My Sister Came To Visit and Work A Little! YIPPEE!!

It's only been a week since my sister was here for a visit, but I think she'll be surprised at how much I've accomplished with my needle felting since then.

It would have been nice if she was here for a whole week of crafts fun and games but we had work to do on her new Rock Garden Alpacas Fiber website and work to do on her Inspired Creations By D wall art quilt kits. So, we were a little busy.

However, I'd be lying if I told you we didn't have a chance to play. We did go fabric shopping one day and, well, truth be told we did buy some fabric. We had a delightful time shopping and I must admit we probably bought more fabric and crafts supplies then we needed, but we couldn't pass up such good deals. At least that's what we told ourselves.

We went fabric shopping first and then went to my favorite lunch restaurant - California Pizza Kitchen. I just love their garlic chicken pizza and for the last twenty years every time I've had lunch there that's what I've ordered. In fact, most of the time whoever I went with whether it was my mother, brother, granddaughters, or grandsons we ALWAYS had the Garlic Chicken Pizza. Since I knew what I wanted I wasn't even going to look at the menu but for some reason decided to look anyways. I was really disappointed when I couldn't find it on the menu and then the waitress told me they didn't have it anymore. Boy, was I disappointed. My sister suggested we try a garlic cheese pizza. Needless to say the pizza wasn't anywhere near as good as their Garlic Chicken Pizza.

I can't tell you how many times over the last twenty years I've had lunch there with my Mother, granddaughters, grandsons, brothers, and sister. Such great memories with everyone laughing about the garlic breath we all had afterwards and my searching for the hot red cinnamon Tic Tacs in my purse. After all, who wants to walk around with garlic breath when they're shopping. I was so disappointed I decided that California Pizza Kitchen just went to the bottom of my favorite restaurant list.

After our disappointing lunch we went shopping for some crafts supplies at both A.C. Moore and Michaels. This cheered me up as I just LOVE browsing through all the aisles and craft supplies thinking of all the things I'd like to make. And, of course, we bought a few craft supplies. Okay, make that many supplies. We probably bought more needle felt craft supplies than we needed - but, you can't pass up good deals especially when you have coupons! That's our story and we're sticking to it.

We decided to spend the next three days working on her websites, fiber products, and quilt kits. After a grueling three days of computer work we finally finished as much as we were going to do this trip so we had some time to play. We wanted to learn as much as we could about needle felting and working with roving.

I had bought two mini roving kits for making a snowman and a penguin that I thought would be a good introduction into working with the fiber so we started there. We just wanted to get the feel of the fiber and how easy or hard it would be to work with before we embarked on our free style hand creations and working with the molds we had bought. I took the snowman and my sister took the penguin.

We learned how to form the roving into balls or whatever shaped we needed and which roving tools to use as each had their own purpose. After pricking my fingers twice to the point of drawing blood we decided needle felting was not a craft for young children. The needles were really sharp and THEY HURT when you pricked yourself. OUCH! At the very least if you're needle felting with children adult supervision is definitely required.

I finished my snowman, as shown in the picture above, and my sister finished her penguin, as shown in the picture above and to the left. For her first attempt and my second attempt at needle felting roving we were pleased with the results. Two years ago I had made a winter penny rug that had sheep in it and required you to needle felt the sheep's body, but that was just felting the wool roving onto the felt piece. I didn't have to shape anything then so this was a little different. I reviewed this in my "The Book Review Corner Blog" in a post entitled: "I Really Wanted To Try Needle Felting and Penny Rug Felting - I Loved It!

My sister decided to take a bold step for her next needle felted creation and try a free style hand felted picture. She wanted some sort of mountain scene with trees, sun, mountains, grasslands and a moose. She's into nature, gardens, and quilted landscape wall art not dolls, silk floral, and genealogy.

I opted for an easier winter scene with the blue felt roving backing, a snowman with a tree and presents.  I wasn't surprised at what my baby sister choose as she was always more adventurous than I.

Well, we worked on this for several hours and between the laughter and "bleeding - OUCH! OUCH!" we managed to get several needle felted projects completed.

By the time we were done we definitely had a better feel for needle felting and knew which of the products we liked or didn't like. My sister had brought some of the white, brown, dark brown, and black/gray combination roving from her alpacas that we used in almost all of the creations. My sister's alpaca roving was clearly the best roving by far. Very fine, very soft, and very easy to needle felt.

Some of the small packages of dyed roving that we had bought might have said 100% wool roving but they were anything but. Some were roving, but some looked more like dyed raw mohair to me. I will definitely not be buying that again. However, we wanted to create needle felted pictures and to do that we needed different colors.


My sister's white alpaca roving would be wonderful for dyeing except we haven't learned how to do that yet. It's on the agenda - maybe next year.

In any event. her alpaca roving makes exceptional doll hair, especially the white for Santa's. I'm hoping to have some time this winter to create dolls and ornaments using her alpaca roving. I'm fortunate that my baby sister gave me some roving last year and this year to use with my dolls and crafts - and use it I will. It is definitely the best roving I have ever used for my doll hair.

