8VXEyd02HuqTHE3AftQv5Ai7KQuCeQWKD52FToLoE5zRygpTL4SEj_shaLKGc8dFRv9-1iMSJLEzbr6t6IWotzvx8YiB9Qgs7q4XPQazuA/s1600/DSC_0025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih8igDxphMWVZGaaQzr1DTbqJ646luWOYvB8VXEyd02HuqTHE3AftQv5Ai7KQuCeQWKD52FToLoE5zRygpTL4SEj_shaLKGc8dFRv9-1iMSJLEzbr6t6IWotzvx8YiB9Qgs7q4XPQazuA/s400/DSC_0025.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Four Day Workshop group with their owls</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht8pyn6_LHFOKW6hcONazD0BqYNhS2IlOizwXZ97tUI2_EKH0RnWl8FrOxHXgkpo_NAwhogXrGgPMkRl7O2JptP1_pcvt4-Uo4LfOKtZUZN51lhkNQMEW_HBhiOsSBg01la0jwK4sXLOo/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>For a long time I worked odd jobs to support my art habit. From retail, to waiting tables, to mucking stalls and galloping race horses, I did what came my way to keep my head above water (and sometimes I needed a little help when I slipped below the surface). Other than painting/creating, a career path did not call out to me. So I painted when ever I could. My marriage to Dave gave me a huge advantage with the security that came with it. Before Max and Evan were born, I spent a year just painting! It was a wonderful year.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht8pyn6_LHFOKW6hcONazD0BqYNhS2IlOizwXZ97tUI2_EKH0RnWl8FrOxHXgkpo_NAwhogXrGgPMkRl7O2JptP1_pcvt4-Uo4LfOKtZUZN51lhkNQMEW_HBhiOsSBg01la0jwK4sXLOo/s1600/photo.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht8pyn6_LHFOKW6hcONazD0BqYNhS2IlOizwXZ97tUI2_EKH0RnWl8FrOxHXgkpo_NAwhogXrGgPMkRl7O2JptP1_pcvt4-Uo4LfOKtZUZN51lhkNQMEW_HBhiOsSBg01la0jwK4sXLOo/s320/photo.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td></tr>
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It was also the year of 2001. On 9/11/2001 my career path was shaken by the absolute grounding emotions of humanity with the attack on our country. Stripping life down to death, loss, and vulnerability made painting feel like an indulgent and selfish pursuit. What was I really contributing? Pretty paintings to relatively wealthy people who could afford them? Of course it has its place, but at that moment in time it felt empty. <br />
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Life of course went on and the arrival of two babies definitely becomes all encompassing. (The experience of a young family is its own blog!) I did keep painting. I would have gone nuts if I did not make time for it. <br />
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But still, I wanted to be a part of something that extended beyond my own two hands. I dabbled in the idea of a Cafe. I had Dave on edge with the thought of the time, money, and risk involved in such a venture. It fizzled when the same realization sunk into my brain, but still, I know it was a great idea and would have been a huge success. ; ) I volunteered, briefly. I considered teaching art somewhere. But nothing stuck.<br />
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When needle felting came along, I had no idea where it would lead. I just loved it. At first I would paint in the mornings (my real job) and felt in the afternoon if I had time. Then it morphed to felting in the mornings and painting if the afternoon if I had time. Then felting became the only focus. I was thrilled with the prospect for growth. (Turns out, all of those odd jobs, gave me skills that I would need, and still use, to move forward as an entrepreneur. ) <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkpbfRRWa18Edcdf5XogEJzEIid7R8cawml7TAZlbN9t66JUVgroBl44vT4VzKiy5Wi7RyeZR_3JaerInX_xbHK9z574st9NqVFiwqQjaqkDP3mctCQ0WMJFZVT1m__3ybLpx7JoMfj7s/s1600/IMG_4364.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkpbfRRWa18Edcdf5XogEJzEIid7R8cawml7TAZlbN9t66JUVgroBl44vT4VzKiy5Wi7RyeZR_3JaerInX_xbHK9z574st9NqVFiwqQjaqkDP3mctCQ0WMJFZVT1m__3ybLpx7JoMfj7s/s400/IMG_4364.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pat and Bernie with Nunno Felted Scarves taught at The Art House by ReCreatively</td></tr>
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The growing interest in the art and the demand for supplies drove me towards creating Sarafina. Talbot actually worked for me first, when I was still in my home! Moving out of my house was the first big step. Then, while Talbot was off working some where else, Kyla joined me and soon after Jennifer. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Stof5G7Lb6_Etpme07jZppyWhQPI75dPRTdWaiztqNiMoAbseE5ezGjvu_VWMf_KgNvBd9hdUNl60VHeS81hfUmVgs1ZzR33CXn_r01fLDs9QdKL_Td9FaEAb-9N7rKIj6QIHspAkkQ/s1600/IMG_1389.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Stof5G7Lb6_Etpme07jZppyWhQPI75dPRTdWaiztqNiMoAbseE5ezGjvu_VWMf_KgNvBd9hdUNl60VHeS81hfUmVgs1ZzR33CXn_r01fLDs9QdKL_Td9FaEAb-9N7rKIj6QIHspAkkQ/s400/IMG_1389.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Mill, about 500 square feet of rustic space only 1/10 mile from my home.</td></tr>
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I will not lie, having two other personalities (in many ways opposite to my own to boot) in the space was an adjustment. But adjust I did and the three of us began to make great things happen. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtqvU2lCGOuXQSSSE9qV37nfDof13LOWt8IN7Q9zoqAk2ihdgBZw1Kfk5p4LtU7k85hY3-_AuNMRj0thZQ_5NTAddX20QaYg-VW64oa0sLqcbUxmR_be3eP2Buhyphenhyphen3LvVwzkOyaFMU6AY4/s1600/DSC_0071.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtqvU2lCGOuXQSSSE9qV37nfDof13LOWt8IN7Q9zoqAk2ihdgBZw1Kfk5p4LtU7k85hY3-_AuNMRj0thZQ_5NTAddX20QaYg-VW64oa0sLqcbUxmR_be3eP2Buhyphenhyphen3LvVwzkOyaFMU6AY4/s400/DSC_0071.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A powerful trio</td></tr>
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We moved again to our current location, another big step. All the while we were growing our online community with Facebook, YouTube, and Etsy. Now we have a legitimate local presence. A place to invite people to share creativity with us. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvarr_uEDHZXYX-Ni1UxPT6lEzOj0W8q1gHNjhbv8sjPGsIqwiu7pfL-oB6TAnIVoOtT7hXfwls8t2GrVNaD7k2ubi9OhXte5TYlYnfnA9FCcAoDHmX-Is-hrA0AIfs4aOM-k2LUYnPZA/s1600/DSC_0067.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvarr_uEDHZXYX-Ni1UxPT6lEzOj0W8q1gHNjhbv8sjPGsIqwiu7pfL-oB6TAnIVoOtT7hXfwls8t2GrVNaD7k2ubi9OhXte5TYlYnfnA9FCcAoDHmX-Is-hrA0AIfs4aOM-k2LUYnPZA/s400/DSC_0067.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grand Opening</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhw3P9WeY9TMEVWZSWtrIEXJMkRHUwXBmkegGXhGuYDxRYD22UQPcQZLS_e_i7tCWIkXfc8y4x7nX46ftpVb38n1kgM4POr77OfS2O3aBlGeW-IpFSz2X8VDGLPwtWpRSfrXcX_fDGWng/s1600/IMG_4794.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhw3P9WeY9TMEVWZSWtrIEXJMkRHUwXBmkegGXhGuYDxRYD22UQPcQZLS_e_i7tCWIkXfc8y4x7nX46ftpVb38n1kgM4POr77OfS2O3aBlGeW-IpFSz2X8VDGLPwtWpRSfrXcX_fDGWng/s400/IMG_4794.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wet Felted Landscape Workshop - one of my favorites!</td></tr>
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Friday was one of those perfect days in the shop. Everyone was there; Kyla, Jennifer, Talbot, Marsha, Mary, and I. Everyone was doing something remarkable that takes advantage of their skill set. It was as if we were in a movie scene, the transformational montage with the cool music and no dialogue, all day. I have my "beyond my own two hands."<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh00C3VpJd-EcuEvPqqBXrIo9jx_QILL1O_52UdHNh3h8I0kMDQ9p0_OqJ1w4YT0cNssaxlMNEs6g9xkCmwtRJcOoN9wBfEsbTvnpnmWwrl-IO5xLgfFWyipcqSNN0P0pZduzGR5XDRBb4/s1600/photo+3.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh00C3VpJd-EcuEvPqqBXrIo9jx_QILL1O_52UdHNh3h8I0kMDQ9p0_OqJ1w4YT0cNssaxlMNEs6g9xkCmwtRJcOoN9wBfEsbTvnpnmWwrl-IO5xLgfFWyipcqSNN0P0pZduzGR5XDRBb4/s400/photo+3.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Sarafina Crew less Mary. I will write a blog about each person, including Mary.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Thanks to social media I have also made new friends. Dear friends as well as an extended creative community. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWxffw3ICMdesRAriP86i-iHRmX7Mr-k4g0X1MwKf7Ut8ra5XevH0xOJG1uu1-MzxupZ2anKM7Hz0r4Uy_KjBiv98P_M4y3ZkLxdSPgtRLLG6X4KeY37HHxs2ywK1ip8Q9i3XBHCYhINw/s1600/IMG_5084.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWxffw3ICMdesRAriP86i-iHRmX7Mr-k4g0X1MwKf7Ut8ra5XevH0xOJG1uu1-MzxupZ2anKM7Hz0r4Uy_KjBiv98P_M4y3ZkLxdSPgtRLLG6X4KeY37HHxs2ywK1ip8Q9i3XBHCYhINw/s400/IMG_5084.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A horrible picture depicting a wonderful time</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvm-vnj94C6jXqDz71mmDSXRbHUrh1bu-7mLYdrTPrykZ4H-EfWltN-zMtYta-JbGw3L4abacQElth_Efp_fy12w-a-egdxpAUPeDxPDTzVq1IH78gf3EMC_JG6Qgm1OmKmAZZXyP2KQ4/s1600/IMG_3833.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvm-vnj94C6jXqDz71mmDSXRbHUrh1bu-7mLYdrTPrykZ4H-EfWltN-zMtYta-JbGw3L4abacQElth_Efp_fy12w-a-egdxpAUPeDxPDTzVq1IH78gf3EMC_JG6Qgm1OmKmAZZXyP2KQ4/s400/IMG_3833.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A few of my faraway Besties thanks to Facebook.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Creativity does have its place in this world. Even on the smallest level it gives us hope. It gives us something where we once had nothing. It is God's way of acknowledging our recognition of the beauty of his/her creation.<br />
<br />
Thank you for being a part of something greater than any one of us. Make something today. : )<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifuqHSoNWJWiXzV6P4M0krXrnEbHW4JmwcMvRP8rm8ir1A1odfeZCjjHMEnHT740K6ImbMWD_eJO8Kdv3JBVOmhPLwAKOucZIEg_QO4g1uKYXy-YJayuq-6o4qvMq6jBNsN0cn6kBKWOc/s1600/photo.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifuqHSoNWJWiXzV6P4M0krXrnEbHW4JmwcMvRP8rm8ir1A1odfeZCjjHMEnHT740K6ImbMWD_eJO8Kdv3JBVOmhPLwAKOucZIEg_QO4g1uKYXy-YJayuq-6o4qvMq6jBNsN0cn6kBKWOc/s400/photo.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Add caption</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3635548829044954316.post-46163360858703139612015-09-16T11:22:00.001-07:002015-09-16T11:22:07.023-07:00What Didn’t Happen and What Isn’t There
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Over a year ago a seed was planted; the idea to hold a
workshop across the Atlantic in England.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It started with a few requests and then an invitation from a remarkable
woman who wanted to see the seed grow as much as I did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Over the year we planned and more and more
people become involved and made significant obligations in time, money, and
energy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Teachers, hosts, staff,
participants, and all of the families around them watered the seed until we all
had a week full of fun in front of us with months of anticipation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I fluttered with excitement fueled by what
lay ahead.
