Oh The Excitement!

The new Fa La La La Felt from Lark Books is now available!

The fish is out of the bag!  Lark Books has launched their new e-book Fa La La La Felt, and I was lucky enough to have a few projects included.  There are 45 super cool felty projects in this book, amongst them you'll find the wee fish you see above.  I've seen a few of the other projects and trust me, they're adorable.  Go buy your copy now and start making lovely things for the holidays right now!  Go!

You can buy your e-book here.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope all of you celebrating today enjoy good company and good food and have a good nap with a full belly.  We're celebrating with family today and will be hosting our Thanksgiving dinner on Monday.  Drumstick up there has a few days reprieve, but he looked a little sweaty and nervous this morning.

I made a pumpkin and cream cheese jelly roll for today's meal and thought I'd share the recipe.  It has enough pumpkin flavor to be festive, but not so much that it's overwhelming.  I sprinkled on a little powdered sugar and made some marzipan acorns to top it off.

I hope you enjoy it.

Cake:

1 c. all purp. flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or allspice or nutmeg, etc.)

1/4 tsp salt

4 eggs at room temp

3/4 c. sugar

3/4 c. canned pumpkin

powdered sugar for sprinkling

Cream cheese frosting:

12 ounces (1 1/2 packages) cream cheese at room temp

2/3 c. sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 c. toasted pecans chopped

1.  Heat oven to 375.  Line a 15 1/2 x 10 1/2 x 1 jelly-roll pan with waxed paper and coat with oil/shortening/spray.

2.  Combine flour, baking powder, spices, and salt in a small bowl.

3.  Beat eggs in a large bowl on medium speed for 2 minutes or until they thicken slightly.  Beat in sugar, a tablespoon at a time.  Continue beating until very thick and lemon-colored, about 5 to 7 minutes.  On lowest speed, beat in pumpkin until blended.  With a rubber spatula, foldin flour mixture in 2 batches and spread evenly in pan.

4.  Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until the top of the cake springs back when touched lightly in the center.  Generously sieve powdered sugar over a clean kitchen towel.  When cake is done, loosen edges and invert onto towel.  Remove the waxed paper and sprinkle the cake with additional powdered sugar.  From a short end, roll up the cake in jelly roll fashion and cool on a wire rack for 1 hour.

5.  Prepare filling;  beat the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in a medium-sized bowl for 5 to 8 minutes or until creamy.  Stir in toasted pecans.

6.  Unroll cake.  Spread with filling.  Reroll without the towel.  Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.

Grab a cup of coffee and enjoy some cake.

(Not So) Wordless Wednesday

Today's wordless Wednesday needs a little explanation.  See, while the photo isn't much to look at, you should see this in the dark. 

This morning as hubby was stoking the woodstove in the dark, he pulled a piece of bark off of this log and beneath the surface was a light show, given off by luminescent fungus, sometimes known as foxfire.  It was glowing like a little runway down the entire length of the log.  So cool!  It makes me want to pull the bark off of all the dead trees in our tree pile one night to see how many other have this under their skins. 

Acorn Assortment

I had hoped to photograph all of the different acorns that felli in our forest this year, but life got busy and I didn't quite finish my goal. I had taken these early in the fall, which is why everything looks so lush and green, and after reading a fun comment from someone who entered last week's giveaway I was reminded that I had a few pics to share.  She had said that the European acorn didn't have such a nice head but that they were compensated because their squirrels have tufts on their ears.  :D  It made me giggle, and made me wish our squirrels had tufts on their ears.

I've often wondered how people picture acorns in their heads.  After making so many wool acorns, I realize I make acorns in a style that is familiar to me, but that may look disproportionate to others. 

So how do acorns look to you?  Does anyone have acorn pics they'd like to share with me?

Acorn Mushroom Ornament Tutorial

If you find this, or one of my other tutorials, helpful and would like to make a monetary contribution to help me keep wool in my basket and ideas flowing, I'd be so grateful.  By clicking the "Buy Now" button below you can choose your own price for the tutorial.  It's completely optional, but oh so appreciated.

*******************************

Here's an earthy little ornament project for you to try.  The boys and I had fun making these and wanted to share them with you.

What you'll need:

• acorn caps without stems
• twigs cut into lengths of about an inch
• glue (we used wood glue because that's what we had, but something like Tacky Glue would work better)
• cotton balls
• a toothpick or other pointy tool
• hemp, twine, or ribbon (if you intend to make hanging ornaments)
• drill or dremel tool (if you intend to make hanging ornaments)

Flip your acorn cap upside down and put a generous dollop of glue in it.  Let the glue set up for a few minutes until it starts to get a bit tacky.  This will help your twig stay upright a little better. 

We put our caps in an egg carton to keep them steady, and to contain glue spillage.  (after all, my helpers are a bit messy)

When your glue has set up a bit, insert a piece of twig into the acorn cap.

Unroll a bit of cotton from your cotton ball and using the toothpick, poke it around the stem into the glue.  The boys really liked this part because they thought they were needle-felting.

Allow your mushroom to dry, and voila!  An adorable little mushroom!

If you'd like to make a hanging ornament, drill a hole in the top of cap and thread through a piece of hemp, twine, ribbon, etc. and repeat the same process.

I think these will look great tied on a package or hanging in the Christmas tree this year.

The boys and I had a little fun hiding some of these in the woods.  You can see some of those pics here on my flickr page.

Enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday

Feeling Fruity

So it seems I've been on a fruit kick the past few days.  The dear Heather from artbyheather asked me like a year ago (seriously, a year ago), to make her an apple and orange ornament and I just now finished them.  I was so excited by the fruit fiesta that I decided to add a pear to the mix. 