If you'd like to see for yourself just visit her Rock Garden Alpacas Etsy Shop.

We had a delightful time as we always do.  We  worked hard, shopped, ate, laughed, cried from the pricking of the fingers, and learned A LOT.  We still have a lot more to learn about using the alpaca fiber, but we're off to a good start.

Delightful Fall Decorations

I know that I've told you a zillion times how much I love the Fall season and LOVE decorating for the Fall.

Since there's two holidays in the Fall I tend to put all my Fall seasonal scarecrows, spooky Halloween dolls, and Thanksgiving pilgrims all out at the same time. They're usually up for three months - from the end of August or first of September until just after Thanksgiving. By putting them all up at the same time I same a lot of time by not having to change them out. I blend them together so they look fine for the three months.

I also like to alternate what I put up each year for a couple of reasons. First, I have so many wonderful decorations and secondly, it gives every one of the "dollies" their 15 minutes of fame. After all, we have to keep the "dollies" happy and keep the peace in "The Dollie Storage Room."  Letting them all shine at some point in time is a way to do this.

The "dollies" have been pestering me for a few weeks now to show pictures of the decorations and, today, I finally had some time to do so.

Two of my favorite "BIG GUYS" that hubby and I made many years ago adorn the family room fireplace.

My Boo Hoo Billy and Crowin Mike ornament designs are just hanging around.  The "W" pumpkin above is a new decoration added by hubby.

My Primitive Andy Frankenstein and Primitive Annie Witch doll designs looking down from atop the desk.

The dolls and florals in the two pictures above makes my sun-room so festive. The scene in my dining room.  My Norman The Pilgrim and Pleasantly Plump Eunice pilgrim doll designs are in charge here.

The two pumpkins shown above (Trick or Treat and Boo) were also new decorations this year added by hubby!  I think they go well with the scene.

Frankenstein above is the largest wooden doll hubby and I have ever made.  My Scarier Per Pound David and Call Me Frank N. Stein doll designs keep him company.

My Scarecrow Rob and Wickedly Plump Dot  witch doll designs and silk floral arrangement make a wonderful scene in my front hall.  I made the table cloth from some fabric my sister gave me one year.

My Punky Elmer's Little Scarecrow doll design adds his own special charm to one of the scenes in the dining room.

More silk floral arrangements that I made many years ago.  I just love creating with the silk florals as they just last and last year after year after year.  Definitely a cost effective way to decoration.  Make something once to last 10 to 20 years.  How great is that?

Arch silk floral I made one year adorns the top of the fireplace in the dining room. Can't forget the Halloween cross stitch I created last year. My Andy Scarecrow doll design has his own place of honor on top of Bud's box this year.

I hope you enjoyed seeing my Fall, Halloween, and Thanksgiving decorations. I know the "dollies" were happy to show off.  Hopefully that will keep them happy for a little while.

I Just LOVE This Picture!

I just LOVE this picture of the Blue Footed Booby of the Galapagos Islands that was shared on Facebook the other day.

I don't know why but every time I look at it I get inspired to create something. Maybe it's the big blue feet or the determined look in his eyes.

Perhaps he'll become the newest member of the "Victorian Animals Tea Society."

What do you think?

Why Are THEY Still Here?

Hubby and I like to take walks along one of the streets in our town that is two miles long and has a sidewalk for the whole distance - which, in the suburbs, is unusual.

So, one beautiful, cool, sunny day last week we decided to take a walk. We were about three quarters of the way done and were walking past the athletic field for one of the private schools in town and spotted a young mother with two young children and a puppy coming in our direction. The two kids, a little girl and a little boy, were walking and jumping up and down off a wall that runs along the athletic field.

As we were approaching them the puppy spotted us and became eager to greet us.  We try to greet all the dogs we approach on our walks as they are all usually very eager to say hello and then go on their way. So, this time was no exception.

When we got close enough for the dog to greet us we stopped and extended our hands so he could smell us first and then lick our hands.  He, of course, was very eager to do so.

Well, the little boy (who couldn't have been more than 3 or 4) all of a sudden put his hands on his hips and looked up at his mom and in a booming voice said, "Why are THEY still here?"

We looked at the mother and she looked at us and we all burst out laughing. So, I said, "We're greeting the puppy. He just wants to say hello."

To this the little boy with his hands still on his hips replied, "Well, we're on a walk!"

That was it.  We were being dismissed by a 3 or 4 year old.

We looked at the mother again, and once more burst out laughing. So, we said to all, "Well, have a nice walk!" And, off they all went.

So, hubby and I spend the rest of the day laughing and saying to each other, "Why are THEY still here?"

You just never know what is going to come out of the mouths of babes.

My Crazy Quilting Passion - So What Will These Supplies Become?

I've been rather busy the past few weeks working on some of my blogs and some of my websites, but I've managed to get some shopping in.

Oh, what a surprise, Linda? There's always time for shopping! Right?