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But with one fatal murmur at the passport check at The
UK<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Border, the carefully cultivated, now
mature plan was ripped out and in front of me left a huge ugly crater big
enough to hold 100 rusted buses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Where
there once was the plan to share, felt, laugh, and bond with new friends, there
was now only the gaping negative space.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>How on earth could I cross this hole in front of me?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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At first the loss overwhelmed me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Complete emptiness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No ideas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Just The Crater. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Gutted” was
the word of the moment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But only hours later, there were new
revelations emerging.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Crater made
space.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the space allowed different
experiences and opportunities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lee and I
shared something dramatic and like the good friends that we are, it bound us
tighter together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Love poured in through
the few texts we were allowed to receive and the dirty ancient phone attached
to the wall in the holding room during our 9 hour detainment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I felt the love even through the greasy receiver.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After our release, we had 6 hours of time to
kill from 12 am to 6 am before our flight back home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our UK friends, Cheryl and Malachai, whom we
had never met in person, drove over 2 hours each way in the dark and rain wee hours
of the morning to spend some time with us in the cold, badly lit airport.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can not express in writing how they warmed
that time and space.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will cherish that short time spent with
them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kyla, Lee, and I began to plan how
on earth we could make up the cancellation to the workshop participants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I shuttered to think of it, but as it turns
out, it is another opportunity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not only
for my business to do what’s right, but also an unexpected gift back to us to
feel the concern and support from the very people jilted. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCUtIcDA7XfVnMUMv5QgWmAYew2wb2_1GFIq9H_d2lh25Yy-Oonl9t43ZsVm26RIEj2FmKCv5X0YJxNqnzNq2t_9IIitB_7qZRm8n3OKu_pyVbkthjPnruGvk1BH5BdUfGosJvDBgYOHk/s1600/IMG_3833.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCUtIcDA7XfVnMUMv5QgWmAYew2wb2_1GFIq9H_d2lh25Yy-Oonl9t43ZsVm26RIEj2FmKCv5X0YJxNqnzNq2t_9IIitB_7qZRm8n3OKu_pyVbkthjPnruGvk1BH5BdUfGosJvDBgYOHk/s320/IMG_3833.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">About 36 hours in for me 48 for Lee and 2 am. Not a bad looking lot considering!</td></tr>
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And now Lee and I are on the plane back home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lee will have a few open days to spend with
me; again, we have been given an opportunity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We have already plotted all of the things we can do. The negative space is holding all of the new positive experiences and will continue to do so in ways I can’t even imagine yet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because of what did not happen, my life is richer
in an alternate way.
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And here lies a needle felting analogy!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The negative space, what is NOT there, enriches
our sculptures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cherish the interest of
negative space.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Allow it to be, creating dimension, shadows, peaks,
and valleys.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do not fill it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>See it nature and mimic in your work by
leaving it empty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It holds goodness. I will elaborate more on that when I can hold my eyes open. </div>
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We will land soon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>One more new experience in line for me thanks to The Crater:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the shower and nap of a lifetime.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3635548829044954316.post-6778359631929285462015-06-11T05:09:00.001-07:002015-06-11T05:09:08.396-07:00Nothing is Black and White: Creating Color Life in Shadows and Highlights<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My painting palette has no black. While black is obviously very
dark, I find it flat and lifeless. The darkness we see is simply absence of
light; so it still has some color in the depth of the objects. Aside from being dark, it should be sheer,
receding, and transparent. Similarly, a white object is not shaded with
grey. The shadows are multicolored created by all of the surrounding
colors and the type of light in the environment. Also, highlights to black are not grey; they are teal, purple, rust, aqua, blue... anything but grey.<br />
<br />
Avoid
using black in your darkest darks, as well as to create gray shadows
for white. Whether you are painting with oils or wool, your work will
more have life, dimension, and interest without it.<br />
<br />
I like to create black in oils by mixing or layering transparent dark colors - Veridian Green, Alizarin Crimson, and Ultramarine Blue. You can slant your black in any of those color directions by adding more of one color, or by making it the top layer. You can also lean toward brown by adding a touch of yellow.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7z8LIL9IuFPYAzvbhaqi0hjaRfvi09rbgQVp1ggzqVq1hMO8F23lem-F5XW_A5ZE0-d1VsHR22E6oS-C0dcK17waFiNgFs0z-o_VBCmYNbfdG1iXwfxucL3golLdolwXkyg3s4L49o3A/s1600/artwork+summer+2007+%252815%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7z8LIL9IuFPYAzvbhaqi0hjaRfvi09rbgQVp1ggzqVq1hMO8F23lem-F5XW_A5ZE0-d1VsHR22E6oS-C0dcK17waFiNgFs0z-o_VBCmYNbfdG1iXwfxucL3golLdolwXkyg3s4L49o3A/s400/artwork+summer+2007+%252815%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A white shaggy dog on black (not really) back ground - All of his shading is variations of purple, green, and cream.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgowt3s4wNdW0EgyOKU6GfD023ZuW23heVKuui5Ev7l_cY3w-oHIzkhxkUSTuKFqt5KeyspPd0V8UlbyalzJGLFo3WIS4CtKO1TDVe3-NESlvASl6KvIqxYidK9jaYjVuoIGJkj9avtBRk/s1600/DSC_0093.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="636" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgowt3s4wNdW0EgyOKU6GfD023ZuW23heVKuui5Ev7l_cY3w-oHIzkhxkUSTuKFqt5KeyspPd0V8UlbyalzJGLFo3WIS4CtKO1TDVe3-NESlvASl6KvIqxYidK9jaYjVuoIGJkj9avtBRk/s640/DSC_0093.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This turkey canvas already had an old painting under it so lots of interest and texture. I primarily used a palette knife. The black is slanted green and brown and highlighted with teal and blue, a reflection of the blue head and also a nice compliment to the red waddle.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMidHG7FEXA7v1ohY4bKdmefwarNdPjvTpsjDUIS4NikuwpeT-xidwQeADxGc_SvmnEwt_2ItLI_sjuJOcope-Pgr6oig-tpxvnljy-8hjHldgA73gnq2gw_VyZ5jMWrAvkzA_CuYuWUs/s1600/DSC_0072.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMidHG7FEXA7v1ohY4bKdmefwarNdPjvTpsjDUIS4NikuwpeT-xidwQeADxGc_SvmnEwt_2ItLI_sjuJOcope-Pgr6oig-tpxvnljy-8hjHldgA73gnq2gw_VyZ5jMWrAvkzA_CuYuWUs/s400/DSC_0072.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A black and white cow... or is it?</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8PDDy4woDqz4mRDMwLnXRVYfxhQ4cTbZ7F0HYPZOVtEAxdsVIKZH-aRVJzfgY1SEOGWDTa4uCfNgPX100vyAjJZYLFdkCIN6D97QUr0vnuYwVcFQkFCygw5XBGaC2cKa9fa4kvzKDeYo/s1600/DSC_0087.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="628" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8PDDy4woDqz4mRDMwLnXRVYfxhQ4cTbZ7F0HYPZOVtEAxdsVIKZH-aRVJzfgY1SEOGWDTa4uCfNgPX100vyAjJZYLFdkCIN6D97QUr0vnuYwVcFQkFCygw5XBGaC2cKa9fa4kvzKDeYo/s640/DSC_0087.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unfortunately this painting created a lot of reflection in my photograph of it but it is full of fun colors.</td></tr>
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<br />
Wool is a little different because we can not blend colors with a palette knife. To some degree we can blend and layer but it requires a slightly different aproach. With wool, I do use black as an under-layer for dark areas of my felted painting as well as very black subject matter. The underlayer helps to
establish that the area will be dark. As a top layer, black makes my darkest darks and I can hightlight with teal or purple from there. <br />
<br />
I do not have very many wool paintings with which to illustrate these ideas, but I sure look forward to making them!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMwkXHci_Azi9K-KZOgXxoIVV2PeStQFodQ99e1m2qOlgl6Yk6fef_E-mBvvBYrydW77tntOQpYXWRCQD0oX-7Gz4qC9Y4J0IJx100dJDeVOBwstZvpEBprS9levrMtX8FwKY74uvsiHg/s1600/IMG_4313.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">-<img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMwkXHci_Azi9K-KZOgXxoIVV2PeStQFodQ99e1m2qOlgl6Yk6fef_E-mBvvBYrydW77tntOQpYXWRCQD0oX-7Gz4qC9Y4J0IJx100dJDeVOBwstZvpEBprS9levrMtX8FwKY74uvsiHg/s320/IMG_4313.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtjR3k7p-7z8_3a2dhRnJfUWnDSasgC0CgiW4sFaoCGrjDqfwTQMLtTWfVcgO0oDyWOQx7kJAXDwGqUkR17TMYWg83bqfE8uKrTSmrToCqEcoBCM6skZOaXvg1pRNNHQ_94nZOqpl4ceM/s1600/IMG_4210.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtjR3k7p-7z8_3a2dhRnJfUWnDSasgC0CgiW4sFaoCGrjDqfwTQMLtTWfVcgO0oDyWOQx7kJAXDwGqUkR17TMYWg83bqfE8uKrTSmrToCqEcoBCM6skZOaXvg1pRNNHQ_94nZOqpl4ceM/s640/IMG_4210.jpg" width="382" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The white underbelly of this hummingbird is in shadow and created with soft lilac and tans.</td></tr>
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Let your colors be less literal. Let the paint or wool speak its language.<br />
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Of course there are always exceptions to the rules!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3635548829044954316.post-18179747837792335222015-05-19T10:10:00.001-07:002015-05-19T12:35:09.763-07:00Wet Felting Experiments - What Fibers WorkSarafina Fiber Art will be offering wet felting kits, fiber, and
instruction in the near future. We are continuing to learn about wet
felting as we do more and more, but I felt like a good test was in order
to better understand which fibers that we carry will produce which
results. <br />
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In an effort to have a controlled wet felting test, we have wet felted 20 swatches of different fibers at the same time for the same length of time. We used A bubble wrap base, most patches had 4 layers, a tulle top, a pool noodle roller, and 100 arm rolls in all 4 directions for a total of 400.<br />