I made a few of each and put the extras in the shop.  I just added the pears today, but the apples and oranges have already gone to their forever homes.  Isn't that great?

It must be a holiday thing, but I'm on an ornament kick so expect to see a few new offerings soonish. (I promise, it won't be a year)  I hope you'll stop back and check them out.

Wordless Wednesday

Freeze Frame

Occasionally I'm asked if I sell my photographs.  I'm not a trained photographer so the question always takes me off guard.  I stammer a bit that no, I don't, I'm a trained artist but never taken photography courses, blah blah blah.  It's flattering but takes me out of my comfort zone a bit, so after much (trust me, MUCH) inner debate, I've decided to try it out.  I've just listed a few photographs in the shop and will be listing more, including some notecards, in the next few weeks. 

I hope you'll check them out, and I want to thank those of you that have given me the encouragement.  It means a lot to me to know that some of you find some beauty in how I see the world.

Happy Friday! 

Wordless Wednesday

Checking in on the Acorn Rainbow - November 2009

It's been a month since I last checked in on my acorn rainbow.  The leaves are off the trees now and my mossy stump is clearly visible against the dying vegetation.  The moss is changing color too, offering a shocking lime green against the brown oak leaves.

Only three of the original 6 acorns are visible.  The other three have either been carried off by curious critters or are hidden beneath the leaf litter.

The purple acorn is nestled in a bed of sporophytes.

The green one is looking a little fuzzy, but I'm pleasantly surprised how well they've all held up against the elements thus far.  We've had a lot of rain and it's snowed twice already....I suppose my hair would be a bit fuzzy by now too.

The orange one had been pushed off the stump and I gingerly pulled the leaves back to find it.

In a disturbing turn of events, an offering of another type took place near my mossy stump.  Just a few feet away I found the remains of our missing hen.  She had clearly been supper for a fox, eagle, or owl.  She had gone missing about a week ago and after she disappeared the other hens spent the next few days hiding under the coop, which told us that they had seen her abduction.  When an eagle had taken our duck, the other chickens hid under my porch for almost a week.  Though sad, it's part of the reality of living in the woods.

Next month the stump will likely be covered in snow, but I'll check back in to see if I can catch a glimpse of the acorns.  

Wordless Wednesday

Frosty Landscapes

A light covering of frost was on the ground this morning as I walked to the chicken coop for my morning egg from Betty. My eyes kept scanning the ground and noticing the leaves outlined in frost, tiny landscapes of color and texture, sugared in ice. I pulled my camera from my pocket and captured a few of them. As I slowly made the walk back, I noticed that the frost was disappearing in my path, the leaves being warmed by the rising sun. It was quiet and still and I was thankful for the bit of peace before the day began.

I hope these quiet pictures find you all feeling peaceful and still as well. (if only for a moment)

Oh the many colors captured in a dying leaf....mother nature is an artist.

You Never Know What You're Gonna Get

A while ago, I had the pleasure of running into Lynn Bowes' work. Her shop, Silverwork, on Etsy features beautiful handmade silver jewelry that she describes as "simple :: modern :: everyday". I couldn't agree more.

I had the pleasure of purchasing this lovely chalcedony necklace from her and it truly is simply gorgeous, modern in design, and something I can wear everyday.

I had also spotted a beautiful agate necklace in Lynn's shop and asked her if she would have any use for Lake Superior Agates, as we're lucky enough to find them in our yard daily here in MN. She took me up on my offer of a box of rocks, and promised to make me something out of these lovelies. How exciting! A piece made just for me out of rocks I had dug from our yard. She told me what her old lapidary teacher said about picking up stones from the dirt: "Picking up parking lot rocks is like picking up women in bars - you never know what you're gonna get."

Well, this is what I got. I got two amazing necklaces, and the chance to know this generous and talented woman. She polished two of the agates, setting each in silver, and added beaded touches that compliment the pieces perfectly.

You can see on the back of this piece a slice of the crystalline quartz in this agate. I love that detail!

I plan to wear one, and give one to my daughter when she's a bit older. The rocks were gathered on the year of her birth and will be a rememberance of our little patch of land here in Minnesota.

I am so lucky and thankful. Thank you, Lynn. You rock.

(pun intended)

**** Links ****

Lynn's Etsy Shop: Silverwork

Lynn's 1000markets shop

Lynn's blog

Wordless Wednesday

A Rainy Day Hike

Our snowy days have given way to slightly warmer temps and rain. We've all been cooped up in the house for too many days now so I bundled the 4 kidlets up (yep, even the baby) and we hit the woods today. We jumped in puddles, spotted mushrooms, picked up acorns, and got good and muddy. We made sure our fingers got a little cold too so we could warm them up with hot cocoa when we got back to the house. Not a bad way to spend a rainy day.

We found this strange twisted little mushroom amongst the leaf litter.

These bright red berries are attached to a plant that looks very much like False Solomon's Seal, but I'm not absolutely certain. If they are, they're beautiful, but poisonous. Oddly enough, one of the poisonous berry selections that my 3 year old hasn't tried to eat yet. Let's all knock on wood that he doesn't give it a go, now that I've actually said it out loud.

These sweet little tinies are about the size of my sewing pins. They trail in and out of the brush, like someone marking a map.

Rock vs. Boot. We encounter huge chunks of quartz wherever we wander here. If only I could find a use for them...

So now we're going to make cookies and snug up by the fire and enjoy our Friday. I hope you and yours do the same.

Oh! And I'll be having a wee shop update on Tuesday so please pop in my shop and have a look.

Happy Weekend!