Now you might be wondering exactly what kind of shopping  I did and what is it for? As to where I went shopping -  if you know me it's a combination of letting your fingers do the walking and actually getting in the car and going retail shopping.

What it's for has to do with my new found crazy quilting passion and gifts for the holidays. Since some of it is for gifts this holidays season I don't want to spoil the surprise for the recipients so you'll just have to guess what I might be making out of all of the things I bought.

So, what did I buy?

Well, we have some whites........

We have some creams......

We have some beautiful golds....

We have some elegant silvers....

The ever formal and traditional blacks.....

Some linings perhaps.....

Maybe some pink lace edging can be used somewhere?

How about some delicate green and black lace edging?

It might even be time to utilize the beautiful lace from my sister's friends' old wedding gown....

I really hate cutting such a beautiful gown, but the lace is just gorgeous....

Wouldn't you agree it's perfect for some crazy quilting piece(s).....

How about some amazing trims and embellishments from Flights of Fancy....

I didn't forget the dragonflies.....

Some cording and straps from Joanns.....

Some beautiful florals from Pamela Amundson of theDelightfuldesigner on Etsy...

Some exquisite trims from Pamela Amundson of theDelightfuldesigner on Etsy...

Colorful silk ribbons from silkribbons4you on Etsy.....

Maybe some of my own ribbon trims might be put to use.....

Maybe even some of my lace trim stash.....

Perhaps something from my bridal floral stash.....

Didn't forget the threads from JoAnn's.. I haven't had time to shop for Kreinik threads yet....Don't worry, however, I will.....

Or, maybe I might even use some of the buttons from my stash.....

I can hardly wait to get started on this crazy quilting idea.  First, I have to develop my patterns.  That's right there's a plural (s) in there.  Can't exactly give everyone the same style. Can I?  They compare after all....

So, I'm left to developing a general pattern that I can modify here and there.

Have any idea what all the above is going to make?

Stay tuned.  For sure it will be revealed after the holidays....

I know, I know that's a long time to wait.  But, I don't want to give away the gift surprise.

Well, maybe I'll show you a few things between now and then.

We'll see.....

It's Been A Busy Few Weeks!

The past few weeks have been really busy week for me. I've been moving from one project to another to another and then back to the first to finish it. Thankfully, I've got several projects completed, several half done, and several at least started.

So, what have I been up to?

Well, I've been adding many, many handmade dolls & crafts and patterns to my Linda Walsh Originals Etsy shop. At last count I had 166 items for sale in my shop.

The "dollies" and I have been playing at Smilebox.com and creating some fun videos for the "dollies" as well as videos for my sister and her husband and "the alpaca kids." You know "the dollies" - they always LOVE to play.

I created several new fabric designs at my Linda Walsh Originals Fabric Designs shop at Spoonflower.com. Four were for "It's Raining Baby Showers" and twenty-five were for some of the other party decoration lines I'm working on.

I finished making the last of the "It's Raining Baby Showers" products using the various fabrics in my line and hope to have the products and patterns released sometime in the Fall. There's a LOT there and I hope you'll be pleased with all you can do to decorate for the best old-fashioned baby shower ever.

I managed to get some fun shopping in at JoAnn's and online at Etsy for some of the fabrics and supplies I need for my new crazy quilt passion. I can hardly wait to start these as I just LOVED my online crazy quilt class at Artful Gathering last month. There are so many ideas swirling around in my head for crazy quilting that I've started keeping a list of CQ To-Do's.

I also added more e-patterns to My Pattern Store: Linda Walsh Originals E-Patterns on Craftsy. To date I've added 66 of my e-patterns there. Some for sale, some free. I hope you get a chance to visit My Pattern Store: Linda Walsh Originals E-Patterns at Craftsy. If you like my store please follow me.

And, last but not least, but at least the most fun, I  managed to create a few new boards on Pinterest and added many new pins to my existing boards. I just LOVE Pinterest and find it so relaxing to just browse through picture after picture of beautiful creations. If you're on Pinterest I'd LOVE for you to follow me.



PHEW!!! That's what I've been up to the last few weeks. It's been busy, busy, busy and based on my "To-Do" list it doesn't look like it's going to slow down anytime soon.


Graphic Courtesy of  Image Emporium

How Can You Not LOVE This Face?

How can you not LOVE a face like Masquerade's?  

He's my sister's newest addition to her Rock Garden Alpacas farm and is just adorable as far as I'm concerned. According to my sister, for an alpaca he's very theatrical and choosy as to whom he'll let pet him. I think he looks like he belongs in the "Phantom Of The Opera!"

And, I bet his fleece is just amazing with all the color combinations. I can envision using it for the beard and hair on a woodland type doll. What do you all think?

What I'd really like to do is make a little replica alpaca doll of him. However, before I can do that I have to hone my needle felting skills. It's on my massive "to-do" list. Perhaps in the Fall......

"So you're the new kid huh" - February 2012 With Cosmo