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No surprise that the Merino, Faulkland (Corriedale), and Black Smooth Top, felted very well. These fibers make up the base of a wet project.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeBykH8judlRohHIhXO-tOWS-WSrkAfOCs6EKiOWcnM5xGXkUbJZvimETPG_c2pVZQjyvMpK3tjvwvdbXE1hRMn1wXJFS6QA48uU6esUc7H_BXI3ht1iKz7rNnSNE36Bj9XVrNS_SbItc/s1600/DSC_0116.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeBykH8judlRohHIhXO-tOWS-WSrkAfOCs6EKiOWcnM5xGXkUbJZvimETPG_c2pVZQjyvMpK3tjvwvdbXE1hRMn1wXJFS6QA48uU6esUc7H_BXI3ht1iKz7rNnSNE36Bj9XVrNS_SbItc/s400/DSC_0116.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sky Blue Merino, Smooth Black Top, and Faulkland</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I experimented with using a wool batting (made for quilting by the same mill that makes our chunky core.) and the merino and Corriedale together. The batting can save time and $ by providing an inexpensive and pre batted base layer. It worked very well. The batting side is not quite as firmly felted as the roving side, but the two different fibers felted together well and the batting is definitely felted sufficiently. I plan to begin carrying the batting in our shop.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeO90kvi9e7YhCMg00_28vLaiZzls07cd6BbbKxPtDhKcNnV6ArViCYvovjs6wOeE9a2s_ILOK3TApvrEmzWQengaXNs3P4219wc4LF3cHauspCm6WNQSDh-DEif_WN8-9n1HwCZXtFEQ/s1600/DSC_0111.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeO90kvi9e7YhCMg00_28vLaiZzls07cd6BbbKxPtDhKcNnV6ArViCYvovjs6wOeE9a2s_ILOK3TApvrEmzWQengaXNs3P4219wc4LF3cHauspCm6WNQSDh-DEif_WN8-9n1HwCZXtFEQ/s400/DSC_0111.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the batting and Corriedale</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh910THvD8dHQC0MBymK6aW4ZQBw_b0YFXM-GHmmDmuTZ5VFO9JFcjKboMCpUeTJDsjfGdi4r36TPgocEIUfa4Neqk6qDe7ftqXKZ92AI3IUeFVVVln77MhlCjkiJuHyfEBmcm1iP3lHsc/s1600/DSC_0113.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh910THvD8dHQC0MBymK6aW4ZQBw_b0YFXM-GHmmDmuTZ5VFO9JFcjKboMCpUeTJDsjfGdi4r36TPgocEIUfa4Neqk6qDe7ftqXKZ92AI3IUeFVVVln77MhlCjkiJuHyfEBmcm1iP3lHsc/s400/DSC_0113.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the batting and Merino</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Other fibers that felted well are our Top Coat and Targhee Roving (which we currently do not have for sale in our shop). Our Top Coat line is full of great colors. Blended with Merino they will be a great addition to a wet felted palette.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbElcLuMkrL4mIB3nLIRvgnCnDrrKanya25S1R3OoFsd6WI_NayBBTDR5wM8bTGk0Vq7N4Y7SfTywlYiMNFt9dk5iGXxkQqs7zs0dTuWgta-3IRck_O5HKPCnuWtIgiSO1dGr_LNCD_IM/s1600/DSC_0124.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbElcLuMkrL4mIB3nLIRvgnCnDrrKanya25S1R3OoFsd6WI_NayBBTDR5wM8bTGk0Vq7N4Y7SfTywlYiMNFt9dk5iGXxkQqs7zs0dTuWgta-3IRck_O5HKPCnuWtIgiSO1dGr_LNCD_IM/s400/DSC_0124.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Raspberry Top Coat and Targhee</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Our Pelt and new Wet Felting Batt also felted very well. These are batts that we card in house to create useful and unique colors. Our House Carded Batts an be laid out and felted in one piece, as is, or you can pull smaller batches of color from them.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5OnamKCKvR5WYKUSgDcO0apMzc3Ytz4qvQ8dxqE9yEYenD5gzu3ade5p5KLclwcG9eVqOkiF9m5BN3GStjkUjJabn7sOMqTKUGmaYVMsXXdFrfwgS6Jrf2g7LszT7iX89YF95W4iwNmk/s1600/DSC_0119.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5OnamKCKvR5WYKUSgDcO0apMzc3Ytz4qvQ8dxqE9yEYenD5gzu3ade5p5KLclwcG9eVqOkiF9m5BN3GStjkUjJabn7sOMqTKUGmaYVMsXXdFrfwgS6Jrf2g7LszT7iX89YF95W4iwNmk/s400/DSC_0119.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red Fox Pelt and part of a Sand Dune Wet Felting Batt</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I was surprised how well our locks batches felted. We did one of Border Leicester, which is the majority of our House Dyed Curls, and one of Blue Faced Leicester. They both felted firmly and show how you can achieve really interesting texture using locks.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxREzHMFZgmr5UtuHJMwsdXuAlxNR1D0WC8W8Bhc-jZw5jaB_M0W1PPOk-C4AUNJQA4JmCP1icAKRPA-duaO1W-ILhwaDIW-bjXOXurvtjwiIPyCOu4inZ1xjTWLU0jITVkPFmh495vn0/s1600/DSC_0122.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxREzHMFZgmr5UtuHJMwsdXuAlxNR1D0WC8W8Bhc-jZw5jaB_M0W1PPOk-C4AUNJQA4JmCP1icAKRPA-duaO1W-ILhwaDIW-bjXOXurvtjwiIPyCOu4inZ1xjTWLU0jITVkPFmh495vn0/s400/DSC_0122.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BL Dyed Curls and Natural Grey BFL locks felted remarkable well</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I am happy to announce that the mohair and the Irish Fur batt did not felt well. I was counting on my Fur batts to not felt because I created them to resist felting from handling for use in needle felting projects. The white Mohair swatch was made with Mohair roving, not locks. It is so lustrous and slightly wavy. Very pretty but not well felted. I think some mohair could be used to create shine and texture, like silk, but needs some wool to help it stay.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQA8ZJ2QwiBgQ209pmMQtIMVSs8Mx0-uKNNxvNK6UxwtdI7HVPndORC2mY5Tf0dkpq5j4x45kXZf0_UMNL3fotn9V0Y1spmViD1sTwK6sQRqdmW2gbIv1QC03ISbUGzFcIAwtgKne541A/s1600/DSC_0118.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQA8ZJ2QwiBgQ209pmMQtIMVSs8Mx0-uKNNxvNK6UxwtdI7HVPndORC2mY5Tf0dkpq5j4x45kXZf0_UMNL3fotn9V0Y1spmViD1sTwK6sQRqdmW2gbIv1QC03ISbUGzFcIAwtgKne541A/s400/DSC_0118.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">White Mohair Roving and the Irish Fur did not felt well... which is a good thing.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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A few other patches were our Core and Chunky Core. They felted but would take a lot more work. They also are so fluffy/bulk that they are difficult to work with. <br />
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The Suri Alpaca Patch did not felt well at all.<br />
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We did a patch of Gotland Roving and it felted extremely well. But, interestingly, it grabbed, inhaled, and embedded into the tulle. Absolutely, completely, they became one. <br />
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Angora (rabbit) felted but remained fuzzy with a halo which is pretty cool.<br />
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We look forward to exploring more! <br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3635548829044954316.post-52379251565758178062015-05-17T07:46:00.000-07:002015-05-17T07:46:39.434-07:00When to Push and When to BendSpring can make me a little manic. I wake up along with the grass, flowers, trees, critters, and, unfortunatley, weeds, and feel the need tackle.... everything. The garden, the yard, the winter house hold, the seasonal clothing, exercise, and always new projects are clamoring for my energy and attention. I want so much to accomplish all at once. So this time of year has left me reflecting on what has and has not come to be. When do you move mountains and when do you find the pass?<br />
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I tend to think that I can do anything I set my mind to. It's not a bad way to be but it can leave me not recognizing when to change course or let it go all together. Patience is not my virtue; If I can not push to make it happen then I get frustrated. Likewise, when something does not go according to plan (mine) I have a tough time adjusting. It's like have to go through all the emotional upheaval of the grieving process over a change of plans. Ridiculous. I need to be more flexible.<br />
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At the same time, some of the greatest things in life are not easy and require a lot of effort. Doing something/anything well, raising children, building a business, staying fit, maintaining relationships all require effort... a lot of effort.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI0c26crvpaRXqLxfiBQWE1Q23papLZQpcRmeqeUSXQYUxiUXsfNaCjPnKiGzLNj_HMd-QnTSzcYr4nTIEFbXoRGvpGYeHWRmfc93MPht-ioNQL8lTQifGyy25BQxUji4zgFi3o07Zps0/s1600/photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI0c26crvpaRXqLxfiBQWE1Q23papLZQpcRmeqeUSXQYUxiUXsfNaCjPnKiGzLNj_HMd-QnTSzcYr4nTIEFbXoRGvpGYeHWRmfc93MPht-ioNQL8lTQifGyy25BQxUji4zgFi3o07Zps0/s400/photo.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Starting a family was the most difficult thing I have done in life but also the most valued.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The other side of the coin would be to avoid stress altogether; always bending out of its way. Also, not necessarily a bad way to be but one's life might not have the layers of richness without a little effort or some risk and challenge. You would be always at the mercy of the current and missing the beautiful spots along the river that might require some paddling to get to.<br />
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Some paths need to be let go. I have pushed for things before, harder than I should have, because I wanted it to be. When do you stop? Is it healthy for you and the people you love? Have you given it your best? Letting go can be necessary because the goal no longer fits into your overall life plan. Or maybe it was taken from you through no act of your own. I guess the lesson is in recognizing what you can and can not make happen. If you stay positive and open to possibilities, almost always a new door opens to things you might not have even thought would happen for you.<br />
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Some paths need to be fought for. Large or small, there are many additions to my life that I am so grateful I recognized and pushed to come to be. A tiny recent example; The Goats. I have been wanting goats for 2 years. Last Spring we opened and moved into the Art House. A major push at my home to get ready for the goats was not going to happen simultaneously. This year, I was determined to make it happen. We had a huge batch of bamboo dug out with a back hoe. I lined up my fence guy; there was much to be built. I found a nearby angora goat breeder. I visited her and her goats. I picked out two. I called my fence guy. I called my fence guy. I called my fence guy. He finally came here and there over 60 days. I got all the goat supplies. Fence guy built the hay feeder wrong. I made him make it right. I put up wire and gates. I moved old manure. I called my hay guy. I found a straw guy. I drove out to get the goats. Goats now live here and I sit with them every day admiring their beautiful beings. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Fm5RUKWE9H0mJ7zjPbhZbjmsk7_pPBYkCqjs4YX1HVyGcbb4_8U9spgf6LjoTJnPM_EyJ1Np87WoS8A7dRPt47Akqk9CYHCA9rlf83klvYJymc8g-KxOMOY8Bjx__gSbTmLr5Vc4M1Y/s1600/IMG_5165.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Fm5RUKWE9H0mJ7zjPbhZbjmsk7_pPBYkCqjs4YX1HVyGcbb4_8U9spgf6LjoTJnPM_EyJ1Np87WoS8A7dRPt47Akqk9CYHCA9rlf83klvYJymc8g-KxOMOY8Bjx__gSbTmLr5Vc4M1Y/s400/IMG_5165.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Glad I moved mountains for these guys.</td></tr>
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I don't have any answers here. Just like the yin and yang in most things in life, hard and soft must exist together and work together. I will work on recognizing which to apply. I am sure there is a great Kung Fu quote out there somewhere. <br />
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I told Dave I was struggling to write this post and he said, "You should let it go." <br />
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<span style="font-size: larger;">Everyone has a plan until they’ve been hit.</span><br />
<em>~ Joe Lewis</em><br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3635548829044954316.post-76694674869436873942015-03-21T05:48:00.001-07:002015-03-21T06:46:20.053-07:00The Journey of a First BookI have written and/or illustrated a handful of stories and books. Each is a spectacular visual and emmotional delight, written with a brilliant edge and with illustrations so full of life you will be transported to another world just by gazing upon the page. But you can only find them on a dusty shelf in my abandoned third floor studio. And that's after you dig through piles.<br />
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I am feeling very optimistic about finally finishing a book - seeing it the whole way through - a process made easier with the abundant choices for self publishing and the help and support of the Sarafina Staff. <br />
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First I had to make the wolf and other characters. Nothing quite like the feeling of extreme inspiration and the creative process. When I get supercharged I can remain quite focused no matter how difficult, large, and cumbersome the task.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcjkpvt1gt-vEES4B2S5zcX2VRuHwibcKThx889YdMfzuJeTqFOMVNPbnYo1FV8jJcwOYUNLGmAp9f65eYBtJfJV-rjK_sWEe6xIHq0P6CWI5BvvuUO8I-HBeoevTcJ5x7P2qdIEPu1Rg/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcjkpvt1gt-vEES4B2S5zcX2VRuHwibcKThx889YdMfzuJeTqFOMVNPbnYo1FV8jJcwOYUNLGmAp9f65eYBtJfJV-rjK_sWEe6xIHq0P6CWI5BvvuUO8I-HBeoevTcJ5x7P2qdIEPu1Rg/s1600/photo.JPG" height="238" title="Wolf Armature" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3BQq5pJkjULmM93Z-UdEeguXyzxAloue6Xjrll7Z6XcnRS2S4cB1HMvFgucdTfO-_OKJ6O4KynkMXjIs3408lUoj6Xs5eIUekrbnl5QvgnNFdRuk6BDplo6AsCxSIhyhBE5rxDR-_NhQ/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3BQq5pJkjULmM93Z-UdEeguXyzxAloue6Xjrll7Z6XcnRS2S4cB1HMvFgucdTfO-_OKJ6O4KynkMXjIs3408lUoj6Xs5eIUekrbnl5QvgnNFdRuk6BDplo6AsCxSIhyhBE5rxDR-_NhQ/s1600/photo.JPG" height="239" title="Wolf First Wrap" width="320" /></a></div>
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And the Girl:<br />
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Both Wolf and Little Red were a joy to create. They would have been
fun even as the end result, but knowing that I would also be using the
characters for a photo story book gave me even more tidbits on which to
chew; tiny details, movement, accessories, opening and closing eyes, clothing and such. There are other characters as well. Two North Country critters, the grouse and snow hare, a butterfly, and Big Wolf as a pup.<br />
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The entire cast was ready to go. Go where? At first I was going to use our local state park as the setting dragging my family out for outings to scout pretty places. But then I pictured the High Peaks Region of the Adirondacks, where my Mom and Step Dad spend their summers, and suddenly that was the only option. My family gave me full support to leave for a 4 day weekend (2 driving, 2 working), and I set out with the gang on the 8 hour trip to my Mom's home int he ADKs.<br />
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Big Wolf startled me when I came around the side of the car to gas up...<br />
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It was a long drive but a smooth one. My Mom offered great support, feeding me and showing me some of her favorite picturesque places around her home. Fortunately, her home is at the top of a mountain with an amazing view so I did not have to hike up 3 miles to get to this outcropping, just step out the door...<br />
