Foxy Loxy - Red Fox Hair Clip or Pin Brooch

Foxy Loxy - Red Fox Hair Clip or Pin Brooch

Finally having some free time this week, I wanted to do some new designs inspired by the requests I've gotten recently.  The first is a curled red fox, Foxy Loxy.  I think my favorite part of this design is the tufty wool tail.  Foxy Loxy is about 1.75 inches across and houses a 1.5 inch snap clip.  He is a rusty pumpkin orange wool felt with cream accents.

Mother's Day Blog Sale

Monarch Butterfly Pin for Mother's Day

In honor of Mother's Day, I'm offering a 10% discount code for followers of my blog! Discount will be valid now until May 10th, 2009. To redeem, make a purchase in my Etsy store and enter "MomBlog 10" in the notes at checkout. I will send you an adjusted invoice on Paypal reflecting the 10% discount. Don't forget to also let me know if you want pins or hair clips for your unique creation in the notes section! Happy shopping, and HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Celebrate motherhood! A huge thank you from my darling inspiration and me. Happy Mother's Day!

Etsy Front Page - Woodland Butterfly Pin

I was so honored to be part of this fabulous treasury, "Green Angel," that made it to the front page of Etsy on April 10th!  Thank you so much to kaleprimitifs for including my Woodland Butterfly pin!

Mother's Day Gift Guide - For the New Mommy

Second in my series of Mother's Day gift guides, this guide is geared toward the NEW mommy.  My daughter is now 2 1/2, but these are things I would have loved to receive as gifts for my first Mother's Day.  Some are practical and others whimsical, but all are fabulous.

Every new mom needs a brag book to show off the beautiful bundle.  This one is lovely, and nice and small for the purse.  As if your purse or diaper bag wasn't crowded enough already, but photos are essential!

Brag Book Accordion Album - $9 by junesgallery

My daughter was always pulling my hair while nursing, so I would have appreciated a necklace designed especially for the purpose of keeping her occupied during nursing.  This one is particularly nice because it is all natural.

Wooden Grabbing and Nursing Necklace - $12 by stonesofhealing

One of the first gifts I bought myself after my daughter's birth was a necklace declaring to the world her name stamped in silver.  I love the thickness of this particular necklace set, and the unique stacked look for either a first and middle name, or for showing more than one child's name.

Personalized Double-Disk Mom Pendant - $48 by westbyron

So, the most vivid part of new motherhood in my memory... sleep deprivation.  The art of napping was never so finely tuned as in those first few months of my daughter's life.  Any time of day, this might help catch some much needed zzzz's.

Pink Chocolate Fully Adjustable Eye/Sleep Mask - $12 by BibBon

Returning to work can be quite traumatic for the new mommy (unless you are lucky enough to get to stay home, and even then, this would be lovely) so displaying baby prominently on your desk can lessen some of the separation anxiety.  This picture frame is so beautiful, it wouldn't even need to be for baby.  

Shabby Cream Ornate Picture Frame - $12 by scavengerhunt

Mother's Day Gift Guide - For the No-Frills Mommy

As spring is underway, Mother's Day approaches.  Every mother is unique, so why shouldn't her gift also be?  I've put together a list of handmade items I myself would LOVE to receive for Mother's Day... (ahem, honey?  Take note....)  No budget busters here - I'm keeping my list to $30 and under.

Who can resist a massage?  Uninterrupted of course, complete with candles.... soft music.... what?  Oh yeah - gift guides - I'll remove myself from my mini-fantasy.  This gift certainly does NOT break the bank, but does require a little something extra - someone else's hands that is.

Lime Light Massage and Body Oil - $4.00 from vistahsoap

I must admit that I am a sucker for anything this particular shade of green, and this has just the right amount of funky.

Green Shining Pompon's Scarf - $20 by Starpompon

A minimalist at heart, I tend toward very understated jewelry.  My favorites tend to be small silver pendant necklaces and dainty drop earrings.  I love the sweet delicacy of this necklace by CopperFrogStudio.  I also ADORE the slightly larger version of this design (however, I promised $30 budget limit, so we'll stick with the mini).

Poppy Drop Necklace - $22 by CopperFrogStudio

In a similar theme as the Poppy Drop Necklace, these understated earwires are simple, yet stunning.

Kalabu - $22 by soulyyours

The geek in me thinks this is just the coolest thing - how fun to display this at a small gathering.  Perfect for moms that need a little vino wind-down at the end of the day (and who hasn't been there before??).

Balancing Wooden Wine Bottle holder - $15 by SmileMoon

Waking up in the morning can be difficult, especially if you've spent half the night answering "Mommmmmmy!"  summons.  Scrub awake with yummy lemon - sure to invigorate and liven the senses.

