Sock Owls

Hello again! I've managed to finish quite a few projects off this week - maybe for once I've managed to work through stressful times instead of drown in them!

Over the last few days I've made 4 little sock owls based on this pattern here.

Adorable right?!

One is for me to keep, Mr Bob Owley (seriously, no intention for it to sound like Bob Marley!), at the back right.

And three for presents for Christmas!

They are about 5" high, made form socks and felt, and carefully handstitched.

Hopefully something similar will soon be on my Folksy store, too... Watch this space!

Oh, and I discovered one my teddies (yes, I still have teddies, and I'm proud!) rather likes Bob too!

Anyway, it may be quiet here for a week or so. Hopefully I'll be back with more finished projects soon! Especially since I erm... "acquired" a rather large bag of wool from my parent's loft today, all with projects in mind!

Pink Granny Square Cube Toy

Granny Squares are lovely to look at, aren't they? I'm not a very girly girl, but there's something very happy about a range of pink!

I used a pattern from my Nan's collection (I can share if anyone would like me to) - this is just the first 4 rounds from a huge design intended to be a rug. It is worked in 2 strands of DK, and I alternated with bright pink, baby pink and white :)

Like most people, I hate tying in ends. However, I do love stitching things together! I stitched the 6 squares into a cube. Although, I used the word "cube" loosely... Initially it was more of a sphere with a few straight edges! So I made up a fabric cube to go inside to help hold the shape, and it's certainly better. (Although I hope the fabric cube stays together... My sewing machine is truly dead, and my hands were rather too tired to behave!) I have also put a jingle ball inside with the stuffing to add interest!

Peacock painting!

My word, I haven't finished a painting since last December. That's... a while. It's been one of those years! Yesterday I woke up feeling inspired. I was going to just get stuck into Christmas cards, but my husband told me to paint instead. So I did...

This painting I started June/July 2010, when I discovered masking fluid. It is of a peacock we met on honeymoon, who rather enjoyed exploring our boat!

The background was created using masking fluid (to create the white relief) and a thin acrylic wash. I then painted the peacock in all his feathery glory, and added the 3 other peacock feathers to add more interest to the piece.

I am really pleased with it! And I love the contrast with both strength of colour and detail between the peacock and the feathers.

And the rainbow colours of the feathers brings back memories of our rainbow wedding too, so a very special painting for me and my husband. We were laughing yesterday if I'll ever be ready to sell something I paint!

Work in Progess.

Well, that's how life is, isn't it? We're all just work in progress.

I'm one of those people who always has multiple projects, books, and who knows what else on the go. Some of them getting abandoned for years between starting and finishing (my large Winne the Pooh cross stitch stares knowingly at me from the corner).

I've had a bit of energy recently, but I haven't really been able to sit up at my art desk and paint, so I've made the sofa where I have to spend my days into a little craft centre. It's quite an old sofa which has been through the wars, so I'm free to attack it with craft ;) It's sort of "WIP Central".

The crochet baby blanket is sat on the top of the sofa, begging for the next row to be done, tho it has progressed since the previous post!

Sat on the blanket is my latest sock monkey, wondering when he'll get his 2nd ear attached, and when the pins will be replaced with real eyes! I feel so guilty making sock monkies... Sticking needles and pins into them; leaving them without ears, eyes and mouth... It's horrible! I will do a full post on my sock monkey family at some point (I think I've made 7 now), but here's a little taste of two of them!

Pinned into the sofa beyond him are 8 felt flowers waiting to be finished so my Folksy shop can be truly launched. My launch date for my shop was originally February 2011, so I'm not that late, am I? Anyway, they're the only thing left to make, so we might get there before February 2012 :) Here's a sneak peek of my previous 8 felt flower badges, waiting to go to craft fairs with Pretty Little Things...

And then there is a small pile of crocheted granny squares in pink and white, for a very special Christmas present I'm working on! I can't wait to fully share that :)

Anyway, that's just the projects on the sofa :) If I look to my left, I see crochet Sea Pennies for my Fabric Journal (mentioned in the last few posts!) And scoobies (the child in me rediscovered them the other day!) And crochet bunny toys. And drawings of a dragon... And a sketchbook I'm making out of an old book. And a teddy I'm making for AYME.

*sigh* And that's without entering my art room or looking at my art/craft to do list...