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My bubble was burst when I unpacked my car realized that I had forgotten my tiny tripod and had a moment of self pity and doubt. But, like most set backs, it was not insurmountable. I took my crew, camera, and accessories out into the woods. <br />
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Mostly I worked in the woods, spending a lot of time on the forest
floor. Cursing the characters for not remaining in the precarious
positions in which I had placed them. Every shot was a management of
light, scale, scenery, and balance.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSpdg1i4PMl0jIcY8CvWhg52wMB6b5UiRQIi1I-kQL7ByTU_mec2wbva2QLmggQ0FmKJoDaJ_D22pbzYX9lzPKEte3F-S3VCQEG29V5VSvoHBjzXSSgTayfP7z8A4ZKaUCTdbxJQCjZYE/s1600/DSC_0412.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSpdg1i4PMl0jIcY8CvWhg52wMB6b5UiRQIi1I-kQL7ByTU_mec2wbva2QLmggQ0FmKJoDaJ_D22pbzYX9lzPKEte3F-S3VCQEG29V5VSvoHBjzXSSgTayfP7z8A4ZKaUCTdbxJQCjZYE/s1600/DSC_0412.JPG" height="265" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I think this set up fell over about 12 times before I got the shot. Every time I had to get back up off the ground, pick off all of the forest floor ruble from the wool, set it back up, and crawl back to the camera. There are worse ways to spend a day, but it was frustrating.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Then I would take a moment to stop and smell the roses. I looked around and saw the most amazing vignettes of forest floor</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Another slightly daunting task, was the fire shot. I watch a lot of survival shows, and so I know I am practically an expert. You would not believe how difficult it is to build, light, and maintain a tiny fire! Finally my Mom suggested I use a candle, which worked brilliantly. I am a survivalist failure but I got a decent shot. I ate the chicken/grouse too.<br />
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There are 34 full color pages in this book. Talbot is helping me make every photo the best it can be and fix what I was not able to control, with his mad photoshop skills. We are hopefully only a week or two away from sending them to be printed. Please keep an eye out through sarafinafiberart.com for the end result of this year long project.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3635548829044954316.post-23679311480115323752015-02-11T07:57:00.000-08:002015-02-11T07:57:06.717-08:00What Goes Into a Supply PackI am pulling from a position of overwhelmedness today so please forgive me if the post has a desperate slant, but we have been trying to launch our Basket Bunny Tutorial and Supply pack for weeks now with no sucsess and it made me realize all that goes into these Supply Packs and Tutorials.<br />
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First, comes the project and inspiration. We have no shortage of suggestions for videos and are working through a long list of projects. We try to space out tutorials according to season, difficulty, and variety. So far we have mostly presented projects that are very familiar to me - sculptures that I have made many many times and therefore feel that I can teach clearly and completely. As we have been filming for the past 1 1/2 years, Kyla and I have become more comfortable and learned a bit about what works and what doesn't. I cringe a bit at our first tutorials! <br />
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Second: I make the sculpture one, two, maybe three times. Each time I taking notes about what I do, in what order, and why so that I can deliver a fairly, hopefully, smooth instruction. I am also trying to figure out how much and what colors we want to include in the supply pack. I take notes on the colors and quantities. My notes look like a drunk chicken tried to communicate. <br />
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Third: After I think I have it sorted out, I write down a packaging list. This time around, it's Marsha who has put the packs together. She made 3 to start. One for me to use to make the bunnies, yet again, to make sure that everything in the pack is sufficient, one for me to photograph to create a website lisitng, and one for me to use in the filming of the tutorial.<br />
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We hit a snag in the process when I decided to change a bunny color. I was not happy with the coloring of the brown bunny and decided to wait for our new custom color, Copper. It was a good decision but slowed the works. We had to do steps 2 and 3 again. <br />
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Fourth: I take a few of the already made sculptures, and have a photoshoot. Even this step has its obstacles. Since I like to use natural light, it has to be a sunny day. I am not sure where you are, but it has been a down right gray Winter here in Maryland. This photo will be put on the tag that goes into the supply pack. I use the photo to make our tags in my Pages program and send it to Kyla as a PDF. She magically presents back to me a stack of color printed tags on cards stock which are cut to size. Kyla is magic.<br />
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Now we hopefully have the tags, the Supply Packs, and everything nailed down. We try to cater the kits to roving that we know we can get. Because once it goes into our shop, we want to be able to have it always. We also want the fiber to be the easiest/best to work with for the best results. Sometimes these parameters mean accumulating a certain fiber. For example, we plan to do sheep next. For months I have been buying, washing, and hoarding the white curls that we need in abundance for every kit. Bunny Puffs, also are dependent upon precious angora fiber. In the case of the Basket Bunny, we are using mainly mill roving, and Marsha once again has been weighing, bundling, and packing, many many kits. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXn0zaxbTGoAE4Yh4_ZRxsZApUKzUYksHDUAJwLZvkKCWrH3PKzjg_biWlECqJK1UVqerOmiKV7_vdpWnhtznc3JdZQs5bntUusqr70uCYkkVRqLilw8AsRZKDt7z4IOMrhRP5j-FiMGo/s1600/photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXn0zaxbTGoAE4Yh4_ZRxsZApUKzUYksHDUAJwLZvkKCWrH3PKzjg_biWlECqJK1UVqerOmiKV7_vdpWnhtznc3JdZQs5bntUusqr70uCYkkVRqLilw8AsRZKDt7z4IOMrhRP5j-FiMGo/s1600/photo.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marsha is blurry because she packs so fast!</td></tr>
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Fifth: We are ready to film! We are ready to film! We are ready to film! Filming takes place usually on a Monday or Tuesday when our store is closed. This time of year, our kids are off from school every other Monday for dead presidents and in-service days and randomly for inclement weather. They were off yesterday and will be off Monday and Tuesday. We love our children and do not blame them for this. ; ) We can not film with 8 kids in the shop. We are still ready to film!<br />
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When we make a tutorial, I try to impart the reasons and thoughts that go behind the mechanical movements of the project. I have been creating my entire life. I have 20 years of painting professionally under my belt. I am only saying this to convey that it's not just about this project, it's about seeing, and creating, and pushing, and learning in every capacity. I want to share with you what I have learned. In doing so, I learn more and can do more. Hopefully you do too. Little pieces of me go into these Tutorials. I pick them up along the way and then put them back down where you can use them too. In our shop, the entire team is contributing in this way. Lending strengths, ideas, inspiration, and know-how to the process. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-zob5BELNuVGOUD2ZnweiQd3AssCmacs7XPBAZQmbKSdEMDWvFlq1mRRSQq3dpAwrwiunvvSjUAleMXP8VAC55GhPD56Q27KyYs1kfbhyphenhyphen6X799Cy_xTdLLx37nBJvixdbhBcbzVvUQcQ/s1600/bunny+family.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-zob5BELNuVGOUD2ZnweiQd3AssCmacs7XPBAZQmbKSdEMDWvFlq1mRRSQq3dpAwrwiunvvSjUAleMXP8VAC55GhPD56Q27KyYs1kfbhyphenhyphen6X799Cy_xTdLLx37nBJvixdbhBcbzVvUQcQ/s1600/bunny+family.JPG" height="265" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bunnies in painting form</td></tr>
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We are usually able to film for about 2 hours before I run out of steam. That is enough time for projects under 6" but larger pieces can take 2 -3 filming days. Which means more scheduling difficulties and a lot more footage for Kyla to edit. <br />
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Sixth: Once we have the footage. Kyla waves her wand (i.e. edits, compiles, loads, uploads, reloads, burns, labels, links, and all of sorts of other trickery.) and presents the completed package on Youtube, our website, in our shop, on DVDs, and in downloads. I, pray for a sunny day, to now have a photo shoot with the Supply Packs and the critters to put the Supply Pack listing on our shop. <br />
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We release the new Tutorial and Supply Pack with utter delight! Months of work has gone into the moment we link. Talbot waits for the onslaught of orders and then with the steady tenacity of a ox he packages and ships. Out they go into the world. We are once again rewarded with posts and pictures of what our customers have created. <br />
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At this very moment we are 1/2 way through the Basket Bunny Tutorial and stopped filming because we have customers in the shop. I am frozen by my very own doing. It's all wonderful.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3635548829044954316.post-34986067636505774432014-10-15T06:07:00.001-07:002014-10-15T06:07:28.630-07:00Diversify and Survive... no ThriveI am no Professor for sure, but one thing that I took away from those school years is that diversity is key to the over health of our planet. Each and every organism (and matter) plays a role in the survival of the others. Everyone and everything is important.<br />
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In a personal sphere, I have learned the same holds true to my physical, mental, spiritual, and occupational health. Sometimes I do or make something new and realize that without the many forks in the road and paths I have traveled, I would not be able to do exactly what it is I am doing right now. <br />
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I fear have frustrated my friends and family with sudden changes in direction. I think it can be unsettling to those in the passenger seat. One minute I am a painter mountain biker yoga-er horse back rider, the next I am a shop owner wing chunner felter spinner. Tomorrow I might try something new. When I started martial arts I actually had a friend say to me, "But that's not you." Yes, it is now.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Good times with Carmelita and riding buddies. She is living with someone else now but horses will be a part of my life again. </td></tr>
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The things is... here's the thing.... the thing is, once you learn something, you have it with you forever. Each path we take twists together to form a complex and strong cable (Thank you, spinning, for that analogy : )) For example, I apply the posture, relaxation, I breathing I learned in yoga to everything I do. My love for and involvement with horses as been a <span style="font-size: large;">huge</span> influence in my health and career. Even within the horse world, learning new ways to communicate with my horse has changed my perspective on almost everything... minimal effort for maximum output. <br />
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I won't go on about every hobby and lesson. But my point it is, follow the faint voices that beckon you in a new direction. Even if it leads no where special, you will not regret it.<br />
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Time to go kick some but and spin some fiber. <br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3635548829044954316.post-80828590924642965142014-06-11T07:14:00.002-07:002014-06-11T07:14:46.327-07:00What is a Successful Artist?: $$ and Cornerstones to SuccessAfter graduating from a pricey private college, I professed to my Mom that I wanted to pursue art. I am positive that this was not music to her ears, nor gave her the feeling of security and well being for her daughter. She is a very practical and careful (smart) person and, among other things, said something to the effect of, "Not many people make it as an artist." Now, I am not saying that her words became a life long challenge of wills, however, I would not mind proving her wrong and being the exception.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Commissioned Room Screen from 2006 - pre needle felting</td></tr>
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First of all, we should define "making it" or success as an artist. This will mean different things to different people. Does it mean supporting your family? Making at least minimum wage? Or just feeling good that someone wants to buy something you made? I can't speak for you, but for me it means making a decent income to the work I put in. (And eventually, yes, I would like for my husband, Dave, to be able to quit his job and do something he loves too - maybe after the boys are out of college. ) <br />