Natural Lemon Sugar Scrub - $20 by nettiescrub

Chocolate Brown Crocheted and Felted Wool Baby Booties Mary Janes

In my ongoing crochet quest, I searched and searched for a cute pattern for baby Mary Janes.  More than 3 of my girl friends are pregnant and having girls, so I thought these would be fun shower gifts.  I finally found a pattern that I liked at Michaels, of all places, in a baby book of crochet projects.  

I had to tinker with the pattern a bit for sizing because I planned on washing the booties to "felt" them (make the fibers dense and fabric like, losing the crocheted look).  First I tried enlarging the pattern, but the resultant shoe was floppy and oddly shaped.  I finally just increased my hook size by 2 sizes and lengthened the strap a bit.  I washed the booties in ultra hot soapy water (the sanitary setting in my washer) and checked on them frequently for amount of shrinkage.  After they came out, they were so tiny!  I had to stretch and shape them up a bit, and they ended up at about a newborn to 3 month size, perfect for a baby shower.  I have yet to stitch on the velcro closure for each strap, but I anticipate that step to be pretty quick.  

If you'd like any tips, I'd be happy to share what worked best for me.  Leave me a comment on this post for further information on felting!

Easter Bunny Giveaway WINNER!

Drum roll please...... and the winner is...... Sandra from Amy Rose Designs! Thank you to everyone who visited and entered my giveaway. I especially appreciate all the excellent feedback and ideas that were given. I can't wait to come up with some designs for some of the suggestions!

Amy Rose Designs has a fabulous shop on Etsy; here are a couple of my favorite items from her shop.

Easter Bunny Hair Clip Giveaway!

How to celebrate the coming of spring.... hmmmm.  I've been so excited that the weather has started to warm, and our yard is starting to blossom, that I've decided to do a SPRING GIVEAWAY!!  

I've participated in giveaways on other blogs before, and the process was quite fun and exciting.  Last fall I hosted a giveaway of my fall hair clip set on Steals and Deals, and also hosted a giveaway on Handmade Showcase for my Harvest Pumpkin hair clip.  

The creation I've decided to GIVE (yes! absolutely free!) is my Sweet Bunny.

The winner may choose the type of backing:  pin brooch, snap clip, or French barrette.  

Entry period is from now until 11:59 PM Sunday, March 8th.  The winner will be posted and contacted on Monday, March 9th.  

How to Enter:

1.  Visit PammyDawn and check out the creations.

2.  Leave a comment on THIS blog post telling me either your favorite item in my shop, or something you would like to see in my shop (I love making new things!).

3.  In your comment, you must leave a way for me to contact you, or your entry will not be valid.

4.  Anyone is eligible, NO purchase necessary.

5.  Any rude or inappropriate comments will not be accepted.

6.  The winner will be chosen by random number generator from mathgoodies.com.  If I am not able to contact my 1st winner, a second winner will be chosen from the remaining random numbers.

7.  After the winner is chosen and contacted, the Sweet Bunny will be mailed via USPS within 7 days.

8.  All comments are moderated by me, so expect some delay in the posting of your entry comment - it will not appear until I deem it appropriate and valid.

9.  Only one entry per person.

Spring Green Etsy Front Page

I just created this piece yesterday, so I was completely taken by surprise when it appeared on the front page of Etsy this morning.  It's always exciting to see something you create make it to the front page!

Spring Flower Bud - Tulip Wool Pin Brooch

Spring Bud - Tulip Wool Felt Pin Brooch

Tulips are my favorite flowers.  They are so fresh, vibrant, and I love their clean smooth lines.  The inspiration for this pin is a tulip bud before it opens completely.

Fresh for spring - Spring Bud is made of 100% wool felt, hand-cut and stitched in 3 layers. Securely stitched to the back is a 1 inch bar pin.

Spring Bud measures about 3 inches tall.

Sweet Easter Bunny Hair Clip or Pin Brooch

Sweet Bunny Wool Felt Hair Clip or Pin Brooch

Hopping in for spring - sweet bunny measures about 1.5 inches and encloses a 1.25 inch snap clip.

Warm brown, baby pink, and cream 100% wool felt has been lovingly hand-stitched to create this sweet little companion. His fluffy tail is made of un-dyed natural lamb's wool.

Mariposa Monarch Pin with Needle Felting

After completing my first Mariposa pin, I found I wasn't completely satisfied with how the body turned out.  

My newest tools cluttering my creation station are felting needles - barbed, nastily sharp little probes that when jabbed repeatedly into wool fibers, mesh them together.  

They are fantastic!  You can practically sculpt with these bad boys!  Not to mention how satisfying it is to plunge an extremely sharp object into a pillow like substance, but I recommend its stress-relieving qualities.  

I think I am pleased with the more life-like appearance of his body now - here are the before and afters.

Before:  rolled felt body, wound with embroidery thread

After:  needle-felted body