Fridays feature, BearlyTimeToScrap

Sorry I missed last week, I was away at a wedding

Had a great time and as soon as I get the picks there is a lovely fox story

Todays friday feature is http://bearlytimetoscrap.etsy.com/

What got you started needle felting?

I saw so many darling little needle felted critters while browsing on etsy. One day I just decided, "I can do that" and bought a kit! and so.. away I went!

How long have you been needle felting?

I've been needle felting for a only a few months now, but its very fun and I'm loving it!

Describe your style of work

Hmm.. well cutsie!! I like making little little animals and birds, harder to do.. but I love how adorable they turn out!

How do you promote your items?

I post on flickr, on tumblr and in the etsy forums a lot!

What/who inspires you?

Lots of things! My children, music playing, but mostly I'd say nature itself!

Can you remember what the 1st thing you made was?

Yep! I blue bird! It was very sad I though, but my kids loved it, so I gave it to them.. and then I had to make them a few more so they wouldn't fight over it!

What are you working on right now?

Currently I'm making a little series of tiny tiny birds in nests!

If you could only save one of your items from a fire which one would it be?

Definetly Dorian the Dragon. It took me soooooooo long to do (days and days and days) and was the hardest thing I've made so far. Plus, I really like dragons!

Do you have a funny felting moment??

Yes! When just starting I didn't realize that dogs like wool roving. Not until my partial creations kept disapearing off my work table. THe culprit? My little australian shepherd! Now I have to make sure everything is put away safely .. or it gets eaten!

Gourmetfelted's webolg comp

Random surfing round needle felting sellers and I found this guy

http://gourmetfelted.wordpress.com/

She is kindly running a compatition for new needle felters

His work is really amazing - his shop is at

http://gfelted.etsy.com/

Now I am featured!!

Wow, what a week this is turning out to be

http://monarchdancer.etsy.com/

Has featured my little red fox in her lovely treasury

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=9320

Thankyou - I won

Thankyou all for voting for me in the Etsy Challenge

Both Jack and my Panda won

Please please so I dont split my vote if you would like to vote for me to be the weekly winner (which I would really appreciate) can you vote for Jack



I also have my 'sunset' wall hanging in this week in the needlework section

http://etsychallenge.blogspot.com/

again thankyou so much I realy didnt expect to win

Im featured

Thankyou to McEtsy for featuring my Jack Skellington!!

He is really getting around! who would have thought - and I just did him for a bit of fun!

http://mcetsy.blogspot.com/

He is also doing fab in the etsy challange

http://etsychallenge.blogspot.com/

Great place to get your work noticed by other people so what you waiting for - submit some work!!

and

while you are there if you can spare a vote for Jack in the holiday section and for my teeny panda in the minitures section

Thankyou!!

Fridays feature - needle felting - Fufukitty

Finally I have got round to post the friday feature

Today is Fufukitty

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5303681

What got you started needle felting?

I bought a felting kit on a whim when my favorite fabric store was going out of business and everything was 75% off. After that the kit sat around a long time until one of my good friends had a need for a hair clip that she couldn't buy in a store. She pitched it to me and 24 hours later I was a felter. How long have you been needle felting? Less than a year. Since Feb 2008. Describe your style of work:

I work flat mainly. I think of needle felting a lot like drawing. My pieces have some dimension, but not a lot. I use a lot of color, mixing and blending to create nature-inspired flowers.

How do you promote your items?

I promote on Etsy; web promos. I have a mailing list for shoppers who would like to receive emails about the store. I consign locally in Iowa City, and have received great word-of-mouth promotion from folks.

What/who inspires you?

My grandmother tended her garden as a memorial to my grandfather (whom I never met). I have fond memories of her flower beds; the sun on my face, and warm, sweet smells. She grew all varieties of things. She took the time to teach me all the names of the flowers in her garden. Grannie let me pick flowers, but I had a daily limit.

Can you remember what the 1st thing you made was?

Sure. A small white flower with a turquoise center, sewn to a baby hair clip.

What are you working on right now?

Stocking up for the holidays. I just finished an acorn and oak leaf broach.

If you could only save one of your items from a fire which one would it be?

Aw - none. I love them all, but I love them most as I am working on them. Once they are finished I feel I have to let them go out into the world. I'd be heading into a fire to save my daughter and my dogs. There will always be more wool.

Please vote for me in the Etsy Challenge

I thought I would try some of my work in the etsy challenge and I have got a couple of items in for this week

Please please please pop buy and possibly even put in a wee vote for me



My teeny panda is in in the minitures and Jack Skellington is in the any holiday




http://etsychallenge.blogspot.com/

Please vote for me in the Etsy Callange

My dog for Joyfulabode

As my post further down I was making a little dog to help with the rescue of the stray found by joyfulabode

I made this little fella for her

I hope people like him and he makes lots of money for the real guy

Check out her blog - scroll to the last post to get the link
There you can buy tickets for several things or just donate to help him



He is such a happy dog he deserves a bit of good luck

This is what he looks like again

My diet

Ok so the personal bit!
Not sure about putting this in a public area but it will hopefully give me the boot up the backside to continue
I have had a pretty bad few years loosing my Grandad, dad and job and other personal problems, so becoming a driving instructor and sitting down all day really helped pile the pounds on
I figure I needed to loose about 4 stone. Been trying off and on for a while, loose a pound, gain 3 and so on.
Then I thought about the diet Ben was on. I have recearched loads and Ben is on a species appropriet diet - I feed him what he evolved to eat

I thought what is a species appropriate diet for humans?? Meat nuts fruit and veg - and I am having dairy too
So in 2 weeks thats me lost 1 stone 1 pound and I am full of energy!!
Yeah!! hope it continues!!

Doggie bridsmaid

Tony and Annmarie got married on Tuesday and they chose their lovely GSD Caider as their bridesmade
She looked so lovely that the newspaper did a feature on them
(full article in the 'daily record')
She looks so lovely and they look so happy> They are not back yet but I have heard from people that they had a great day with no rain and were on the beach for over 3 hours
Congratulations guys!!

Bens moved up to the big boys class

I also thought about titling this post 'Be careful what you wish for' because after me worrying about the wee boys speed (or lack of it) he has picked up a bit of speed and is working better away from me
Problem is with speed comes mistakes

Waiting on class to start I did the weaves twice, perfect and fast
then in class we did the tyre jump to weaves and he was going to fast and missed the 1st weave
Carol told me to recal him facing him so he didint speed onto the weave and that worked
He did some great turns at quite a distance from me and we managed some pretty cool front crosses but when I tried to cross behind when he was on the A-frame he turned and headed back! have to work on that. I think a big part of it was I didnt expect him to get it right so I hesitated - then he didnt get it right

Really glad tho that both Ben and Darwin really held their own and didnt look too inexperienced in the big boys class
Everyone has different problems