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As usual, my Mom is right. Not many artists make it. Maybe it's because artists face mountainous challenges. I will list a few:<br />
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being taken seriously</div>
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high gallery fees</div>
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the whims of our creative spirits</div>
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right brained strengths</div>
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left brain weeknesses</div>
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health insurance</div>
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fluctuations in the economy/luxury items</div>
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creating something people want</div>
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building a reputation to raise prices</div>
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finding outlets/buyers</div>
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managing careers as a business on top of being a good artist</div>
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Some of these things are concrete, some vary from person to person. Let's punch out a few and focus on some. No, I do not work for free or for exposure. Galleries serve a purpose, are integral to the arts, and need to make money too, but in my opinion 50% is too much (even so I keep my prices consistent no matter where I sell - an important part of your business strategy). We tend to jump from one creative inspiration to another, makes it kind of hard to build on our momentum. We are not always the best at keeping records and dealing with numbers. We usually live without the security of health insurance unless we are covered by a partner. We create a luxury item and when the economy tanks, the artists dwindle. </div>
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That leaves us with the last four items on the list. Points that we have to take seriously and at which we must work very hard. These are the corner stones on which your success is built. You can create all day upside down and all around, but if you don't make something people want, build your prices and reputation, SELL, and manage your business, you will not make money.</div>
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Creativity is the fuel of our work. We would not feel fulfilled if we could not make our visions come to be. I have a graveyard of unsuccessful paintings and unfinished wool sculptures. Not every single effort will yield the Mona Lisa, and we have to experiment and follow the muse, but we should do our best to find the balance between our inspiration and a product that will create income. What are you most driven to do? What are you better at making then others? For my current business, at this very moment, this looks like teaching, Supply Packs, and a growing supply of fibers for needle felting. When I started Sarafina Fiber Art I was busy making needle felted rabbits, foxes, and critters of all types. Once you have figured out where your niches lies you begin to build...</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I can't tell you how many of these bunnies I have made.</td></tr>
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Building your reputation and raising your prices is a multi fold origami of tasks and focus which includes branding, promoting, visual "look" of your business, social networking, website, and creating demand. With Talbot's help, I created this logo for Sarafina Fiber Art. I use the green speckled background (made with watercolors on Kitty Wallace Museum grade pastel paper) on my website, my business card, my social networking, my logo, and behind most of the pictures I take of my products. It is a visual sign to buyers that I am unified, organized, serious, and professional (not always the case, but hey, I try). Just one example of a step you can take to give solidarity to your business, create recognition, and begin to build demand.</div>
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Selling your work might seem like the obvious goal, but it goes hand in hand with all the other cornerstones. Not only do you have to make the product and create the demand, you have to get the product out to the buyers. For me, this is an etsy shop and teaching workshops. For many artists and crafts people it is traveling to shows or selling galleries. No matter what it is, you have to make it happen and often. People can't buy it if they can't find it.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I started cutting back on outdoor shows because I didn't feel I was hitting the right target</td></tr>
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Finally, artists must manage their business. That means book keeping and number crunching, but it also means moving forward and making brain decisions not always heart decisions. It would be nice if we could follow our whims, sell all of our heart felt creations no matter how crappy, and get what we think we deserve for them. But making money is it's own craft. One we have to hone. It can be very creative! You actually HAVE to be creative to make your artistic soul into a business.</div>
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When it's all said and done, I have yet to report on my taxes an annual income that I feel is sufficient. But the goal to do so keeps me driven. I feel successful in the sense that I am indeed making some money, providing a product that people like, providing work to others, and seeing my business grow. I am also in love with my job and enjoy every minute of it - not something many can say - and that is priceless. </div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3635548829044954316.post-17454843391885104592014-03-26T04:56:00.001-07:002014-03-26T04:56:18.761-07:00To Each Their Own cRAzYSome days, I feel everything acutely. These days can be difficult because my mind leaps through my anxieties, focuses on my conflicts with others, plays on fears regarding my kids, digs up old sorrows, and I can't shut out the insurmountable problems of our planet. That's a lot for one little mind to handle.<br />
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But the very same days, in the very same state of mind, I also find the most far reaching positives. New directions on unknown roads all of a sudden feel safe and possible. The colors, textures, and animals of nature manifest into creative inspiration. And the laughter of my family settle into the most sacred deep place in my heart. I feel like anything is possible and see the world - really see and feel the world. <br />
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If I can touch or hold Dave, he brings me back to center, like a human anchor. His energy is calm and weighty.... maybe one of the reasons the universe placed him into my life. <br />
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Although these days feel overwhelming, I am learning not to let them worry me. The alternative would be not to feel at all. I try to settle into the yin and yang of it; leaving the negatives behind and taking the inspiration and love half into the next day.<br />
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I know we each have our own CrAZy. I believe that without these extremes we would not accomplish the tasks unique to us, whether you believe that God, the Universe, Nature, or nothing, is behind these differences; we are one and our differences are actually what help exist together. God put a bright yellow post-it on this matter; the relationship between smallest krill and the largest animals ever on Earth, the Blue Whale. <br />
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Believe in your place here and learn how to make your crazy extremes be felt. <br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3635548829044954316.post-53169032782352397672014-02-10T05:59:00.000-08:002014-02-10T05:59:17.845-08:00The Big Move: Setting a Goal to Re-use and Re-purposeI am faced with a big decision. To move to a larger commercial space (read as "<span style="font-size: large;">MONEY</span>") or stay put in our cozy mill (read as "<span style="font-size: x-small;">squashed, smooshed, packed, limited</span>"). I have a plan... a vision. So I know that the move would bring to be many more goals and opportunities. To our followers that translates as products, classes, art shows, a place to craft with friends, and convenience. Today, I am on the path to make the move. When I actually sign the lease I'll be sure to let you know.<br />
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The space is large and industrial, a plus because we get to build it out to our specifications and a minus because we (I) have to pay for the build out. But I love to plan and new things excite me (I just found that this is because I am an Expressive Driver. To take the personality test go here - (don't worry, he won't sell your email and you can unsubscribe easily) http://www.retaildoc.com/retailerresources/personality-test/) I am setting a goal and a challenge for myself and wanted to include you. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVEyRXrngFkpFEcWqu8xY52k73ogQ94kaqCBILSFMIeu4UeprpqZAsVrXY2kqx-RhF0f74aHCo9wrkQR_GPBwJbUAvotd1I2HMlxzBb4u-KE-JYKYy2Km-RY75PP8Ly-W4m5u573YMSvM/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVEyRXrngFkpFEcWqu8xY52k73ogQ94kaqCBILSFMIeu4UeprpqZAsVrXY2kqx-RhF0f74aHCo9wrkQR_GPBwJbUAvotd1I2HMlxzBb4u-KE-JYKYy2Km-RY75PP8Ly-W4m5u573YMSvM/s1600/photo.JPG" height="298" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Front of the space to be finished</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back of the space to be finished - sorry it's not in focus</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheqtCBqn0M9x4tSpIOUzSHqig28ToIp5yKa77Gc2yhsp9Lml5dWvBigeO7vq54LhSoP8qIpeACtyAVK9IItXR1WlGIt3RFSgo0PO2ypfzDVE3Z7CtO8oRZP28H57KLFeMeu5br3hfJiYo/s1600/photo.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheqtCBqn0M9x4tSpIOUzSHqig28ToIp5yKa77Gc2yhsp9Lml5dWvBigeO7vq54LhSoP8qIpeACtyAVK9IItXR1WlGIt3RFSgo0PO2ypfzDVE3Z7CtO8oRZP28H57KLFeMeu5br3hfJiYo/s1600/photo.JPG" height="298" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Front of side to be left unfinished for storage and washing of wool!</td></tr>
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The goal for the build out as well as all the display is, as much as possible, to use what I have, what is natural, and things that have already had another purpose in this world. There should be a financial savings without sacrificing form or function. <br />
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Of course much of the construction phase requires standard building materials. No way around pressure treated 2x4s, insulation, drywall, and such. But we could really have fun coming up with ideas for workstations, wool storage, display shelves, and decor. The look will be clean industrial meets barn meets general store - is that clear? ; ) Here are a couple of ideas that I have:<br />
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Floor: cork?</div>
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Work Stations: as much as possible use existing cabinets and top with wood.</div>
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Round display table: large painted cable spool on casters. I have a friend in electric.</div>
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Wool storage: cut up concrete tubes and/or vintage bins from auctions</div>
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Workshop table: I have sections of wrought iron fence I want to weld and top with barnwood.</div>
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Counter/Checkout: I would love to find an old piece</div>
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Shelves: Really looking for ideas here! I have access to affordable barnwood</div>
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Of course you probably don't know what I already have floating around my home and in our outbuildings but please don't hesitate to comment with your ideas. Or better yet, let me know if you have anything tangible to contribute or "know a guy who knows a guy."</div>
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Onward into Project Sarafina Art House!</div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3635548829044954316.post-77965425689154760002014-01-04T05:21:00.000-08:002014-01-04T05:21:29.630-08:00Formal CritiquesCritiquing artwork is both precarious and helpful. If you submit your work for critque you will gain insight to your strengths and suggestions to make your future art even more fabulous. I would like to find a way to present formal critiques online via YouTube and my website. In preparation for that, I am going to spend this blog contemplating what a good critique should be, for me as much for anyone else who cares to think about it.<br />
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My first formal critique was in college art class. We all pinned up our work at the end of the day and had at it. Of course we all wanted for everyone to love what we made the best and the criticism was a difficult pill to swallow. But I learned to look forward to the conversation. I began to see how helpful it was to analyze our work. It's a critical step and second half to creating from your heart. I also began to realize how much I learned by examining another person's art more thoroughly - the process serves the critique-or as well.<br />
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The first part of a critique - gushing. The good news first is a friendly way to begin a critique. Compliments are important, but even the compliments should be pointed. We need to hear specifically what a person likes about our work; what they see that we did well or, in a more emotional aspect, what moves him or her about the work. <br />
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On Facebook we make a lot of vague comments. That's cute! Very nice. Wow. Amazing. Well done. Etc. Vague does not imply that we don't mean what we say - we do. But those kinds of compliments don't make much impact in a critique. We must be as specific as possible in order to make the most impact. Don't gush like a spilled glass of water. Gush like one of those long range water pistols at the carnival that make the racehorse move. <br />
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We put our heart and soul into what we make and usually make something to the best degree of our capability, so why would we want anyone to say anything critical? The critical half of the critique is equally as important. Just because you did your best does not mean that your "best-line" isn't constantly moving. Critical insight will move that best-line faster. I'd say I improve with almost every creation... of course there are always flops periodically messing up that pretty learning curve. But generally, the whole reason you study an art form, as opposed to just making art, is to enjoy the process of moving that best-line.<br />
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A few points to consider when we are critiquing art are style, method/technique, execution, quality, materials, composition, color, size... and of course there are more. It's important to try to see the creator's point of view. (Which, by the way, serves the critique-or as well as the critique-ee, pushing us to recognize other points of view and grow our own vision.) Make your points in the spirit of pulling from the artist that next level. Do not ask the creator to jump to your peak but to their next level. Again, be as specific as you can with your comments. <br />
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Critiques are not for everyone. Deciding if it is for you has nothing do with how serious or skilled you are or whether or not you are a professional. You may not want a critique if you are as happy as clam making your art and that is all that matters. Only participate in a critique if you are willing to and wanting to hear the feedback. Or, if you are in a class and have to. ; )<br />
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I will plan to critique needle felted sculptures in a video format. I need to have the piece in my hands. If you are interested you would have to ship your art to me and be prepared for me to have it for a month or so. The details of how to apply, along with an agreement, will be announced once we sort it all out via my Facebook page and newsletter. <br />
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(We could also try a formal critique on Facebook. I will have to think about how to do that. Needle felting, for me, is very hands on so I am not sure if we can work from just photos. I would love for more people than just me and the artist to participate because I believe it helps everyone, not just the artist. Feedback welcome on this subject.)<br />
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More soon on this subject. Happy creating. <br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3635548829044954316.post-78830005532914186832013-12-31T05:20:00.002-08:002013-12-31T05:20:33.728-08:00Pricing Art Work - The Fat and the SkinnyI'm no expert but I will tell you what I have learned from 25 years of pricing artwork. Unfortunately there is no magic formula. The bottom line is - How many people want it? And that line is a product of the quality of the work and the number of people who know it exists. <br />
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Time: It doesn't matter how long it took you. Yes, skilled or well known artists can make fast work that sells for a very high price and novices can spend weeks making something that no one wants to buy. But no matter your experience or skill you will have work that went smoothly and quickly that sells for more than you thought, and you will have labor intensive masterpieces that sit around unsold until you give it away just so you don't have to look at it anymore. I am not saying not to consider your time - but time does not dictate your price.<br />
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Consider time in the sense that you have to produce something that is worth your time. If a piece takes you forever but has a ceiling on price you might not want to go that route. For example... you make a beautiful detailed elaborate Christmas ornament, the best in the world, for which you think you should charge $160 because it took you two days. But no one wants to pay $160 for an ornament. Or you work slowly and it takes you 3 weeks to make a commissioned dog - the going price is $175. Do you really want to make $60/week? These might not be realistic examples but you get the idea. If you are independently wealthy and don't need the dough then ignore this paragraph. But, at least to me, success is defined by selling my work, and enough of it, to have $ in my account. That is not possible if I am working for $2/hour. Nor will have success if I am pricing my time at $20/hr for something no one wants to buy.<br />
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Materials: Most of the arts in which I have been involved have not had costly materials. The value of a painting is my skill and demand, not the cost of the paints. (I did have to consider the cost of framing when I was custom framing my artwork.) An artist that has her sculptures cast in bronze might need to weigh the foundry costs into her pricing. But most arts' value are about skill and demand.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQK02ItP_-3B1gHK_tKFAdnRa1MudekR3F8iuND3Scj-TZ95igdjTmjRRooGOM88p2_9a-28g1VRpjoycdPjeVd9ZGVjsTC43njXyCnzrKrDRp6ipMaAQ37vpDViXF0hIRLv2zcCrdMTo/s1600/26+gauge+wire+for+toes.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQK02ItP_-3B1gHK_tKFAdnRa1MudekR3F8iuND3Scj-TZ95igdjTmjRRooGOM88p2_9a-28g1VRpjoycdPjeVd9ZGVjsTC43njXyCnzrKrDRp6ipMaAQ37vpDViXF0hIRLv2zcCrdMTo/s320/26+gauge+wire+for+toes.JPG" width="291" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My wool sculptures are wire and wool, nothing more. A chipmunk weighs about 2.5 oz which is $2.50 in wholesale wool. He sells for $145.</td></tr>
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Skill: Almost everything we do in life needs to be learned. Natural talent is great but unless you are a savant, we all have to practice and develop our skill. At first you may not be making $80 per hour but that's okay; you have to start somewhere. As you get better two things happen, your work becomes more and more appealing to buyers because it looks better. And, hopefully, you are building a following. In the beginning you may price one of your smaller works at $45 but over time you have learned to make that same size/item better and more people have begun to want that item and so that leads us to demand...<br />
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Demand: Now you have been working, honing your skills, and gaining a following. Eight people have asked you to make your $45 thingamajig and you are not sure when you will find the time. Now it's time to raise that price to $65. Two people might decide that's not what they want to spend but 6 will spend $390 which is still $30 more than you would have made for all 8 at $45. Your skill and demand now gets you more money per hour.<br />
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Skill and Demand will grow slowly and hopefully steadily. You will find a comfortable pace to raise your prices that is reflective and directly related to this growth. Do not inflate beyond your skill and demand. <br />
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I know extremely talented artists who do not market themselves. Their work is above and beyond mine but they are not making a living selling art because no one knows it exists. I also know of extremely successful artists who are master marketers but create work that I would not want to buy. Developing awareness of your work is something that you have to work as hard for as your skill. <br />
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A few other things to consider -<br />
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Pretty Prices; If I have an item that I think should be in the $50 range. I will price it at $48. That is a happy pretty price. $47 is too pointy. $50 is too flat. $52 is just weird. $49 and $51? No way. If it should be in the $1000 range, it will be either $900 or $1200 depending on which way I think the piece should sway. The actual numbers should have a nice look and ring to them.<br />
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Underpricing: It can actually be more damaging than over pricing (but you don't want to do either). If you under price your work you may run the risk of devaluing it. I have not run controlled tests on large groups of consumers but, as one, and through experience, I am convinced that we want to buy something special and valuable. We want to treat ourselves to something. Artwork is a luxury and people buy it with that mentality. The same work priced at $50 might not seem as special/valuable as if it were priced at $125. A few people will recognize "a good deal" and buy your things, but you are cheating yourself out of $ and actually lowering demand.<br />
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Overpricing: We are lucky to have such freedom in determining our prices but sometimes it's problematic. Over pricing can be a once in a while occurrence... you make something that is ahead of it's time in quality and complexity. You decide it's worth way more than anything you have made before. Maybe it is; maybe it sells right away. But also be prepared to own it for a long time; it's a good thing you like it so much. I have personally had this go both ways. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAye2z4HW65QlFzxVUTRvZgxuFXZkoFC71E2KsRuyDgjgNU8QqAFJaaIaUY-wZFxCk0PC0TnsAB3wvqcEUMk-SgfL4dk6uvVwROTL9Xlbe2W5Qb0_QuKVEML9D5Yx5BV6Cp8XyhsfvqG8/s1600/Fair+HIll+map+for+newsletter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAye2z4HW65QlFzxVUTRvZgxuFXZkoFC71E2KsRuyDgjgNU8QqAFJaaIaUY-wZFxCk0PC0TnsAB3wvqcEUMk-SgfL4dk6uvVwROTL9Xlbe2W5Qb0_QuKVEML9D5Yx5BV6Cp8XyhsfvqG8/s400/Fair+HIll+map+for+newsletter.jpg" width="392" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">36x36 original Fair Hill Map still hangs in my living room four years later - $4800</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0nfKWeF1t6m7rcIwf5pUuFy0sIsx7pA7-CrSjhY4BCGoZI4gfDXYncgdD-l3oXwGMY7VKjaoxDowS_Xl5XYXNc4suSk9BLZnoSrYnysdRoeXKCAyWZMPr-pEYO3XbSPM4C-0MdxKYcH0/s1600/DSC_0016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0nfKWeF1t6m7rcIwf5pUuFy0sIsx7pA7-CrSjhY4BCGoZI4gfDXYncgdD-l3oXwGMY7VKjaoxDowS_Xl5XYXNc4suSk9BLZnoSrYnysdRoeXKCAyWZMPr-pEYO3XbSPM4C-0MdxKYcH0/s320/DSC_0016.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Pegasus with fully functional feather wings was a very inspired
piece... I am not even sure I could make it again. I priced it at
$1200, more than any other needle felted sculpture to that date,
thinking I would be able to enjoy it for a while. It sold in an hour.</td></tr>
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Or overpricing can be an overall problem. You have just entered the world of selling art. You are referring to the prices of established artists for comparable pieces and it's going nowhere. Again, start low and raise with your personal demand. When the bubble burst in our economy I was selling my paintings at their highest prices. (That was also around the time that I began selling needle felting.) Almost overnight my work was overpriced. What worked in yesterday's economy was no longer reality. I had not crossed that super elite line in fine art that secured enough wealthy unaffected customers. I had to adjust and rather than lower what I had worked to hard to build, I shifted to the new world of wool sculptures and started over. <br />
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Consistency: Consistency is extremely important. Your patrons will appreciate and respect consistent prices. When I was painting I had a price per square inch formula with additional percentages for added subjects. It gave me a solid way to price my work across the board no matter who, what, or where. I don't have a formula for needle felting but I am still very aware of my prices. If you are represented by another seller, gallery, or store, make sure the retail price of your work is the same as if you sell directly. You might make a little less per sale but you are gaining the ever important demand by having your work in more places. Store and gallery owners are running a business as well and together you can have a mutually beneficial experience. <br />
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Have confidence in your pricing so that buyers have confidence in you. May you have many a Pegasus and nary a gigantic Fair Hill Map. <br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3635548829044954316.post-19087392631560419312013-11-08T04:15:00.001-08:002013-11-08T04:15:41.185-08:00What Wool?When I began needle felting I had no idea the doors that would open into a world of wool. Who knew? All the Wool People (aka Fiber People) knew, that's who. People who spin, knit, crochet, felt, weave, shear, wash, dye, and nurture their sheep knew. I am now in the middle of in-the-know; not a seasoned wool expert, but learning about what I like for needle felting.<br />
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Corriedale, Rambouilett, Border Leicester, Teeswater, Wensleydale, Cheviot.... sounds like an impressive cheese platter. The sheep breeds are endless and the wool fibers as varied. <span style="font-size: xx-small;">And now I want cheese. </span><br />
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I ended up frustrated more than once when I bought wool online. It was not misrepresented, I just did not know what I needed or what to look for. So much of what is available is geared towards spinners. Going to the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival that first year was the best thing I could do. Wool needs to be seen, touched, smelled!<br />
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Soon I understood what kinds of wools I liked to use for needle felting, if not by name than at least by texture. The challenge then and now is finding a consistent source. Once you find a good thing you want more! A reliable source for wool is not easy to come by. I have a few up my sleeve but am always on the lookout. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl6eLs-hEP0Aqtjw8cI7vtYdWktXebvjgBpu0n8plQvEqsgnW1bGYewRtnT__I4O-vx7LAntT_dkXnmmeb3M0F1aNZx7g9knxvJRiaSEfcet_ZbOhp-Wp08fSjmvcCnyjfuwnRkQ-wtCw/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl6eLs-hEP0Aqtjw8cI7vtYdWktXebvjgBpu0n8plQvEqsgnW1bGYewRtnT__I4O-vx7LAntT_dkXnmmeb3M0F1aNZx7g9knxvJRiaSEfcet_ZbOhp-Wp08fSjmvcCnyjfuwnRkQ-wtCw/s400/photo.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My ever changing wool wall</td></tr>
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However, part of the art of needle felting, for better or worse, is working with the variations. Letting the fibers be used how they best fit. At this point, I could find a use for any fiber that came my way.<br />
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Here is what I know I like so far: <br />
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Blended Roving - many mills mix sheep varieties. This approach, along with woolen carding, gives roving a the perfect nubby loft for needle felting.<br />
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Romney - Romney seems to have the right balance between kink, consistency, and loft.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtmsQk_rzYBV7kxmiIeDZZrXYoFVEnXs4p0WYHc2MT_zsNX9UgbKWSgL0ejMbYPjAO5sOKkn4MkoCEIXKlQ8ujFLHfgQX9rAHc00E81UXJjGraSmwCk9lXcZ5_uogwcemFw1UqREhZAg0/s1600/DSC_0091.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtmsQk_rzYBV7kxmiIeDZZrXYoFVEnXs4p0WYHc2MT_zsNX9UgbKWSgL0ejMbYPjAO5sOKkn4MkoCEIXKlQ8ujFLHfgQX9rAHc00E81UXJjGraSmwCk9lXcZ5_uogwcemFw1UqREhZAg0/s400/DSC_0091.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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East Fresian - My neighbor raises them for milk and out of convenience I decided to wash and card a few fleeces... turns out I love it. Soft, fuzzy, feltable goodness.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOo_q_paOETKAA9hP8yp563A3PlyIj9WsBVetj4Bw75yybwyLNp3ghX3PilRPFJ_6nSWXWFvxjttWijbcQf4y21HMxvPmsyn6m488MwNH82uJm4aT29Ht5td44aQxMIun5TJ_zcPqdI28/s1600/white+fibers.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOo_q_paOETKAA9hP8yp563A3PlyIj9WsBVetj4Bw75yybwyLNp3ghX3PilRPFJ_6nSWXWFvxjttWijbcQf4y21HMxvPmsyn6m488MwNH82uJm4aT29Ht5td44aQxMIun5TJ_zcPqdI28/s400/white+fibers.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carded East Fresian in the middle, angora left, and Romney right</td></tr>
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Locks - Lincoln for long and silky, Tesswater for smaller curls... more to explore on this front for sure.<br />
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Spinner's Hill - look her up! Amazing batts and rovings, the best white I have ever found. Deep saturated yummy colors.<br />
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Suri Alpaca - great for soft locks as hair, manes, tails, etc<br />
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Merino and other long fine staple fibers are used as pelts sometimes blended with more easily felted wools. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ7ih7jTCP1KLL7i-Ca3P3qBqJWz92zGT0UUvgk7poSb9ZuSldHOoyh53ErujnIkYVPxzMubOACBYyZ0h0gBOGmtfie1kCNoQGsZUOTqW085EFhCIV0TxmEfXVfX-IlqEt1XA0AO2OVrY/s1600/DSC_0036.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ7ih7jTCP1KLL7i-Ca3P3qBqJWz92zGT0UUvgk7poSb9ZuSldHOoyh53ErujnIkYVPxzMubOACBYyZ0h0gBOGmtfie1kCNoQGsZUOTqW085EFhCIV0TxmEfXVfX-IlqEt1XA0AO2OVrY/s400/DSC_0036.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Angora - get some, even if you can't figure out how to use it (I'll show you how. ; ) watch this - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASt6Vn3kxUM), everyone should have a pile of angora to touch. The world would be a peaceful place if that were the case.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7aZJtWFqlI0rfA-iuCR4xTKUCxVyps64GfnQM5ACxkTLO1Kxz-kAwzOeOKRh5HVVsnzrcGJFRaj_ivm2LJRH7Y2-IVU8wPgAAVw9b0vg8Onw53jw95VvOcyQlZc6AiiEjytMKi2LSkl4/s1600/photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7aZJtWFqlI0rfA-iuCR4xTKUCxVyps64GfnQM5ACxkTLO1Kxz-kAwzOeOKRh5HVVsnzrcGJFRaj_ivm2LJRH7Y2-IVU8wPgAAVw9b0vg8Onw53jw95VvOcyQlZc6AiiEjytMKi2LSkl4/s400/photo.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">May your most difficult decision in life be which baby bunny to take home.</td></tr>
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The next step? My own fiber animals of course! <br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3635548829044954316.post-24152250554761914462013-11-02T09:59:00.001-07:002013-11-02T09:59:31.307-07:00We all Have to Start Somewhere and Foot in MouthRecently I shared and commented on a how-to video that used a mold for needle felting a 3D dog. I regret trying to work out my thoughts on my Facebook page. My comments were a written dialog of what was going through my head while watching the video. I was not trying to convince anyone else that working with a mold was a bad idea or to say that that particular kit was not helpful and ingenious, or that using a mold is not the perfect enjoyable and rewarding way for kids or beginners to get introduced to needle felting. I loved doing paint by numbers when I was a kid; I got to use the paints and brush, loose myself in the process, and create something pretty cool. It didn't mean I didn't go on to learn how to mix my own colors and make a painting from the bottom up or that paint by numbers was not fun and satisfying.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJWQh2lOos3YdPJruhmyqUi91Lfebnxb21GOrwSHG9h2aWg5mx76psdJIpZ4OydGmwQ7bACp1sqNKhnYeyD1v-kia7nq0LxKu9GLyMu_23yWxAm4Dlt3voGa3A6oUhs1yDSOawMwzTZU0/s1600/DSC_0009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJWQh2lOos3YdPJruhmyqUi91Lfebnxb21GOrwSHG9h2aWg5mx76psdJIpZ4OydGmwQ7bACp1sqNKhnYeyD1v-kia7nq0LxKu9GLyMu_23yWxAm4Dlt3voGa3A6oUhs1yDSOawMwzTZU0/s400/DSC_0009.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of my first ornaments... not even as old as my very first ones which I have no record of because I did not even own a digital camera!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLNu69S_6qv8JpI9hHOVYZKlkrwXUBpsgNCUPkUiDiXCaPtqhjvM6hMRnfFdgTHP6SSZPudVv9fC5mv7LxsVkAr4PtwaZMQAlgsVwYQ-mNJZmGBue-AAwi1lYLC5_aJRXdOAierR72Mu0/s1600/DSC_0006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLNu69S_6qv8JpI9hHOVYZKlkrwXUBpsgNCUPkUiDiXCaPtqhjvM6hMRnfFdgTHP6SSZPudVv9fC5mv7LxsVkAr4PtwaZMQAlgsVwYQ-mNJZmGBue-AAwi1lYLC5_aJRXdOAierR72Mu0/s400/DSC_0006.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Little Blind Dogs ( ? ? )</td></tr>
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Discovering fiber arts opens up a wonderful world. The joy and fun is in the fiber and exploring a new creative process. That's what got me hooked when I began five years ago. Now that I have a growing following on Facebook and Youtube, many people are seeing my work for the first time at a current level. I started at the beginning, though, just like anyone else.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxzEvY8Evs6Mz-_M_ehuO-eyp5ipa5M27xNWleyrwuYLGjhG2x9iMdV-z0_l48yVePKaN-htdWaaApRgoy7SS03avokP5shkA1To_UM6Oi3F7JvbGy73PkioPeLBdB0LbCpCIaTAihDDA/s1600/DSC_0051.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxzEvY8Evs6Mz-_M_ehuO-eyp5ipa5M27xNWleyrwuYLGjhG2x9iMdV-z0_l48yVePKaN-htdWaaApRgoy7SS03avokP5shkA1To_UM6Oi3F7JvbGy73PkioPeLBdB0LbCpCIaTAihDDA/s400/DSC_0051.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A goat, deer, and pony - these were all only about 2" tall</td></tr>
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My goal is to teach and share in a way that I believe in. The possibilities are endless, felting wool is no less than miraculous, the medium is forgiving and lends itself to fuzzy cuteness, and it doesn't take an art degree to enjoy it. My techniques are methods that I grew with, that I practiced, and that were born out of my desire to make the next one better. As you can see I've come a long way!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvbGOj7e82zgQLLsVAQQYcGRr4HlVOx9zD34bzY07dImxLW4QS9LICiNi3PSdVnPB6nvjH5biGMMbzWhwLpPNd5u4Hp9GPFRCrLktqdKwweXyscDtmN6UQuH_ciChiqos8vhxTR4reiyo/s1600/DSC_0011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvbGOj7e82zgQLLsVAQQYcGRr4HlVOx9zD34bzY07dImxLW4QS9LICiNi3PSdVnPB6nvjH5biGMMbzWhwLpPNd5u4Hp9GPFRCrLktqdKwweXyscDtmN6UQuH_ciChiqos8vhxTR4reiyo/s400/DSC_0011.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It seems I did not think any critters needed to see.</td></tr>
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Happy creating, Sara<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3635548829044954316.post-7729930953314297552013-09-11T05:42:00.002-07:002013-09-11T05:42:53.004-07:00Sharing - Walking the Thin Line<div style="text-align: center;">
"The meaning of life is to</div>
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find your gift.</div>
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The purpose of life is to</div>
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give it away." </div>
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- Pablo Picasso </div>
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As a painter I had a pretty close knit support group. We were artist friends (still are) who talked shop, and technique. We would share insights into the professional world of painting and selling. I highly valued the camaraderie and owe part of my success to it. Sharing painting war stories and triumphs always inspired me, taught me, and cautioned me. Our sharing nurtured a collective creativity.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpdnAyo6_t8nd8MiLYkQGbOlmQnBKBmiJWw0maRKxcdWO2Jnu7_0Z_UD6wvl1QYBj-L6kBxdPzkrNDCKAbpTDoYiY-2BsypHgXH7I_IpDBWzKSYarGZZokxlP2nYuo34Bc8RdsckUpTeQ/s1600/DSC_0092.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpdnAyo6_t8nd8MiLYkQGbOlmQnBKBmiJWw0maRKxcdWO2Jnu7_0Z_UD6wvl1QYBj-L6kBxdPzkrNDCKAbpTDoYiY-2BsypHgXH7I_IpDBWzKSYarGZZokxlP2nYuo34Bc8RdsckUpTeQ/s400/DSC_0092.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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When I began needle felting in 2008, I had no idea the craft would become my profession. My first critters were as you would expect, sort of loosely felted, not particularly well crafted, and more color blocked than color blended. I don't even have good pictures of them. All I knew was that felting was fun. (Looking at these pics I realize I seem to have been incapable of felting eyes - most are blind!)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLynnMVn1xaYFdWZ5qXLgNwGMb5bPIelc-jaFUCEugz3EXQkx83gyakXPCTxju1EwaALJw8euDbwDLvg0SFtCgO6PcLMLa5MRcmojYvJ4HxYiH5uMNmzz7pGTRE0f2etuV6lJbfl3z3ck/s1600/DSC_0002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLynnMVn1xaYFdWZ5qXLgNwGMb5bPIelc-jaFUCEugz3EXQkx83gyakXPCTxju1EwaALJw8euDbwDLvg0SFtCgO6PcLMLa5MRcmojYvJ4HxYiH5uMNmzz7pGTRE0f2etuV6lJbfl3z3ck/s400/DSC_0002.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1kQq1OJwxh8b6JQnXPejr0MhDLs1zSGPHydW8j5Wy3EjlwjtMkN0C93yH2JjbRYM_I8XFeiilRQ_vcyIMx7VIdVGpjp7PcTWdM8UcWTFeVJpfOF96lzAiTZ_iqUQD-x_vDJE_1Kmxst4/s1600/DSC_0001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1kQq1OJwxh8b6JQnXPejr0MhDLs1zSGPHydW8j5Wy3EjlwjtMkN0C93yH2JjbRYM_I8XFeiilRQ_vcyIMx7VIdVGpjp7PcTWdM8UcWTFeVJpfOF96lzAiTZ_iqUQD-x_vDJE_1Kmxst4/s400/DSC_0001.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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By 2010, I got better and opened my etsy shop. Even that short time ago there were far fewer needle felters on etsy. Still, I was lucky to be quickly recognized and generate sales. <br />
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I felt very competitive with the other felters making animals. Partly because I had never met them in person (the internet bubble), partly because I was determined to get better and continue to stay, if not on top, towards the top, and because this had become my livelihood. <br />
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The only way that I could excel was perseverance and practice. I did not have books or take classes. I started with one kit and may have watched a few of Felt Alive's videos. I messed up and tried again. I used what supplies I could find and scoured resources to find better. I experimented with armatures. I collected fibers. I holed up in my Hobbit like work space under the eves on my third floor and felted away, learning with every sculpture. This is also the way I learned to paint, first with watercolors ( I had the help of my Dad), then oils (<span style="font-size: large;">BIG</span> learning curve there), then pastels, and clay to bronze. I just did it without worrying whether I could or not.<br />
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I'm not explaining this to toot my horn; it's just always been the way I have grown as an artist. And, my point is, I don't want to freely share what I know because I have worked so hard to obtain it. But this contradicts my generous spirit and the notion that there is room for everyone to succeed.<br />
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So, many workshops, instructional videos, and internet correspondences later, I still find myself walking that line. I am openly sharing the methods that I have developed and the techniques that I use but, admittedly, with business goals behind it and only after I feel I have explored it's full potential..<br />
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Recently I have been asked how I made the gorilla's face pose-able. My lips clamped. I wasn't ready to share. I respectfully (I hope) declined. I have so much I want to explore with this idea, so much yet to develop, before I hand it out. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYYIz45RoyFD96NHPxwj1N7JMDy4SSVc_Jc2C6u_r25i6HMc2P5Lt4XgDnCQk5tk5S7arnqM58gmXpNUkrrmLiwZc5WZ6oQjXBDwy3bFTeW2IhT-eW0Op1pi10EMlgvKMAkImBOnb57BY/s1600/needle+felted+gorilla.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYYIz45RoyFD96NHPxwj1N7JMDy4SSVc_Jc2C6u_r25i6HMc2P5Lt4XgDnCQk5tk5S7arnqM58gmXpNUkrrmLiwZc5WZ6oQjXBDwy3bFTeW2IhT-eW0Op1pi10EMlgvKMAkImBOnb57BY/s400/needle+felted+gorilla.JPG" width="387" /></a></div>
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The artist in me wants to give freely, the entrepreneur knows better. <br />
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I have boiled the thin line down to this... Forge bravely ahead in your art. Enjoy the process of discovery. Do not rely too heavily on others because you limit your innovation, but pursue camaraderie among your peers. Be as generous as possible without being stupid. <br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3635548829044954316.post-70111492787920204802013-09-08T06:56:00.002-07:002013-09-08T06:56:32.198-07:00Hoarder or Prepared?<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Sometimes, when I watch "Hoarders" I think, "I am only one tragedy away from becoming a hoarder." I am saved by the fact that I enjoy a purge almost as much as a binge. Most creative people hoard. I am making the declaration pretty confidently without exhaustive studies. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">One of my sisters hoards beads, the other fabric. One of my friends, a spinner, covets every fiber producing animal she sees; lets just say she has as many as she can handle. My Father is currently trying to whittle down his collection of art supplies which fills a 1200 square foot studio top to bottom side to side and in the middle. ( I haven't decided yet if I am saved or cursed that he lives so far away that I can't easily take his crap off his hands and make it my own crap.)</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOYi-L9LMXs5rQF6iSDJqAiT5P6A6dEMEOo6MELa5Q9kxih8Ch3jIZ0Oj6uKbJaJCCxUPbu9wf9XRXwWdQ9AjFiiXkvsZTJw8C3NOt0YSlM4kaGaJqL6-1oS2-_EPN296AFAR4nXvMSBs/s1600/studio+4-25-13++b.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOYi-L9LMXs5rQF6iSDJqAiT5P6A6dEMEOo6MELa5Q9kxih8Ch3jIZ0Oj6uKbJaJCCxUPbu9wf9XRXwWdQ9AjFiiXkvsZTJw8C3NOt0YSlM4kaGaJqL6-1oS2-_EPN296AFAR4nXvMSBs/s400/studio+4-25-13++b.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Studio 5 - William Ferrar Renzulli</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">We see the possibility in everything. We are artistic McGuivers, delighting in finding the perfect bobble in our stash to execute the creative urge that is pulsing at the moment.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Here is a current list of things that, once seen, must become a part of my pile (and this is just the 'work' related stuff.):</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Wool and fibers - any and all - I will find a way to use it</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Wool Sweaters and Tweeds - sorry Goodwill shoppers, but I have taken it all </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Birds' nests - little miracles of construction</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Feathers - also little miracles and useful in my animal sculptures</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Random pieces of nature - interesting stones, sticks, stumps, gourds, roots, fungi, lichen, moss</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Wooden Crates and Baskets - pretty AND useful! I mean, you need something to hold all the stuff!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Miniatures and Props - if I come across something that one of my sculptures, present or future, can hold, sit on, consume, play, cook with, wear, look at, sit next to, be surrounded by, and/or climb, it comes to live on my shelf with the other props waiting to become a part of some genius creative vision</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">We have not even tackled the subject of whether or not you are an organized (anal retentive or OCD) hoarder or, more like me, a content-to-throw-it-in-the-most-convenient-place hoarder. Let's save that discussion for next time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Remember, you can't implement it, if you don't have it! ; ) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(BTW - the only reason my hoard looks as beautifully organized as it is, is because I now have Kyla, a.k.a. Everything in Its Place, helping at Sarafina.) </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3635548829044954316.post-71624196042160448082013-09-06T04:10:00.001-07:002013-09-06T04:32:03.879-07:00The Truth About Needle FeltingI have a pet peeve. It bugs me when artists describe their work as "painstaking" and then proceed to elaborate on the amount of time, or stabs, or difficulty that is involved in their work.<br />
<br />
Do they want us to feel sorry for them? Are they trying to justify an out of kilter price tag? Or do they really truly feel burdened by their creativity? Maybe it's the first and/or second reason but I can't believe it could be the third.<br />
<br />
Needle felting is fun. No matter how many stabs it takes, every single poke is a split second of affirmation and achievement. Further more, aside from the mis-stab that hurts your finger, even the bad stabs can be easily fixed. <br />
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The process of stabbing the wool is rewarding but we have the additional enjoyment of our fibers. (Imagine me here tossing lovely locks in the air with abandon and running through a field of bunny angora.) At the risk of sounding like a looney, I am convinced that working with natural fibers is healing. I even keep locks in my car to settle me when I feel my anxieties creeping in.<br />
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And, if you can believe it, there's more! When you have finished your project, you have something to enjoy, or sell, or give as a gift. It's all good. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-l3jEgR7dUNJX5Vchtr6dneCarfeiOMRsf_eUSKJOUK5No1YGSWyDVeZm9jjQrm4LRsBmR4FSNJfwMK4-adJ_9BA0xBO8Tm901QmZeKLFVXbvBl4YFO1AiwiJClIJTyvVssGT0myxcgo/s1600/DSC_0063.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-l3jEgR7dUNJX5Vchtr6dneCarfeiOMRsf_eUSKJOUK5No1YGSWyDVeZm9jjQrm4LRsBmR4FSNJfwMK4-adJ_9BA0xBO8Tm901QmZeKLFVXbvBl4YFO1AiwiJClIJTyvVssGT0myxcgo/s320/DSC_0063.JPG" width="243" /></a></div>
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No wonder the craft is spreading like wild fire. It's affordable, easy to get started, and instantly rewarding. And I believe those who are trying it are falling in love and will 'stick' with it - so to speak. <br />
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So quit your whining felting artists! I know the truth about needle felting and the rest of the world (or at least the 10 people who follow my blog) will now know too!<br />
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Happy felting.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3635548829044954316.post-30231677592477793922013-09-05T13:21:00.000-07:002013-09-06T06:37:03.744-07:00Growth and GorillasMy sister (I forget which one) once said, "Blogs are like diets... you announce your blog to the world with the best intentions and then directly fall off the wagon." I wish a could maintain my blog more regularly because I really do enjoy both writing and sharing.<br />
<br />
So in the spirit of jumping back on the blog wagon here I am.<br />
<br />
I would like to introduce you to Kyla DeStefano. We met at the end of the school year when my son, Max, attended her son, Andrew's, birthday party. <span style="font-size: small;">He came home with a dvd video of skits that
they had performed that day. I thought, "Who is this woman that can
have 8 kids in her house, provide all expected birthday traditions,
shoot a video, and then edit and prepare dvds for them to take home in 2
hours!?" She was the answer to my prayers, Kyla, mother of two boys,
self taught videographer and self proclaimed anal retentive. She can
now add "entrepreneur" to her resume as she is helping build Sarafina
Fiber Art. Kyla is the yin to my yang. Where I am mostly circular
thought and ideas she thrives with columns and action.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi14UYvUisuOSb6wNOxhujQR8BC89GgjZf_-qyM5ipnCoMrBZ_fm5_UlyQ7PNgvxfwcbmOP5i3o443IgoRdQYfDiUxO6aW8WD12aigyDw8Iq_OO9Z1jJ1LfJvL2WWN2VWdsvONWlxRp7Wo/s1600/DSC00865.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi14UYvUisuOSb6wNOxhujQR8BC89GgjZf_-qyM5ipnCoMrBZ_fm5_UlyQ7PNgvxfwcbmOP5i3o443IgoRdQYfDiUxO6aW8WD12aigyDw8Iq_OO9Z1jJ1LfJvL2WWN2VWdsvONWlxRp7Wo/s320/DSC00865.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kyla and Finley</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">With Kyla's help Sarafina has a new energy and potential for growth. We are working really hard to bring the best felting supplies to you as well as needle felted sculptures.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Today, while I fussed over finishing my gorilla and giving him a proper photoshoot, Kyla whipped around the workspace cleaning, stacking, organizing, sorting, and planning. I cannot tell you how amazing it feels to have a second heart and mind invested in Sarafina.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Which brings me to my gorilla. </span><br />
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<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"> People often ask me, "Is it hard to let go and sell your things." I usually say no. But this guy has been my companion all summer as it has taken me that long to make him. And he has a way of looking at me as if he wants to be animated and included. It will be hard to let him go no matter how flattered I am that someone might want to buy him.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: small;">Well, I hope this is the beginning of renewed attention to my blog.... at least for a little while. </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3635548829044954316.post-42218682600560097692012-08-07T04:31:00.000-07:002012-08-07T04:31:08.104-07:00Summer, Au RevoirTwo more weeks...<br />
<br />
.... two more weeks until we begin the busy and regimented schedule of the school year.<br />
<br />
... until the weather begins it's turn toward Fall bringing energy and possibilities.<br />
<br />
... until the boys leave me for the day and I can shift my brain from Entertainer and Feeder of Boys to Artist.<br />
<br />
... until people begin to think about their homes, warmth, gifts, ergo wool!<br />
<br />
... until I can begin turning the gears that create income.<br />
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<br />
I try to cherish every day and have had a beautiful Summer. But I can't help but dream of Fall. <br />
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Hope to see you there.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3635548829044954316.post-47013995219848670742012-07-13T10:53:00.002-07:002012-07-13T10:53:21.636-07:00Summer Pace: Draft Horse PairSince the Critter a Day Contest and school ended June 8th, I have been a little leaf floating down the lazy current of summer. Heat and kids have blocked my usual creative motivation. <br />
<br />
Until... We put them in camp! Max is spending two weeks at the overnight camp of my youth, Onas. And Evan is spending all day at the community college theater camp for two weeks. Both are very happy.<br />
<br />
And, after enjoying 4 weeks of floating with my boys, so am I. Returning to the mill daily, I am trying to get my head
back in the game. Today I put the finishing touches on this 1/6 scale
draft horse pair. <br />
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